This is a very refreshing cordial, made using the some of the rhubarb and the first of the year’s strawberry pickings from the allotment. Just dilute it with ice cold water or, better still, sparkling water: 1 part cordial to 4 or 5 parts water. Continue reading “Rhubarb & strawberry cordial”
Recipe posts
Vegetable suet puddings with a cheese & mustard sauce
Steamed suet puddings (whether sweet or savoury) are up there among my top 5 all-time favourite dishes: they epitomise comfort eating for me. These savoury steamed puddings are packed with a variety of vegetables in a light cheese and mustard sauce that oozes out as you cut into them. Continue reading “Vegetable suet puddings with a cheese & mustard sauce”
St Émilion au Chocolat
A very simple and insanely good chocolate dessert, this is my variation of the inspirational Elizabeth David, whose books, many decades later, are never less than an joy to read. Essentially this is a top-notch chocolate mousse that is indulgent yet light textured; this might well be a retro dessert but, quite frankly, when something is this good it matters not one jot! Continue reading “St Émilion au Chocolat”
Simple Crab & Asparagus Tart
Wonderfully simple and very quick to prepare, this is a recipe in a similar vein to my salmon and asparagus tart, created with the aim of using the asparagus from my allotment in different ways. Continue reading “Simple Crab & Asparagus Tart”
Crab Canapés
A very simple canapé: small discs of puff pastry, topped with crab meat that has been mixed with a little fresh mayonnaise, a spritz of lemon juice, some chopped chives and just a little grated Gruyère cheese. Continue reading “Crab Canapés”
Walnut & raisin sourdough
This is, I think, a very special bread, with a deep savoury flavour punctuated by bursts of juicy raisins amid the crunch of walnuts. I was given tasters of this bread at a local bakery the other day and immediately fell in love with it (although I was less in love with the price!), so I couldn’t wait to try to recreate this bread at home. Continue reading “Walnut & raisin sourdough”
Hobbit House Cake
This hobbit house comes complete with productive garden and lake. A bountiful feast of fruit and vegetables including radishes, turnips, watermelons, cabbages, cauliflower and carrots might keep the hobbit going for a couple of meals! Continue reading “Hobbit House Cake”
Poached Salmon & Asparagus Tart
I adore tarts: served warm with a good salad, perhaps with some cheese, a few pickles and some good bread they make for a satisfyingly light meal. Continue reading “Poached Salmon & Asparagus Tart”
The very best sausage rolls……..
At the risk of sounding as though I have fallen straight out of a Carry On film I will state categorically that I absolutely love a good sausage roll. One bite and everything is well with the world! Continue reading “The very best sausage rolls……..”
Mango & Passionfruit cheesecakes domes
A slight twist on the cheesecake, inspired by one of the goodies served to us when having Afternoon Tea recently. I often get inspiration while eating out and it was fun trying to recreate the feel of this sweet at home. Continue reading “Mango & Passionfruit cheesecakes domes”
Cream Horns
A teatime classic from decades past, the cream horn is still a great sweet to eat and is easy to make. The flavour and the texture you get as the caster sugar caramelises on the outside of the buttery pastry are wonderful, especially with the richness of the cream. Continue reading “Cream Horns”
Smoked Haddock Tarts – my nod to kedgeree
These are very special tarts: crisp, melt-in-the-mouth and gently spiced pastry cases filled with buttery leeks, and flakes of smoked haddock in a just-set and subtly flavoured curried egg custard.
Continue reading “Smoked Haddock Tarts – my nod to kedgeree”
Pear, walnut & Gorgonzola sourdough
These full-flavoured loaves have been very much a firm favourite in our house for many years and while it is great as a non-sourdough bread, the sourdough version is seriously terrific. Of all the flavoured breads I make, this is one I make more than any other. Continue reading “Pear, walnut & Gorgonzola sourdough”
Tomato & Pesto Canapés
Home-grown tomatoes with freshly made pesto make for one of my favourite flavour combinations and I have been making simple tarts using these two ingredients for many years. Continue reading “Tomato & Pesto Canapés”
Savoury Macarons
Although I often go for macarons filled with a fruit ganache, this time I’ve gone for savoury macarons. The light sweetness of the shell is a perfect foil for each of the savoury fillings I have used, with the gentle saltiness coming from the fillings creating a flavour contrast that is, quite simply, divine. Continue reading “Savoury Macarons”
Perfecting Baguettes
If you want shatteringly crisp baguettes with depth of flavour and an open crumb, this will tick all those boxes. This is a real artisanal bread and is a joy because of its lack of fuss! Continue reading “Perfecting Baguettes”
Jam doughnuts
A classic doughnut, rolled in sugar and filled with jam: a real treat. Continue reading “Jam doughnuts”
The macaron – the queen of confections
If you have ever wanted a macaron recipe for what I consider to be “as fool-proof as is possible*”, I hope you find that this is the place to be!
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Parmesan and ham tuiles
Insanely simple and quick to make, these are so addictive to eat just as they are or with a glass of wine. Continue reading “Parmesan and ham tuiles”
Thai prawn bites in a coriander & sesame seed pastry
Juicy marinaded prawns in a coriander and sesame seed pastry make wonderful nibbles and are very easy to make. They are excellent served hot or cold. Continue reading “Thai prawn bites in a coriander & sesame seed pastry”
Raspberry and white chocolate Wedding Cake
I had already made and posted a “trial run” of the main cake for my recent Civil Partnership when I had a go at it back in the summer but why stop at one main feature when there could be two? So a macaron tower HAD to be included…… Continue reading “Raspberry and white chocolate Wedding Cake”
Gougères & other fabulous savoury choux bites
A crunchy exterior giving way to the lightest, most delicate pillows of cheesy indulgence, gougères make fabulous little nibbles/canapés. They are lovely just as they come, ideally served warm, but they are wonderful filled with all manner of goodies (see below). Continue reading “Gougères & other fabulous savoury choux bites”
Pain de Campagne
A gorgeous bread, with real flavour, this is a few notches above the supermarket artisinal breads – and it can be made for a fraction of the cost. Great just as it is with butter and jam but wonderful toasted for breakfast. The simplest of life’s pleasures! Continue reading “Pain de Campagne”
Walnut & Mocha Fancies
These are not quite those wonderful fancies using fondant icing (although fondant icing does work well here) but it is my take using a ganache coating and, for an additional coffee hit and a shiny finish, a coffee glaze. Continue reading “Walnut & Mocha Fancies”
Cupcakes: a contemporary camp classic!
As with macarons, there is nothing butch about a cupcake, but it revels in its campery – and rightly so! They flounced onto the baking scene with great style several years ago, demanding to be noticed, and all of a sudden the shops started featuring them and everyone started making them. Continue reading “Cupcakes: a contemporary camp classic!”
Making Sourdoughs
A decent sourdough loaf is joy to eat: a crispy crust, a soft but slightly chewy interior and layers of flavour in each bite.
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Making sourdough bread
A decent sourdough loaf is joy to eat: a crispy crust, a soft but slightly chewy interior and layers of flavour in each bite. Continue reading “Making sourdough bread”
Lime & Passion Fruit Drizzle Cake
I love the combination of limes and passion fruit: they are two of my favourite flavours for a drizzle cake, complementing each other beautifully, with each flavour able to stand up to the other. Continue reading “Lime & Passion Fruit Drizzle Cake”
The joys of Afternoon Tea
A marvellous institution in itself, you do not need a reason to justify taking Afternoon Tea: wonderfully indulgent, it is one of the most pleasurable ways to spend what should be several unrushed hours, allowing gasps of excitement to escape out as both sweet and savoury goodies are presented. Continue reading “The joys of Afternoon Tea”
Lemon & vanilla Victoria sandwich
A classic for a reason, a Victoria sandwich cake is a simple yet satisfying treat at any time. And it is a great example of simplicity at its very best. Continue reading “Lemon & vanilla Victoria sandwich”
Croissants & pains au chocolat
For me a croissant is one of the greatest pastries to eat. I love those wafer-thin flakes that shatter when you bite into it to reveal a honeycombed interior…. Not to mention its deliciously buttery flavour! Continue reading “Croissants & pains au chocolat”
Focaccia: higher hydration, no knead
This is my take on a standard focaccia, going for a higher water content than many recipes, handling the dough differently and letting the dough sit in the fridge overnight for its first prove (bulk fermentation) to really develop its flavour. Continue reading “Focaccia: higher hydration, no knead”
Simple smoked mackerel canapés
Crunchy, with a rich smoked flavour and a sharp tang, this is my simple canapé version of a wonderful mackerel starter I had in a restaurant some time ago. As the pâté and the chutney can be made in advance, these canapés take minutes to assemble and will remain crunchy for a couple of hours. Continue reading “Simple smoked mackerel canapés”
Pickled shallots – a preserve of great beauty!
It’s an exciting time of the year in the late summer with preserves-a-plenty to be planned over the coming weeks. With an abundance of vegetable and fruit on the allotment preserving is a key part of the growing year. Continue reading “Pickled shallots – a preserve of great beauty!”
Making macarons – the queen of confections
If you have ever wanted a macaron recipe for what I consider to be “as fool-proof as is possible*”, I hope you find that this is the place to be! Continue reading “Making macarons – the queen of confections”
Phil's Home Kitchen 
