Sweet dish

A charmingly simple way to decorate and serve delicious fresh strawberries - either as a simple treat on their own or with ice-cream for a more substantial dessert.

Hidden inside each of these mocha meringues is a whole hazelnut for a delightful surprise.

A 30cm glass stand was used for this cake, but a prepared 30cm round board can be used instead. Fruit can be varied, depending on season and availability. Note

Rhubarb comes in bunches and needs all leaves trimmed away and stalks washed before cooking. Any leftover rhubarb puree is delicious served with muesli or cereal for breakfast, or topped with a favourite crumble mixture. Note

Fresh coconut can be shaved into long flakes using a vegetable peeler. Note

Dried rose petals are available from specialist food stores. Note

Rose, violet, nasturtium and pansy petals are all edible and make beautiful additions to recipes. Note

Cook a double or triple batch of these quinces and store them in their syrup in the fridge. Serve with porridge or muesli for breakfast. Note

You can substitute glacé fruit with others of your choice. Cut the cake with a hot knife. Wipe the blade clean between cuts. Note

For a clear jelly, don’t push the mixture through the muslin-lined strainer, instead, allow the mixture to strain gradually. Note

This recipe can be made up to 2 days ahead; store, covered, in refrigerator. Note

Also known as floating islands, this dessert is an adaptation of a French pudding, in which a stale sponge cake, steeped in liqueur, was floated in a bowl of custard. Note

This recipe also makes 6 texas muffins (¾-cup/180ml); bake about 40 minutes. Note

To make individual crumbles, use four 1½ cup (375ml) dishes and bake 15 minutes. Note

You can use blueberries or cranberries instead of goji, if you like. Store bars in an air-tight container for up to 1 week. Note

Grand Marnier or Cointreau can be used for the orange-flavoured liqueur. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Truffles, without cocoa coating, can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving and dusting with cocoa. Note

Decorate the cake pops with small bows. Note

A French-style parfait that's sure to impress.

This gorgeous French dessert is worthy of any dinner party or family event. The combination of cream-filled puffs, crisp, spun toffee and a buttery pastry base creates the ultimate sweet recipe.

Use fresh raspberries if fresh blackberries are not available. Place the unused vanilla pod in a jar of caster (superfine) sugar to make your own vanilla sugar. Note

Edible gold leaf and candy thermometers are available from kitchenware stores and cake decorating suppliers. Note

Use a clean piping and tube for each different coloured meringue. Note

Place any leftover lime leaves in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for another use. Add three or four to a curry, scrunching the leaves first to release the flavour; toss thinly sliced leaves through a tropical fruit salad; or add sliced leaves to a jug of iced water for a refreshing citrus flavour. Mango […]

Sometimes called Indian blood plum, the large plum used in this recipe has a distinctive dark red to purple fibrous flesh, is extremely juicy, pleasantly sweet, and is the plum most often found canned. Canned apricots or peaches can be substituted for the plums. A delicious time-and waist-saving recipe. Note

The sherbet is also delicious served on its own as a dessert. Do ahead: Make the sherbet up to 2 days ahead; cover and freeze until required. You will need to start this recipe the day before. Note