Matt Preston reveals his favourite summer dessert recipes

You’ll be a little surprised, but there’s some intriguing options on Matt Preston’s list of his most-loved Aussie desserts for summer. Check out his seven go-to sweet options here.

Simpson, Gibson, Tanami, Little Sandy - it’s easy to agree on Australia’s best deserts but naming our best desserts for summer is far tougher.

Matt Preston reveals his fave Aussie desserts.

A decadent pavlova.

1: Pavlova

This cloud of sweet meringue topped with whatever is in season locally is both ethereally light and also the perfect way to get that wonderful fruit ‘n’ cream hit less impressively offered by “jelly and ice cream” or “strawberries and cream”.

Move past the passionfruit, kiwi fruit and berry toppings to other more exotic options, whether it’s pitted cherries and a drizzle of melted dark chocolate; banana slices tossed in lemon juice with a salty caramel drizzle; or chopped fresh pineapple. Instead of just cream think of using 50 per cent Greek yoghurt in the topping and note that either the fruit or the creamy topping needs to bring some balancing sourness to this sugar party. Also there is nothing wrong with flavouring your meringue. A little rosewater goes wonderfully with a raspberry pav or fold a few crushed anise or fennel seeds into the meringue for a very adult strawberry pav or, for more crunch, add crushed toasted hazelnuts. While brown sugar meringue would go great with a banana and salty caramel…especially if you added some nuggets of ginger.

Try our best pavlova recipes now.

Fruit trifle.

2: Trifle

Surely versatility is the trifle’s great virtue as it is just as happy hanging out in the trailer park with cheap packet jelly and slices of own-brand Swiss roll as it is on the boutique-lined boulevards of the posh part of town with homemade sponge soaked in top-shelf liquor.

Click here for trifle recipes

Recently, I’ve been thinking that a bourbon-soaked vanilla cake and peach trifle might be a nice adventure next time the adults come over. I could serve iced mint juleps on the side, dress in a frock coat and say “quite frankly, meh dear” a lot — just like the Southern gentleman I am.

Classic tiramisu.

3: Tiramisu

Swap that custard for mascarpone and turn that cake into sponge fingers. Then subout the fruit for chocolate and the sherry for coffee and a little Strega and you’ve got a classic tiramisu. It’s also a favourite way to eat chocolate in the hotter months as, well-made, it is so light.

Play with which booze you use (think Frangelico, Kahlua or Malibu) or flavour your coffee or mascarpone cream with anything from cinnamon or pieces of crystallised ginger are starting points.

Topping a Malibu and coffee combo with toasted coconut would give the tiramisu a nice lamington twist.

Try our tiramisu recipes here.

Panna cotta.

4: Cooked cream

Whether it’s a panna cotta or a creme brulee there is so much more that you can do to bring creamy to the party than just pop the lid on 300ml of the thickened stuff. And why stop at using cream – how about using yoghurt, creme fraiche or even almond or coconut milk instead.

Who can resist chocolate mousse?

5: Mousse

While some might see milk or dark chocolate mousses as classic winter desserts, pair them with sliced nectarines or raspberries respectively and they seem perfect for now.

You can make a mousse with lemon or white chocolate to go with those blueberries.

Or make pureed raspberries just to eat alone with the lights down low and something sexy on the Sonos or the stereo – unlike some women this mousse isn’t fussy.

Get inspired by these mousse recipes.

Fruit with cream.

6: Fresh fruit & cream

There is no better time to eat fruit and whether it is perfect downy peaches presented in a bowl of ice; a big bowl of cherries so black and shiny they look like they’ve been hand-polished; or a bowl of tropical fruit salad looking like elegant summer jewels. All these, as well as the classic summer treats of raspberries, blueberries and strawberries, will sing with something creamy to accompany them.

Fresh natural ice desserts including granita and sorbet are perfect on a hot day.

7: Ice

Whether it’s Sicilian granita, a scoop of sorbet, a snow cone or a bowl of shave iced served in one of those wonderful Korean or Malaysian ways, now that it’s warming up I’ll freeze everything (espresso coffee, grapefruit juice) to scrape up a granita as a makeshift dessert.

Try this easy granita recipe.

For more recipe ideas, go to taste.com.au or check out the Taste Test Kitchen now.

Originally published as Matt Preston reveals his favourite summer dessert recipes