Fruit

Banana Tarte Tartin, Passion Fruit & Banana Sorbet

December 23, 2011
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This is Gregoire’s Banana dessert from his Never Skip Dessert  book, which is unfortunately out of print!  Easy tart to make and made from ingredients usually in the house; butter, flour, sugar and bananas. The first time I made it was last weekend for Emily  and husband Andrew, it was a hit.  I baked it [...]

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Spelt Apple Cake (dairy-free)

October 7, 2011
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It occurred to me to try spelt flour in a cake when I came across a bakery in St Albans, Hertfordshire,  selling a huge range of baked products using spelt flour.  The other reason was because I have English white spelt flour in the cupboard that is pretty poor quality for bread (I had bought [...]

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Preserving with Gloria Nicol

September 4, 2011
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I bought Gloria’s new preserving book, 100 Jams Jellies Preserves & Pickles back at the beginning of July but because I’ve been immersed with all things bread I haven’t had the chance to mention it here but now I must.  I’ve spent a few days boiling down some of my favourite summer fruits using her [...]

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BBQ Nectarines or Peaches with Vin Santo

August 13, 2011
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I made these for the first time two years ago and then again last year.   White nectarines but equally good with ripe peaches charred and warmed through on the barbecue using the last of its heat then sprinkled with your favourite liqueur or dessert wine.  Very good served with a scoop of ice-cream.

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Banana, Salted Caramel and px Sherry Parfait

March 6, 2011
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This is a smooth delicious ice-cream and easy to make, banana with a toffee slightly caramelised flavour.  It’s perfect for using up bananas which have past their best, you really want them over-ripe when there’s a high concentration of sugar and the banana flavour will come through strong. The first time I made a banana [...]

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Pear & Brown Sugar Cake

January 23, 2011
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I made this cake this morning while in the middle of preparing a special Sunday roast.  My intent was to make one large soufflé but instead I opted to make a cake because it meant I wouldn’t have to think about dessert after lunch, no getting up from the table to pop the soufflé in. [...]

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Quince Tarte Tartin (can be dairy-free and vegan)

January 9, 2011
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I poached the quinces yesterday in a light syrup roughly following the measurements in Gloria’s post at Laundry etc.  They stayed in the syrup until today and with a bought pack of puff pastry this was one of the easiest most delicious tart I’ve ever made.  I had to slap my own hand to stop [...]

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Persimmon – Hachiya and Fuyu

January 6, 2011
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Above is the variety of persimmon you don’t often see in the shops in the UK; hachiya.  This is the variety that is familiar to me when growing up.  I don’t recall ever eating cakes or desserts made with them, they were eaten as soon as most of the flesh turned a very soft slight [...]

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Quinces

January 6, 2011
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I can’t think of quinces without thinking about my Gran’s Marmelada; quince cheese.  Quince cheese is now readily available here,  I’ve seen it on supermarket’s cheese counter.  This is great news because it’s done the transition from being a specialist food to something easily available for all of us to enjoy.  Obviously I have to [...]

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Pears in Red Wine by Heston Blumenthal & Paul Bocuse – Which Was Best?

October 17, 2010
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Paul Bocuse and Heston Blumenthal are not two chefs I think of putting together but that’s how it happen this week.  In the past when I’ve cooked pears in red wine I have followed Paul Bocuse’s recipe from his book “My Classic Cuisine” published back in 1989.  A book which now amongst the cookery book [...]

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Fresh Fig Tart with Crème Pâtissière flavoured with Orange Blossom

October 10, 2010
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Just before entering the gloom of our winter when the summer fruit trees go to sleep I can still buy the last of the autumn’s fruits; plums and fresh figs, by November we’ll be back to apples, pears and tropical fruits.  There’s some good offers on figs which is great for some indulgence and making [...]

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Fresh Figs – Black Bursa Figs

October 9, 2010
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These large squatted shaped black figs are regarded as the best in the fig world.  It’s sweetness, the ratio of flesh to thin skin makes this moisture laden variety of figs very popular among fig lovers like me.  For such fragile fruit this particular type transport well and I’m guessing that’s also part of the [...]

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Bambinella Pears, the Mini Pear

September 18, 2010
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I have the feeling I’ve been mostly attracted to mini fruits of late, there were the mirabelles, doughnut peaches, doughnut nectarines and now these little pears, and like the mini nectarines I have never heard of them before.  OK, so there’s a lot I haven’t heard of…but pears are something I’m always on the look [...]

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Mirabelle Plums

September 10, 2010
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My favourite jam is made with either mirabelle plums or greengages, also from the family of plums.  It’s very hard to get hold of mirabelle jam where I live and for that reason it will go straight into my shopping trolley if I spot it, if you come across the St Dalfour range you may [...]

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Doughnut, Donut Nectarines

August 31, 2010
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I saw these for the very first time today.  Have never seen or heard anyone coming across them before.  I had to go into High Holborn to the divorce courts again, fourth time now, for a copy of my absolute, again…you see…I said things weren’t straight forward.  I was walking along Kingsway just past the [...]

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