Tiramisù

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

• 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.

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

• 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.

• 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.

Lemon syllabub

Ingredients:

• 100g/4oz caster sugar
• zest and juice of 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoons brandy
• 600ml/1pt double cream

• Whisk together the caster sugar, lemon juice and zest, and brandy.

• In another bowl, whisk the double cream until thick, then slowly whisk in the lemon mixture. Pour into wine glasses, and refrigerate overnight before serving.

Raspberry sorbet

Ingredients:

• 450g/1lb raspberries
• 175g/6oz sugar
• 50ml/2fl oz freshly squeezed
• lemon juice

• Purée the raspberries in a blender or food processor, and strain through a sieve.

• Put the sugar and 300ml/10fl oz water in a heavy saucepan, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the lemon juice and 100ml/31⁄2fl oz water and the raspberries.

• Freeze the mixture overnight in a shallow freezer container, occasionally breaking up any large crystals with a fork if necessary.

Quick apricot whip

Ingredients:

• 400g/14oz canned apricot
• halves in juice
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier
• 175ml/6fl oz Greek-style yogurt
• 1 tablespoon flaked almonds,
• toasted

• Drain the juice from the apricots, and put the fruit and Grand Marnier in a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth.

• Spoon alternate layers of fruit purée and yogurt into four tall glasses. Top with almonds and chill until ready to serve.

Chocolate brandy cream

Ingredients:

• 175g/6oz dark chocolate (at
• least 70% cocoa solids),
• broken into pieces
• 300ml/10fl oz whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons brandy
• 1 teaspoon coffee essence
• 1 egg white

• Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, and leave to melt slowly, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool slightly.

• Pour the cream into a small bowl and whip until soft peaks form.

• Gently stir the brandy and coffee essence into the chocolate. Mixtogether gently until blended, then fold in the whipped cream using a metal spoon.

• Briskly whisk the egg white in a small bowl until stiff, then gently fold into the chocolate mixtureusing a metal spoon.

• Spoon the mixture into four tallglasses, and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

Tapioca pudding

Ingredients:

• 50g/2oz tapioca
• 125ml/4fl oz cold milk
• 600ml/1pt hot milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 75g/3oz granulated sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

• Soak the tapioca in the cold milk for 10 minutes. Transfer to a saucepan, add the hot milk and cook until transparent.

• Beat the egg yolks, sugar and salt together. Add the hot milk mixture gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until it begins to thicken.

• Beat the egg whites until stiff, flavour with the vanilla essence, and fold into the hot mixture.Chill and serve.

Fruited rice ring

Ingredients:

• 75g/3oz short-grain rice
• 900ml/11⁄2pt milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 175g/6oz mixed dried fruit
• 175ml/6fl oz orange juice
• 50g/2oz caster sugar
• finely grated zest of
• 1 small orange

• Put the rice, milk and cinnamonstick in a large pan, and bring to the boil.

• Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 11⁄2 hours until no free liquid remains.

• Meanwhile, put the dried fruit and orange juice in a pan, and bring  to the boil. Cover and simmer very gently for about 1 hour until tender.

• Remove the cinnamon stick from the rice, and stir in the sugar and orange zest.

• Tip the fruit into the bottom of a lightly oiled 1.5-litre/21⁄2pt ring mould. Spoon the rice over, smoothing down firmly. Chill for 1 hour before serving.

Yogurt ring with tropical fruit

Ingredients:

• 175ml/6fl oz tropical fruit juice
• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
• 3 egg whites
• 150g/5oz low-fat Greek-style
• yogurt
• jinely grated zest of 1 lime
• For the filling
• 1 mango
• 2 kiwi fruit
• 12 cape gooseberries
• juice of 1 lime

• Put the fruit juice in a saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine over. Heat gently until the gelatine has dissolved.

• Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until they hold stiff peaks. Continue whisking hard, while gradually adding the yogurt and lime zest. Continue whisking hard, and pour in the hot gelatine mixture. Mix in well, and quickly pour the mixture into a 1.5-litre/21⁄2pt ring mould. Chill the mould iuntil set. The mixture will separate into two layers.

• For the filling, halve, stone, peel and dice the mango. Peel and slice the kiwi fruit. Remove the outer leaves from the gooseberries and cut in half. Toss all the fruits together, and stir in the lime juice.

• To serve, run a knife around the edge of the ring to loosen the mixture. Dip the mould quickly into cold water, then invert onto a serving plate. Spoon all the fruit into the centre of the ring, and serve immediately

Coeurs à la crème

Ingredients:

• 225g/8oz cottage cheese
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• 300ml/10fl oz double cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 2 egg whites, stiffly whisked
• 150ml/5fl oz single cream

• Press the cottage cheese through a nylon sieve into a bowl. Add sugar and mix well.

• Whip the cream until stiff, then add the lemon juice. Mix into the cheese and sugar mixture. Fold in the stiffly whisked egg whites.

• Spoon the mixture into four or six individual moulds. Refrigerate overnight. Serve with the single cream and/or fresh fruit.

Amaretti

Ingredients:

• 300g/11oz blanched almonds
• 300g/11oz caster sugar
• 5 egg whites

• Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F/Gas mark

• Put the almonds in a mortar, and add 100g/4oz of the sugar little by little, pounding constantly with the pestle.

• Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold in the remaining sugar, and add the almonds.

• Cut ribbons of greaseproof paper 5cm/2in wide, and put on a baking tray. Spoon teaspoonfuls of the mixture on, about 2cm/3⁄4in apart. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 minutes.

• Allow to cool slightly, then lift off the greaseproof paper and cool on a wire rack. Serve with espresso coffee at the end of a meal.

Port & orange jellies

Ingredients:

• 450ml/3⁄4pt ruby port
• 6 tablespoons powdered gelatine
• 125g/41⁄2oz granulated sugar
• 8 oranges, segmented

• Splash cold water into eight 150ml/5fl oz fluted moulds and chill.

• Pour the port into a bowl, and sprinkle the gelatine into it. Set aside.

• Put the sugar in a large pan with 600ml/1pt cold water. Heat gently to dissolve, then bring to the boil and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Stir in the soaked gelatine until completely dissolved.

• Put the orange segments in the flutes of the mould so that they stand up, pressed against the sides of the mould. Pour in enough of the port and orange liquid to come halfway up the sides. Chill to set, then pour in the rest of the liquid and chill again before serving.

Banana lassi

Ingredients:

• 250g/9oz Greek-style yogurt
• 200g/7oz banana, peeled and
• cut into chunks
• 125ml/4fl oz milk
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar

• Put all the ingredients in a blender or food processor, and whiz for 2 minutes.

• Pour the lassi into individual glasses and serve straight away, or cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Apricot delice

Ingredients:

• 850g/13/4lb canned apricots in
• natural juice
• 50g/2oz granulated sugar
• 25ml/1fl oz freshly squeezed
• lemon juice
• 5 teaspoons powdered gelatine
• 425g/15oz low-fat
• ready-to-serve custard
• 150ml/5fl oz Greek-style yogurt
• 1 ripe apricot, sliced, to decorat

• Line the bottom of a 1.2-litre/2pt cake tin with baking parchment.

• Drain the apricots, reserving the juice. Put the apricots in a blender or food processor together with the sugar and 4 tablespoons of the apricot juice. Purée until smooth.

• Measure 2 tablespoons of the apricot juice into a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, then sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of the gelatine. Leave for about 5 minutes until spongy.

• Stir the gelatine into half of the purée, and pour into the prepared tin.Chill in the refrigerator for 11⁄2 hours or until firm.

• Sprinkle the remaining gelatine over 4 tablespoons of the reserved apricot juice. Leave for about 5 minutes until spongy. Mix the remaining apricot purée with the custard, yogurt and gelatine. Pour on to the layer of set fruit purée, and chill for 3 hours.

• To serve, dip the cake tin into hot water for a few seconds, and unmould the delice onto a serving plate. Peel off the lining paper. Decorate the top with the sliced apricot.

Orange ice cream

Ingredients:

• 8 oranges
• 1 lemon
• 200g/7oz caster sugar
• 500ml/18fl oz double cream
• 4 tablespoons Grand Marnier

• 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.

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

• 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.

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

Hazelnut pavlova

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 225g/8oz caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon distilled malt vinegar
• 300ml/10fl oz double cream
• 50g/2oz toasted hazelnuts,
• chopped.

• Preheat the oven to 130°C/250°F/Gas mark 1⁄2.

• Mix together the egg whites, sugar and vinegar in a clean grease-free heatproof bowl, and put over a pan of gently simmering water. Beat with an electric whisk for 10 minutes or until very stiff and shiny.

• Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment, and spread the meringue mixture into a rectangle using a metal spatula or palette knife. Bake for 40 minutes, turn off the oven and leave the meringue inside to
cool completely.

• Whip the cream until it just holds its shape, and spread over the cold pavlova. Sprinkle with the nuts, and chill for 2–3 hours or overnight. Cut into thick slices to serve.

Creamy fruit baskets

Ingredients:

• 3 oranges
• 500g/18oz mascarpone cheese
• 5 tablespoons cr?me fra?che
• 2 tablespoons clear honey,
• warmed
• 6 half-coated chocolate waffle or
• brandy snap baskets
• 100g/4oz strawberries, hulled
• and sliced

• Finely grate and reserve 1 tablespoon orange zest. Pare off a little extra orange zest, and cut into very thin strips; reserve. Peel all the oranges, removing as much of the white pith as possible. Divide into segments.

• Put the mascarpone cheese in a bowl with the orange zest, and beat until smooth. Add half of the crème fraîche with the honey to taste. Stir through, then add enough of the remaining crème fraîche to give a fairly
stiff dropping consistency. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

• To serve, fill the baskets with the crème fraîche mixture, and top with the orange segments and sliced strawberries. Decorate with orange strips.

Frozen citrus soufflé

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
• 100ml/31⁄2fl oz very hot water
• (not boiling)
• 3 eggs, separated
• 100g/4oz caster sugar
• grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• grated zest and juice of 1⁄2 lime
• grated zest and juice of 1⁄2 orange
• 150ml/5fl oz double or whipping
• cream
• 100g/4oz fromage frais

• Tie a greaseproof paper callar around a 15cm/6in soufflé dish.

• Sprinkle the gelatine into the hot water, stirring well to dissolve. Leave to stand for 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to give a completely clear liquid. Leave to cool for 10–15 minutes.

• Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until very pale and light in texture. Add the zest and juice from the fruits, mixing well. Stir in the cooled gelatine liquid, making sure that it is thoroughly mixed in.

• Put the cream in a large chilled bowl, and whip until it holds its shape. Stir the fromage frais into the cream, mixing it in gently. Fold the cream mixture into the citrus mixture using a large metal spoon.

• Using a clean whisk, beat the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff, thengently fold into the citrus mixture using a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Transfer to the freezer, and freeze for at least 2 hours until firm. Remove from the freezer 10 minutes before serving

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

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

• 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.

Cherry mousse

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons powdered
• gelatine
• 1 tablespoon cornflour
• 150ml/5fl oz cranberry juice
• 225ml/8fl oz boiling water
• 450g/1lb fresh cherries, pitted
• 225ml/8fl oz low-fat
• Greek-style yogurt
• 150g/5oz granulated sugar

• Combine the egg, gelatine, cornflour, cranberry juice and 1 tablespoon cold water. Stir well to blend. Add the boiling water, and mix together thoroughly.

• Purée the cherries in a blender or food processor, add the gelatine mixture, yogurt and sugar, and blend until smooth.

• Chill for 4–6 hours to set. Blend again just before serving

Green fruit salad

Ingredients:

• 3 galia melons
• 100g/4oz green seedless grapes
• 2 kiwi fruit
• 1 star fruit
• 1 green dessert apple
• 1 lime
• 175ml/6fl oz sparkling grape juice

• Cut the melons in half and scoop out the seeds. Keeping the shells intact, scoop out the fruit with a melon baller. Set aside the melon shells.

• Remove any stems from the grapes, and peel and chop the kiwi fruit. Thinly slice the star fruit. Core and thinly slice the apple, and put the slices in a bowl with the melon, grapes, kiwi fruit and star fruit.

• Thinly pare the zest from the lime, and cut into fine strips. Blanch thestrips in boiling water for 10 seconds, then drain and rinse in cold water. Squeeze the juice from the lime, and sprinkle it into the fruit. Toss
through gently.

• Spoon the prepared fruit into the melon shells, and chill in therefrigerator until required. Just before serving, spoon the sparkling grape juice over the fruit, and scatter it with the lime zest.

Dried fruit fool

Ingredients:

• 300g/11oz ready-to-eat dried
• fruit, such as apricots,
• peaches or apples
• 300ml/10fl oz freshly squeezed
• orange juice
• 250ml/9fl oz low-fat
• fromage frais
• 2 egg whites

• Put the dried fruit in a saucepan, add the orange juice and heat gently until boiling. Reduce the
heat, cover and simmer gently for 3 minutes.

• Cool slightly. Tip into a blender or food processor, and purée until smooth. Stir in the fromage frais.

• Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until stiff enough to hold soft peaks, then slowly fold into the fruit mixture until combined.

• Spoon into four stemmed glasses, then chill the fools for at least 1 hour before serving.

Passion fruit & apple foam

Ingredients:

• 450g/1lb cooking apples
• 100ml/31⁄2fl oz unsweetened
• apple juice
• 3 passion fruit
• 3 egg whites

• Peel, core and roughly chop the apples. Put them in a pan with theapple juice. Bring the liquid to the boil, then reduce the heat and cover the pan. Cook gently, stirring occasionally, until the apple is very tender.

• Remove from the heat, and beat the apple mixture with a wooden spoonun til it forms a fairly smooth purée.

• Cut the passion fruit in half, and scoop out the seeds and pulp into the apple purée. Stir to mix thoroughly.

• Put the egg whites in a bowl, and whisk until soft peaks form. Fold theegg whites into the apple mixture. Spoon the apple foam into four serving dishes. Leave to cool and serve cold.

Mince pies

Ingredients:

• 150g/5oz butter, cut into pieces
• 225g/8oz plain flour
• 50g/2oz ground almonds
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
• a few drops of almond essence
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 1 egg yolk
• 225g/8oz mincemeat
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas mark 6. Lightly grease a 12-hole bun tin or muffin pan.

• Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixtureresembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the almonds, sugar, almond essence, orange zest, egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water. Mix to forma firm dough. Knead briefly on a floured work surface, then wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

• Roll out thinly, and stamp out 12 rounds, about 7.5cm/3in, using apastry cutter. Use the pastry to line the holes in the bun tin. Spoon in the mincemeat to come two-thirds of the way up each hole. Use the remaining pastry to cut into seasonal shapes – such as holly leaves or Christmas trees – and place on top of the mincemeat.

• Bake for 20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Serve warm with cream or brandy butter.