Mascarpone is a smooth, thick Italian cream cheese, just made for summer berries. I call this tiramisù, because it literally means “pick-me-up”, although it is lighter and fruitier than the traditional tiramisù of cocoa and coffee.

Ingredients
Feeds 8. Takes 30 mins, plus chilling.


500g strawberries
250g raspberries
3 egg yolks
100g caster sugar
500g mascarpone
5 egg whites
100ml sweet pink berry liqueur, eg, Framboise, Fraise de Bois or home-made liqueur
100ml milk
200g spongefinger (boudoir) biscuits
10 fresh mint leaves

Wash and dry the strawberries, then hull. Cut in half lengthwise and set aside with the raspberries. Beat the three egg yolks and sugar together until smooth, then whisk in the mascarpone until smooth. Beat the five egg whites in a separate bowl until peaky, then fold the whites through the mascarpone cream.

Mix the liqueur and milk, and dip the biscuits in the liquid until soft and pink, and arrange them on the base of a large but not too deep serving dish. Cover with a layer of mascarpone cream.

Arrange a layer of berries on top of the cream, and then repeat with a layer of soaked biscuits, mascarpone and berries. Make the final layer of berries as generous as possible, as some will sink into the cream. Chill for three to four hours, or overnight (no longer), to allow the biscuits to soften and the cream to ripen and set. Scatter with fresh mint leaves and serve.

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