If you fancy yourself a bit of a cooking aficionado and you’ve spent any time on the internet over the past few years, you might already be very familiar with the work of Alison Roman.

The US-based pastry chef turned food writer released her hit cookbook Dining In in 2017, then went on to become a food columnist for The New York Times. With their snappy titles – think simple names like The Pasta, The Cookie and The Stew – and clever flavour combinations, Roman’s recipes quickly caught the collective imagination.

In her latest release Sweet Enough, Roman is tackling all things dessert, and if you’ve always thought that you don’t have the requisite skills to pull off fancy sweet treats, it could be the cookbook you’ve been waiting for.

From putting new twists on old classics (think a caramelised maple tart or toasted rice pudding) to showing us how to make jam in the oven – then transforming that into a delicious sweet treat – this new batch of Roman recipes is all about simplicity, avoiding speciality ingredients and equipment. 

And even if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, you’re sure to find something that takes your fancy, like one of the three treats below that combine sweet and salty flavours.

If you’ve seen Roman’s work before, you’ll know she’s a huge fan of preserved lemons, which crop up in her recipe for salty lemon shortbread, while her salted lemon cream pie uses plenty of whipped cream to balance out the tart, citrus taste. Finally, there’s her salted chocolate pudding, best consumed from one huge bowl with a spoon.

Intrigued? All three recipes are below for you to enjoy.

Salty lemon shortbread

Roman says: “Just as I made sure to get anchovies into this book (see page 71), preserved lemons were bound to show up sooner or later. Sure, they are actually optional here (there’s plenty of salt and lemon in this recipe to justify the name even without their inclusion), but they really do produce a jammy, salty, floral bop of something spectacular when you bite into a piece of one while nibbling on this otherwise straightforward cookie. Don’t forget the sugar on top; the dough itself really isn’t sweet enough to carry the cookie without it, plus, the way the zest gets a little crisp and dried along with it… it’s a real chefs kiss.”

Makes 36 shortbreads

Ingredients

• Finely grated zest of 3 lemons
• ¾ cup (165g), plus ¼ cup (55g) granulated sugar
• Flaky sea salt
• 283g unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1” pieces
• 1/4 cup (30g) powdered sugar
• ½ preserved lemon, seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)
• 1 teaspoon (4g) kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract
• 2 ¼ cups (325g) all-purpose flour

Eat with

A bunch of juicy grapes at a very lovely picnic

Method

Do ahead - The cookie dough can be made 5 days ahead, tightly wrapped and refrigerated (or 1 month ahead, tightly wrapped and frozen). Cookies can be baked 5 days ahead, wrapped and stored at room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 9x13 baking dish or two 9” cake pans with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine one-third of the grated zest, ¼ cup sugar and a good pinch of flaky salt. Use your fingers and rub the mixture together until the sugar is tinted yellow and smells deeply of lemon. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer, or, bowl of a food processor), beat the butter, powdered sugar, the remaining ¾ cup/165g granulated sugar, the remaining lemon zest, preserved lemon (if using), kosher salt and vanilla on medium-high till it’s super light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and, with the mixer on low, slowly add the flour and beat just to blend.

Pat the dough into the prepared pan, using your palm or the bottom of a measuring cup to flatten to the best of your ability. Using the tines of a fork, dot the top of the shortbread dough. Sprinkle the top with the lemon-rubbed sugar, pressing it into the raw dough.

Bake until the top, bottom and edges are all nicely browned and the dough is set and firm to touch (but still slightly malleable), 30–35 minutes for the 9 × 13 pan, closer to 20–25 minutes for the 9-inch cake pans.

Let cool slightly before lifting up the parchment and removing the cookie from the pan. Using a knife, cut into 1 × 3-inch bars, or, if using round pans, 1–1 1⁄2-inch wedges.

Let cool completely before eating them all (these are better at room temperature or even the next day, I promise).

Salted lemon cream pie

Roman says: “There are no meringues in this book. Before you get upset, please ask yourself, what is the meringue for? For whom is the meringue? Raw egg whites (no flavour) and sugar (sweet) whipped together to give you something that looks pretty – except that when you eat it, you’re like, wait, did I just eat raw egg whites and sugar? 

“Sure, the texture has the potential to be pleasant, but even on its best day it’s not something I want to eat a ton of. And that’s why a lemon meringue pie was never on the cards here … but a lemon CREAM pie? Now, that is something I will die for. While the lemon (lean, acidic) merely tolerates meringue, it truly NEEDS the whipped cream (rich, fatty) to cut through, to round it out, to make the slice balanced and complete.”

Ingredients

Makes one 23 cm (9 in) pie

For the crust

• 225g (8oz) vanilla wafers, graham crackers (digestive biscuits) or Biscoff biscuits
• 85g (3oz) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon (4g) kosher salt

For the filling and topping

• 4 large egg yolks
• 400g (14oz) tin sweetened condensed milk
• 300ml (1¼ cups) fresh lemon or Meyer lemon juice (about 6 lemons)
• good pinch of kosher salt
• 230ml (1 cup) thick (double/ heavy) cream
• 30g (¼ cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
• 220g (1 cup) sour cream

Eat with

A glass of sparkling wine or heavily lemon’d sparkling water.

Method

Do ahead - this pie can be made 4 days ahead. Store loosely wrapped in the refrigerator.

Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

In a bowl, smash the vanilla wafers with your hands until you have coarse crumbs, nothing larger than a lentil. (Alternatively, place the wafers in a resealable bag and crush with a rolling pin, or use a food processor.) Mix with the melted butter and salt until you get really moist crumbs, almost like wet sand. Press the crumbs into a 23 cm (9 in) pie dish.

Bake until the crust starts to lightly brown around the edges, 12–15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Leave the oven on.

Make the filling: In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the egg yolks until they’re pale and fluffy, just a few minutes. Add the condensed milk and whisk a few more minutes, until the mixture is light and airy. Whisk in the lemon juice and salt.

Pour the filling into the partially baked crust and return to the oven to bake until the centre barely jiggles, another 30–35 minutes. (FYI, the top should not brown, so keep an eye on it.) Let the pie cool completely.

Make the topping: When it’s time to serve this gorgeous pie, grab a hand whisk and a large bowl and whisk the cream and icing sugar together until they’ve achieved medium peaks that will basically stand up on the ends of the whisk; you can also do this with an electric mixer. Whisk in the sour cream (no need to fold, the cream should hold up), then swirl that all over the top of the pie, as high or decoratively as you please.

A bowl of salted chocolate pudding

Roman says: “Not unlike vanilla pudding (a.k.a. Vanilla Pastry Cream, page 158), this salted chocolate pudding should simply be celebrated for what it is – which is a bowl of melted chocolate made spoonable and consumable by a LOT of dairy (plus some sugar, egg yolks and cornflour, as is customary for pudding). My favourite way to consume this sexy, hedonistic number is not in dainty little cups. No, this pudding wants to be served in one giant bowl, topped with a tangy yoghurt- or sour cream-laced whipped cream and lots of flaky salt, with nothing but a handful of spoons for individual indulging. No personal bowls, no serving utensils. This giant bowl of silky chocolate is meant to be shared with friends and lovers. (Alternatively, use it to make friends and lovers – works every time.)

Makes 4 cups; serves 4–6

Ingredients

• 140g (5oz) bittersweet chocolate (65%–70% cacao), finely chopped
• 360g (1½ cups) thick (double/heavy) cream
• 360g (1½ cups) full-cream milk
• 30g (¼ cup) unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa powder
• 165g (¾ cup) sugar
• 3 large egg yolks
• 30g (¼ cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1 teaspoon (4g) kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon (5g) vanilla extract
• 50/50 (Tangy Whipped Cream, see below)
• flaky sea salt, for serving
• cookies, such as chocolate wafers or gingersnaps, for crumbling or dipping

Eat with

At the end of your next gathering, when the lights are low and the music is loud and you think you’ve run out of wine but find that one extra bottle in the back of the fridge – that’s the moment to bring out this bowl of chocolate pudding.

Method

Do ahead - Chocolate pudding is proudly sturdy and can stay in your fridge, covered tightly, for up to 5 days.

Place the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl.

In a medium pot, heat the cream, milk, cocoa powder and 6 tablespoons of the sugar over medium–high heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a bare simmer, 8–10 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a separate large bowl, whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks, cornflour, salt and vanilla, until the mixture is lump-free and pale in colour. Whisking constantly, ladle in some of the hot cream mixture and whisk until completely blended. Add a little more at a time, until half the cream mixture is combined with the egg yolk mixture, then transfer to the pot with the remaining cream mixture.

Return the pot to medium heat and, whisking constantly, cook until the mixture has transformed from thin and watery to thick and custardy, with the occasional bubble popping up, 3–5 minutes.

Immediately pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and let sit for a minute or two, giving the bowl a shake to help the chocolate settle as it melts. Whisk the mixture until you have an ultrasmooth, silky pudding.

Transfer to a large bowl or flat baking dish; a 20 × 20 cm (8 in) dish works well. Cover with plastic wrap, placing it directly on the surface of the pudding. Refrigerate until the pudding is completely set – at least 3 hours, and up to 48 hours.

50/50 (tangy whipped cream)

Roman says: “This is my default topping and accompaniment for most desserts that would otherwise use whipped cream. This is not to knock classic whipped cream (it is, as you know, perfect), but simply to offer an alternative when you wished there was a bit more … something going on. A bit more tanginess, acidity, depth. The yoghurt (or sour cream, if it suits you) also adds a density that seems possibly counterintuitive to the light airiness desired by whipped cream, but it really really does work. Oh, and it doubles well, if the need strikes.”

Makes about 2 cups; enough for one 23 cm (9 in) pie

Ingredients

• 235g (1 cup) thick (double/heavy) cream
• 290g (1 cup) full-cream Greek-style yoghurt or full-fat sour cream
• 40g (⅓ cup) icing (confectioners’) sugar
• small pinch of kosher salt

Eat with

Every dessert under the sun.

Method

Do ahead - best made right before using.

In a medium bowl, and using a whisk (or, if you really would like, an electric hand-held mixer), whisk the cream until it’s starting to thicken and has soft, medium peaks, 2–4 minutes or so.

Add the yoghurt, icing sugar and salt and continue to whisk until it looks like gorgeous, pillowy whipped cream (you’ll know when you know), another 2–3 minutes.

Sweet Enough by Alison Roman (Hardie Grant, £28) is out now

Photography: Chris Bernabeo