An easy and delicious Roast Pumpkin Soup with sweet potato, and lightly scented with cinnamon. Roasting the vegetables first gives the soup more depth and flavour. I recommend making a double batch! A Comforting Pumpkin Soup The following recipe for Roast Pumpkin Soup with sweet potato is inspired by one from Nigella Christmas, a book which is always a great source of comfort and inspiration to me at this time of the year. Nigella
An easy chocolate cake recipe that is moist and delicious, perfect for birthdays and celebrations. This easy chocolate cake recipe includes instructions for different sized cake pans, plus tips for making chocolate cupcakes. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Easy Chocolate Cake I am mindful that I have already shared quite a few chocolate cake recipes here on this blog, and that they all happen to be recipes which I frequently return to whenever a
Classic Meat Pies with a chunky beef and Guinness filling. A delicious meat pie recipe with step-by-step photos. Meat Pies For many Australians, a meat pie at lunch with a good squirt of tomato sauce (ketchup) is almost a daily ritual. You can find meat pies at nearly all Australian cafés and bakeries, corner shops and supermarkets, but making your own at home from scratch can be very satisfying.
A delicious and comforting Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup using fresh corn. It’s so easy to make this classic Chinese takeaway dish at home, plus it is healthier and fresher! Chicken and Corn Soup If you love Chinese food, chances are that you have tried Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup at one time or another. Despite it being popular and well known as a Chinese starter, it also happens to be quite common
Delicious and decadent Hot Cross Buns with chocolate chips! These buns are subtly spiced and generously studded with chocolate, making them the perfect Easter treats. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Hot Cross Buns There are so many baking choices at Easter, and Hot Cross Buns are a must for me. My Easter Egg Nest Cake is also an annual treat for us which I like to make on Easter Sunday.
Light and fluffy Hot Cross Buns with delicious spices and raisins. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Hot Cross Buns For as long as I can remember, Easter has always been celebrated in my family with a batch or two of Hot Cross Buns. This sentiment only amplified when I moved to Switzerland and discovered that these spiced buns were not as universal as the religious festival.
A deliciously moist Carrot Cake with a light and fresh Cream-Cheese Frosting. This carrot cake recipe is sure to become a favourite with your family and friends! Carrot Cake Recipe One of my favourite past-times is chatting online with my foodie friends. We talk about a whole manner of things, mostly food-related, frequently veering off-topic but somehow always circling back to the matter at heart.
Celebrate New Year’s Day with this delicious Greek New Year’s Cake, called Vasilopita. Vasilopita We love celebrating New Year’s Day with our Greek friends – a somewhat cosy affair which doubles as a belated Christmas celebration for the little ones but without the stress of Christmas Day itself. In the spirit of Greek family gatherings, there is always an abundance of deliciously-prepared food on offer, and always a Vasilopita – a Greek New Year’s
Celebrate the Epiphany with this classic Galette des Rois with Frangipane, also known as a French King’s Cake. What is a Galette des Rois? A Galette des Rois is a cake or tart which is traditionally eat in France on 6 January to celebrate the Epiphany. A Galette des Rois is comprised of a top and bottom layer of puff pastry, with a filling made from ground almonds (called a frangipane). Hidden inside
Everyone will love these adorable chocolate Reindeer Cookies at Christmas. Christmas Baking As someone who painfully lacks culinary artistic skills, I have been having a lot of fun in the kitchen lately making novelty cookies, like the Peanut Butter Spider Cookies which were a big hit at Halloween. It is worlds away from making something spectacular like a pristine-looking fondant covered cake with beautifully piped buttercream roses, but I have accepted long ago
A Chocolate Gingerbread Bundt Cake for the festive season. Christmas Tree Bundt Pan In between all of the preparations for Christmas Day, not to mention the last minute shopping and gift-wrapping, I snuck in some time to use my Christmas tree bundt pan once more this year, thus making me feel a tiny bit more justified in purchasing this seasonal piece of kitchenware.
Gingerbread Sablé Cookies, a Christmas twist on a traditional French butter cookie. Tips for using cookie stamps and embossed rolling pins. Sablé Cookies It’s that time of the year again to get out the Christmas cookie cutters and, this year, I’m having much fun with my newfound cookie stamps and cookie moulds. I love the old-fashioned Swiss-style Christmas cookies, and I thought it would be fun to replicate them using a favourite family recipe.
Delicious homemade French Cookies with Chocolate, also called Pétit Beurre or Pétit Écolier. Pétit Beurre and Pétit Écolier As a child visiting my family in France and Switzerland, I always loved snacking on Petit Beurre cookies, especially those made by the French brand, Lu, and especially the ones which came with a bar of chocolate on top, called Petit écolier.
How to make the perfect Beef Wellington. Beef filet mignon coated in mustard and wrapped in a mushroom duxelles, prosciutto and puff pastry. Served with a delicious Green Peppercorn Sauce. Beef Wellington If you are looking for a show-stopping recipe which will wow your family and friends at your next dinner party, look no further than this Beef Wellington with Green Peppercorn Sauce.
Easy gingerbread man cookies with step-by-step photos, including tips for making a gingerbread man garland. These gingerbread cookies are perfect to give as gifts or to decorate around your home! Gingerbread Man Cookies For me, no Christmas is complete without at least one batch of gingerbread man cookies. I say “one batch” but what I really mean is “one baking session” with maybe a triple batch! As a child growing up in Australia,
These fudgy and chewy Chocolate Crinkle Cookies are a delicious treat at Christmas! Christmas Cookies We bake a lot of cookies in the lead up to Christmas, and whilst we tend to recreate old favourites like Gingerbread Sablé or Swiss Walnut Christmas Cookies for the sake of tradition, I always try to sneak in a few new recipes to keep things fresh and exciting. My Reindeer Cookies have proven to be quite popular already,
A moist and mild Christmas Gingerbread Cake which is easy to make and looks fabulous! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Christmas Tree Bundt Pan I had been holding off on buying a Christmas tree bundt pan for many years, especially after first seeing it on one of Nigella Lawson’s Christmas shows. Why would you buy something which you could only use once a year? Well … why not?!
A quick and easy marinade for Roast Lamb Racks with Lemon and Garlic which takes just a few minutes, perfect for busy weeknights and entertaining. The lamb is first cooked on the stove and finished off in the oven for perfectly cooked and tender meat. Roast Rack of Lamb As an Australian, lamb features a lot on our menu at home and I particularly love cooking with lamb racks. You don’t have to
Make these delicious Aebleskivers (Ebelskivers) or Danish Pancakes which are lightly scented with cardamom. A classic Danish recipe with step-by-step photos. Aebleskivers On a recent trip to Copenhagen, I spent a quiet morning on my lonesome cycling around the city, visiting various kitchenware stores where I filled up my bike basket with fragile Scandinavian-designed teacups, Nordic bundt pans, and chunky crochet dish cloths.
These Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts and Pancetta take only 15 minutes to cook, making it the perfect side dish! Recipe with step-by-step photos. Brussels Sprouts For me, Brussels sprouts is an essential side dish at Christmas. It happens to be an ingredient which is abundantly in season from about autumn and well into the late winter, and I try to cook with it often during this time of the year, although it really
Delicious Sticky Pork Bao Buns with Quick Pickled Carrots and Quick Pickled Cucumbers. Perfect as a snack or a tasty meal. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Steamed Buns If you have been following me on my Instagram Stories, you may have noticed that I like to make homemade steamed buns for dinner … quite often!
A decadent and fun Easter Egg Nest Cake decorated with sugar-coated chocolate Easter eggs. Gluten-free recipe and nut-free recipe. Easter Cake This is a chocolate cake which I love to make when we have guests over, and this Easter cake is an extra chocolatey version which will make both adults and children swoon.
These No-Bake 5 Ingredient Granola Bars are soft and chewy, and just the thing to make for a snack on the go. Perfect for lunch boxes. Snack Ideas for Kids When it comes to snack time for the children, I frequently reach for easy options like cut up fruit, yoghurt, or maybe rice crackers spread with butter and Vegemite. If we have friends visiting during morning or afternoon tea, I love to make
A delicious chocolate pavlova with sweetened chestnut purée. This dessert is the combination of a Chocolate Pavlova and Mont Blanc dessert. Here is an easy chocolate pavlova recipe, plus a homemade chestnut purée recipe. Chestnut Desserts As soon as the weather in Switzerland starts to take a dip, the roasted chestnut carts magically appear and I know that my favourite dessert will soon be in all of the pâtisserie shops. Roasted chestnuts alone
An Easy Banana Cake recipe which uses yoghurt to make it light and moist, and topped with a generous layer of Cream Cheese Frosting. Perfect for using overripe or frozen bananas. Easy Banana Cake My husband and I tend to agree on most things, but something we cannot convince each other of is the perfect stage of ripeness for a banana. I like my bananas to be somewhat ripe – no hint of green
Nothing beats hot and fresh cinnamon donuts, and this is an easy donut recipe using yeast to produce light and fluffy donuts rolled in cinnamon sugar. Hot Cinnamon Donut Balls I love, love donuts. I particularly love them hot, fresh from the vat and sprinkled with lots of sugar and ground cinnamon. Give me a donut and a cup of coffee for breakfast and I’m a happy camper.
An easy chocolate brownie recipe using real chocolate and rich cocoa powder. Moist and fudgy with just the right gooey centre and a beautiful flakey crust. Recipe with step-by-step photos. Lindt Chocolates They say that anyone can buy a good house, but good neighbours are priceless. We happen to be blessed with the most wonderful neighbours in our whole building.
These Spinach and Feta Pies contain just a few ingredients but have maximum flavour. Make them as small or as big as you like, perfect for snacks or light meals. Spinach and Feta Pies When it comes to entertaining, it’s always good to have a few vegetarian options, and these Spinach and Feta Pies (also known as Spanakopita) are one of my stand-by options. As an Australian, I also have a fond affection for
This Sour Cream Chocolate Cake is the only chocolate cake recipe you will ever need for birthdays and celebrations. Recipe with step-by-step photos, plus tips for making chocolate cupcakes. Sour-Cream Chocolate Cake This is the chocolate cake recipe I turn to for every birthday party celebration in our family. And even if there is not a birthday event in sight, if I just simply have a craving for chocolate cake, this is quite
This Hot and Sour Soup is a Chinese restaurant classic which takes only 30 minutes! Chinese New Year As a child, my mother went to great lengths each year to prepare a Chinese New Year feast which could feed our entire neighbourhood. The menu always featured a sticky rice cake filled with mung beans and pork, a Chinese Turnip Cake, endless platters of spring rolls (egg rolls), roast pork with gorgeously seasoned crackling – all served with fresh
Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Sauce, served with a fresh gremolata. The lamb shanks are deliciously tender and the rich, full-flavoured sauce is perfect for serving with mashed potatoes, polenta or pasta. Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks It’s no secret that I love slow-cooking. With two young children to entertain, I find it easiest to do the sort of cooking that requires a leave-it-and-forget-it approach. But I hardly need the children as an
These Chinese Almond Cookies are a delicious way to celebrate Chinese New Year and to end any Asian meal. Chinese Almond Cookies I grew up in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia, and our ritual every Sunday morning was to visit my mother’s favourite Chinese restaurant for Dim Sum.
A delicious and simple recipe with step-by-step photos for Chinese Barbecue Pork (Char Siu Pork) which you can make at home with everyday pantry ingredients in just 10 minutes! Char Siu Pork One thing I miss about living in Australia is being able to visit the local Chinatown, whether it be for a traditional Dim Sum breakfast, a browse through the colourful aisles of the Vietnamese grocer, or a visit to the Chinese bakery for their
Nothing is more Australian than an Aussie Meat Pie, and these party pies are a must at any gathering. An easy meat pie recipe using minced beef. Aussie Meat Pies You can’t get more Aussie than the meat pie. Those who know me would probably be surprised that I would even venture near something that can only be applied to the face with your hands (no knife and fork, please), but the truth is, I
This is the Ultimate Chocolate Cake! Layers of rich chocolate cake flavoured with real chocolate, cocoa powder and coffee, covered in a Chocolate Ganache Frosting and decorated with chocolate chips. Epic Chocolate Cake In deciding how to celebrate Eat, Little Bird’s first blog anniversary, chocolate cake instantly came to my mind, but I knew that it had to be a special one. For quite some years now, my online foodie friends have been raving
Recipe for Chocolate Mousse with step-by-step photos. A classic recipe for a decadent Chocolate Mousse served with cocoa nibs or chocolate chips. A great dessert to make ahead when entertaining. Chocolate Mousse With summer in full swing in Europe at the moment, a chilled dessert is the ideal way to end a nice meal. That or a big bowl of ice-cream. And one can hardly go past the quintessential French classic, a mousse
These Chocolate Coconut Bars are a classic recipe from the Australian Women’s Weekly. No fancy ingredients (just good quality cocoa). Perfect for school bake sales or to bring to work for morning tea. Recipe with step-by-step photos. With Australia Day approaching, my thoughts have been turning to traditional Aussie cakes and pastries, and these Chocolate Coconut Bars are hard to go past. Perhaps these slices are not what one would think of eating on Australia
A delicious recipe for Lamingtons using real chocolate, perfect to serve on Australia Day or for a school bake sale. Lamingtons Lamingtons have an iconic status in Australia and, although they are traditionally made on Australia Day, they are also enjoyed throughout the year. Lamingtons are quite popular at bake sales, and anyone growing up in Australia will know of the lamington drives, a fundraising event (usually in schools) where lamingtons would be sold by
Jamie Oliver’s Get Ahead Gravy is the perfect accompaniment to any roast. Make it ahead of time for maximum flavour with minimum stress! Christmas Gravy When it comes to roast dinners, I think the gravy can make or break the meal. And as someone who needs lashings and lashings of hot gravy with her roast potatoes, I take no chances in this department and always try to make my gravy ahead of time.
How to make and serve raclette, a traditional Swiss dish, at home with a raclette grill. Tips on what kind of cheese to use, and what to serve with raclette. Raclette The word raclette is both the name of a type of Swiss cheese and the name of the dish itself. As soon as the nights start to become a bit chilly, the Swiss can be seen tucking into a bubbling pot of
A quick and delicious recipe for cranberry sauce using fresh or frozen cranberries. Recipe adapted from Nigella Lawson. Homemade Cranberry Sauce No Christmas feast is complete without some cranberry sauce, and considering how easy it is to make cranberry sauce from scratch, I would highly recommend doing so instead of reaching for the shop-bought kind.
Baked Camembert with Honey & Raspberries is a delicious addition to any cheese platter, and perfect as an appetiser for small parties. Easy to prepare with just a few ingredients, with tips on how to cook your camembert to perfectly. Thank you to Baer AG for sponsoring this post. Please note that the content and opinions are my own. Baked Camembert Switzerland is almost synonymous with cheese and, with the vast array of different cheeses produced in
A quick and easy no-bake Chocolate Chip Cheesecake using mascarpone. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare! No-Bake Cheesecake I have previously, in my post for Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake, lamented about my inability to make a baked cheesecake work and I am afraid the situation remains unchanged. But I make no apology for it – I’m still happy to stroll to the local Starbucks for my fix of their New York Cheesecake
These mini Strawberry Shortcake Cakes have a light, fluffy (dairy-free) sponge filled with a mascarpone cream filling and fresh strawberries. A great recipe to enjoy in summer with seasonal strawberries. The following post is sponsored by Lindt & Sprüngli AG, but the content and opinions are my own. As a mother to two young toddlers, my idea of the perfect Mother’s Day would start with a few extra hours in bed, preceded, of course,
Deliciously sweet, sticky and spicy cocktail sausages. Perfect for entertaining! As an expat living in Switzerland, it is hard to ignore comments about the cost of living here and how everything is extraordinarily expensive. Indeed, when you compare the cost of some products sold in neighbouring countries, the same product can sometimes be triple the cost in Switzerland.
An easy & delicious recipe for Chinese Tea Eggs, perfect for a simple dinner or as part of a Chinese New Year meal. Chinese Tea Eggs Following on from my previous post where I shared my recipe for Chinese Turnip Cake, it seemed only fitting to also include my recipe for Chinese Tea Eggs. If you are planning a Chinese New Year lunch or dinner, or any Chinese-inspired feast, these Chinese Tea Eggs
This light and fluffy Vanilla Sponge Cake with Mascarpone Frosting is elegant and simple, and the cake itself is dairy-free. Top with any seasonal fruits of your choice, such as strawberries, raspberries, or even a mix of fruits. Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas celebration and a wonderful start to 2017. What are your New Years’ resolutions?
A simple and delicious Celeriac and Chestnut Soup. Christmas is often a time for indulgence, whether it be treating yourself or loved ones to a special gift (or three), or enjoying the festivities with an abundance of good food and maybe too much champagne. After feasting on Duck Confit Parmentier and multiple serves of our favourite Chestnut Cream Pavlova for Christmas lunch, my husband asked for a simple vegetable soup for dinner later
A Chocolate Pavlova with Chestnut Purée, which is perfect at Christmas or any time of the year! An easy chocolate pavlova recipe which is a delicious twist on a Mont Blanc dessert. A great recipe using sweetened chestnut purée. Merry Christmas everyone!! I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas celebration with your friends, family and loved ones. Christmas in our home today started with a leisurely breakfast … until the children
A stunning and delicious Roquefort Cheese Ball to impress your guests! A lovely Aussie friend was recently telling me about her menu plans for Thanksgiving, and my interest was piqued when she mentioned that she would be making a cheese ball for the appetiser. Her cheese ball, if she was still in Australia, would have been comprised of cream cheese with cheddar and good ol’ Coon, sprinkled with curry powder and decorated with fried onions. I was
