Go for a local dessert – you’re sure to be able to find the ingredients
Goat’s Cheese and Cherry Clafoutis
Serves 6
Softened butter, for greasing
500g cherries, pitted
150g mild, soft goat’s cheese
125g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
175g ground almonds
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
Icing sugar to dust
Fresh cream, to serve
l Preheat the oven to 190?C/375?F/gas 5. Grease 6 x 175ml gratin dishes or ramekins or a large 30cm gratin dish. Put the pitted cherries in a single layer in the dishes or dish.
l Put the goat’s cheese, sugar, eggs, ground almonds and vanilla and almond extracts in a food processor. Whiz until smooth and pour over the cherries. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and golden.
l Serve warm, dusted with icing sugar and with cream to pour over.
Labneh with Mango and Honey
Serves 4
3 tbsp icing sugar
Good pinch of ground cinnamon
450g Greek-style yogurt
75g honey
75g caster sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 clove
½ tsp rosewater
1 large ripe mango, peeled, stoned and sliced lengthways
Shelled pistachio nuts, finely sliced
Pink rose petals, optional
l To make labneh, mix together in a bowl the icing sugar, ground cinnamon and yogurt. Place in a sieve lined with muslin or cheesecloth, tie a knot in the fabric to enclose, then set the sieve over a bowl. Leave to strain in the fridge for 24 hours, squeezing every now and then to remove the excess liquid.
l The next day, put the honey, sugar cinnamon, clove and 4 tablespoons of water in a pan over a low heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar, then simmer for 5 minutes, until syrupy. Cool slightly, then strain, discarding the solids. Stir in the rosewater. Cool.
l Divide big spoonfuls of labneh between plates. Layer the mango alongside and drizzle with the syrup. Scatter with nuts and rose petals and serve.
Peaches in Liqueur with Semifreddo
Serves 4
6 ripe peaches
75g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split lengthways and seeds scraped
115g amaretto or Frangelico
1 egg white
Pinch of cream of tartar
40g icing sugar, sifted
250ml fresh cream
50g biscotti (Italian biscuits or any other), crushed
l Put the peaches in a large, heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water to cover. Stand for 2 minutes, then drain. Peel and set aside.
l Put the sugar and vanilla pod and seeds in a pan. Add 350ml cold water and stir over a low heat to dissolve the sugar. Add the peaches and poach for 6-8 minutes, turning in the syrup occasionally, until they’re just tender. Remove the peaches with a slotted spoon and set aside.
l Simmer the syrup over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until reduced by half. Remove from the heat, stir in 90ml liqueur and cool slightly. Return 4 peaches to the syrup. Cool, cover and chill until needed.
l To make the semifreddo, remove the stones from the remaining 2 peaches and whiz the flesh in a processor to form a pur?e. In a bowl, beat the egg white and cream of tartar until just stiff, then add the icing sugar and beat until glossy. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks. Gently fold into the egg white, stir in the biscotti, remaining liqueur and peach pur?e. Put in a plastic container, cover and freeze until frozen.
l Before serving, leave the semifreddo to soften slightly at room temperature for 10 minutes. Scoop into teacups or small bowls and serve a poached peach to the side, drizzled with some of the syrup.
