Archive For The “Desserts” Category
Last time I went to the allotment, our neighbor, a gardening veteran, kindly asked whether I would like some rhubarb. I couldn’t help laughing because the 15 odd plants in our garden are enough even for me and my passion for the red stalks. But the guy replied that then I’m clearly not eating [...]
I have complained at length about our new allotment: it’s smaller, there’s too much shade, the soil is in a much worse state. But there’s actually one very good thing about it: the rhubarb plantation. Probably because a good part of the plot is too shady for annual vegetables, the previous owner planted it with [...]
On Saturday we invited friends over for dinner. I decided to make a vegetarian chili with cornbread topping, because: a) we love chili b) it could be made in advance, assembled at dinner time and ready baked in 25 minutes Then I got thinking about dessert. A dessert that would be true to the Mexican [...]
It’s been snowing in the Netherlands. You know what happens in the Netherlands when it snows? Chaos happens. On the first day of snow, the traffic jam in the country reached a record combined length of 1003 km, the railway company cancelled half the trains and the other half was delayed. Our internet was down [...]
Sinterklaas is to the Dutch what Santa Claus is to the Americans and 5th December here is what 24th is in America. The two saints might look somewhat similar (red cloths, white beard) but it is Sinterklaas who is the real deal. He precedes Santa Claus, you see. Sinterklaas does not live at the North [...]
You know what the problem is with eggs? They consist of an egg yolk and an egg white and these two are often used separately. This leads to something of a vicious circle. You bake a birthday cake – it calls for 4 egg yolks, you have 4 egg whites left. Anxious not to let [...]
Why is it that when the elderberry is flowering, everybody seems to be elbow deep in making elderflower cordial, but later, when the berries are ripe, they get much less attention? It happens here, too. Perhaps it is the overwhelming abundance of the fall harvest that makes us blind to the shiny, almost black beady [...]
So, I made the tart and I was becoming slightly more optimistic about our new allotment and the survival chances of the trees and bushes that were moved to the new plot during the weekend. But then I had a chat with the guy who rented the plot before us. And he recommended using Roundup [...]
There are mornings when I very much wish I was a coffee-drinker. This month we have been sadly wrapping up at our allotment. We have gardened there for 9 years. I have planted 9 fruit trees, many soft fruit bushes and a cut flower garden. We have improved the soil a great deal. Because we [...]
