Dessert Island Dishes (6) – Odoriferous Durian Ice Cream

Surely everyone knows about an Asian fruit whose smell is so offensive that it is banned on buses, trains, taxis, and aeroplanes, and hotel-doormen bar entry to anyone trying to smuggle one into their establishment?

Dessert Island Dishes (5) – Outrageous Chocolate Pudding

“In the beginning, God created chocolate, and He saw that it was good. Then He separated the light from the dark, and it was better.” These words from the Apocrypha affirm the importance of dark chocolate in the following celestial recipe.

Dessert Island Dishes (4) – Voluptuous Bread and Butter Pudding

“In moments of considerable strain, I tend to take to bread-and-butter pudding. There is something about the blandness of soggy bread, the crispness of the golden outer crust and the unadulterated pleasure of a lightly set custard that makes the world seem a better place to live,” opined Sir Clement Freud, English broadcaster, writer, politician, raconteur, wit, and chef.

Dessert Island Dishes (3) – Rambunctious Rhubarb and Ginger Tarte Tatin

Tradition says that this dessert was created by accident at the Hotel Tatin in Lamotte-Beuvron, France, in 1898. The hotel was run by two sisters, Stéphanie and Caroline Tatin.

Dessert Island Dishes (2) – Capricious Mango and Blueberry Cobbler

The comfort of a cobbler with the unexpected combination of mangos and blueberries, complete with a hint of cinnamon and ginger.

Dessert Island Dishes (1) – Flirtatious Apple Pie

Desserts are conspicuous by their absence in Daniel Defoe’s novel Robinson Crusoe published in 1719. The castaway hunts, grows corn and rice, dries grapes to make raisins for the winter months, learns to make pottery and raises goats. But, apart from human companionship, he must have pined for a good dessert (or pudding, as the British say).