Many Christmas desserts are a labour of love, but this trio of new creations from the British cookery legend are simplicity itself to make. Plus, they look and taste fantastic
PHOTOGRAPHS JAMES MURPHY FOOD STYLING AYA NISHIMURA AND JAN SMITH STYLING PENNY MARKHAM
Easy make.
Last-minute cheat’s tiramisu
Serves 4 Hands-on time 15 min
• 150ml whipping or double
cream
• 250g mascarpone, at room
temperature
• 50ml Baileys or marsala
• 40g icing sugar, sifted
• 150ml espresso, cooled
• 8-12 sponge fingers (or 4 trifle
sponges, halved)
• Cocoa powder to dust (or a
chocolate flake, crumbled)
1 Whip the cream in a bowl until it’s only just starting to thicken.
2 In a separate bowl, whisk the mascarpone with the Baileys or marsala to soften, add the icing sugar, then fold into the cream.
3 Pour the espresso into a separate bowl. Dip the sponge fingers into the espresso, then divide half of them among 4 glasses or small bowls.
4 Add half the boozy cream mixture, again dividing it among the bowls, then repeat the layers of espresso-soaked sponge and cream. Dust the tops generously with cocoa powder or scatter over the crumbled chocolate. Refrigerate until ready to serve, or serve immediately if making at the last minute.
Per serving 608kcals, 49g fat (31g saturated), 5.1g protein, 33g carbs (26g sugars), 0.2g salt, 0.5g fibre
Lemon posset
Serves 4 Hands-on time 10 min, plus 4 hours chilling
“This simple but delightful lemon dessert comes from a restaurant called Scaccomatto in Bologna. I have to confess I didn’t try it myself but the film crew raved about it, so I asked Mario, the chef, for the recipe. Having made it, I can see why everyone loved it.”
• 2 unwaxed lemons
• 125g sugar
• 425ml double cream
• Viennese biscuits to serve
(optional, see next recipe)
1 Pare the zest of one of the lemons with a vegetable peeler and add it to a pan with the juice of both lemons (you need about 100ml) and the sugar.
2 Set the pan over a gentle heat and stir to dissolve the sugar, then bring to the boil and turn off the heat.
3 In a separate pan, scald the cream – bring it to just below boiling point – then remove the pan from the heat. Pour the cream onto the lemon syrup and mix well.
4 Pour the mixture through a sieve into a clean bowl or jug, then divide among 4 glass
