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7 Must-Try Summer Dessert Recipes

7 Must-Try Summer Dessert Recipes

by Mireille Kilgour : January 5th, 2015

Summer is upon us and with it comes ample opportunity for entertaining. Be it sit down dinners, casual barbecues or tapas and drinks, there is always the need for something sweet. But warm weather is no time for hot puddings, custards and rich cheesecakes. Warm weather is all about light, refreshing, cooling desserts that finish your event with a flavoursome bang.

Here are some original summer delights to try:

Passionfruit & Mango Parfait

Ingredients

1 pack passionfruit jelly

½ cup passionfruit pulp

whipped cream

3 diced mango

vanilla custard

4 egg whites

1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp cornflour

½ tsp white vinegar

¼ tsp vanilla extract

Prepare jelly by adding 1 cup boiling water, passionfruit pulp and ⅓ cup cold water. Refrigerate until set.

To make meringue, preheat oven to 170°C. Beat egg whites until soft peaks then gradually add sugar, beating as you go. Fold in cornflour, vinegar and vanilla. Line two baking trays with baking paper and spoon 8 discs of meringue. Reduce oven to 120°C and bake until meringues are dry (approximately 1.5 hours). Cool meringues in oven. In four glasses, spoon layers of custard, jelly, whipped cream and crushed meringue.

Summer pavlova

A classic pavlova consisting of a crisp but marshmallowy base topped with cream, passion fruit, strawberries and kiwi fruit will never go astray, but consider this summer mixing it up with some new ingredients. Great combinations can include banana slices tossed in lemon juice and drizzled with salted caramel or pitted cherries with a dark chocolate glaze. You could also try swapping the cream for a healthier choice of Greek yoghurt or adding a touch of rosewater to your meringue base.

Blueberry Clafoutis with Lemon Verbena Ice cream

Image via The Guardian

Ingredients

120g blueberries

100g buttermilk

45ml cream

20g melted butter

½ tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

65g sugar

50g flour

15g ground almonds

Put all ingredients in a blender and whizz to combine. Butter and sugar four small tart tins, place on a baking tray and divide the clafoutis batter between them. Bake until just set.

Serve with a fresh lemon verbena ice cream.

Summer berry trifle

Prepare some strawberry and raspberry jelly and, once set, coarsely chop. In a large serving bowl lay sliced jam rollettes in the base, drizzle with sweet sherry and top with half the jelly. Cover with strawberries and blueberries and spoon over some custard. Repeat the process, finish with cream and decorate with a few more berries.

Grape and Champagne Sorbet

Ingredients

4 cups seedless red grapes

¾ cup Champagne

½ cup sugar

¼ cup thawed Concord grape juice concentrate

1 tsp pinches ground cinnamon

Puree grapes in a blender before adding to a bowl with remaining ingredients. Process using an ice cream maker. Freeze in a lidded container for at least 4 hours. Serve in a Champagne coupe and decorate with additional grapes.

Tropical Banana Sundae

Image via Good Food

Ingredients

8 bananas

100g palm sugar

40g butter

100ml cream

100g caster sugar

100g macadamia nuts

2 tbsp shredded coconut

4 sesame seed wafers

Peel six bananas, chop and freeze in a ziplock bag. Soften for 20 minutes, then whiz in a food processor until thick and creamy. Refreeze.

To make caramel, heat the palm sugar, butter and cream for 3 minutes while continually stirring. To make toffee, heat sugar with 2 tbs water while continuously stirring, add chopped nuts and spread over a baking tray and leave to harden.

In 4 sundae dishes, arrange remaining banana and top with a scoop of ice cream, a drizzle of caramel sauce, toffee, a wafer and toasted coconut.

Summer Berry Tart

Ingredients

½ cup toasted almonds

2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

¼ cup caster sugar

125g chilled chopped butter

chilled water

¾ cup apricot jam

1 tbsp Amaretto

500g vanilla custard

variety of berries

Process almonds to finely chop before adding flour, baking powder and sugar. Process for 30 seconds, add butter and process again. Add chilled water one tablespoon at a time (approximately 4 or 5 in total), processing between each one. Knead pastry on a floured surface, wrap in baking paper and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Line a 2cm deep flan with rolled pastry and refrigerate for a 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 200°C. Bake with baking beads for 20 minutes and 10 minutes without beads. Set aside to cool.

In a saucepan, heat jam and Amaretto for 2 minutes. Press through a sieve. Spoon custard onto pastry, cover with berries and glaze berries with jam mix.

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Mireille Kilgour

Mireille Kilgour has been an entrepreneur for 35 years in the hospitality sector. French born, she has been an accomplished business owner and operator for a number of Sydney venues. Leading the industry with high profile institutions such as Lamrock Café Bondi, she has endless passion for the industry, and now has the pleasure of supporting restaurants to fill their tables with the new Good Food Gift Card program.