But now is the season. So pick up a pint of fresh blackcurrants and make this easy blackcurrant and apple cobbler recipe. When baking with blackcurrants be wary that you will need the extra sugar as they are very tart.

Oh, and if you have never tried Ribena before, buy some and try it mixed with soda water. You will find it a great way to get fluids into sick children.

Clafoutis is a fancy french word for a crustless fruit tart made with a baked custard. The filling is soft, fragrant and sweet, with the texture of a lemon tart, punctured with chunky pieces of fruit. Classically cherries. These little clafoutis are baked in muffin cups so they are individually sized. Perfect for a party or a delicate presentation. Or so you can try and see how many you can fit in your mouth at once.

Traditionally clafoutis is made with un-pitted cherries but who wants to break their teeth on cherry pits? This recipe was adapted from a cookbook which is likely to always be on my shelf: the Joy of Cooking.

This brownie recipe emerged from a debilitating chocolate craving. Though these brownies do not involve any special ingredients, this is the sort of recipe I imagine college students making at 2am.

They are gooey, they are ultra chocolatey and the marshmallow melts into pockets of sweet crystallized sugar. You should also be proud to hear that because I take quality control so seriously, I made sure to check every inch of that brownie pan when photographing them the next morning. I left no crumb uneaten.

This shortbread recipe is a perfect union between sweet and salty. Caramel and pecans will always make a good pair but crumbly shortbread is the perfect vessel for them.

Plus, if your inner 7-year old is alive and well, as mine is, you will love drizzling caramel over these cookies. Even if the table, and all of your dishcloths, will drip with pecan-dotted caramel afterwards. Luckily, you won’t care as you will be in the throes of a sugar rush. Once you have calmed down and cleaned up, serve these with a hot cup of tea.

There were only seconds between my tasting the first one, and my running downstairs clutching a hot fritter between my fingers I was so eager to share them. The husband was doing manly things and his hands were covered in sawdust, or castor oil, or something inedible. So I plopped a fritter right into his mouth.

Mmm, those are good. He said. …Are there more?

I think it is the genuine crunch of the homemade apple fritter which makes a difference. Or maybe the way, the exterior quickly gives way to a light and soft center of cinnamon spice, and warm apple chunks.

The downside? They are only amazing the day they are made. After about 16 hours our batch turned soggy and just were not the same, so I give you permission to eat them all in one sitting. Next time, I plan to.

Once roasted there are endless ways to use figs. For a savoury appetizer make a cheese plate with some Gorgonzola and Camembert. For dessert serve the roasted figs hot over a vanilla bean ice cream. If you are feeling adventurous try this fig risotto recipe, you will impress everyone.

Similar Recipes:
Rhubarb and Ginger Compote
Homemade Apple Sauce
Raspberry Coulis

The cinnamon makes this grilled pineapple recipe genuinely spicy and the lime cuts the sweetness just slightly. Cutting the pineapple lengthwise makes it easy to cut out the core. If you are going for a fancier preparation feel free to grill pineapple rings. Try this warm, served with vanilla ice cream.

However, when I saw this recipe in Women’s Health magazine (March 2010), I was intrigued because the icing was light and seemed to drip right off of the cupcakes. Plus this recipe is made with whole wheat pastry flour, something I am just learning about.

In the end I actually weaseled out of making the cream cheese frosting for these carrot cake cupcakes anyways. The cream cheese I was intending to use had gone bad so I substituted sour cream instead. A delicious alternative and interesting in itself. I have left the recipe as it is with cream cheese. Let me know if you make the icing with cream cheese, as I intend to next time.

You will never look at a banana the same way after you have tried this. When I looked at bananas I used to see a conduit to peanut butter or a natural oatmeal sweetener, now I see ice cream.

But not just any ice cream, in fact, not even ice cream at all – at it’s simplest this frosty treat is just bananas.  This dessert is raw, vegan, natural, and easy to make without an ice cream maker. In fact it makes an amazing afternoon snack or even breakfast.  Of course you can fancy it up with wonderful things like dark chocolate, almonds, peanut butter or coconut. Toppings make any dessert more fun.

I do not subscribe to the belief that fruit is bad if you are on a diet. I know there was some publicity awhile back about how you weren’t allowed to eat bananas on the Biggest Loser diet.

Well, eat this.  (Oh and we have eaten it. Every night in the last week.)

These are my Mum’s brownies, otherwise known as the best brownies ever. Leftover’s do not last long and they will satisfy any chocolate lover. The key is a high icing to brownie ratio and the little bit of coffee in the icing enhances the cocoa flavour.    Bring these to your next holiday party.