Cooking up a storm is a good thing – but I really don't like seeing stacks of dishes lined up for washing afterwards!
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Architecture, culture, history and landscapes – together with food – are at the top of my list of things to experience whenever I am visiting a new place. Being a person who wears her heart on her sleeve, sometimes these can bring tears to my eyes, leave me in awe, and take my breath away. The ancient ruins of Tintern Abbey, in the former County of Gwent in south-east Wales, did all of that. ‘We are the everyday biscuit capital of the world,’ says Nigel Slater in Eating for England: the Delights & Eccentricities of the British at Table. ‘What France is to cheese and Italy is to pasta, Britain is to the biscuit. The tin, with its tight lid and cute pictures, is a playground for those who like their snacks sweet and crisp and reeking of tradition. Welcome to the British biscuit tin.’ Saffron buns and lardy cake were at the top of the 'wish list' of good things I wanted to taste while travelling in the United Kingdom. To my huge delight, saffron buns featured on the shelves of numerous patisseries and bakeries. My favourites would be found at (Rick) Stein's Patisserie in Lanadwell Street, Padstow – fortuitously right opposite the inn where we were staying. Suffice to say I called in there often.
Friandises are high on the list of fashionable foods at present. Foodies and cooks en masse are drooling over friand recipes - reading about the delicious little treats in gourmet mags, ordering them in cafes, and baking them at home.
I seem to have a never-ending supply of over-ripe bananas in the freezer, so it's time to make some banana bread, methinks. It's one of Peter's favourite sweet things, along with dates, so let's see if I can find a recipe made from both. The combination of chocolate and hazelnut is another of those insanely good things that melt my heart and make me go weak at the knees – particularly when combined with meringue and filled with cream in the form of a dacquoise or layered gâteau. 'What happened to the rest of the madeleines?' asked the man of the house, sounding very disappointed. 'Oh, there was only a few left and I ate them,' I replied, suddenly feeling guilty. 'I've been out on a truffle hunt in the bitter cold and needed something yummy to warm me up,' I pleaded. 'But don't worry, I'll bake some more first thing in the morning,' I added, hoping it would cheer him. In the 1990s this energetic young thing spent several hours a week at a local gym. Step aerobics, funk classes and circuit training were on the agenda, accompanied by the sounds of C+C Music Factory, Right Said Fred and Salt-n-Pepa. What's that got to do with Galaktoboureko? Whenever I eat this sumptuous Greek custard slice, I find myself singing that crazy song, 'Things that make you go Mmmm' [Hmmm]. Some of my most treasured recipes were hand written many years ago by family or friends. Some are so faded and the paper so tattered that the writing is barely legible, and yet there is no way that I could bring myself to throwing them out. |
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Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion. Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writers and chefs; and news on food, cookbooks and cooking. - Liz Posmyk
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NB: I use Australian standard measuring cups and spoons in my recipes.
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