Limoncello & rosemary tempura battered courgette

Ingredients 2 courgettes, 1 cup plain flour, limoncello, black pepper, rosemary, 1/2 cup ice water.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes

Since my good friend Leo gave me a present of some cream of limoncello for catsitting The Major, I have been determined to create some interesting uses for this Italian liqueur. Tempura batter was the first thing that came to mind (a fabulously light, crispy batter which you'll remember me using for tempura avocado and tempura bacon in previous recipes) and this combination of lemon, rosemary and black pepper is absolutely classic with lovely, fresh courgette.

1) In preparation, put a jug of water into the freezer to ensure it's as cold as possible without actually being frozen, and heat your deep fat fryer to 170 or bring a pan of oil to the boil.

2) Wash the courgettes and slice off the tops and bottoms, slice them in half widthways and then lengthways and finally slicing each piece into three wedges by angling the knife towards the centre of each piece.

3) Mix the flour with 1 tsp of finely chopped rosemary, black pepper and salt and then roll the courgette pieces into the dry mixture to coat them in flour. (this will help the wet batter stick to them) Remove the courgette and set aside.

4) Mix about 1 tsp of limoncello into the batter and then top up with ice water until a batter thick enough to coat a spoon is formed. Don't stir it too well - lumps are good here!

5) Dip each piece of courgette into the batter and drop into your deep fat fryer/boiling oil. The secret to good tempura is the combination of icy cold batter and hot oil so mix the batter at the last possible second.

Once the batter is crispy and golden it's ready to serve - absolutely perfect with good old ketchup but if you want to try some of my other dips check out the following recipes: cheese & chive, Wensleydale & cranberry, Basil dip, roast pepper & goats cheese, spinach dip, rose tzatziki, avocado tzatziki, aioli, baked camembert, basil hummus and hummus.

Limoncello panna cotta

Ingredients 250g Greek yoghurt, 2 sheets of gelatine, 150ml double cream, 1 cup caster sugar, limoncello.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

My name is Lianne Marie Binks and I am a panna cotta addict.
I cannot, cannot get enough of the cool, creamy lusciousness and whenever we're in restaurants I have to force myself to order something different for pudding, otherwise I would never eat anything else. Making it is so quick and simple but it's such a versatile pudding. I have one month left before I force myself to embark upon a pre-wedding diet so expect many, many panna cotta recipes to come in December! My good friend Leo bought me some cream of limoncello back from Italy for catsitting The Major and I've been steadily creating recipes for it ever since.

1) Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for about 5 minutes until they become completely soft and flexible, meanwhile, warm the cream in a pan and then whisk the gelatine into the cream until it has dissolved completely.

2) Take the pan from the heat and whisk in the yoghurt, continuing to whisk until the mixture is completely incorporated. Add in the limoncello - I used one shot to give it a delicate flavour and colour but you could use more.

3) Pour into moulds and allow to set in the fridge. I just use little whiskey glasses (not shots) because they're the perfect portion for me :-) it should be set after 2 hours but I like to leave it overnight. If you don't have a brulee torch to warm the mould, just stand the glass upright in a dish of warm water for 30 seconds and then tip it up and allow it to wobble out. Serve with a further splash of limoncello for a hint of sin!