Vanilla-apricot jam buns (Buchteln)
We’re getting our Austria on with these buns; one of us is contemplating a visit and the wish-list itinerary is quickly filling up with Schloss Schönbrunn, sausage, strudel, Strauss, the Christmas Markets at Spittelberg, sachertorte, the Secession Building, and everything to do with Sisi. And schnitzel. All the ’S’ things, basically...
Apple sour cream pie
If you’ve been playing along with the LSC so far, you’ll be bracing yourself for the expected “this isn’t a hard recipe” and true to form, we’re saying “this recipe isn’t hard.” Cooking is all about timing and keeping a tidy bench most of the time, and this recipe has a third factor - breaking things down into manageable sub-tasks...
Flourless chocolate cake
Rich. Dense. Decadent. No, that’s not a description of Ye; it’s this incredible cake. Flourless chocolate cake is a refined classic, and we think everyone needs a version in their baking repertoire. We love ours (we would!). It's great to bake for a crowd as it will serve 10-12, no worries, and it tastes as amazing as the chocolate and cocoa you use...
Oat pancakes, roasted pears and caramel butter sauce
OK, so back to your dad. We’re not done with him yet. We’ve dealt with the savoury dads, so let’s address the sweet ones. If he’s a sweet tooth, here’s THE breakfast treat for your Pa; oaty pancakes dripping in gooey caramel sauce with roasted pears.
Cheesy breakfast sweet corn loaf
Is your dad a sweet guy or a savoury type? If you’re planning to make a fuss of him on Father's Day, that’s a detail you really need to nail down. No point making him sweet pancakes for breakfast if he’d prefer a cheesy, corn-y quick bread, loaded with roasted tomatoes, avo, a few leaves and whatever else he likes...
Berliners (jam doughnuts)
If our soup this week is virtuous and ‘everything good for you’, Berliners are virtually everything not good for you. White flour. Refined sugar. Jam. The cholesterol-y parts of an egg. Deep-fry oil. But we say ‘what EV-er’ to the nutrition police…
Chocolate pistachio meringues
“Experts Resoundingly Say a No-Sugar Diet is No Good” ** declared an article headline we read over breakfast the other day, as we shoveled jam-mounded refined carbs and syrupy coffee down our throats with abandon…
Pickled oranges
Yeah. It’s actually Christmas time. So no need to panic or anything. How is it here already? What happened to 2023? Who pushed the accelerator button on the year? WDK. But one thing we do know is it’s not too late to make these sweet, citrus pickles to go with your…
Fritter away! Zucchini and feta fritters
Are they Greek? Are they Turkish? We’re not going to step into that particularly messy fray, but let’s just say we’ve eaten our fair share of these babies on Turkish soil as part of mezze spreads. Called mücver, we’ve yet to meet anyone who dislikes these fritters…
Is it spring yet strawberry cake
We don’t much go for those multi-layered, super-rich, cake extravaganzas. They have their place but we prefer more wholesome, humble cakes; the sort that may not look like much, but have that delicious, straightforward, home-baked flavour that knocks you off your perch…
Middle finger buns
Yay! Middle Finger Buns! Complete with pink icing and a smattering of desiccated coconut. How cute are these? We hear that many of you are scared witless of yeast; if that’s the case can we implore you not to be such a bunch of sooks and, like Lennon with peace, give yeast a chance?…
A chocolate cake
As digestive systems everywhere brace for the annual chocolate onslaught, I thought I’d throw a cake your way so you’re match fit for Easter. Not literally, natch. I mean ‘throw’ more in a ‘here’s my chocolate cake recipe, come and geddit’ kind of way. And not that it’s ‘my’ cake, either…
Cheese scones
Cheese or date? It can be a divisive issue. Throw plain with jam and cream, sultana, or the Aussie abomination that is pumpkin into the mix and you’ve got a real mess of opinions on your hands. We’re talking, of course, about scones, up there with shortbread, smoked salmon and a few cheeses as Scotland’s only real contribution to culinaria…