The Botanical Kitchen
Recipes, travel and the occasional rant
Whenever I have egg whites left over I rustle up some macaroons or pavlova or mousse. I had just the right amount left to make a batch after making some lovely Cranberry Curd which I used to fill these ones for a Christmassy treat. 200g icing sugar 50g cocoa powder 250g ground almonds 220g caster […]
I know that Bakewell Tarts traditionally have a jam filling but I think they work really well with compotes and curds too. This tart is a great one to make at Christmas time as cranberries are so readily available in the supermarkets. I’ve used a simple compote for the one below but you can also […]
I love cranberries but the season is so short. I wanted to literally “bottle” the flavour for a bit longer. This curd is so simple and I used the egg whites left over for macaroons. It’s also lovely as the base of a Bakewell Tart instead of jam. The measures below make enough for a […]
I love courgettes at any time of year and this quick dish combines them with lemons and herbs to make a great canapé filling. If you don’t fancy making puff pastry, use shortcrust pastry or even toasted ciabatta pieces. The courgette filling can be made a few days in advance and kept in the fridge. Don’t freeze […]
If you’ve had a good look round this blog, you’ll notice lots of little food. I’m a big fan. This is such a brilliant recipe. You can have it in the pastry cases as I’ve described below or simply as a little salad inside a leaf of gem lettuce or on top of some parchment […]
I demonstrated these simple cups at the London Chocolate Festival and they were a real hit. You can make the cups from pastry or shortbread. I’ve given you both options below. They can then be filled with caramel and topped with the simple mascarpone ganache like the one below or filled with curd and topped […]
Aachener Printen is a speciality gingerbread or Lebkuchen sold in the masses to the masses at Christmas. Recipes are closely guarded secrets but my German friend gave me this version. You’ll need 500g golden syrup 500g plain flour 50g candied peel 2tsp baking powder 2tsp ground star anise 2tbsp ground coriander seeds 2tsp ground cinnamon […]
These are wonderful little canapés. I demonstrated them at The London Chocolate Festival recently and they were a big hit! I’ve filled them with raspberries in the recipe below but you could use any soft berry or fruit. They are topped with an easy chocolate ganache. If you’re put off by ganache, give this version a […]
This is a mini canapé version of the Hazelnut and Coffee Biscotti recipe which I made at the London Chocolate Festival. It’s super simple so you can make it with the children. I serve this with a hot chocolate dipping sauce. Make the biscotti up in advance and the sauce takes minutes to make so it’s great […]
Praline is wonderfully simple to make and you can use it to decorate so many dishes – instead of a wafer on ice cream, crumbled onto a chocolate mousse…Or you can simply eat it on its own. I made these hearts for our little advent calender as an alternative to chocolate. You’ll need 150g caster […]
I made these simple macaroons for Vanessa Kimbell’s Let’s Make Christmas. They were taken home by Laura of Craftstorming. As it was Christmas I used a little edible glitter for some extra glitter but you could also drizzle on top some chocolate like on these Pistachio Macaroons or add some popping crystals like these Orange […]
Biscotti is know to have come from the Tuscan region of Italy but the word is derived from Latin. Biscotto derives from “bis,” Latin for twice, and “coctum” or baked (which became “cotto,” or cooked). The first bake is in a loaf, then sliced and toasted. This second trip to the oven draws off moisture, and leaves […]