Final flourish: Easy dessert recipes with an Italian twist

TRIED-and-tested tips from Saturday magazine's celebrity chef

Buongiorno and welcome to May. The new summer menu is finally done for Cicchetti Manchester and London and features great, healthy fish dishes and light seasonal salads perfect for sunny days.  

This week’s recipes, desserts with an Italian twist, are from Egg by Blanche Vaughan, a good addition to the kitchen, as the simple egg is the starting point for some of the most delicious and inspiring dishes.

My family and I are currently being spoilt at Stoke Park Hotel, Buckinghamshire, where Bridget Jones’s Diary and Layer Cake were filmed.

The personal service from the staff is superb and the food by chef Chris Wheeler is great. I do love this place and couldn’t recommend it highly enough. Ciao!

Chocolate mousse corretto
Surprise your loved ones with this delicious chocolate mousse corretto [SAT MAG]

Chocolate mousse corretto

British

Dessert

Preparation Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Cooking Time 0 minutes
4-6

Ingredients

Preparation:
  • 100g good-quality dark chocolate,at least 70% cocoa solids, broken into small pieces
  • 2 tbsps golden syrup
  • 2 tsps espresso or very strong coffee
  • 6 eggs, separated
  • 1 tbsp brandy, Armagnac or cognac
  • Zest of ½ an orange

PREPARATION: 15 minutes, plus 20 minutes freezing time and 1 hour chilling time

In Italy, espresso with a shot of brandy added is called caffè corretto, which means corrected coffee.

Put about 5cm of water into a pan that allows a heatproof bowl to sit comfortably on it without touching the water. Bring the water to a simmer.

Put the broken chocolate and the golden syrup into the bowl and place over the water to gently melt the chocolate.

Then add the espresso.

Put the egg yolks in a separate bowl and add 1 tbsp of water. When the chocolate has melted, pour it slowly into the egg-yolk mixture, stirring continuously.

Mix until smooth then stir in the brandy and orange zest.

Place the egg whites in a clean, grease-free bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment and beat until they just form soft peaks. Take care not to over beat or the mousse will become too stiff.

Stir a spoonful of the whisked whites into the egg and chocolate mixture to loosen it, then gently but thoroughly fold in the rest until they are completely combined.

Pour into small glasses, cups, ramekins or shallow serving dishes and place in the freezer for 20 minutes. Then chill in the fridge for at least an hour, or until ready to serve.

Pear and marsala trifle
Treat your family to this delicious pear and marsala trifle [SAT MAG]

Pear and marsala trifle

British

Dessert

Preparation Time 1 hour
Cooking Time 10 minutes
6-8

Ingredients

For the sponge:
  • 3 eggs
  • 90g caster sugar
  • 75g plain flour, sifted
  • 2 tbsps sunflower oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch sea salt
For poached pears:
  • 6 Comice pears, peeled and cored
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 3 cloves
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 200ml marsala
For crème pâtissière:
  • 300ml single cream
  • 300ml full-fat milk
  • 2 vanilla pods
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 80g caster sugar
  • 2 tbsps plain flour
To assemble:
  • 150ml marsala
  • 300ml double cream
  • 60g blanched almonds, chopped

A trifle is one of the best puddings to make if you’re entertaining as the various stages can be made in advance and you can assemble it 24 hours before serving.

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and line a 20 x 30cm sided baking tray with baking parchment.

Using an electric whisk, beat the eggs and sugar together until they reach ribbon stage. Add the flour and fold in. Then fold in the oil, vanilla extract and salt.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin to form a thin layer and bake for about 15 minutes. 

Insert a skewer into the middle. If it comes out clean the sponge is ready, otherwise return it to the oven for a further 5 minutes.

Lay the cooked sponge on a wire rack to cool, peeling off the paper before it sticks.

Cut the pears into quarters and put them in a pan with the spices, vanilla extract and marsala. Make sure they are just covered by the liquid and place over a medium-high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To make the crème pâtissière, place the cream and milk in a saucepan. Split the vanilla pods lengthways and scrape the seeds into the pan (add the pods to a jar of caster sugar for vanilla sugar).

Bring the cream and milk just to boiling point and turn off the heat. Leave to infuse.

Meanwhile, whisk the yolks, sugar and flour in a large bowl until creamy and thick. Slowly pour the hot cream into the bowl, whisking.

Return the mixture to the pan and continue to whisk over a high heat while it comes to the boil. Keep cooking for another minute or so as it bubbles and thickens.

Remove from the heat and transfer to a clean bowl set over ice, to cool. If any lumps have formed, pass the custard through a sieve to remove them.

Up to this point, everything can be made one or two days ahead.

When you are ready to assemble the trifle, roughly tear the sponge into pieces about the size of a large postage stamp and lay them in the bottom of your chosen trifle bowl. Sprinkle the marsala evenly over the sponge.

Remove the pear pieces from the liquor and lay them on the soaked sponge. Any leftover liquor can be used to poach dried fruit. Spread the crème pâtissière over the pears.

Whip the cream to form soft peaks and spread over the top. You can now leave the trifle to sit for at least 24 hours in the fridge.

Serve sprinkled with the roughly chopped almonds.

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