by Lea Hogg
Celebrity Chef Peter Dacoutrous , a good friend of mine handcrafted this beautiful crib…. Getting ready for Christmas makes us excited and a good part of the preparations are connected with food. Christmas is all about food and eating. I had a number of requests to suggest alternatives to the main turkey roast and I spent a day with Amon at Le Meridien planning … Read More Amon’s Christmas tips ! A happy Christmas………
by Lea Hogg
The US Ambassador HE Ms Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley welcomes me to her home and shares her favorite Thanksgiving recipes. It is the time of the year again when Americans all over the world stop to thank for their blessings, to appreciate and give thanks for what they have. Gratitude for the harvest, the provision, the abundance….. a nation so diverse with a fusion of cuisines … Read More Celebrating Thanksgiving on an island abundant with blessings …
by Lea Hogg
With Christmas approaching, I start to automatically think of Christmasy treats and I made this fruit compote yesterday out of fruit that was starting to go soft. I had kiwis, plums and grapes but did not have much time to spare. For Christmas I always make the fantastic German treats, the irresistible german gingerbread, the cinnamon stars, I can smell the spices, home made … Read More A rumtopf inspired fruit compote ….
by Lea Hogg
Life is full of imperfections. We are all full of imperfections, physical flaws that are easily visible and character flaws that most of the time go unnoticed and leaves everyone surprised when they suddenly become visible to others. But there is goodness in everyone and this applies to fruit and vegetables that appear imperfect. Today’s pie is another of my chosen recipes for the … Read More Roasted Plum Crumble Pie
by Lea Hogg
If you have not yet been fortunate enough to experience the little island in the heart of the Mediterranean but happen to be visiting London you will find a cafe in Fulham Road called Parparellu. A big dose of nostalgia and memory lane for all natives gone afar no longer able to bask in the island’s warmth and hospitality. Here they will find familiar … Read More Savory individual ricotta pies…. And if you visit London and do not quite make it to the dream island….
by Lea Hogg
A typical New York cheesecake is made with cream cheese and sour cream but mine today is a taste of Italian New York. The best cheesecake I ever tasted was a ricotta baked cheesecake from Venieros in New York. This is where you can also get sugar free cookies and carb free cakes if you are watching your calories ! I remember coming back … Read More A taste of New York…. baked ricotta cheesecake !
by Lea Hogg
A pleasantly hot sunny and clear day on the island Today its a get together and old catch up with busy friends, a quick rendezvous late afternoon between a workday and going home to cook supper. Last night I prepared some mini Bakewell tarts as they are so easy to transport and their flavor of the frangipane filling improves the following day. Today I … Read More Traditional Mini Bakewell Tarts today for tea with old friends
by Lea Hogg
This week sees the start of the prickly pear season on the island. I never considered myself to be a huge fan of this fruit until very recently when I tasted it just as it should be … eaten nearly as soon as it is cut. The flesh is moist, succulent and totally different, the seeds silky and smooth… not as trendy as passion … Read More Prickly Pear Season has arrived…Introducing the Prickly Pear Tart !
by Lea Hogg
It happens once in a while when you try something out and you know that you will make it again and again. This weekend I wanted to make a cobbler and looked up several recipes with a plan to bake it in a tart shell as it is a far better way to plate. Everything looks neat and tidy in a tart! As I … Read More Turns out yummy ! Pineapple and Coconut Cobbler Tart
by Lea Hogg
My chocolate hero is definitely Willie Harcourt Cooze http://www.williescacao.com, he who appeared in a Channel 4 documentary a few years ago, he who gave up everything to pursue his dream and produce the purest cacao in the world. As soon as his unusual cylinders hit the Waitrose http://www.waitrose.com shelves just after the documentary, they disappeared within hours, all completely gone. We had to wait … Read More Totally luscious Cuban Baracoa Chocolate Tart with Bee Pollen…
by Lea Hogg
I am visiting a great aunt who is in a care home. She loves freshly baked tarts. She is requesting pineapple, kiwi and grapes…. Quite a combination and something I would not have probably put together. But always far more thoughtful to take a gift that she actually wants as opposed to something I think she may like. I try to please…. Coconut is … Read More By special request: A tart of coconut custard in coconut crust…
by Lea Hogg
An important day for family reunions in the US, a day of celebration… Happy Fourth of July to all my US friends and followers! On this little island in the heart of the Mediterranean, it will be another gorgeous sunny day, blue skies and bluer seas. We are blessed! We have been invited to a barbecue by some American friends living on the island … Read More Happy Fourth of July: celebrating on the island with a special Kiwi Pie !
