Cranachan – A Dessert for Burns’ Night

It’s Burns’ Night tonight, 25 January, and the celebration of the great Scottish poet’s birth in 1759. Remarkably, this popular event has been going since 1801 when it was held by a group of Burns’ friends to mark the fifth anniversary of his death in July 1796. The first Burns’ Night was held in July, […]

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French Apple Tart

I’m calling this a ‘French’ apple tart as it’s what I think of as a French-style tart rather than, say, a deep-filled Dutch apple tart. It’s also the apple tart I used to make a lot – and I mean really a lot – many years ago, as the recipe is in a book I […]

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Cherry, Pistachio & Coconut Cake

After my wonderful meal at Honey & Smoke last week, I couldn’t resist buying the Honey & Co: Food From the Middle East cookbook. I hoped to find recipes for some of the dishes I enjoyed at the restaurant, particularly the selection of mezze we had at the start of the meal, and I’m happy […]

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Fig & Almond Tart

When I decided to make the Boeuf en Daube Provençal over the weekend, I thought it would be nice to also make a fig and almond tart for dessert, similar to the one I had in restaurant Lou Pistou in Nice after my daube main course. I remembered it had an almondy, almost cake-like filling in […]

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Chocolate Semifreddo with Raspberry Coulis

‘Necessity is the mother of invention’ goes the old English proverb. Well, of course, I didn’t invent semifreddo but my venture into making one came because I still haven’t got round to buying a new ice-cream maker. I lent my old one to my daughter at Christmas when she wanted to make a clementine sorbet for […]

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French Toasted Brioche with Berry Compote & Chantilly Cream

It’s a rare thing for me to make a dessert for myself when I’m eating alone. Especially one that is so wonderfully indulgent. It came into being by a roundabout route, as these things often do. I’m looking after Jonathan and Lyndsey’s dog, Zeph, for the weekend as they’ve gone to a wedding in Somerset. […]

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