From the simple to the spectacular: the 20 best dessert recipes to comfort and delight
“For god’s sake, someone make me a proper dessert and quick,” Jay Rayner wrote in his paean to puddings in OFM, bemoaning the lack of care restaurants often give this essential course. There’s no question for us: the best, most comforting desserts, the ones that really hit that sweet spot, are made at home. Here you’ll find some of our favourites. Classics such as steamed pudding, creme brulee and profiteroles. Custard pie takes Greek form as galaktoboureko, rice pudding meets Indian spices, and Nigerian puff-puffs are the only kind of doughnut we want. We have the River Cafe’s famed lemon tart and Saltine’s should-be-famous sticky apple cake. Nigel Slater infuses jelly and ice-cream with grown-up flavours. These may not all be quick to make, but they are all proper. Grab a spoon.
Abundance of seasonal fruit? Put it on some pastry, scrunch up the edges, you’re good to go (pictured above)
Make sticky toffee pudding even better, add caramel apples
Two types of alcohol, lots of layers, happy guests
Pears are capricious, tame them with wine and spice
Silky cream underneath, cracking toffee on top
Choux, custard, ice-cream, chocolate sauce … what’s not to like?
Custard baked in filo pastry – a Greek classic
A grown-up take on a childhood favourite
This showpiece dessert deserves its place at the centre of any table
An American classic that’s brimming with fruit
Cooked in a parcel for extra sweetness
Warm, gooey, crowd-pleasing flavours – enough biscuit for everyone
Warm and comforting with a citrus lift
Crunchy outside, fluffy inside – the perfect treat
When burnt is better – minimum fuss, maximum deliciousness
Smooth, rich and intense, these are the ultimate treat for chocolate lovers
The secret to success is in the milk-sugar-rice ratio, the magic in the spices
How do you improve on a classic? Top it with a miso-sesame crunch
When all you want is the crunch
There are lemon tarts, and then there is the ultimate lemon tart from the River Cafe
