At the risk of sounding as though I am the laziest cook in the land, here is another two-ingredient recipe. My defence is that it uses a wonderful Australian product which I tasted recently at Restaurant 08 in Sydney.

Brian and Jane Casey founded Australian Gourmet Chestnuts in 1998, although they had been growing chestnuts in Eurobin in the high country of north-east Victoria for over a decade before that. Using the branding of Cheznuts (www.cheznutz.com.au) they produce a number of chestnut products, including a sweetened chestnut puree ideal for this super-simple dessert.

CHESTNUT CREAM

This can be used as a mousse-like addition to any fruits, fresh or poached, or simply as a very elegant topping or filling for cakes. I’ve served it with Christmas pudding, and it proved a great hit.

Here’s all you do:
Simply fold a few tablespoons of Chezhunts sweetened chestnut puree* into a cup or two of stiffly whipped cream. Mix it in gently and thoroughly – and enjoy! See, I told you it was simple. Despite this, it adds real panache to many desserts. For an extra zing, fold in a tablespoon of port or a teaspoon of kirsch or rum.

* Check the Cheznutz website for stockists details or order online, OR use canned sweetened chestnut puree, imported from France.