Category: Desserts

I made this Passion fruit tart decorated with edible pansies and a hot water crust pastry. It’s the first time I make a sweet pie with a hot water crust pastry. It was so good that I will make it again. I mentioned before that it’s easier to work with as it’s more stringy and easier to roll. Also, it’s more forgiving than the standard pastry with more butter, as it doesn’t need chilling.

I love the sharp taste of the passion fruit curd filling. I think the filling can be kept in a jar in the fridge to enjoy as a curd. I will make it again like that.

Ingredients:
– 165g plain white flour
– 60g butter
– 75ml water (for the pastry)
– 120g sugar
– 40g cornflour
– 200ml water (for the filling)
– 5 Passion fruits
– 3 egg yolks
– edible Pansies for decor

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The Swan eclairs are a beautiful and fancy dessert. I used to have them as a child, when I was going with my grandparents at a local tea room. It’s one of the first memories I have. While I remembered them and I was attached to the idea of Swan eclairs, it’s the first time I make them. Surely, it will not be the last. I like how lovely they look and I like that each of them looks like it has its own character. I think a Swan eclair lake would be a wonderful showstopper on a dinner party or even for a very special meal, like the Christmas dinner.

I think the Swans look so pretty. I think it’s quite a posh looking dessert.

Ingredients for 12 Swan Choux (and necks):
– 180g white plain flour
– 4 eggs
– 120g butter
– 200ml water

Ingredients for the vanilla creme patissiere:
– 100g sugar
– 50g plain white flour
– 4 egg yolks
– 500ml milk
– 1 tsp vanilla paste

Ingredients for the whipped cream and decor:
– 300ml whipping cream
– 30g icing sugar
– 10g icing sugar to sprinkle on top

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Rhubarb puff pastry tart sounds amazing, especially paired with quark cream. The cream has rhubarb and dry Sherry and it’s delicious on its own. The recipe is really easy to make, but it does take a bit of time for waiting for the rhubarb to cool down. I loved the Quark cream with the dry Sherry, it was delicious. I preferred Quark because it’s a cheese naturally low in fat and it was a good choice. I will use Quark again for cream, because I think it’s a good option.

I used less than 1 pack of puff pastry. With the remaining puff pastry I made 2 cheese pinwheels and a couple of vegan sausage rolls.

Ingredients:
– 240g puff pastry
– 800g rhubarb
– 125g sugar
– 250g Quark
– 25ml Sherry
– 1/2 tsp vanilla

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For my second dessert using plantain, after making Plátanos al Caldero, I’ve decided to try plantain brownies. They were soft, moist and delicious. I like brownies, but I don’t bake them as often as I should. I’ve used white chocolate and dark chocolate and it was a great idea. I will make these brownies again next time I’m getting plantains.
These plantain brownies are naturally gluten free and with only a bit of added sugar, that means less than 15g per brownie. I try to make everyday desserts as healthy as possible, without compromising the taste. While they do have sugar, it’s half of a standard brownie and without the extra calories from flour.

Ingredients for 10 brownies:
– 1 ripe plantain
– 100ml oil
– 100g sugar
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 3 eggs
– 30g cocoa powder
– 40g white chocolate
– 40g dark chocolate
– 1 spoon of fine corn flour
– a pinch of sea salt

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Plátanos al Caldero or Caramelized Ripe Plantains is a recipe specific to the Dominican Republic. The dish is not exactly a dessert, but for our European taste, it has to class as a dessert.
I’ve prepared plantains before, plantain oven baked chips, and I like them. I also love their versatility, although they look like a banana, they can be used in so many different dishes, both savoury and sweet.

As I wanted them to be a dessert, I served my Plátanos al Caldero with coffee whipped cream. It was delicious. I like my desserts less sweet, so it was perfect for me. If you decide to try the recipe and you prefer sweeter desserts, add a bit more icing sugar in the whipped cream. Taste and add a bit more, to suit your taste.

Ingredients for 2 servings:
– 1 plantain
– 2 spoons oil
– 2 spoons demerara sugar
– 150ml whipping cream
– 1 spoon icing sugar
– 1 spoon instant coffee

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This apple tray bake is a recipe my husband loves. It reminds him of his childhood. This is the basic recipe of the tray bake. From here, lots of spices can be added, like cinnamon or nutmeg. It can be served with vanilla sauce. I made this tray bake with Bramley Apples.

These apple are an old variety, from the early 1800s, in Nottinghamshire, grown by a young girl. A butcher called Bramley bought the cottage the girl had with those trees after 40 years. In 1900 a storm blew down the original Bramley tree. Amazingly it survived and it’s still producing apples today, after more than 200 years. During WWI a lot of Bramley trees were planted and it was more and more popular. Bramley are best for cooking. While too sharp raw, when cooked, they are truly delicious.

The recipe is very interesting to make. There isn’t batter, but the dry ingredients are put in the tray as they are. Do have a try of making it, it’s a fun thing to do and it’s different. I used 2 big Bramley apples, that are around 650g together. If you have smaller apples, use 3. The recipe is vegan and fat-free.

Ingredients for 8 servings (2 pieces each):
– 140g white plain flour
– 170g semolina
– 170g sugar
– 1 heaped tsp of baking powder
– 2 big Bramley apples
– 250ml water
– icing sugar to decor

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Last evening I wanted a dessert that was easy to make, fast, with what I had available and with not a lot of calories. I made Mango yoghurt and I loved it so much I’ve decided to share the recipe on the blog.
I made the dessert with canned mango pulp, it’s like a mango puree, but a bit runny. I also had grounded peanut brittle for a cake. It’s smooth and sweet and the brittle adds the extra texture that makes the dessert really good. With the swirls on top it looks more like a restaurant dessert than something that can be done it a few minutes with only 4 ingredients. If you don’t have peanut brittle, you can change it with grounded peanuts, grated chocolate or a crushed biscuit. I used low fat yoghurt, but I will try it with Skyr too, as I imagine it will be just as delicious.
The yoghurt can be made in advance, but sprinkle the brittle on top only before serving.

Ingredients for 2 servings:
– 400g low-fat yoghurt
– 4 spoons of golden syrup
– 6 spoons and 2 tsp of mango pulp
– 4 tsp of grounded peanut brittle

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