The guests carved up the bombes at the end of the meal, warm toffee sauce melting into the ice cream as they poured it over. Pastry Chef JR Ryall and his team in the ‘Sweets Section’ at Ballymaloe House create the irresistible selection on the sweet trolley every night. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). Whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl with a pinch of cream of tartar until it reaches soft peaks. Whisk the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, then fold in the flour making sure there are no lumps.

It may be more labour-intensive than the other two recipes but Ryall welcomes having a kitchen project like a bombe.Then I look at the menu plan to see if anything needs to be altered to balance the last-minute change.

But I think, from my own point of view, the cool thing about the book is that I resist all of that and I simply present the dishes that I love to make. A baking book - attainable, reliable, and inspirational 130 recipes for the home baker for cakes, cookies, pastries, puddings, and other sensational sweets, from the acclaimed pastry chef at the iconic Ballymaloe House in Ireland, is heralded as the birthplace of modern Irish cuisine. Myrtle founded Ballymaloe in 1964, seven years before Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse, Ryall underscores.

At Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland, where Ryall oversees the dessert menu, they grow 11 different types. In the summertime, Ryall likes to mould vanilla, blackcurrant and strawberry ice creams in a bowl — during wintertime, chocolate, praline and coffee.

And we cannot say that we are overwhelmed by the number of books offering a compote of green gooseberries and elderflower, so that quality is rather charming.

Cook until the caramel is a deep chestnut colour, then use a wooden spoon to coat the almonds completely in the hot caramel. Start with less than you think might be needed, wait a minute for the saffron to infuse into the syrup and then taste, only adding more if necessary.

Though Myrtle died in 2018 at the age of 94, he considers Ballymaloe Desserts a hybrid of them both. Whether old or new, the 130 recipes reflect what Ryall learned cooking at his mentor’s side: how to taste, the value of proportions, and the importance of considering flavour and freshness. There, visitors are treated to acclaimed pastry chef JR Ryall's daily array of seasonally inspired treats, wheeled through the dining room on a vintage dessert trolley. JR Ryall, Ballymaloe House Pastry Chef extraordinaire will share the magic at the cookery school on Tuesday, October 25, from 7-9pm. The later varieties, which they harvest in October and November, are hardier and keep in cold storage throughout the winter.

I get great inspiration from it, and I get excited about it because it’s still an example that works half a century later,” says Ryall of Myrtle’s mentality. At Ballymaloe I plan each dish when I know what fresh produce is available, so I often change the menu at the last minute. Eye-catching, elegant, and a bit magical, these inspiring yet accessible recipes range from the delightfully retro Ice Cream Bomb to the showstopping Irish Coffee Meringue Gâteau to a Classic Strawberry Shortcake made modern with an edgy geometric presentation. Through 138 recipes and specially commissioned photography, the magic of his delicious desserts is brought to life and his evocative words reveal the stories and inspirations of these creations.