All That I'm Eating

Recipe ideas for budget meals, everyday cooking and a little indulgence. Travel inspiration and restaurant reviews too.

Blackcurrant Frangipane Tart

By 31 Comments

I can’t say no to blackcurrants; whatever they are in I will like it. They have such a distinctive flavour and when I found some at the market I had to set about making a blackcurrant frangipane tart. This tart is a marriage of two of my favourite things: blackcurrants and sweet almond frangipane.

The best thing about this tart comes from using raw blackcurrants. As they cook in the frangipane filling they burst and become sweet and sticky. The blackcurrants retain their sharp berry flavour but taint the tart with splashes of deep purple impromptu jam. With autumn just around the corner I can’t think of anything else I would rather spoon into my face. read more

Peach and Cherry Crumble

By 20 Comments

Whenever peaches are in season I always plan to cook something with them. More often than not though I just end up eating the peaches from the fruit bowl because they’re irresistible. Not this time! My peach and cherry crumble is so deliciously summery and the colour of the fruit once it’s baked is divine. I’m so glad some of the peaches survived to make this crumble.

The delicate white flesh of the peaches combines so well with the vibrant red of the cherries. As the fruit was really ripe I only added a small amount of honey as that’s all it needed. Don’t skimp on the lemon, it brings a much needed sharpness to the crumble. We enjoyed this as it is but it would be even better with a dribble of double cream. read more

Strawberry and Peanut Tart

By 12 Comments

Strawberry and Peanut Tart

Minimum fuss and maximum results were the name of the game with my most recent dessert. Another hot day, the last thing I needed was to be baking pastry, so I didn’t, but made a tart nonetheless. My Strawberry and Peanut Tart makes use of a few sneaky kitchen shortcuts to make a delicious and impressive pudding. A chocolate and peanut base smothered with cream and stacked high with fresh fruit it almost seemed a shame to cut into it. But, you know, someone had to.

Ingredients

You will need (for 6-8 servings):

  • 180g dark chocolate digestives
  • 2 heaped tbsp peanut butter
  • 3 tbsp salted butter
  • 300ml double cream
  • 150ml low fat Greek yoghurt
  • Strawberries and cherries (or other berries)
  • 2 tbsp peanuts

Method

Start by heating the peanut butter and butter together in a small pan on a low heat. Stir from time to time until melted and mixed together.

Add the digestive biscuits to a bowl and then smash them up with the end of a rolling pin until you have a breadcrumb texture. Pour over the melted peanut butter and butter and mix together well.

Line a 20cm spring form cake tin then tip the biscuit mix into the tin, spread out over the base and flatten the top using the back of a spoon.

Refrigerate for an hour minimum, longer if you have it.

Prepare the fruit; chop the green bits off the strawberries, stone the cherries if you like, and put to one side.

Add the peanuts to a small, dry frying pan and heat on medium to toast the peanuts. Remove from the heat when lightly golden and smelling marvellous then crush in a pestle and mortar or in a bag with a rolling pin.

Whip the double cream until you have firm peaks. Gently fold the yoghurt through the cream.

Remove the base from the fridge and put onto a large plate. Pile the cream on top of the base and then top with the fruit. Sprinkle over the crushed peanuts.

This was one of those desserts that was so satisfying to cut through with a knife. Firstly you have to move it through the heavy fruit into the fluffy cream, then you meet a little resistance at the base with a very satisfying chink when knife meets plate. The dark chocolate in the digestives gives a hint of chocolate throughout the tart without being too overwhelming and the peanut taste in the base mirrored by the peanuts over the top brings a great taste and texture. Adding the yoghurt to the cream not only makes the cream go further without adding any extra fat but also gives a nice tang and freshness to the whole dessert. Juicy strawberries and cherries made a fantastic topping for this but any berries would work well too.

Strawberry, Basil and Shortbread Mess

By 11 Comments

strawberry and basil mess

When there’s strawberries in the house that’s how I know it’s summer. I never eat them out of season; I feel like it’s worth the wait to abstain from eating strawberries for nine or ten months of the year and then gorge on them from late May until they disappear again. Mostly I just eat them as they are but sometimes I like to make something a little more interesting. This Strawberry, Basil and Shortbread Mess is exactly that. Something that doesn’t take long to make but turns a weekday evening into something a little more special. And it does look rather lovely if I do say so myself.

Ingredients

You will need (for two small puddings):

  • 1 shortbread wedge – see recipe below
  • Handful very ripe strawberries
  • 100ml double cream
  • Few sprigs fresh basil

For the shortbread:

  • 225g salted butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 275g plain flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

There are two ways of making this. The first, and the best in my opinion, is to make your own shortbread. The second is to use some shop bought shortbread or other biscuits.

To make the shortbread grease a 20cm tin with a little butter. I used a round one for this but I have used a square one for the same recipe, it just needs a slightly shorter cooking time.

Beat the butter until pale and creamy then add the sugar and vanilla and beat again until very pale, smooth and creamy.

Add the flour to the bowl and gently mix it in.

Tip the dough into the tin and then press it down with the back of a spoon. Prick the shortbread all over with a fork and mark into wedges.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160C for an hour or so or until the shortbread is golden brown.

Leave to cool and then re-mark the lines for the wedges before leaving to cool completely and then removing from the tin.

Marking and then re-marking the wedges will make it much easier to cut into pieces when you take it out of the tin.

Whip the cream until you have soft peaks. Finely chop three or four big strawberries and some of the basil leaves and then stir this through the whipped cream.

Divide the cream into two glasses or bowls then add some slices strawberries, crumbled shortbread and a little more basil.

Strawberry and basil is one of my favourite flavour combinations; I love the sweetness of the berries with the aromatic flavour of the soft basil. There’s just a small amount of cream in this, it would be a little heavy otherwise. The buttery, crumbly shortbread adds a fantastic texture to this little pudding and it would work really well with other summer fruits too. Trying different biscuits is certainly something I’ll be trying too! And if you’re after some more really easy strawberry recipes you can find some here!

Blood Orange Posset

By 14 Comments

blood orange possets in individual glasses

Slicing open a blood orange has an air of anticipation about it. Will it be intense purple almost throughout, have a few red stripes or actually be mostly orange? Whichever colour you end up with they all have the same fantastic flavour. I love cooking with blood oranges; adding a splash to a cocktail or baking them into something delicious. This recipe for blood orange posset was something I had never tried before and I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make. Just three ingredients are needed for a pudding that tastes so much more than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

You will need (for four individual possets):

  • 400ml double cream
  • 150g golden caster sugar
  • Zest and juice two blood oranges

Method

Add the cream and sugar to a large pan and bring the cream up to the boil. Stir it all the time to ensure the sugar dissolves and the cream doesn’t catch.

Boil the cream and sugar together for three minutes stirring continuously.

Remove the cream from the heat and add the blood orange zest and juice.

Pour the posset mix into four glasses or cups and then leave to set in the fridge for at least four hours.

When you are ready to serve grate over a little dark chocolate.

These are fantastic served with chocolate shortbread so you can dip the shortbread into the posset and scoop it all up!

Can you ever go wrong with chocolate and orange together? I don’t think so and this classic flavour combination is so honest in this dessert. Such simple flavours; no fuss or flair, just pure zingy orange mixed into thick cream and dark chocolate. It’s almost unbelievable how well it sets considering there are just three ingredients but it’s thick, rich and spoonable and perfect served with crunchy shortbread. For a pudding that takes just minutes to make this blood orange posset will be my go to dessert for any dinner party!

Honeyed Apricots with Rosemary Crème Fraîche

By 17 Comments

Honeyed Apricots with Rosemary Creme Fraiche

Apricots make me think of my Mum. She’s the biggest apricot fan I know and until last year I didn’t really get what all the fuss was about. Then I had a proper one. Not a dry, fuzzy one with an inside like loft insulation but a sweet, juice running down the chin, superbly ripe one. And everything changed. Honeyed Apricots with Rosemary Crème Fraîche might sound like an unusual combination but herbs and fruit work so well together and this is truly a winner. Ripe apricots would be fantastic for this dish, but if they’re a bit ropy then sizzling them in honey will only improve them.

Ingredients

You will need (for two):

  • 6 apricots
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 4 tbsp crème fraîche
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Halve the apricots and remove the stones. This was much easier than I thought it would be, the stones just fell out.

Warm up a small frying pan (a griddle pan would be good if you have one) then add the apricots, flesh side down and let them sizzle gently for a minute or two. Flip the apricots over so they are skin side down and fry for another minute. Finally, flip the apricots once more and add the honey to the pan. Move the apricots round in the honey so they are nicely covered and faintly caramelised.

Mix together the crème fraîche, rosemary and vanilla.

Serve up the apricots and dollop the crème fraîche mixture over the top.

This dessert is so summery it’s asking to be eaten outside with a lovely glass of dessert wine. The apricots are unctuously soft; they fall apart as soon as you dig your spoon in. Apricots and honey work so well together to bring some sweetness and coupled with the sharp crème fraîche it cuts through everything beautifully. The rosemary is distinctive but the faint whiff you get from it with the vanilla at the same time is just the best. I love herbs and fruit together and this combination of honey, apricots and rosemary is honestly one of my favourite puddings I have ever made. From slicing the apricots to sitting down to eat this for pudding takes less than 10 minutes and I can’t think of anything I’d rather eat under the shade of the tree in my garden.

Mini Cheesecake Mess with The Laughing Cow

By 17 Comments

Mini Cheesecake Mess - raisin, apple and chocolate

I love cheesecake. This recipe for mini cheesecake mess is a great way of using up almost anything sweet you’ve got hanging around and, if I do say so myself, look pretty cute too.  A lovely little sweet treat for lunch or after dinner. Have you ever tried to make cheesecake (or cream cheese icing) with low fat soft cheese? It never seems to work for me and just ends up all runny and no good at all. I thought I’d give it a try with some Laughing Cow Extra Light to see if that would work, and use up some leftover festive food in the cupboards, and I was so pleased with how they turned out!

You will need (for 16 mini cheesecake messes):

  • 280g (two packs) Laughing Cow Extra Light Cheese
  • 30g icing sugar
  • 100g digestive (or other) biscuits

The leftover ingredients I used were:

  • Chocolate – a grating
  • 2 tbsp raisins, 2 tbsp sloe gin
  • 1 apple, a large knob of butter, 1 tbsp soft brown sugar

Take the cheese out of its wrappers and put into a bowl. Sift the icing sugar in and give it all a quick mix. Crush up the digestives then stir these into the cheese mix. Divide between sixteen mini cases then pop into the fridge for half an hour or so.

While the mix is in the fridge you can get the toppings ready.

Take the raisins and put them in a small dish, add the sloe gin (or brandy, port etc.) and leave to soak. For the apple topping, dice the apple up then place in a small pan with the butter. Fry gently for 3-4 minutes until softened then the sugar and let the apples caramelised. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Remove the cheesecakes from the fridge and divide the toppings between them. Simply grate the chocolate over a few.

These are such a good way to use up a few leftover chocolates from the box you never finished, a dribble of liqueur (you could also use tea if you wanted to), a couple of biscuits and whatever else you have. I think the best of the three (they were all rather tasty) was the caramelised apple one: cheesecake and caramel are so good together as are apple and the tang from the cheese, this one is definitely worth a go. The chocolate one is certainly the easiest and this topping, along with the soaked raisins, means they are then no-cook cheesecakes. I love it when a recipe falls together like this that is both delicious and makes the most of what you already have.

This is a sponsored post and I was reimbursed for my time and ingredients. All opinions and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.n.

Blackberry and Pear Pavlova

By 19 Comments

Blackberry and Pear Pavlova

This is only my second pavlova. To me, meringue has always been steeped in mystery and wonder and I found it slightly intimidating. Crispy on the outside, gooey in the middle; is this all really achievable with just two ingredients? Well yes, turns out it is. My two attempts I couldn’t have been more pleased with; previously a summer berry version and this time my Blackberry and Pear Pavlova (which also happens to be all organic) and the pudding portion of my #thriftyorganic challenge.

You will need (all ingredients organic):

  • 3 egg whites,
  • 150g caster sugar,
  • 1 pear, diced,
  • 1 punnet blackberries (not organic, they’d run out!),
  • 2 tbsp water,
  • ½ tbsp caster sugar,
  • 150ml double cream,
  • vanilla extract (not organic)

Whip the egg whites (in a mixer, with an electric hand whisk or by hand if you’re feeling strong) until soft peaks form. Then continue whisking adding the sugar (150g) a little at a time until glossy stiff peaks form.

Preheat the oven to 140C and spread the meringue onto some greaseproof paper in a rough circle. To keep the fruit and cream contained when you assemble it all later it can be useful to make the meringue slightly bowl like in shape so it’s slightly higher at the edges.

Place in the oven for an hour then turn the oven off and leave the meringue in for a further hour. Remove and leave to cool.

While the meringue is cooking put the pear, blackberries, remaining sugar and water in a pan and cook gently until most of the water has evaporated (some will come out of the fruit) and it’s all glossy. Leave to cool.

Once the meringue is cooled whip the cream with the vanilla extract until thick then spread on top of the meringue.

Top with the fruit and serve.

Using organic sugar (which is golden) gives the meringue a lovely toasted light brown colour which I really like. I don’t add sugar to the cream as the vanilla extract adds a little bit and the meringue is sweet enough; the fruit is a fantastic purple colour and adds a nice bit of tart freshness. I think pavlova is a great dinner party dessert as it’s sweet without being too heavy and I think it looks good but you’ve put in minimal effort: win!

Cranberry and Clementine Crumble

By 9 Comments

Cranberry and Clementine Crumble

I love cranberries and really try to make the most of them when they are around; they are almost fool proof when it comes to making jams and jellies as they are so full of pectin. This Cranberry and Clementine Crumble is a great way to use cranberries in a different way over the festive period and the addition of Cointreau adds a little something extra. I was asked to come up with a couple of wintry recipes as part of a project with Kenwood. I used one of the new Kenwood Chef Sense machines to test the recipe out at home and then I spent a day filming the recipes! I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients

You will need (to serve 4):

  • 250g cranberries
  • 1 large orange, juice only
  • Splash Cointreau
  • 100g sugar (caster or granulated)
  • 100ml water
  • 75g butter, cubed
  • 175g plain flour
  • 50g caster sugar

Method

Put the cranberries, orange juice, Cointreau, sugar and water in a pan on a medium heat and leave to warm up until just simmering. Keep on a low to medium heat and wait until all the cranberries have burst. You want the mixture to have thickened but so you still have plenty of juice.

Add the butter, flour and sugar to a mixer and turn on to a low speed. Leave for a minute or so until you have a breadcrumb texture, you can turn it off sooner if you prefer to have some chunkier bits of crumble.

Put the fruit into a dish then top with the crumble. Place in a preheated oven at 180C for 30-40 minutes or until nicely browned.

I really enjoyed cooking this recipe as it smells so good when it’s all mixed together in the pan and when it’s cooking in the oven. Making the crumble in the mixer saves time as well as keeping my fingernails clean; imagine if I’d just painted them particularly festively and then got crumble all over them, it doesn’t bear thinking about. The combination of tart fruit, faint alcohol and orange is really good with the crunchy, sweet crumble top and when it leaks out over the top it’s such a nice colour. Serve with double cream, clotted cream or brandy butter.

Thank you to Kenwood for my Chef Sense Mixer and for the days filming. All opinions and words are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support me.

Baked Apples with Salted Toffee Sauce

By 15 Comments

Baked Apples stuffed with fruit

This time of year is apple season; one of my favourite times of the year. I love going to the farmers’ market and picking out which apples to try for that week; I am lucky that they offer a try before you buy service as there’s always new varieties to sample. This recipe for Baked Apples with Salted Toffee Sauce is a modern interpretation of a vintage classic. It offers so much for something so simple. If you’ve never baked an apple before I cannot recommend this enough.

Ingredients

You will need (for 2 apples):

  • 2 eating apples – you could also use cookers but they will need longer in the oven
  • 1 tbsp raisins
  • 1 tbsp chopped walnuts
  • 1 tsp demerara sugar
  • 2 small knobs of butter

For the toffee sauce:

  • 40g butter, cubed
  • 50g sugar, preferably light muscovado
  • 150ml double cream
  • Pinch sea salt

Method

Core the apples but not all the way through. An easy job if you have an apple corer but a test of your knife skills if you don’t. Remove all the pips and tough parts but leave some apple at the bottom otherwise your filling will fall out. Run your knife all around the skin of the apple near the top so that the skin is scored but the apple isn’t cut all the way through.

Mix together the raisins, walnuts and sugar and then stuff the cored apple with the mixture. Press it down into the apple well.

Put the apples into a small dish or individual ramekins if you have them. Top each apple with a knob of butter then add 1-2tbsp water to the dish with the apples.

Bake in a preheated oven at 160C for 30-40 minutes or until the apples are soft. Remove the apples from the oven and put to one side.

Add all the ingredients for the toffee sauce to a small pan and heat up gently, stirring often. Keep the sauce simmering, while stirring, until thickened and glossy.

Remove the apples from the dish and put onto a plate, add any juices at the bottom to the toffee sauce then pour the warm sauce over the top.

I love the humbleness of this recipe; chances are you already have most of the ingredients you need to be able to make this dish. It’s amazing what you can cook up from a bit of old dried fruit in the cupboard and a few apples. This smelt so good while it was cooking but it tasted even better. The apple turns all mushy and soft but it’s still juicy and the raisins and walnuts add a great flavour and welcome bit of texture. Topped off with a super simple salted toffee sauce; no fancy ingredients, minimum effort, maximum  flavour.

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