Marie Cookpad

  I have seen quite a variety of these crisp buttery potato stacks on the Internet over the past few years.  Some done like roses, some simply stacked.   All attractive and crisp edged.  All requiring a certain amount of faffing about.    At the weekend, I decided to put a different spin on them, and decided to try just layering them in concentric circles, radiating in size from larger overlapping slices on the bottom, topped with slightly smaller ones, all the way to a couple of really small slices in the centres, if that makes sense.    I was completely pleased with the end result.  I ended up with beautiful rosettes of potatoes . . .   with buttery crisp edges, some of them being ruffled . . .   and yet at the same time meltingly tender in the middle . . . the tip of a sharp knife will slip very easily into the centres without any resistance  . . .   Aren't they pretty?  I think so  . . .   At the sa...

  You are going to fall in love with this Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake Recipe that I am going to share with you today.  Not only is it very simple to make, but its incredibly delicious, and a great make-ahead dessert that you can make a few days before you want to serve it, simply re-heating and saucing it when you want to serve it.   Before retiring I worked as a personal Chef for a family that lived in a Manor House down in Kent. We had our own cottage on the Manor Estate and I cooked for the family, three squares a day on a daily basis. On top of that I also cooked for special occasions such as Silver Service Dinner Parties, Ladies Luncheons and just about every special holiday going!   I did all the shopping, prepping, cooking and delivery of every meal, from one person on up to 25+ , and in the case of dinner parties that could mean 5 courses, not counting the appetisers I would to make to go along with pre-dinner drinks.  I would usually make 3 or 4 of them....

   I am determined this year to use all of the pears from our pear tree.  I struggle with this each year.  We have a Conference Pear Tree, (Bosc Pears) and they are not the best pears for eating. (Lesson learnt.)  They are however great pears for cooking with, so bring on your crumbles, cakes and pies!    Our landlord brought us a big bag of cooking apples yesterday and I looked at the pears that Todd had picked and the apples and thought, crumble . . .  and then I thought why not add blackberries.  But I had only a handful of blackberries, so threw in some frozen cranberries I had to make up the difference.  But you can use either all blackberries or all cranberries if you wish.   I can't think of anyone who wouldn't love a crumble . . .  not quite a pie, not a cake . . . fruity and sweet and topped with a nutty/buttery/crispy/crumbly topping.   I love to make crumbles. There is no faffing about with rolling out crusts or...