Happy St Patrick's Day

This is my 100th post on my blog!!!! The time has gone quickly!

I had quite a busy weekend in the kitchen, but rather than post about everything I made now, I think I will save some for material in the future!! Today of course, is St Patrick’s day. We are having a client function at work tonight, so I made some basic vanilla biscuits, cut them into shamrock shapes and then decorated with fondant that I tinted green. This is my new favourite way of decorating cookies – roll out fondant in the same shape. It gives a much better finish!



On Friday night I got an abundance of fresh figs. I absolutely made a pig of myself on them actually!!!! But I also thought that I would preserve some. I followed the recipe for figs in rum syrup from Nigella Lawson’s How to be a Domestic Goddess. But I didn’t have any rum, so I used vodka – I also added a vanilla bean. But they didn’t turn out as I hoped. I have decided that I really only like figs fresh. Cooked, they taste a bit too much like dried ones. I almost threw them out, but I have decided to try and make them into chutney. Will let you know how I go!



I did preserve some beautiful quince though. I love quince – especially how they go from this hard, inedible fruit, to the most beautiful dark crimson coloured fruit. I bought these quince a couple of weeks ago at the Hastings farmers market, but my business partner bought me in a bucket full this morning! My preserved quince will go well with ice cream or in tarts. I love the syrup as well, stirred through natural yoghurt! I think I might use the ones I got given this morning to make quince paste in the weekend – something I haven’t tried!