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To many, this dessert needs no introduction, as it was our signature dessert for years. When I decided to open my own catering operation in 1985, I saw a need for a company that could provide top-quality desserts to high-end restaurants that didn't have their own pastry chefs. One of the first restaurants I approached was Bishop's, which had also recently opened. John Bishop was interested, so in walked Death By Chocolate. At one time, Death By Chocolate even had the honour of being Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau's favourite dessert. He often ordered more than one piece when he was at Bishop's. Now, after all these years, I've decided to share it here. As you see, it makes a lot; however, it does freeze well, so you'll just have to throw another dinner party.

This recipe is dedicated to and named for my stepdaughter, Gillian, who adores just about anything chocolate and loves to volunteer to make these. A warning does come with this recipe: they're very rich and should be cut into small squares so as not to cause chocolate overdose!

If you are going to make and eat dessert, make it worth every bite. Valrhona 70% chocolate comes from France and has an amazingly smooth and intense deep flavour. The 70% denotes the quantity of cocoa content in the chocolate. It is available in better quality specialty food shops. Semisweet Belgian or Swiss can be substituted with good results. Late Bottled Vintage Port is available at most liquor stores.

Filo pastry became a staple in our kitchen in the 1980s and has been there ever since. Once you feel confident with it, you'll appreciate its versatility. The key is to keep a damp cloth over the filo you aren't working with. You can't leave it sitting uncovered for more than a couple of minutes or it starts to dry out and crumble. For other sexy, impressive variations, serve them with a berry coulis, crème fraîche or ice cream instead of the sabayon.

This recipe was developed for a food and wine grazing event in Vancouver. To say it was a hit would be an understatement. I think most people were drawn to the comforting quality of this dessert and the interesting combination of rosemary, apple and ginger. Actually, the pairing of rosemary and apples comes from medieval times, when savoury and sweet often crossed over.

I'm a sucker for cobblers and crisps - homey, comforting desserts that remind me of growing up. My mother often made these types of desserts for our family, although this crisp puts a spin on the traditional version with pepper added to the fruit. You can also add fresh mint or candied ginger. Once you have the basic recipe down, let your imagination run wild.

Crème brûlée is such a classic it is nice to throw a seasonal twist to it.

This shortbread is the to die for 'melt in your mouth' variety, made extra decadent with the addition of very good bittersweet chocolate. Skip the nuts if you like or try another type such as almonds, pinenuts, hazelnuts or macademia nuts. This batter freezes well. If you pre-scoop and freeze the balls, you can bake them as you need them.

This chocolate creation is easy to make. It just takes a little prep time, but is well worth the indulgence. You can also serve it with ice cream, crème fraîche or raspberry coulis and receive rave reviews from the audience.

A fabulous dessert for Christmas Dinner because it can easily made up to 2 weeks in advance and kept well wrapped in the freezer. Serve this along side your traditional plum pudding and everyone will be happy.