Thin and crisp, these apple and almond biscotti-style biscuits are perfect for dunking and therefore fabulous with coffee or tea. If you prefer you could use candied orange peel instead of the dried apple.
It's not quite a turnover, and not quite a strudel, but this rhubarb and almond jalousie is rather delicious. This crispy sweet delight certainly proves that French know their stuff when it comes to making pastries.
An easy, make-ahead dessert for six to eight people, biscotten torte (biscuit cake) is a luscious ending for a dinner or lunch party. Layers of biscuits are brushed with a rum-milk mixture and sandwiched together with a delicious almond cream.
Bread and butter pudding is as old as the hills and it's great for using up stale bread. There are many different ways of making it. This recipe is a bit of a departure from the traditional, with the addition of bananas.
These almond honey nougats are beautiful to look at and delicious to eat. They make the perfect Christmas gift or after dinner sweet to enjoy with family and friends during the festive season.
Middle Eastern cuisine often incorporates fruit like apricots and raisins into meat dishes. Currants are little sweet, raisin-like dried fruits that give this already fragrant dish an extra flavour boost.
Syrup cakes are popular in many parts of the world, using local spices or fruit to add moisture and flavour. This orange flavoured gluten free version is light and delicious. Enjoy it on its own or with a little whipped cream.
Panettone, a sweet Italian loaf, has been brilliantly re-purposed for this decadent dessert dish. Spread with almond topping, the baked panettone slices are gorgeous soaked in peachy juices.
The thinner you make these delectable almond crisps, the crisper they'll be. If you like the centre to stay a little chewy, then just flatten them a little less.
These brandied prunes combined with cream cheese and chocolate make for such a decadent and boozy mouthful you won't be able to stop at just one. Enjoy with family and friends, if you can bare to share.
Do not be afraid of the humble macaron. Yes, they're tricky, but easier than you think. Don't take any short cuts, use a light touch when mixing, and you'll be well on the way to making the perfect cappuccino macaron.
Orange blossom water, also known as orange flower water, is made by distilling the blossoms of the bitter-orange tree. These orange blossom friands are sweet, bitter and fragrant all at once. Divine.
If you thought the ice-cream wafer sandwich couldn't be improved, think again. These vanilla strawberry swirl macarons will have your guests swooning with delight. The ice-cream will barely have enough time to melt before they're all gone.
What a stylish wedding or engagement cake this contemporary tower of golden macarons would make! There is some time and effort involved but it's oh so worth it for this grand and elegant creation.
Zuccotto is a semi-frozen Italian dessert with a rich flavour and fabulous layers of texture. Often made with brandy or liqueur it also packs a little bit of a punch.
These stuffed vine leaves are rich in flavour with almonds, raisins, herbs and burghul wheat all bound together and served with a refreshing yoghurt dip.
This delicious and impressive looking mandarin upside-down cake is a little tricky to make but is oh so worth it. Better still it is gluten-free so everyone can enjoy it. Use a microplane to zest the fruit for best results.
Carrot soup is always a family favourite. We've modernised this this version and packed it with spices and served it with smoked almonds, coriander and sliced red onion.
A light touch is required to make these strawberry french macarons. Don't be tempted to use more strawberry puree than required or you will alter the texture of the batter. Trust us, the result is worth it.
The gazpacho can be made ahead to step three. Cover; refrigerate overnight. Recipe is not suitable to freeze. You can substitute fresh mint leaves for chervil and red wine vinegar for the sherry vinegar. Note
A classic Chinese stir-fry, chicken with almonds is flavoured with soy and spiked with sherry, straight from the pages of the Women's Weekly Chinese Cooking Class book.
Ground almonds replace the flour in this recipe, making it rich and luscious. As a bonus it is an ideal dessert for dinner guests who have a gluten intolerence.
This dense, moist almond carrot cake has a delicious lemon cream cheese frosting. If you prefer, you can use orange juice and zest in place of lemon in both the cake and frosting.
A torte is traditionally a layered cake with buttercream type frosting. Of course they can always be adapted to the size, flavours and styles you prefer.
This is a traditional cake from north-eastern France; you find similar cakes in Germany, Austria and eastern Europe (the names vary slightly: Kugelhopf, Gugelhupf ). You will need an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook for this recipe as the dough is too soft to knead by hand.
These beautifully coloured and delicate pistachio and orange blossom macrons are an absolute feast for the eyes. Arrange them in a large glass bowl or on a cupcake stand for maximum Wow! factor.
A candy thermometer, available from kitchenware stores, is essential for this recipe. Place thermometer in large saucepan of simmering water while syrup is heating. This will stop thermometer cracking when placed in hot syrup. Once syrup is at correct temperature, return thermometer to pan of water; remove from heat. When cool, rinse and dry. Turron […]
Flourless cake is a brilliant alternative for those of us who are sensitive or intolerant to gluten. This orange version tastes amazing and is cooked with almond meal, polenta and real oranges.
As delicious as these lemon coconut macarons will be once finished, for a better flavour and a more chewy texture seal them in a container and refrigerate them overnight. It is a most cruel exercise in self restraint, but worth it.
This fresh salad is extremely good for you. Almonds are packed with good oils, fennel acts as a diuretic and helps to settle the stomach and oranges give the ultimate vitamin C shot to help protect the body from infections and viruses. Note
Mille-feuille, pronounced meal-fwee, translates as “thousand leaves”, and refers to puff pasty used in multi-layered sweet or savoury dishes. We’ve adapted the classic dessert version here by layering fillo pastry with almonds and honey.
To give the pastry an extra golden shine, brush it with a little egg before baking. Serve topped with a scoop of ice cream, if you like, or sandwich with some nutella, or jam and whipped cream Note
Rich, fruity and aromatic with brandy, this steamed Christmas pudding is gorgeous served warm with either brandy butter, double cream or vanilla custard.
The beauty of the macaron lies in its versatility; they can be enhanced with all manner of exotic flavours and be equally delicious. Try these lemon and basil beauties for a grown up version of this most delicious sweet treat.