Gooey. Fudgy. Squidgy. Chocolatey. Hedonistic. Lush. Try as you might, there’s no one-word that truly encapsulates what a chocolate brownie is. It’s a humble thing made with humble ingredients, but it deserves adjectives. If you don’t offer them up initially, it will illicit them from you after the first bite. I made these to take…
Lamb & Mint Crumble
Who’s the wise guy that said crumbles must be sweet? Someone needs to give him a good talking-to. Crumble topping is perfect for meat stew. It’s a no-brainer really; it adds that much-desired crunch. Like the kind of crispiness that we strive for when we whack a Shepherd’s Pie under the grill and hope that…
Rhubarb & Cranberry Chutney
Honestly, I used to be a little afraid of cooking with rhubarb. In my brain, I had filed it away along with gooseberries. All because of one bad childhood experience: a crumble that was short of sugar, which sent acidic tartness shooting through my back-teeth and up to my eyeballs. I decided there and then…
Carrot & Peach Mini Loaves
“Bugs Bunny was wrong… People think that their rabbits should eat carrots because that’s what Bugs Bunny does. But he’s a cartoon, real rabbits don’t talk, and they shouldn’t be eating carrots too often either.” Rachel Roxburgh, an animal scientist from the RSPCA. That’s right, Bugs Bunny is responsible for 11% of pet rabbits suffering…
Carrot Cake Biscotti
I don’t ever want to be in a position where I have to choose my favourite cake… But if push came to shove and like, world peace was riding on it or something, I’d probably say carrot cake. For me, it’s such a beautiful marriage of flavours: the natural sweetness of carrots with sugar and…
English Scones
For a small unsuspecting slightly-sweet roll, scones (or should I say scones) stir up a fair amount of contention. First there’s the pronunciation. Does it rhyme with con or cone? A YouGov poll revealed that 51% say scone (con) and 42% say scone (cone). Hardly conclusive. Apparently, geography has little to do with it and neither…
Fig & Ginger Truffles
For me, fig and ginger is a glorious pairing: a match made in heaven. One is sweet and sticky, the other is warm and spicy. Cover that in melted chocolate and you really will think you have gone to heaven. I won’t lie to you, truffles are time consuming and things can get a little…
Tandoori Poussin
This is a great recipe if you want to get a little experimental with spice. It’s also very easy, as the blender is going to do all the work for you. There are a number of ways in which you can make this recipe easier: firstly you can dispense with the whole spices and just…
Apple Pie Truffles
Today I decided that truffles are absolutely the best treats to take along to gatherings with friends and family. Let me tell you why… They’re easy to transport. When the girls and I meet up for our creative ventures du jour, I always endeavour to take a little something-something to satisfy our sweet tooth (and…
Custard Shortbread
I never really appreciated custard powder until I moved to Switzerland. If you are, like me, over a certain age, you’ll all remember that tin of Bird’s custard powder from your childhood. It was usually right at the back of the cupboard, next to the tin of black treacle and those packets of Rowntree jelly….
Gen's Christmas Kitchen 