Another wonderful preserve from Beatrice Ojakangas, this time a sweet, simple rose gold jam, one of my favourites. Perfect for brightening up the cold months. ‘You’ll love the aroma of this jam cooking,’ Ojakangas writes. Yes. Sour pink rhubarb, sunny pineapple and deep, rich vanilla come together in an unexpectedly lovely way: it’s truly lovely, so syrupy and … Continue reading
Vanilla is my favourite spice. Forget thinking of it as timid and beige–forget it, alright? It’s beautiful, dark, full, and rich, and should be respected. Marshmallows bear this perfume wonderfully. These ones have a fluffy egg white base, which means they melt slowly and perfectly into a mug of hot chocolate. There are a bunch of ways to make … Continue reading
This is one of my new favourite things to make. I love custard. I don’t really like crème brûlée–yeah, no, I don’t know what’s wrong with me either–so I’ve made something a little less fiddly. This is a cinnamon and vanilla-infused baked custard topped with a delicate layer of spiced brown sugar. Obviously if your favourite part of a … Continue reading
Quite unlike Tara’s charming rhubarb story, the main way I’ve come by rhubarb recently is squatting on the pavement, picking out stalks from a crate. Once I encountered a slug so tiny that it was like the crescent of dirt beneath one’s fingernail. It glistened on the rhubarb stem. I flicked it off: no need for a … Continue reading
(For links to the mince pie and mincemeat recipes, scroll right to the end of the post.) UPDATE 2nd December 2013: My own no alcohol version of this cranberry mincemeat is here, plus a recipe for ground almond pastry. It’s a small amount so scale up as needed. Firstly, thank you so much for your … Continue reading
I don’t know how you like your shortbread. Maybe you like it with a little crunch and grit, or perhaps you think that it should be butter in biscuit form. This recipe very much produces the latter, using most of two blocks of butter that is sweetened with sugar, balanced with salt, and just … Continue reading
This is one of the best things that has happened to me this year: the discovery of the London Fog. It’s an evocatively named and elegant latte made with bergamot-scented Earl Grey tea, steamed milk, and vanilla syrup. My discovery was made by way of a tasteful and tea-loving Canadian friend who described this drink … Continue reading
Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake (Adapted slightly from The Smitten Kitchen) Isn’t that a wonderful combination of words? I felt a real determination, almost a sort of rage to make this cake. I think I might have a baking addiction, but I was also undoubtedly encouraged by Deb’s writing on the cake, and of course her … Continue reading
The Furious Pear Pie 
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