Chocolate & coconut spider cakes

in Desserts, Taste -

Chocolate & coconut spider cakes

Less than a week. That’s how long there’s left before Halloween- not that I’m counting. For the past few years, this time in October I get all excited and giddy and spend a ridiculous amount of time decorating the house, testing recipes (this candied salty cashew popcorn and these fruity and spicy cookies are among my favourites) and doing research for my costume. Last year, Halloween was admittedly a bit of a bust. No matter how excited I was, not matter how many bat-shaped things I’d eat make, not matter how spookily dreary London was, the happy/haunted feeling I so love was just not there. [READ MORE]

Apple, pear & cardamom pie

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Apple, pear & cardamom pie

It’s cold! And sunny! And cold, dammit, so very cold! But hey, it comes with the season, along with a few other things, so lovely and so close to my heart: leaves with the most stunning colours, Halloween and Bonfire night right around the corner and, you guessed it, delicious, hearty food. I honestly can’t get enough of fall’s fresh produce: crispy carrots and so many pumpkins, leeks and sage, swede, celeriac and beautiful wild mushrooms. And the fruit! Oh, all the different varieties of crisp apples and sweet juicy pears, which all just beg to be used in a pie!  [READ MORE]

Kunefe

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Kunefe-5

I’m back y’all! The past couple of weeks have been spent in a frantic wedding prep haze, equally filled with joy, bickering, tension and excitement. We’re tying the knot in a couple of days and since I’ve now crossed off most of what needs to be done of dozens of lists, I’m finally ready to come back to my favourite place, with one of my favourite recipes: kunefe! [READ MORE]

Baked peaches & mascarpone

in Breakfast, Desserts, Taste -

Baked peaches & mascarpone

When summer approaches and along with it come all the beautiful seasonal fruit, peaches somehow escape me at first. I go crazy over strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries; I’m smitten with nectarines and then, in the middle of said love affairs, I see peaches. And every time, I just can’t explain why the escape me- especially the small, flat ones. They are so cute and pretty and aromatic, I want to grab all of them, take them home, look at them for a few days and then play with their soft, pink skin. Are you with me? [READ MORE]

Nectarine & blackberry pie

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nectarine pie-1-3

A couple weeks ago, I spent a whole day making pies for an event. They were filled with spinach and swiss chard, feta and ricotta and I was filled with joy. I love making pie of any kind and this is probably my favourite savoury combo. At the end of the day, I found myself tired, with some leftover phyllo pastry and in desperate need of a dessert (after all the pie ‘testing’). I glanced at the ice cream in the freezer, then at the beautiful fruit in the fridge and thought “What the hell, let’s make another pie! A nectarine & blackberry pie!” [READ MORE]

Molten chocolate cake

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Mamita Cake-5

Yesterday was my mom’s birthday. For the past ten years or so, I’m not around to celebrate with her, but I always try to mark the occasion by making her a delicious dessert. Even though she’s not around to enjoy it, I’m always very happy to do it (and eat it, of course). Last year it was this airy, crunchy and fruity cookie & raspberry tart, but this time, I went the crowd-pleasing  molten chocolate way. [READ MORE]

White chocolate & strawberry Dutch baby

in Breakfast, Desserts, Taste -

White chocolate & strawberry Dutch baby

I think I first came across the photo of a Dutch baby on Pinterest and was instantly smitten. I mean, what’s not to love? A giant pancake, perfectly puffed, perfectly golden brown, perfectly dusted with icing sugar. It really was love at first sight. The following day, I had my first go at that beautiful XL pancake and fell deeply, madly in love. I haven’t stopped making them since and our love affair grows stronger every time. [READ MORE]

Peanut butter, cream cheese & chocolate parfaits

in Desserts, Taste -

Peanut butter, cream cheese & chocolate parfaits

I love making dessert- almost every time, it’s a little daunting, yet I always go into it with the same enthusiasm and anticipation for the end result. As soon as the weather softens up and the first spring fruit appears, I crave buttery, juicy pies, and simple tarts with delicious toppings; I can also barely keep myself from making fruity frozen treats or the first batch of ice cream and frozen yogurt of the season. [READ MORE]

Mango & passion fruit vanilla bundt cake

in Desserts, Taste -

Mango & passion fruit vanilla bundt cake

I’m coming back with a bang, back with this mango & passion fruit vanilla bundt cake. But let me first explain my absence. Remember how in my last post I mentioned how kinda crazy my week had been? Boy, was I about to get schooled. The one that just passed was hands down the definition of crazy. Like, Mike up on the stage of Dolby Theatre, accepting an Academy Award for Best Short film, along with the director and producers of Stutterer, the most beautiful short ever, one that stole my heart from the first time I saw it- that kinda crazy. And staying up with friends till 4 in the morning, celebrating with too much bubbly and too much happy cursing and hugs and spending a couple days trying to reply to congratulatory messages- additional kinda crazy. [READ MORE]