Chocolate Delice

I realise that I don't usually pay homage to a chef when making a recipe, but the legendary Monsieur Blanc is no ordinary chef!  Nearly as important to my culinary journey as the Roux Brothers, Raymond is completely self-taught, and his Manoir aux Quat'Saisons has held two Michelin stars since 1985 - no mean feat.  As well as sharing my birthday, Raymond is a most amusing and very brave man - he served both his first and second wife a croquembouche on their wedding day...

Almond and Citrus Drizzle Cake

The girls are always asking me for lemon drizzle cake - it seems that the school makes a fabulous one for snack time.  Of course I couldn't go with a standard version, and wanted to incorporate a couple of different ideas. As well as lemons, I wanted to use blood oranges for a fuller scent load, and a pink icing.  And given my recent obsession with frangipane and nut flours, I also wanted to include a little ground almond into the cake, though I suspect you could probably swap that for polenta too.

Beautiful bergamots

I'm going to shamelessly copy an article
by Sudi in the Independent, not just
because it's an interesting piece on the
versatility of bergamot, but also because
I'm mentioned.

Caraway Blini

I happened to have some smoked salmon which needed using up - you know, like you do - and I wanted a new blini recipe.  The problem with blini is that by about the third, you're feeling their leaden grip in your stomach.  They stop being a vehicle for the topping and become a hindrance.  I'd had my eye on Felicity Cloake's recipe for a while now, as it's a variation on Richard Bertinet's, and I think we all know I love Richard's gallic charm (and his excellent online baking shop).

Pea, Goat's Cheese and Mint Quiche...

It's the annual School Quiz, and the endless battle to create something that can be transported like a picnic, but is more gourmet than soggy sandwiches... I made the mistake of asking Hubby what he fancied, and he requested quiche... Quiche!  I've never made quiche, primarily because my mother-in-law makes such a fantastic one, and, well, just because... But if I was going to have to make quiche, I wanted something really unusual, vibrant and delicious...

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.

Moroccan chickpea soup...

My favourite Saturday lunch, always made by Hubby, is this incredibly simple but very aromatic soup. The lemon zest clears your jaded palate and sets you up for the weekend...

As chickpeas are an excellent source of fibre and protein, it's the perfect dish for vegetarians and vegans, without compromising at all on flavour.

Sea trout, with Thai scented stew...

There are so many bugs flying around at the moment, that all I seem to be cooking are stir fries and curries - it's the desperate desire to get garlic, lemon grass and ginger into my family. All four have particular qualities for those suffering at this time of the year - the ginger relieve congestion, lemongrass helps with sore throats, chilli contains capsaicin, and is high in vitamin C, and the garlic has antibacterial properties...