“My favourite kind of Indian desserts are custards and creams. I can remember savouring silky smooth shrikhand and rich warm kheer during big holiday dinner. Possets give me the same type of feel. They are a citrus-flavoured (usually lemon) dessert that has a texture similar to pudding or pot de crème but without eggs…”

“Dirty chai is a chai with a shot of espresso, and it’s what kept me going through grad school. The combination of chai spices, milky black tea, and bitter coffee is stellar. You can make this semi-homemade if you’re short on time by using boxed brownie mix. I promise I won’t judge…”

“My mom has an intense green thumb, and her pride and joy is her night-blooming jasmine. Summer nights were spent sitting outside basking in the aroma of jasmine while eating freshly cut fruit from my dad. This tiramisu is an edible version of those memories, and it’s made with ladyfingers that are soaked in a delicate jasmine tea and layered with ripe strawberries and a velvety…”

“This tart-ified version of a carrot cake might not be an obvious classic, but it belongs in this chapter as a great foundational recipe for the tarts in our ‘Not Your Average Tarts’ chapter. The cream cheese glaze is what makes this one special – it’s designed to taste the same as a typical cream cheese frosting and to sit perfectly flat across the top of the tart…”

“Being a travelling monk in sixteenth-century Sicily couldn’t have been easy. During Lent, the season of austerity preceding Easter, monks were expected to hike on foot day after day for forty days, ministering to the faithful across the land. Although they were able to stop at monasteries for sustenance, eating meat was prohibited…”

“Unusually for an Asian nation, the Vietnamese have a fondness for coffee – a taste they acquired from their French colonisers. (Interestingly, Vietnam supplies the world coffee trade with much of its robusta beans, most of which end up as instant coffee.) The left-over syrup keeps well and tastes delicious spooned over ice-cream.”

“Being a travelling monk in sixteenth-century Sicily couldn’t have been easy. During Lent, the season of austerity preceding Easter, monks were expected to hike on foot day after day for forty days, ministering to the faithful across the land. Although they were able to stop at monasteries for sustenance, eating meat was prohibited…”

“If you’ve been to the Caffè Sicilia in Noto, it’s likely you’ve had your way with a warm brioche dipped into a bowl of slushy granita di mandorle made with freshly pressed almond milk. It’s a deliciously fragrant contrast of textures and temperatures. Although they call it a granita, it’s more like a cremolata. Unlike granita, where you want a bit of crunch…”

“There’s an excellent Sicilian pasticceria in my neighborhood in Brooklyn called Monteleone, owned by a man who was born and raised in Sicily. His pastries taste as authentic as any you’ll find in Sicily and, lucky for all of us, he makes cuccidati year-round, not just at Christmas time. (That’s when he makes a larger, ring-shaped version called buccellati, or bracelets.)…”

“Pistachios are super tasty, vibrantly colourful and chock-full of healthy fats. In addition to being highly nutritious, they’re also very forgiving to the baker – the high fat content provides incredible moisture and makes it almost impossible to overbake this cake. We tend to use whole pistachios and grind them fresh, as they oxidise quickly once ground. A top tip is to…” – Michael & Pippa James

“The wow-factor of a clafoutis is inversely proportional to the ease of making one. Just before dinner, make a quick batter, lay some beautiful seasonal fruit into a baking dish and pour the batter over the top. Pop it in the oven while you eat your meal and enjoy a satisfyingly creamy, fruit-based, baked custard pudding to follow. No pastry, no fuss…” – Michael & Pippa James

Want homemade cake but not the palaver that goes with baking? You know the drill… dusting off the mixer… creaming butter and sugar… cleaning up the aftermath. Yeah nah, sometimes you’re just not up for it. Enter this Thai-inspired, sticky rice-based deliciousness. Comprising just four ingredients, it’s so darned easy to make, requiring no oven and using the simplest of techniques. It’s failsafe! And yum…

“Named ‘juak’ after the shape of a pebble, this traditional Korean dessert is a perfect combination of chewy, sticky rice bathed in jocheong (rice syrup). In the past, Gaeseong Juak was an essential dessert for special guests and wedding ceremonies. Today, it’s a steady seller at Korean dessert cafes and has actually become somewhat trendy.” - Jung Eun Chae

“One of the things I always try to hunt down whenever I visit Korea are these beautifully packaged milk caramel bites. Often found in convenience stores, these perfectly bite-sized squared caramels come individually wrapped in silver foiled paper; they are a classic confectionery, loved by all for their milky toffee-like taste and softly chewy texture.” - Su Scott

“The Turkish love pumpkin in desserts (either baked in its own juice with sugar or poached in syrup) and baklava are a legacy of the Ottoman palace kitchens. Baked in a round tray and sliced into wedges, havuç dilimi is one of our traditional baklava shapes and traditionally walnuts…

“Peaches have a quite short season in Palestine. They’re flavorful, and I think they go very well with a lot of desserts, including mouhalabieh. These peaches are poached in pomegranate juice flavoured with lavender…

“This version of a classic Lebanese milk pudding normally set with cornflour (cornstarch) is a rip off of Rita Macali’s chocolate panna cotta. When working at Ladro as the prep chef before opening Rumi, I would occasionally sneak one of these for breakfast…

“We really amp up the hazelnut flavour by first making a hazelnut praline, which is then used to make a traditional frangipane. The combination of figs with hazelnuts in a crisp, sweet tart shell is pure bliss…

“This is a childhood treat Mum would make for us, and I’m a fan of the retroness of it, so I’m on a mission to bring it back. The recipe is just how she made it, but I’ve added the pecan praline. You might have some praline left over, which you can store in an airtight container for up to a week (if it doesn’t get scoffed before then)…

A popular dish from the cookbook Bao Family by Céline Chung. Granny Smith apples are a great choice, as they’re firm and slightly tart, which balances out the sweet sugar coating…