Your best Desserts.

Oh boy what visions of fabulous desserts are in my head now. I used to help mum with sunday roast when a lass. She certainly had a way with pastry (cold hands she said) we'd do lemon meringues from scratch, apple pies, crumbles, fruit flans, and gooseberry fool not forgetting cakes decorated with butter cream, glace cherries & angelica.

MOnica I always thought the breadcrumb dessert recipe was something my sister brought back from living in South Africa. I used to make it a lot for parties and there were never any leftovers! My recipe which is in ozs has 4ozs brown breadcrumbs, 2 tblsp instant coffee, 8 tblsp drinking chocolate and 4ozs Demerara sugar mixed with the pint of whipped cream.

Perhaps you could have an 'assemble yourself' ice cream sundae for the youngsters with two or three ice cream flavours, choc drops,fruit, cake sprinkles, jelly, squirty cream etc the older ones could help the youngest.

Well, thanks very much - not, everyone!

Today was to be the first of yet another (sigh) 'new regime' and instead of recipes for 'tomato and cucumber main meal' I see all these scrummy ideas!

Nigellas chocolate tart so wicked you only need a small slice I put gold leaf on it at Christmas for decoration ?

This is a terrible, terrible thread.

Just when I was thinking of trying to lose a couple of pounds after Christmas.

By the way, leftover hot cross buns make a good bread and butter pudding too!

ps slice them up though, don't use whole or even in half.

Quick and easy. Brandy snap baskets, scoop of ice cream in the bottom, cover with raspberries, top with squirty cream. Delicious!

Rude to gobble

Lemon Posset - cream heated through and sugar until dissolved and lemon juice to set - pour into individual glasses and refrigerate (make the day before) - jazz up with grated lemon / orange rind and other fruit (raspberries / strawberries) - serve with a shortbread biscuit (I buy those as I can't be asked!) - enjoy

Easy cheesecake is my best desert. Always well received.

Mix 6 ozcrumbed digestive biscuits with 3 oz melted butter and 2 tblsp icing sugar. Press into bottom and sides of flan dish, leave in fridge to set.

Mix 8 oz philadelphia cheese with half a tin of condensed milk, quarter pint of thick cream, 2 tblsp lemon juice.

Put into dish on top of base. Before serving decorate top with any fresh fruit. I like raspberries or strawberries and half slices of kiwi fruit. Make the day before. Delish!

Not desert - dessert. Too hot in a desert to make this pud.

Pineapple upside down
Mary Berry rice pudding
Any crumble

Has anybody else tried making Bread and Butter pudding with Hot Cross Buns (especially now they are in season) (ha ha) really delicious. I think it's the hint of spices that jazzes it up.

A Christmas thing, but on Christmas day we had Christmas pud with hot toffee sauce, topped with double cream. It was absolutely scrumptious!

Jocelyn Dimbleby's Tarte Montmartre. It's probably a bit complicated for a quick dessert but it should be more widely circulated as it's sensational.

TARTE MONTMARTRE

For the pastry
175g S.R.Flour
1 tbsp cocoa powder
75g icing sugar
100g butter
1 tbsp water

For the filling
3 eggs separated
1 tbsp caster sugar
juice of 2 lemons and finely grated rind of 1
4 tbsp cream
25g cornflour

For the icing
75g plain chocolate
4 tsp caster sugar
coarsely grated lemon rind or julienne strips of lemon rind

Sift the flour, cocoa and icing sugar. Melt butter with water then mix into the flour thoroughly with a spoon. Press the warm dough as evenly as you can over the base and sides of a 24cm loose bottomed flan tin. Neaten the edges with a rolling pin and press any scraps over pastry lining the base of the tin. Refrigerate for at least 30 mins.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and thickened. Gradually whisk in lemon juice and then cream. Whisk in cornflour and stir in lemon rind. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks then fold gently into lemon batter. Pour into pastry case and bake in preheated oen 180 degree C for about 20-25 mins until golden brown.
Melt the chocolate and sugar with 1 1/2 tbs water over a very low heat. Stir until smooth then stir in another 2 tsp water. Pour over tart using a spoon to spread out to edges. Decorate with rind or julienne strips (perhaps blanched for several minutes in hot water). Serve cold but not straight from fridge. Serves 8.

Easy Lemon Cheese cake.
2xmascapone cheese
Tablespoon icing sugar
Juice and zest of 3 lemons
Mix all together
Pile onto biscuit base
More zest on top
Chill.

Easiest 'make ahead' dessert I've ever come across is a "Three Milk's Cake" and guests will go for seconds while thinking you spent hours.

Basically, you bake any yellow cake in a large oblong pan (I use a cake mix). Allow cake to cool...do not remove from pan. In a large measuring cup or medium bowl with spout, mix 1 can evaporated milk, 1 can condensed milk and an equal amount of regular milk. Add teaspoon of vanilla and a 1/4 cup of spiced rum (rum is optional) and blend thoroughly. Skewer holes all over the cake and soak with milk mixture.

Cover and refrigerate anywhere from 4 to 24 hours (cake will soak up all the milk). Frost cold cake with Divinity Icing and sprinkle with cinnamon, chopped nuts, berries or whatever you fancy. I prefer yummy Divinity Icing but if frosting is not an option, serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.

Divinity Icing

Mix 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water and bring to boil (must reach 250 degrees F or medium ball stage). Set aside
Beat 2 or 3 egg whites until fluffy
Continue beating while drizzling the hot syrup into the egg whites
Add: 1/4 tsp. Cream of Tartar and 1 tsp. Vanilla

This is a dessert I completely made up in the summer when I had peaches that refused to ripen. Been making this ever since often. First year that I’ve bought peaches since the summer which come from the Southern Hemisphere. I think fruit available in 2019 (except for apples) has been far, far better than for many years.

Halve one peach per person and place in an oven proof dish close together.

Mix one level tsp of soft brown sugar and one tsp of ground almonds per peach and place in the hollow where the stone was.

Sprinkle a few flaked almonds on top of peaches

Mix a tbsp each of runny honey, ammeretto and a sprinkle of water per peach and our slowly over and around peach(es)

Bake at 150c for 20 minutes depending in ripeness if peaches.

Serve with cream or ice cream

Soft light brown sugar

I often have the gang round for a Sunday roast but I usually cheat and buy a dessert, especially vanilla New York style cheesecake which I serve with a berry compote (just put some frozen berries in a pan with sugar and heat through until they break down a bit). I love cooking but hardly ever bake, although I do make a good Christmas cake - possibly all the brandy I feed it with!

Profiteroles with butterscotch sauce are a favourite

I've given up cooking, but love desserts. I buy frozen cheesecakes, luxury fruit tartes, various roulades. I then slice them into portions while frozen, and we can spoil ourselves with a daily choice. Much nicer,and cheaper, than individual desserts.

Lemon lush is one of our faves - mixture of cream, natural yoghurt and lemon curd, layered over sponge fingers. Dead simple to make and really scrummy.

A snow mountain. Has uncooked egg yolks. Basically a bowl lined with sponge fingers. A chocolate mousse for the filling. When set turn out and cover with whipped cream. Crumbled flake lightly scattered on outside to look like boulders on a mountain. Never fails.