Blackcurrant Frangipane

I love frangipan! ..and this is a good one.

Not just sweet, but nutty with almonds, and creamy with vanilla- all this mingling with a hint of citrus and booze and finally contrasting with bursts of tart, tangy blackcurrants. 

Upside-down Spiced Plumb and Orange Cake

This is a really decadent, crumbly, yummy cake, best eaten while still slightly warm from the oven.

The inside is fluffy and moist , with the subtle taste of almonds and citrus; pale in colour, The sponge contrasts perfectly with the sticky, warm spiced layer of rich purple plums on top.

Mmmmmmmmm.....

Potato Pizza

I was inspired to make this because of one meal I ate at Uni recently: I had baked a few potatoes, and when they were done I split them, mashed the insides, arranged them together, and topped them with red pepper, chorizo and cheese. It was then grilled in the oven. What I ended up with looked like a pizza-except the base was made of potato- which pretty much sums up what this dish is all about.

Cheese Soufflé.

This was an Easter treat. I haven't had a cheese soufflé since I was little; me, my dad, and my sister used to make them every now and then as a father-daughter activity. I have a clear memory of scooping in to one years ago, and the middle being gooey and sticky with melted cheese, while the outside was light as air.

Prawn and Avocado linguini.

This turned out to be a really creamy pasta dish. I've had trouble with using only cream before: trying to make the pasta creamy, but light, when it just turns out heavy and claggy, even if the flavour is there. It turns out, avocado makes all the difference- and you don't even need as much cream to go with it. The addition of avocado made the linguini creamy and light, moist and delicious. A definite winner and problem solver. Avocados you wonderful things.

Salmon en Croute.

In my family, we love salmon en croute. A few months ago, for some reason, every super market stopped selling it. Only frozen versions were available- and that would be a bad choice; salmon cooked from frozen is usually tough and horrible- nothing like the soft flaky, moist salmon you get when cooking from fresh.

Fortunately, as it turns out, salmon en croute is super easy to make (although I cheated a bit and used ready made pastry) and you get a super tasty, personalised result.

Pork and Apple Dumplings with Roast Onion Purée.

This is the first time I've ever made or eaten dumplings, and quite frankly I think they're weird-a good idea, but weird. Next time I make these (and I will be making them again, cause I like the concept) I will make quite a few adjustments. 

I got the idea to make these from a video on YouTube by The Dumpling Sisters (found at this link:http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qWkvFssMz24 ). The dumplings they made looked perfect, with little golden bottoms-tiny little parcels of yummyness. You can see for yourself how good they look, and why I had to have a go at making them.