Schwarzwälder kirschtorte

Ingredients 120g caster sugar, 3 eggs, 100g self raising flour, 50g cocoa powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 1L double cream, 25g dark chocolate, 3 tbsp cherry jam, 4 tbsp kirschwasser liquid plus cherries to decorate.

Preparation: 1 hour

As part of the World Cup Food Challenge 2014, this recipe represents a traditional meal of Germany and my final recipe as they won last night!. Following my glorious adventures with Kirsch, I knew that my final dish for Germany would HAVE to be the iconic Black Forest Gateau. Chocolate and cherries are a marvellous combination and this simple chocolate sponge, laced with kirsch and smothered in cream to form a moist, trifly concoction is utterly moreish.

1)  Cream together 100g sugar and 100g butter using an electric whisk, then whisk through the cocoa powder and eggs, one egg at a time.

2) Add a tablespoon of the kirsch syrup and sift together the flour and baking powder. Whisk into the cake batter, then bake in a buttered tin for 35 minutes at 155 degrees or until a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cake rack to cool completely before slicing in half horizontally.

3) Whisk the cream using an electric whisk or hand beater until stiff peaks form and transfer to a piping bag. If you wish you can add vanilla seeds and icing sugar before whisking but I'll be honest, I think the clean taste of the cream is necessary to cut through the richness of the chocolate and the heady, boozy cherries.

4) Spoon the remaining kirsch syrup onto the top layer of the chocolate cake (it will absorb more easily if you do this on the cut side rather than the top side, alternatively you can poke a few holes with a skewer into the top) then sandwich it together with a layer of cherry jam and whipped cream in the middle and the remainder of the cream on the top.

5) Shave the chocolate using a grater and sprinkle liberally over the cream. Stud with cherries and allow to rest in the fridge until chilled before serving.

New England Clam Chowder

Ingredients 1 lb potatoes, 1 lb clams, 1 pint vegetable stock, 4 bay leaves, 1/2 tsp dill, 50ml double cream, 2 tbsp butter, 2 stalks celery, 1 white onion, 1 tbsp plain flour. Bread

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

As part of the World Cup Food Challenge 2014, this recipe represents a traditional meal of America. If, like me, you're vegetarian then separating a portion to add sweetcorn to just before the clams go in makes this really easy dual-chowder! It's a lovely hearty soup, just the thing to comfort one on a cold day (please ignore the fact that it is June!) - especially if you serve it in a bread bowl!

1) Peel and slice the potatoes into inch cubes and set aside, peel the onion and dice it along with the celery.

2) Add half the butter to the pan and sautee the onion and celery until completely soft (about 10 minutes), then add the remainder of the butter along with the flour and whisk until a roux has formed.

3) Add the potatoes, bay leaves and vegetable stock to the pan and stir through. Once the potatoes are cooked, add the clams and dill and allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes.

4) Hollow out a bread bowl by cutting a circle into the top of the crust and scooping out the soft centre with your fingers. Stir the cream into the soup, season to taste with salt and black pepper, then ladle into the bread bowl.

No bake cake: Raspberry & white chocolate mousse

Ingredients 150ml double cream, 30g white chocolate, 75g raspberries, 1 pancake.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 10 minutes

I was recently sent some of the lovely Abra-ca-Debora pancakes for a foodspiration challenge and had a lot of fun with the concept of "no bake cakes." My interpretation was to quarter the pancakes and layer with white chocolate mousse and raspberries, topped with whipped cream to form a single slice of cake. Abra-ca-FABULOUS.

1) Melt the white chocolate in a Bain Marie, then set aside to cool a little.

2) Whisk the double cream for approximately 2 minutes until soft peaks form. Separate a little out into a piping bag, then fold the chocolate in with the trest and continue to whisk until the peaks are stiff.

3) Using a spatula, spread the white chocolate mouse onto the pancake layers and stud with raspberries. Serve with a dollop of the whipped cream.

No bake cake: Strawberry ice-cream

Ingredients Ice-cream: 500g strawberries, 175g caster sugar, 500 ml full fat milk, 500 ml double cream, 10 egg yolks. (makes 1 pint) 1 pancake.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 1 hour (+ 4 hours freezing)

I was recently sent some of the lovely Abra-ca-Debora pancakes for a foodspiration challenge and had a lot of fun with the concept of "no bake cakes." My interpretation was to quarter the pancakes and layer with strawberry ice-cream and strawberries, topped with whipped cream to form a single slice of cake. Abra-ca-FABULOUS.

1) To make the ice-cream, halve the strawberries, sprinkle with a little sugar and leave to macerate in a bowl. Pour the milk and cream into a saucepan and bring almost to the boil. Set aside to cool. and then take it off the heat and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.

2) Whisk the egg yolks and In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar until thick, then pour in the milk and cream whilst whisking. Return to the heat and stir the custard until it thickens. Set aside to cool.

3) Blitz the strawberries until pureed, then fold into the cool custard and freeze in your ice-cream maker (or in the freezer, whisking every hour to avoid crystals forming.

4) Slice the remaining strawberries and sandwich the pancakes between alternate layers of ice-cream. I cut out a block of ice-cream and sliced it to fit. Top with whipped cream and serve immediately.

No bake cake: Banoffee

Ingredients 200ml double cream, 30g butter, 60g muscovado sugar, 1 banana, 1 pancake.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 1 hour 15 minutes

I was recently sent some of the lovely Abra-ca-Debora pancakes for a foodspiration challenge and had a lot of fun with the concept of "no bake cakes." My interpretation was to quarter the pancakes and layer with toffee and banana, topped with whipped cream to form a single slice of banoffee cake. Abra-ca-FABULOUS.

1) Melt the sugar in a pan, then add the butter and 100ml of the cream. Stir continually until a caramel sauce has formed. Set aside to cool, then chill in the fridge for an hour to form the thicker toffee.

2) Peel and slice the banana into 1/2cm discs, then spread the toffee sauce onto the pancake and top with slices of banana. Layer with more pancake, toffee and banana.

3) Whip the remaining 100ml cream and pipe onto the top.

No bake cake: Lemon curd mousse

Ingredients Mousse: 1 lemon, 150ml double cream, 1 tbsp icing sugar. Curd: 4 Lemons, 4 eggs, 350g caster sugar, double cream, 8oz butter. 1 pancake.

Serves: 1 Preparation: 1 hour

I was recently sent some of the lovely Abra-ca-Debora pancakes for a foodspiration challenge and had a lot of fun with the concept of "no bake cakes." My interpretation was to quarter the pancakes and layer with lemon curd and lemon mousse to form a single slice of cake. Abra-ca-FABULOUS.

1) To make lemon curd, see my previous recipe.

2) Zest and juice the lemon and whisk with the double cream and icing sugar until stiff peaks form. This takes about 2 minutes in a food processor with a whisk attachment or using an electric whisk.

3) Sandwich the layers of pancake with lemon curd and lemon mousse, "grouting" the edges to keep the shape when pressing down.

This can be served immediately or chilled for later.

Garlic bread strata

Ingredients 4 slices garlic bread (Garlic, butter, parsley, bread) 1 egg, 1/4 cup double cream, parmigiano.

Serves: 2 Preparation: 20 minutes

What do you do with leftover garlic baguette? In this house, there is very rarely any left over I'll be honest, Scott Pilgrim isn't the only person addicted to it. But, when I was pregnant I had gestational diabetes and had to limit my carb intake. This meant where previously I could cane half a garlic baguette, I had to stick to one or two slices maximum. Hence... leftovers. This also works the morning after a night before when you NEED a good breakfast and all you have is the remnants of the buffet table.

1) Place the leftover garlic bread in an ovenproof dish.

2) Whisk the egg and double cream together and pour over the bread. Top with grated parmigiano and bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 200 degrees.

Salted caramel apple hummus

Ingredients 1 can chickpeas, 1/4 cup caster sugar, 1/4 cup muscovado sugar, 3 tbsp butter, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 cup double cream, 1 apple, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt.

Preparation: 20 minutes

My dear friend @Gazpachodragon's husband recently wondered whether sweet hummus would work. My immediate reaction was "it would be like porridge" and actually it kind of is. But a posh porridge and it's actually nice to dunk biscuits or fruit crudites into. Even better - this is perfect with a ham sandwich or with roast pork. It's a bit of a mind fuck but it works!

1) Melt 1 tbsp butter in a pan. Peel, core and dice an apple and add to the pan. Stir through and add the cinnamon. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes.

2) In the second pan, melt 2 tbsp butter and add the sugars. Stir through on a high heat as the sugar boils and begins to caramelise. Add the cream and turn down the heat. Add the apples and salt to taste, but I think 1 tsp is enough.

3) In a third pan, simmer the chickpeas in water for 5 minutes, then strain and set aside. You can shell the chickpeas by hand which I find very satisfying, but to save some time, shake them roughly in a bowl for a few minutes, fill the bowl with water and the shells will float to the top - scoop them off, strain the chickpeas again and you're done!

4) Pulse the chickpeas in a blender with the Greek yoghurt until they have reached a grainy, breadcrumb like consistency. Stir through the caramel sauce and apples.

Celeriac gratin

Ingredients Celeriac, double cream, cheddar, salad onions

Serves: 4 Preparation: 1 hour

Despite being a life-long loather of celery, I straight up adore celeriac. The acerbic taste and texture of celery is not present in cooked celeriac for me, it just brings woody notes to a dish and has a wonderful soft texture. This gratin is a fabulous alternative to potato and makes a fantastically comforting side dish.

1) Peel the celeriac with a sharp knife by cutting about a centimeter off both ends and sides, leaving a squareish core. Slice this into 1/3 centimetre thick slices and set aside.

2) Finely slice the salad onions and grate the cheddar. Assemble the gratin by pouring a little cream into the bottom of the dish and setting the first layer of celeriac into it. Spoon over a little more cream, grated cheddar and onion and then add another layer of celeriac, pressing each layer down firmly.

3) Top with a final layer of grated cheddar, cover with foil and bake in the top of the oven for 45 - 50 minutes at 200 degrees, removing the foil for the final 10 minutes.

Chocolate macarons

Ingredients 100g double cream, 100g dark chocolate, 2g butter, 25g chocolate powder, 2 egg whites, 65g ground almonds, 60g caster sugar, 85g icing sugar, salt

Serves: 10 Preparation: 1 hour

This recipe is dedicated to the lovely Shanda! See I promised I would make something conventional instead of a crazy lavender concoction... though I promise my lavender macaron recipe is coming... it's too good not to share!
I'm not going to lie to you, macarons are hard to get right and I've heard a million and one different ways to make them - French style, Italian style, even adding powdered eggs of all things but I think macarons are quite quick to make once you get the knack, don't be put off!

1) Whisk the egg whites along with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form, then add in the caster sugar, continuing to whisk until stiff peaks are formed.

2) Sift the icing sugar, chocolate powder and ground almonds together, fold it into the egg whites and then beat the holy crap out of it until it's a good piping texture.

3) Line a baking tray with baking parchment, then pipe the mixture into blobs. This next stage sounds weird, but trust me it's necessary - drop the baking tray a couple of times onto your worktop to flatten the blobs. Leave to rest for half an hour to allow the mixture to dry.

4) Bake for 5 minutes at 180 degrees, then open the door for a few seconds to let out some steam. Bake for a further 5 minutes before opening the door again, then a further 5-7 minutes.

5) The macarons should slide straight off the baking parchment if they're ready - if they stick then give them another minute for good measure.

6) To make the filling, melt your chocolate into your cream and set it aside to cool. Beat in your butter until a stiff ganache has formed, then pipe it onto half of your macarons and sandwich together with the other shells.

Personally I think fresh macarons are underrated - make them a day in advance so that the ganache makes the centre soft and the outside dries a little.

Beetroot, apple & feta tart

Ingredients 2 Beetroots, 100g feta, 1 apple, 1 leek, 3 eggs, 50ml double cream, 4oz plain flour, 2oz butter.

Serves: 6 Preparation: 1 hour

To describe this tart, oh where do I begin!? Is it the salty, creamy tang of feta and leek, the earthy beetroot or the sweetness of the apple that makes it so utterly delicious? Chances are it's all of them! Just trust me when I say that the combination of crisp, buttery pastry and the silky tang of the filling makes this one fabulous autumn treat.

1) To make the shortcrust pastry measure 4oz of plain flour and 2oz of cold butter. Cut the butter into small cubes and drop along with the flour into a food processor until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Drip in 2-3 tablespoons of cold water until the mixture quickly forms a ball. Wrap this in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes. Once chilled, roll out and press firmly into a pastry case. Bake blind for 5 minutes and set aside to cool.

2) To prepare the beetroot, wash it and slice off the stalks and leaves. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Carefully peel the beetroot with the nick of a knife and set aside to cool.

3) Slice the leeks and peel, core and dice the apple. Sautee in a little butter for 5 minutes until soft, then spoon onto the pastry case and spread evenly.

4) Slice the beetroot and feta into even chunks and arrange over the leeks and apples.

5) Whisk the eggs and cream and pour over the other ingredients, then bake for 12 minutes on a medium heat. Serve hot and cold.

Roast cauliflower gratin

Ingredients Cauliflower, rapeseed oil, gruyere, double cream

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes

I love cauliflower cheese, it is a magnificently comforting dish when cooked well - cauliflower has a musky, sweet flavour (though overcooked it becomes sulphuric and bitter) which really contrasts with the nutty, caramel tones of gruyere. By roasting slices of cauliflower however, the texture is firm and the flavour even nuttier. Simply gorgeous.

1) Prepare the cauliflower by removing the leaves and slicing the stem to the base. Slice the cauliflower into centimetre thick sections and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, drizzled with rapeseed oil.

2) Transfer the cauliflower slices to a separate dish, sprinkling each layer with grated gruyere and a drizzle of cream. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and just begins to colour.

Rhubarb & orange blossom tarts

Ingredients    Filling: 5 stalks rhubarb, 1 tbsp orange blossom essence, 2 cups jam sugar. Pastry: 250g butter, 100g caster sugar, 500g plain flour, 1 tbsp double cream.

Preparation: 30 minutes

There is only one word to describe these tarts, and that word is "toothsome".
They are toothsome tarts with the most incredible flavour and buttery soft pastry and quite honestly I could eat them until I lapsed into some sort of diabetic coma and not regret it!

1) To make sweet shortcut pastry: sift the flour and sugar and add small cubes of the cold butter into your blender and pulse until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the cream and pulse until a dough ball forms. Wrap in cling film and put in the fridge to cool for an hour.

2) To prepare the filling: see previous recipe.

3) Roll out the pastry and cut out circles of dough. I made some tarts with very thin crusts and some like the picture with the thicker casing and both work equally well.

4) Press into the tart cases and pour in the filling. Bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees and serve cool.

Stilton & walnut scones

Ingredients  225g self raising flour, 50g butter, 75ml buttermilk, Stilton, 5 walnuts.

Serves: 8 preparation: 30

I confess, I have never before enjoyed a cheese scone. It is something I would never order in a cafe by choice - often greasy and pungent with crispy bits of cheese on the top. *shudders* then I started to think that it was impacting my reputation for being a cheese whore in a thoroughly negative manner. The result of my experimentations are these buttery, crumbly scones which are rich in flavour (perfect with a little cream cheese and honey) with not a crusty or greasy bit in sight!

1) First finely dice the walnut until it resembles fine crumbs, and crumble the stilton.

2) Sift the flour, walnut and sugar together, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

3) Mix the cheese and double cream in with the dry ingredients until a dough has formed.

4)  Roll out the dough on a floured surface and then fold it in half and roll again. Cut out rounds of pastry with a scalloped cutter and brush with the last drizzles of the milk to help the surface colour.

5) Bake at 200 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Courgette Fettucini

Ingredients 4 courgettes, pine nuts, double cream, 3 egg yolks, pecorino,

Serves: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes


I love pasta. There I've said it... I love the versatility of cooking with it and find it comforting to make but sometimes an alternative needs to be found. I have lots of friends who don't or can't eat it and I find this light alternative to be fantastic. So light in fact that I felt the need to make an incredibly ingulgent sauce to go with it...


1) Slice the tops and tails from the courgettes and then using a vegetable peeler, slice ribbons from each edge and then slice each ribbon in half vertically. Continue working round until about half the courgette has gone, then either discard the core or save it for soup or bread!


2) In a pan, toast off a handful of pine nuts and add double cream and grated pecorino to the pan. Stir through on a gentle heat until the cheese has melted, then whisk 3 egg yolks into it. Add the courgette ribbons to the sauce and stir through until they are coated.


Serve with lots of freshly grated black pepper.

Leek knish with a melting centre

Ingredients      Jus-Rol™ puff pastry, 1 potato, 10g cheddar, 10g mozzarella, 1 leek, cream, butter

Serves: 1 preparation: 30 minutes


When I make any dish containing mashed potato I always make far more than I need. Mainly because mashed potato is my favourite food and I am a glutton who likes to indulge herself, but also because if I don't eat it out of the bowl before it can be used and actually have leftovers - it makes the most fabulously versatile ingredient. Potato cakes, croquettes, soup, gnocchi... I'll even form bean burgers with it as you'll see in my next recipes. This recipe is one of my ultimate favourite comfort foods. A knish is a Jewish recipe though this I hasten to add is my own twist on the traditional form. The thinnest crispiest flakiest outer shell, a soft warm savoury filling with an indulgent melting centre - this is pure heaven.


1) Peel and dice the potato and boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes.


2) Drain the potato and mash thoroughly, set aside until it's cool enough to handle but is still warm.


3) Finely dice the leek and sautee in a little butter. Stir through the potato with a splash of cream and season well with salt and pepper.


4) Roll out the chilled pastry until it is as thin as possible but still thick enough to handle without poking holes through it. Remember pastry is made of butter and the potato is warm so you don't want to melt it!


5) Using a tennis ball sized scoop of potato, add it to the centre of the pastry, then cut the pastry down until it is just big enough to envelop the potato. Either poke a hole in the centre or as I did, twist the pastry together to form a spiral at the top. Press grated cheddar and mozzarella into the centre of the potato - then bake for 15 - 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.


I served this with pesto stuffed chicken, wrapped in bacon and creamed spinach with roast tomatoes.

Guinness beef & cabbage hash

Ingredients Potato, cream, butter, stewing steak, Guinness, beef stock, leek, cabbage, plain flour.

Serves: 2 preparation: 1 hour


This came together as a sort of desperate cobbling together as leftovers but The Boy loved it so it's come on the list of recipes to post as an alternative to my Guinness pie. Yet another St Patrick's Day cliched idea!


1) Peel and dice the potato and boil in hot salted water for 20 minutes


2) Dice the leek and cabbage and sautee in a little butter. Sift in a little plain flour to form a sort of roux, then add the chunks of beef and allow to brown before pouring over just enough Guinness to cover the meat.


3) Allow the Guinness to bubble away for about 10 minutes, then add a little beef stock and cream before stirring through. By now the sauce should have thickened to a glossy, dark brown hue.


4) Spoon the beef, cabbage and leek mixture into a casserole dish and set aside.


5) Strain the potatoes and mash with a little butter and cream. Season well with salt and black pepper, then pipe over the meat. Bake in the oven for 10-20 minutes until the top is golden brown and crispy

Creamed cabbage & potato cakes

Ingredients Pistachio, chilli & lime potato cakes, irish cheddar, cabbage, leeks, double cream, butter, black pepper

Serves: 2 preparation: 10 minutes


When I make potato cakes, I tend to like thick almost scone-like cakes that are crispy on the outside and meltingly perfect mash in the middle. On the rare occasion that I have "proper" flat potato cakes, I like to treat them as toast. In honour of St Patrick's Day (because what's more Irish than potatoes and cabbage?) I have created this creamed cabbage, cheddar and leek concoction to serve them with.


1) For instructions on making potato cakes see my previous recipe.


2) Dice the cabbage and leeks, then sautee in a little butter for 5 minutes, adding a tiny splash of cream once the leeks are soft.


3) Stir through some grated Irish cheddar and season well with black pepper.

Serve on the toasty hot potato cake

Welsh rarebit

Ingredients   Bread, Newcastle Brown Ale, lancashire cheese, double cream, english mustard.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 10 minutes


This is a dish of division. The division between people who call it Welsh Rarebit or Welsh Rabbit. The division between people who use Cheddar and those who use Lancashire cheese. The division between people who use stout versus ale, sourdough bread versus seeded wholemeal... the list is endless! I have spent the majority of this week perfecting this recipe - I used different cheeses, different ales and stouts and I can confirm with absolute confidence that you will not find a better Welsh Rarebit sauce than that made with Newcastle Brown Ale and Lancashire cheese. Cheddar is too oily, too sharp tasting - the piquancy here comes from the mustard. I also prefer to serve this on seeded wholemeal bread, but watch out for my bacon bread recipe coming later today!


1) Reduce half a cup of ale in a milk pan, stir in a teaspoon of English mustard, a tablespoon of double cream and remove from the heat.


2) Grate the lancashire cheese into the pan and stir through until a completely smooth, elastic sort of fondue has formed.


3) Toast the bread on one side before spooning about 4 tablespoons of sauce, bit by bit onto the bread, allowing it to soak up the sauce as you spread it out.  When a layer of sauce about 1/3 of a centimetre high has settled on the bread, it's ready to grill.


4) I like to grill this until the cheese has begun to form a crisp brown layer, and run down the sides of the crust - this leaves a melting, soft centre of cheese but has a wonderful flavour on the top.

Cauliflower cheese

Ingredients   1 cauliflower, 1/2 cup Guinness, 2 cups grated cheddar, 1/2 cup grated gruyere, 1/2 cup double cream, 1 tsp grainy mustard.

Serves: 4 Preparation: 30 minutes


I love cauliflower cheese, scratch that - I love anything with cheese, but this dish is melting perfection with an unbelievably rich, tangy, sauce. The earthiness of the Guinness really works here and this is a perfect side dish for a roast dinner.


1) Prepare the cauliflower by removing the leaves and slicing the stem to the base. Slice around the stem to release the florets.


2) Steam or parboil the cauliflower for about 8 minutes, strain and set aside to rest in an ovenproof dish.


3) Reduce the Guinness by half in a milk pan and stir in the mustard and cream. Take off the heat and stir in the cheddar until it has melted into a thick, creamy sauce.


4) Pour the sauce over the cauliflower and sprinkle with the gruyere. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and just begins to colour.