Ben and Jerry's French Vanilla Ice Cream

I used to have an ice cream maker but tbh it was a bit rubbish. I recently bought another, more expensive one and have been trying out new recipes that didn't need cooked egg custards as a base. This recipe is fabulous - it's so quick and easy to make but it tastes amazing. It uses American cups but don't let this put you off, it's easy to convert if you don't have any cups to measure with.

For 1 quart of delicious ice cream you need
2 large eggs
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 cup milk
2 cups double cream
2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Whisk the eggs until light and fluffy (about 3-4 mins). Slowly add the sugar and keep whisking. Mix in the milk, cream and vanilla. Transfer to a pre-chilled ice cream machine and churn for 30-40 mins. Finish the freezing process in the freezer.

Salted Caramel Tarts

My boyfriend's mother requested these after I'd made millionaires shortbread. It's a simple caramel that is poured into a pre made sweet shortcrust tartlet and then devoured. Highly calorific but utterly delicious.

For 16 individual tartlets or one big one you need
1 tin condensed milk
200g butter
4 tbsp golden syrup
1-2 tsp salt flakes depending on taste
2 packs pre made sweet shortcrust pastry tartlets (I used Morrisons which were yummy).

Place the ingredients, minus the tart cases, in a non stick heavy based pan and heat gently. The key to the caramel is patience. Keeping the heat low to medium, and stirring constantly, heat it gently until all the butter is melted. Continue to stir and heat until it comes to the boil and then still stirring keep going until it's thickened and turned a dark golden brown colour. This takes about 15-20 mins in total. Beat in the salt flakes and then carefully pour into the tart cases and leave to set.

Chocolate Cointreau Torte aka orgasm on a plate

This is the recipe you need to make when you want something simple to make but drop dead gorgeous in yer mouth. It's ridiculously simple to make but it tastes amazing. It's based on St Delia's Chocolate truffle torte.

For 10-12 portions you need
300g plain chocolate
150g milk chocolate
600ml double cream
75ml liquid glucose
75ml cointreau
100g amaretti biscuits, crushed

Begin by melting the chocolates and glucose together in a bain marie. Leave to cool for 5 mins.

Whip the cream to floppy, no more. If you go to soft peaks the torte will be too difficult to mix and loose the wonderfully soft texture you want.

Line a 23cm springform tin with baking paper and oil the base and sides. Sprinkle over the biscuit crumbs.

Once the cream is whipped, mix half of it into the chocolate, then mix in the rest of the cream. Mix thoroughly then scrape into the tin. Cover and chill for at least 2-3 hours. Best served with fresh fruit or lashings and lashings of single cream.

Home Grown Roasted Rhubarb with Ice Cream

The rhubarb season has begun and the crown I planted 18 months ago is seriously bearing fruit! So we had it very simply roasted last night for pudding, served with some good quality ice cream. Simplicity at its best.

For 2 people you need
3-4 sticks rhubarb, washed and cut into 1 inch lengths
2-3 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbs water
Ice cream to serve

Place the rhubarb, sugar and water in a roasting dish and cook in a hot oven for 20 mins until the rhubarb is soft and starting to caramelise and there is a syrupy sauce forming from the sugary juices. Serve warm with ice cream. Yummy.

Double-layer Banoffee Pie with Salted Caramel

We somehow accumulated a banana glut and there's only so many banana smoothies I can drink and the freezer was already full of (a very nice) chocolate banana cake so I asked for ideas on things to use them up and the overwhelming response was banoffee pie! So here is my version of the classic.

For a pie that serves 8-10 you need
For the base
150g digestive biscuits
100g butter

For the caramel
397g can condensed milk
100g butter
100g light soft brown sugar
pinch salt flakes

4 bananas
250ml double cream
1-2 squares of plain chocolate

Begin by melting the butter and whizzing the biscuits in a food processor until they resemble sand. Pour in the butter with the motor running until combined. Spread into the base of a flan/pie dish, leaving a little lip around the edges to catch the caramel. Chill in the fridge while you make the caramel.

Melt the butter and sugar in a pan and then add the milk. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously, and boil rapidly for 1 minute. Be careful not to get splashed by the bubbles as it will be VERY HOT! Mix in the salt.

Slice 1-2 bananas into 5mm slices and lay over the base. Top with the caramel and leave to chill for 1-2 hours in the fridge.

Once the caramel has set, place another layer of bananas on the top and then top with whipped cream. Be careful to only take the cream to soft peak stage as you want a pillow of creamy softness on the pie. Swirl to finish and then decorate with grated chocolate. Yum!