Tinkerbell cupcakes

If you've got a steady hand you can paint whatever you like on rolled icing with edible lustre dust mixed with a little rejuvenator spirit, or ice a whole cake and paint away....anyway.... It's the last day of the London Restaurant festival today, get yourselves over to Spitalfields market! 

Churros!

So my flat smells like a doughnut factory! I've been playing around with churros and making them in funky shapes.. and I have been eating churros after churros dipped in caramel, in dulce de leche, in dark chocolate, white chocolate, rolled around in sugar, cinnamon sugar...filling the dough with orange zest and chopped pistachios! haha when do you call it a day? Well, when you feel like you couldn't look at another fried sugary treat again. They were worth it though ;)

Can't beat homemade pizza

My Nanny's Spicy Top Walnut and Fruit Bars

This is a funny recipe. My Japanese Grandmother got the recipe from an American magazine in the 50's and cooked it for her English family. She used to cook these bars for us when we were kids and I promise I've never tasted anything like it since. It's the quickest, easiest recipe and the bars keep for days. I just had one with a cup of Earl Grey, it's crazy how taste can bring back the memory of someone just like a photo or a smell.

It's not like I've not come across nutmeg or cinnamon or walnuts but I suppose it's more than that, it's the combination, the smell as it comes out of the oven and the texture, it's got a great texture.

It's made me miss my Nanny a lot today but it's good to reflect and look back at fond memories with a cup of tea, cake and some peace and quiet.  

I'm going to be lazy and not list the ingredients here as I reckon you can make them out from the photo! But I'll type out the method...

Separate an egg

Cream together the butter and sugar til fluffy and pale

Sift in the SRflour, bicarb and salt..

Tip in to an un-greased tin and push down with your fingers into the base and will form a dough. Make the edges a little rasied..

Mix the nuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, mixed peel and sugar in a bowl..

Mix together with an egg yolk

Spread onto the base leaving space around the edges and push down gently

Decorate with glace cherries for that retro look hehe and pop into the oven for 20 mins at 180C until brown

See how the edges have puffed up around the topping?

Cool and cut into squares. My favourite squares are the ones with the crunchy edges!

The East Hill, Alma Road, Wandsworth

I needed a place to eat in Wandsworth the other night and my friend Jo recommended that I try the East Hill. Her reccomendations have always been fab (best of - The Thomas Cubitt which we had an incredible roast)

I googled it to check the address and the reviews on this place are mixed and I think the most common posting is that it's too expensive for a neighbourhood boozer. I don't think its the kind of place you go every day after work. Although that would be nice, it has a wonderfully chilled out atmosphere and on a cold night you walk in, shake your coat off and feel all warm and happy (see Colly below and how warm and happy she  looks!) To be honest I thought it was great value, Coll and I had Gin and tonics, 2 courses and shared a bottle of wine and paid £25 each for what was a really great meal. The highlight of which had to be Colly's Fish and chips, and chips in particular, still thinking about them! 

Apple, Prune, Butterscotch and yogurt

It's not often I will post a recipe that isn't mine but I've been doing this one for so long that I think it is mine! I also add a little extra at the end which is this - Once you've made your butterscotch, reserve a little before chilling the bulk of it. Then when it comes to layering up your glasses you'll have a little of the warm butterscotch to drizzle on the top and it takes on a completely different character. This is really perfect after a heavy meal when you can't stomach anything stodgy! 

Serves 4 to 8 depending on serving size.

1/2 cup Armagnac, Calvados or other brandy

8 - 10 plump semi-dried (mi-cuit) Agen prunes

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 vanilla bean

1/2 cup plus two tablespoons sugar

7 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup heavy cream

About 1 1/4 cups thick Greek-style whole-milk yogurt

1. Heat the brandy of your choice in a small saucepan, without letting it boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the prunes. Leave to macerate overnight.

2. The next day, drain the prunes, remove the pits, and chop the flesh roughly. Set aside.

3. Put the chopped apple in another small pan and trickle over 2 tablespoons of water. Slit the vanilla bean and, using the tip of the knife, scrape out the seeds. Mix with two tablespoons of the sugar, add to the pan, and stir into the apple. Heat until sizzling, then cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and pulpy. Cool, then crush to a chunky purée with a fork.

4. In another saucepan, gently heat the remaining sugar with a splash of water until melted, stirring occasionally. When clear, raise the heat, stir in the butter, and cook to a light caramel colour. Do not stir or you will make fudge.

5. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes, then mix in the cream. Cool to room temperature, then mix in the apple and chill.

6. Divide the prunes among the glasses of your choice. Stir the yogurt until smooth, then spoon half on top, followed by the apple mixture. Finally, finish with the rest of the yogurt.

Meatballs. With what?

If you've mastered a good tomato sauce, meatballs have got to be the easiest thing to make. Whether you buy mince or squeeze meat out of sausages (a good cheat). I like making them with onion, garlic, parsley, and moroccan spices and serving over cous cous and vegetables. I also like to pile them on top of linguine... gotta say my favourite and probably not so common match is topped with melted cheese and served with MASH. Yum. Ultimate in comfort food. What's your favourite match?