Your secret weapon ...

... an optional extra – serve a syrup with your Tiramisu. The syrup can be made ahead and fridged. You can serve it in tiny jugs or add it to a portion before serving.

Here's the recipe :

Orange Syrup

200g icing sugar

9 fl oz/250ml orange juice (no bits)

Put the sugar and orange juice in a small saucepan and heat gently so that the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.

Cool the syrup then box and fridge.

The syrup freezes well too.

Here's the finished product :

If you'd like to see an individual Lemon Tiramisu take a look at “A Tiddy Tiramisu– Desserts – Tuesday”

Just before I go, here's another trivial piece of information - Tiramisu means “pick me up” or “cheer me up” - you never know when trivia might come in handy!

The Tiramisu Tweaks!

I don't know whether you've come across this product but you can buy orange curd. It's delicious and an excellent addition to your store cupboard.

I added the orange curd – 2 tablespoons - to my Mascarpone mixture, folding it through to give a rippled effect and extra zing!

In addition to the sprinkled chocolate I added 4 Amaretti biscuits, crushed to a crumb. Set aside the crumb and sprinkle with the chocolate just before serving.

I've discovered a new version of Cointreau liqueur – Blood Orange – one for the Christmas List I think!

Don't forget to omit the alcohol, substituting with orange juice when catering for the kiddies.

You have serving options – one large Tiramisu or a tiddy – meaning small or individual servings.

A little help – if you opt for the tiddy set your stall out – choose your size of glass or dish and an appropriate cutter to fit – here's a photo of the glass I use :

The glass has a capacity of 160ml – it measures 7 cms in diameter and 7 cms deep - the cutter I use measures 4cms in diameter and I slice the cake in 1cm slices. The method is exactly the same as the recipe given in The dessert … for the birthday dinner. One final tip – complete your tiddy with a circle of cake - add a teaspoon of the orange curd to the cake top and then sprinkle with the chocolate and crushed Amaretti biscuits – the curd “glues” the chocolate and Amaretti biscuits in place.

The tiddy benefits from being made ahead – time to soak up all that orange loveliness – and the alcohol too if you are indulging in a grown-up version.

A perfect party pud!

The dessert … for the birthday dinner

Desserts are a risky business for me – did you realise “desserts” is “stressed” backwards!

I'm going out on a limb here and have decided to serve a tiramisu. Tiramisu is a bit like “Marmite” you either love it or hate it, no sitting on the fence.

If I had a £1 for every time I've heard “I don't like coffee in desserts” or “I don't like chocolate in desserts” I'd be a rich girl.

It's very much the case too that coffee flavoured desserts are not popular with kiddies.

Here's my answer – an orange version. For the purists out there I give no apology I want to please all my guests, whether they are 5 years old or 75!

Here's the recipe :

Orange Tiramisu

Grated rind and juice of 2 oranges

20fl oz whipping cream/1 pint/570ml (heavy)

4tbls Cointreau (optional)

20 sponge fingers or Madeira cake

4tbls caster sugar

225g/8oz Mascarpone or curd cheese (Philadelphia)

50g/2oz plain chocolate (grated)

Mix the orange rind and juice with the Cointreau. If you'd prefer an alcohol free version then omit the Cointreau and add an additional 4 tbsp of orange juice.

Mix the cream carefully with the sugar and mascarpone. A small tip – place the mascarpone cheese in a mixing bowl and add the sugar. Once combined add the cream gradually.

Cut up the cake in shapes that suit the bowl you are using and dip into the orange mixture.

Layer the mascarpone mixture with the sponge.

Grate the chocolate and set aside. Sprinkle over the tiramisu when you are about to serve.

Stand by for the “Tiramisu Tweaks”!

The jus and a pie too

You can be posher still if you'd prefer – save your delicious gravy and serve your venison with a redcurrant and port jus. I don't think I could be accused of being “cheffy” but there are some occasions when you have to push the boat out. Oh and by the way this is the quickest and most delicious jus you'll ever make. The other major bonus here is that if you have a pesky vegetarian to cater for – in this case me – then the jus is suitable for said person!

Redcurrant and Port jus

227g jar Redcurrant jelly

200ml Port

Melt the redcurrant jelly in a pan over a gentle heat, add the port and boil, uncovered for 10-12 minutes until syrupy. If you are freezing the jus let it cool - it will freeze for a month. Defrost the sauce at room temperature and reheat to serve.

Can I just clear up this jus and gravy thing – they are both French in origin – a jus is made from the meat juices and not thickened - gravy is made from meat juices and is thickened.

and

You could have eaten it with a spoon!

It's true to say that I have a reputation for always overdoing it and producing too much food. However there is an upside – especially when you've more friends arriving for supper the following day – yippee!

I had enough venison left – with the saved gravy this time to make a venison version of a shepherds pie – here's the base :

It turned out to be a very popular choice for supper!

The posh slow cook

Slow cooking is not just for the every day – you can do posh too.

It's a friend's birthday, so four guests for a birthday dinner. As is my usual practice I wanted to cook ahead. It doesn't matter how many times you've cooked for a dinner party the more time you can buy the better.

I had already chosen the main and a dish that is meant for cooking long and slow – a boned haunch of venison - the haunch is the back leg of the animal.

You can slow cook in red wine or fruit juice – apple or orange. You can add redcurrant or rowan jelly. Sweetness works well with venison. There are heaps of recipes out there.

I prefer to let the venison do the talking and not interfere too much.

Here's my version :

Slow cooked venison

Serves 6

2 tbsp rapeseed oil

2lb/900g venison haunch, cut into generous portions

salt and black pepper

a generous pinch of oregano

8 fl oz/250ml passata

4 fl oz/125ml dry red wine – I used Rioja

4 fl oz/125ml water

Heat the oil in a large frying pan to a medium heat. Brown the venison well in batches and set aside in your slow cooker. Add the salt, pepper and oregano to the residual juices in the pan and then pour in the passata, red wine and water. Bring to the boil and tip over the venison portions. Slow cook for 6 hours.

I cooked the venison several days ahead and then froze it and the gravy separately.

One bit fat tick off my dinner party “to do” list!

Coming next … the jus and a pie too.

The moral of this slow cooking lark ...

… is that it allows you to make the most of the time you've got. If you're in your kitchen anyway why not spend an extra five minutes and slow cook either the chicken fillet or pork loin steaks and stock your freezer. It may not seem like much at the time but you might change your mind in the middle of a working week when you're worn to a frazzle and can't string a sentence together, let alone split an atom and create a meal.

The sauces given with the chicken and the pork are quick, easy and tasty - both can be made ahead and fridged.

These recipes are not set in stone – they are only a guide - not a rigid set of rules. If you have your own favourite sauces then brilliant. I'm just trying to give you an idea or two that might inspire your own creation or an old favourite that you'd forgotten.

Having ready cooked protein in your ATC will enable you to pull together your own home-cooked meals quickly – what's not to love. If you think ahead and take advantage of the deals out there you'll save even more dosh.

If it moves I freeze it – an example –a I have chicken that I slow cooked and stripped. I have the liquid gold too (the stock). Last week I bought a ham hock that I didn't have time to slow cook. Gary – my lovely local butcher – confirmed I could freeze it and cook when I had more time. I have friends coming for lunch soon. Their favourite pie is chicken and ham.

I rest my case.

Stuff you might find useful

Slow cooking – hints and tips

You can slow cook all sorts apart from meat and poultry – soups, veggies, desserts, the world is your lobster!

I have three slow cookers in various sizes and use them for meat and poultry.

I've used slow cookers for years and still apply the same principles as I've always done (which does not include the whole chicken recipe – rules are meant to be broken!). I seal my meat/poultry before it goes into the slow cooker and although these days you can buy slow cookers that are suitable for hob to hotplate I use a frying pan to seal – I know it creates washing up but the method in my madness is that I can set aside the protein and then use the juices in the pan, adding stock and whatever else I feel like, de-glazing and getting the best flavour possible. I can see what I'm doing too.

Don't overfill the cooker with liquid – as a guide half to two thirds maximum

Thickening. I'm not a lover of coating meat in flour and then sealing it. As far as I'm concerned you're slow cooking the coating and not the meat. I prefer to thicken with a teaspoon or two of slaked cornflour at the end of the cooking time.

If you're thinking of investing in a slow cooker you might be tempted to buy a small version. It's my experience that you'll regret it – if you are cooking for yourself but feed family and friends too it's the perfect vehicle for saving you time, effort and of course dosh.

I find that stainless steel and a separate hotplate is most practical for me. I can decant from the slow cooker to freeze but leave enough for a meal and then transfer the cooker to my hob to re-heat later.

There are lots to choose from so take your time!

P.s. If you're new to this slow cooking malarkey invest in a slow cooking recipe book too. There are some excellent ones out there – Lakeland publish at least two.

Here's my slow cooker :