Lemon Drizzle Cake with Lemon Curd Mascarpone

Lemon Drizzle Cake is a always a favourite, but if you bake two rounds, drizzle, then sandwich with a deep layer of cool creamy mascarpone mixed with tangy, buttery lemon curd, you are on to a real winner.  I made this for a cake sale at work today, and I think I could have made another couple of cakes and it would still have sold.  Really, REALLY good, just make it, eat it and ignore the calories!  I found this recipe on Waitrose's site.  This recommends using home-made lemon curd, which would be perfection, but I didn't have the time.  Instead, I used Wilkinson's of Tiptree's bought stuff - it is very good, made with whole egg, butter and Sicilian lemons.  Not cheap.  But worth it.  Also, forgive the picture.  I was too knackered to take photos last night, and it disappeared this morning before I thought to ask someone to take a snap, so this pic from Waitrose will have to do.

Hazelnut Tart with Orange Mascarpone and Strawberries

A nice variation on strawberry cream tart, this appears in the latest edition of 'Olive' Magazine.  The base is a rich shortcrust with ground toasted hazelnuts added, and baked blind.  It is filled with a tub of mascarpone mixed with a little sugar, grated orange zest, a little orange juice and 150ml of softly whipped cream - just in case there wasn't enough fat for you already.  Topped with healthy sliced strawberries from the local PYO in Binsey, and we have a treat indeed!

Pasta with Tomato, Mascarpone , Asparagus and Basil

Okay, so you could make this sauce by gently simmering onions, garlic, tomatoes and mascarpone until smooth and tender - or you could go to Marks and Sparks and pick up a tub of their ready-made, which is really very good.  Guess which I did?  Anyway, once you have your said sauce, tart it up a bit with some fresh pesto and basil leaves stirred through, along with a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan.  Towards the end of the pasta cooking time (I used shells as they hold the sauce nicely) throw in some asparagus, cut on the diagonal into pieces.  When all cooked, drain the pasta and asparagus, mix with the sauce, add more parmesan and tuck in.  Scrummy, and you'd never guess the sauce was ready-made.  Ooops!

Mushroom and Mascarpone Sauce for Pasta

This isn't low fat, for sure, but it got supper on the table in 15 minutes and was warming and filling on a freezing foggy Autumn night.  Whilst your pasta is cooking, what ever shape you fancy, saute a finely chopped onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until starting to soften, then add a clove of crushed garlic and stir for a minute or two.  Then add a punnet of chopped mushrooms, whatever you have to hand - I used two wonderful big Portobello mushrooms from the Riverford veg box - and saute for a minute or two over a brisk heat until lovely and juicy.  Strip three or four small sprigs of fresh thyme and stir into the pot.  Now, stir in around half a tub of mascarpone, about 125g.  I know, I know, stop whingeing, it is for 2 people!  Allow it to melt and bubble into the mushrooms.  Taste and adjust the seasoning, stirring in a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan.  Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water.  Add drained pasta to the pan and stir well with the sauce, adding a little of the reserved cooking water if needed.  Add some chopped parsley if you have it. Spoon into hot bowls, sprinkle a little more parmesan over, and tuck in!  Now what to make with the remaining mascarpone?  Same again?  Or spoon it through a hot tomato sauce for another creamy pasta option!

Gooseberries with Mascarpone Cream [#110]

Like rhubarb, a taste for gooseberries has only come to me as I have got older. I now appreciate their sharp, tart edge after a roast dinner, especially when tempered with a modest spoonful of Nigel's eggy Mascarpone cream. Perfect after the roast lamb of the previous recipe, and a starter of mini salmon and dill fishcakes stashed in the freezer (see recipe #74). The gooseberries, of course, came from the local PYO at Medley Manor Farm in Binsey, on the West edge of Oxford - a most marvellous place.

Strawberry Mascarpone Tart [#94]

As Nigel says, the easiest tart ever - although I think I may have chosen unwisely with the shortbread as the biscuit base, as it has set quite firm, instead of being short and crumbly, as Nigel envisaged. Tastes good though, and that's what matters! I can see this working with loads of fruit toppings. Don't overbeat the mascarpone and egg yolk, as it almost split.