TREACLE TART This recipe comes from Grandma’s grandmother and brightened what always seemed to Grandma long, chilly visits when the grownups spent too much time talking among themselves. The great treat was treacle tart filled with lemon-flavored golden syrup and topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a rarity in those far off days
BANANA AND ORANGE CAKE Ripe, slightly squishy bananas are best for this splendid golden cake which needs no decoration. We were introduced to it by our friend Aurora from Bolivia. Makes a 10-inch/25-cm cake to serve 8 ½ cup/125 g melted butter, more for the pan 3 cups/375 g flour, more for the pan 1
CHOCOLATE WALNUT FUDGE Grandma finds fudge too sweet, but Lucy and the other grandchildren love every sticky bite. Just making this recipe is as much fun as eating it, with a sugar thermometer involved and Grandma on watch to supervise the proceedings. Makes 2 lb/1 kg fudge 3 cups/600 g sugar 1 cup/250 ml milk
CHOCOLATE SNOWBALL Snow never falls in Simon’s southern comer of France, so in winter we substitute this tall chocolate mold which with a stretch of the imagination looks like a snowball as it is completely coated with whipped cream. Serves 8-10 ½ lb/250 g dark chocolate, chopped ¾ cup/175 ml strong black coffee 1 cup/250
VOLCANIC BAKED APPLES WITH CHOCOLATE For baking you’ll need a tart variety of apple that will be fluffy and juicy when baked; traditional favorites are Rome Beauty or McIntosh, though you can always fall back on the ubiquitous Granny Smith. All of them are liable to burst open, hence their ‘volcanic’ title! Serves 4 4
CORNMEAL AND CHARDONNAY CAKE Yellow cornmeal, also called polenta, is what’s needed here. Grandma likes the crunch of coarsely ground cornmeal, but a finer grind does well too. As for the Chardonnay wine when kids are around, apple juice does just as well in the batter but the baking powder should be halved to 2
CARROT CAKE This carrot cake is a request by Lucy as she loves to draw rabbits. To the basic cake, Grandma has added a generous coating of cream cheese frosting. Serves 8-10 2 cups/200 g walnuts 3 medium carrots (about ¾ lb/375 g) 1 cup/250 g butter, more for the pan 2 ½ cups/300 g
CHOCOLATE SALAMI Dark chocolate and hazelnuts are the basis of this recipe, a natural pair known in Italian by the single name ‘gianduia.’ Grandma and Grandpa came across this “salami” in a rural trattoria when the chef cut a few slices from a roll resembling the familiar salami sausage and urged us to try it
TRIFLE Grandma inherited her mother’s glass trifle bowl, the traditional wedding gift for a bride nearly a century ago in the 1930s. The cut glass sides still glitter like a giant Christmas decoration when filled with the classic layers of poached fruit, sponge cake, raspberry jam and custard topped with whipped cream, a very special
LEMON SHERBET Grandma is partial to recipes that need few ingredients, like this simple sherbet. (This is the American spelling, Brits usually use sherbert, and in France it is called sorbet – Grandma has lived in all three countries, so take your pick!) Many electric stand mixers have an attachment for making ice creams and