Mint and Lime Syllabub with Langues de Chat

Syllabub is one of those desserts I think a lot of people have heard of, but not so many know what it is. That obviously is one massive generalization of the culinary knowledge of the British public, but I think my point is fair. 

Syllabub is insanely easy to make. It's a delightful meld of sweet wine (such as white wine or sherry), softly whipped cream and a little sugar and lemon juice (and often zest) to sharpen. Syllabub itself has been around since Tudor times, with early versions being spoonfuls of thickened cream floating on top of sweet wine. It's a pure dessert for long summer days, both refreshing and sumptuous. Just dreamlike. The perfect end to a summer evening. 

To get a deep, concentrated mint flavour you must (yes, this is crucial, please do not skip it) infuse the cream with the mint over night. The effect is absolutely magical, and once strained you end up with a syllabub that tastes just like fresh mint, natural and earthy. No mint flavouring or extract will give you this wonderful taste. 

Langues de Chat (or Cats tongues) are the perfect long, crunchy, buttery biscuit to dip into the light airy syllabub. But of course, you can buy wonderful biscuits too, such as shortbread (or literally anything from Jules Destrooper). Make sure you allow your syllabub some time to be nice and cold before you serve (an hour or two should be fine). It's all well worth a rummage round the cupboards to find some pretty ornate glasses to serve this is. It just feels right. 

Another point to add is that you can easily interchange your flavourings: orange, lemon, limoncello, rosemary or indeed a Turkish Delight inspired syllabub with pistachio, rose water and orange blossom a la Nigella. 

Mint and Lime Syllabub with Langues de Chat 

Serves 4 

Ingredients: 

For the syllabub: 

1 medium bunch of mint 
300ml double cream 
1oz/50g caster sugar
50ml white wine 
Juice and zest of one lime (plus a little extra zest to garnish) 

For the Langues de Chat: 

Makes 21-22 biscuits 

50g/2oz softened butter 
75g/3oz icing sugar
2 egg whites
50g/2oz plain flour
2-3 drops vanilla extract 

1. Pick the mint leaves off the stem and chop finely. Add this to the cream, put in a jug and leave in the fridge to infuse overnight. 

2. Strain the mint leaves from the cream using a fine sieve and whip with the sugar until soft peaks form. Stir in the wine and the zest and juice. Whip a little until a tiny bit thickened (but do over do it or it will split). It won't be really thick, but will set in the fridge more. Spoon into glasses and leave to chill for a few hours. 

3. On with the cats tongues. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 6. Use a silpat to line a large baking sheet. 

4. Cream the butter and sugar together lightly until pale. Mix in the vanilla extract. 

5. Add the egg whites gradually, mixing quickly in between each addition, carefully not allowing the mixture to curdle. 

6. Gently sift in the flour and fold until incorporated. The batter should be nice and smooth. Put this into a piping bag and pipe 7-8cm long biscuits about 2 1/2 cm apart. You should be able to fit them all in on one large baking tray. 

7. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until golden brown on the edges, yet pale in the middle. I like mine quite crisp. When cooked, remove on to a cooling rack using a palette knife. Add a little extra zest on your syllbubs and serve with your langues de chat.