Strawberries & Cream

What do you think of when you think of tennis at Wimbledon?

The top three would most probably include the tradition of eating strawberries and cream! It’s popular belief that King George V introduced strawberries and cream to the Wimbledon Championships at SW19. But it’s more likely that the tradition dates back to the beginning of the tournament in 1877, according to the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. The time of year when strawberries are ready signals the start of summer, and coincidentally the start of Wimbledon. Here’s a meringue with strawberries, chocolate and cream recipe for you to enjoy (best eaten while watching the tennis).

Meringue with strawberries, cream and dark chocolate

Ingredients

for the meringue - 4 large egg whites, 115g caster sugar, 115g icing sugar; for the topping – 200g strawberries, 300ml double cream, dark chocolate.

Method for meringue from BBC Good Food

Preheat oven to 100C and line baking tray with parchment paper. Put the egg whites in a large and clean mixing bowl and beat till fluffy and stands in stiff peaks. Turn the speed up and start adding the sugar slowing (dessertspoonful as a time) until the mixture is thick and glossy. Sift in the icing sugar a third at a time and fold in with a metal spoon – don’t over mix.  With a spoon, scoop up the mixture and put onto the baking sheet, forming oval rounds. Bake for 1 ½ hours until crisp on the outside, then cool on trays. Topping: Hull the strawberries and then cut them into quarters. Whip the cream with until firm, add to the cooled meringues and top with strawberries. Grate a generous amount of dark chocolate over the top, and enjoy!

The 2012 Wimbledon Championships continue till 8 July. www.wimbledon.com