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Simple summer desserts: Perfect endings
If you're after something sweet but want to keep it simple, we've put together this list of Delia's best fuss-free finales. All of these recipes are easy to make – some can be assembled quickly when you need them, while others are put together a couple of days ahead – but each one looks and tastes fantastic.
Summer Fruit Compote
Any mixture of fruit can be used for this, but remember the flavour of blackcurrants does tend to dominate – so, if you're using them, just use a half-quantity compared with the other fruits. If you want to make the compote entirely with soft berries, it needs only 10 minutes in the oven.
Toffee-fudge Bananas with Toasted Nuts
The world record for making this recipe is not five minutes, but just three – it's quite simply the fastest dessert recipe I've ever come across. It's also amazingly good, and if it is conceivable that anybody on this earth does not love delectably thick Greek yoghurt, then you can make it just as well with whipped cream.
Summer Pudding
Maybe the reason why this pudding is such a favourite is because we only have these particular fruits for such a short time each year – anyway in our house it's become a sort of annual event. Do try to get a well-made white loaf though: the texture of sliced white is most unsuitable.
Cheat's Chocolate Trifle
This one's either for people who don't like to cook or for devoted cooks who nonetheless need something really speedy. First you need to zip round the supermarket to collect the ingredients, then, after the cherries have soaked, this is all made in moments.
A Summer Trifle with Raspberries and Raspberry Purée
There is positively no cooking involved here, it's just a quick assembly job – but then when you come to eat it you won't believe it could be that easy. It is important to find a ready-made custard with a high cream content – some own-label supermarket custards we tried were less successful.
Gooseberry Yoghurt Fool
I now find that lusciously thick genuine Greek yoghurt makes the best fruit fool of all, as it allows the full flavour of the fruit to dominate. If you're serving this to someone who doesn't like yoghurt, don't worry – they won't know.
Strawberry Granita
This is the recipe to make when there's a real glut of ripe strawberries. It's a much nicer way to conserve them than simply freezing them. The granita looks like sparkling jewels when you serve it in tall glasses – and it contains hardly any calories!
Summer Fruit Brûlée
Here is how to make a brûlée and, more importantly, how to get as much of that lovely thin caramelised crust as possible. This has always been a bit tricky because domestic grills vary so much. The best solution seems to be the chefs' trick of using a blow torch.
Strawberries in Raspberry Purée
This is one of the simplest and most delicious sweet dishes I know and proves it's not always necessary to spend hours in the kitchen to make something spectacular.
Spike's Apple Sorbet
Spike is the nickname of our friend Galton Blackiston, who is the owner and chef of the Michelin-starred country-house hotel Morston Hall in Norfolk. He's a fanatical Norwich City supporter, so we always end our meals there with lots of football tales until the early hours. He has generously allowed me to adapt his brilliant apple sorbet recipe.
