Summer Fool

Method

• step 1

  Put the sugar into a small bowl, then pour over 1 tbsp of boiling water and stir to dissolve-don't worry if it is still a bit grainy. Halve the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the sugar syrup. Add the pod, too, along with the lemon zest. Leave to infuse for at least 15 minutes.

• step 2

  Reserve 6 small strawberries; hull, halve, then coarsely mash the rest, using either a stick blender or food processor, leaving some little chunks of fruit still intact. Remove the vanilla pod and lemon zest from the syrup, then stir it into the strawberries to make a rough puree.

• step 3

  Whip the cream into stiffish peaks, then stir in the fromage frais. Fold all but a couple of spoonful of the strawberry puree through the cream mixture. Swirl in the saved puree to give a rippled effect. Spoon into 6 glasses. Halve the reserved strawberries. Top each glass with two halved strawberries and serve with buttery Shortbread bites.