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Dessert

Dessert

Old School Rice Pudding (now and then)

August 25, 2011

In some ways a lot of things have changed in the last twenty years and in other ways they remain the same. My love of rice pudding has always been a constant. When I was a kid I used to love rice pudding. So much so, that as soon as I had devoured every morsel of rice pudding in my bowl, I would grab the empty saucepan, bring it to the kitchen table, and scrape away every last bit. My Mum used to find it funny that I always did this. One day she surprised me by taking this photo of me mid bite at the table. You can tell by my look of surprise that I wasn’t expecting to be captured in the act! I found this picture recently and was instantly taken back on a journey in time. For a bit of fun I decided to recreate this photo just to see visibly what has changed. I also revisited this favourite dish of mine and created a more sophisticated adult version but essentially the same old rice pudding I know and love. Continue Reading…

Dessert

Creamy Panna Cotta with Cherry Compote

August 11, 2011

This creamy panna cotta is made entirely of full fat cream, so it’s a pretty decadent but you know it tastes delicious. The accompanying cherry compote is rich, fruity and it has a flavour of Christmas for me (perhaps it’s the brandy in it!). I made the panna cotta’s quite small as they are devishly rich. However it does serve as a small but perfect dessert that is sure to impress. The mint on top is apple mint and is just to decorate and give a nice minty aroma. This is a super easy pud to make, twenty minutes to make and totally foolproof. However, you will need at least three hours to set the panna cotta or leave it covered in the fridge overnight. It’s a great easy dinner party dessert that you can make in advance and wow your guests! Continue Reading…

Dessert

Cheery ‘Cherry Clafoutis’

June 30, 2011

Cherries for me are the essence of summer. Whatever the weather in Ireland, one bite of a deep red, juicy cherry makes me think of sweet warm sunshine and brightens my whole day. Amazing how the small things can change your mood. Continue Reading…

Dessert

Retro Recipe Revival

June 16, 2011

 

So, I finally dusted down the old recipe book, donned my 1950’s style apron, put on some Frank Sinatra and began my journey back in time. Wouldn’t this dish look very impressive at a dinner party in the 1950’s?  I chose this particular recipe for Chocolate Meringue Tart, because it looked so decadent and delicious. I was also kind of intrigued by the concept. Chocolate, meringue and pastry, I wasn’t too sure if it would turn out to be yucky or yummy. As I read the recipe I realised I would have to change a few little things. I just couldn’t bring myself to use margarine, so I used lovely Irish butter instead. And that chocolate filling looked a little bland, so I jazzed it up with some Cointreau. I also used real cherries on top instead of sticky glace ones and garnished with some fresh fragrant mint. The rest of the recipe is pretty much as is and I even used Bourneville chocolate.

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Dessert

I Heart Bakewell Tart

May 31, 2011

As kids we had a childminder called Mary and she was a great cook. Her bakewell tarts were the stuff of legend. I could never look, let alone eat, shop bought bakewell tarts because none of them would ever taste as amazing as Mary’s. There was something about Mary’s tarts! I loved the crispy lattice pastry she layered on top and the vibrant red jam oozing around the edges. I adored the almondy smell that permeated the whole house when she baked. I used to think that her bakewell looked like the kind of thing that the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland would eat. Continue Reading…

Dessert

Adventures in Salty Almond Ice-cream

May 3, 2011

Blogging about food gives you a whole new awareness of other food blogs out there. Now that I read so many food blogs, I feel a lot more tuned into food from all over the world. The downside though is some of the blogs are so amazing, that I get blog envy :-(. But then you get back in the kitchen and take inspiration from some of these great blogs. I am regular reader and fan of the The Kitchn and my mouth literally watered when they posted a recipe for salted almond ice-cream last week. I am a sucker for salty sweet ice-cream with salty caramel ice-cream being my absolute favourite. Maybe the reason I like salty sweet ice-cream is because I have fond memories of eating ice-cream on the beach and maybe some of that salty sea water tainted the flavour. Continue Reading…