Meringue Roulade with Lemon Curd, Summer Berries & Crushed Pistachio
My mum has been making this meringue roulade for as long as I can remember, it's a much loved dessert during the Spring and Summer months and perfect for entertaining a crowd. It looks impressive and tricky but is actually quite simple. A bit of practice does go in to perfecting the rolling technique. For this recipe I've included the lemon curd from a previous post, available on my feed, and it adds a lovely tart flavour to cut through the sweetness of the meringue.
Parmesan & Black Pepper Sablés
These Black Pepper Parmesan Sablés are the perfect treat on a summer’s evening, washed down with a glass of port, sherry, vermouth, or a dessert wine. They are rich and crumbly, while retaining a good snap, and are surprisingly filling. The best thing is that they are incredibly easy to make - just throw everything in a food processor.
Cardamom & Apple Fritters
A wonderful autumn or winter treat, these fritters don’t take long to whip together. Any apples will do, but I much prefer tart green or cooking apples. The sparkling cider adds a wonderful light and tangy edge while the green cardamom pairs wonderfully and adds some much needed underlying warmth. They can be glazed or simply dusted in sugar.
Irish Barmbrack
Barmbrack, Irish tea brack or in Gaelic, bairín breac (meaning speckled loaf) is a traditional sweetened bread commonly made around the Halloween season in Ireland. Many of the older traditional recipes use yeast, and are lighter in colour and texture than the bracks most people come across today. For this recipe I referenced many different sources, including my mother’s copy of All In The Cooking, first published in 1946 and famous Irish flour makers Odlums well established directions.
Classic Anzac Biscuits
April 25 is Anzac Day, officially named in 1916 to commemorate an intense battle fought by the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps on the Gallipoli peninsula during World War 1. These oaty, chewy and crunchy biscuits were sent to the soldiers, and became famous due to their long shelf life.
Rhubarb & Coconut Crumble Bars
I always get excited when I finally see the first bunches of rhubarb nestled amongst the other products at my local market. It signifies to me that Spring is here. Rhubarb crumble is my idea of comfort food, and I wanted to translate it into a slice that could be enjoyed with tea or coffee on the go.
Mary Ellen’s Soda Bread
A staple of Irish households for generations, this is the soda bread that I grew up eating, as my grandmother was an expert at baking “a scone”. I could always spot one beneath a checkered dishcloth, and would take great pleasure in eating some with butter and golden syrup.
Salt Cracked Banana Bread
Like many other people, I turned to banana bread for comfort when things got tough. This one was the result of my trial and error over a period of months. And it’s good. The best I could come up with in fact.