Ah, the Almafi coast! Ravello, Positano and Capri have the most amazing views, turquoise sea and old-school glamour, that is why it has always been our favourite family holiday destination. This lemon meringue cake is a souvenir of what I love most on the Amalfi coast – lemon trees and delizie limone, a local speciality sponge cake filled with lemon cream. Whenever I want to … Continue reading Lemon meringue cake
Since I moved to the country, I’ve developed a passion for baking bread. I loved baking cakes in the past, but bread was never my forte. In Paris, I lived in the 7th arrondissement surrounded by ‘maîtres boulangers‘ (baking masters) – all I had to do was run down and follow the scented bread trail. Baking is extremely rewarding, and if ever there was a … Continue reading Kouglof
Some people window-shop, I sometimes like to ‘window-eat, especially when I am outside a store like Ladurée. I often give in to temptation, and go for that particular pastry that I have been eyeing like an eagle – the Saint Honoré. How can one resist the caramel colored puffy pillows sitting on a cloud of vanilla whipped cream? The Saint Honoré was named after Honoré, … Continue reading Saint Honoré
We have a big country kitchen table I have always dreamt of having – filled with an abundance of fruits, flowers, vegetables, lots of kids drawing, dogs lying under and delicious home-cooked food. I get very inspired just by looking at the table, and today, I had to do something with the beautiful apricots. I ate a very light lunch and felt like having something … Continue reading Apricot tartlets
Now that it is the month of June, the garden has really come to life. Without noticing it, a miracle has happened. Our walls are like romantic fragrant moodboards pinned with hundreds of beautiful shell pink roses. Having only lived in the country-side for less than two years, gardening has become a new passion. I am discovering flowers and plants everyday and getting a whole … Continue reading Joséphine ruffle cake
I first discovered baba au rhum (rum baba cake) when I was a child visiting my grandmother in the South of France. Out of all the pastries, I was most fascinated by this one because it was ‘interdit’ (not allowed). Drenched in rum, dressed in whipped cream with a cherry on top, I had to wait a few more years before expressing my food independence. … Continue reading Baba au rhum
‘Life without love is like a year without a summer‘ – Swedish proverb. Summer has entered our lives in Médoc, with all its glorious flowers, green trees and lovely singing birds. The sweet and woodsy smell of the pine forest that surrounds us is so energizing! There is so much life in our garden, from growing tomatoes, lemons, oranges, roses, fuchsias to name a few. … Continue reading Garden cake revisited
It is impossible not to think of Marcel Proust’s Madeleine scene in his novel ‘In search of lost time’. How a delightful little cake can trigger such vivid childhood memories… Madeleines are one of France’s most popular tea-time cakes, for all ages, ideal for dipping in a glass of milk or a cup of tea. Shaped like a shell, this little gem of a cake … Continue reading Madeleines
Once upon a time, there was a Persian woman madly in love with a prince. To make him fall in love with her, she baked him this cake, filled with magical love powers. So the legend goes for this nightingale of all cakes. If I had to imagine a cake representing love, this would be close to the real thing. With enchanting ingredients like cardamom, … Continue reading Persian love cake
The weather turned amazing again – after a stint of summer here in Médoc, we had the classic April showers a tad too long. As a result, the flowers and foliage are sublime and the grass is greener than ever. I couldn’t resist picking a few flowers to decorate a cake I have been longing to make on this sunny day – the garden cake. … Continue reading Garden cake
