I’m not a dessert cook, so when I make sweets they need to be relatively quick and easy. It is nice to end a meal with a simple dessert or to produce something delicious to serve with a cup of coffee when friends drop by. Sweet treats make great gifts too. Here are some of my favourite easy sweet recipes.
Mostaccioli Calabrese Sometimes called mustazzoli or mustazzuole, depending on the dialect, mostaccioli are super hard biscuits that are popular at Christmas and often shaped like fish (an ancient symbol of Christianity). They come in many other shapes, some quite elaborate, including baskets, horses and hearts as well as a simple S. These simple Calabrian honey […]
Armando’s Panettone with Berries Armando’s panettone with berries is a festive dessert made with Italy’s traditional Christmas cake, panettone. Chef Armando Percuoco created it to add a bit of moisture to this brioche-like bread, which some people find a bit too dry. We’ve used berries and mint for a red and green Christmas theme but […]
Apom Berkuah with Pengat Pisang Apom berkuah with pengat pisang is a popular Singaporean dessert. Apom comes from the word ‘appam’, a southern Indian fermented rice pancake popular in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and berkuah (also written bokwa or bengkua) means to accompany a thick sauce or gravy, in this case the delicious banana-studded coconut […]
Kaya Toast Kaya toast is a classic Singaporean breakfast, found in every kopi tiam (coffee house) across the island. And what’s not to love? Crisp white toast, a thick slice of cold butter and a good smear of sweet coconut jam (kaya). This isn’t the place for fancy sourdough, supermarket-style sliced white bread is the […]
Basler Läckerli Basler läckerli is a delicious sweet treat that’s a specialty of the Swiss canton of Basel. It’s sometimes made with hazelnuts instead of almonds and some recipes use either just orange peel or just lemon peel, so feel free to substitute if you don’t have everything on hand. My recipe is inspired by […]
Navettes Navettes de Marseille are simple boat-shaped Provençal cookies scented with orange blossom water. They’re a delicious treat at any time and, as they’re quite firm, they’re often served with coffee, sweet wine or a glass of pastis de Marseille such as Ricard. The word ‘navette’ comes from the Latin nāvis meaning ‘ship’ and navette […]
Orangettes I started making chocolate-dipped candied orange peel for dinner parties in the 1980s without realizing they had a connection to Provençe. Candied citrus rind isn’t a new thing and I’m sure many people have had the idea of taking it to the next level with a chocolate coating. In France, it’s associated with Provence […]
Lotus Paste Shortbread Biscuits Cheong Liew tells me that these lotus paste shortbead biscuits are typically served with jasmine tea at the end of a Chinese banquet and, while golden lotus seed paste (lin yoong) is traditional, they can be filled with red bean (hong dou sha), black sesame (hei zhi ma xian) or any […]
Pedro Ximénez Sherry & Date Puddings These simple Sherry and date puddings are inspired by part of a far more elaborate recipe by Cheong Liew in his book My Food. He adds ginger for an extra dimension, so stir 2 teaspoons of ginger juice into the batter if you like ginger’s pepperiness (made by squeezing […]
Paloudeh Talebi (Rockmelon Slushie) Paloudeh talebi are rockmelon slushies sold by street vendors and made in homes throughout summer in Iran; paloudeh is a variation of the word faloodeh, Persia’s famous rose water, lime and noodle granita. These Persian rockmelon slushies can be simply fresh rockmelon chunks blitzed up with ice and a little sugar […]
