Desserts
Peach Melba
Escofier created this recipe for the Australian opera singer Dame Melba. The dessert
is simply poached pears on vanilla ice-cream with a raspberry sauce. This recipe has
altered many times but in its simplest form with quality ingredients this dessert is
something special.
Prep: 30 minutes (plus time to make the vanilla ice-cream)
Cook: 15 minutes
Chocolate Fondue
Chocolate fondue makes a simple but luscious dessert to serve with seasonal fruit. Strawberries are most commonly used but lots of other fruit can be used, try dipping a selection of berries, also good are pieces of banana, fig wedges, pears, apples and even oranges. The recipe below calls for cointreau but if you prefer you can leave this out. My daughter loves a dipping marshmallows in the runny chocolate.
4-6 Portions
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Brandy Ice-Cream
Brandy ice-cream makes a refreshing alternative to brandy butter. In our recipe
selection it is served with our mince meat wontons but it is also delicious with a
traditional Christmas pudding.
500ml Ice-Cream
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 2-3 hours
Coffee Pound Cake
This a simple but yummy cake that's good for any time of the day. In the Summer it makes a lovely addition to afternoon tea in the garden.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Brittany Pancakes
Brittany is famous for it pancakes, these lacy galettes are a delicacy both sweet and
savoury. These pancakes originally weren't the fine and delicate ones we know today. The
buckwheat grew well in the granite soil in Brittany and was simply kneaded with
salt and water to form a dough and baked on stones, these were the original galettes
which were part of the staple diet of the Bretons. Breton savoury pancakes as mentioned
are prepared from buckwheat flour, eggs and milk or water (dependent on the area).
Prep: 10 minutes plus 30 minutes standing
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Banana Bread and Butter Pudding
Bread and butter pudding is a comforting dish that over the last 10 years along with
many other classic British desserts have seen a come back. In this recipe I have used
brioche as I like the light texture of it, of course you can simply used slices of white
bread or try crossiants, baguette or fruit loaf.
How many Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Wontons with Mincemeat and Brandy Ice-Cream
This is an easy dish to prepare and is refreshingly different to traditional christmas pudding. The ice cream can be prepared well inadvance or if you don't have the time just buy your favourite flavoured ice cream. Wontons can be purchased from most East Asian grocers either fresh or frozen.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Apple Tarte Tatin
This classic French dessert is a lovely way to end a meal. Served with Creme Fraiche, Clotted Cream or Double Cream, it is real treat.
6 Portions
Prep: 15-20 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Cherry and Cream Cheese Wontons
This dessert is quick to prepare and easy to cook, the result is scrumptious mouthfuls of sweet creamy cherries. Of course best made when cherries are at the peak of their season.
6 Portions
Prep: 10-15 minutes
Cook: 5-8 minutes
Macadamia Tart
Macadamia nuts originated in Australia but were made popular by America. If you can't
find macadamia nuts walnuts will make a good alternative or you could even try cashews if
you like.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes for individual tarts or 50 minutes one large one
Self Saucing Chocolate Puddings
What is so delicious about the these warm puddings is their delicious chocolate sauce sealed in a light chocolate cake. They are prepared in advance making them an easy dish to serve at a dinner party as all they need is a short cooking time just before serving.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Coconut Jelly
My favourite dessert at yum-cha (dim sum) when I was a child was coconut jelly, it has a delicious smooth flavour and texture. The best thing about this jelly is it is so easy to make. Coconut jelly is set with agar agar which is a seaweed that is used in East Asia as a setting agent like gelatin. Agar Agar comes in numerous form eg. Powder, flakes and sticks. You will need different amounts of agar agar according to the variety you are using: 1 tbsp agar agar powder 750ml, 3 tbsp agar agar flakes per 750ml and 3 sticks per 750ml;
6 Portions
Prep: 2 minutes plus setting time
Cook: 10 minutes
Rhubarb and Apple Oat Crumble
In spring outdoor rhubarb comes to its peak and is excellent in the simple but
sumptuous crumble.
6 portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Catalan Creams
Catalan creams are very much like creme brullee. As both are a creamy custard with a crisp sugar topping. The main difference is that Catalan creams are flavoured with lemon zest and are traditionally served in an earthen ware dish.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Mascarpone Ice-Cream
Mascarpone makes a very rich ice-cream, with a thicker texture than a traditional vanilla ice-cream. This ice-cream makes an excellent accompaniment to fruit based desserts, such as poached fruits, fruit compotes, pies and fritters.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 litre
Macadamia Praline Ice-cream
Praline ice-cream is my favourite and it is surprisingly simple to make. Home made ice-cream is much better than the shop bought vanities and much better value for many even if you wish to buy an ice-cream machine.
1 litre
Prep: 30 minutes
Rhubarb and Berry Compote with Berry Sorbet
This recipe makes use of the best of early summers fruit selection and is good for hot and cold weather. Summer rhubarb tends to be less tender than the early selection but is excellent when cooked to a puree.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Fig and Frangipane Tart
Living in Sydney as a child, we used to get a tray of figs, which we would eat as they
came. This recipe takes the much loved figs and makes them into a very yummy tart.
Enjoy!
8-10 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Strawberry Jelly with Mixed Berries
This is a simple dessert to prepare but looks stunning and with the addition of a little creme de frambois a little indulgent.
6 portions
Prep: 10 minutes, plus 2 hours refrigeration
Plum Cobbler
Cobbler is a similar British dessert as crumble. It is simply fruit stewed up with a little sugar. Topped with a scone like dough, which soaks in all the delicious juices. I like to roll the dough out and cut it with a little biscuit cutter to make small scones over the top. In this recipe I use plums but many types of fruits can be used eg. apple, rhubarb, gooseberries, blueberries etc.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Christmas Mince Pies
Mince pies with mulled wine are a must for the Christmas season. The best ones of
course are home made or from a good bakery.
Prep: 20 minutes plus 30 minutes resting time for the pastry
Cook: 15 minutes
Rhubarb Sorbet
Rhubarb make excellent sorbet as you can use the syrup that poach them with for the sorbet giving it an excellent colour and flavour.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes plus 3 hours freezing
Easy Peach Ice-Cream served Melba Style
Peaches make an exceptional easy ice-cream. In this recipe I have accompanied the ice-cream with raspberries in a "Peach Melba" fashion but of course the ice-cream is delicious on its own or try filling halves of poached peaches with it.
1 litre Ice-Cream 4-6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes, 30 minutes in an ice-cream machine
Bloody Mary Sorbet
This makes a great savoury sorbet to be served at any part of a meal. I like my Bloody Mary very spicy so add a little tabasco but if you want a milder version just leave the tabasco out.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 litre
Fig Fritters
When deep frying these fritters make sure you cook in a neutral flavoured oil eg. corn, sunflower, groundnut and rapeseed. The oil should also be clean. When deep frying make sure the oil is heated to 190°C, otherwise the batter will soak up the oil and becomes soggy. I like to serve the figs with a good quality ice-cream (try my recipe for mascarpone ice-cream).
4 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 6-12 minutes
Easy Carrot and Apple Cake
Carrot cake and other fruit and vegetables cakes were my childhood favourites,
especially if they had a good icing such as cream cheese with icing sugar. You an
experiment with the fruit and vegetable mixtures you use in cakes as you become
confident. Apple, banana and courgette work well on their own or with other fruit and
vegetables.
8-12 portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 60 minutes
Banana Cake with Buttercream Icing
What could be better that Banana cake with Buttercream Icing. It is a yummy treat for the whole family.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 50-60 minutes
Christmas Brûlée
My husband adores crème brûlée so, at his request, I created this recipe for him. They make a light change from the rich christmas pudding. As they are best prepared a day in advance they make a great pudding when entertaining.
12 Portions
Prep: 5 minutes plus 2 days soaking of fruit and at least
Cook: 20 minutes
Simply Delicious Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate mousse is simple to prepare but easily prepared into an impressive dessert.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Raspberry Sorbet
Raspberry sorbet is simple to make, and more importantly is
delicious and is very popular with young and old, alike. It is a
great desert by itself, but works equally well with berries. (In
the photo, we serve it in Brandy Snap Baskets, with some fresh
berries and a dusting of icing sugar.)
1 litre
Prep: 15 minutes plus 3-4 hours freezing
Cook: 10 minutes
Yeast Free Waffles
One of the best drifting aromas on the streets of Brussels on a cold winters day is from hot waffles from one of the many stalls. When you eat them they don not disappoint with a comforting warmth and light texture and simply delicous sprinkled with a little icing sugar or in typical Belgium fashion with melted chocolate. Below I have given two recipes for waffles, the traditional one using yeast and a simple version using self raising flour.
Makes 6 Waffles
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: Cooking Time 10 minutes
Pavlova
Pavlovas our one of my favourite desserts to make since I was a child. Whenever my father or husband around they quickly demolish the lot. You can flavour pavlovas just like meringues eg. Adding rose water, cocoa or coffee flavourings. The topping on the pavlova can be made up of your own choice of fruit and grated chocolate on top is also delicious. The outside of the pavlova should be crunchy and the inside should be like marshmallow.
6-8 portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 90 minutes
Christmas Pudding
Christmas wouldn't seem Christmas without Christmas pudding. You will need to prepare
this pudding at least 2 weeks in advance but is best left for 1 month.
6-8 portions
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 5-6 hours
Elderflower Sorbet
Elderflowers can be found everywhere in June from gardens and woodland to sides of
rivers, paths and roads. While most of us know how refreshing elderflower cordial and
champagne is, few of us go out there and use them. Don't pick elderflowers from the
sides of busy roads, choose open flowers that are fresh not wilted. Before using always
shake them to remove bugs etc. and if you wish wash them under cold water, and pat dry
with kitchen paper.
1 litre
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Cheese Selection with Home-made Oat Cakes
For a buffet party serve 5-7 (for a dinner party 3-4) different cheeses,
make sure that you have a good variety with different textures and flavours,
don't serve cheese that is hard to cut. Serve the cheeses on a large plate,
or an attractive chopping board, accompanied with cheese knives. Lay the cheeses
out so that they are attractive and accompany with walnuts,wedges of figs, plum
or quince cheese and a bunch of grapes. Serve with slices of walnut bread and
or baguette or similar bread, oatcakes (recipe below) or other plain biscuits
(strong flavoured biscuits over power the flavour of the cheese).
30 Oatcakes, Serves 8-12
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Simply Delicious Chocolate Mousse
Chocolate mousse is simple to prepare but makes a delcious and impressive
dessert.
2 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Sparkling Red Wine and Strawberry Trifle
This is an extremely decadent trifle with flavours that merge together so well that you may not even realise how intoxicating it is. It looks as good as it taste making it a perfect centre piece for any celebration.
8 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes and 5 hours setting
Red Bean Pancakes
Sweet red bean paste is sold in cans from East Asian Grocers and is used in numerous desserts. The convience of the ready made paste makes this a quick and easy dessert.
6 Portions
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Puff Pastry Fruit Tartlets
Easy and quick to make these fruit tartlets make a great last minute dessert or tart for a picnic. You can try them with whatever fruit is seasonal at the time, apples, pears, plums, figs, mangoes all work well.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Summer Pudding Terrine
Summer offers a spectacular array of yummy berries, this traditional summer pudding with a twist puts them to good use to create a scrumptious dessert. It is best to make the pudding a day in advance but a minimum of 4 hours will do.
10-12 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes (prepare 4-24 hours before serving)
Cook: 10 minutes
Scottish Pancakes with Jam and Clotted Cream
These are delicious small pancakes that my husband's grandma would regularly serve
when we visited her. She always serves them with whatever berry variety of jam she or a friend
has made, but to be indulgent I like them with lots of good rich clotted cream as well.
The pancake mixture is much thicker than the thin variety of pancakes.
Around 24 pancakes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Chinese Toffee Apple
This has been my favourite dessert at Chinese restaurants since I was a small child.
Inside a crisp toffee is soft and tender apple with all the juices trapped in the
shell.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Pimm's Trifle
An extravagant adult trifle, a fabulous dessert to take centre stage in the summer months. Served in
a glass bowl allows those layers to show through, adding to the excitement of the eating.
8 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes plus 3 hours setting
Cook: 60 minutes
Mango & Coconut Black Rice Pudding
This dessert is a dessert is amazingly tasty. Though the rice takes from four to eight hours to
soak, prior to cooking, the taste is well worth the effort.
6 Portions
Prep: 15-20 minutes (4-8 hours soaking for the rice)
Cook: 20-30 minutes
Plum Sorbet
Stone fruits make excellent sorbets as you can usse the syrup that poach them with for the sorbet giving it an excellent colour and flavour.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes plus 3 hours freezing
Coconut and Ginger Cream Caramels on Mango with a Mango Coulis and Lemon Grass Cream
Cream Caramels work well with many different flavours, this is just one recipe of an untold number of variations. Cream Caramels make a great dessert for a dinner party as you can prepare everything in advance.
6 Portions
Prep: 20-30 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Rhubarb and Rose-Water Compote
Rhubarb makes an easy dessert for any occasion. Once made the compote will keep in a
jar in the refrigerator for up to a month, making it a great stand by dish on its own or
with yummy orange madeleines. The rhubarb compote with rosewater makes a delicious
combination.
How many Portions
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Coconut and Mango Sorbet with a Spiced Rum Syrup
This is a refreshing and light dessert with a kick. Its a great dish to prepare in advance for a large number of guests or prepare extra so that you have some on stand by. If you don't have the time to prepare your own sorbet or ice-cream, a good commercial one will also work well.
6-8 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Rhubarb Crumble
Rhubarb crumble is one of those old fashioned dishes that I'll never tire of. One of
the best things about this comforting dish that virtually takes no time to
prepare.
6 Portions
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Coconut and Palm Sugar Tapioca
I am one of those lucky people who didn't grow up on school meals so I don't have the aversion to tapioca that it seems many have. This is a simple and perfect combination as the tapioca absorbs in all the flavour. This recipe also includes a pandan leaf which is used to add a flavour similar to vanilla.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Lavender and Heather Honey Ice-Cream
This is an aromatic ice-cream of lavender and rich heather honey.
Half a Litre of Ice-cream
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Raspberry and Almond Tart
This makes a lovely summer tart, light and tasty for a warm summer day or evening. An
excellent dessert to accompany a picnic and when entertaining a large group of
people.
8 -10 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Individual Banoffee Pies
This is an easy method to make these dreadfully indulgent but worthwhile dessert. I prepare the caramel in advance by cooking condensed milk slowly in boiling water and then store it in the fridge until ready to use. The caramel sauce is a useful stand by for many dishes such as ice-cream and poached pears. I like to use creme fraiche rather than double cream as I find the sharp flavour cuts through the sweetness of the caramel.
6 portions
Prep: 20 minutes plus 30 minutes resting of pastry and 3
Cook: 10-15 minutes plus 2 hours for the caramel
Spicy Poached Pears with Sorbet and Blackberries
Poached Pears are the most requested dessert that people ask me to cook. They can be
prepared in advance making it a great dish to serve large groups of people.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Christmas Pudding Ice-Cream
Ice-cream at the end of a rich Christmas meal makes a refreshing change and the ingredients in the traditional Christmas pudding make a scrumptious and colourful ice-cream. In this recipe I use a pudding mould but for individual puddings dariole moulds work brilliantly.
1 single pudding (8 portions) or 8 individual Christmas puddings
Prep: 20 minutes (plus at least 8 hours to macerate fruit and 5 hours for ice-cream to set)
Gingerbread House
The basic triangle frame of this gingerbread house makes it far easier than your standard shaped house and also more stable. It is While simple don't expect to make the house in a couple of hours, I like to make the gingerbread the night before putting building the house days so as to allow time to cook it and for it to set. The house makes a great table decoration for Christmas. It will last for up to 2 weeks after making it.
1 Gingerbread House
Prep: 2 hours plus setting time
Cook: 30 minutes
Apple Bread and Butter Pudding
Bread and butter pudding, along with many other classic British desserts, has seen a
renascence over the last 10 years. In this recipe I have used brioche as I like the
light texture of it, of course you can simply used slices of white bread or try
croissants, baguette or fruit loaf.
6-8 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Cranberry and Pecan Christmas Pudding
This is a traditional style Christmas Pudding with a twist, the pecans and cranberries
make a delicious variation. It's also a fairly boozy recipe with plenty of brandy.
8-12 portions
Prep: 30 minutes plus 24 hours marinating
Cook: 5-7 hours
Strawberry and Lavender Sorbet
In early summer my garden is alive with aromatic lavender, I love flavouring sugar with lavender and making yummy lavender ice-cream by infusing it with custard. I, also, can't resist the early British Strawberries, which inundated us from late spring. So the idea came to me that the two flavours might work well together and after a little thought I came up with this delicious recipe.
1 litre of Sorbet
Prep: 15 minutes plus cooling of syrup
Cook: 5 minutes
Cream Waffles with Autumn Berries
The streets in Copenhagen a not only covered with hot dog and ice-cream stands there are waffles stands everywhere. There is nothing more mouth watering than the smell of warm freshly cooked waffles on a cold day. The waffles a sold simply with sugar (my favourite) or with cream, jam or chocolate syrup. The best way to recreate these in the home is with a waffle iron, electric waffle irons are available from most department stores and you will find that they make a great change from pancakes.
6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Creme Brûlée
One of my husbands favourite desserts, while simple it is one of the most delicious. Fabulous when entertaining as their made well in advance, simply finish them and garnish just before serving.
6 Portions
Prep: Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cook: Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Pear Sorbet
Pear Sobert is a nice refreshing dessert or it can be served between courses.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes plus 3 hours freezing
Mixed Berries with Sorbet and Brandy Snap Baskets
Brandy snap is a very versatile biscuit that makes a great addition
to many desserts or even great served on their own. They are easily
shaped when they are still warm into baskets, twist and cigar shaped
rolls.
6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Peach Ice-Cream
This recipe will make bueatiful, home made ice cream. Please note that you will need an ice-cream maker.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Blackberry and Apple Pie
This is a perfect dessert for early autumn as it makes the most of the seasons cooking apples and blackberries. It is simple but deliciously warming on colder September evenings.
4-6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15-25 minutes
Raspberry Shortcake
When raspberries are at the peak of their season they are so full of flavour that
they are best served simply. Raspberry shortcakes make a great dessert to serve to
dinner guests and are easy to prepare and assemble while looking great.
6 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes plus (1 hour for the pastry to rest)
Cook: 15 minutes
Lavender and Honey Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote
Panna Cottas need to be prepared a day in advance, the gelatine should set so the
panna cotta is smooth and creamy.
4 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes plus 10 hours to set
Cook: 30 minutes
Strawberry and Blueberry Yoghurt Ice-Cream
This ice-cream has all the flavour of a cream based ice-cream without the calories. Natural yoghurt is great for our health and fresh strawberries and blueberries are full of vitamins.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 Litre Of Frozen Yoghurt
Vanilla Pastry Cream
Pastry cream is used to fill many varieties of pastries including eclairs. See our Danish Pastry recipe for ideas.
12 Danish Pastries Filling
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Citrus Tart
Lemon tart is a classic dish that many of us love. Its simple to make but very
rewarding. In this recipe I use a mixture of orange juice, lemon and lime but you can
just use lemon if you prefer.
6-8 portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 40-45 minutes
Peach and Champagne Granita
This granita is virtually a frozen champagne cocktail. It makes a refreshing ice to serve between starter and main or as a dessert. In this recipe I use freshly poached peaches but for convenience sake you may use canned ones
Prep: 15 minutes plus 3 hours freezing
Cook: 6 Portions
Raspberry Coulis
A great sauce for many desserts including ice-cream, poached fruits, and chocolate tarts.
400ml
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: How Long
Crispy Wontons with Red Bean Paste
While Chinese may not be well known for there large repertoire of desserts, their tea houses and cake shops are simple stuffed full of delicious treats. As a child every Sunday I went to Yum Cha (Dim Sum) with my father and his friends, followed by the cake shop to pick up lots of desserts to enjoy at home. Red bean paste features in many Chinese cakes and once you have tasted it you will understand why.
6 Portions
Prep: 10-15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Pastry Cream
Pastry cream is used to fill many varieties of pastries including eclairs.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Individual Summer Pudding
Summer pudding is an easy dish to make use of the great variety of berries widely available in June. Make the pudding the day before with mum or another adult, so that all you have to do on Fathers Day is turn it out.
6 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes plus overnight or at least 2 hours
Cook: 10 minutes
Christmas Rum Truffles
These little truffles decorated like little Christmas puddings make a scrumptious
Christmas treat.
20-30 Truffles
Prep: 1-1/2 hours
Cook: 5 minutes
Berry Sorbet
Berry Sorbet is quick and easy to make and uses the best of this seasons selection of berries. Don't throw away soft over ripe berries as they work brilliantly in this recipe.
Prep: Preparation Time 30 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Scottish Whisky and Raspberry Cream
This recipe calls for crowdie a creamy soft low fat Scottish Cheese which is prepared
from skim milk. It taste is similar to a creamy natural yoghurt, as obviously it may be
difficult to locate this cheese I recommend a 50/50 mixture of yoghurt and mascarpone to
create the same flavour.
6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Spiced Individual Chocolate Cakes
What better way to end a romantic meal than with an indulgent dessert. These are easy and quick to make, with delicious results. The chilli and aniseed brings out the flavour in the chocolate. When preparing these cakes you will need good quality chocolate containing at least 70% cocoa solids, this chocolate is rich but not overly sweet or buttery. The cakes are best eaten hot with vanilla ice cream and mint leaves which complement the richness and spice in the cakes.
6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15-20 minutes
Rhubarb Soup with Rhubarb Sorbet
Rhubarb Soup makes a nice alternative to rhubarb pie and the like. It is a light and refreshing dessert.
6 Portions
Prep: 2 hours
Cook: 10 minutes
Ice Cream Florentines with a Raspberry Coulis
A very easy dessert to prepare that relies on only 3 ingredients. Most supermarkets sell raspberry coulis in jars in the refrigerator section but if you can't find it you can purchase canned raspberries and puree them with a little of their syrup. You can vary the flavour of the ice cream according to your taste.
2 Portions
Prep: 5-10 minutes
Tiramisu Tower
This strictly isn't a tiramisu the famous Italian dessert but is based on it with its coffee flavour and Italian biscuits. I must confess to not being a fan of the traditional tiramisu but love the flavours it is made up of and here I use these to make a very quick but delicious and impressive dessert.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Peach Tart Tatin
Tarte tatin is easy to make but delicious. I love this combination but you can try making them with lots of different fruits eg. mango tarte tatin
6 Portions
Prep: 15-20 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Meringues
Meringues make a delicous sweet snack at any time of the day, with there sweet crisp
shells. To cook meringues you slowly dry them out in the oven.
14-16 meringues
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Apple and Rhubarb Crumble
My very favourite way to eat rhubarb. In this recipe I use hazelnuts in the crumble,
you can use other nuts such as cobnuts and almonds or a mixture of nuts. To prepare the
rhubarb you need to remove the leaves (these are poisonous) and cut off the brown bottom
part of the stem, rinse them and if they are thick, string them (forced and thin rhubarb
doesn't need to be stringed).
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20-30 minutes
Elizabeth's Chocolate Chip Muffins
My daughter loves muffins, but instead of letting her buy mass produced muffins, I
prefer her to make her own. Not only do the muffins taste nicer that the ones from the
supermarket, but we also know what has gone into them.
24 Muffins
Prep: 20 Minutes
Cook: 20 Minutes
Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Compote
Panna Cotta's need to be prepared a day in advance, the gelatine should set so the
panna cotta is smooth and creamy. The sharp taste of the rhubarb is complemented by the
delicate flavour of the panna cotta.
4 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes plus 10 hours to set
Cook: 30 minutes
Cherry Clafoutis
Cherry clafoutis is prepared simply by steaming or baking cherries with a light
batter. It is an excellent way to prepare a simple but impressive dish with ease. The
cherries in this recipe can be replaced with whatever fruit in season, such as plums,
apricots, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries.
6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Coconut and Palm Sugar, Tapioca with Chinese Gooseberry and Nuts
Chinese Gooseberry is just another name for Kiwi Fruits. This is a simple dessert that works well hot or cold.
6 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes (soaking time)
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Spiced Iced Berry Puddings
Berries make an excellent summer dessert. In this recipe a selection of berries are frozen in a mixed spicy rum berry sorbet and served with a delicious coulis. While it may sound complicated it is relatively easy and it has the great advantage that everything can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Don't throw away soft over ripe berries as they work brilliantly in this recipe.
6-8 Portions
Prep: Preparation Time 30 minutes plus 1-2 hours freezing time
Cook: 10 minutes
Hazelnut Meringue and Strawberry Gateau
This cake is best prepared a day in advance to allow the strawberry cream to soak into the meringue. This is a good dessert to eat after a light summer lunch outdoors or as a treat in the late afternoon.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Individual Rose Water Pavlovas with Summer Berries
These tasty little pavlovas are quick and easy to prepare in advance, but make an impressive dessert to serve to any number of guests.
8 pavlovas
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Apricot Upside Down Cake
Upside down cakes can be prepared with many different fruits, summer berries
such as blueberries work well, poached sliced apples and pears also make an
excellent cake. My favourite upside down cake will always be apricot. The cake
is delicious hot or cold with thick cream or ice-cream. It's important when
poaching the apricots not to overcook them as they will need to hold their shape.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 60 minutes
Traditional Waffles
Waffles! Both my husband and my children love them. Ever since we lived in Brussels, we have been big fans of them. The recipe will allow you to make the basic waffle, which then allows you to add any toppiing to them.
Banana and Coconut Punch Ice-Cream
Banana and coconut with rum are meant to be, the flavours together take us to the
tropics. A decadent but easy ice-cream to prepare. Use over ripe bananas even those that
you might think need to be thrown away.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 litre
Coconut Sorbet
My family love sobert! This is not as sweet as the other types you can make, but it is just as yummy to eat.
6 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Pumpkin Cheesecake with a Pumpkin Seed Brittle
The idea for this recipe comes from Alfred Protale's Gothaim Bar and Grill Cook Book. The pistachio brittle not only taste good it also looks very impressive. You will need to start making the cheesecake at least 6 hours in advance.
8 Individual Portions
Prep: 30 minutes (4-24 hours chilling)
Cook: 40 minutes -1 hour 30minutes
Grilled Peaches with Waffles
Peaches are always popular in our family, and this recipe combines their love of Peaches with the love of Waffles.
6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Churros
Spanish Churros are very similar to doughnuts without the yeast. If you don't have a churro maker you will need a piping bag with a large fluted nozzle. Churros make a nice accompaniment for hot coffee or chocolate, an essential part of a Spanish breakfast In Spain they are sold at fairs and festivals cooked freshly shaped in loops. They can also now be found in many food stalls at show grounds, theme parks, and cafes around the world.
6 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Vanilla Ice-Cream
Vanilla ice-cream prepared with vanilla pods and lots of fresh cream and a rich custard is one of the simplest but best ice-creams you can have, loved by both young and old. It also makes a great accompaniment to countless desserts.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 1 litre
Barbecued Peaches with Amaretti Mascarpone
Peaches barbecue well, as they are firm and will tolerate the heat. Marinating them in
amaretto gives them a bit of a kick, if you don't have amaretto a little rum
with extra sugar makes a good substitute.
6 Portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10-15 minutes
Orange and Coconut Cake
A simple and easy dish with great results to serve as a treat or with for afternoon tea, my daughter loves making
and eating this cake. You can also prepare this cake as individual muffins just reduce the cooking time to 15-20
minutes.
Prep: 10-15 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Rhubarb Cake
Being Rhubarb, this cake recipe is bitter and sweet. It is lovely when surved warm
with a bit of cream.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45-60 minutes
Spiced Poached Pears
Poached pears are no only easy to prepare but also look and taste great too. They can
be stored in their syrup in a well sealed storage jar in the refrigerator for up to in a
week in advance, making them an excellent stand-by dessert.
6-12 portions
Prep: 10-15 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Cointreau Mincemeat
The addition of cointreau makes yummy mincemeat perfect for filling little pies of
sweet pastry. Mincemeat is best made at least a couple of weeks in advance. Stored in
well sealed jars in a cool, dry cupboard the mincemeat should last a year (all ready for
the next year).
Approximately 2 litres
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: Make at least 2 weeks in advance
Pineapple in Spiced Rum and Red Wine Syrup
A refreshing and intoxicating dessert with slices of fresh or canned pineapple
floating in lots of rum and red wine syrup that is spiced with a little star
anise and cinnamon. This is an excellent way to end a meal.
4-6 portions
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Macadamia Mincemeat
A yummy Christmas mincemeat is essential for a good mince pie. It is best done a month before to allow the flavours to develop but will still work if made a week before. This mincemeat is suet free, using coconut oil instead, giving it an almost tropical flavour accompanied with the rum.
Aproximately 2kg
Prep: 10 minutes plus 1 month to develop (minimum 1 week)
Puff Pastry
Homemade puff pastry takes a little more effort but is worth it. The finished
product is a million times better than the commercial varieties. It is very important to
keep everything cold when preparing pastry, you also need to be careful to overwork the
pastry as this will result in shrinkage. If the area you are preparing the pastry is to
warm increase the refrigeration times.
Prep: 2 hours (2 hours resting after preparation)
Cook: 10-12 minutes
Aromatic Apple Pie
This is a really easy apple pie that is flavoured by aromatic spices. To make a really
flaky pastry freeze the butter and grate it before using.
8 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes plus at least 30 minutes refrigeration of
Cook: 45 minutes
Strawberry Tarts
Strawberry tarts are delicious, for dinner parties, afternoon teas and on picnics.
These tarts are easy to make and all the ingredients can be prepared in advance but the
final assembly of them is best left up to an hour in advance as the pastry can become
moist.
8 individual tarts
Prep: 20 minutes plus 1 1/2 hours resting of the pastry
Cook: 30 minutes
Yummy Pancakes with Lemon and Sugar
This is my husbands and now my daughters favourite way to enjoy pancakes. It seems my husband can eat an endless amount of them, so I always make a little extra batter for the next day as a snack. This is what we will be digging into on shrove Tuesday along with millions of others.
Around 12 Pancakes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Fromage Frais Cream and Rhubarb Mille-Feuilles
Mille Feuielles translates in French as a thousand sheets, this is how the puff pastry layers in this dish got their name. The rhubarb compote with the fromage frais is a delicious combination. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere should take advantage of the tender forced vanities available in February.
6 Portions
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Plum Crumble
In this recipe I use hazelnuts in the crumble, you can use other nuts such as cobnuts
and almonds or a mixture of nuts.
Serves 6
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20-30 minutes
Strawberries with Cointreau and Black Pepper
An unusual combination that taste great with fresh summer strawberries. This makes a great dessert when entertaining as quick and easy, light but indulgent. It is important that you serve the strawberries at room temperature so that they are full flavoured.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 6 Portions
Citrus Soufflé
A combination of the sour and sweet varieties makes for a delicious and light dessert. Many people are scared of making soufflés but they are easy to prepare and cook the only obstacle is that they won't hang around once they have been cooked.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Raspberry and Lemon Curd Tartlets
Raspberries are at their best in August especially the beautiful Perth raspberries. These little tarts make a great accompaniment to afternoon or morning tea or on picnic. They are really simple to make and especially if you buy a really good quality Lemon curd instead of making your own, I must admit I buy a really rich Lemon curd from the farmers market for this recipe.
10 individual tarts
Prep: 20 minutes plus 1 1/2 hours resting of the pastry
Cook: 30 minutes
Coconut Rice in Banana Leaves with Banana and Mango
A delicious combination of coconut rice and steamed banana leaves makes an excellent accompaniment to any barbecue as individual portions are wrapped in banana leaves. They taste and look great. This recipe usually calls for glutinous rice but as many of us often have difficult in getting this I have used Italian risotto rice instead in this version of the dish.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Chocolate Macadamia Brownies
There are hundreds of recipes for this delicious treat, this is just one of many but my favourite as its rich and truly chocolatey.
16 squares
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Bread and Butter Pudding
It’s amazing how satisfying a good old fashioned Bread and Butter Pudding is. You’ll find plenty of different versions of this simple recipe, some use pannettone, croissants, brioche or simply stale bread (fresh of all those mention definitely should be a day or two old). I like a combination of dried fruit and citrus but you can use sultanas and/or raisins if you choose. Soaking the dried fruit in brandy or rum gives the pudding extra depth but this of course is optional.
6 Portions
Prep: 10-15 minutes (plus 6-8 hours for marinating fruit)
Cook: 45 minutes
Saffron Kulfi
Kulfi is and Indian ice cream that is frozen traditionally in cone shaped moulds. Unlike the ice cream we know it does not contain egg yolks and is based on thickened milk for its cream texture. It should be served quite hard and not soft like western style ice cream. The recipe that follows is not the traditional method but is a simpler version while still ending up with a delicious kulfi.
6 Portions
Prep: 15-20 minutes plus freezing time
Cook: 20-30 minutes
Granny Smith Apple Spring Rolls
Granny Smith apples are a great Australian apple that have a slightly tart taste. When they are cooked they hold their form and make a great filling. Spring roll pastry makes a crisp case for a moist filling. The perfect accompanist to this dish is the best quality vanilla ice-cream. If you have the time make your own ice cream.
6 Portions
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 15-20 minutes
Spanish Hot Chocolate
Spanish hot chocolate is made from the real stuff and is sweetened by a little added sugar not sugar contained in fatty chocolate. The Spanish enjoy their hot chocolate for breakfast accompanied by churros or fried bread.
6 Portions
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 2-3 minutes
Danish Apple Cake
This is one of the most delicious cakes with plenty of apples, almonds and
cinnamon. Danish apple cake is almost the cake version of a good apple crumble.
8-10 Portions
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 45-60 minutes
Pear and Almond Tart
Pear and Almond Tart makes a lovely treat. Serve it with Ice-cream or cream.
6-8 Portions
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 30-40 minutes
Mincemeat
Original recipes for Christmas mincemeat actually contained minced meat with the dried
fruit, I have to admit I have always been too squeamish to try that version. Mincemeat
is quick and easy to make but needs time to mature, it is best made at least a month in
advance. You can vary the ingredients by adding different dried fruits such as
cranberries and apricots or add different spirits such as cointreau or use finely
chopped macadamia nuts instead of slivered almonds or use a mild olive oil instead of
suet for a healthy option. Often the best dried fruit is found out health food
shops.
Around 2 kg
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: Make at least 2 weeks in advance