Desserts

Cinnamon Poached Pears with Nut Liqueur

Fruit Flops

Cheesecake Pots

Frankly Fruity

Spicy Poached Nectarines with Amarula Cream

Pears in Phyllo Baskets with Sabayon

Poached Vanilla Peaches

Roasted Peaches

Frozen Citrus Creams

Litchi & Amaretto Cheesecake

Special Chocolate Bavarian Cream

Butternut Pecan Pie

Lemon Meringue

Apple & Mango Crumble

Orange Bavarois with Hot Chocolate Sauce

Creamy Rummy Fruit Salad with Crunchy Pecans

Orange Liqueur Chocolate Truffles

Baked Apple Puff

Chocolate Fudge Cups

Cinnamon Poached Pears with Nut Liqueur

A memorable dessert, this one, supremely elegant and yet so easy to prepare – plus there are options: you can use either Amaretto and almonds, or Frangelico and hazelnuts; you can serve the pears plain to relish the fine flavours; with crème fraîche to offset the sweetness; or with a blob of mascarpone piled into the hollows. Very special, any which way.

  1. Peel the pears as smoothly as possible, halve, and nick out the pips and core. Brush the rounded sides with lemon juice. Bring the water, sugar and cinnamon to the boil in a wide-based frying pan. Add the pears, rounded sides up, in a single layer. Cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Test with the tip of a skewer – they should be soft but definitely not mushy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pears from the poaching liquid and arrange them in a shallow dish to fit snugly, rounded sides up. Discard the cinnamon. Turn up the heat and boil the poaching liquid rapidly, uncovered, for 10–12 minutes, or until very bubbly, a pale toffee colour, and reduced to about 150 ml (2⁄3 cup). Remove from the stove, stir in the chosen liqueur, and slowly pour the syrup over the pears. Leave to cool, basting a few times, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Sprinkle with the nuts before serving. Serves 4–8.

* If using hazelnuts, remove the loose skins after roasting by rubbing the nuts in a clean kitchen towel.

Fruit Flops

These are top favourites on the dessert menu and even those who shy away from rich mousses always flip for flops – tropical fruit under a blanket of cream, yoghurt and a tipple of alcohol. Another plus is that they need to be assembled hours in advance, and then just left to do their thing in the refrigerator until dinner time. Important points: use a bowl or goblets that are wide at the top; the cream mixture should be thick, but still pourable; and in order to soften and melt, the sugar must be sprinkled on thinly and evenly.

Very Simple Flop

  1. Toss the bananas in a little lemon juice, mix with the mango flesh, then spoon into four glass bowls or wide goblets, dividing equally. (Glass is preferable to pottery, so that you can see the layers.) Whip the cream with the vanilla, then fold in the yoghurt and rum. Pour over each serving of fruit, and sprinkle each with 10 ml (2 tsp) soft brown sugar (use your fingers.) Refrigerate for 4–6 hours, or until the sugar just starts to melt. Serves 4 and is easily doubled.

Elegant Flop

  1. Mix the prepared fruits and ginger and spoon into one glass bowl or divide between six small bowls or goblets. Fold the yoghurt, Amaretto and vanilla into the whipped cream. Pour over the fruit to cover completely. Using your fingers, sprinkle the sugar over evenly. Refrigerate for 4–6 hours, or until the sugar starts to melt. Sprinkle with almonds before serving. Serves 6.

Cheesecake Pots

These are light, novel and, dressed as they are in red and magenta, they make you feel cheerful even before you dip in your spoon. Similar to cheesecake, but without any crust to interfere with the delicate flavour, and no egg yolks. Remember that the cottage/cream cheese must be at room temperature (or else the gelatine could make strings when added) and the egg whites at room temperature as well, or they won’t whip. Another point: when a recipe requires vanilla, use either essence or extract. The latter is excellent, but far more expensive, and many cooks do not have it in their store cupboards, but if you do, use less than essence.

Strawberry Pots

  1. Slice the strawberries and place in a processor fitted with the metal blade. Add half the sugar and leave to stand for 10 minutes to draw the juices. Add the cottage cheese and pulse just until smoothly combined. Don’t purée to a mush – the mixture should be pale pink and flecked with little bits of berries. Turn into a large bowl. Sponge the gelatine in the water, dissolve over simmering water, and slowly stir into the cheese mixture. Whip the cream with the vanilla, and fold in. Whisk the egg whites until fairly stiff, then slowly add the remaining 45 ml (3 Tbsp) sugar to make a glossy meringue mixture. Stir a spoon of this through the strawberry mixture, then fold in the remainder gently but thoroughly. Pour into eight rinsed ramekins (about 6 cm diameter, 5 cm deep) or moulds and refrigerate until set. Unmould onto individual serving plates. Decorate each with one fresh berry, pour the coulis around each little pud, and run a ribbon of the extra cream through the bright coulis. Serves 8.

Cherry Amaretto Pots

Pot and unmould, or use wide-brimmed glasses or bowls – either way it looks beautiful.

  1. Whisk together the cottage cheese, sugar, salt, liqueur and vanilla until smooth. Sponge the gelatine in the water and dissolve over simmering water, then slowly drizzle into the cheese mixture, whisking rapidly. Fold in the whipped cream. Whisk the egg whites until peaking, then gradually add the extra castor sugar while whisking to a stiff meringue. (If you do this first, and work quickly, you won’t have to wash the beaters.) Stir a spoonful of the meringue into the creamy cheese mixture, then fold in the remainder. Pour or spoon levelly into 8–10 ramekins (about 6 cm diameter, 5 cm deep) or glasses and refrigerate until set. To prepare the topping, dry the cherries with paper towels, then carefully halve them, using a sharp knife. Unmould the cheesecake pots, or leave in the serving bowls. Arrange cherries, rounded sides up, on top of each dessert. Slake the cornflour with the reserved cherry syrup, then boil for a few minutes until thick, while stirring. Cool briefly, then use to glaze the cherries, using a pastry brush. Pipe rosettes of cream in the open spaces and refrigerate until serving time. Serves 8–10.

Frankly Fruity

Serving fresh fruit with cheese (instead of a dessert) is in good taste and becoming increasingly popular, because it’s so much better for everyone. One step further is to serve Fruidites (a selection of sliced fresh fruit) with a creamy dip such as gingered mascarpone; the third option is to start off with fresh fruit and then doll it up. The following desserts fall into this category, and they are both best served with a top-quality vanilla ice cream, rather than crème fraîche or whipped cream. And – good news – they need to be made at least 24 hours in advance and refrigerated, so that the flavours can marry and mellow.

Minted Watermelon With Gin

  1. This is for 4 large or 6 small servings. Use a melon baller to scoop the watermelon flesh into little globes, discarding the pips. Divide between glass dessert bowls or wide goblets, allowing 200–250 ml (4⁄5–1 cup) balls per serving. Bring the water and sugar to the boil in a small saucepan, stirring at first to dissolve the sugar. Boil rapidly for 4–5 minutes. The mixture will be very bubbly but only slightly reduced, as it’s a really light syrup – watermelons are so sweet that a heavy syrup would be quite wrong. Cool the syrup, then add the mint leaves and mix very briefly in a blender – don’t blend well, you want to see the flecks of mint. Spoon 7 ml (11⁄2 tsp) gin over each serving – this may seem very little, but it just adds something special to the flavour. Then spoon 30–45 ml (2–3 Tbsp) syrup over each – the syrup will be enough for 4 large or 6 smaller servings. Finally snip 1 extra mint leaf over each, then cover and refrigerate for about 24 hours. Serve with ice cream.

Oranges Van der Hum

  1. Peel the oranges, remove all the white pith, and slice across into thin rings. Arrange in a flattish, heatproof dish – a 23–26 cm pie dish is ideal. Some slices will overlap, just squish them in gently until they’re all lying flat. Spread the sugar out into a heavy, medium frying pan and allow to caramelise over low heat. You can stir occasionally just to spread it out, but mainly you should just shake the pan – it takes a while over low heat. Remove from the stove when it’s a really deep toffee colour (no more, or it will scorch) and slowly and very carefully stir in the orange juice. The mixture will seize immediately, and make all sorts of weird tentacle-like shapes, but keep stirring and, if necessary put back on a low heat and stir until all the lumps have melted. Pour over the oranges, and then sprinkle the liqueur over evenly. Cool, cover and refrigerate for 2 days. Serve as is, or sprinkle with candied orange peel. Serves 5–6 with ice cream.

Spicy Poached Nectarines with Amarula Cream

If you make a large quantity – say triple the recipe – for a summer party (February being a good month for nectarines) and pile the poached fruit into a deep glass bowl set out on the table, a scary thought is that nobody will eat them because they look just too beautiful to disturb: smooth, round, glossy orange orbs. Gorgeous. The one disadvantage to this dessert is that for a successful result you need not just any old nectarine, but large clingstones, quite tart in flavour, with pinky-red skin and deep orange flesh, so you might have to shop around first – but a bonus is that it has to be made at least 24 hours in advance, so that the nectarines can soften and sweeten by soaking up the syrup.

  1. Use a smallish, deep saucepan to take the fruit closely, and bring the water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then leaving to simmer for about 5 minutes. In this time, pour boiling water over the nectarines, leave for about 30 seconds, then rinse under cold water and slip the skins off smoothly. Stick a clove into each side of each nectarine, then slide them into the syrup, reduce the heat, cover and poach gently for about 15 minutes, turning once, carefully. Before removing the fruit, do the skewer test: prick with a thin skewer – if it slips in easily right up to the pip, they’re done. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small, deep bowl. Nick out the cloves – they’ve done their job – and boil the syrup rapidly until very bubbly and reduced by half, then strain over the nectarines. (The syrup will taste very sweet and concentrated at this stage – but it evens out on chilling.) Baste the nectarines a few times as they cool, then cover and refrigerate for 1–2 days. Serve 1 per diner, and pass the Amarula cream. Serves 4.

Pears in Phyllo Baskets with Sabayon

Baked custard has its place – and I, for one, love it – but there are times when you want to impress with a dessert that is a little smarter. Then this is it. The title may sound a little daunting, but the phyllo baskets are optional, and no step is either difficult or time-consuming to prepare.

  1. Peel, halve and core the pears. Bring the water, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice to the boil in a wide-based pan, add the pears in a single layer, rounded sides up, cover and poach gently just until soft. Cool in the poaching liquid, then drain and chill. To make the sabayon, put the egg yolks, sugar and cornflour in the top of a small double boiler, or into a small saucepan set on top of a larger one and, using a balloon whisk, whisk until pale and thick. Keep the water simmering, not boiling, or the mixture will scramble; however it should not be undercooked either, or it will separate on standing. (This is the only tricky part.) Now slowly add the liqueur, and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the mixture thickens again – it should be creamy and butterscotch-coloured. Pour into a small container, cool, then refrigerate. Just before serving, whip the cream and fold it in. To serve, place one pear half, rounded side up, on each serving plate, or nestle it in a phyllo basket. Pour over enough of the sabayon to coat, sprinkle with almonds, and serve at once. The sabayon is enough for 10–12 small pear halves.

Poached Vanilla Peaches

If you use choice dessert peaches – Fairtime works well here – and if you poach them with a little wine added, together with a split vanilla pod – and if you serve them not only with vanilla ice cream, but with a small splash of peach schnapps over each OR the same of caramelised verjuice syrup – well, if you do all these things, you will (in my book) have a memorable dessert despite its simplicity. Or perhaps because of it.

  1. Bring the water, wine, sugar and vanilla pod (scrape out the seeds, and include the pod) to the boil in a medium frying pan into which the peach halves will fit snugly, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then reduce the heat and leave to bubble gently while preparing the peaches as follows. Place in a bowl, cover with boiling water, leave to stand for about 30 seconds, then drain and run under cold water. Run a knife round each peach, vertically, just where the natural seam lies, then give a twist, the halves will separate and the skin should slip off easily, leaving you with eight, smooth as silk, brilliant orange peach halves. Submerge them in the syrup, rounded sides up, then cover and simmer gently for about 8 minutes or until tender, but not pap. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a heatproof pie dish (or something wide rather than deep), then boil the syrup rapidly until bubbly – 4–5 minutes. Strain over the peaches (dry the vanilla pod and store in sugar). The peaches should now lie bathed in a pinkish syrup speckled with fine vanilla seeds which managed to escape the sieve. Cool, then cover and refrigerate for a few hours. Serves 4 doubles or 8 singles.

Roasted Peaches

When peaches are in season it’s tempting to serve them pure and fresh. There’s something about sitting on a patio with peach juice dribbling down your chin that simply melts you with the joy of summer and sea and sun – but when a formal occasion demands that you fiddle with them a little in order to turn them into more of a dessert, then this is the answer. A quick paint and sprinkle beforehand, followed by a short bake – and out they come, soft and juicy and spattered with cinnamon, to be served hot with cream or ice cream, or at room temperature with a dollop of crème fraîche nestled in the hollows. Simple, but good.

  1. Pour boiling water over the peaches, leave to stand for 30 seconds, then run under cold water. Run a knife round the centres, vertically, twist and remove the stones, then slip off the skins and place, hollows up and close together, in a baking dish base-lined with baking paper. Brush each peach lightly with melted butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon (use your fingers, not a spoon, so that the cinnamon doesn’t land in clumps). Drizzle a little honey over the cinnamon – about 2 ml (1⁄2 tsp) per peach is enough, and then sprinkle evenly with castor sugar – just a large pinch per peach should do, as they are sweet anyway. Bake, uncovered, at 200 °C for 20–25 minutes until soft, speckled and juicy. Serve hot, or cool in the dish and serve at room temperature, but don’t chill – the buttery juices will congeal. Serves 4.

Frozen Citrus Creams

You can buy such super ice creams these days that few of us bother to make them anymore. In any case, unless you have an ice-cream churn, or are willing to beat three times as it freezes, the texture is always a little grainy. The following lemon and orange creams are exceptions: smooth and refreshing and delicious. Serve them with anything, but a berry coulis would be good with the lemon and Apricot Compote with the orange.

Lemon

  1. Whip the cream with the icing sugar and lemon rind until stiff. Whisk the egg whites until stiff (if you do this first you won’t have to wash the beaters) and fold into the cream, with the vanilla. Use a metal spoon and fold in lightly, but combine the mixtures well.
  2. Pour into a 2-litre container and freeze quickly. Allow to soften for about 5 minutes before serving.

Orange

  1. Exactly the same procedure as the lemon, but substitute 20 ml (4 tsp) very finely grated orange rind for the lemon. Walnuts are good with the orange flavour – add a handful, chopped, when folding in the egg whites.

Apricot Compote

  1. Place the following in a small, heavy saucepan: 
  2. 1 stick cinnamon
  3. 1 whole star anise 
  4. 1⁄2 vanilla pod, split lengthwise
  5. 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) fresh orange juice
  6. 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) water
  7. 2 ml (1⁄2 tsp) finely grated orange rind
  8. 45 ml (3 Tbsp) light brown sugar

  10. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then add 200 g soft, ready-to-eat dried apricots, reduce the heat, cover and simmer very gently for 12–15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in 15 ml (1 Tbsp) brandy. Cool and chill in a glass bowl overnight, but serve at room temperature – 2–3 plump apricots with some of the syrup per serving. Also good with chocolate ice cream. Muesli too.

Litchi & Amaretto Cheesecake

This old favourite refused to be left out for two good reasons: it’s very big, and very delicious. It’s also very rich – see note at the end.**

  1. Sponge the gelatine in the water, then dissolve over simmering water. Whisk the egg whites until fairly stiff, then gradually, while whisking, add half the sugar and whisk to a thick meringue. Without washing the beaters, whisk together the cheeses, remaining sugar and liqueur. When smooth, add the cream and vanilla and whip until the mixture thickens, then continue to whisk while you dribble in the dissolved gelatine. Fold in the meringue mixture, pour onto the crust and refrigerate until firm – it will set quickly.
  2. For the topping, drain 1 × 565 g can pitted litchis, reserving the syrup. Pat the litchis dry, snip them into quarters and arrange on top of the cheesecake – do this best sides up – and don’t worry if the entire top is not covered. Pour 100 ml (2⁄5 cup) of the reserved syrup into a small saucepan, stir in 7 ml (11⁄2 tsp) cornflour, then bring to the boil, stirring, until clear and thick. Use a pastry brush to paint the litchis with dabs of this thick syrup – you won’t need all of it, just enough to shine them up a bit. The finishing touch comes now: a sprinkling of toasted almond flakes. These complement the flavour and will also hide any bare patches. Return to the fridge until required. Serves 10.

* Have all the ingredients, except the cream, at room temperature.

** For a slightly lower fat content use 500 g smooth, low-fat cottage cheese and omit the cream cheese.

Special Chocolate Bavarian Cream

A reasonably simple, alcohol-free, custard-based chocolate dessert set with gelatine might sound like a blancmange lifted from one of ouma’s recipe books, but ouma did not use 70 per cent cocoa slabs – and this is what makes this one special. The eggs are in there, and so is the cream, along with a touch of coffee and cocoa powder – and the result is a dark, velvet-textured sweet finale that can be made the day before – a fact which is always comforting.

  1. Sprinkle gelatine onto the cold coffee and leave to sponge. Whisk the eggs, sugar and cornflour until creamy. Scald the milk and cocoa, stir a little into the egg mixture, then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan and stir over low heat until the custard coats the back of a wooden spoon – it must thicken, but must not boil. Remove from the stove, add the sponged gelatine mixture, and stir until dissolved. Smear a small heatproof container with a dab of butter, add the chocolate, broken up roughly, and melt over simmering water. When just softened, scrape into the custard, give a quick whisk to make it absolutely smooth, then pour into a mixing bowl. Leave for a short while to cool and, when just beginning to thicken, whip the cream softly and fold in, with the vanilla. Pour into 10 glass goblets*, and set in the refrigerator**. A twirl of whipped cream would look attractive on the top of each, but as the dessert is rich as it is, a chocolate scroll or flake plunged into the middle would be a more elegant option. Serves 10.

* May also be set in one large glass bowl if preferred.

** Keep refrigerated until just before serving.

Butternut Pecan Pie

A soft and spicy mousse-like pie. Use a brilliant orange butternut, be lavish with the decoration, and enjoy a most unusual sweet ending.

  1. Sprinkle the gelatine onto the water and leave to sponge. Boil the butternut in a little lightly salted water until soft. Drain if necessary and cool down before whizzing in a blender until smooth. You should have 500 ml (2 cups) thick purée. Spoon into a heavy saucepan and add the spices, sugar, syrup and the egg yolks beaten with the cornflour and milk. Stir over low heat until the mixture becomes very thick, like a dense, cooked custard, but be careful not to boil. Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the sponged gelatine, continuing to stir until dissolved. Cool the mixture in a mixing bowl and, when cold but not set, fold in the cream softly whipped with the vanilla, followed by the egg whites, whisked until stiff but not dry – stir a spoonful through the mixture and fold in the rest. Pour onto the biscuit crust and refrigerate until firm, then top with the pecans, snip over a knob or two of the ginger and finish with a very fine dusting of cinnamon. Makes 8 wedges.

Lemon Meringue

If you put the meringue at the bottom and the lemon filling on top, you avoid the pitfall of a weepy meringue pie. This is a fairly tart tart – not too sweet, and refreshingly lemony. If you prefer a fruity, cream-filled filling, try one of the variations, which you could also use to fill a pavlova. Or double the quantities for the meringue shell and make two (use a large baking tray so that they bake on the same oven shelf), then fill the extra one with one of the alternative fillings.

  1. To make the meringue shell, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add the salt and cream of tartar and whisk until stiff. Gradually add the castor sugar, whisking constantly until the mixture becomes very thick and glossy. Shape the meringue into a 20 cm circle on a baking tray lined with two sheets of baking paper – do not grease anything, and use a regular-type tray, not a coated one. (To secure the paper, use a dollop of meringue below each corner.) Using a spoon, gently flatten the centre and pull the sides inwards to form a rim. Bake at 150 °C for 15 minutes, then at 120 °C for 1 hour. Switch off the oven and leave the shell – even overnight – until absolutely cold.
  2. For the lemon filling, whisk together the yolks, lemon juice and rind, castor sugar, milk and cornflour, pour into a heavy-based saucepan and stir over very low heat until cooked – like a thick custard. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming. Whip the cream with the vanilla, give the custard a quick whisk to make sure it’s absolutely smooth, then fold it into the cream in small dollops. Pour into the meringue shell, spreading evenly, sprinkle with the almonds, and refrigerate until firm. Makes 6 wedges.

Passion Meringue

Some people dislike passion fruit (granadilla) pips. They think they have lost a filling. Try the following variation, which uses only the juice, with fresh mango and thick cream. Ingredients are easily doubled to fill a larger shell.

  1. Hold the passion fruit halves over a small strainer and squeeze hard until you have 30–40 ml (6–8 tsp) juice. Whip the cream with the icing sugar, add the juice and whip until very stiff, then fold in the mango. Pile the filling into the shell, and serve, or refrigerate for a few hours if working ahead.
  2. No decoration is needed, as the flavour is delicate and should be left to speak for itself – although, having said that, the juice (and pips) of just one granadilla will enhance the appearance. Makes 6 wedges.

Strawberry Meringue

Ingredients are easily doubled for a large meringue shell. Other fruits such as bananas could, of course, be added, but there’s something very summery and delicious about a pure strawberry meringue.

  1. Rinse and hull strawberries and slice enough of them into fairly small pieces to fill 250 ml (1 cup) or measure 150 g in weight. Reserve the remaining berries for decoration. Place the sliced berries in a single layer on a large plate and sprinkle over the castor sugar and vinegar. Leave for about 20 minutes, then pour off the juices that will have drawn. Whip the cream with the icing sugar, liqueur and vanilla, fold in the berries, spoon into the meringue shell, decorate with the remaining berries and serve or refrigerate briefly. Makes 6 wedges.

* This may seem very little, and more can be added to taste, but be careful not to make the cream runny.

Apple & Mango Crumble

There’s hardly a fruit that hasn’t been turned into a crumble, for the simple reason that when it comes to homespun, comforting desserts, crumbles are probably top of the list. The following is another variation on the theme, with mango and coconut introducing a tropical touch, and cashews adding crunch.

  1. If the apples are in large slices, chop into chunks. Chop the mango slices too. Place in a buttered 23 × 5 cm pie dish, pour over 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) of the reserved mango syrup, and mix in the golden syrup and sugar. To make the crumble, place the flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to mix, then add the castor sugar and coconut, pulse again, then add the butter and pulse until the mixture is finely crumbed. Sprinkle this over the fruit – it will be thickly covered – and finish with a scatter of cashews. Bake at 180 °C for 45 minutes until the crumble is toast-coloured and the syrup is bubbling through. Serve warm, rather than hot, with thick cream. Serves 6–8.

* If you’d prefer a more wholesome topping, mix 250 ml (1 cup) unsweetened muesli with 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) self-raising flour, 30 g chopped pecan nuts, 5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon, 90 ml (6 Tbsp) light brown sugar and 125 ml (1⁄2 cup) oil.

Orange Bavarois with Hot Chocolate Sauce

Everything here can be done in advance, making this an ideal dessert when entertaining. The hot dark sauce drizzled over the chilled little puddings is both colourful and delicious, and the addition of egg whites lightens the traditional rich bavarois-type custard, making the flavour very delicate.

  1. Sprinkle the gelatine onto the orange juice and leave to sponge. Scald the milk with the orange rind – do this over low heat, in order to release all the orange flavour. Whisk the egg yolks with the castor sugar until pale and thick. Using a fine sieve, slowly strain the hot milk onto the egg mixture, stir to mix, add a pinch of salt, then return to the saucepan and cook as for custard over very low heat, stirring, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon. It has to thicken, but dare not boil. Remove from the stove, stir in the sponged gelatine and vanilla, give a quick whisk to make sure that all the gelatine has dissolved, then cool in a mixing bowl. Hurry this up by standing the mixing bowl in a bowl of cold water. Once cooled, it may be chilled briefly until just thickening, but not yet setting. Fold in the cream, and then the stiffly whisked egg whites – use a metal spoon and stir a spoonful through the mixture first, then fold in the remainder. Pour into eight rinsed ramekins (about 6 cm diameter, 5 cm deep) and refrigerate until set. Overnight, if you wish.
  2. Unmould the ramekins onto serving plates by running a knife round the sides and giving a gentle shake. Drizzle a little of the hot sauce over each, allowing it to run down the sides. Serves 8.

Creamy Rummy Fruit Salad with Crunchy Pecans

I think seriously rich desserts are a fabulous treat in a restaurant because eating out is (usually) an occasional treat, but I don’t like making a habit of serving them at home. I once saw a guest hide her incredibly rich but utterly superb (I didn’t make it) chocolate terrine behind the dining-room curtain at the back of her chair, because she was full after two spoonfuls, but did not want to offend her hostess. It’s true. And that’s one of the reasons why I like serving a fruit salad – tart it up, give it a fancy name, and everyone can finish it. Tropical fruits are the best.

  1. Mix all the fruit gently in a beautiful glass bowl – wide, rather than deep. Mix the remaining ingredients; don’t whisk, just stir until smoothly combined, then pour over the fruit, cover and refrigerate for 3–4 hours.
  2. For the topping, melt the sugar and butter in the water in a small pan over low heat. Add the pecans and toss until crunchy. Drain on a paper towel, set aside, and sprinkle over the fruit salad just before serving. Serves 8–10.

Orange Liqueur Chocolate Truffles

Instead of a dessert, pass these round after the cheese and biscuits as a sweet finale.

  1. Scald the cream with the orange rind – it should be very hot, but not boiling. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted – if this takes too long, you can return it briefly to the stove plate (turned off) and give a quick stir. Remove and mix in the butter and orange liqueur, then scrape into a small bowl. Leave to cool completely – about 30 minutes, but it does depend on the weather – and then, using an electric whisk, whisk on high speed until the mixture becomes paler and shiny. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle – at least 2 hours. Use a teaspoon to scoop into balls, and roll around on a plate liberally dusted with cocoa powder. If the mixture is a little sticky, coat your palms with cocoa as well. Keep refrigerated, but don’t serve icy cold. Makes 12.

Baked Apple Puff

… or Ouma’s Winter Fruit Cobbler. A hearty, homespun pudding, large and sweet and easy to make. Serve warm, rather than hot, with whipped cream or home-made custard.
  1. Chop the apples into smaller pieces. Dice the bananas, and peel, core and dice the pears. Mix the apples and chosen fruit, and spoon into a lightly buttered 23 cm pie dish, at least 6 cm deep (or the syrup will bubble over). Melt the golden syrup in the water and pour over the fruit. Sprinkle in the raisins. Whisk the remaining ingredients together to make a thick batter, then simply drop in spoonfuls over the fruit – the batter will spread during baking. Bake at 180 °C for 35–40 minutes until the topping is lightly browned and firm. Remove from the oven very carefully as the syrup will be bubbling. Allow to cool down a little before serving. Serves 8.

* Use choice-grade pie apples, firmly packed, with no juice to speak of.

** 90 ml, which equals 6 Tbsp, is easily measured if you use an 83 ml metric cup and add on 7 ml (half a metric tablespoon).

Chocolate Fudge Cups

If you’re a reluctant dessert maker, the answer is to buy some stunning, small espresso or after-dinner coffee cups. Desserts will stretch amazingly when all they have to do is fill a small cup. Another bonus is that desserts that come in coffee cups are usually rich and quick to make – like the following serious chocolate fixes.

  1. Smear a very small saucepan with a little butter (this makes it easier to scrape out). Add the chocolate, cocoa and 50 ml (1⁄5 cup) of the cream. Melt over very low heat, stirring a few times just to get it going. Remove from the heat as soon as the mixture is smooth, and set aside until completely cool, but not firm. Whip the remaining cream with the vanilla and icing sugar until thick but not stiff, then slowly whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture in dollops – make about five additions altogether, and stop as soon as everything is smoothly combined and uniformly chocolate in colour. Spoon into five or six little cups**, sprinkle with chocolate and place in the coldest part of the fridge – it should be softly set in about 2 hours, or less. Serves 5–6, and is easily doubled.

* You may find a guest putting one of these behind the curtain (see Creamy Rummy Fruit Salad with Crunchy Pecans, page 170), but if you really want a denser, darker, even richer fix, use 125–150 g chocolate. The flavour will be very intense, with a firmer texture.

** For Chocolate Meringue, smooth the mixture into a baked meringue shell (see page 168) and refrigerate to set.