Tag: baking

Gluten-free courgette and lemon tea cake with lemon frosting

IMG_1106 (Medium)After surviving the excitement of the attempted coup, it was a relief to head for England for a spot of R&R. Short-lived of course, as we’ve had such a procession of  engagements with friends and family that I’m tempted to ask Her Maj if she can lend me her social secretary.

Our friend Babs has been staying with us over the last few days, which has been an excuse for a few treats. She doesn’t have a happy relationship with wheat, so I snaffled some Doves Farm gluten-free flour when I saw it in the supermarket last week and set out to discover whether it really was interchangeable with ordinary flour  – so far, so good. Continue reading “Gluten-free courgette and lemon tea cake with lemon frosting” →

Banana maple walnut muffins

IMG_1055 (600 x 450).jpgWe have guests arriving at our rental cottage this evening – they have stayed with us before, so at least when they arrive in the middle of the night, they know where they are aiming for.

Guests are pretty thin on the ground this year – the threat of terrorism after the recent bombs in Istanbul, the refugee situation and the little spat between our government and Russia means that many tourists are choosing to holiday elsewhere. Continue reading “Banana maple walnut muffins” →

Double chocolate & cinnamon muffins

IMG_1029 (600 x 450).jpgToday is the first day of Şeker Bayramı, the ‘sugar feast’ which follows the holy month of Ramazan, when Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. Today will be a day of family celebrations with everyone contributing special dishes and plenty of sweet treats for the children.

I’ve baked chocolate chip muffins – mini versions to offer to children who are going door to door looking for sweet gifts, and normal-sized treats for our friend the almond seller in town and for Zerrin,  our lovely housekeeper who helps us with our rental cottage in the next village. Obviously one or two may have to be sampled for quality control purposes, but we are having a 5:2 day today, so that will have to wait until tomorrow. (*brushes away incriminating chocolate crumbs from keyboard*) Continue reading “Double chocolate & cinnamon muffins” →

Leek & onion tarts

IMG_1024 (600 x 425).jpgNo posts for 18 days, now two come along at once.

To be truthful, posting on the blog allows me to sit in air-conditioned bliss at the kitchen counter, feeling as though I am doing something slightly useful (while attempting to ignore the fact that there is a pile of ironing in the spare bedroom so big that it’s starting to block out the daylight).

Today is a half-day holiday before Eid Al-Fitr, the feast that follows the month of fasting during Ramadan, or Ramazan as it is called here. Known in Turkey as Şeker Bayramı, literally ‘sugar festival’, the local children will be out early tomorrow morning, knocking on their neighbours’ doors, looking for sweets and pennies. Watch out for tomorrow’s easy chocolate muffin recipe, which I’ll be cooking up for any children passing this way. Continue reading “Leek & onion tarts” →

Portuguese custard tarts (Pastéis de nata)

IMG_0977 (600 x 450)Before we came to live in Turkey, when I had a proper grown-up job, I was working on a major project just outside Lisbon in Portugal.

One morning, after a particularly lively night out in Lisbon with some members of the British press, we asked a taxi driver to take us to wherever was his favourite place to have breakfast. It was a life-changing moment – and one from which my figure may never recover. The place the taxi driver took us to was Pastéis de Belém – a famous pastry shop in the Belém district of Lisbon, right on the bank of the River Tagus. Continue reading “Portuguese custard tarts (Pastéis de nata)” →

The easiest muffins in the world

IMG_0964 (600 x 450)We’re back in Turkey after a very swift visit to France, with a night in Amsterdam thrown in on the way home.

We managed to miss the floods and the strikes, and were treated to even better weather than they were having back here – hah!

I thought I’d better leave France while my bottom would still fit inside an aeroplane seat – those croissants and pains aux raisins are just TOO dangerous for comfort. It is so hard to believe that something so deliciously light is so calorie-laden. At least our pool is now warm enough for swimming, so 2km for me today – half already done, half to do when I’ve finished writing this. Continue reading “The easiest muffins in the world” →

Spinach, goat’s cheese and walnut tart

IMG_0859When I have a weird collection of vegetables in the fridge that need using up, my thoughts immediately switch to one of three things: soup, curry, tart. I bought a big bunch of spinach at the weekend, not really knowing what I was going to do with it, and there it was, still glaring at me when I opened the fridge to get the milk this morning.

There were also a couple of tired leeks and half of a wedge of goat’s cheese, which I must confess is long past its sell-by date (things like goat’s cheese shouldn’t have a sell-by date in my opinion – it just gets tastier. If it really has gone over, it will be sporting some kind of colourful mould that will give you a tip-off that it’s going to try to kill you if you eat it). Continue reading “Spinach, goat’s cheese and walnut tart” →