Dan Lepard's recipes for iced summer charlotte and savoiardi biscuits

Iced summer charlotte The combination of crisp sponge fingers and a soft, summer berry mousse makes for a beautiful and grand dessert that's just the thing on those weekends when you have a craving for a little luxury. If you want to simplify things, just serve the mousse in individual glasses with some cookies or shortbread alongside, or line a long terrine with clingfilm and set the mixture so you can cut slices from it. Any soft berry will work well in this. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, too. For the sauce 400g frozen raspberries (or same weight fresh) 125g caster sugar 4 half-sized gelatine sheets (such as the Dr Oetker brand ) For the meringue 2 egg whites 75g caster sugar For the cream 150g double cream 25g caster sugar 3 tsp vanilla extract (or the seeds from 1 pod) 3 tsp brandy or eau de vie About a dozen savoiardi biscuits Fresh raspberries and icing sugar, to finish Have ready a deep (say 8cm), round, 18cm diameter, straight-sided soufflé dish. Heat the frozen raspberries in a saucepan with the sugar until the fruit softens and the juices begin to run. Meanwhile, soak the gelatine in cold water until soft. Spoon the fruit into a blender, add the softened gelatine (discard the soaking liquid) and puree. (If you like, press the mix through a sieve with a rubber spatula, to remove the seeds.) For the meringue, stir together the egg white and sugar, then heat gently, stirring often, in a saucepan or microwave until hot but not set (this will kill any bugs in the raw white). Whisk at high speed with an electric whisk to a soft meringue. For the cream, whisk all the ingredients until just beginning to thicken, but no more than that. To assemble, stir the bowl of raspberry sauce over another bowl filled with ice until barely cold, and fold in first the meringue and then the cream. Spoon half the mix into your dish and stick the savoiardi close together around the edge. If the raspberry mixture is thick enough to hold its shape (chill it for longer if it isn't), spoon the rest of it into the well and chill to set. To serve, place a mound of fresh raspberries on the mousse and dust with icing sugar. Savoiardi biscuits Yes, the savoiardi you can buy in the shops are ace, and this requires the use of lots of bowls, sieves, a piping bag and nozzle, and an electric mixer, not to mention the fact that you need to take special care in the making. So this recipe is really only for when you fancy a bit of a challenge. The semolina absorbs moisture as the biscuits bake, which gives them a crisper texture. 100g plain flour 25g semolina 3 medium eggs 150g caster sugar Icing sugar, to finish Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan-assisted)/350F/gas mark 4, line two baking trays with nonstick baking paper and have ready a small fine sieve, such as a tea strainer, and a larger sieve for the flour. Mix together the flour and semolina in one small bowl. Separate the eggs, putting the whites in a large bowl and the yolks into a small one. Beat the whites to a thick foam, then gradually add 100g of the caster sugar and beat to a glossy, thick meringue. Now beat the egg yolks until pale and slightly thickened, gradually add the rest of the caster sugar and beat until thick. Very, very carefully, fold the yolks through the meringue, sift in the flour and semolina mixture, and fold through extremely gently. Spoon into a piping bag with a plain nozzle and pipe 10cm fingers spaced 3cm apart on each tray. Using the tea strainer, dust with icing sugar, then bake for about 20 minutes. danlepard.com/guardian