Strawberries Cointreau Romanoff On A Chocolate Sponge Cake Soaked With Cognac And Devonshire Vanilla Bean Cream

Ingredients:

• 750 gr strawberries, washed, quartered
• 50 ml cointreau
• 2 ml orange rind
• 15 ml caster sugar
• 125ml devonshire cream
• 25 ml icing sugar
• 1/ 6 inch chocolate sponge cake
• 100 ml cognac
• 1 vanilla bean, split, seeded

Directions:

1. Combine strawberries, cointreau, rind, and caster sugar in a bowl,cover and refridgerate for 1 hour
2. Drain the berries, reserving any juices
3. Purree about 1/4 of the berries with the reserved juices
4. Put aside.
5. Beat the cream, vanilla beans and the icing sugar until soft peak stage
6. Fold the berry puree through the whipped vanilla cream
7. Split the chocolate sponge in half. Using a round cutter section into 8 pieces. Soak sponge with cognac.
8. Place 2 pieces of chocolate soaked sponge onto a plate
9. Spoon the mixture over top of the cake, and top with reserved berries.
10. Garnish with fresh mint leaf

4 servings