Let WFI track down your favourite restaurant recipes for you to
re-create. This month, we indulge the sweet tooths of three readers,
as we find recipes for their favourite puds.
The challenge
"I'm a huge fan of Alastair Little's restaurants, and try to eat in them whenever I am in London.
While the food is of such a high standard across the menu, I particularly enjoy
his desserts. My favourite is the panna cotta. It's divinely creamy and, I'm told, very simple to
make - so I'd love the recipe."
Amanda Spoonwith, Havant, Hampshire
The solution
Alastair Little's two London eateries are lauded for their simple, modern
Mediterranean dishes. This panna cotta, a classic Italian dessert, is the
perfect example: pared down and quite delicious. The name means simply 'cooked
cream', and it really is very straightforward to make. "It's a lovely summer
dish," says Alastair, "which is delicious with sharp fruit, such as raspberries
or currants, or strawberries seasoned with vinegar. Always make panna cottas in
small, individual moulds, not a single large one."
The challenge
"Can you help? My husband and I recently returned from a holiday in Provence, where we enjoyed
lavender ice cream. My husband thinks it quite divine, tasting exactly as it smells.
Anyone not having tasted this culinary delight has certainly missed out. Your help in re-creating
this delicacy would be very much appreciated."
Janet Rance, by e-mail
The solution
WFI turned to Tina
Bricknell-Webb, chef at Percy's Country Hotel and Restaurant in Virginstow,
Devon. Tina uses all kinds of home-grown produce in her cooking, not least
fresh herbs, and lavender ice cream is a particular success story. "Its
fragrance just encapsulates summer," says Tina. "This ice cream is particulary
good with raspberries - perhaps in a meringue nest with some crème fraîche,
raspberry coulis and toasted nuts." Tina's advice is to use only young shoots
of lavender, picked just before the flowers open. Alternatively, use 4 tbsp
dried lavender flowers. The glycerine, which is available from pharmacies, is
optional - it simply makes the ice cream a little easier to scoop.
The challenge
"My nan, who has sadly died, was a school cook in the Thurrock area and one of her recipes was
gypsy tart. She gave me the recipe, and I remember having to scale it down
because the quantities were enough to feed a lot of hungry school children.
Mind you, I think I could have eaten the original quantity because it was
gorgeous. Unfortunately, after several house moves, it has been lost. I hope
you can track it down for me, it would be wonderful."
Louise Golledge, East Boldre, Hampshire
The solution
Gary Rhodes, king of the British classic, and no stranger to deeply indulgent desserts, has a recipe
for gypsy tart in his wicked book, Sweet Dreams (Hodder & Stoughton,
£18.99). He also remembers it from his school days, and gives the following
advice: "refrigerating the evaporated milk thoroughly is absolutely crucial in
achieving the correct consistency when you whip it. Put the can in the fridge
overnight. The tart is best served at room temperature. If you refrigerate it,
the sugar turns into a syrup and begins to leak out of the pastry."