Two Words ...

Crumbly Crust

Pressed Firmly

Boozy Bath

Apricot and Blueberry Galette

- High Summer on a Plate ...

Madeleines and Apricot/Mango Iced Cream

Desserts in the grey cottage have been few and far between of late. Madeleines, though, have such a cachet for me that I couldn't resist making them as a special treat for SB and I. To boot, I found a lovely iced cream recipe in Diana Henry's latest cookbook, A Change of Appetite that I had to try!

Apricot, Walnut, and Lavender Cake

Today was a day for baking a cake and there is one that I have been meaning to make for a good time. It comes from a Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook called Plenty More. I have been waiting for the fruit to come into our markets, though. They have finally arrived !

Apricot or Prune and Pine Nut Jam in Hamentaschen

My friend, Amy came for a snowshoe outing and lunch the other day. As we were sitting over our soup and sandwiches, she was saying that Purim is here! Purim is a Jewish holiday that involves remembering Esther's success in defeating the evil Hamen's plot to crush the Jewish population in Persia of the 4th century BCE (nutshell story - for more info on Purim, do a Google search or read the Book of Esther in the Old Testament). Modern day Purim celebrations include games, tricks, costumes, and special foods that symbolize the Purim story and characters involved. Amy said that hamentaschen are a traditional treat prepared ... and they sounded tasty ...

Apricot and Ginger Scones

Let's just say that I got my daily dose of fat and sugar all at one time today. Afternoon tea was pretty darn decadent! You can't go wrong with light fluffy scones, real butter, and apricot preserves. A pot of Lady Grey tea rounded out things nicely.  Honestly, just looking at this photo makes me want to open my trap for a big bite!

Gifting Homemade Moroccan Spiced Apricot Chutney - IHCC

Apricots, tomatoes, apples, golden sultanas, purple onion, citrus juices, ginger, cayenne pepper, and honey ... simmer and stir and you will have a spicy slurry of gold ... a worthy gift for foodie friends

New Year's Festive Apricot Streusel Crumble Cake

An early morning baking session yielded a softly sweet streusel-strewn coffee cake that was perfect for snacking with mid-morning (that would be SB) tea. Later in the day, it became a cozy dessert with a pot of hot tea.

Classic Lamb Tagine

After all the rich meals and constant onslaught of sweets, it seemed fitting to simplify our first post-Christmas dinner by doing an easy tagine simmer of  lean lamb, ginger, garlic, saffron, cinnamon and fruits with chopped onions. The new tagine got put to good use and two hours later, a drizzle of honey gave the juices a soft sweetness.

Over plain couscous, this was a nice change from all the traditional Christmas knosh ... we added a salad on the side for a cool crisp break from the warm saucy tagine. 

The Silver Palate's Apricot and Raisin Bread

Last week, I was a baking maniac! Our little church was having its annual summertime flea market - a huge event for the little community in which I live. The ladies of the church always have a long bake table and sell all manner of sweet treats, pies, cakes, quiches, breads, muffins, scones, and preserves. My contribution this year was a double batch of scones (cranberry/almond and mango/ginger) and this quick bread ... there were cookies made too, for the grill station lunch specials that the men's group heads up. I was beat by the end of the weekend, but it was great fun working on the event and seeing everyone enjoy each other's company!

Apricot Tart

When I was a sprout, my parents dutifully deposited me at the door to Mrs. Abrahamson's Sunday school class every Sunday morning. Mrs. Abrahamson was the picture of the soft and gentle Methodist maven. She came complete with a bag of multi-colored ribbons for awarding when we wee folk learned our Bible verses,  a Brownie camera for taking adorable pictures of us as we completed various class activities, a large box of graham crackers and two cans of apricot nectar for our Sunday school snack (kiddie communion). Golly, she was a peach! I guess I can't say she was an apricot of a gal, but she was my first exposure to apricots.

Random Recipe Meets Danish Apricot Pinwheels

What pretty little crumbly confections! They are sitting pretty on my countertop because I was instructed to pick a random recipe ...

Zarela Martinez and a Different Kind of Chile Relleno

I am late posting this tribute to Zarela Martinez. I almost skipped this last week's exercise in researching and blogging to the 47th game changer, but I found a recipe of hers that sounded so delicious and seemed so unique that I had to go ahead ... lateness, be damned.

Image: San Diego RED file photo

If you haven't already visited the other women who have posted their tributes to Ms. Martinez or if you're new to the 50 Woman Game Changer blogshare posts, visit Mary's most recent post at One Perfect Bite to see more about Zarela Martinez and her incredible recipes.