Here are our favourite recipes containing a spalsh (or more) of some of our favourite tipples. Call it alcohol, booze, liquor or liqueurs, a little fermented or distilled juice can add zing to many sweet and savoury recipes. to be on the safe side, think of these as adults only recipes.
Chocolate Mousse Three Ways Chocolate mousse has never gone out of fashion because it simply tastes so good (and is so easy to make). For something a bit different, I developed this two-tone version, but use this recipe to make just one colour if you prefer. If serving the white chocolate mousse on its own, […]
Strawberries Romanoff I’ve seen this simple dessert credited to Câreme and Escoffier (under the name Strawberries Americaine-style) though it seems to have become famous at Romanoff’s, a popular Beverly Hills restaurant in the 1940s and 50s. It was a favourite of mine at a suburban Italian restaurant that I frequented in the 1980s where they […]
Crepes Suzette For a touch of indulgence, try the classic – but very easy – French dessert crêpes Suzette. Microplane graters have virtually replaced old-fashioned citrus zesters, but I prefer long thin strips of orange zest in my crêpes Suzette sauce; zesting the oranges over the pan means you collect all the aromatic oil from […]
Tiramisu Desserts don’t get much easier than this delicious combination of coffee-dipped sponge biscuits layered with mascarpone lightened with beaten eggs. Meaning ‘pick me up’ in Italian, tira-mi-su is a relatively new creation, first appearing in Treviso (near Venice) in the 1960s. It’s a great dish to have in your repertoire as it doesn’t require […]
Sticky Date Pudding Also called sticky toffee pudding, this dessert is pure comfort food and, assuming you keep a packet of dates in the pantry, is quick and easy to whip up without any special shopping. The Grand Marnier in the sauce isn’t traditional, but I like the hint of orange that it adds, of […]
Affogato Depending on the ratio of ice cream to coffee, this delicious creation appears on either coffee or dessert menus in cafés and Italian restaurants everywhere. Affogato means ‘drowned’ in Italian, and in it’s simplest form it hardly needs a recipe: just ‘drown’ a scoop of ice cream in a shot of espresso. But I […]
Eton Mess The classic British dessert Eton mess originated at the English boys’ school Eton College as a simple dish of whipped cream and crushed strawberries. I’ve added the Cointreau as it gives a lift to strawberries in the cooler months, when they aren’t as full-flavoured as they are in high summer (you could use […]
Cheese Fondue Discover more Swiss specialties on my small group food & wine tour of Switzerland! As I’m married to a Swiss, a traditional fondue is something we always make in winter. It’s easy, delicious and great for a casual get together. Start with a platter of cold cuts and cornichons (prosciutto and bresaola are […]
