Tangilicious Tamarillo Tart Tatin

I'm crazy about tamarillos, but since I've tried them cooked, I'm coming up with all manner of ways of using them... Their high glutamate content particularly suits the roasting or caramelisation process, which makes me think of tart tatins. I'm not crazy about the apple version, which can be very sweet, but I have made plum and tomato versions quite often. Tamarillos seem like the perfect variation, especially as their tartness lends itself to the process.

Orange and Cranberry Scones

The 9 year old's on-going quest for the perfect bake has turned to scones.  So far we've made conventional scones, cheese, raisin, and this variation from a recipe by Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa).  Ina's version includes cream and is made in the kitchen aid - I've included it because the ingredients and technique varied a great deal from the English versions I saw.

Lemon Drizzle Cake

All bow to Mary Berry, the queen of baking.  And it's true, if I'm looking for a traditional bake, I'll usually look at her recipe first and then move on to check out any variations.  In this case we've never moved beyond Mary's recipe, and it's the cake the children ask for most.  If made using the all-in-one method in a food processor, it literally can be in the oven in five minutes... C'mon - who doesn't have time for a five minute cake???

Heston Blumenthal's Perfect Burger

Yay, it's finally BBQ season... It may look like I only cook chocolate delice and frangipane tarts, but hey, my kids like a burger as much as the next person.  Of course that wouldn't be a generic supermarket burger, and so finally the opportunity to try Heston's perfect burger recipe.  I'd seen this recipe on his How to Cook Like Heston show, but we didn't fire our BBQ at all last year, and so the itch grew and grew.

Frangipane Tarts

There's something about the scent of frangipane which has haunted me for decades. We have relatives on the French side of the Swiss-France border, and on our very first visit, we had a plum and frangipane tart. The memory has stuck with me for twenty years - served at room temperature - the tart was luscious, creamy, delicately scented - just adorable.

French Apple Tart...

Another weekend, another tart.  This time Ina Garten's apple tart.  Another incredibly simple recipe, this one is a combination of apple slices and puff pastry.  If the quantity of sugar looks a little daunting, I have to say, it did all absorb into the apples, and didn't taste too sweet.  Total prep time is minimal if you use shop bought puff pastry - I think I had the whole thing in the oven within ten minutes!

Banana Bread [Thermomix]

I'm a mother of four - you have to be able to knock-up banana bread to use up all those mushy bananas.  I don't know what happens - some weeks they go through many bunches, others none...  Still, banana bread is a favourite of the 11yo, so it's never a wasted effort.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Icing [Thermomix]

I've been making a lot of macarons lately, and when I'm completely happy with the process, I'll put a post up.  But in the meantime I've come to realise that whilst a perfect macaron shell is lovely, actually what the majority of people remember are the fillings.  Macarons are vehicles for flavour, and I guarantee most people won't know if your 'feet' have separated, or your shells are hollow.  What they will remember is the texture! 

The Scandilicious Chelsea Bun...

I've been following Signe on twitter for ages now, and there's always something very familiar about her flavour combinations and recipes...  That's not to say that I've found them available widely, on the contrary, but having grown up in Germany there's something about the Scandinavian palate that resonates strongly with my childhood.  We spent a lot of time living around Bremen, and Hamburg, right at the top of Germany and not far from Scandinavia proper.  And since Signe released her new Baking book, I've been dying to delve into it to try something.

Lemon Meringue Tart

The quest for a suitable pudding for Sunday lunch is a long and arduous one - with four children to please, let alone the Hubby - I'm never going to please everyone all of the time.  But we seem to have discovered a new favourite: lemon meringue pie!  A couple of weeks ago I bought one, and frankly it was pretty meagre and insipid.  I didn't want them to think this was actually lemon meringue pie, and I remembered that there had been a tart in the Great British Bake-Off book.  Not being a massive pudding fan, I knew a tart would work for the grownups too!  The result? A zingy, luscious curd, a crisp base, a dense high tower of soft meringue...

Bara Brith

If I'm baking, this is the recipe I must make the most often.  Bara Brith is a Welsh speckled bread made with tea soaked fruits.  It's an absolute doddle to make, and can sit perfectly happily in an airtight container for several days.  I always have so many people in my house, that I usually double up the batch and make two loaves at the same time.  I use the recipe from The Great British Book of Baking, just because it's always near the top of my book pile, and never makes it back onto the shelf!

Rachel Allen's 30 Day Muffins

Yes, more muffins.  Actually this time because I have a shocking cold, and I can't sleep.  Seemed as though it might be fun to make breakfast muffins for everyone to have in the morning!  Adapted from Rachel Allen's 30 day muffin mixture, the theory is that you can leave the mixture in the fridge for 30 days until you next want to make muffins... Does it work? Absolutely!

Toffee Fudge Muffins

Okay, forget that New Year's promise of dieting for a moment, and have a toffee fudge muffin on me :0)  The little fudge chunks at the bottom of the muffins turn that bottom bit into a pseudo treacle sponge - delicious!

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Bloomin' cheek... Pointed the toffee muffins out to the Hubby, who remarked rather pointedly that he only eats lemon poppy seed muffins.  Then he popped off for a quick run... Well.  The 10yo and I weren't going to stand for that, so we found a recipe, and made some while he was out!!!