Jenny Morris

Everyone I know enjoys a great home-made dessert, something special to treat their family with. I have discovered this fabulous, very inexpensive little book called ‘My Favourite Recipes...Heavenly Desserts’ that will assist perfectly to that end.

Published by Prima and Best and edited by Becky Davis, it contains quick and easy puddings that you can throw together in minutes, as well as classic desserts that need little effort, like profiteroles, cheesecakes and fruit tarts; you will find a recipe to suit every occasion.

If success is what you look for every time, you only have to follow the instructions and handy tips and you are A for away.

What is great about this little book is that it has a recipe for every season, like Eaton Mess and raspberry ripple ice-cream for summer and something warming, like my favourite winter pudding Bakewell Tart, for the cold season.

Learn how to make a simple biscuit base, or the cookery secrets with fruity desserts. I love the Individual Pavlovas and Mini Meringue Pies - I have just gained ten kilograms planning my desserts for the next week.

Let’s cook!

Fruity meringue layer

Ingredients:
- 3 large egg whites
- 175g caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 x 284ml cartons double or whipping cream
- Crème de cassis, to taste, optional
- 450g mixed summer berries, larger ones chopped

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mark out 3 rectangles, about 12cm x 24cm on non-stick baking paper and place on baking sheets.
In a large metal or glass bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then whisk in half the sugar, a little at a time, whisking until stiff and shiny.
Fold in the remaining sugar, cornflour and vinegar or lemon juice.
Divide the meringue mixture between the rectangles and spread level. Bake for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven to 130°C.
Bake for 1-1 1⁄2 hours until the meringues are crisp and peel off the paper easily. Turn off the oven and leave the meringues to cool completely in the oven.
In a large bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form, then whisk in a good drizzle of crème de cassis, if using.
Spread over the 3 meringues. Add a splash of cassis to the berries and divide between the meringues. Layer the rectangles on top of each other on a serving plate.

© My Favourite Recipes. Heavenly Desserts by Prima & Best

Black forest arctic roll

Ingredients:
- 225g stoned, bottled or canned cherries, drained and dried
- 600ml vanilla ice cream
- 100g caster sugar
- 7 tablespoons black cherry jam

For the chocolate sponge:
- 3 eggs
- 75g caster sugar
- 50g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa

Method:
Take the ice-cream out of the freezer to soften slightly, then transfer to a bowl. Stir in half the cherries until evenly mixed.
Pack the mixture firmly into a clean, foil-lined crisp tube (eg. Pringles.) Freeze until firm.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. For the sponge, whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk until pale, thick and tripled in volume.
Gently fold in the flours and cocoa.
Line a 33cm x 23cm Swiss roll tin with baking paper, pour in the mixture and bake for 10-15 minutes. Cover the sponge with a damp cloth and leave to cool.
Place the caster sugar in a pan with 150ml water and boil until slightly syrupy.
Add 3 tablespoons jam. Strain and mix with the remaining cherries.
Turn out the sponge onto a sheet of greaseproof paper and trim the edges. Brush the remaining jam over the surface.
Unwind the cardboard tube from around the ice-cream.
Lay the ice-cream along one short end of the sponge and roll up using the paper to help.
Cover in cling film and freeze for 30 minutes. Trim the excess sponge from the ends and serve.
© My Favourite Recipes. Heavenly Desserts by Prima & Best

Iced strawberry terrine

Ingredients:
- 400g ripe strawberries
- 500ml tub vanilla ice-cream
- 6 meringue nests, crumbled

Method:
Line a 900g loaf tin with cling film. Mash the strawberries with a potato masher to a rough puree.
Add the ice-cream and mash until combined, but don’t let the ice-cream melt too much. Stir in the meringues.
Spoon the mixture into the tin, pressing down into the corners.
Fold the cling film over the top and freeze for 4 hours, or overnight until firm.
Remove from the freezer just before serving.
Shake the terrine loose from the tin and remove the cling film. Slice and serve.

© My Favourite Recipes. Heavenly Desserts by Prima & Best