Lemon Curd Syllabub

Ingredients

• 4 shortbread biscuits
• 50ml white wine
• 75g mascarpone cheese
• 250ml double cream, plus extra for serving
• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• 8 tbsp lemon curd
• 2 tbsp flaked almonds, toasted
• Fresh mint sprigs

Method

Crumble the shortbread into the bottom of four wine glasses and moisten with half the wine.  Mix the mascarpone and cream with the sugar.  When it reaches soft peaks, fold in the remaining wine and swirl in the lemon curd, leaving a marbling of yellow through the cream.  Spoon the mixture into the glasses, top with a spoonful of double cream and scatter with the toasted almonds.  Garnish with a sprig of mint and serve.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

• Grated rind and juice of 3 lemons
• 4oz butter
• 8oz sugar
• 2 large or 3 small eggs, beaten

Method

Wash the lemons and grate the rind finely.  Put the lemon juice, grated rind, butter and sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot water.  Stir until the butter has melted and sugar dissolved.  Beat the eggs in a separate basin and add slowly to the lemon mixture, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon.  Transfer to a saucepan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the curd thickens and coats the back of the spoon.  Pour into warm jars, cover and seal.