Fruit Cream

A Victorian assembled dessert rather than a cooked one: sweetened whipped cream layered with fruit in a glass dish. The whole point is the layering being visible, so use a straight-sided glass bowl and build it just before serving.

• "Thick cream"This means the richest cream available, equivalent to British double cream (about 48% fat) or, in the US, heavy whipping cream. Anything lighter will not hold the layers and will slump into the fruit.
• Pounded sugarSugar crushed fine in a mortar so it dissolves in the cream. Caster (superfine) sugar is the direct substitute; allow roughly 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup of cream, added before whipping.
• Whip to soft peaks, not stiffThe cream has to be firm enough to hold a layer but still spoonable. Take it just past the point where the whisk leaves a trail; over-whipped cream turns grainy and will weep into the fruit.
• Dried fruits need soakingDried fruits -- Where the recipe allows "dried fruits", it is worth steeping them first in wine, brandy or syrup until plump, then draining well. Dry fruit put straight into cream stays leathery and draws moisture out of the layer above it.
• Fruit preparationHull and halve strawberries; larger fruit should be sliced so the layers sit flat. Toss juicy fruit with a little sugar half an hour ahead and drain off the syrup, or the dish will pool liquid at the base.
• The wafersThese are thin crisp sweet biscuits. Add them only at the moment of serving, setting them round the outside as the recipe directs, since they soften quickly against cream.
• Yield and timingAs a rough guide, two cups of cream and about a pound of fruit will fill a medium glass bowl; the recipe itself specifies no quantities. Assemble shortly before serving and keep it cold, or the layers bleed together.