Rachel Allen - Entertaining at Home

1 First make the orange curd. Whisk together the egg and egg yolk. Then melt the butter in a saucepan on a low–medium heat. Add the sugar and orange juice and zest, and pour in the eggs.

2 Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, still over a low heat (if it is too high, the egg will scramble), for 10–15 minutes or until the mixture is fairly thick. If you find the egg does start to scramble, dip the bottom of the pan in very cold water and then sieve the mixture. The curd is ready when the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the wooden spoon and leave a definite mark when you draw a line in it with your finger. It will thicken further once cool.

3 Remove the curd from the heat, pour into a bowl and allow to cool. If you wish to keep this for two weeks, store the orange curd in sterilised jars.

4 To make the roulade, reheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Line the Swiss roll tin with foil, then brush with a little vegetable or sunflower oil.

5 Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk for about 10 minutes until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

6 Spoon the mixture into the tin and spread it out evenly. Place in the oven and cook for 15–20 minutes or until it looks marshmallowy and lightly springy to the touch in the centre.

7 Remove from the oven and turn the meringue out onto a sheet of baking parchment or foil that has been liberally dusted with icing sugar. Peel off the foil from the base and allow to cool.

8 To assemble the roulade, first spread the orange curd evenly to cover the meringue, then spread the whipped cream over the orange curd. Gently roll up the roulade starting at one of the long edges and rolling away from you, to form a log shape. Transfer to a long serving plate, making sure the ‘join’ is facing down, and dust with icing sugar. Cut into slices to serve.

This fantastically light meringue dessert is very quick to prepare, especially if you make the purée in advance and then just fold it into the whisked egg whites at the last minute. Eat on its own or with the shortbread biscuits. Once made, you can store these in a tin-if there are any left over! This recipe contains raw eggs, which should be avoided by pregnant women, the very young and the very old.

SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN

450g (1lb) cooking apples, such as Bramley, peeled, cored and cut into chunks

175g (6oz) caster sugar

2 egg whites

Shortbread biscuits (see below), to serve

1 Place the apple chunks and sugar in a large saucepan with 100ml (3½fl oz) water, cover with a lid and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes or until the apples are quite soft. Remove the lid and continue to simmer for another 3–4 minutes or until the apples are quite mushy and all the liquid has evaporated.

2 Remove from the heat, allow to cool a little, then whiz in a blender or food processor for a few minutes to make into a purée. Taste the purée to make sure it is sweet enough, adding a little more sugar if needed. It should be slightly sweeter than you want it to be eventually as its flavour will be diluted by the egg whites. Transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool.

3 When you are ready to serve, whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl until they form stiff peaks. Gently fold the egg whites into the apple purée. Serve in glass bowls or glasses with the shortbread biscuits on the side.

MAKES ABOUT 25 BISCUITS VEGETARIAN

150g (5oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

50g (2oz) caster sugar

100g (3½oz) butter, softened

Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.

2 Place the flour and sugar in a large bowl, rub in the butter then bring the mixture together to form a stiff dough, or just whiz all the ingredients together briefly in a food processor until almost combined.

3 Pat out the dough into a round about 2cm (¾in) thick, then cover with greaseproof paper or cling film and chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes. On a work surface lightly dusted with flour, roll out the dough to about 5mm (¼in) thick and cut into shapes — round, square, rectangular, heart-shaped, whatever takes your fancy. Place carefully on 2 baking sheets (no need to grease or line) and cook in the oven for 6–10 minutes or until pale golden.

4 Take out of the oven and allow to sit on the baking sheets for a few seconds to firm up slightly (don’t leave them any longer or they will stick). Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then dust with icing sugar if eating with the Apple Snow.

The classic Bellini cocktail — a divine combination of sparkling wine (normally Prosecco) and fresh peach juice — was invented in the 1940s by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of the celebrated Harry’s Bar in Venice. The cocktail’s particular shade of pink supposedly reminded Cipriani of the colour of the toga worn by a saint in a painting by Renaissance artist Giovanni Bellini-hence the name.

SERVES 6 VEGETARIAN

1 × 750ml bottle of sparkling wine, such as Prosecco or Cava

For the fruit purée

1 mango, peeled, stone removed and flesh chopped

100g (3½0 z) fresh or frozen and defrosted raspberries

3 tbsp lemon juice

4 tbsp caster sugar

6 champagne flutes

1 Place all the ingredients for the fruit purée in a food processor and whiz for 1–2 minutes, then push through a sieve.

2 Mix in a jug or fill glasses with one-third purée and two-thirds sparkling wine, stirring gently to combine. Serve chilled.

Mango Bellinis: Purée the flesh of 1 large mango with 3 tablespoons of lime juice and 3 tablespoons of caster sugar, then mix with the sparkling wine, as above.

Raspberry Bellinis: Purée 250g (9oz) fresh or frozen and defrosted raspberries with 5 tablespoons of caster sugar and 5 tablespoons of lemon juice, then mix with the sparkling wine.

This is a really comforting, autumnal dessert, delicious with a dollop of whipped cream. It’s also a great excuse to get the family out picking blackberries. These can be substituted with raisins, however, if you prefer.

SERVES 6–8 VEGETARIAN

Butter, for spreading

12 slices of white bread, crusts removed

200g (7oz) cooking apples, such as Bramley

150g (5oz) blackberries

450ml (16fl oz) single or regular cream

225ml (8fl oz) milk

4 eggs

150g (5oz) caster sugar

1 tbsp granulated sugar

Pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)

20 × 25cm (8 × 10in) square, round or oval ovenproof dish

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.

2 Butter the bread, cut into smaller pieces and arrange 6 in the ovenproof dish, butter side down. Peel and core the cooking apples and cut into 2cm (¾in) chunks. Place the pieces and blackberries in a layer on top of the bread. Then arrange the remaining bread, again butter side down and overlapping if necessary, to cover the fruit.

3 Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan, bring to just under the boil and remove from the heat.

4 While the milk and cream are heating up, whisk together the eggs and caster sugar in a large bowl. Add the hot cream and milk and whisk to combine, then pour this custard over the bread and leave to soak for 10 minutes. Sprinkle the granulated sugar over the top and the cinnamon (if using).