Sometimes, it pays to be sinful; the festive season is definitely one of them. Come celebrations and it is indeed the time to bid adieu to your dietician's rules and get your just desserts.
Chocolate mousses, tantalising tiramisus, colourful cassatas topped with fresh strawberry sauce.... You can never have too much of these custom-made creations that adorn your table on special occasions.
So, stop counting your calories, succumb to your cravings and please your palates with these creamy concoctions - surrender was never so complete!

Indian wicket-keeper-batsman and 2006 MTV icon for the youth, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, says,
I do have a sweet tooth and apart from my fondness for milk and milkshakes, I love desserts. Though Indian sweets continue to be my prime favourite, I enjoy Western ones, particularly when I am travelling. Cakes and crumbles are for celebrations. Give me a chocolate soufflé to complete my meal, any time."

CASSATA E INSALATA DI FRAGOLE
CASSATA
Ingredients:Ricotta cheese, 240 gms; Whipped cream, 60 ml; Powdered sugar, 20 gms; Castor sugar, 100 gms; Marrow from vanilla beans, 2 gms; Blanched, peeled and slightly chopped pistachios, 20 gms; Candied, coarsely chopped orange and lemon rind, 50 gms (each); Honey, 10 ml; Lemon juice, 2 drops.
Method: Prepare a sugar syrup by boiling the sugar and water. Press the ricotta through a colander to turn it into a smooth puree. Mix it well and add the pistachios, candied orange and lemon peel, lemon juice and vanilla marrow and work it carefully under the mixture. Add the syrup and the honey to the mixture. Now place the mixture in a mould and keep it refrigerated for several hours.
Dress the cassata on a plate and garnish with candied fruits, nuts or chocolate to your liking. Add a spoon of the strawberry salad.
STRAWBERRY SALAD
Ingredients: Brushed and cleaned strawberries, 80 gms; Lemon juice, 2 drops; Powdered sugar, 10 gms; Sancerre wine, 10 ml.
Method: Warm the Sancerre, lemon juice and sugar and simmer until the mixture is reduced by one third, then add the strawberries. Set it aside and let it rest for one hour before use.

PANNA COTTA ALL ESPRESSO
PANNA COTTA
Ingredients: Milk, 150 ml; Cream, 150 ml; Castor sugar, 30 gms; Vanilla bean cut lengthwise into half, 1 unit; Gelatine, 2 sheets of 5 gms; Orange fillets, 12 units; Coffee beans, 20 units.
ESPRESSO GLAZE
Ingredients: Apricot jam passed through a fine sieve, 20 gms; Gelatine sheets, 3, soaked in water, 8 gms; Castor sugar, 30 gms; Espresso, 20 ml; Water, 50 ml; Coffee liqueur, like Kahlua or Tia Maria, 20 ml.
Method: Place the gelatine sheets in a bowl and pour the milk (at room temperature) over and set aside. Stir together the cream and the sugar; set it over medium heat and add the vanilla bean. The mixture should be watched carefully as the cream rises quickly when boiled. Pour the milk with the gelatine into the simmering cream, stirring constantly until the gelatine has completely dissolved. Remove the mixture and set it aside for a few minutes.
Simultaneously, warm up the apricot jam, water, sugar, and the squeezed gelatine leaves. Once the gelatine has dissolved, add the espresso and the coffee liqueur.
Dress 3 orange fillets and 5 coffee beans at the bottom of a cup or a glass and pour one-third of the gelatine over it and set it in the refrigerator. After making sure that the panna cotta mixture has reached room temperature, remove the vanilla bean from the mixture and pour it into the glass over the jelly bottom. Place the glass back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Now, pour the remaining espresso glaze into the glass over the panna cotta and let it rest in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes. Serve chilled.