These dessert recipes are delicious! I hope you will try them at home. Please download any of the recipes and give them a go!
We have used these dessert recipes, tested them, taught them as part of a cookery course or made them for clients’ events and parties!
Get your fruits from local suppliers if possible. Supermarkets usually have a wide selection of fruit, but a local supplier should have access to a wider range of fruits. I am lucky that I have access to a local grower and a local supplier, as they can offer a good price, though this is not always the case. The best thing to do is to check online and see what you can find. Some online and shop based retailers offer boxes on a weekly basis. Again, these can be an excellent way of buying your fruit and vegetables. You may not want a weekly box, but you usually can just buy one week and then have a gap. Then order another box when you have used it all.
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BANANAS WITH CINNAMON, BRANDY, AND LEMON
A delicious way to use the embers of a BBQ to cook bananas. You can served with cream, ice cream or on their own.
- Bananas x 1 per person
- Brandy
- Lemon juice
- Cinnamon
- Dark sugar – demerara or soft brown
- Butter – at room temperature
- Prepare the foil by greasing with a good knob of butter
- Skin and clean the banana of the stringy bits and place on the foil
- Add a dessert spoon of brandy, lemon juice and sugar. Then sprinkle the cinnamon over the banana. Don’t be stingy with the juice or brandy.
- Bring the foil together over the top of the banana and seal, not to firmly as you will need to check whilst on the BBQ.
- When ready serve by decanting the banana and juices into a bowl. Top with your choice of cream, ice cream etc.
You will need a piece of greased foil to wrap each banana in.
LEMON DRIZZLE SPONGE PUDDING
A delicious sweet and lemony winter warmer! The leftovers are great warmed up and covered in custard, assuming there is any left!
- 250 g soft butter (plus extra for the dish)
- 380 g caster sugar
- 4 eggs
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 lemons (zested and juiced)
- 2½ tbsp cornflour
- Serve with custard or cream.
- For the drizzle
- 50 g icing sugar
- 1 lemon (juiced and zested)
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 30cm x 20cm deep baking dish.
- Put all of the butter and 250g of the caster sugar in a bowl and whisk for 5 mins until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs and whisk, then sieve over the flour and baking powder and gently mix in until you have a batter. Alternatively, do all of this with a whisk or mixer. Stir in the lemon zest, reserving a little for decoration.
- Spoon the sponge batter into the dish and smooth over the top.
- Mix the lemon juice with the cornflour in a heatproof bowl to make a smooth paste. Mix the remaining 130g caster sugar with 300ml boiling water in a jug, pour over the cornflour mix and whisk until smooth. Pour this over the sponge. Bake for 45-50 mins until golden and set, and the sponge springs back when touched.
- While the pudding is baking, make the lemon drizzle. Mix the icing sugar with enough lemon juice (about half of it) to create a loose consistency. Drizzle over the sponge while it’s still warm and decorate with the reserved lemon zest. Serve straightaway with cream or custard.
Preparation time 15 minutes
Cooking time 50 minutes
Serves 8-10
APRICOT BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING
A classic dessert with a little twist, the apricots and Calavdos add a further edge in taste for this pudding. A simple dessert to do and enjoy with a Sunday roast!
- 5 g/3oz sultanas
- 2 tbsp rum (brandy or Calvados)
- 6 thin slices day-old white bread (1 side slice buttered and crusts removed)
- 40 g/1½oz caster sugar
- ½ lemon (grated rind only)
- 375 ml/12fl oz single cream or milk
- 3 eggs
- demerara sugar
- Soak the sultanas in the rum or brandy overnight.
- Cut the buttered bread into triangles and arrange buttered side up in layers in a buttered 750ml/1½ pint ovenproof dish, sprinkling the layers with the sultanas, sugar and lemon rind.
- Heat the cream or milk but do not allow to boil.
- Whisk the eggs lightly and pour the cream or milk on them, stirring all the time.
- Strain the mixture over the bread, sprinkle some demerara sugar on the top and let the pudding stand for 30 minutes.
- Bake at 180C/350F/Gas 4 for 30-40 minutes, until the top is crisp and golden. Serve hot.
Serves 4
Preparation time – overnight
Cooking time – 30 minutes to 1 hour
VANILLA PANA COTTA WITH STRAWBERRIES.
This recipe makes four, which gives you a chance to enjoy twice the delicious panna cotta! It is simple and easy to make.
- Ramekins x 4
- Bowl
- Saucepan
- Sharp knife
- 2 ½ to 3 sheets of gelatine
- 150 ml milk
- 400 ml double cream
- 60 g caster sugar
- 1 vanilla pod (split lengthways)
- strawberry compote (to serve)
- fresh mint chopped
- Cover sheets of gelatine in a bowl of cold water, soak for 5 mins.
- Pour the milk, cream, sugar into a saucepan. Add the vanilla seeds (open the pod with a sharp knife down one side and then using the back of the knife scrape the seeds out of the pod). Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer for a few minutes, remove from the heat.
- Grease the ramekins of glasses with a little light olive oil using a paper towel. This helps the panna cotta to come out of the dish.
- Squeeze the water from the gelatine, then add to the milk mixture. Stir until completely dissolved. Pour into four ramekins (or glasses) and place in the fridge to set for at least a couple of hours. You can tell if the panna cotta has set, it will wobble but it won’t break the surface of the panna cotta.
- Use a thin sharp knife to carefully cut where the panna cotta meets the side of the ramekin or glass. Use a bowl of warm water and dip the ramekin/glass to loosen it. Put the serving dish or plate on the top of the glass or ramekin and turn it upside down. With luck you will have the panna cotta sitting there waiting for the spoons of strawberry compote. Sprinkle with chopped mint and serve.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes plus chilling
SIMPLE STRAWBERRY COMPOTE
Simplicity itself. An easy recipe and one that would go with many desserts. Or on a deliciously buttered piece of toast!
- Saucepan
- Bowl
- 500 g ripe strawberries (halved or quartered depending on size)
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 500g ripe strawberries, halved or quartered depending on size
- 4 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
For two people you can do half quantities.
Cut the strawberries into halves or quarters if large. Put in a pan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar dissolves, then bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and cook the strawberries for 3 mins or until dark red and syrupy. Cool, you can then add a few drops of balsamic vinegar if you want. The compote can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.