Food: The sweet midwinter
Stunning puds with seasonal sparkle for the festive table by food writer and cook Skye McAlpine
Fruit & mascarpone tart
Apple & walnut crumble pie; Chocolate chestnut meringue pie
I have a sweet tooth. Cakes, puddings, ice cream, jellies and elaborate meringues laced with whipped cream are the stuff of my dreams.
But the real joy of pudding is about more than greed: it’s an important moment in the rhythm of the meal, a place to breathe. It’s an invitation to linger at the table: to help yourself to seconds, to sip your coffee, to chatter, to relax into that delicious ‘full’ feeling that comes after a good meal well enjoyed. Pudding is tacit acknowledgement that we are not simply here to feed ourselves, but for pleasure. While I will skip a starter happily, I believe you should never skip the pudding.
Given my love of all things sweet, it is no surprise that I like to bake more than I like to cook. Baking involves a different kind of magic: it feels like you start with next to nothing – a bag of flour, a box of eggs, a little sugar – yet somehow you end up with a cake. It’s immensely satisfying.
Baking is the closest I get to quiet meditation in the kitchen. You will, therefore, find recipes here that call for a little more time. But I urge you not to be put off; if I can make them, you definitely can. They are also the kind of recipes where all the effort is ahead of time, then, when it comes to your lunch or supper party, all you have to do is bring out the dessert and enjoy the gratifying ooh-ing and aah-ing that it evokes.
Reach for the Skye – and save
Our recipes are from A Table for Friends with additional recipes from A Table in Venice by Skye McAlpine, both Bloomsbury, £26. To order copies for £22.88 each, go to mailshop.co.uk/books, or call 020 3308 9193. Promotional price valid until 20 December. Free UK delivery on orders over £15.