It's April, the cherry blossom and lilac are in glorious bloom, and it's Easter week. In our house this means it's time to make fresh coconut cake, which for idiosyncratic reasons I always associate with this time of year. There's something about … [Read more...]
Easter recipes: brunch baked eggs with chorizo, potato, tomato and spinach; and carrot cupcakes with a touch of whimsy
Easter brings out the child in me. It was always the time when we five girls had a huge amount of fun with springtime ramblings, colouring Easter eggs, and of course waking up on Easter Sunday to our Easter baskets – no such thing in the States as … [Read more...]
Troubleshooting short crust pastry, sweet and savoury
Of all the pastry to make at home from scratch, short crust is the most useful for both sweet and savoury dishes. Making it yourself gives you great flavour and more flavour options, and means you know exactly what's in it. It's not difficult to … [Read more...]
White asparagus time
I lucked into some white asparagus at the Norwich market yesterday, flown in from Germany where it is highly favoured. The 'spargel' season there ('spargelzeit') is a national craze of sorts, with restaurants and cafés offering it multiple ways on a … [Read more...]
Madeleine Kamman’s Profiteroles Pontresina
Madeleine Kamman -- French chef, author and cookery teacher -- is acclaimed for her superb recipes, many of which you won't find elsewhere, and for her beautiful prose. Both celebrate the food French women have cooked in the home, giving it due … [Read more...]
Fruit-focussed Pavlova
The problem with fruit desserts is often the fruit. Even in season it’s not easy to find varieties grown for flavour, or specimens picked when ripe enough to taste of something. There's cause for rejoicing therefore when one does find fruit that … [Read more...]