Desserts, are they your favourite part of the meal as well?
We find the majority of our friends, guests and family simply love dessert time. Especially when you pull out all the shots and get cheffy on them. (is Cheffy a word?)
It’s something about desserts, they are special and we don’t make or eat them as often. We all have a go at main course or an entrée but more often than not pastry work either freaks people out or its simply not quite as necessary.
Well, we are here to help. We have put together 4 easy desserts that will be sure to impress your guests.
Simple and Delicious Desserts to impress your guests with
- Milk chocolate pots with citrus biscuits
- Snickers ice cream cheesecake
- Raspberry, lemon and Vanilla brûlée
- Vanilla and Mixed berry Pannacotta
Milk chocolate pots with citrus biscuits
Ingredients
For the Choccy pots
- 200g good-quality milk chocolate
- 200ml double cream
- 2 large egg yolks, lightly whisked
For the biscuits
- 160g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- zest 1 orange
- 110g butter
- 60g caster sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
Method
Very gently heat the double cream and once it comes close to a simmer, remove from the heat. Now drop in the chocolate, broken into small pieces and stir until the chocolate is melted. Once the chocolate and cream mix is full combined, stir in the eggs and beat the mix incorporating a bit of air but not too much. Set in pots in the fridge for 3 hours or even overnight.
Meanwhile, cube the butter and start to work into the flour with your hands. The heat from your hands should soften the butter and eventually the flour will bind. At this stage put the orange zest and work a touch more to infuse the citrus flavour. Now incorporate the sugar and egg yolk, bringing the mix together to a biscuit paste. Once well mixed 9be careful not to over work, or your biscuits will be too crumbly0 wrap the mix and place in the fridge for 20/30 mins.
Now roll out the biscuit dough to the thickness of your finger and cut rounds, or rectangles and bake the biscuits 20m mins at 160c. Allow to cool.
Serve the choccy pots, with the biscuits. You could garnish with some berries, whipped cream or ice cream… Simple and delicious.
Snickers ice cream cheesecake
Ingredients
- 200g Digestive biscuits
- 100g butter
- 1 x 200g jar Peanut butter
- 1 x 200g jar of Nutella
- 2 x 180g tubs full-fat cream cheese
- 1 tbsp roasted and chopped Peanuts
- Equal amounts Sugar and cream (We suggest about 100g of each for the caramel sauce but you can make as much or little as you want with this recipe)
- Pinch of salt
Method
Smash up the biscuits and the melted butter and press the biscuit mix into a suitable tin.
In a food processor, pulse all the other ingredients until you have a smooth moreish mixture. Spoon this onto the biscuit base and place in the freezer.
Now take a heavy based sauce pan and place the caster sugar in the pot. 9be sure the pot is dry, as any water will crystalize the sugar. Heat until it turns golden brown and caramel coloured, then pour in the cream and mix quickly removing from the heat, season with a tiny bit of salt and place on the side to cool.
To serve, take the cheesecake out of the freezer 30 mins before serving to allow it to temper. Slice and serve with caramel drizzled over the top and some additional chopped nuts…
Raspberry, lemon and Vanilla brûlée
Ingredients
- 1 vanilla pod
- Zest of half a lemon
- 300ml double cream
- 100g frozen raspberries
- 4 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp golden caster sugar
- 2 tbsp demerara sugar
- Blowtorch
- Caster sugar to burn
- Pre bought biscotti or shortbread biscuits (homemade would be even better if you’re feeling up for it)
Method
In a heavy based sauce pan warm the double cream with the scraped vanilla pod and the lemon zest and bring to a gentle simmer. Allow the vanilla to infuse for 10 mins.
Meanwhile, pre heat the oven to 160C.
Place your ramekins in a deep tray half filled with water. The water needs to sit a few CMS up the side of your chose ramekins. (The water helps control the cooking process and cooks the custard slowly stopping it scrambling)
Now take sugar and eggs, whisk until well mixed and pour over the infused cream, removing the vanilla pod. Divide the raspberries between your ramekins and pour over the custard mix carefully. Now stick the water filled tray carefully in the oven and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. The whole time, be careful to not spill the water in the base of the tray.
You will know the custards are set/ready when you can give them a wobble and then move only slightly. We call this a reassuring wobble, you’ll know it when you see it.
Allow to cool for 3 hours minimum in the fridge.
To serve, sprinkle the brulees lightly and evenly with caster sugar. Take your blowtorch and caramelize the sugar as evenly as you can. It will smoke an bubble then set quickly. Careful not to burn yourself as both the sugar and blowtorch will be pretty molten at this point.
Now serve with some biscotti, shortbread or just as is.
Vanilla and Mixed berry Pannacotta
Ingredients
- 2 ½ sheets gelatine
- 150ml milk
- 400ml double cream
- 60g caster sugar
- 2 vanilla pods, split lengthways
- Frozen berries
- A tbsp. of honey
- Optional Glass of Rose
Method
Meanwhile, warm the cream, milk, 1 vanilla pod and sugar to a gentle simmer. Once it reaches temperature place to one side and allow to infuse for 10 mins, stirring from time to time.
Add the sheets of gelatine to a bowl of cold water and soak for 5 mins.
Meanwhile, defrost the berries in a bowl over a boiling pot of water. This will release lots of beautiful berry juice. Strain this juice into a separate pot (place the berries to one side) with the other vanilla pod and the honey, bring this to a simmer and cook for a few minutes thickening the liquid slightly.
Now part cool this berry syrup and after 5 or so minutes pour back over the berries and make a vanilla berry compote. Allow this compote to cool in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Now warm the milk mix back to temp and work in gelatine with a whisk. (Note, you do not want to boil the gelatine, it will melt in moderately warm fluids)
Take your panna cotta mix and remove the vanilla pod. Now split evenly between your serving glasses and set in the fridge for 4-5 hours.
To serve, simply spoon some of the berry compote on top of the Pannacotta mix and serve with a spoon and a glass of Rose;)
Let us know if and when you try any of these recipes… We know your guests will love them but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to hear about it 😉