Tag Archives: dessert

Pistachio ice cream

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Pistachio ice cream

When I was growing up in seaside Cornwall ice cream was always a bit of a treat. It wasn’t as common as you might think, despite the ice-cream friendly sea, sand and tourists. But I still remember the thrill of excitement when the ice cream van pulled into the road, plinking and plonking to a standstill. Everyone would rush out clutching sticky 50p and £1 coins.

There were only a few flavours that really mattered. Vanilla (made with clotted cream), chocolate, strawberry and, if you lived on the edge, mint-choc-chip. There were no exciting berries or sorbets, mango or zabligione. Exotic meant going for a Calippo or a milk lolly. Luxury was a 99 flake. Continue reading →

Aromatic baked plums

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Baked aromatic plums with Greek yoghurt

Maybe it’s all that rich meat I’ve been guzzling on, maybe it’s the slow, terrible and steady tightening of my trousers around my middle. Maybe it’s the recent promotion of my belly to the heady heights (widths?) of a full blown gut. Whatever it is, I’ve been a-hankering after fruit.

This feels a little odd as the gales continue to blow and the chill rain comes cascading down. Usually I don’t get any sort of healthy urge till at least April. So this calls for something different from the usual fresh, healthy feeling fruit. This calls for something sticky and spicy and warming. Continue reading →

Tarte Tatin: A tarte with heart and loads of apples & pears

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Pear and apple tarte tatin

Autumn is here and boy, it’s here with a vengeance. Rain is dripping off our over-laden pear tree and the sky is glowering, heavily gray. I’m not usually a dessert kinda guy, but this calls for some sort of pick-me-up. Something involving those pears and the mountain of home-grown apples from the in-laws’.

I love home grown fruit, much much more than the technicolour, perfectly proportioned but anaemic bimbo stuff in the supermarkets. Even more than the more earthy knobbly and flavourful types you find in farmers markets. No apple tastes as good as one plucked fresh from the branch. Cliched, but true. Continue reading →

3 courses for £12? A grand deal at The Little Bay

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Hello there! It’s me, Catty! While Aaron’s busy honeymooning around Japan (me? jealous? NEVER!), we’ve hi-jacked his blog so that you don’t go hungry, and we’ll continue to post on his behalf, keeping them gastronomous eyes of yours well fed!

I thought I’d share with you all something a little special to Aaron and I. I went to The Little Bay Restaurant back in March this year. I hadn’t even met Aaron at the time and when he saw I’d tweeted that I was going, he responded and said I absolutely had to, HAD TO, have the pig’s cheek. And much to the disgust of my near-vegetarian colleague, I did have the pig’s cheek and boy was it awesome.
Continue reading →

Mochi love

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Black sesame mochi

Big squidgy balls of sweet, gooey goodness. What is there not to like about mochi? While I wouldn’t pretend to know the first thing about how to make the wobbly buggers, they’re something I always try to pick up from Asian stores when I see them.

And nowhere stocks a range (in my very limited experience) like the Japan Centre. Black sesame, green tea, pink strawberry and plain white. Brightly coloured, neatly wrapped bubbles of fun waiting to catch your eye as you cruise on by. Continue reading →

Food Urchin, WMPC and the sweet stuffed apricots

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Turkish stuffed apricots

And breathe… My nerves have just settled after submitting a meal to Food Urchin‘s Where’s my Pork Chop challenge, now comes the seemingly endless wait to see what the outcome is. Will he like it? Is it too bland? Too spicy?

Happily, whatever the food’s like, it was a real pleasure to meet and chat to FU over a St Peter’s Honey Porter and burger in The Jerusalem Tavern. Continue reading →