Easy Pudding! Strawberry and Orange 'Tiramisu'

Well, easy if you have the ingredients I suppose. Ordinarily I wouldn't have, as I don't buy strawberries at this time of year, mainly as they are flown in, are not necessarily of great quality, and to be honest, nothing really surpasses the ones that Lola, Finn and I pick from the garden when they are ruby red and bang in season. However, Lola does not understand seasonality and Lola loves strawberries, so when she spied some at the entrance to the supermarket she was quite insistent. I noticed they were reduced heavily, as they were on their way out of date, and when the alternative to a little treat for Lola would be one of those horrible swizzley lollies she is into, then these strawberries suddenly became an attractive purchase.

I had a recipe for a strawberry tiramisu which used limoncello to soak the boudoir fingers but alas, no limoncello in the house. I did have Triple Sec however (an indication here of my cocktail 'habit') and I have been to Spain enough times to know that they often combine strawberry and orange so I figured a little experimentation was in order.

I soaked Lola and Finn's biscuits in orange juice. Just sayin'.

This is a fresh tasting, easy to assemble pudding that isn't too faffy. I know of some who aren't necessarily bowled over by an authentic tiramisu, and whilst this really is a bit of an imposter, the combination of booze, fruit, cream and sponge is really rather good.

Strawberry and Orange Tiramisu

Ingredients:

250g strawberries, sliced

4 - 5 tbsp icing sugar (plus a little extra for dusting)

- 5 tbsp Triple Sec (or Grand Marnier or Cointreau, or orange juice)

100g natural yoghurt

250g mascarpone

8 - 10 sponge finger biscuits

Method:

Place the strawberries in a bowl. sprinkle with icing sugar and 2 tablespoons of liqueur. Leave to marinate for about 10 minutes.

Drain the strawberries in a sieve, reserving the juices for later.

combine the yoghurt and the mascarpone, then mix in the juices from the strawberries. Taste. If you want it sweeter, add a little more icing sugar.

Sprinkle the remaining liqueur over the sponge fingers, letting them soak briefly before removing.

Place a layer of strawberries on a plate. Top with the mascarpone mixture, then top with sponge fingers, more mascarpone and then finish with more strawberries on top. Dust off with a little icing sugar if you like.

Delish, and it looks kinda pretty too.