Peake Practice, compiled by restaurateur Ray Peake, of Callums Bistro, Accrington

DESSERTS, sweets, puddings, afters - whatever you choose to call these courses - are my favourite part of every meal.

It is the last item your guest will eat, so do go the Full Monty.

No, don't take off your clothes but do resist the temptation to "cheat" and buy a frozen gateau from the shops.

Make a dessert that is guaranteed to please and enhance your own culinary reputation.

If I was on a desert island (no pun intended) and could choose only one dessert as my sweet tooth companion, it would be Lemon Tart and Raspberry Sauce.

The combination of the tangy lemon, and the sweetness of the raspberries is a true marriage made in heaven.

Note I use the word "sauce" not "coulis" - they are one and the same.

Coulis is, in my opinion, one of the most pretentious words to enter the culinary vocabulary in recent years.

When was the last time you overheard a young child buying a 99 cone from the ice-cream van, saying: "Heavy on the raspberry coulis please."

Our recipe allows you to make not one but two tarts so that when you notice your appreciative dinner guests are looking sad, because they have eaten their last morsel of tart, like a magician with a rabbit you can produce tart number two and it's second helpings all round. As this dish involves making pastry it may deter people who have gone through life saying: " I can't make good pastry." If you fall into that category please read the following carefully.

Commit it to memory and, most importantly, act on it.

Making pastry is not an art like other areas of cooking, it is an exact science as precise as nuclear physics.

Exact weights, measurements, timing and temperature, quality ingredients, cold hands and a warm heart are the key factors that will make it either melting in your mouth, average or a complete disaster.

Because of the extra effort you are going to put into making the pastry, I suggest you double or even triple the ingredients.

It freezes so well you can store it for more goodies in the future.

PRESENTATION TIPS

We slice the tart, sprinkle icing sugar on top, then take a blow torch and direct the flame at the sugar which will very quickly caramelise and harden.

A great conversation piece at your dinner table for you is, "I am just off to torch the dessert!" Thinly coat the dessert plate with the raspberry sauce, place the tart on top and lightly sprinkle with more sieved icing sugar.

LEMON MIX

6 lemons

8 eggs

150g caster sugar

pt whipping cream

SQUEEZE the lemons making sure to discard the pips - you do not want to choke your guests.

Grate the lemon peel making sure you only grate the yellow part (the white part is bitter) and "whizz" in the blender with the juice.

In a bowl whisk the eggs and gradually add the caster sugar.

In a separate bowl whisk the cream to soft peaks. Pour the juice and zest from the blender on to the eggs and sugar and whisk some more. Fold in the whipped cream.

Leave this mixture in the fridge for 24 hours before use.

PASTRY

500g plain flour

250g butter

125g icing sugar

1 whole egg

2 egg yolks

Qpt milk

CREAM the butter.

Sieve the flour and icing sugar and mix with the butter.

Add the eggs and milk.

Mix everything together and knead to a smooth paste.

Cover with cling film and store in fridge for at least three hours before using.

ROLL out the pastry on a well-floured surface (approximately 3mm thick). Line an eight-inch flan case with the pastry.

Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and then place on any dried beans you have to hand (this is purely to weigh down the greaseproof paper and pastry while the pastry bakes). Gas mark 7 for 20 minutes.

Remove greaseproof paper and dried beans.

Brush the pastry with one lightly bean egg and bake for a further five minutes.

Remove from oven.

RETRIEVE the lemon mix you made 24 hours earlier from the fridge, give it a little whisk and poor into the two pastry cases.

Bake in your oven for one hour, gas mark 3. Remove from oven, allow to cool, then place in fridge. Eat on the day. DO NOT FREEZE.

RASPBERRY SAUCE

100ml water

200g sugar

250g frozen raspberries

BOIL the water and sugar then pour over the raspberries.

"Whizz" in blender and pass through a fine sieve.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.