Cappuccino creams

Ingredients

550g/11⁄4lb fromage frais

2 tablespoons finely ground espresso coffee

1 tablespoon icing sugar

17g/6oz dark chocolate, at least 70% cocoa solids), grated

Ways of Working

1. Mix the fromage frais with the coffee and icing sugar. Spoon half of the mixture into eight individual ramekins or glass dishes.

2. Sprinkle over most of the grated chocolate, and top with the remaining fromage frais mixture, sprinkling the last of the grated chocolate over the top. Chill until ready to serve.

Serves 8

Orange ice cream

Ingredients

8 oranges

1 lemon

200g/7oz caster sugar

500ml/18fl oz double cream

4 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Ways of Working

1. Finely grate the zest of the oranges and the lemon, and put in a bowl. Add the juice of 2 oranges, and leave to steep while preparing the other ingredients.

2. Squeeze the juice of the remaining oranges, combine with the sugar and cook to reduce to a thick syrup.

3. Whip the cream to soft peaks. Stir the steeped juice and zest into the syrup. Add the juice of the lemon, then stir the syrup into the cream, which will immediately thicken. Add the Grand Marnier.

4. Freeze in a shallow container, stirring every 30 minutes for 4 hours, then leave overnight to freeze before serving.

Serves 4

Sticky toffee pudding

Ingredients

100g/4oz butter

50g/2oz caster sugar

150ml/5fl oz double cream

100g/4oz muscovado sugar

4 eggs, separated

150g/5oz plain flour

11⁄2 teaspoons baking powder

Ways of Working

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Grease four moulds measuring 300ml/10fl oz.

2. In a saucepan, dissolve the caster sugar in 2 tablespoons water over a low heat. Warm the double cream in another pan. When the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat under that pan, and boil until golden brown. Remove from the heat and add the hot cream, stirring. Pour equally between the moulds.

3. Using an electric whisk, cream the butter and muscovado sugar until off-white, then whisk in the egg yolks, one at a time.

4. In a glass bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and reserve.

5. Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, then whisk into the butter cream. Fold the whisked egg whites into the mixture.

6. Spoon into the moulds, and cover the tops with buttered rounds of baking parchment. Put into a roasting tin, and pour in enough hot water from the kettle to come halfway up the moulds. Bake in the oven for 40–50 minutes. Serve hot on their own, or with cream or ice cream.

Serves 4

Yogurt Flapjacks

Ingredients

700g/11⁄2lb vanilla yogurt

50g/2oz maple syrup

1 egg

350g/12oz pancake mix

450g/1lb chopped fresh fruit such as strawberries, grapes, blueberries, peaches, etc

Ways of Working

1. Combine 350g/12oz yogurt with the maple syrup and set aside.

2. Combine the remaining yogurt with the egg, and beat well. Add the pancake mix and blend to combine.

3. Heat a greased 20cm/8in frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon 50ml/2floz of the batter into the hot pan, and gently spread out. Cook until the edges are firm and the underside is golden. Flip over using a spatula or palette knife, and cook on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter.

4. Serve warm with the chopped fruit and maple yogurt sauce.

Serves 4

Tiramisu

Ingredients

500ml/18fl oz strong espresso coffee, cooled

50ml/2fl oz Marsala wine

2 eggs, separated

50g/2oz caster sugar

225g/oz mascarpone cheese

225ml/8fl oz double cream

16 large savoiardi (sponge finger biscuits)

2 tablespoons dark cocoa powder

Ways of Working

1. Combine the coffee and Marsala in a bowl, and set aside. Beat the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer for 3 minutes or until thick and pale. Add the mascarpone and mix. Transfer to a large bowl. Whisk the cream in a separate bowl until soft peaks form, then fold into the mascarpone mixture.

2. Whisk the egg whites in a small clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Fold quickly and lightly into the cream mixture.

3. Dip half of the biscuits into the coffee mixture, drain off any excess and arrange in a large glass serving dish. Spread half of the mascarpone cream mixture over the biscuits.

4. Dip the remaining biscuits into the remaining coffee mixture, and repeat layering. Smooth the surface, and dust liberally with the cocoa powder. Chill in the refrigerator overnight before serving. cold desserts

Serves 6

Poppy seed custard

Ingredients

600ml/1pt skimmed milk

2 eggs

1 tablespoon caster sugar

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

100g/4oz strawberries

100g/4oz raspberries

100g/4oz blackberries

1 tablespoon Demerara sugar

60ml/21/2fl oz red grape juice

Ways of Working

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas mark 2. Grease a soufflé dish very lightly with low-fat spread.

2. Heat the milk until just below boiling point, but do not boil.

3. Beat the eggs in a bowl with the caster sugar and poppy seeds until creamy. Whisk the milk into the egg mixture until very well mixed.

4. Stand the prepared soufflé dish in a shallow roasting tin. Pour in enough hot water from the kettle to come halfway up the sides of the dish.

5. Pour the custard into the soufflé dish, and bake in the oven for 50–60 minutes until the custard is just set and golden on top.

6. While the custard is baking, mix the fruit with the sugar and fruit juice. Chill until ready to serve with the warm baked custard.

Serves 6

Vanilla ice cream

Ingredients

600ml/1pt double cream

1 vanilla pod, split lengthways

pared zest of 1 lemon

4 eggs, beaten, plus 2 egg yolks

175g/6oz caster sugar

Ways of Working

1. Put the cream in a heavy saucepan and heat gently, whisking.

2. Add the vanilla pod, lemon zest, eggs and yolks to the pan, and heat until the mixture nearly reaches boiling point. Reduce the heat and cook for 8–10 minutes, whisking continuously, until thickened.

3. Stir the sugar into the cream mixture, set aside and leave to cool. Once cool, strain the mixture through a sieve.

4. Slit open the vanilla pod, scrape out the tiny black seeds and stir into the cream. Pour the mixture into a shallow freezing container with a lid, and freeze overnight until set.

Serves 6

Blueberry Sundae

Ingredients

800g/13⁄4lb fresh blueberries

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

2 teaspoons cornflour

350g/12oz granulated sugar

600ml/1pt vanilla yogurt

Ways of Working

1. Reserving a few blueberries for decoration, purée the blueberries in a blender or food processor. In a large saucepan, combine the blueberry purée with the lemon juice and vanilla essence. Cook over a medium

2. heat for 5 minutes.

3. Combine the cornflour and 2 tablespoons water, and add to the fruit mixture, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat, and stir in the sugar.

4. Using the back of a spoon, press the mixture through a sieve to remove the blueberry skins. Layer in tall glasses, alternating with the vanilla yogurt. Decorate with reserved blueberries. Serve immediately or chill until needed.

628

Serves 4

Chocolate ice-cream sandwiches

Ingredients

6 amaretti biscuits

12 dark chocolate digestive biscuits

500ml/16fl oz vanilla ice cream

Ways of Working

1. Put the amaretti biscuits in a blender or food processor, and whiz until they form coarse crumbs.

2. Take one of the digestive biscuits and spread a 2.5cm/1in layer of ice cream on its non-chocolate side. Sandwich another biscuit on top, chocolate side uppermost. Squeeze the biscuits gently together and

3. smooth the ice cream around the edges. Repeat with the remaining biscuits and ice cream.

4. Roll the edges of the biscuit sandwiches in the crushed amaretti biscuits to coat them, then place on a tray in the freezer. Freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

Serves 6