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.
Miso & Sesame Cookies Japanese sweets often have an intriguing blend of sweet and savoury, and if you like the black sesame cookies in our Month of Japanese, you’ll love these miso-spiked ones too. I like white miso for its mild taste, but you can experiment with different ones if you like a more savoury […]
Zabaglione Zabaglione is a deliciously frothy combination of egg, sugar and wine that’s best eaten as soon as it’s made. It originated in Italy hundreds of years ago and migrated to France where it became known as sabayon. Sicily’s famous fortified wine, Marsala, is often used to make zabaglione, though any dessert wine works well […]
Date & Almond Ladies Fingers The inspiration for these delicious date & almond ladies fingers comes from my friend Janni Kyritsis, who uses the same technique to make simple savoury snacks filled with anchovy, feta or olives. I don’t have a very sweet tooth and I love the contrast of the salted butter and subtle […]
Orange, Almond & Date Salad Once you discover how easy it is to segment an orange (see video below), you’ll be making this simple dessert regularly. Use vivid Persian pistachio slivers instead of almonds if you like (no need to toast them) or add some pitted olives, chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper for […]
Hong Kong Walnut Biscuits While lard is traditional in these deliciously crumbly Hong Kong walnut biscuits, I’m more likely to have butter on hand so that’s what I use, I also like the flavour Pepe Saya’s gorgeous butter adds. Substitute extra castor sugar for the brown sugar if need be. Makes 12 pieces Ingredients ¾ […]
Crema Catalana One of my favourite Sardinian sweets is bianchini, moreish little meringues studded with toasted almonds and lemon zest. Making them (or any meringue) means leftover egg yolks and a perfect excuse to cook crema Catalana. This classic Spanish dessert is also very popular in Sardinia, a reminder of the Catalan influence there. The […]
Pomegranate Sorbet I love this Italian pomegranate sorbet – and the Italian name for pomegranates, melograno meaning ‘many seeds’. It’s so appropriate for this jewel-like fruit. This simple pomegranate sorbetto, with its balanced sweet/sour flavour from the pomegranate juice, lemon and pomegranate molasses, is inspired by my friend Giovanni Pilu. Giovanni taught me that using […]
Jamaican Coconut Drops Get More Caribbean Inspiration Here! Also called simply ‘drops’, Jamaican Coconut Drops are a favourite sweet treat of Jamaicans everywhere. I love the punch the ginger adds to cut through the sweetness of these chewy toffees. Don’t be tempted to take the mixture off the stove too soon or it won’t set; […]
Caribbean Flan Get More Caribbean Inspiration Here! Caribbean flan is a simple dessert similar to a French crème caramel or Spanish flan, except it’s a bit denser. The traditional Caribbean version is based on condensed and evaporated milk as fresh milk wasn’t always readily available in the past. Caribbean flan made with coconut milk is […]
Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer) Called payasam or kheer, this rice pudding is one of the most typical southern Indian desserts and has as many variations as there are cooks. At its simplest, it’s rice simmered in milk with a pinch of sugar and spice, though it’s often flavoured with fruits, like mango or jackfruit, or […]
