This is an exquisite cake: feather light and springy as a pillow, fragrant with good citrus, extra virgin olive oil, and dessert wine. Developed at Chez Panisse in the 1980s where it was made with Sauternes, this cake is subtle, complex and … [Read more...]
Sicilian fast food: lemon spaghetti
This simple and utterly delicious pasta dish was a revelation when we tasted it at Annarella and Fabio's table outside Noto in Sicily. We were there to visit the organic farm where they grow lemons, oranges, almonds and olives, one blissfully sunny … [Read more...]
Mint sorbet
Phew, it's hotter than something that's really hot. Cambridge reached 100F yesterday, and had the distinction of being the hottest place in the UK, on a day that had its own dubious distinction of being the hottest July day on record. It's a … [Read more...]
California cooking: artichoke tart, and artichoke steamed
California cuisine seems to be enjoying renewed attention in the UK, not only for its multicultural fusion-cooking, but for its creativity with seasonal, interesting produce – thanks no doubt to our current interests in more adventurous vegetable … [Read more...]
Three-layer lemon curd cake with poppyseed buttercream
This is such a beautiful cake for a celebration, or for afternoon tea in the garden (and oh joy! It's warm enough for that here in Cambridgeshire this Easter weekend). It’s also great in winter, come to that, when lemons are at their best. A … [Read more...]
A Maytime menu to cook together: asparagus and pea ravioli, and coffee crème caramel
May: the landscape is never so alive with growth as it is now, life pushing ahead, making more of itself. It renews us too: our love for life and each other, our desire to connect with all this radiance. A friend was telling me recently as we … [Read more...]