Deciding what to make for my EMMA dessert was difficult—but in a delightful way. I knew I wanted a Regency-inspired strawberry dessert as a nod to the afternoon Emma spends picking strawberries at Donwell Abbey, but there were so many wonderful options it was hard to choose!

The Regency era boasts a plethora of delicious desserts, many with adorable names like “flummery,” “fruit fool,” and “syllabub.” I already made strawberry fool for the new extended edition of my cookbook, A LITERARY PICNIC, so I decided to do a twist on syllabub for this post. I took some inspiration from Max Miller’s Everlasting Syllabub on Tasting History and the elderflower whipped cream from my Poppy Eyebright Wedding Cake recipe.

Most syllabubs contain whipped cream (or sometimes egg white), slightly sweet alcohol, citrus, and sugar. If fruit is involved, it’s usually set on top or layered with the syllabub. That reminded me too much of strawberry fool, so I decided to make a strawberry jam and fold it through the syllabub. This resulted in a beautiful light pink pigment. I love how it turned out!

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Strawberry Syllabub

“’You had better explore to Donwell,’ replied Mr. Knightley. ‘That may be done without horses. Come, and eat my strawberries. They are ripening fast.’ . . . Donwell was famous for its strawberry-beds, which seemed a plea for the invitation: but no plea was necessary . . .”

— Emma

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Makes 3 cups of strawberry syllabub

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. FOR THE JAM. Combine all jam ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until combined. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Thoroughly mash the strawberries with a potato masher or the bottom of a heavy glass. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly with a spatula and taking care to scrape the bottom of the pan.
   
2. Remove from heat. Transfer to a sealable container and allow to rest until room temperature. Cover and chill until cold.
3. FOR THE SYLLABUB. Beat the heavy cream and powdered sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-low speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the liqueur and orange juice until stiff peaks form. Fold in the chilled strawberry jam and orange zest. Evenly divide the syllabub between serving glasses and top each with a small strawberry if desired.
4. Serve after a delightful afternoon of strawberry-picking at Donwell Abbey. 

   

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If you like this recipe,
check out Emma’s Strawberry Fool in a Jar
in my new cookbook, A LITERARY PICNIC: EXTENDED EDITION!