RIGHT now, we’re slap-bang in the middle of berry season. What bliss.

We must make the most of this fleeting season. I think berries and currants are the best of all the fruits; for me they have just the right amount of flavour and acidity.

Blackcurrants are my absolute favourite, whether bubbling beneath the crust of a rich buttery crumble, or folded into ice-cold whipped cream, the flavour is unmistakable and utterly satisfying.

Combine these with tart red and white currants, perfumed raspberries, luscious strawbs and tongue-popping blueberries, and you’ve got heaven in a bowl.

I’ve always been of the thought that berries require very little in the way of elaboration. The classic preparations always seem to work best – the tartness of a summer pudding requires nought but a dollop of clotted cream, if anything, and a bowl of simple fresh raspberries, still warm from the sun, is best enjoyed with nothing more complicated than a scoop of good vanilla ice-cream.

I am always dismayed to see berries and currants thrown about with gay abandon into milk or dark chocolate, for instance. For me, it’s one dominant flavour too many. It muddies the waters.

Let them shine on their own, or pair them with something gentle as encouragement.

One thing that the red fruits do like, though, is white chocolate, which isn’t really chocolate at all, but that’s a whole different story.

The delicate, creamy, almost buttery flavour of white chocolate is a perfect canvas on which we can ‘paint’ the flavours of the berries, and there’s a classic recipe, created in the 1980s at the famous Ivy restaurant, that I think brings together the two with exquisite results. The dish of frozen berries with hot white chocolate sauce has become legendary, and makes for a most wonderful climax to a meal. It combines the drama of the performance with a delicious finished article, and it’s the perfect way to get the most out of the beautiful surplus of soft red fruits we have around at the moment. It’s also a very easy, yet impressive, dessert for the end of a barbecue lunch or summer dinner party.

Along with our hot and cold combination, I thought the dish might benefit from something crisp and biscuity, and so, as I had some puff pastry left in the freezer, I thought I’d knock up a batch of palmiers. These buttery, delicate pastries are effortless in the making, and provide the requisite sugary crunch along with the tart fruit and rich white chocolate.

And of course, don’t forget that you can use other fruit too, according to your preference.

I’ll admit whitecurrants are very hard to find unless you grow your own! So be inventive, and perhaps dice up some ripe apricots or peaches, or maybe even segments of juicy pink grapefruit. That’s the beauty of this dish – endless possibilities. Aprons on!

Serves 4

5-600g fresh berries & currants (any berries, any currants, as you prefer)

A little lime juice

Sauce:

140ml double cream

140g good-quality white chocolate

2 tsps natural yoghurt

Palmiers:

250g sheet of puff pastry

2 tsp unrefined golden caster sugar

Also:serving bowls or glasses, chilled, mint, basil or thyme for garnish.

Firstly, make the palmiers. If the pastry isn’t ready-rolled, roll it out into a rectangle about 1/2cm thick. Sprinkle ¾ of the sugar evenly across the pastry. Then, roll up one side of the pastry into the centre of the sheet, and repeat with the other side, forming a double barrel. Cut the pastry into slices 1-2cm thick, and lay them on a baking tray, sprinkling with a little more sugar and squashing slightly to avoid unrolling issues. Chill well. Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F / Gas 6 and bake the palmiers until they are golden and crunchy.

In advance, prepare the fruit by hulling and quartering the strawberries, and by topping and tailing the fruit if necessary. Quickly toss the berries in a little lime juice to help hold the colour, and freeze in a single layer on greaseproof paper. This helps when you come to serve them. Freeze for at least 24 hours.

To serve, take the berries out of the freezer about half an hour before you wish to serve them. This prevents costly dental bills from friends and family. Set the chocolate and cream in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and allow to melt together, and then fold in the yoghurt. Keep warm until you’re ready to serve.

Scoop a pile of berries into each chilled glass or bowl, and serve immediately with a jug of the sauce. Allow your guests to pour the sauce onto the fruit, and garnish with a little mint, basil or thyme if you fancy. Serve the palmiers separately.