In season

May produce

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Banoffee Pie

Banoffee Pie

The toffee layer is the only stage that takes time: an unopened tin of sweetened condensed milk simmered in water for 3 hours turns into deep amber dulce de leche. The biscuit base is digestives crushed and bound with melted butter, pressed into a tart tin and chilled. The toffee goes on cold, the bananas are sliced just before serving (so they don't brown), the cream is whipped to soft peaks. Assembled in order. Dusted with cocoa or grated dark chocolate. Cut with a knife dipped in hot water for clean slices.

Desserts 8 hours 25 minutes Serves8
Bread Pudding (Creole)

Bread Pudding (Creole)

Stale French bread (a day-old baguette is perfect) tears into 3 cm chunks. Custard: whole milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest. Raisins steep in 4 tablespoons bourbon for plump. Bread soaks in custard 30 minutes; raisins fold in. Tips into a buttered 25 × 18 cm dish; dots with butter. Bakes for 45-50 minutes at 175°C till the top is bronzed and the centre is set but still custardy. Whiskey sauce: butter melts with sugar; cream and bourbon stir in; warmed but not boiled. Pours over the pudding at the table.

Desserts 1 hour 40 minutes Serves8
Cheese Blintzes

Cheese Blintzes

A two-stage dish. First, thin crepes (much thinner than a pancake - almost see-through) cooked one side only on a buttered pan, stacked under a clean cloth. Then a filling of farmer cheese (or ricotta drained well) mashed with egg yolk, sugar, vanilla and a little lemon zest. A heaping tablespoon of filling on the cooked side of each crepe, folded into a tight envelope, and fried briefly in butter on both sides until golden. Served warm with cold sour cream and a spoon of red-berry compote.

Desserts 1 hour 25 minutes Serves4
New York Cheesecake

New York Cheesecake

A graham-cracker base is pressed into a 23 cm springform tin and pre-baked for 10 minutes. Filling: cream cheese is softened to room temperature (cold cream cheese gives lumpy batter), then beaten with sugar, eggs one at a time, sour cream, vanilla and lemon. The tin is wrapped in foil so the water bath doesn't seep in. Baked at 160°C in a water bath for 60-75 minutes until the edges are set but the centre wobbles a 7 cm circle. Cooled in the oven with the door cracked for 1 hour (avoids cracks). Chilled overnight. Served chilled.

Desserts 2 hours Serves12
Noodle Kugel

Noodle Kugel

Wide egg noodles cooked just past al dente, drained and tossed in butter so they don't clump. A custard of cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar and cinnamon is whisked smooth and folded through the noodles with golden raisins. The mixture goes into a buttered baking dish, gets a generous topping of crushed cornflakes (or cinnamon-sugar crumbs) and a dot of butter, then bakes low and slow until the custard sets and the top is mahogany-brown. Cut into squares while warm.

Sides 1 hour 20 minutes Serves8
Treacle Tart

Treacle Tart

Sweet shortcrust pastry: plain flour rubs with cold butter to breadcrumb texture; icing sugar adds sweetness; an egg yolk binds with a splash of water. Rests in the fridge 1 hour. The pastry is rolled, lined into a 22 cm fluted tart tin, pricked, chilled again, and blind-baked with baking beans for 15 min, then 5 more min uncovered. Filling: warm golden syrup, lemon zest and juice, fresh breadcrumbs from a day-old loaf, a beaten egg and a small pinch of ginger / cinnamon. Stirred together; poured into the blind-baked case. Baked at 180°C 25-30 min until set with a slight wobble. Cooled to warm; served with cold clotted cream.

Desserts 2 hours 5 minutes Serves8