With an ice-cream maker in the corner of the thinnest galley kitchen and a few ingredients from the most basic of corner

With an ice-cream maker in the corner of the thinnest galley kitchen, and a few ingredients from the most basic of corner shops, one of the finest desserts is always there at the flick of a switch.600ml full-cream milk75g coarsely ground coffee5 egg yolks125g golden caster sugar400ml double cream1-2 tbsp Tia Maria [optional]Put the milk on to a low heat and tip in the coffee Stir well, and bring up to the boil. I know they are expensive, but I would rather save for one of these, than squander my money on electric woks, electric steamers, microwave ovens, and slow-cookers (does anyone really use them?). A machine to ice, smooth and thicken the cream is something worth investing in. The way the aromatic oils and deeply roasted flavour of the crushed beans infuse the milk, cream, eggs and sugar astonishes me every time.Coffee ice-cream is also one of the simplest to make: a milky infusion, a little whip of egg yolks and sugar, a stir and a coolant of cream. Switch off the oven and leave to cool there with the door ajar, for 15 minutes. Dust with caster sugar before serving.Coffee ice-cream, serves 4-5This ice-cream makes me realise just how extraordinary coffee is. Add the ground almonds and lemon rind and carefully, but thoroughly, fold them in Spoon into the tart case and smooth the top.

Press the cherries into mixture, pushing them under the almond paste with your fingers.Return to the oven and bake for 40 minutes or so, until the surface is golden brown, puffed up and springy to the touch. Leave to cool in the tin.For the filling, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add one egg and continue beating until entirely incorporated, then add the next one and beat again. Put into a plastic bag and chill in the fridge for at least one hour before rolling.Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C/ gas mark 4. Roll out the pastry as thinly as possible, line the tart tin with it and blind bake. This is achieved by pressing a sheet of tin foil into the uncooked pastry case and filling it with some dried haricot beans, or similar. It is then cooked for about 15-20 minutes, removed from the oven, and the foil and beans transferred to a bowl or tin (for future use).

Brush the inside of the case with the beaten egg, which will form a seal and prevent any leaks. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes or so, until it is golden, crisp and well cooked through, particularly the base Warm the jam slightly and spoon over the base of the tart. In a food processor, electric mixer or manually, blend together the butter, flour and salt until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. The lovely tart recipe was eventually published in one of The Guide’s early cookery books. So I cooked it.For the pastry100g plain flour60g butter, cut into cubes1 egg yolk1-2 tbsp iced waterpinch salta little beaten egg2 rounded tbsp apricot jamFor the filling100g softened butter100g caster sugar2 large eggs100g ground almondsgrated rind 1 lemon400g [drained weight] stoned, tinned cherries, either morello, griottines or black onesYou will need a 20cm wide x 4cm deep loose-bottomed flan tin.First make the pastry. Now tip into a large, roomy bowl and gently mix in the water and egg yolk with cool hands or a knife, until well amalgamated. I, sadly, never managed to eat at the Box Tree, but I had known of these talented fellows long before that – from avidly reading about them in the pages of the then divinely idiosyncratic Good Food Guide.

Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until slightly puffed-up and spongy to the touch of a finger. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few moments and lift the pots from the water onto a clean tray Refrigerate for at least six hours before serving. If you so wish, eat with a little pool of cold cream poured into each pot.Cherry and almond tart, serves 6Malcolm Ried and Colin Long came to eat at Bibendum just the once, about eight years ago. I was dead excited as these two pioneering cooks had been an inspiration to the many young apprentices of the Sixties, Seventies and early Eighties lucky enough to secure a job in the kitchens of their Box Tree Cottage restaurant in Ilkley, Yorkshire – the then-unknown Marco Pierre White among them.The cherry and almond tart remains one of their most simple and impeccable recipes. Warm the cream with the vanilla pod, whisk for a moment to disperse the seeds, cover and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Meanwhile,in a small saucepan over a low light, gently melt the chocolate in the milk.

Now beat the egg yolks and icing sugar together until fluffy, add the chocolate milk and vanilla-infused cream and blend together thoroughly. Pass through a fine sieve and pour into ramekins or small porcelain pots (the latter are conspicuous by their bulbous shape and marked on each side by decorative looped handles). Place them in a deep roasting tin and pour in enough hot tap water to come to at least two-thirds up the side of the pots. I developed le petit pot while in the kitchen (dungeon) of, once more, the restaurant Hilaire in the Old Brompton Road, London, where I spent some of the happiest, most constructive hours of my cookery career.The chocolate pot came about after reading some recipes for velvety custards in the pages of The Cuisine of Paul Bocuse (first published by Flammarion, 1976).