Pudding Puddings

Jon Watts’ Zesty Tiramisu Recipe

The ultimate Italian trifle with a twist. Even if you're not a fan of coffee, you'll LOVE this tiramisu: the orange and lemon freshen and complement it so well. It is a simplified version – because the sometimes-tricky traditional Italian cream filling has been substituted by a very stable adaptation. This means that even novice cooks don’t have anything to worry about here.

30 minutes prep,

Serves 8

Ingredients

For the coffee soak:

3 tbsp instant coffee granules

2 tbsp golden caster sugar

300ml boiling water

4 tbsp Kahlua or other coffee liqueur (optional)

For the tiramisu:

500g mascarpone or cream cheese

300ml double cream

120g golden caster sugar

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges, plus more zest to serve

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons

300g sponge fingers

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 Cook the gnocchi in plenty of salted water, according to the packet instructions. Drain, but reserve some of the cooking water.

2 Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Once it starts foaming, add the black pepper and cook for a minute, until fragrant.

3 Add about 40ml of the gnocchi cooking water to the pan and stir until the sauce has emulsified.

4 Add the drained gnocchi to the pan along with the grated pecorino. Toss until the cheese has melted and you have a smooth, glossy sauce. If it needs loosening up, add a little more of the reserved cooking water. Sprinkle in the chopped parsley and mix well.

5 Divide between 2 warmed bowls and finish with more grated cheese, if you like.

Recipes extracted from Speedy Weeknight Meals by Jon Watts, published by Bloomsbury. Photography by Jonathan Gregson.