When I was a child, we would traditionally enjoy a 'lamala' cake for breakfast at Easter. Out of question to celebrate Easter without it! It is a type of sponge cake (génoise) typical in Alsace, which name literally means 'little lamb'. The reason is that it is baked in a special mold, shaped as a lamb. ...
French cuisine
Raspberry Pistachio Financiers
The red berries season is starting and fresh raspberries are now coming to the market stalls. So let’s bake raspberry pistachio financiers, shall we? These delicious buttery French cakes are originally based on almond flour. Today I am in the mood for a variant with pistachio, in my mind a match in heaven with fresh raspberries delicate flavor. ...
Poached Pear Aumônières with Chestnut Flour Crêpes
With the cold and dark winter weather here in southern Finland (where is the snow!? #climatechangeisreal), making crêpes is just the perfect treat while staying cozily inside. Good timing, as this weekend, crêpes are flipping all around France! Every year on February 2nd, we celebrate la Chandeleur, a day where everyone cooks crêpes. It is the ...
Chocolate And Pear Cake With Mapple Caramelized Hazelnuts
Bright red leaves covering the trees, afternoon goûters to pack for school… autumn is in the air! I’m the kind of person who loves the change of season, all the more after the exceptionally long and warm summer we enjoyed in Finland. To me, autumn means the return of knit jumpers, long walks in the forest, breathing the musty smell of fallen ...
French Cherry Clafoutis (And How To Pit Cherries With A Straw)
Again a clafoutis, this time one with cherries for a very traditional French dessert. If it's your first time making cherry clafoutis (say ‘kla-foo-tee’), you’ll be delighted to find out how easy it is to prepare, for a lot of payoff! Juicy cherries are layered in a buttered dish, topped with a creamy batter and baked in the oven. While we consider ...
Green Asparagus and Ricotta Clafoutis
A savory clafoutis, you may wonder? The French clafoutis is originally made with sweet cherries, baked in a flan-like mixture, composed of eggs, flour, sugar and milk. But clafoutis is so versatile you can also give it a savory twist! Rather than baking a pie or quiche with season's green asparagus, I turned them into a clafoutis, paired with ...
French Beignets {Gluten Free Doughnuts}
It's Mardi Gras or 'Fat Tuesday', a day of indulgence celebrated in France. Mardi Gras means it's time for beignets (say 'banyeh'), the French pillow-y, soft fried doughnuts dusted in powdered sugar! ...
Red And Black Currant Meringue Pie
When I came home from my three-weeks summer holidays, the first thing I did was to go straight to my garden, to check on my dear berry bushes. And there they were, the tiny ruby-red currants or groseilles, and a handful of blackcurrants, ripe for pick up. I planted four bushes of redcurrants and two raspberry patches when we moved in our house, ...
Mini Cherry And Vanilla Cream Cakes
Hello summer and its gorgeous ripe red cherries! I am in a celebrating mood, as I am flying to France the day after tomorrow to spend time with my relatives and dear friends, before heading to other exciting places, including Paris for a few days! When I am happy, I bake. Prepare to treat yourself with these cherry mini cakes, filled with ...
Rustic Rhubarb Pie With Buckwheat Crust
My friend Virginie visited me recently and brought over one kilo of fresh rhubarb from her garden. I looove rhubarb (although rhubarb doesn't seem to like growing in my garden)! Last month I shared a rather sophisticated recipe of Rhubarb And Strawberry Tart On Sablé Breton. Today's rustic rhubarb pie is quite the opposite, totally fuss free: just ...