Dessert – Page 8 – La Recette du Jour

Tarte au citron

22 February, 20073 April, 2010 Veronica 4 Comments

A classic French dessert, and this version is absolutely divine. The method for the pastry is unusual, to say the least, but it produces a nice crisp, biscuity pastry which is ideal for this type of tart, as well as for fruit tarts. The quantity given will make three tart shells, but you can keep it in the fridge for a few days, or freeze it. See the recipe for prune and Armagnac tart for another excellent way of using it.

The filling is based on a Delia Smith recipe. I wasn’t sure about the cream, but it creates a lovely balance between creaminess and the sharpness of the lemon. Well worth repeating.

Strawberry and melon salad

22 February, 2007 Veronica Leave a comment

A good way of using melons that are not as tasty as they might be. We use the local Charentais melons (which are wonderful), but you could use any sweet melon (ideally with orange flesh, because it looks nice).

Springfield pear cake

22 February, 2007 Veronica 1 Comment

A wonderful pudding from Jane Grigson — if I had to name my favourite pudding ever, this would be it, and virtually every guest who’s ever tried it has had seconds and begged for the recipe. One of the good things about it is that it doesn’t matter if the sponge is a bit heavy; as long as the pears are good and caramelised it will be simply wonderful! It also doesn’t matter if the pears aren’t very tasty.

Red Fruit Trifle

22 February, 2007 Veronica Leave a comment

The French magazine where I found this recipe described it as “trifle” — it’s not much like British trifle, but it’s light, refreshing, and a bit less calorie-laden! Serve in tall straight glasses.

Fermented milk is available in supermarkets in France — I haven’t seen it elswhere, but it’s rather like very thin yogurt. Maybe buttermilk would do, or even Actimel).

Serves 4. Assemble no more than half an hour before eating, or the meringues will go soggy.

Prune and Armagnac tart

22 February, 20073 April, 2010 Veronica Leave a comment

A sumptuous and extravagant tart courtesy of Marco Pierre White. It may not sound exciting but it really is delectable.

Pineapple tarte tatin

22 February, 2007 Veronica 1 Comment

This turned out to be an excellent way of turning a tasteless supermarket-bought pineapple into something juicy and full of flavour. It looks lovely as well: a glossy circle of golden, glistening slices of pineapple tinged with brown.

Petits pots de crème au citron

22 February, 20073 April, 2010 Veronica Leave a comment

Instead of buying ready-made cream desserts from the supermarket, make these instead — they take only minutes to do and are much nicer.

Panna cotta

22 February, 2007 Veronica 2 Comments

Original recipe by Aldo Zilli. Serve with a coulis of raspberries or mixed red fruit or, if calories and cholesterol are no object, with butterscotch sauce.

Mi-cuits au chocolat

22 February, 20073 April, 2010 Veronica Leave a comment

Smart enough to serve at a dinner party, and absurdly quick and easy to make. The name literally means “Half- cooked chocolate cakes”. You will need some muffin tins, individual dariole moulds, or similar. This quantity will make 4-6 cakes, depending on the size of the tins.

Marquise au chocolat

22 February, 20073 April, 2010 Veronica Leave a comment

Here is the most chocolatey dessert you are ever likely to eat. You must use the best dark chocolate you can get – ideally Valrhona, but Green and Black’s or Waitrose own brand are good as well. It can be prepared entirely in the microwave, on a low setting.