Get it right and panna cotta might be one of the dreamiest desserts on the planet; get it wrong, and it could double as a weapon. My first attempt at panna cotta was a disaster; hard and rubbery, slightly grainy, and not particularly palatable. In truth, if I’d thrown one at a wall, it would have bounced right back at me. With no alternative, I served it up apologetically to dinner guests and the meal ended on a lacklustre note…..
If you don’t want to sweat your summer starter – well apart from some leeks that is – then look no further than this easy-peasy chilled soup. It involves no more than around 15 minutes cooking time, can be made well ahead, is deliciously refreshing and looks beautiful thanks to its vibrant green colour. Of all the recipes in my novel Love Apples, this has probably garnered the most rave reviews, sometimes outdoing a main dish that I’ve laboured over…..
Quick and easy to make, frittata is one of those versatile dishes that works at various times of the day, whether for brunch, lunch or a light weekday supper. This is where it features in in Love Apples, in which the protagonist, Kate, cooks it up for her friend and flatmate, Chloe, after work one night. With some difficult affairs of the heart to discuss, it’s the perfect option since it requires little thought and can be whipped up in…..
A recipe for a fresh, fragrant Middle-Eastern-flavoured dish that’s perfect for summer, plus a bit of background on how food got mixed up in my fiction. Some of my strongest memories from novels are those involving food, perhaps because it engages the senses so fully. I can still almost taste the toffee shocks in Enid Blyton’s Magic Faraway Tree, which swelled as you chewed until you couldn’t speak, and finally exploded in your mouth. Later, while studying French at university, I…..
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