Ingredients
For the spiced summer fruits
110ml/4fl oz water
2 cloves
4 cardamom pods
½ cinnamon stick
1 star anise
2 small handfuls raspberries
1 small handful blackberries
1 small handful blueberries
1 small handful redcurrants
For the ginger shortbread
100g/3½oz unsalted butter
55g/2oz caster sugar
140g/6oz plain flour
1 tsp ground ginger
For the mint cream
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
200ml/7fl oz double cream, whipped until soft peaks form when the whisk is removed
To serve
3-4 blackberries
3-4 raspberries
3-4 blueberries
3-4 redcurrants
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
2. For the spiced summer fruits, bring a saucepan of water to the boil, then turn off the heat, stir in the cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick and star anise, and set aside for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and redcurrants to the spiced water. Simmer over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes, or until the volume of water has reduced by half. Drain the fruit and reserve the spiced syrup.
4. For the ginger shortbread, cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Add the flour and ground ginger and mix well, then bring the mixture together with your hands to form a dough.
5. Turn out the shortbread dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Transfer the dough to a baking tray, flatten it out by hand until it is 1cm/½in thick, then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until pale golden-brown.
6. Remove the shortbread from the oven and, while still warm, cut out four or five 5cm/2in discs using a biscuit cutter or upturned cup as a template. Set aside to cool.
7. For the mint cream, fold the chopped mint into the whipped cream.
8. To serve, spread the mint cream onto the ginger shortbread discs. Top one with the blackberries, one with the raspberries, and one with the blueberries. Stack the decorated shortbread discs on top of each other in the centre of a serving plate, finishing the stack with a shortbread disc. Arrange the redcurrants on top of the shortbread stack. Spoon the spiced berries around the edge of the plate and drizzle some spiced syrup alongside the berries.
