david lebovitz chocolate cake dulce de leche

Salted Caramel Molten Chocolate Pots

"I love the smell of juice boxes in the morning" - Robert Duvall I was at a seminar thing recently where one of the speakers was Martha Swift, who turned her home cupcake operation into the hugely successful Primrose Bakery. I asked her whether she thought that her business, and those like it, were being negatively impacted by the War On Sugar that is currently being waged left right and centre. ...

Read More

Cinco de Mayo – Tequila & Tacos

"Why did the Mexican push his wife off the cliff? Tequila!" Yes, I do write my own material and yes, I am here all week (try the veal) etc. Anyway, it's 5 May! And because 90% of you reading this are European, that will mean absolutely nothing whatsoever! It's just the day after Star Wars Day, right? But those of you in the US, or unbashed Americophiles like me, will know ...

Read More
spelt cake diana henry gooseberry cake

Rhubarb, Almond & Spelt Cake {+ more thoughts on wholegrain baking)

Jump straight to the recipe → "A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges" - Benjamin Franklin I had been putting my faith in the idea that the law of averages must (surely) dictate that, if you bake with wholegrains enough, you will eventually create something that does not resemble a musty cricket ball. And finally my faith has been rewarded in the form of this ...

Read More

Zuni Café Roast Chicken & Bread Salad

“Los Angeles? That’s just a big parking lot where you buy a hamburger for the trip to San Francisco” – John Lennon Why am I telling you about a roast chicken?  BORING! Well, we are having this chat for three reasons as it happens. First, this really is the ultimate home-cooked roast chicken - perfectly tender meat, brown crispy skin - the best us mere mortals can achieve unless we have a brick oven in the ...

Read More
jamie oliver kedgeree

Jamie’s Rescue Me Kedgeree

"In England, you're allowed to have an opinion - as long as it comes out of your mouth" - Jamie Oliver I hadn't intended to put a Jamie Oliver quote on this post but there really haven't been many great witticisms uttered about smoked fish. Odd, huh? It did make me remember though how much I bloody love Jamie Oliver. He's not everybody's cup of tea I know, and he does have ...

Read More

Fruit & Nut Soda Bread

 "We've always found the Irish a bit odd. They refuse to be English" - Winston Churchill My foray into the world of Baking with Wholegrains continues to be, shall we say, challenging. Two batches of rhubarb and orange spelt muffins were decidedly average (tasty but resembling ice hockey pucks) and let us never speak about the wholewheat cinnamon buns I attempted last weekend. I expect it isn't really helped by the fact that I am ...

Read More

Grapefruit Margarita

"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading" - Henny Youngman It's Thursday! And Thursday means cocktails. Is this healthy? Probably not, but it does have a shed load of Vitamin C in there with the tequila so I think it just scrapes over the line. And grapefruit contains enzymes that help the liver break down toxins as well so that must mean that, um, er, something right? Oh who ...

Read More

Nigella’s Soy & Tahini Pork

"The only reason why we ask other people how their weekend was is so we can tell them about our own weekend” -  Chuck Palahniuk (Invisible Monster) One of the real highlights of this healthier eating lark is that we eat pretty much whatever we want at the weekend. OK, we don't spend (every) Saturday slinging back KFC Zinger Tower burgers, but the weekend is when I tend to indulge my pastry ...

Read More