AUTUMN FEAST

Aubergine confit

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For the basil oil

For the aubergine confit

  1. To make the basil oil, blend all the ingredients together until combined. Set aside until needed.
  2. To make the aubergine confit, slice the aubergines, lengthways, very thinly. Preheat the oven to 190ºC. Oil an oven pan and layer the aubergine slices, lightly seasoning and spooning basil oil over each layer. Moisten with a little more olive oil. If you like, add a few basil leaves as you go and smear with a little garlic. Make sure that the layers are tightly packed. Cover with baking paper and bake for 45 minutes or until the aubergines are very soft. Spoon into a bowl, drizzle sauce from the pan over and serve with a sliced baguette.

Serves 8

Turkish lentil soup with mint and lemon

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  1. Rinse and drain the lentils. Gently heat the oil and soften the onion, celery and carrot. Stir in the garlic and cumin. Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the chilli paste, lentils and stock. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender. Season to taste. Remove 1–11⁄2 cups of the soup and set aside. Blend the pot of soup until smooth then stir in the reserved soup. Check seasoning. If the soup is too thick thin down with stock. Serve with chopped mint and lemon wedges.

Serves 8

Slow-cooked leg of lamb with pomegranate molasses and pilaf

If you can’t find pomegranate molasses you can make your own by simmering (uncovered) 3 cups pomegranate juice with 1⁄2 cup lemon juice and 1⁄2 cup sugar until syrupy and reduced to about a cup.

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For the lamb

For the pilaf

  1. To make the lamb, trim any excess fat from the lamb. Season and moisten with oil. Preheat the oven to 120ºC. Place a large sheet of baking paper in a heavy casserole. Add the lamb and remaining ingredients and wrap up in the paper. Cover with the lid and roast for 5–6 hours. Once the lamb is soft enough to cut with a spoon, remove from the oven and keep warm. Skim the fat off the juices and reduce slightly over a medium heat. Serve the lamb with the pan juices and pilaf.
  2. To make the pilaf, heat the oil and gently soften the onion. If you’d like the pilaf lightly spiced, stir in the allspice and cumin. Stir in the rice until translucent. Add the stock and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave, uncovered, for 5 minutes. The rice should be tender and the liquid absorbed. Fluff up with a fork. Sprinkle with the nuts and cranberries.

Serves 8

Citrus wedges and torn dates with lemon-gin dressing

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  1. Mix together the lemon juice, honey and gin until combined. Arrange the orange or minneola segments on a platter and sprinkle over the dates. Spoon the gin sauce over the fruit and serve.

Serves 8

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

Chicory with grilled camembert-and-coppa sandwiches

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  1. Preheat the oven grill. Slice the chicory lengthways and toss with the oil, vinegar and some seasoning – only a little, as the coppa is salty. Arrange on a platter. Slice the camembert across and sandwich the coppa between the camembert slices. Cut each camembert round into thirds. Slide under a hot grill until the cheese starts to melt. Lift onto the dressed salad and serve immediately.

Serves 6

Warm spiced apple cider

  1. Bring all the ingredients except the apple and orange peel to a simmer in a saucepan, then turn the heat down to its lowest and leave for 15 minutes or until warm and fragrant. Pour into a heatproof carafe. Thread the apple and the orange onto a wooden skewer and use as garnishing.

Serves 6

Homemade vegetable broth with crispy parsnip shavings

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For the vegetable broth

For serving

  1. For the broth, simmer all the ingredients together for 1 hour or longer. Strain and discard the vegetables. Check seasoning.
  2. For serving, heat enough oil for deep-frying in a saucepan. Using a mandolin or vegetable peeler shave the peeled parsnips. Deep fry in the hot oil until crisp and golden. Drain well. Serve in hot broth and garnish with chives, if you like.

Serves 6

Herbed red wine chicken with mushrooms and red onion confit

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For the chicken

For the mushrooms

For the red onion confit

  1. To make the chicken, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy casserole. Sauté the chicken pieces, skin-side down, in batches, until nicely bronzed. Flip and briefly sauté the other side, removing as ready. Season lightly. If necessary, pour off the fat and rather add a spoonful of fresh olive oil. Add the onion and stir around to loosen any crusty bits. Cook gently, until very soft but still pale. Stir in the garlic. Pour in the wine and 2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a bubble, then add the bronzed chicken and thyme. Cover with a sheet of baking paper and a tight-fitting lid. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 30–40 minutes or until very tender. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Discard the thyme. Reduce the cooking liquid over a high heat until it’s a good consistency and full of flavour. Check seasoning. Return the chicken to the sauce. Turn onto a platter and top with the pan-fried mushrooms and red onion confit. Garnish with plenty of watercress and serve with Potato and celery mash (see page 112).
  2. To make the mushrooms, rinse them briefly, then brush off any remaining dirt. Pat dry. Pan-fry in the butter and oil, until just cooked and still fleshy. Season to taste.
  3. To make the red onion confit, peel the onions and slice into wedges. Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Add the onion wedges and the honey and turn around to coat. Add the thyme, a little salt and pepper and pour in the remaining stock. Cover tightly and cook gently for 30 minutes or until meltingly soft. Check seasoning.

Serves 6

Whisked potato and celery mash

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  1. Boil the potatoes and celery with the garlic and some salt until tender. Drain and return to the hob to dry the potatoes. Pour in the milk and heat. Add the butter, in bits. Turn into a deep bowl and whisk using an electric beater until smooth and fluffy. Season to taste. Garnish with celery leaves.

Serves 6

Baked brioche and custard pudding

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  1. Butter six large muffin cups. Alternately layer the slices of brioche and fruit. Squash the bread down to fit into the cups. Beat the eggs, egg yolks, cream, milk, sugar and butter together. Prick the brioches well, gradually adding the custard mixture until all of it is absorbed. Prick again if necessary. Preheat the oven to 160°C and allow the mixture to stand for 10 minutes. Place in a baking pan filled with enough hot water to come half-way up the sides of the muffin pan. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until golden brown and just set. Remove carefully. If you like, serve the hot puddings with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

Green vegetable and buttermilk terrine

This is one of those impressively easy dishes that looks difficult to make, but is effortless to put together.

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For the terrine

For the anchovy dressing

For the sourdough oven toasts

  1. To make the terrine, in a deep saucepan, bring the stock to the boil and drop the vegetables, in turn, into the stock. The asparagus needs 3 minutes, the beans 5 minutes and the peas 1 minute. Drain and cool. Chill or freeze the stock for another use. Coat a small (18 × 10 × 5 cm) loaf pan, with cooking spray and line with baking paper. Arrange the vegetables in the loaf pan. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Lightly beat the eggs with the buttermilk, garlic and seasoning until combined. Strain over the vegetables. Fill a baking pan with enough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the loaf pan and place the pan in the water. Bake for about 1 hour or until slightly puffed, golden and set – a tester will come out clean. Allow to cool, then invert onto a suitable serving dish. Serve at room temperature or chilled with the anchovy dressing.
  2. To make the anchovy dressing, blend all the ingredients together until combined.
  3. To make the sourdough oven toast, bake the slices of sourdough at 180ºC for 10 minutes or until crisp and pale golden.

Serves 6

Poached tuna medallions with herb crust

There’s more to tuna than searing, good as it is. Try this gentle cooking method for a change.

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For the herb crust

For the tuna

  1. For the herb crust, mix all the ingredients together until combined.
  2. For the tuna, spread the herb paste over one side of each fish portion. Bring the stock and verjuice to a boil in a wide pan. Add the prepared tuna. Cover tightly and remove from the heat. Leave for 4–5 minutes until barely cooked, still moist and pink. Remove the fish from the broth onto a serving platter. Reduce the cooking liquid over a high heat, then spoon around and over the tuna. Serve with Oven-roasted sliced sweet potatoes (see page 121) and a Baby leaf salad with avocado oil and verjuice dressing (see page 122).

Serves 6

Oven-roasted sliced sweet potatoes

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  1. Preheat the oven to 230ºC. Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Moisten the potatoes with a bit of olive oil. Spread as flat as possible on the baking tray. Roast for about 25 minutes or until tender. Season with salt.

Serves 6

Baby leaf salad with avocado oil and verjuice dressing

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  1. Make the dressing by mixing the avocado oil, verjuice and salt and pepper together until combined. To complete the salad, toss the leaves with the dressing until shiny. Serve immediately.

Serves 6

Pressed strawberries with maple syrup

Light and fresh, this is a perfect spring dessert.

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  1. Spray 6 espresso cups with cooking spray. Press as many strawberries into each cup as the cup can fit, squashing them down if necessary. Soften the gelatine for 5 minutes in a bowl of cold water. Remove the gelatine and squeeze dry. Heat the juice, then add the gelatine and stir until clear. Pour into a jug, then pour over the strawberries to fill the cups. If the strawberries are small, compactly filling the cups, there’ll be enough liquid. Press down hard on the strawberries to immerse in the liquid. Cover with clingfilm or baking paper and weight down. Chill for 4 hours or until set. Invert just before serving. Dip the cups briefly into hot water to loosen. If necessary, slide in a small thin knife or spatula around the edges of the cups. Drizzle a little maple syrup onto each plate. Decorate with a sprig of mint.

Serves 6

A SUMMER XMAS

Fresh salmon trout and anchovy spread

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  1. Place the salmon trout in a saucepan just large enough for the fish to fit snugly. Pour over enough fish stock to cover. Bring to a bubble, then cover with the lid and remove from the heat. Leave to cool in the liquid, then remove the fish, flake and pound together by hand with the remaining ingredients, adding lemon juice and seasoning to taste. Turn into a bowl or spread on a plate. Garnish with chives and serve with ciabatta or crostini.

Serves 8–10

Classic sparkling wine cocktails

  1. For each cocktail, place a sugar cube in a champagne flute and saturate with a quarter teaspoon of Angostura bitters. Add a dash of brandy and fill with sparkling wine.

Makes 8 cocktails depending on the size of the champagne flutes

Roast turkey with mushroom-risotto rice stuffing

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For the stuffing

For the turkey

  1. To prepare the turkey for roasting, remove the giblets and neck. Keep the liver for another use. Allow the turkey to rest in a cool area in the kitchen as it must be at room temperature before roasting.
  2. To make the stuffing, pour the mushroom stock over the dried mushrooms and leave for 20 minutes. Strain and reserve the liquid for cooking the rice. Cook the rice in the reserved 3 cups mushroom stock for 15 minutes or until just tender. Heat the butter and oil in an ovenproof pan and gently fry the onions and celery, stirring often, until very soft but still pale. Season lightly. Stir in the fresh and soaked mushrooms and stir-fry until just cooked. Season lightly. Mix the garlic, parsley, thyme and rice with the mushrooms. Check seasoning.
  3. To roast the turkey, preheat the oven to 200ºC. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity and fold the skin of the neck over the back and secure. Bend the wing tips under the body and tie the ends of the legs together. Place the turkey, breast side up, in a roasting pan. Brush the turkey with melted butter and season. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven. Reduce the temperature to 180ºC. Add the chopped onion, celery, garlic, thyme and parsley plus the neck and chopped giblets to the roasting pan. Pour over the chicken stock and wine. Cover with a large sheet of buttered or oiled foil, tucking it under the rim of the roasting pan. Roast, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, for 2 hours. Remove the foil and roast for another 30 minutes or until golden-brown and tender. Remove the turkey from the oven and leave to rest for about 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature. Garnish with rocket.

Serves 8–10

Green beans and asparagus

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  1. Trim the beans and asparagus. Bring a saucepan of water and some salt to the boil. Drop the beans and asparagus into the boiling water for 1 or 2 minutes until just cooked and bright green, then drain. If serving hot, melt the butter in a frying pan and reheat the beans and asparagus in it. If serving at room temperature, moisten with a little olive oil and season to taste.

Serves 8–10

Summer Xmas pudding

Here’s a new take on an old favourite. This is a very grown-up dessert, so if there’re kids around, serve them cupcakes with their favourite ice cream.

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For the filling

For the spiced chocolate sponge layer

For coating and decorating

  1. To make the filling, pour boiling water over the fruits and peel and drain. Soak in brandy for 30 minutes. Drain and reserve the surplus brandy to moisten the cake. Mix the drained soaked fruits into the ice cream. Freeze the filling while preparing the cake.
  2. To make the chocolate sponge, preheat the oven to 190ºC. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, spices and salt. Using an electric beater, beat the eggs and sugar relentlessly until pale, thick and fluffy. Fold in the sifted ingredients. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Add the batter, flattening it evenly with a spatula. Bake for 15 minutes or until just firm to the touch. A tester inserted should come out clean. Invert onto a rack and allow to cool.
  3. To assemble, coat a typical Christmas pudding bowl with cooking spray. Slice the sponge through horizontally to make 2 thin layers. Cut out a round large enough to fit into the bowl. If necessary cut out a V from the round to make it fit easily. Pack in the filling. Cover with a round of chocolate sponge. Freeze until serving. Invert onto a plate lined with 2 overlapping pieces of baking paper (this will help you to avoid messing chocolate on the plate). Coat the cake with melted chocolate (reserving some for decoration). Return to the freezer for a few minutes to set, or leave until serving. Drizzle the remaining melted chocolate onto baking paper and freeze to set. Decorate the pudding with shards of chocolate or a bunch of fresh cherries. Remove the baking paper and slice into wedges for serving.

Serves 8–10

SIDES AND SALADS

Tenderstem broccoli with anchovy and garlic

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  1. Trim the ends of the broccoli, if necessary. Bring a deep saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drop the broccoli into the water. Allow to return to the boil, then drain and set aside. Before serving, warm the olive oil with the anchovies and garlic, stirring until the anchovies disintegrate. Add the blanched broccoli and cook gently until tender-crisp. Season to taste.

Serves 6–8

Steamed mixed vegetables with mustard honey dressing

Any mix of baby leeks, cauliflower and broccoli florets, green and yellow patty pans, baby marrows or baby gem squash will do for this recipe. Serve warm or at room temperature with a mustard honey dressing.

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  1. Mix the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, honey, olive oil and seasoning together until combined. Set aside until needed. Steam the vegetables over a saucepan of simmering water for 5 minutes or until just tender. Turn onto a platter and drizzle over the dressing.

Serves 8–10

Mushroom ragout

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  1. To make the mushroom ragout, pour the warm stock over the dried mushrooms and soak for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, wipe the fresh mushrooms and trim the stalks. Slice fairly thickly. Drain the soaked mushrooms but reserve the stock. Heat the oil and butter in a pan and stir-fry all the mushrooms until just cooked but still fleshy. Pour in half a cup of the reserved stock and bring to a boil, season to taste and serve with the Glazed rare roast beef fillet (see page 58).

Serves 6

Green leaf and vegetable salad with coppa, caperberries and parsley dressing

The coppa is not essential to the salad but it does add crunch and extra flavour. Paper thin sliced streaky bacon works well too, and so does pancetta.

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For the dressing

For the salad

  1. To make the dressing, whisk all the ingredients together until combined.
  2. To make the salad, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop the broad beans into the water for a few minutes, until tender. Remove with a slotted spoon. Add the green beans and simmer for about 5 minutes or until tender crisp. Drain. Mix half the dressing with the warm vegetables and set aside.
  3. Before serving, toss the cos and gem lettuce with the remaining dressing. Turn onto a platter. Top with the dressed green vegetables, sprinkle with caperberries, crumbled crispy coppa and parsley.

Serves 8

Winter salad of bitter greens, walnuts and Gorgonzola dressing

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For the dressing

For the salad

  1. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together until combined and emulsified. Set aside until needed.
  2. For the salad, rinse the whole heads of chicory, then cut off the base and separate into spears. Arrange on a small platter or large plates. Add tufts of rocket and the walnuts. Serve the dressing on the side.

Serves 4

Baby lettuce with whisked dressing

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  1. Mix all the ingredients together, except the lettuce, until combined. Discard any damaged or coarse outer lettuce leaves, then slice lengthways. Trim the ends, taking care to leave the leaves intact. Place on a platter and drizzle over the dressing.

Serves 6

Shaved fennel, Parmesan and rocket salad

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  1. Trim the fennel and slice into thin shavings. Soak in cold water for about 20 minutes to soften the flavour. Drain and dry and mix with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the lemon juice. Add a little salt and milled black pepper. Turn on to a small platter. Add shavings of Parmesan. Top with rocket and drizzle over the remaining olive oil. Add a little salt and a twist of black pepper.

Serves 4

Red slaw

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For the dressing

For the slaw

  1. For the dressing, mix all the ingredients together until combined. Set aside until needed.
  2. For the slaw, thinly slice the cabbage, lettuce and onion, then mix together in a bowl. Thinly slice the trimmed fennel and soak in iced water for about 20 minutes. This will crisp the fennel and soften the aniseed flavour. Drain well and add to the bowl. Pour over the dressing and stir through.

Serves 8

Braised Swiss chard with olive oil and lemon

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  1. Wash the Swiss chard or spinach well. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil and gently soften the onion. Stir in the garlic. Add the wet, chopped Swiss chard or spinach and the remaining oil. Stir until it begins to wilt. Add some seasoning, cover and braise for 15 minutes or until tender. Add the lemon juice and check seasoning. If you like, moisten with a little more oil.

Serves 4

IRRESISTIBLES

Warm ricotta cheesecake with hot cherry sauce

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For the filling

For the crust

For the cherry sauce

  1. To make the filling, beat all the ingredients together until combined and smooth. Refrigerate until needed.
  2. To make the crust, mix together the crushed Boudoir or amaretti biscuits and the melted butter until combined. Preheat the oven to 150ºC. Butter a 20 cm springform or loose-bottomed pan, then line the bottom with a round of baking paper. Press the crumbs over the base of the pan. Place on a baking tray in case of leaks. Pour in the filling and bake for 1 hour or until set and a tester comes out clean. Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake to rest in the oven for 15 minutes. Meanwhile make the cherry sauce.
  3. To make the cherry sauce, defrost the cherries in a strainer over a bowl to catch the juice. Mix the cornflour with a little of the juice to make a smooth paste. Heat the remaining juice with the sugar in a deep saucepan. Stir in the cornflour mixture and keep stirring until smooth and thickened. Stir in the drained cherries and heat through. Stir in the liqueur, heat through and serve poured over or with the cheesecake.

Serves 8

Nectarine almond tarts

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  1. Mix together the butter, flour and mascarpone in a food processor until you have a ball of dough. Lightly dust the ball with flour. Wrap and chill for 1 hour or until firm enough to roll between two sheets of baking paper. Roll out the dough between two sheets of baking paper. Using a large round cutter, press out four rounds from the pastry. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Lightly beat the egg white and brush over each pastry round. Sprinkle the rounds with half the sugar and all the almonds. Press in the nectarine slices. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar and dot 2 teaspoons mascarpone on each round. Refrigerate while preheating the oven to 200ºC. Bake the tarts for 15–20 minutes or until the pastry is nicely browned. Serve warm or at room temperature and drizzle a teaspoon of Amaretto over each tart.

Serves 4

Olive oil sponge with fresh figs

This is a simple and delicious Italian cake. Perfect with figs baked until starting to ooze, I love it too with plums, or even poached quinces. Delicious served still-warm, it holds its own for a day or two. I often serve it with a bowl of crème fraîche.

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  1. Beat the eggs and sugar together until thick, pale and fluffy. First beat in the olive oil, then the Marsala wine until combined. Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Sift again over the egg mixture and gently beat together. Coat a deep 20 cm loose-bottomed baking pan with cooking spray, then line with baking paper and pour the filling into the pan. Rinse and halve the figs and press into the batter. Preheat the oven to 190ºC.
  2. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the cake. Add the nuts now if using. Bake for about 35 minutes or until done, browned and slightly puffed. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Serve with crème fraîche if you like.

Serves 8

Pears poached in tawny port with homemade honey yoghurt custard

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For the honey yoghurt custard

For the poached pears

  1. To make the custard, whisk the cornflour with a little of the cold milk to form a smooth paste. Warm the remaining milk in a saucepan and whisk in the cornflour mixture, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens and comes to the boil. Stir in the honey. Remove the milk mixture from the heat. Whisk the egg yolks lightly, then gradually whisk into the hot milk mixture. Return to the stove and cook over a medium heat, still stirring, until the mixture thickens again and comes to a boil. Remove from the heat immediately. Strain into a bowl and place a piece of baking paper on the surface to prevent a skin forming. Allow to cool. Mix in the yoghurt until smooth. Refrigerate until serving.
  2. To make the pears, peel them, leaving the stalks intact. Place in lemony water until needed. Bring the sugar, port and water to the boil in a small saucepan, stirring once or twice. Add the pears and reduce the heat. Make sure that they are immersed in the liquid placing a plate or lid directly on the pears. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a toothpick. Turn off the heat and leave to cool in the liquid. When cool, remove the pears with a slotted spoon and reduce the liquid over a high heat for about 15 minutes or until syrupy. Pour the syrup over the pears. If you like, squeeze over the juice and seeds from the pomegranate. Serve with the honey yoghurt custard.

Serves 8

Poached quinces with buttermilk jellies

The jellies are tart, a perfect foil for the sweet quinces. When not in season, look out for bottled quinces. You’ll find them at good food shops and farm stalls. I love quinces and always keep a jar or two.

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For the buttermilk jellies

For the quinces

  1. To make the buttermilk jellies, heat the quince syrup in a saucepan and when hot sprinkle the gelatine over the syrup. Stir until dissolved. Strain, then mix with the buttermilk and vanilla. Ladle into 8 glasses, leaving plenty of space for the quince. Chill for a few hours or overnight to set.
  2. To make the quinces, peel them and slice each horizontally into rounds. Bring the sugar and water to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon juice and the quinces. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until the quinces are tender. Allow to cool, then chill in the syrup.
  3. To serve, top each jelly with slice of quince and a spoonful of the syrup.

Serves 8

Crisp apple samoosas with apple sorbet

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For the apple purée

For the apple sorbet

For the apple samoosas

  1. To make the apple purée, peel and thinly slice the apples. Discard the seeds and cores. Heat the orange juice, honey, spices and apple slices and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the apple slices are tender. Discard the spices and blend the apples and sauce to a purée. Leave to cool, then refrigerate. This makes 3 cups of purée.
  2. To make the apple sorbet, blend 2 cups of apple purée, with the sugar syrup and brandy. Freeze in an ice cream maker. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, freeze in a shallow container and when almost frozen, blend with a stick blender or in a food processor before returning to the freezer.
  3. To make the apple samoosas, place a spoonful of apple purée on a samoosa pastry strip, then wrap, following the package instructions. Brush the edges of the wrapped samoosa with beaten egg to seal. These can be made in advance and refrigerated, well-covered, until needed. Before serving, fry in medium to hot oil until crisp and golden. Drain on paper towel. Dust the fried samoosas with icing sugar and serve with a scoop of apple sorbet.

Serves 6

Coconut lemon meringue torte

I love homemade coconut macaroons. I suppose it’s the reason I thought of making a coconut meringue. And then thought of using coconut cream for the filling. The filling is best made the day before. Refrigerate the egg whites but remember to bring them back to room temperature before beating. If berries are in season, they are a pretty addition.

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For the meringue

For the lemon coconut cream

  1. To make the meringue, preheat the oven to 110°C. Beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in the sugar and then beat until very stiff and glossy. Fold in the lemon juice and coconut. Line three 20 cm layer pans with baking paper. Divide the meringue mixture equally between the pans and spread evenly. Bake for 4 hours.
  2. To make the lemon coconut cream, beat the egg yolks until frothyin a heatproof bowl, then gradually beat in the sugar until thick and pale. Mix in the lemon juice and rind. Position the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and gradually whisk in the coconut cream. Keep whisking and cook until thickened. Remove from the stove and whisk now and again until cooled completely. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight until very thick.
  3. To assemble, sandwich the meringue layers with the lemon coconut cream. Refrigerate until serving. If the filling is slightly runny, that’s fine. Alternatively refrigerate a bit longer.

Serves 6–8

Raspberry creams

Panna cotta, literally ‘cooked cream’ may sound smarter, but it’s just cream set with a little gelatine. Here I’ve used half cream and half Greek yoghurt because I like the hint of tartness. I don’t like these too sweet, but if you do, just add more sugar. When fresh raspberries are not in season, I use the frozen ones – a fine substitute.

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  1. Blend enough raspberries to make 11⁄4 cups of purée then push through a strainer. Set aside the remaining raspberries for garnishing. Sprinkle the gelatine over the water and leave to soften for a few minutes. Gently heat the cream with the sugar, but take care not to let it boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the softened gelatine until dissolved. Cool slightly, then blend in the yoghurt, raspberry purée and liqueur, if using. Spoon into short glasses and refrigerate for a few hours, or overnight, to set. Garnish with whole raspberries.

Serves 6

Mocha semifreddo

Egg whites freeze well, so store them for making a batch of meringues. You will need to refrigerate the mixture for 4 hours before serving.

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  1. Position a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water (taking care that the bowl is not touching the hot water), add the egg yolks and beat with the sugar for about 5 minutes until pale, thick and creamy. Place over a bowl of ice to cool, whisking now and again. Melt the chocolate in the hot coffee. Stir the liqueur into the chocolate mixture, then stir into the egg mixture. Whip the cream until soft peaks form then fold into the mocha mixture. Spoon into 8 small dishes or one loaf pan lined with baking paper. Freeze for at least 4 hours until firm. If you like, decorate with shavings of chocolate or pipe decorative strands of chocolate onto baking paper and peel off before using.

Serves 8

Pistachio brittle

I often include a brittle recipe in my books – you can use any seeds and nuts from sesame and pumpkin seeds to pine nuts. Serve the whole sheet of brittle on the paper to break up at table – as a sweetmeat with mint tea. Or serve with ice cream – something simple, vanilla or lemony.

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  1. Preheat the oven to 180ºC and roast the nuts for about 10 minutes until golden. In a small heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir the sugar and water over a low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Increase the heat and boil, without stirring, until the syrup is a good caramel colour. Add the roasted nuts and stir together. Turn onto a sheet of baking paper and spead evenly. Set aside to cool and harden. Serve whole or broken into pieces.

Serves 4–6