Dessert

Rosey Apple, Custard & Jam Tarts

These apple tarts are a treat to eat. The slightly crisp apple slices, the tart blueberries, creamy custard and buttery pastry make for one delicious mouthful. They also look totally divine and are sure to impress. In truth, they were a little tricky to make and there was a lot of apple slicing involved! I did harbor some doubts as I surveyed the enormous mound of apple slices in front …

Treats

Cookies for Katniss

Whenever I read a book like The Hunger Games, I get totally immersed in that world. I want to taste the biscuits from Mellark’s bakery; I want to feast my eyes on pale purple melon. I want to live it as I read it. With the movie comes out this weekend, we’ll finally get to see if the Hollywood version lives up to all our imaginations. I wanted to make …

Snack

Dillisk, Gubeen Cheese and Sesame Scones

For many people St.Patrick’s Day is a day of drinking, gaudy parades, lurid green leprechauns and shamrock shakes. There are a lot of great things about Ireland and very little of these are ever celebrated on our national feast day. Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time in a beautiful unspoiled part of Ireland, on Inchydoney Island in West Cork. It got me thinking a lot about Ireland and made me …

Review

Kitchen Tools

  There are some kitchen tools that I just can’t seem to live without. I only ever notice this when I go to someone else’s kitchen, and I start ransacking their drawers desperately looking for the right type of tool. I guess the more you cook, the more you appreciate good utensils. In my time, I have bought lots of crappy cookware, only to throw them in a bin few …

Cake

Double LEGO® Cupcakes

It all started with a brown piece of LEGO®. To me it looked like a shiny cube of delicious milk chocolate. Wouldn’t it be great if it actually was chocolate? The cream coloured pieces could be sweet white chocolate and the glossy black pieces a rich dark chocolate. If only that were possible, I thought. Well, with the help of some magic blue stuff, I made my chocolate LEGO® dream …

Breakfast

Lacy Pancakes

I love pancakes so much. I get very excited every year on Pancake Tuesday and say to myself ‘I should make pancakes more often’ and then of course I forget and another year passes and I haven’t made any pancakes. I love the art of pancake making though, swishing the batter into the hot pan, moving your arms about to coat every last bit of  the pan. Not to mention …