With only three ingredients, this has to be the easiest recipe in the book. Its simplicity, however, yields a surprisingly decadent, smooth and silky cream that will leave your dinner guests trying to guess how you made it.

4 lemons

250 g/9 oz. caster sugar (super-fine sugar)

500 ml/18 fl. oz. double cream (heavy cream)

To decorate

30g/1 oz. toasted flaked almonds

Icing sugar

30g/1 oz. candied lemon peel strips

Squeeze the juice from the lemons and strain it through a fine sieve. Place in a pan with the caster sugar and bring to the boil over a low heat, stirring continuously until the sugar has dissolved. Keep this warm on the side of the stove.

Bring the cream to the boil in a heavy-bottomed pan, then pour it over the warm lemon and sugar mixture. Whisk gently to mix. Pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a jug and pour into individual serving dishes.

Place in the fridge for 2 hours, until set. Decorate with toasted flaked almonds or pistachio nuts, icing sugar and candied lemon peel.

Serves 4

Claire’s Notes

For a perfectly smooth, bubble-free surface, blowtorch the top of the cream mixture for 10 seconds before leaving it to set in the fridge.