Wealden Times | WT177 | November 2016 | Christmas Gifts supplement inside

Food
No Time Instant Desserts
We’ve often found ourselves in the position of having to
magic up a dessert out of nowhere. Though a block of decent
chocolate and/or dried fruit can go a long way, so many men
(sorry, people) still seem to have that awkward, after-dinner,
dessert-shaped hole to fill. But with a bit of forethought and
a well-stocked freezer and pantry, any of these can be created
in 5 minutes.
Ice Cream Sandwiches
Ice cream sandwiches can be as tastefully restrained or over
the top as the combinations of biscuit and ice cream you
choose: shortbread biscuits with berry sorbet, chocolate
biscuits with cookies and cream ice cream, choc-chip cookies
with peanut butter ice cream … Bigger biscuits are easier to
sandwich, while an array of different flavoured, smaller ones
looks cuter.
You need to soften the ice cream a bit so that it can be
spooned onto the bottom layer of biscuit. Press down with
the top biscuit and neaten around the edges with the flat of
a knife. Pop each sandwich back into the freezer as you go,
until you’re ready to serve.
Hazelnut Affogato
This is insanely simple and delicious, as long as you have
hazelnuts and hazelnut liqueur in the pantry. Make a shot
of coffee for each of your guests. Spoon a scoop of vanilla
ice cream into however many shatterproof tumblers or cups
you need. Pour 2 tablespoons of hazelnut liqueur over the
top, followed by the hot espresso and sprinkle with roasted,
skinned, crushed hazelnuts.
Sparkling Slushy
A sparkling slushy makes a refreshing end to a summer
dinner. If you’re making it for kids as well, you can substitute
lemonade for the sparkling wine. You’ll need a couple of
different bought sorbets and a bottle of sparkling wine.
Spoon a scoopful of each of two sorts of sorbet (strawberry
and lemon, raspberry and peach, passionfruit and mango –
whatever tickles your fancy) into tumblers or glass bowls. Top
with sparkling wine (or lemonade) and serve, with spoons.
145 wealdentimes.co.uk