i Lead Recipes

In restaurants the dessert spoon and fork will be placed above the plate. The fork is used to help break up the dessert and to push the dessert onto the spoon. The spoon is used to eat with. The fork is held in the left hand and the spoon in the right.

Dessert is broken off one piece at a time before it is eaten. Breaking up the whole dessert into smaller pieces at once is frowned upon in polite society.

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A low-fat dessert for the health conscious.

INGREDIENTS

125ml Basmati rice

625ml fat-free milk

85ml Castor sugar

3 vanilla pods

1 bay leaf

ground cinnamon

METHOD

Heat the rice, milk, vanilla and bay leave in a saucepan. Stir until the mixture starts to boil. Reduce heat and let it simmer for 30 minutes. The mixture will become thick and soft. Stir often.

Add water if the fluid is cooked away before the rice is soft. When the rice is cooked there should be no fluid left. Cool the mixture, stirring from time to time. Remove the vanilla and bay leaf and dish into separate bowls.  Sprinkle cinnamon over before serving.

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A truly luscious dessert. The sweetness is tempered with the slight tang of lemon. When made in ramekin dishes it serves 6. The recipe can be doubled with great success.

INGREDIENTS

2 lemons

180ml sugar

1 egg

4 egg yolks

250ml cream

icing sugar

extra cream and edible flowers to garnish

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC. Grate 10ml lemon rind and squeeze 125ml lemon juice. With an electric mixer beat the sugar, egg and egg yolks into the juice.Add cream and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Strain the mixture and stir in the lemon rind.
2. Place 6 ramekin dishes in a deep baking dish. Divide the lemon mixture evenly between the dishes. Place the baking pan in the oven and fill it with hot water ’till it is 2cm from the top of the ramekins.
3. Bake 30-45 minutes or until the mixture is just set. Remove the pan and carefully remove the ramekins from the water. Set aside to cool and chill if desired.
4. To serve, dust the dessert with icing sugar. Garnish with a swirl of cream and an edible flower or sprig of mint.

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Truffles can be served with a cherry sauce, on ice-cream or with hot chocolate. They also look wonderful as decoration on cake.

INGREDIENTS

170g dark chocolate of good quality (50%-60% cacao)

100ml cream

20ml soft butter

55g chopped cherries (if preferred the cherries can be soaked in cherry liquor)

cocoa powder and chopped nuts

METHOD

Cut the chocolate into small pieces and put in mixing bowl.

Heat the cream to boiling point and pour over the chocolate. Wait 2 minutes before stirring and mixing it.

Add butter and cherries and mix well.

Store in refrigerator until the dough is firm.

Roll the dough into small balls and cover each one thoroughly with cocoa powder and fine nuts.

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A delicious, sticky dessert…steamed like Grandma used to.

Grease a 900ml dessert basin with butter or use individual ramekins.

Spoon 30ml golden syrup into the bottom of the bowl.Top with 125ml fresh (or frozen but thawed) blueberries.

Beat together 125g (135ml) butter and 125g (140ml) Castor sugar. Stir in 10ml vanilla essence.

Add two eggs that have been lightly beaten…a little at a time. Fold in 175g (320ml) self-raising flour and 15-30ml milk. The dough must have a dropping consistency. Spoon the batter over the blueberries.

Cover the bowl with pleated baking paper and secure with a string.

Steam in a large saucepan of boiling water for one hour with the lid on. Individual ramekins need to be steamed for 25minutes. add more water if needed. Invert into a serving plate or individual bowls.

Serve warm with berries or custard.

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