Name: Homemade strawberry toppas
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 3 cup fresh strawberries; 1/2 cup icing sugar; 3 tablespoon Cointreau; 12 ice-block moulds; 12 wooden twigs cut into 17cm lengths, or ice-block sticks; 2 cup full-fat cream

Homemade strawberry toppas

Jani and I spend hours on our photoshoots and inevitably share childhood food stories as memories are triggered by different ingredients. One recent discovery is our shared love of Strawberry Toppa ice blocks – that delicious Kiwi invention of the 1950s. The rather rustic icy treats on these pages are our version of the sublime relationship between strawberries and cream – with a cheeky, grown-up twist. Photographs by Jani Shepherd and styling by Fiona Hugues; Gatherum Collectif.

Makes 12

Prep

20M

Marinate

12H

Ingredients

3 cup fresh strawberries

1/2 cup icing sugar

3 tablespoon Cointreau

12 ice-block moulds

12 wooden twigs cut into 17cm lengths, or ice-block sticks

2 cup full-fat cream

Method

1.Place 1 cup strawberries and ¼ cup icing sugar in a jug. Blitz with a stick mixer until puréed. Stir in the Cointreau.

2.Spoon 1-2 Tbsp of strawberry purée into the bottom of each mould to a depth of 2cm, then place in freezer until set (at least 2 hours).

3.When set, press a stick into each frozen tip.

4.Mix the remaining sugar into the cream, stirring until dissolved. With a fork or potato masher, squash the remaining strawberries then stir into cream. Spoon cream mixture into moulds and fill to the top. Freeze overnight or until set.

5.When you are ready to serve, stand moulds in warm water to loosen. Remove ice blocks and serve immediately.