A Plate of Good Food

My adventures in the kitchen and other things

Archives for July 2013

Apricot Almond Cake

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If you are like me and keep buying irrestibily good looking fruit and then wonder what to do with it, then this recipe is for you. I originally found this Dan Lepard recipe for an apricot tart quite interesting. However, when I finally got down to using up some lovely apricots I got from the supermarket, I decided to make a cake instead.

apricot cake

fresh apricot cake

I would change just one thing if I were to make it again – I’d use a slightly bigger cake tin. The 20-inch tin I used made the cake thicker than I wanted it to be and hence, it was difficult to cut a truly modest slice. Not a bad thing however if you’re in the mood for some indulgence.

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Simple Strawberry Icecream

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When you pick bucketfuls of strawberries every other day from the garden, you have to come up with novel ways of using the fruit up before they go bad. And although icecream is hardly anything novel, it’s just perfect for a sunny day. It also gave me an excuse to use my recently acquired signed copy of ‘The Perfect Scoop’ by David Lebovitz. Notice that I mention ‘signed’.

strawberry in icecream

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One Fruit, Many Uses – Strawberry Mint & Lemon Drink + Strawberry & Goat’s Cheese Salad

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The weather has definitely turned warm and we’re having something of a strawberry summer. So if you see an onslaught of strawberry recipes here, please bear with me! I keep thinking of novel ways to use up the fruit before another batch appears. Today we’re making strawberry icecream – perfect for a sunny day. Earlier this week, I made  a refreshing strawberry mint drink with a dash of lemon and alcohol to cool us down after a long day outdoors.

I’ve never made a salad using strawberries but have come across quite a few recipes for it, so I gave it a go myself. Turns out this is one versatile fruit that can be put to many uses. And that’s good news because there are plenty more ripe strawberries waiting to be picked in the garden!

freshly picked strawberries

So even if you don’t have a bounty of fruit in the backyard, go ahead and try these simple recipes with store or market bought strawberries. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

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What Do You Do With Leftover Strawberries? – Make Strawberry Jam

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We are staying with Peter’s parents at the moment in the quiet French Auvergne countryside. They have managed to create a cosy spot for themselves that includes a vegetable and fruit patch in the backyard that yields truly beautiful fruits and veggies during the summer. Of course, there is quite a lot of sweat and tears that go into maintaining this place but the rewards are truly worth it.

what to do with strawberries

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Au Revoir Paris!

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Our month in Paris flew by. We explored the city in the best way possible – on foot. And although there were times when our feet would scream in protest, we kept strolling through quiet cobbled streets, busy tourist spots and crowded shopping areas discovering this great city.

As we recuperate from our stay in a big bustling city and unwind back in the French countryside while we contemplate our next steps, I thought I’d share a few impressions I gathered during our time in Paris. I did not carry the camera on me all the time, wanting to take in the sights and sounds without being distracted. However, whenever I could, I tried capturing images that I found interesting. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did experiencing them. Captions appear wherever an explanation seemed necessary.

eiffel paris

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