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On Bad Bakes
Curdled batter, broken chocolate, over-proofed bread, and overbeaten egg whites. A cake that collapsed in the middle. Pastry dough that refused to comply. Batter that went over the tin and created a gloopy mess at the bottom of the oven.
A Matter of Texture
Because it doesn’t have sago (tapioca pearls) or pomelo, I can’t call it by its name. This is me making my childhood dream come true. Golden chilled mango soup tinged with saffron and chewy glutinous rice balls, also known as tang yuan, bursting with a molten pistachio middle.
A Twist of Lemon
A nod to Italian summers. Of coasts soaked with sun and flanked with azure seas. Think of a freezing-cold glass of Limoncello to end a meal of freshly-caught fish and summer vegetables. This boozy dessert is filled with lemon curd, mascarpone cream, and a generous tipple of the lemon liqueur.
Seduction in Pink
Rhubarb and custard are a match made in heaven. The crimson stalks are prepared two ways: simmered into a compote and tinged with black pepper, the other roasted slowly in lemon-scented sugar. Custard was steeped with lemon thyme for added flavours of spring.
A slice of spice
A delight for gloomy, cold days, this moist, dark ginger cake packs a punch with ginger in three different ways. To ramp up the warmth and fuzziness, serve it with a wonderfully rich sticky toffee sauce and freshly whipped vanilla cream. Quick and simple, it’s a bake that anyone can make.
A Better Pumpkin Pie
This recipe is technically a Flan Parisien – a French tart filled with eggy custard, and the pumpkins play a supporting role here. The bright orange squashes are roasted in the oven until its skin tears away easily, and then lightly tinged with sweet spices. Don’t fret over its darkened top – the burnt skin gives off notes of caramel. The aged maple whipped cream adds a touch of the season.
Searching For A Husband (And Flour)
The “husband” at hand is the maritozzi, a brioche-like pastry enriched with olive oil and honey, cradling clouds of fresh cream. Some say back in the days, suitors would hide a ring or precious trinket within as a marriage proposal, and others tell of women baking this treat to woo a marito, which is Italian for husband.
A Hug From A Pie 🍑🥧
Pie demands your attention and time. It requires patience and a calm presence. In that moment, there is only you and the dough. And yet, pie often intimidates and rightly so, there’s so much room for error despite requiring only a few ingredients. The humble pie is not as easy as they say.
A Marriage Story
Tart, fuzzy green gooseberries laden with creamy white elderflower blossoms. A true culinary marriage that sings of summer. This particular Victoria Sponge Cake is spiked with champagne, and sandwiches a beautiful gooseberry jam and whipped cream laced with elderflower cordial.
The Greatest Of All Time*
Birria needs no introduction. A tortilla bursting with succulent shredded goat meat dipped into a brick-red consommé laced with chiles and Mexican herbs. This Jalisco variant might not have cheese pulls but it carries a colourful story nonetheless.
Lady Marmalade
Flavours befitting the festive season: German mulled wine jam and clementine marmalade. These glistening jars make the perfect edible gift, whether with toast, cookies, or cheese.
The Return of the Christmas Cookies
From the traditional Lebkuchen and favourite Vanillekipferl to the classic Zimtsterne and addictive Pfeffernüsse, these treats are a mainstay in any German household during Christmas.
Intensely Yours, Pistachio
A decadent loaf cake that is intensely pistachio - from its sponge and pistachio praline middle to its glaze and pistachio-white chocolate cream. Every bite is almost like a homage to the green nut.
Lorraine, She Was Called
A vessel for crispy smoked streaky bacon, almost caramelised onions, and a savoury eggy filling tinged with nutmeg. It’s a pie by another name – a quiche and one famously called Lorraine.
Into the Black Forest
I can see how the Black Forest Cake got its namesake. Dark chocolate that conjures a valley densely packed with pine trees, impenetrable in shadow. A ground blanketed deep with soft snow, not unlike wisps of fluffy cream. And cherries that resemble a cape in the captivating hue of red, right out of a Brother’s Grimm fairy tale.
Baking for Two (featuring a Cheesecake)
Small-batch baking is a thing in this two-person household. Mini brownies, tiny loaf cakes, and lesser muffins, and this petite orange blossom cheesecake that satisfies cravings and portions.
A Chest Full of Treasures
The heady scent of smoke mingled with toasty chestnuts. My only memories of this plump nut are of my late grandmother peeling the shells only to reveal a golden treasure inside. A homage to precious traditions, this chestnut cake combines the flair of a Mont-Blanc with the humble street snack.
The Pumpkin Carriage
Autumn is a time of harvest – apples ripe for pie, wild blackberries and mushrooms to forage, and rich purple figs plump with juice. And of course, the pumpkin. Its appearance on the market shelves marks the coming of fall.
The Christmas Cookie Chronicles
Trays and trays of cookies turning golden brown in the oven and then topped with colourful icing or dusted with vanilla-scented sugar. These tiny drops of dough would disappear as soon as they are baked.
Temperament of a Stollen
It was the kneading, proofing and baking of a very special Christmas goodie: the Dresdner Stollen. It’s a recipe that was passed down from mother to daughter, which makes it almost like a precious heirloom.
Birria needs no introduction. A tortilla bursting with succulent shredded goat meat dipped into a brick-red consommé laced with chiles and Mexican herbs. This Jalisco variant might not have cheese pulls but it carries a colourful story nonetheless.