For me, the mere aroma of Amaretto liqueur provokes happy memories of the Italian Riviera, and this is my favourite pudding for a hot sunny day. Although I have to confess that the best I ever tasted was in a scruffy little café near the beach on market day in Ventimiglia.
preparation time 45 minutes
serves 6
Ingredients
125 g (4 oz) amaretti biscuits
1 small glass of Amaretto liqueur
1 lemon
1 tablespoon powdered gelatine
6 eggs, separated
175 g (6 oz) soft brown sugar
450 ml (15 fl oz) double cream, lightly whipped
25 g (1 oz) cocoa powder
1 Break the biscuits into pieces and place them in a bowl. Pour over the liqueur and leave to soak.
2 Grate the zest from the lemon into a bowl and squeeze the juice over the zest. Stir in the gelatine, then put the bowl over a pan of very hot water, making sure the water does not touch the base of the bowl. Leave until the gelatine has dissolved.
3 Whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and thick – the mixture should leave a trail on the surface when drizzled from the whisk.
4 Using a metal spoon, fold in the biscuits, followed by the gelatine mixture and then the whipped cream. Be sure to mix in all the ingredients lightly but thoroughly.
5 Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks and then fold them carefully into the mixture.
6 Fix a paper or foil collar around a 900 ml (11⁄2 pint) soufflé dish (or 6 ramekins) so that it extends about 5 cm (2 inches) above the rim, securing the collar with sticky tape or paper clips. Transfer the soufflé mixture to the dish and place it in the freezer for at least 24 hours. Remove the collar and dust the surface of the parfait with the cocoa powder before serving.
I’m forever amazed when crossing into one country from another at the whole concept of borders and boundaries. Never more so than when going from the sophistication of Monte Carlo and elegance of Menton in the South of France to Ventimiglia in Italy. You know without a doubt that you have arrived – lines of washing everywhere and great pasta!