Persimmons Everywhere

My American friends have spoken about persimmons for as long as have known them. I'd always wondered how Mr Gube's Persimmon Pudding would taste - not really knowing what a persimmon was - but sadly I think the recipe died with him. I never did get around to finding out what they were until recently when …

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Microwave Christmas Pudding

Yep! Microwave. I thought I'd lost this, but just dug it out again. :)We made this last year at my Mum's in Cyprus, and as we were on the watch for powercuts, it had to be fast. It turns out that this is really, really good. Light and tender on the 1st and 2nd days, …

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Chocolate Chip Buckwheat Cookies

Ever since I read about triple chocolate buckwheat cookies in Simply Nigella, I knew I had to try baking some. It’s like an itch in my brain that won’t go away until I give in and buy the ingredients. I reread the recipe yesterday, and realised that the inspiration for Nigella’s recipe was from London …

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Tahini & Rose Cookies

This was inspired by a recipe that Rebecca Bakes Cakes put up. I did have some nut butters, but I also had the end of a jar of tahini that I needed to use. Tahini, for me, goes hand in hand with cinnamon and rose, two of my favourite flavours, so I decided to go …

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Tahini Cake

Yes, that’s right. Tahini cake. Tahini isn’t just for savoury things. It also makes the most delicious sweet things. After all, you can have sesame ice cream in Japan, and mochi rice sweets with a sesame filling, yes? Sesame is one of those things, like cinnamon, which is neither sweet nor savoury, despite the thought …

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Rose and Cinnamon Tea Bread

I saw a post today by The Ginger Gourmand that got me all inspired. Tea loaf. TEA. I love tea, me. http://www.thegingergourmand.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/earl-grey-fruit-loaf-with-lemon.html I’m not a huge Earl Grey fan, and I didn’t have any, but what I did have was Twining's Rose Garden tea. That’ll do says I. So, as is my wont, the recipe …

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Cinnamon Cumin Lamb Chops

I use herbs and spices a lot in my cooking, possibly sometimes a little too much I suppose, but then I was brought up with food that always had some sort of flavouring added. Even a plain fried pork chop would have dried oregano added to it. Our Cypriot bread has mahlepi and masticha in …

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Mixed, Spiced Nuts for Thane

I’m going to the lovely Thane Prince’s Cookbook Club tomorrow. This month it’s on a Tuesday, which is my ‘free’ night, and the theme is Spices. I wanted to take some nibbles along, but I had no idea what to do, until I remembered that not only do I have a cupboard full of spices; …

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Sunday Staple: Featherblade and red wine stew

I make stew rather a lot. It’s a nice easy dinner, and if you make enough, you have some for the next day and some for the freezer. I also love the smell of it cooking merrily away while I potter about for the rest of the day. The vegetable amounts are approximate. I used …

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A mini Christmas, all of my own.

It’s been a bit of a whirlwind of job applications and agency interviews recently, so much so that my brain has been distinctly frazzled when it comes to cooking, churning out the same old thing because it’s easy. My usuals are okay, but every so often I need a change. I was on my way …

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