My variation – home-made …

… sauces

As I've said the fast option is to use a jar of salted caramel sauce (260g) – easily available at most large supermarkets – fold into the mixture to give a marbled effect.

However if you'd like to make your own salted caramel sauce here's my recipe :

Salted Caramel Sauce

110g/4oz unsalted butter

225g/8oz soft dark brown sugar

275ml/10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)

1½ tsp salt

Heat together the butter and sugar. When dissolved add the salt and whisk in the cream.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.

One batch of the recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce and you can portion and freeze for convenience. Yippee – more for another time!

Alternatively if you don't like salt in your caramel sauce, then here's the alternative :

Sticky Toffee Sauce

4oz unsalted butter

8oz soft brown sugar

2oz chopped stem ginger (optional)

10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)

Heat together the butter, sugar and ginger. When dissolved add the cream.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.

The stem ginger in this recipe is optional but it makes a good addition when serving the sauce as an accompaniment to nursery puddings and ice cream.

One batch of either recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce, or, over two portions to fold through ice cream. It can be frozen for convenience. A shop bought sauce is usually 260g per jar. I think you'll find that making your own sauce it is less sweet and really enhances the flavour of the vanilla ice cream.

Double yum!

Now for some festive savoury stuff ...

A perfect compote …

… strawberry!

You have a choice here – to blitz or not to blitz this is the question – simply, if you are going to blitz and pass the strawberries then you needn't hull them. If you intend leaving the compote as is then I would hull them at the beginning of the recipe.

Strawberry compote

500g ripe strawberries, hulled

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half – or quarters if large – place in a large saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer. Cover and cook for 3/5 minutes until dark in colour and syrupy. Compote can be store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Again you can split the batch into two and freeze one for a rainy day.

If you prefer a smooth compote blitz and pass through a sieve.

Perfect with the ice cream – or – as an additional layer to the following recipe for Lemon Pots ...

The “Tiramisu Tweaks”!

I don't know whether you've come across this product but you can buy orange curd. It's delicious and an excellent addition to your store cupboard.

Here it is :

I added the orange curd – 2 tablespoons - to my Mascarpone mixture, folding it through to give a rippled effect and extra zing!

In addition to the sprinkled chocolate I added 4 Amaretti biscuits, crushed to a crumb. Set aside the crumb and sprinkle with the chocolate just before serving.

I've discovered a new version of Cointreau liqueur – Blood Orange – one for the Christmas List I think! Don't forget to omit the alcohol, substituting with orange juice when catering for the kiddies.

For an optional additional flourish, add an orange syrup – balances the richness of the cream.

Orange Drizzle

200g icing sugar

250ml orange juice – no bits

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Hey presto, a syrupy drizzle to dress your tiramisu.

Enjoy!

Now for my Party Food ...

Plant your strawberries!

For those who want a plant based Sticky Toffee Sauce here's a recipe that'll do the trick. It's quick and easy and a perfect combination with strawberries and Swedish Glacé – the vegan and dairy free ice cream alternative.

Sticky Toffee Sauce

200ml Elmlea Plant Double Vegan

Alternative cream

40g Flora unsalted plant butter

100g dark soft brown sugar

Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reducing to a medium heat, stirring until thickened – 2 minutes!

It freezes well.

Swedish Glacé is easily obtainable from supermarkets and in a choice of flavours – vanilla, raspberry and chocolate to name but three!

If you want help identifying here's a photo :

Next up … a no-churn strawberry ice cream!

Speaking of ice cream …

… you don't need an ice cream maker – here's a no-churn recipe that I've used for years – imagine my surprise when it made an appearance in July's edition of Waitrose Food Simply Summer Chic!

Vanilla ice cream

Prep – 5 minutes

Total time – 5 minutes

plus freezing at least 6-8 hours

or until firm

Gives you 1.6 litres of ice cream is equal

to 18 scoops

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

1. Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff, like pipeable whipped cream.**

2. Spoon the mixture into a lidded freezer-proof container and free for at least 6-8 hours or until firm – it's a good idea to split the ice cream into say 4 to 6 scoop size of container.

** My variation – make your own Sticky Toffee Sauce or use a jar of shop bought (260g) and fold into the mixture to give a marbled effect.

My tip is take it out of the freezer and let it soften a little before you serve it - with or without the variation it's delicious.

Just in case you should decide to make your own, here's the recipe :

Sticky Toffee Sauce

4oz unsalted butter

8oz soft brown sugar

2oz chopped stem ginger (optional)

10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)

Heat together the butter, sugar and ginger. When dissolved add the cream.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.

The stem ginger in this recipe is optional but it makes a good addition when serving the sauce as an accompaniment to nursery puddings and ice cream.

One batch of the recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce, or, over two portions to fold through ice cream – so it would be a good idea to divide the sauce into two – freeze one portion for next time or for another use. A shop bought sauce is usually 260g per jar.

Another tip - I think you'll find that making your own sauce it is less sweet and really enhances the vanilla ice cream – definitely worth the effort!

Hmm – how about a meringue kiss?

You could try …

… a strawberry compote – you have a choice here – to blitz or not to blitz this is the question – simply if you are going to blitz and pass the strawberries then you needn't hull them. If you intend leaving the compote as is then I would hull them at the beginning of the recipe.

Strawberry compote

500g ripe strawberries, hulled

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half – or quarters if large – place in a large saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer. Cover and cook for 3/5 minutes until dark in colour and syrupy. Compote can be store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Again you can split the batch into two and freeze one for a rainy day.

If you prefer a smooth compote blitz and pass through a sieve.

Perfect with ice cream!

… and speaking of ice cream

In the face of adversity … crack on

I must have known about the snow – only because the dessert I had planned was similar to the Christmas Sundae and only one element needs to be prepped!

This dessert is a variation on a theme … but this time it's lemon.

You'll need :

Spring Sundae

Lemon drizzle cake or Madeira will do just as well

Lemon syrup – see recipe below

Sicilian Lemon Curd – courtesy of M&S

Amaretti biscuits crushed – roughly 25g per person

Swedish Glacé ice cream

Limoncello Liqueur – optional

You can make your own cake if you prefer – you're going to soak it in lemon syrup.

Using the same sundae dish as for the Christmas Sundae, begin to build. One standard slice of cake per person, cut into small pieces, drizzle lemon syrup over the cake then add a dessert spoon of lemon curd in the centre, add one scoop of ice cream and top it with the crushed Amaretti biscuits.

If you want an adult version, pour a shot of Limoncello over the ice cream, before sprinkling the Amaretti biscuits.

Here's the syrup recipe :

Lemon syrup

200g icing sugar, sifted

8 tblsp lemon juice

To make the syrup place the lemon juice and icing sugar into a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.

This will give you 300ml approx of syrup.

Sifting the sugar ensures it dissolves evenly, no lumps required!

This is the most versatile syrup, here's a few extra ideas :

A Soft drink, a drop of syrup in a tall glass, top with chilled soda water and just swizzle.

Spiked – add a generous drop of Limoncello liqueur.

Sparkling and special – for that celebration - add a drop in a Champagne flute or a Martini glass, top with Prosecco, swizzle and enjoy.

I can make it ahead and freeze it – if you'll pardon the pun!

Will they make it … Friday morning and many of the roads are blocked in the Peak District – after a blizzard to begin our day in Northamptonshire it's clearing.

It's lunchtime and in what seems like an interminable length of time and toing and froing I'm delighted to report that Whizzer and Brian are on their way, ETA 4.30pm, via the M6.

Happy Spring time!

Next up the Three cheese and potato tartlet recipe …

Reflections recipe - A Vegan Dessert Sauce!

Sticky Toffee Sauce

200ml Elmlea Plant Double Vegan

Alternative cream

40g Flora unsalted plant butter

100g dark soft brown sugar

Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, then reducing to a medium heat, stirring until thickened – 2 minutes!

It freezes well.

Simple, yet it has all the ingredients to be a hit – can't fail – I hope.

Fast forward … in a word “gobsmacked” - they loved it.

It wasn't rocket science as I'm fond of saying, but it was a great success and a recipe that was quick, easy and I'll use again and again.

If you're stuck for a dessert give it a go anytime – it's not just for Christmas! I used it again for New Year for other members of the family and the reaction was the same.

May be I should call it the “Anytime Sundae”!

Don't like Christmas Pudding – the orange alternative

If chocolate isn't your bag and you prefer oranges then try this!

This is my favourite cake, tried and tested and another flourless recipe – it's a perfect celebration cake for the New Year.

Gateau a l'Orange

(Orange Cake)

Serves 12

2 oranges

6 large eggs

250g sugar

2 tbsp orange blossom water

1 tsp baking powder

250g ground almonds

Wash the oranges and boil them whole for 1 – 1½ hours or until they are very soft.

Beat the eggs with the sugar. Add the orange blossom water, baking powder and almonds and mix well. *Cut open the oranges, remove the pips and purée in a food processor. Mix thoroughly with the egg and almond mixture and pour into a 23cm cake tin – lined with baking parchment, preferably non-stick and with a removable base. Bake in a pre-heated oven 170fan/190c/Gas 5 for an hour. Let it cool before turning out.

Believe me when I say that I stared at this recipe for years. What put me off baking this cake was the boiling of the oranges for the time allotted, an hour and a half is too long for me watching oranges and it's so easy to become distracted - before you know it you have a burnt saucepan and the rest, as they say, is history.

To bring it up to date - instead of boiling the oranges, microwave them for 8 minutes on high.

Pierce the oranges with a paring knife – carefully and microwave for 4 minutes then turn and repeat. Make sure your fruits are in a covered vented microwave container. Continue with the recipe marked *.

A useful tip. Microwave the oranges ahead of making the cake so that they can cool, it will be much easier and safer to prep them, ready to pulverise.

This cake is moist – moist is good but, to use the northern vernacular, it can be “claggy”. I make extra “drizzle” to serve with the Gateau a l'Orange.

Orange Drizzle

200g icing sugar

250ml orange juice – no bits

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Hey presto, a syrupy drizzle to dress your cake and you've turned a cake into a supper or dinner party dessert – serve with a spoonful of clotted cream or vanilla ice cream.

P.s. I've only ever heard the word “claggy” in the North West of the UK. To set the record straight it means “sticky” and apparently is Scandinavian in origin – you live and learn!

Photo guide up next.

The orange alternative

Take it from someone who doesn't “do cake” - this is the exception.

The final bonus – it freezes.

Happy New Year!

Chapter XIV – more drizzles

Then there's :

Cherry and Raspberry Compote

350g cherries, stoned – can use frozen

150g caster sugar

juice of 1 lemon (2 tbsps)

150g raspberries – can use frozen

4 tbsp water or juice from defrosted fruit

Pour the water into a pan and add the cherries, sugar and lemon juice. Place on a medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Cook the cherries over a low heat for 5-10 minutes until they have released some juice but are not overcooked. If you are using frozen cherries you will have the fruit juices when defrosted – use this juice instead of the water and reduce the cooking time to 5 minutes.

Add the raspberries to the pan and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until they start to soften. Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to cool, then blitz the compote and pass through a sieve. You'll get 400ml. Chill before serving or divide and freeze a portion for another day.

Or you might like :

Strawberry compote

500g ripe strawberries, hulled

4 tbsp caster sugar

2 tbsp lemon juice

Cut the strawberries in half – or quarters if large – place in a large saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice. Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved and then simmer. Cover and cook for 3/5 minutes until dark in colour and syrupy. Compote can be store in fridge for up to 2 weeks. Again you can split the batch into two and freeze one for a rainy day.

If you prefer a smooth compote blitz and pass through a sieve.

As you can see it's not a difficult recipe, hulling the berries, i.e. removing the green leaf on the top and the stalk below, takes a little time but it's worth every second. You can buy a kitchen implement to do the job if you wish but using a paring knife and cutting in a circular motion – carefully - it'll do the job just as well.

Finally!

Raspberry Coulis

200g raspberries

200g strawberries, hulled and halved

75g icing sugar, sifted

Heat the fruit in a large pan for 4-5 minutes or until the fruit starts to break down. Add the icing sugar and continue to cook the fruit for a further 2-3 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth, add a splash of water if necessary to loosen the coulis. Strain through a sieve pushing the fruit through with the back of a spoon and set aside to cool. Fridge until needed.

Actually you could call the coulis either raspberry or strawberry since it contains equal amounts of both.

Phew, I think that's just about it!

Chapter XIII – the drizzles

A cook can never have enough compotes or coulis or drizzles to choose from! They are quick and easy to make and have a gazillion uses – the usual suspects like toppings for pancakes, cereals and yogurt. Dressing up desserts like cheesecakes – giving that much needed sharpness - quick and simple over ice cream.

Here's the blueberry :

Blueberry Compote

250g blueberries – defrosted if frozen

100g caster sugar

juice of one small lemon

Place the blueberries and the sugar into a medium sized saucepan and cook gently until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to thicken – add your lemon juice. This should take approximately 15 minutes. Stir occasionally taking care not to break up the fruit – this is a marathon not a sprint – be patient – it's only 15 minutes. If you must walk away from the stove then make sure you've got your timer around your neck.

When the mixture is cooked leave it to cool – then spoon into the clean jar you've got ready!

To save you time – frozen blueberries are available from Sainsbury's or Asda, to name but two 400g for £2.15.

Enjoy the 15 minutes of therapy nurturing your compote – I certainly did!

Having gone to the bother of giving you the blueberry compote recipe it seemed rude not to give you another recipe in which to use it!

Lemon and Blueberry Hodgepodge

Serves 1

3 lemon meringues kisses, crushed if

available – plain will do just as well

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

30g lemon curd – microwave on medium for

10 secs – stir and then the curd is ready to pour

1 tbsp blueberry compote

sprinkle of toasted flaked almonds to decorate

Before we go any further – a couple of pointers. The lemon meringues I found in Marks and Spencer. You can make your own lemon curd or buy a good substitute as a back up – mine is Marks and Spencer's Sicilian.

Finally, the toasted flaked almonds. I toasted them in the oven – 160fan/180c/Gas 4 for 5 minutes. I set my timer a minute at a time – checked and gave the baking tray a shake - the colour of the almonds is up to you but don't forget them or you'll be really cross!

Construct as follows :

Meringues, crushed

add scoop of ice cream

drizzle the loosened lemon curd over the ice cream

add the blueberry compote

decorate with a sprinkle of toasted flaked almonds

It looks delicious in a glass dish or bowl!

Another easy assembly dessert option to include in your store cupboard arsenal!

Chapter XI – what to do with your sweet stash

Never let it be said that I don't give you alternatives – here are variations of “a Hodgepodge”

… aka a mess – think of Eton Mess – the world is your meringue, fly by the seat of your pants!

I just love to be able to pull ingredients for a speedy sweet straight from the store cupboard/pantry and freezer and serve a dessert worthy of the extra calories! What follows is a series of recipe ideas and variations - elements of which you've already made ahead and are part of your store cupboard and freezer!

Without further ado :

Hazelnut Hodgepodge

Serves 1

3 meringue kisses, crushed

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream

A sprinkle of toasted, chopped hazelnuts – 25g approx

30g fresh or frozen raspberries (defrosted) - do not sweeten

1 tbsp sticky toffee sauce – loosen in microwave for

15 secs on medium

Assembly

A glass bowl or sundae dish makes this

dessert stand out, layer as follows :

crushed kisses

scoop of ice cream

sprinkle of hazelnuts

raspberries but reserve the juices

drizzle of sticky toffee sauce

drizzle of raspberry juices

Add a final sprinkle of hazelnuts

Then there's take 2 :

Cherry and Chocolate Hodgepodge

Serves 1

1 410g tin of Black Cherry pie filling with

fruit separated from juices

3 meringue kisses, crushed

25g of chocolate – see below

As with the previous Hodgepodge recipe a glass bowl or sundae dish is perfect for this dessert.

Tip the cherries into a sieve and let the juices drip through – this will take a while since they are dense – it's worth the wait.

Assemble with the meringues, add a dessert spoon of cherries then add tiny pieces of chocolate of your choice – the list is endless but here's an idea or five :

plain chocolate drops

crushed Maltesers

small pieces of Rocky Road

bash a crunchy (in its wrapper – so convenient, no bits

other than where you want them to be!)

bash a flake (in its wrapper)

In the photos below I used tiny pieces of Rocky Road.

Add another dessert spoon of cherries. With the juices reserved add a drop of water to loosen – loose enough to be able to drizzle over the top of the cherries.

You'll have cherries and juices left over but I can't believe this is going to be a problem. You could either repeat the dessert or use as a topping over ice cream. If you want a grown-up version, add a drop of Kirsch to the juices but don't tell anyone I said so!

You don't have to use cherry pie filling – I used Dark Sweet Cherries which I get from Sainsbury's and come in 450g bags at £2.30. You can use fresh cherries if you wish but their season is short and they are expensive. If you use fresh cherries then you'll need more juice. You can get cartons of cherry juice from either Waitrose or M&S.

OR

You could make a quick, soft set cherry jam!

For alternatives and extras … read on

Chapter X – more puds!

One of my favourite additions to the standard vanilla ice cream is to add salted caramel sauce. Some may say it might be a step too far and they may be right, however I think it's personal choice and after all, it is meant to be a treat!

The fast option - use a jar of salted caramel sauce (260g) – easily available at most large supermarkets – fold into the mixture to give a marbled effect.

The “fastish” option. If you'd like to make your own salted caramel sauce here's my recipe :

Salted Caramel Sauce

110g/4oz unsalted butter

225g/8oz soft dark brown sugar

275ml/10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)

1½ tsp salt

Heat together the butter and sugar. When dissolved add the salt and whisk in the cream.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.

One batch of the recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce and you can portion and freeze for convenience. Yippee – more for another time!

If you don't like salt in your caramel sauce, then here's the alternative :

Sticky Toffee Sauce

4oz unsalted butter

8oz soft brown sugar

2oz chopped stem ginger (optional)

10 fl oz double cream (or whipping cream)

Heat together the butter, sugar and ginger. When dissolved add the cream.

Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring.

The stem ginger in this recipe is optional but it makes a good addition when serving the sauce as an accompaniment to nursery puddings and ice cream.

One batch of the recipe produces approximately 539g of the sauce, or, over two portions to fold through ice cream. It can be frozen for convenience. A shop bought sauce is usually 260g per jar. I think you'll find that making your own sauce it is less sweet and really enhances the vanilla ice cream.

Meringue kisses are neat piece of kit!

If you want to have a go and make your own here's my basic meringue recipe :

4 fl oz egg whites – from large eggs

225g/8oz caster sugar

As is always my mantra, get yourself sorted before you start whisking.

Your oven should be pre-heated 90fan/110c/Gas ¼ – very cool/very slow.

Cut your parchment to size for two baking sheets measuring 30x30 cms.

You'll need a large, squeaky clean mixing bowl, a plain nozzle and a piping bag. If you want to be sure you've got a squeaky clean bowl then wipe it with a drop of lemon juice and let is dry before use.

Whisk your eggs whites until they are stiff – the old fashioned way of testing whether they are stiff enough is to tip the bowl upside down over your head – if the mixture doesn't move it's ready! Add half the caster sugar and whisk again until stiff. Fold in the remaining sugar. Your mixture is now ready for the piping bag.

The great thing about disposable piping bags is that you can cut them to size. The end of the bag is snipped to fit your nozzle. Fold the bag over your hand – it enables you to have a steady hold on your bag. Spoon the mixture into the bag until two thirds full and gently ease the mixture towards the nozzle expelling any air. Twist the top of the bag and hold and then use your other hand to steady the nozzle end.

Place a tiny blob of mixture in each corner of your baking trays and “glue” your parchment to the tray.

Holding the nozzle approximately 4cms above the tray squeeze the bag gently and then tilt the bag away in an upward direction so that you create a little kiss curl – hence “kisses”!

Bake for 45 minutes.

Peel the kisses gently from the parchment.

Note to self – you could use your oven at the end of cooking your Sunday roast so it makes the best use of all that otherwise wasted energy!

This recipe will give you approximately 40 kisses. You can store them in strong ziploc type bags or in tins lined with parchment with well fitting lids. Store in a cool, dry place – NOT in the fridge and they'll keep for 2 weeks – if they last that long!

It's your made ahead “store cupboard” element.

However, you have options – you can cheat and buy tubs of ready-made meringue kisses. The quality of the ready-made varies, some are better than others, some are powdery and overly sweet, some not so but disintegrate as soon as you look at them – a slight exaggeration may be! You may find them more convenient and the shelf life will be longer.

Then there's the sprinkles.

My favourite home-made sprinkle is praline – used largely for adding to and flavouring cream, ice cream, butter cream or whatever takes your fancy. You can use it in large pieces or shards or blitzed into a coarse powder. It keeps well so long as you transfer it into an air-tight jar. Should the mood take you it can even be blitzed into a paste.

Praline

75g/3oz almonds, unblanched

75g/3oz caster sugar

Place the sugar into a frying pan (I used a pan measuring 28cms/11” in diameter) and then the almonds on top. Heat the sugar and almonds on as low a heat as possible. Resist the urge to prod/stir/mess with! Patience is eventually rewarded the sugar begins to melt and when the almonds begin to “pop”, and your sugar is a good colour - turn it out onto a non-stick sheet (or oiled slab if you want to be posh). The melting of the sugar takes approximately 20 minutes.

Leave the praline sheet where it is until it is well and truly set. You can then break it up and blitz into a coarse powder or as you wish. It's stating the obvious I know – you'll get 150g/6oz of praline.

Please note that when blitzing you will need ear plugs and warn anyone nearby that isn't totally deaf they soon will be – it's worth the noise – the result - tiny bits of twinkling toffee – the ultimate sprinkle.

If you want a speedier suggestion, crushed Amaretti biscuits do the trick – delicious almond intensity.

All the suggestions made have a “shelf” life be it in the store cupboard or the freezer and can be mixed and matched with fruit that is plentiful and in season.

More pud ideas ...

Editor's July Pick #8: The Fudge follow on …

Editor's note: I do feel that one's palate refines a little with age. More and more I find what I would have considered "Classic" pairings that I once would have passed up, very appealing. Take fruit and chocolate, once I would have never given thought to it but now I completely understand the sharp and sweet combination to give you a flavour that's greater than the sum of its parts. Give this coulis a go, combine with some of the fudge from Pick #6 and you'll thank me!

The Fudge follow on …

… remember the chocolate fudge

It occurs that it can be the beginning of a great store cupboard/fridge/freezer summer treat. If you need a reminder of the recipe then check out “Two down, seven to go” for chapter and verse and for the hints and tips too.

Moving swiftly on - use seasonal fruits – strawberries or raspberries, to compliment and serve with the melted fudge and make a coulis – whilst the raspberry season isn't as long as the strawberry you can buy frozen if all else fails.

Both fruits are a perfect marriage with chocolate.

Berry Coulis

200g strawberries, hulled and halved

200g raspberries

75g icing sugar, sifted

Heat the fruit in a large pan for 4-5 minutes or until the fruit starts to break down. Add the icing sugar and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend until smooth, add a splash of water if necessary to loosen. Strain the coulis through a sieve and set aside to cool. Chill in the fridge until needed.

If you feel the need to ease your chocolate conscience, using seasonal fresh fruits will do the trick – all you need now is ice cream!

Speedy sweets …

Everyone has their own food favourites for the holidays. I find it's the whirlwind leading up to the festivities that can turn an organised person into a gibbering idiot!

On that sobering note my next series of stuff concentrates not on the obvious holiday food but ideas for you to make ahead, or have ingredients in your store cupboard so that you can pull together lovely grub quickly and easily – all the separate elements at your finger tips. It doesn't matter whether you're sober or not!

I always seem to begin with ideas for desserts – if you like the other end of a meal – hey, it's as good a place as any.

There's nothing that will serve you better than a home-made ice cream and all my recipes are of the “no-churn” variety. I use the standard vanilla ice-cream base recipe to begin :

Vanilla ice cream

Prep – 5 minutes

Total time – 5 minutes

plus freezing at least 6-8 hours

or until firm

Gives you 1.6 litres of ice cream is equal

to 18 scoops

1 x 397g tin sweetened condensed milk

1 x 600ml double cream

2tsp vanilla bean paste

Put the condensed milk, cream and vanilla into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand whisk until the mixture is quite thick and stiff.

Next up … the syrup … to turn into an orange ripple!

I made a double batch of orange syrup – why double? I divided it into half – popped half into the freezer for another day and fridged the other half, ready to turn my basic vanilla ice cream into an orange ripple.

Orange Syrup

400g icing sugar

500ml orange juice (no bits)

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 20 minutes.

You'll achieve approximately 600ml of syrup – divide into two boxes and freeze one of them. Fridge the other, ready to complete your ice cream.

Here's a few photos …

Whisk your ice cream to a stiffer consistency

– thicker ribbons - you're adding syrup which will loosen

the batch

here's the syrup, ready to go

tip the syrup into the ice cream and fold through

gently

here's the orange drizzle ice cream, ready for

the freezer – you can see the vanilla flecks and the

trail of orange syrup running through

Anyone like chocolate sauce with ice cream?

You've made the orange ripple ice cream and it's in the freezer. The following chocolate and orange sauce can be made in minutes. The ingredients are in your fridge and your pantry and it takes only minutes to bring the cream and milk to the boil, add the sugar until dissolved and then tip over the chocolate and orange zest.

Chocolate and orange sauce

120ml double cream

80ml milk

50g caster sugar

225g dark chocolate (70%) broken into small pieces in a large bowl

zest of 1 orange

Put the cream and milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove pan from heat and pour over the chocolate, stir until melted. Add the orange zest, then set aside to cool in serving jug or if you'd prefer it warm, pour over a portion of ice cream.

I'd suggest serving the ice cream and sauce with fresh orange segments. You could add an extra element and crush amaretti biscuits and sprinkle over the top – another excellent store cupboard stand by.

Here it is :

Resourceful and creative desserts

Here's my antedote to trifle! For me it's up there with sago and semolina – horrid! I appreciate that trifle has “grown up” since the 1950s – back then it was tinned fruit immersed in jelly from a box, the inevitable Birds Custard topped off with synthetic cream – and decorated with hundreds and thousands – sprinkles I think they are called these days.

If you're like me then this could be the answer :

Sticky Toffee Orange

Make a cake – a cake that will freeze well – a sticky toffee loaf cake

Use as a cake or slice (1.5cm) and cut into small cubes –

place in a sundae dish – warm the cake if you wish

Make a toffee sauce – one that will freeze

Use the sauce warmed to drizzle over the cake or over ice cream

Chop walnuts, add a knob of butter to a frying

pan, sprinkle with sea salt flakes

Use to sprinkle over the cake and toffee sauce or

add to the sauce poured over ice cream

Segment a large navel orange and reserve the juice too

Stand by for the recipes and the photos!

The cake

200g pitted dates, roughly chopped

1 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

200ml boiling water

80g unsalted butter, softened

150g soft brown sugar

2 large eggs

180g self-raising flour

Pre-heat your oven 160fan/180c/Gas 4. You'll need a loaf tin – 24x10cms/9½x5¼” approximately - you can grease the tin or use a loaf liner – much more convenient!

Place the chopped dates in a mixing bowl, sprinkle over the bicarb and then the boiling water. Leave to stand for 10 minutes then blitz in a food processor to a rough purée.

Using a hand mixer or elbow grease if you prefer, cream the butter and sugar until thick and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time and then follow gradually with the flour, finally add the date mixture. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes or until firm. Allow to cool.

Toffee Sauce

100g soft brown sugar

200ml double cream

½ tsp vanilla bean paste

40g unsalted butter

Mix the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring over a medium heat until thickened – 2 minutes.

Both the cake and the sauce can be frozen.

The Walnuts

100g walnuts, chopped roughly

pinch of sea salt flakes

knob of unsalted butter

Melt the butter in a medium frying pan until it foams. Tip in the walnuts and add the sea salt flakes. Stir them for 3-4 minutes until toasted. Tip the nuts into a bowl and leave to cool.

How to segment an orange …

I really do need to get out more!

In my defence I love oranges – what I don't love is the pith and tough outer membrane around each segment.

There is only one way I can describe this procedure and that is by photo :

You'll need a serrated knife – I use a bread knife. Top and tail your orange and then follow the shape of the orange with the knife and peel away a section at a time. Take your time – you should finish up with this :

Hold the orange in your left hand and using the serrated knife – very carefully – cut along the inside of the white membrane of the segment - I start on the left hand side – you can see the white in the photo - repeat on the right hand side. Repeat until you finish with perfect segments and the discarded membranes, like this :

You should get orange juice too, reserve and then drizzle over the cubed sticky toffee cake.

P.s. You'll get 10 segments from a large orange.