Darina Allen: A mocha ice cream cake and quick shellfish dinner from Claudia Roden
This parfait mocha praline from Med is the perfect dinner party dessert. Photograph: Susan Bell
When Claudia Roden’s three children spread their wings and left their London home more than 35 years ago, Claudia decided to leave home too and travel around the Mediterranean.
Off she went in the spirit of adventure without plans or arrangements but with her head swirling with childhood memories of the exhilarating moment when she and her siblings arrived in Alexandria by the desert road from their home in Cairo and suddenly saw the sea. She still vividly remembered the flavour of the food in the cafes along the seafront.
