Real Fast Desserts Book

Introduction 7

A Few Points 9

The Pantry 15

1 Autumn 21

Blackberries Blackberries Marinated in Cassis to Blackberries with Rose Cream and Rose Petals 23

Plums Plums Baked in Sauternes to Sautéed Plums 27

Apples Croissants with Hot Apples and Crème Fraîche to Apples with Caramel Sauce 31

Pears Warm pears with Melted Mascarpone to Pears and Pecorino 45

Marrons Glacés 51

Chestnut Purée 52

Grapes 53

Figs Figs with Raspberries and Cream to Figs with Honey and Lemon 54

The Crisp Apricot Amaretti to Blackberry and Apple Crisp 59

Cheeses 65

2 Winter 67

Pomegranates 69

Almonds 69

Tropical Fruits Papaya with Yogurt and Lime to Mangoes in Moscato 70

Winter Orientals 74

Oranges A Salad of Oranges and Winter Strawberries to Oranges Baked in Cinnamon and Grand Marnier 75

Clementines, Tangerines, and Mandarins 78

Fast and Festive Fried Plum Pudding with Apricot Sauce to Pan-fried Panettone and Mincemeat Sandwich 79

Dates Date, Almond, and Honey Cakes to Hot Buttered Dates 86

Prunes A Prune Plate to Prunes with Vanilla Ice Cream and an Aromatic Syrup 89

Cheeses 90

3 Spring 91

Eggs and Batters Flower Blossom Yogurt Custard to The Twenty-Minute Tiramisu 93

Pineapples 104

Bananas Blueberry and Banana Salad to Bananas Baked with Cardamom and Orange 106

Creams and Cream Cheeses Fromage Blanc to Mascarpone with Prunes and Almonds 111

Staples and Stodge Rice Pudding with Orange Zest and Ginger to Sweet Gnocchi 116

Ice Cream Instant Raspberry Sorbet to Espresso Ice Cream 122

Chocolate Quick Cake to Hot Soufflé 127

Lemons Little Pots of Lemon Cream to Lemon Syllabub 135

Cheeses 138

4 Summer 139

Cherries Hot Cherries with Calvados to Cherries and Chèvre 141

Strawberries Strawberries in Beaujolais to Strawberries with Mint and Orange 142

Raspberries Almond-Raspberry Pastry to Berries on a Leaf 147

Other Berries and Currants Cheat's Summer Pudding to White Currants in Muscatel 153

Peaches Marzipan Peaches to Peaches with Mascarpone and Pine Nuts 159

Apricots Warm Apricot Tart to Apricots Stuffed with Ricotta and Fennel 166

The Brûlée Nectarine Yogurt Burnt Cream to A Brûlée of Scarlet Fruits 168

Melons Utter Bliss to Watermelon with Feta 173

Cheeses 180

Acknowledgments 181

Bibliography 183

Index 185