(serves 10 -14)
Many dessert lovers agree that everything or anything tastes good if it involves pastry. This is an example of a totally unctuous dessert made complete with a sugary pastry base.

INGREDIENTS
400g puff pastry (rolled out to a 3mm thick round with diameter 25cm )
50g (1/4 cup) sugar
50ml (1/4 cup less 1 tbsp) water
1 tsp castor sugar 300g large strawberries (cut into 5mm thick slices)
White Chocolate Mousse
200g-300g long-stemmed strawberries to garnish

METHOD
Dock (pierce with a fork) pastry all over and rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 210°C. To make sugar syrup: place sugar and water in a small pot set over a low heat and stir till sugar is dissolved. Increase heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Brush pastry round generously with sugar syrup and sprinkle with castor sugar.
Place into preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes till pastry is golden brown and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool.

Transfer pastry round to fit the base of a 20cm loose-bottom spring form cake tin. If necessary trim pastry to fit tin.

Arrange strawberry slices overlapping onto pastry and with pointed ends facing outwards.

Pour White Chocolate Mousse over strawberries, smooth top and place into refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours or till set.

To serve: Run a small metal spatula round edge of cake tin and release spring. Remove torte from ring and base, and place onto a serving plate. Decorate with long- stemmed strawberries.

White Chocolate Mousse

This mousse, adapted from one of my favourite cookbooks, "The Joy of Cooking” is also very good formed into small decorative dessert glasses and served with raspberries.

INGREDIENTS
70g (1/2 cup + 1 tbsp) slivered almonds (toasted and finely diced)
435g (3 + 1/4 cups) roughly chopped white chocolate (tablet or buttons but not "melts”)
70ml (4 + 1/2 tbsp) cold water
7g (2 + 1/4 tsp) gelatine powder
575ml (2 + 1/3 cups less 1 tbsp) cream

METHOD
Into a small bowl place almonds and half a cup of the measured white chocolate. Reserve for later use.

Pour water into a small bowl, add gelatine and stir. Leave to soak for 10 minutes or till gelatine has absorbed water.

Place remainder of chocolate into a food processor and process till a coarse breadcrumb-like texture is achieved.

Pour 280ml (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) cream into a small pot and bring to the boil. Remove from heat.

Add gelatine to cream and stir to dissolve.

Pour cream mixture over chocolate in food processor bowl and process till chocolate is almost melted.

Pour mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for 15 – 20 minutes or till mixture is thick and falls from a metal spoon in a ribbon-like fashion.

Place remaining cream into a bowl and whisk till soft peaks form. Add to chocolate mixture and fold in.

Add reserved almonds and chocolate to chocolate mixture and fold in.
While it is still pourable proceed with White Chocolate and Strawberry Mousse Cake.