I did not intend to be away from this space for this long without stopping by to say hello but somehow the usual one week turned into two and those quickly turned into three. Suffice to say work has been busy, I have been away, first in Italy and then in Germany, I have been trying to get on top of my never-ending list of final moving and flat-related errands and some recipes have been taking longer to test than expected (white chocolate miso brownies, I am looking at you!). These muffins were inspired by a rosy tart I am working on and that will be shared on food& in a few weeks. While Monday mornings are as good a time as any to swap weekend indulgences like buttery croissants or pancakes doused in maple syrup for porridge, there is nothing like a homemade pastry and a good cup of coffee to take the edge off the start to another
Muffins
Beetroot Muffins – one final nod to winter
A few years ago I lived off Southgate Road in North East London, it was the first flat me and
Mandarin Oatflour Olive Oil Muffins
So, living in Italy, well, about that … let’s say the distance to the nearest Whole Foods or Planet Organic
Wholemeal Blueberry Muffnuts
For quite a while now I have been seeing posts on US food blogs about baked donuts (edible perspective is even writing an entire book full of recipes for baked donuts). I find these so intriguing I was keen to have a go at them myself. One, Ale is nuts about donuts. Two, as much as I like eating donuts, I am far too clumsy to do any deep-frying. However, it turns out that finding a donut pan in the UK is no easy feat. Also, with my ever-growing selection of different pie dishes, loaf tins in different sizes and some mini Kugelhupf pans I bought in Japan a few years ago and which have not even been used yet, I figured I should not go to any extreme lengths to add to this collection by ordering a donut pan from the US. Alas, the thought of baked donuts would not leave my mind so it came as a happy
When life gives you lemons
In addition to all things fennel-related, I also have strong feelings for anything involving lemon and poppy seeds. As a child I wasn’t a fan of lemony concoctions but, as with everything, my tastes have changed as I have become older and now I love the freshness that a bit of lemon zest brings to a blueberry and lemon cake, how lemon zests cuts through the richness of these chewy lemon cookies from How Sweet Eats (I can highly recommend these by the way – I baked them for my reading group some time ago, adding some poppy seeds just because, and what little was left after everyone had gone home was quickly decimated by Alessandro) and indeed how great a contrast the lemon zest is to the sugary icing on the lemon poppy seed muffins from a multinational coffee chain whose name shall not be mentioned. In all seriousness though, however much I try to fight it, some days
REAL SIMPLE FOOD 