Tea creams with raspberries and elegant sugar thins

Method

2. Put the tea and sugar into a saucepan. Mix the single and double cream together and pour about three quarters of the mixture into the pan with the tea and sugar (the remaining quarter is a safety measure, to dilute the flavour in case you inadvertently make the tea flavour too strong and sickly).

3. Bring slowly to the boil and keep tasting, so that the pan can be removed when the infusion seems right (but remember that flavours diminish in strength as they cool). As soon as the cream is hot and the flavour seems strong enough, take the pan off the heat.

4. Squeeze the excess water from the gelatine leaves and then stir into the cream mixture.

5. Pour the mixture through a sieve into a basin. Stir in the sugar, and then add the remaining cream as required. Taste and add extra sugar if you think it needs it. Leave to cool to room temperature.

6. Brush the insides of 1 large or 4-6 smaller moulds with almond oil or any other tasteless oil. Pour in the cool tea cream. Leave to set for 4 hours (or overnight if possible).

7. Meanwhile, make the sugar thins. Cream the butter and sugar, and then add the egg and cream, and the remaining ingredients, working them together to form a soft dough. Divide the mixture into two. Form each piece into a long roll, about 5cm in diameter and wrap in foil. Refrigerate until firm.

8. Set the oven to 190°/gas 5.

9. Shave the dough into the thinnest possible slices. Put them on a baking tray lined with non-stick baking parchment, sprinkle with sugar and cook for 5 minutes. They should remain pale in colour (there is no need to bake the dough all at once; simply cut off the required amount and refrigerate or freeze the rest to use later).

10. Serve the creams with the sugar thins.