Marie Cookpad

  We are enjoying a day filled with dark clouds and plenty of rain today. We can't complain really. May was a beautiful month, but we do need rain.  Rain is a part and parcel of why this country is so lush and green! Admittedly things were starting to turn brown, and I don't like that!   With everything that is going on though, rain can be a bit depressing. With the virus, the lockdown, the riots, etc. we needed a bit of a pick-me-up, so I decided to treat us to a bit of a dessert. Lemon Sandwiches with Blueberries & Cream.   And what a fabulous dessert it is.  Thick slices of a moist and delicious lemon cake are topped with a rich yogurt cream and a sweet fresh blueberry sauce . . .     Topped with another thick slice of that gorgeous cake and then dusted with some icing sugar.  Beautifully delicious.   That cake is light and lemony. You could enjoy just the cake on its own with along with a nice hot cuppa  .  .  . an...

  What is Pain Perdu.  Translated from French into English, the words mean Lost Bread.  It is a fancy name for French Toast, which was a great way of using up stale bread in the past. French toast is normally seen as a breakfast dish, and this certainly could be served for breakfast, but when you choose to make it with Brioche bread it becomes a bit more special and actually makes for a very fine dessert.   Brioche bread is rich and sweet and lends itself beautifully to dishes like this.  Soaked in the egg and milk it takes on an almost custard-like texture, very similar to bread pudding  . . .   But of course, cooking it this way is a lot faster than making a bread pudding.  So,  if you are looking for a hearty dessert that is quick and easy, as well as being delicious, this is the dessert for you!    Our Brioche bread here in the UK is actually only about 4 inches square in size, so when sliced the slices are not overly large....

  Continuing on with my quest to present to you smaller sized, delicious recipes, today I present some dessert crepes!   I used to be a bit intimidated by crepes. In the Christmas Market you always have that stall selling crepes and they are very popular on the continent, all at a pretty high price.  Somehow the brain fools us into thinking that is something is expensive like that we can't make them at home.   If you can make a pancake however, I am happy to say you can make a crepe!  A rose by any other name, a crepe is merely a very thin pancake without leavening, I might add.    I was really surprised when I moved over here to the UK and ordered pancakes one day. They were crepes, not the thick fluffy ones I was used to. Those type are called Scotch Pancakes here.  Anyways, crepes . . .   Crepes are not that hard to make.  The key to making good ones is to make sure that your skillet is heated properly  from the get go.  I l...

   Baked Apples one of the comfort foods we like to enjoy in the Winter months.  Apples are plentiful and at their best. We don't mind having the oven on, and they are delicious and very easy to do.   I had recently gotten some fabulous Organic Dried Cranberries and Ceylon Cinnamon Sticks from Buy Wholefoods Online and I felt they would be perfect for using in this simple and easy dessert. If you are not familiar with Buy Whole Foods Online you really need to look them up. I buy all of my dried fruit from them every year for my Christmas Cakes, and other bits and bobs throughout the year. Buy Whole Foods Online is an international health food supplier, based in Minster, Ramsgate, North East Kent. They deliver top quality natural and organic wholefoods, and related healthy living products, directly to homes and businesses across the UK and Europe. I have always been very happy with both their products and their service.   Baked apples make for a lovely breakfas...