Category: Dessert

Dessert · Do-ahead · Fruit

Passion fruit possets

Belinda


This has got to be the world’s easiest and exotic dessert!
Your guests will think you’ve slaved away making it, so go along with them.
Do look up my lemon and lime posset too, it’s a killer. This one is the tropical version for the passion fruit season.

Serves 4 people

1/4 cup passion fruit juice. (Do this by pushing the passion fruit pulp through a sieve allowing the juice to come through, and discarding the seeds.)
16 oz heavy cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

Pour the cream and sugar into a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium-high heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for another 3-5 minutes, stirring and taking care not to let it boil over.
Remove from the heat and stir in the passion fruit and lime juices. let it sit for 10 minutes then divide the mixture between 4 glass dishes or ramekins.
Cover the dishes with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight.
Before serving you can garnish them with some passionfruit pulp sweetened with sugar or some passion fruit ice cream to really go over the top!

Dessert · Fruit · Holiday Food

Amaretto baked figs

Belinda

Recipe by Adam Bush for Olive magazine

Unlike many others, I’m not a huge fig-fan unless they are coated in something interesting or topped with roasted prosciutto and blue cheese. On their own, I find them bland and pulpy.
HOWEVER, this is a really good recipe for upping their sweetness.
Jammy figs are roasted with amaretto for a nutty sweetness. Serve with creamy mascarpone and crumbled amaretti biscuits for an elegant autumnal dessert

**I am leaving this recipe in metric, as I’m finding the metric system is far more specific and I’m preferring it these days

Serves 4

12 figs, halved
150ml Amaretto liqueur
75 g Caster sugar (superfine/bakers)
1/2 tsp plus 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
200 g mascarpone
200 plain full fat Greek yogurt
1 tbsp icing sugar (powdered)
50 g Amaretti cookies

Heat the oven to 350F/180C/fan 160C/gas 4.

Put the figs, cut-side down, into a 20cm x 30cm (8″x 11″) baking dish. Whisk together the amaretto, caster sugar, ½ tsp vanilla and 50ml of water in a small pan and heat until the sugar dissolves, then pour over the figs. Cover the dish with foil and roast for 10 minutes, before removing the foil and roasting for another 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Mix together the mascarpone, greek yogurt, ½ tsp of vanilla paste and icing sugar.

Spoon some mascarpone yogurt onto plates, and spoon over the figs and their syrup. Crush over a few amaretti biscuits to serve.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Fruit · Icecream

Fresh peach ice cream

Belinda2 Comments

This homemade peach ice cream is so rich and creamy with a delicious fresh peach taste throughout. Its so easy to make, and has the perfect taste of summer in every bite.
The ice cream is ever so slightly, a light yellow color – kind of what you’d expect from an old fashioned vanilla ice cream. If you want it more of a peachy color you can add a couple drops of orange or yellow food coloring (or a drop or two of each) to the ice cream mix before churning to give it a little more color.

2 cups chopped peaches (skin removed)
1 1/4 cups sugar (divided)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Mix the chopped peaches with 1/2 cup sugar in a medium sized bowl. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes so the peach pieces release their juices.
Blend the peaches up in a blender or food processor until nice and smooth. (Add 1/4 cup of your whole milk if you need more liquid to blend it up)
In a large bowl combine the peach mixture with heavy cream, whole milk, vanilla extract, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Set aside.
Get out your freezer bowl and start running your ice cream maker. Pour the peach mixture into the running ice cream maker. Allow to run according to the manufactures instructions (Mine is about 25-30 minutes.)
Transfer to a container and place in the freezer for 6 hours up to overnight.
Scoop and serve.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Fruit · Icecream

Strawberry, rosemary ice cream

Belinda

In the heat of summer, an ice cream like this tastes of the garden with the sweet strawberries and rosemary infused creaminess. Lovely served with grilled stone fruit.

Makes about 1 quart

1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 tbsp floral honey
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 pinch salt
1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

In a small bowl mix the strawberries and honey. Let macerate for at least 1 hour at room temperature.
In a medium saucepan whisk the cream, milk, sugar and salt over low heat. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved and the cream is just below boiling. Stir in the rosemary, cover and let steep for 30 minutes.

Strain the cream mixture into a medium bowl, discarding the rosemary. Stir in the strawberries and juice. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Churn the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Icecream

Cookies and Black Sesame Ice cream

Belinda

A dream came true: Cookies and cream meets black sesame ice cream. It’s nutty, textured, and not-too-sweet.
Nabisco chocolate wafers are the preferred cookies in this recipe, but you could also use Oreos or any chocolate cookie your heart desires.
Recipe by Sarah Jampel for Bon Appetite Magazine

Makes about 8 cups

½ cup (70 g) black sesame seeds
1x 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 cups heavy cream
3 oz chocolate wafer cookies, crushed into large pieces (about 1 cup)

Toast the sesame seeds in a dry large skillet over medium heat, stirring often, until fragrant and just starting to crackle, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and pulse, scraping down sides as needed, until seeds are finely chopped but haven’t formed a paste, about 3 minutes in a food processor, and about 2 minutes in a blender.

Mix together the ground sesame seeds, condensed milk, and salt in a medium bowl.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a small bowl, starting on low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high as it thickens, until billowy and stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.

Add a dollop of whipped cream to condensed milk mixture and mix in with a rubber spatula (this is just to lighten it so that the next stage—folding—is easier). Add remaining whipped cream and fold in, running spatula down sides and along bottom of bowl and lifting up through center and over top while rotating bowl to integrate without deflating, until very few streaks of condensed milk mixture remain.
Fold in the crushed cookies; scrape the ice cream base into a loaf pan that’s at least 8½ x 4½”.
Cover with plastic wrap or an airtight silicone lid and freeze until solid, at least 8 hours.

To serve, transfer the loaf pan to refrigerator and let ice cream soften 10 minutes before scooping into bowls.

Do ahead: Ice cream can be made 1 week ahead. Keep frozen.

Dessert · Do-ahead · Fruit · Gluten Free

Slut Red Raspberries in Chardonnay Jello

Belinda

You might think that no recipe could live up to this title. It’s a reasonable presumption, but thank God, a wrong one. This is heaven on the plate: the wine-soused raspberries take on a stained glass, lucent red, their very raspberry-ness enhanced; the soft, translucently pale coral just-set jelly in which they sit has a heady, floral fragrance that could make a grateful eater weep.

from Nigella Lawson’s “Forever Summer” recipe book

1 bottle Chardonnay, choose a good fruity variety. I love to use “Milou” French Chardonnay at $15.99 per bottle
12oz (300g) raspberries
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
5 gelatine leaves
9oz (250g) caster sugar
8oz double/heavy cream, to serve

Place the wine and berries in a bowl and allow to steep for half an hour at least.
Strain the wine into a saucepan and keep the raspberries to one side. Heat the wine with vanilla pod until nearly boiling and leave to steep on one side for 15 minutes.
Soak the gelatine leaves – which you can find in the supermarket these days – in cold water for about 5 minutes.
Remove the vanilla pod and reheat the wine stirring the sugar in until it dissolves; allow to boil if you want to lose the alcohol.
Add a third of the hot wine to the wrung-out gelatine leaves in a measuring jug and stir to dissolve, then add this mixture back into the rest of the wine and stir well. Strain into a large jug.
Place the raspberries, equally, into 6 flattish, clear glass serving bowls, and pour the strained wine over the top.
Allow to set in the fridge for at least 3 hours, though a day would be fine if you want to make this well ahead, and take out of the fridge 40 minutes before serving.
Serve with some double cream in a pitcher, and let people pour this into the fragrant, tender, fruit-jewelled jelly as they eat.

Baking · Dessert · Do-ahead

Summer strawberry shortcake

Belinda

Recipe from “Jane Grigson’s Fruit Book” for the New York Times
Adapted by Nancy Harmon Jenkins

There’s a kind of magic in a summer recipe that you can make wherever you are, provided that wherever you are has, say, flour, butter, an oven and whatever fruit is most glorious is at that very moment. This is one such recipe, so simple that you can decide that you’re having shortcake for dessert and make it so within the hour, and so satisfying that it may become your go-to for summer, the recipe you keep in your back pocket. Strawberries are the classic choice, but this would also be heavenly in high summer with very ripe peaches or any other juicy, macerated fruit. —Nancy Harmon Jenkins

Serves 4

2 pints ripe, well-rinsed strawberries
½ cup sugar, or more to taste
4 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
5 tsp baking powder
1 ¼ cups butter (softened)
3 cups whipping cream
¼ tsp vanilla extract

Pick over and hull strawberries. Cut in half or slice, depending on size. Gently crush about a quarter of the berries with a fork to release their juices. Mix with remaining berries and the 1/2 cup of sugar, adding more sugar if necessary. Set aside, covered, for about half an hour to develop flavor.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Into a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, salt and baking powder.
Add 3/4 cup of softened butter, and rub into dry ingredients as for pastry.
Add 1 1/4 cups cream, and mix to a soft dough. Knead the dough for one minute on a lightly floured pastry board, then roll it out to about 1/2-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter, cut an even number of rounds – 2 rounds per serving.

Use a little of the butter to grease a baking sheet. Place half the rounds on it.
Melt remaining butter and brush a little on the rounds; place remaining rounds on top. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven, and pull shortcakes apart. Brush the insides with some of the remaining melted butter.
Beat remaining cream until it thickens. Add vanilla. Beat again just until thick.
Place a bottom half of a shortcake on each plate. Top with a generous spoonful of berries. Cover with a top half, add a few more berries, and top with whipped cream.
Serve immediately.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Banoffee fridge cake

Belinda

Everyone knows banoffee pie tastes even better the day after making, when all the flavors have had a chance to meld, so this easy fridge cake takes advantage of that

Recipe by Janine Ratcliffe

oil to grease the tin
25 fl oz (750 mls)heavy whipping cream
1 tsp good quality vanilla extract
2 tbsp icing sugar
1/2 a 14 oz (397g) can of Nestlé Carnation Caramel (available online for people in the USA)
Approx 32 Graham crackers or digestive biscuits, about 16oz (450g)
6 small bananas,sliced
2oz (5og) milk chocolate

Lightly oil a deep 9″ (23cm) springform tin, then line it with clingfilm (the oil will help the clingfilm stick to the tin).

Whip the cream, vanilla and icing sugar until soft peaks. Scrape the caramel into a bowl and beat with a spoon to loosen it.

Put a layer of cookies in the bottom of the lined tin – you should get about seven in a 9″ (23cm) tin. Break up another cookie to fill in the cracks.

Dollop over a quarter of the cream and spread out. Top with a layer of banana slices then drizzle over 1 tbsp of caramel sauce.

Repeat with another layer of cookies, another quarter of cream, banana slices and another tbsp of caramel. Repeat again with a third layer

Add one more layer of cookies but this time only add the rest of the cream, swirling it into a nice pattern. Put in the fridge to chill overnight. Chill the remaining caramel sauce, too.

Unclip the tin and carefully peel away the clingfilm. Transfer to a flat cake plate.
Just before serving, drizzle over more caramel (warm it a little first so it’s drizzle-able) and then sprinkle with chocolate shavings.
Cut into wedges to serve.

Chocolate · Dessert · Do-ahead · Holiday Food

Oreo and Baileys fridge cake

Belinda

Combine Oreos and Baileys in this indulgent no-bake fridge cake for the easiest summer dessert

Recipe by Janine Ratcliff from Olive Magazine

Serves 12
Vegetable or sunflower oil to oil the tin
34 fl oz (1 liter) heavy whipping (double) cream, chilled
5 fl oz (150 ml) Baileys Irish cream liqueur
2 tsp good quality vanilla extract
2 tbsp powdered (icing) sugar
8 x 4oz (96g) boxes Oreo chocolate creme thins

Very lightly oil a 9″ (23cm) springform cake tin, then line it with clingfilm (the oil helps the clingfilm to stick to the tin).

Whip the cream with the Baileys, vanilla and icing sugar to soft peaks.

To assemble the cake, line the bottom of the tin with a layer of cookies then spread with a thin layer of the cream. Repeat, slightly offsetting the next layer of cookies so they’re not sitting directly on top of each other, and keep going until all the cookies are used up.

Finish with a layer of cream. Chill overnight. Loosen the cake tin and remove the clingfilm.
Crumble over extra cookies to decorate before cutting into slices.

Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Dessert · Do-ahead · Fruit · Gluten Free · Vegan

Fruit salad with ginger-lemongrass syrup

Belinda

This zesty syrup makes a great base for poached or fresh fruit

Serves 4-6

Ginger-lemongrass syrup
3/4 cup canned lychee juice or water
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
6 stalks lemongrass, cut into 1″ lengths and bruised with a large knife
1/4 cup (tightly packed) grated palm sugar or brown sugar

Fruit salad
1 20 oz (565g) can lychees
1 punnet (12 oz, or 1.5 cups) strawberries, hulled and halved, if large
4 just-ripe kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
Optional- 2 whole mango, cubed

Over medium heat, simmer the ingredients for “Ginger-lemongrass Syrup” in a covered pot for 10 minutes. Allow to come to room temperature and cool. Keep in the fridge.

Prior to serving, cut the fruit and pour the syrup over the fruit. Done!

Recipe Notes
The fruits you choose are up to you but the four in this recipe are my preferred.