Recipes

This recipe is an example of what I call modular baking. To see how relaxed these little tarts are to make, all you need to do is break the recipe up into wee parts. The pastry. Obviously, you can buy it if you don’t want to make it. Go for the “all-butter” stuff if you can. And ready rolled? Even lazier, even better. If you do decide to follow my recipe and make your own, good on you. It’s nothing more than flour, butter and water. The lemon filling. This is actually just a really good recipe for lemon posset, and doesn’t require any extra baking once you’ve filled your tart shells. If you’ve got some left over, you can pour it into wee glasses and leave it to set in the fridge for an alternative, pastry-free dessert. It’s just cream, lemon juice and sugar. The candied lemon. An optional flair, but a nice one nonetheless. You could just top each tart with a little raspberry or blackberry, but I like canided (or ‘confit’) lemon. It’s as simple as sugar, water and fresh lemon slices. Please feel free to take any of these aspects and use them in other dishes, and on their own. They’re great wee recipes in their own right.

The posh French alternative to Scottish coconut macaroons. These indeed are the little, delicate things that everyone thinks are really hard. Well, let me tell you, they’re not. They’re ridiculously easy, in fact.

Surely the world isn’t in need of another Lemon Drizzle Cake recipe? Uh, it definitely is. Especially this one!

A delicious citrus tart, perfect for any summer’s day!

This recipe doesn’t require any actual baking – it’s just biscuits, butter, cream and chocolate.

A tarte tatin is like an upside-down cake, but using puff pastry instead of cake mix. And the title does not lie: when you try this tart, you’ll be hit by two flavours in abundance: pear and vanilla.

The star of this recipe is undoubtedly the gingerbread itself. Gingerbread is a really simple biscuit to make, and this recipe is the perfect compromise between time, simplicity and taste.

A blondie, for those unfamiliar with the term, is a brownie that’s made with white chocolate.

This recipe was actually conceived for my friend Paul’s birthday – birthday cake is so very common, and with the candles burning above it this tart looks particularly special.

There’s something quite special about baking a ‘sandwich’ style cake – it feels like an occasion. Although this might seem to have a few more ingredients than your standard Victoria sponge, it’s really just as easy.

Sometimes the simplest ideas are the best, and they don’t get much more foolproof or tasty than these nutty crunches. Even the most accident-prone baker couldn’t fail to nail these.

A bear claw is a simple treat that’s not-so-common in this part of the world. Head to certain parts of the states, however, and you’ll find them in every bakery, supermarket and gas-station.