Layers of crisp brown sugar and almond meringue nestle between clouds of whipped honey cream, fresh dates and soft dried figs, as warm honey cascades down the sides of this beastly yet elegant mountain of texture, colour and soulful flavour. And it’s easy. I’m all for easy recipes lately. Life is flying by way too fast, but I’m still determined to bake wherever I can. So that means I’m turning to recipes that can be planned ahead, prepared in sections and offer a low flop-risk. So voila!
Spoiler alert: this here is a little cheat’s dessert. Prep is done in under an hour, no fancy qualifications required, looks pretty as a peach, and is so much fun to just absolutely demolish. Also it tastes pretty darn good. The slight tartness of the roasted rhubarb is offset by the honey mascarpone cream. Then there’s the slightly salty pistachios that flirt with the vibrant syrup drizzling down the sides. And did I mention that the crisp brown sugar meringue cradling the whole thing has a slightly caramelised flavour, and is so devilishly light and delicious? Who’s complaining?
This traditional French pudding is delicate and exotic and full of class, but it is entirely simple to whip up! It would work beautifully with any sort of stone fruit, but I opted for fresh plums and cherries to create an vibrant and festive dessert. Clafoutis is essentially the delightful marriage of sponge cake and baked custard. Soft, juicy fruits lay nestled in almond meal, eggs and cream, which bake to form a soft, velvety and surprisingly light pudding that is wonderfully offset by crispy flaked almonds and plenty of icing sugar.
I’m currently staying with family friends in their beautiful house, nestled amongst the imposing indigo mountains of the Tasmanian wilderness. The dark, dense forests filter the long awaited sunshine of this warm summer, giving our little world a wonderfully romantic sense of mystery and anticipation. I’m whiling away the days with a good book, lots of cooking, and runs along dirt tracks that wind through the infinite woods calling from our doorstep. I was given the task of cooking a dessert that would compliment last night’s dinner of Thai green chicken curry with lots of steamed green veggies. I had this deliciously creamy pudding cooked for me at the end of a recent Vietnamese Banquet cooking class; us pupils were a bit slow for the chef, so she took matters into her own hands and finished off the dessert while the rest of us ate a spread of tantalising main courses. Without the recipe from home, I did a bit of research and experimenting and came up with this version. It was a winner with the entire 9-53 year old dinner crowd! Continue reading
For those of you who can’t be bothered spending longer than 45 minutes in the kitchen, I give you this Cherry Ripe inspired ice cream cake creation. We shared this with family and special friends to end a beautiful Christmas Day of eating, laughing, talking and dancing…it was bliss.
one perfect mess 