Pub Food: Dessert recipes

Desserts can be an easy and efficient way to improve profits - and do not have to be too complicated.

Ice cream manufacturer Schöller estimates that by creating a dedicated ice cream menu, sales can increase from anything between 25 per cent and 400 per cent.

The company says that, with a little effort, ice cream sales per pub can total £10,000 in a year.

While some desserts can be fiddly and expensive to make, there are alternatives that can be easy to create and attractive to customers.

Try increasing sales by including desserts in a three course meal offering, or creating a dedicated dessert menu to be offered to customers at the end of their meal.

Ice cream facts​

• Ice cream is the most popular dessert in the UK
• The UK is the fifth largest ice cream market in the world, with an annual consumption of nine litres per person
• Sales of scooped ice cream have doubled since 1993
• The first documented reference to ices being served in England is in a list of food prepared for St George's Day celebrations at Windsor in 1671.
• Ice cream should be eaten at a temperature between -15 to -8OC. Sorbets should be consumed at a temperatures below
  -13OC.

Facts supplied by Schöller Ice Cream​

Soft fruit and mascarpone trifle​

Preparation:​ 20 minutesServes:​ four

Ingredients:​

• 450g ripe blackberries
• 100g caster sugar
• Juice of half a lemon
• 60g icing sugar
• 250g mascarpone cheese (at room temperature)
• 225ml custard
• 125ml elderflower cordial
• 150ml sweet sherry
• 200g Madeira cake
• 50g hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
• 200ml cream/Meadowland dairy cream alternative
• Mint sprigs to decorate

Method:​

Set aside 12 to 18 blackberries for decoration. Purée 225g of the remaining berries in a blender with the sugar and lemon juice, then pass through a sieve.

Toss the purée with the remaining berries.

Gently stir the icing sugar into the mascarpone, carefully stir in the custard a spoonful at a time, to prevent lumps from forming. Set aside.

Mix the elderflower cordial with the sherry. Cut the Madeira cake into pieces and toss them into the sherry mixture so the cake absorbs all the liquid.

To assemble the trifles, place about one teaspoon of softened cake in the bottom of each glass, top with a generous spoonful of the custard mixture, sprinkle on a few hazelnuts and repeat the layers.

Just before serving top with cream and decorate with reserved purée, few hazelnuts, mint sprigs and reserved blackberries.

Recipe supplied by Caterplan​

Warm fudge cake with Mars ice cream and toffee sauce​

Preparation:​ two minsCooking:​ two minsServes:​ one

Ingredients:​

• 100ml Mars ice cream
• One slice fudge cake
• 20ml toffee sauce
• 30ml whipped cream
• 10g grated chocolate

Method:​

Warm the fudge cake in microwave.

Place ice cream scoops at the end of the cake and drizzle with toffee sauce.

Top with whipped cream and grated chocolate.

Recipe supplied by MasterFoodServices​

Port and mango jelly with crumbly shortbread and thyme cream​

Preparation:​ 10 minsCooking:​ 40 mins(plus two hours chilling)Serves:​ four

Ingredients:​

• 500g Ambrosia mango coulis
• 125g margarine/low-fat spread
• 200ml Meadowland dairy cream alternative
• 1tsp chopped fresh thyme
• 75ml port
• Four gelatine leaves
• 125g rice flour
• 125g plain strong flour
• 60g caster sugar
• One drop vanilla essence
• Four fresh thyme sprigs
• Four chocolate curls (dark)

Method:​

Dissolve the gelatine leaves in water and divide into two.

Heat the port and Ambrosia mango coulis in separate pans. Bring both to simmer but do not boil.

Add one lot of gelatine to each pan and stir.

Carefully pour into glasses in layers. Chill in a fridge to set between layers.

Mix the margarine with the vanilla essence and work in the sugar, then add a mixture of 50/50 flour and rice flour. A firm dough is required but be careful not to overwork it, rest the dough in the fridge.

Shape to required design, bake in a pre-heated oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Whip cream/alternative with chopped thyme and spoon on top of jelly. Dress with thyme sprigs. Place each glass on a side plate and dress with chocolate.

Recipe supplied by Caterplan​

Coffee crème brûlée with raspberry coulis and tea syrup​

Preparation:​five minsCooking:​five mins (plus 30 mins chilling)Serves:​four

Ingredients:​

• Half a litre of Ambrosia crème brûlée (four ramekins)
• 100ml Ambrosia raspberry coulis
• 100g caster sugar
• Four PG Tips tea bags
• 2tbsp coffee liquid

Method:​

Slowly bring the Ambrosia crème brulée to the boil and simmer for one minute.

Add the coffee liquid and stir thoroughly.

Pour in the ramekins and leave to set in the fridge.

Make half a pint of strong tea, add half the sugar and heat until reduced to a syrup.

Place in a small container alongside the Ambrosia raspberry coulis.

Sprinkle the crème brûlée with caster sugar and flame to form a firm, golden caramel top.

Serve when cool.

Recipe supplied by Caterplan​