...Or Profiteroles filled with Strawberry-Balsamic Gelato.. Summer in Britain always means strawberries and cream. Tonnes of the ruby red berries are devoured every June at Wimbledon alone and in households across the country as eager tennis fans settle down...
Continue reading "HHDD #20: Profiteroles Alla Gelato Di Fragole All'Aceto Balsamico" »
Another cake? So soon? I know, I know. I didn't intend to be doing any baking for a little while, but then our niece Maria came round for a few hours on Saturday afternoon while her mum was at...
Continue reading "Lemon-Raspberry Roulade" »
'Twas Dave's birthday last week and as is traditional in our house, he got to choose his own birthday cake. After a surprisingly short deliberation--I take days to decide--he settled upon coffee and walnut cake. I was pretty sure...
Continue reading "Coffee and walnut cake" »
...or how to dent your ego in one easy step. I've been baking Lemon Meringue Pies (hereafter abbreviated to LMP) since the age of seven, so when LMP was announced as the January challenge for the Daring Bakers--hosted by...
Continue reading "Daring Bakers: Lemon Meringue Pie" »
Lucas had a little friend (T) over to play on Monday so I thought I'd do a little bit of baking for us all. I've been eyeing the cookie chapter in Dolce Italiano since it arrived, so I felt...
Continue reading "Lemony Semolina Cookies" »
Pepparkakor are traditional Swedish Christmas biscuits-- What's that you say? Christmas was last week? Yeah I know... Luckily for me, and my knack of blogging at a snail's pace, pepparkakor are now eaten all year round in Sweden and...
Continue reading "Scandinavian Pepparkakor" »
Today marks the last ritualistic feeding of the Christmas cake in the Williams household. I made my cake at the end of October and its been sitting in a cupboard, getting more and more aromatic and just plain lovely...
Continue reading "Feeding the Christmas Cake..." »
Lately, I've taken to menu planning as a means of (a) reducing food wastage and (b) ensuring that I keep up my enthusiasm and love of cooking. It's working on both counts, I must admit, and I get a...
Continue reading "Venetian Apple Cake" »
Leaves of russet fall, Rustle and crackle underfoot. Frost shimmers on cars, Yes, it's autumn once more! Excuse my feeble attempts at poetry, I don't know what came over me. The fact remains, however, that it is autumn. The...
Continue reading "Gingerbread Muffins" »
Five little ducks went swimming one day, Over the hills and far away. Mummy Duck said, "Quack-quack quack quack," But only four little ducks came back.... Lucas turned one a couple of weeks ago, and because (a) he loves...
Continue reading "Five Little Ducks..." »
Last week, on a whim, I decided to make Limoncello. More on that at a later date, I'm sure. As a result, I was left with a large bowl of naked lemons and a couple of whole lemons. The...
Continue reading "Damp lemon cakelettes" »
Last weekend we went shopping at Bicester Village--an outlet mall type of place, but very British--and I found myself irresistibly drawn into Villeroy & Boch where I proceeded to swoon over several very expensive platters and the world's shiniest...
Continue reading "Rhubarb Friands" »
Upside-down cakes are culinary classics; pineapple upside-down cake is certain to feature in almost every novice cook's early attempts at cooking as it's pretty much foolproof and damn tasty to boot. I certainly remember making one in home economics...
Continue reading "Apricot upside-down cakes" »
(Please excuse the photo. I forgot to take one before it started being devoured. Think of this as an action shot, if it helps.) A few weeks ago a friend of ours invited us to her birthday BBQ/garden party....
Continue reading "Special diet? No problem...." »
Wow. So much has changed in the world of blogging since I last updated. Clotilde has a book deal, Deb is travelling the world, Renee has stopped blogging--I'm particularly sad about this--and the number of food bloggers has absolutely...
Continue reading "Ginger Crunch" »
Until I started cooking from American cookbooks, I'd never heard of crumb or coffee cakes. Which is a great shame, but I'm making up for lost time! For the Brits, as far as I can tell, a crumb cake...
Continue reading "Cinnamon Crumb Cake" »
When dieting, I find it a good idea to keep myself supplied with plenty of cake and other goodies. It's for the protection of those around me, you understand, as when deprived of the great joys of food, I...
Continue reading "Carrot Cake" »
Chocolate brownies are always a hot topic of discussion among foodies. Which makes a better brownie? Melted chocolate or cocoa? Are fudgy brownies better than cakey ones? All very good questions, but impossible to answer. Brownies are, I think,...
Continue reading "Simple Chocolate Brownies" »
Spring has arrived in England; everywhere you look daffodils and crocuses are providing splashes of colour, brightening up gardens and roadsides. To celebrate the joys of spring, I thought that a nice brightly flavoured citrus dessert would be just...
Continue reading "IMBB: Triple-Lemon Cupcakes" »
Shortbread is one of those things which I've always bought but never considered making myself. I'm still not quite sure what drove me to attempt it, but the results were pretty damn good. Not perhaps as good as Walkers...
Continue reading "Chocolate-Dipped Almond Shortbread" »
Sometimes you walk into the kitchen and a smell assails your nose. If it's a good day, then it'll be a delicious aroma, rather than the smell of an ailing bin.... Earlier this week, I walked into the kitchen...
Continue reading "Marbled-Chocolate Banana Bread" »
I love chocolate chip cookies, and I'm always eager to try variations on them. These Korova Cookies have been sitting in my bookmarks for a few months now, and seemed the obvious choice when I was looking for something...
Continue reading "Korova Cookies" »
I've made no secret of the fact that preparing apples is the kitchen task I loathe the most; however, this recipe makes the dreaded task completely worthwhile. Spiced layers of tender apple chunks stud the sweet and slightly aromatic...
Continue reading "Apple Bundt Cake" »
Wow, it's been quite a while since I last blogged, eh? January has been a bit of an odd month food-wise... I've been relying on old favourites--you know the sort of thing--that I can cook in my sleep. Innovative...
Continue reading "Chocolate Malteser Birthday Cake" »
After my previous disastrous attempt at making Cinnamon Star Cookies, I vowed not to be beaten by mere cookies! I asked a German friend of mine, Brigitte, if she happened to have a recipe for them that was tried...
Continue reading "Cinnamon Star Cookies - Take Two" »
On Thursday I finally admitted to myself that the huge batch of mincemeat I made last year simply wasn't up to scratch. I'd been seduced by the marvellous prose surrounding Tamasin Day-Lewis' family recipe in "Good Tempered Food" but...
Continue reading "Frangipane Mince Pies" »
For the past few months I've found myself staring in some considerable perplexion at a large can of crushed pinapple in my larder. I had no idea when I bought it, let alone why I bought it. This week...
Continue reading "Pineapple Muffins" »
I had a disastrous cooking session on Thursday when I decided to make my cookies for this month's IMBB (hosted by Jennifer, she's having a busy month!). I had decided to make some German Cinnamon Star Cookies from a...
Continue reading "IMBB 10: Phoebe's Fabulous Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies" »
I made this cake on Sunday as a way to finish off the ginger I had left-over from the Howondaland Curry. The recipe comes from Epicurious.com, and I've had it stored in my personal recipe box there for quite...
Continue reading "Lemon-Ginger Pound Cake" »
I've had a pack of pistachios lying around since the time I got an urge to make pistachio gelato (which came to nothing as I couldn't find a good recipe). Anyway, whilst flicking through Sally Schneider's "A New Way...
Continue reading "Pistachio-Chocolate Cakelets" »
Every November we go to a Firework Party at a friends house. It gets crazier and crazier each year; this year the highlight was an immense 150-shot firework which seemed to light up the entire city. It was probably...
Continue reading "White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cookies" »
I seem to be going through either a nostalgic or retro baking phase at the moment. Almost everything that's coming out of my kitchen seems to be highly reminiscent of my childhood. These tiny coconut tarts were a stalwart...
Continue reading "Rich Coconut Tarts" »
Now that Autumn is here, I've been feeling the need for some gingerbread. My mum always used to bake gingerbread at this time of year; it was wonderful to come home from school and find the house full of...
Continue reading "My Mum's Gingerbread" »
I recently invested in a copy of Rose Reisman's "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Light Desserts" after some long email chats with Renee about light baking. It's packed with loads of really delicious sounding recipes and I'm enjoying cooking...
Continue reading "Light Coconut Layer Cake" »
This week I am in need of some serious comfort food. The only thing I found myself wanting was some good chocolate chip cookies so I dragged myself into the kitchen to whip up a batch. Chocolate is always...
Continue reading "Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies!" »
My gorgeous niece Maria was one year old on Monday. On Sunday she had her first birthday party at her grandparents house, complete with jelly and ice-cream! As my contribution to the festivities, I offered to make her birthday...
Continue reading "Maria's First Birthday Cake" »
For some time now, I've been trying to acquire a copy of Alice Medrich's "Chocolate and The Art of Low-Fat Desserts" (a mouthful of a title, if I ever heard one!), but with no success. Renee has baked several...
Continue reading "Semi-Disastrous Chocolate Pound Cake" »
What do you do with a bunch of over-ripe bananas? Do you stash them in the freezer and eventually make some yummy (calorific!) banana bread, turn them into ice-cream or make them into a banana split? This was my...
Continue reading "Banana Muffins" »
Having guests for the weekend is always a fantastic excuse for baking, and this weekend was no exception. I flicked through How To Be A Domestic Goddess for some inspiration and as usual, ended up drooling over Nigella's Boston...
Continue reading "Triple Butterscotch Boston Cream Pie" »
I'm a big fan of traditional snacks like flapjacks, however they don't fit very easily into a low-fat diet. Even WeightWatchers flapjacks use a hefty amount of butter and thus become treats rather than snacks. I decided to defat...
Continue reading "Orange and Sesame Flapjacks" »
One of the very first things I learnt to bake as a child was rock cakes. I have fond memories of baking these with my Granny before progressing onto trickier things like scones and Lemon Meringue Pie. I think...
Continue reading "Rock Cakes" »
I recently indulged in a little spending spree at my favourite bookshop. Amongst the treasure I brought home was a book that I've been ogling for some time - HomeBaking by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid. The only reason...
Continue reading "Jamaican Coconut Pie" »
My previous attempts at low-fat baking haven't been entirely successful. I can make a deliciously fudgy and intense chocolate cake but my attempt at a ultra low-fat mocha cake last month was disastrous to say the least. Evaporated milk...
Continue reading "Lime and Coconut Cake" »
Following the success of the Coconut-Lemon squares, I decided to make its sister recipe, i.e. using limes. I love limes even more than lemon, so I looked for a recipe which used lots and lots of lime juice and...
Continue reading "Coconut Lime Squares" »
Pound cake dates back to the 1700s (at least) and originally was an English creation. Over the years, however, Pound Cake has become almost an exclusive province of American cooks. British cooks have slightly adjusted the recipe to become...
Continue reading "Lemon-Lime Pound Cake" »
I've had my eye on these Pistachio Macaroons since I first received my copy of Nigella's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess". They just looked so delicate and unusual, especially as I hadn't encountered the delights of French macarons...
Continue reading "Pistachio Macaroons" »
These luscious lemony squares are a quick and easy recipe from Epicurious - I'm becoming rather fond of their recipes lately... The recipe contains a larger amount of lemon than others that I've come across in the past, and...
Continue reading "Lemon-Coconut Squares" »
Tonight, Friends airs its final episode in the States. Thankfully the UK is a couple of episodes behind, so I shan't burst into tears for a few more weeks... I've been a huge fan of Friends since the beginning...
Continue reading "Pecan Coffee Cake" »
This rather unassuming looking cake is one of my all-time favourite Nigella Lawson recipes. I've made it on a yearly basis since How To Be A Domestic Goddess was first published, sometimes twice even twice. This year I've made...
Continue reading "Rhubarb Cornmeal Cake" »
I've had a lot of fun making my cake for this month's "Is My Blog Burning?" day, hosted by the lovely Renee. I've owned a beginner's piping set for a few months now, but I've only used it to...
Continue reading "Bailey's Irish Cream Cake - Is My Blog Burning?" »
I adore focaccia, but I've only ever made it twice. Having tried this recipe, I'll have to be physically restrained from making it weekly. Admittedly I have the benefit of having a Kitchenaid mixer, but the recipe is very...
Continue reading "Rosemary Focaccia" »
I had a craving for marzipan the other day. But as I tend to gorge on marzipan whenever it enters the house, I needed a half-decent excuse to go and buy some. After trawling my cookbook shelves I found...
Continue reading "Chocolate Marzipan Cookies" »
Hot Cross Buns are traditional Easter fare in England. Usually, we just buy them from the supermarket, but as I had plenty of time to spare I decided to make my own this year. The nicest thing about making...
Continue reading "Hot Cross Buns" »
Don't panic! Mincemeat is a sweet English concoction of dried fruits, apples, spices, sugar, rum, brandy and (depending on personal preferences) suet. In Ye Olden Days, it did contain beef mince (ground beef), but over the years this has...
Continue reading "Mincemeat Sultana Muffins" »
I'm back! (At long last, I might add.) Almost all of our boxes have been unpacked and I'm now the proud owner of a beautiful, shiney and safe(!!) gas cooker. The kitchen is still a bit of a mess,...
Continue reading "Chris' birthday cake" »
This is an adaptation of Jill Dupleix's (yes, her again) Rhubarb Crumble Cake. I had planned to do the rhubarb cake but when I got to the greengrocers they didn't have any rhubarb left and neither did Waitrose. So,...
Continue reading "Apple Crumble Cake" »
I recently received an email from Dan Lepard, who had stumbled across my previous disasters with a couple of his recipes from "Baking With Passion". After swooning slightly, I then felt a smidgeon of guilt for wanting to burn...
Continue reading "Orange Cheesecake Brownies" »
After suffering some disastrous attempts at bread-making (Triple Chocolate and Hazelnut bread and a garlic stuffed bread), I decided to cheer myself up by making a cake. My favourite cake/baking book has to be Nigella Lawson's "How To Be...
Continue reading "Chocolate Marsala Cake" »
Update 19/11/07: Apparently the Village bakery Forums have closed down, so I am reproducing verbatim the recipe for Stollen at the end of this post. Thanks for all the emails! Also, I can confirm that going the extra mile...
Continue reading "Stollen" »
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