seasonal bounty

Did I mention crumble? My children love the sweetness and crunch of a crisp baked crust.

Before, then after.

Particularly when there is soft, moist cake underneath. I fiddle with this recipe often, using hedgerow fruits or berries from the garden (or freezer). I then offset the luxury of butter and sugar in excess with a wholesome (if similarly rib-sticking) soup. Red peppers, chorizo, butter beans and black nero; a huge bear hug in a bowl. 

We are going to supper with friends on Saturday. He assures me that he has passed on my dietary needs, and my preferences. Well, hopefully not ALL my preferences. 

whipped buttercream

With his free hand he held my head against his hip, his fingers easily weaving into my loose hair for a tighter purchase, twisting my neck at a peculiar angle that forces my chin upwards and one cheek flat into soft, sparse belly hair. I struggle slightly for I can't reach him with my open mouth but he just grips harder and holds me steady.

His other hand is in full motion, a familiar rhythm, just within my field of vision.

Underneath my face his belly tightens and swells momentarily, he pulls me abruptly higher and I have a warm wet sensation in one nostril, smothered sinuses and a splatter of heavy pressure over a clamped-shut eyelid. I gurgle and splutter and slither across his skin, dripping jizz from my nose while he chortles with glee.

a kick up my arse

apropos to nothing much, i had a nasty bicycle accident at the beginning of the summer holiday - about 6 weeks ago. A careless moment, and i spread myself stickily across fresh tarmac. I still have the grit ingrained in the palms of my hand and a shadow of thick bruise across my thigh. My boyfriend picked me up and tended the raw edges, fixed my bike and bought me gloves to wear but I haven't been back on my bike since, although i am aware of his gentle encouragement as he regularly pumps my tyres and checks the gears.

Last night we collapsed into my bed together after an emotionally draining* evening and he gathered me against his chest, kissed me lovingly and whispered seductively.

"would you like .."

I look eagerly into his eyes.

" .. me to put stabilisers on your bike?"

*

It was my youngest's birthday yesterday, for which we had a family supper. My boys, me, my boyfriend and my husband. I'm too busy to fully process.

tight sweater season

This morning I visited a client to discuss floor plans I am illustrating for a hotel.

He has a comfortable chair in his office which i lounge in, leafing through the sheets of plans, holding them up, double handed, to the light. I know he is watching me, and I can't help but hold the pose for longer than is necessarily required.

"As far as i am concerned" he said, "you can sit in that position all day long"

I'm not sure which of us is the more incorrigible, but I hope I never lose the urge to show off in cashmere.

my palette

It is often the case that, while Bournemouth festers under heavy cloud 2 miles east, we frolic on a fragile spit of sand that is cloud-averse. The wind picked up scraps of sand and whipped them ahead of our feet so the beach appeared to shimmer and vibrate, while the ominous promise above kept the shoreline almost deserted. I could have happily walked all the way to next week.

crumbs

I still bake cakes; not as often as i would wish, but heck .. sometimes it comes down to choosing between sex or baking. 


This is just the sort of cake i love. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy. It doesn't need more than a light dusting of icing sugar for a finishing hint of glamour, slices as a dream, fits a morning cup of coffee or an evening dessert, and the most sophisticated ingredient comes in a packet. It is a beautiful texture - more body than a sponge, but still fresh and light to bite. 

Nigella's Easy Almond Cake

INGREDIENTS:

250g softened unsalted butter
250g softened marzipan
150g caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 large eggs
150g self-rising cake flour
25cm springform tube pan or patterned ring mold, buttered and floured

Preheat oven to 180ºC. Chop the butter and marzipan to make them easier to break down, and put them in the bowl of the food processor, fitted with the metal blade, with the sugar. Process until combined and pretty well smooth. Add almond and vanilla extracts, process again, then break the eggs one at a time through the funnel, processing again each time. Mix the flour and tip down the funnel, processing yet again, and then pour the mixture into the prepared pan, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula.

Bake for 50 minutes, but check from 40. Then, when the cake looks golden and cooked and a cake tester or fine skewer comes out cleanish, remove from the oven and leave to cool in the pan before turning out. (This is when you will be feeling grateful if it's the springform you're using - mine wasn't, and hence the top is slightly roughen than the mould suggests)