Before we were interrupted by end- of-year festivities, I was two-thirds of the way into a short series on easy entertaining. I’m finishing the series on a sweet note, with desserts.

I once had the privilege of spending time with Claire Clark, one of the world’s top pastry chefs, in her kitchen. The two of us had been paired to take responsibility for bread, pudding and sweetmeats at a gala dinner at the George V in Paris, cooked by British chefs for top, French chefs.

As this was to be a British meal, any notion of petits fours or mignardises was banished.

What we came up with was a selection of sweetmeats – dainty, miniaturised versions of treacle tarts and shortbread, real fruit jellies and macaroons.

We know they were appealing because at our various test meals, there were never any left over.

What I have preferred to do for some time now is to serve the sweetmeats as dessert, a bonne bouche, if you will, to match the amuse bouche often served pre-dinner, and thus forego a large dessert altogether.

I have also expanded my repertoire to include miniature mousses, crème caramel, fruit fools, trifles and custards. To this end, I have collected Scandinavian akvavit shot glasses, Edwardian custard cups, the smallest ramekins, 1950s glass espresso cups, none of them holding more than about 50ml, so that even those who claim not to eat dessert are usually tempted. For the cook, these tiny desserts seem in many ways more manageable, and some of them freeze well.

For example, one of my current favourites is a white chocolate and tonka bean mousse, which I make by the dozen.

Café gourmand, a relatively recent French concept, is somewhat similar, a selection of miniature desserts, petits fours and mignardises, usually five or six, served together on a plate with a cup of espresso. It is usually somewhat less expensive on restaurant menus than a main dessert, but its real attraction is that you have the opportunity to sample more of the pastry chef’s creations.

Some 10 to 15 years earlier, it became the fashion to serve one dessert ingredient three ways, in a trio of... or textures de..., so perhaps you might serve crème brûlée in three different flavours, or three different treatments for chocolate.

All these ideas lend themselves to the miniaturisation of desserts, and there are many easy pastries and small cakes to make to accompany them, such as madeleines, which I have written about before, brandy snaps, shortbread, almond hearts and macaroons (not to be confused with the trickier French macarons).

Today, I have included some lemon recipes, as the new season’s fruit is on its way. Add a lemon sorbet to the lemon cheesecakes and soufflés to make the classic textures de citron.

Rose and coconut macaroons

(Makes about 20)

125g desiccated coconut
125g caster sugar
Rosewater, to taste
Egg white
Crystallised rose petals

Mix the coconut and sugar, add a little rosewater and enough egg white to bind together in a firm paste. Use two coffee spoons, dipped in water, to shape small oval quenelles. Place them on a baking sheet, lined with rice paper and bake in a preheated oven at 170˚C/325˚F, Gas Mark 3, for about 15 to 20 minutes, until just pale gold.

Remove from the oven, top each with a piece of crystallised rose petal and cool on a wire rack. A sliver of glacé cherry can be substituted for the rose petals.

Rosewater kisses

(Makes about 20)

150g self-raising flour
75g caster sugar
75g unsalted butter
1 egg beaten with 2 tsps rosewater

Filling
50g icing sugar
2 tsp rosewater
25g unsalted butter, softened
Dash of pink food colouring

Mix the flour and sugar and rub in the butter. Stir in the egg. This makes quite a soft mixture, especially if working in a warm kitchen, so you might want to chill it for half an hour or so in the fridge.

Form into marble-size balls. Place on well-greased baking sheet. Bake at 150-180˚C/325-350˚F/Gas Mark 3-4 for 15 to 20 minutes.

Cool on wire rack and when cold, sandwich with the rosewater butter cream, made by mixing the filling ingredients together.

Lemon cheesecake tartlets

(Makes 24 to 30 x 4 cm tartlets)

250g rich, shortcrust pastry
110g ground almonds
3 egg yolks
50g caster sugar
50g melted butter
Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
150ml double cream

Line the tart cases with the pastry. Mix the rest of the ingredients in the order given; making sure that everything is thoroughly blended before adding the cream.

Spoon the mixture into the pastry cases and bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180˚C/350˚F, Gas Mark 4. Remove and cool on wire racks.

Lemon soufflés in ramekins

(Serves 4 to 6)

Butter for greasing
100g caster sugar plus extra for dusting
300ml milk
3 or 4 local lemons
Freshly grated nutmeg
50g butter
4 eggs, 3 of them separated
50g plain flour, sifted
To serve: icing sugar

Butter individual ramekins and dust with caster sugar.

Put 200ml of the milk in a saucepan with the sugar, finely grated zest of the lemons, nutmeg and butter. Bring to the boil. Beat the whole egg with the three egg yolks, the flour and the remaining milk and stir slowly into the boiling milk over a low heat. Stir continuously until the mixture thickens but does not curdle. Juice one of the lemons and add the juice as you are cooking the mixture.

Remove from the heat. Whisk the egg whites until stiff then fold them into the lemon sauce. Pour into the ramekins, and bake in a preheated oven at 200˚C/400˚F, Gas Mark 6 for about 12 minutes.

Serve immediately, dusted with icing sugar. A shot glass of iced limoncello is a perfect accompaniment. You can even make a hole in the top of your soufflé and pour some in.