Puddings and Desserts

You can make this dessert ahead and refrigerate, in which case remove it about an hour before serving to allow it to develop its' full flavour. Or prepare the stewed apple and the breadcrumbs and layer up just before serving. The toasted breadcrumbs will stay crisp if you store them in an airtight container. In Denmark this traditional dessert is covered with whipped cream and little blobs of redcurrant jelly before serving. Try adding cinnamon or spices to the apple mix and chopped hazelnuts to the toasted breadcrumbs.

Buckwheat flour is gluten free and has a delicious nutty flavour.  In Brittany, France the buckwheat pancake is a regional speciality. Although delicious with a sweet filling, such as stewed apples, you cannot beat a savoury filled buckwheat pancake... bacon and egg .... smoked salmon and creme fraiche.....ham and melted cheese....

Chocolate Fondant recipe courtesy of local chef Steve Robson. Delicious served with a spiced blackberry compote. Make the day before and leave in the fridge overnight. Allow to come back to room temperature before baking.

Chocolate and pecans are delicious together but you can substitute the same weight of chocolate chunks in place of the pecan nuts if you prefer. This traditional recipe uses a whisked sponge method where it is important to try and keep all the air that you have whisked into the mixture from escaping. A light touch is best, so fold carefully. The brownies are deliciously gooey in the middle. Check out the chocolate, hazelnut and buckwheat brownie recipe for a fab gluten free recipe.

I don't know how many generations of my family this recipe has passed down through. Christmas pudding was always made a year ahead in our family. Puddings would be kept in a cupboard in the cool dairy. They'd be black, dense and rich by the time we ate them. I've added figs to this recipe as I like a sqidgier pudding. I also prefer to eat them the year that I make them when they are still juicy and soft. You will need two x 2 pint (1.2 litre) pudding basins, baking parchment, foil or cotton pudding cloths,  string and a steamer.

A delicious cream cheese dessert to serve with fruit, particularly summer berries. Named after the heart shaped moulds they are traditionally made in. You will need a piece of muslin to line the moulds, although if you don't want to turn the creams out, don't worry.

You can't beat a thin and delicate crepe oozing with juicy oranginess. Perfect as a hot pudding on a cold day, this recipe can be made ahead and the filled crepes just popped into the pan at the last minute to add the flambe touch!

An easy shortbread based lemon and lime tart which is equally delicious served with a cup of tea at tea time or with a dollop of fresh cream as a dessert. Cuts into 18 pieces or 32 small fingers as in the image.

Well, this is not your everyday pudding and started as an experiment to see how versatile sugar beet was and if it's possible to make homemade sugar. Sugar beet has a bitter aftertaste which is removed during commercial manufacturing where hydrated lime is used in the refining process. The lemon and cinnamon in this recipe completley masks any bitterness. This recipe uses basic cookery techniques but will take a little time to work through. More of a fun exercise and worth a try if you can get your hands on some sugar beet. Not a dinner party dessert though!

A classic choux pastry ring, named after the famous French Paris to Brest cycle race and created by Chef Pierre Giffard in 1910. Traditionally one large wheel shape choux ring is filled with a praline mousseline although I prefer making individual choux rings. If you prefer a less buttery and quicker to make filling, just add the blitzed praline to whipped double cream and use this to fill the pastries. The praline can be made with either almonds or hazelnuts.

This is a traditonal rice pudding recipe, nothing fancy but is a lot lower in fat than our other full cream recipe. You bake it in the oven - it takes minutes to prepare and two hours to cook. Well worth the wait! Try adding a bay leaf or some lemon zest for an exciting and interesting flavour.

Moreish and quick to make, these delicious little ricotta doughnuts are perfect with a morning coffee or served as a dessert, with a dipping sauce of fresh fruit puree or chocolate. (Cooked and sieved sweetened blackcurrants are my favourite.) There is no need to use a deep fat fryer to cook the doughnuts if you don't have one. Shallow oil, about 2/3cm in the bottom of a heavy based frying pan works very well. You will just need to turn them more often.

You can't beat the flavour and colour of the new seasons' forced rhubarb. Look out for it in January when it brings a welcome lift to the seasonal fruit offering. Eat this compote on yoghurt for breakfast, or with rice pudding, or on top of a cheesecake or just enjoy it as it is.

This recipe works very well with either gluten free flour or standard wheat flour.  Dove's gluten free baking flour is very good. The treacle in this recipe gives a great depth of flavour. Serve with the ultimate toffee sauce.

This delicious toffee sauce is made to go with Sticky Toffee Pudding.  Nice with ice cream too!