Lime Scented Mascapone Mouse

Serves six

For the mousse

2 tbsp icing sugar

250g mascarpone

50ml double cream

1 tbsp lime juice

zest of 1 lime

seeds and husk from 1 vanilla pod

For the apricots

12 ripe apricots (or plums)

juice of 1 lemon

juice of 1 orange

lemon peel strips (use a peeler and take thin strips off most of 1 lemon)

100g caster sugar

35g butter

Method

To make the mousse, whisk the mascarpone in a bowl until smooth, then add the icing sugar, lime zest and vanilla seeds and whisk until light. Fold in the double cream carefully, then stir in the lime juice without whisking. Cover with clingfilm and chill for at least an hour.

Halve and stone the apricots, then cut the vanilla pod into four to six pieces (depending on the number of servings you require). Heat a broad, deep frying pan, add the butter, the halved apricots, cut-side down, the vanilla pod pieces and the lemon peel. Then add the sugar and lemon and orange juices, which should blend with the liquids in the dish to create a fairly thin syrup. You may need an extra splash of lemon juice or water if it gets too dry. You don't want thick syrup, more the consistency of a dressing. The exact cooking time will depend on the size and ripeness of your fruit, but it shouldn't take more than ten minutes, otherwise they'll start losing their shape.

Arrange a helping of the fruit and juices on each plate and serve with a big dollop of the chilled mousse. Decorate with the vanilla pod to serve.

Critical points

You want the mousse to be light, but don't over-whip once you have added the cream otherwise it will go stiff.

Don't cut open the apricots too far ahead as they will discolour. Make sure your pan is broad enough to allow all the fruit to sit on the bottom without overlapping, and you must keep basting the apricots as you sauté them. The cooked texture of the fruit should be soft but not soggy, and they should retain their form.

The exact amount of juice added to the syrup will depend on the size of the fruit you use. You are looking for a thinnish syrup, with the consistency of a dressing or gravy. There is a danger of over-evaporating the juices and ending up with a sticky mess. Add more water or lemon juice as you prefer, and keep tasting. You need enough liquid to fully melt the sugar. Adding lemon juice rather than orange juice will work best as a contrast to the sugar, otherwise the syrup may become sickly. The sweetness and tartness should counterbalance each other, so that the taste is neither too sweet nor too sharp.

Comments

Whether it's a tasty family treat or the grandfinale to a dinner party, mascarpone and apricots come together beautifully to create a quick and easy, sweet and tart pudding

THIS is a lovely end-of-summer pudding that would work equally well with plums, which are also plentiful at the moment. Its pleasure comes from the intermingling of sweetness and tartness. The fragrant apricots contrast with a sweet-and-sour lemon and orange syrup, all complemented by the smooth mascarpone mousse infused with an exotic hint of lime.

It has the faint whiff of that 1970s classic, crêpe Suzette, and you could happily serve it with a few freshly tossed pancakes. This would, of course, make it a heavier dessert, but with winter imminent, that's no bad thing.

It's also a very easy dessert to prepare, which makes it a last-minute dinner party winner. Best of all is the fact that it's quick and simple enough to rustle up on the spur of the moment as a special treat for your nearest and dearest.

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