These mint olive oil macarons came about because I was reading through William Curley’s book Couture Chocolate and I found a recipe for Rosemary, olive oil ganache. I thought this looked like an interesting recipe and I’d wanted to make … Continued
Happy New Year! Are we too far into January for me to write that? Oh well, it’s done now. My aim this year is to spend a bit more time on Patisserie Makes Perfect and to try to post more … Continued
There are so many recipes out there for torta della nonna. Some of them include ricotta, some have a pastry lid, some are baked with a layer of flaked almonds and are more like a custard tart. I cannot profess … Continued
The opera is one of my favourite patisserie, I’ve made it a lot of times on the blog and when this season’s blackberries were early I knew I wanted to use them in a layered gateau like this. In my … Continued
Just as I get back in the swing of things with the blog and make an effort to get creative in the kitchen, we have the craziest heatwave ever in the UK and I cannot face the thought of turning … Continued
What can I write about choux pastry that I haven’t already written before? Well not a lot really, by now you probably all know that my absolute favourite, go to choux pastry recipe is Edd Kimber‘s recipe from . It … Continued
It’s been so long since I’ve written a blog post, I have to admit the prospect of sitting down and writing some words has become quite daunting. In the last few months, I’ve barely done any baking, this recipe was … Continued
It’s been a while since I made an entremet, but I was lucky enough to be sent some fantastic things by Special Ingredients and Tariette which got me thinking about what I could make. Combining the lovely ingredients they sent … Continued
Happy New Year! I’m sure by now a lot of you are either sick of Christmas food, or you’re embarking upon a new healthy eating plan alongside a fitness regime. However if you’re one of the few people that is … Continued
A little while ago I was sent some delicious Valrhona Dulcey chocolate by Classic Fine Foods. It is a delicious chocolate, like no other I’ve tried, it tastes like a caramelised white chocolate, it’s buttery and biscuit-like and I really … Continued
I have had three hand blenders since I started this blog, each time I’ve burnt out the motor making things like hazelnut praline paste, pistachio paste and blitzing up some dates that had one in the pack that wasn’t pitted. … Continued
Quinces are one of the oldest fruits dating back to 1275 in the UK when Edward I planted them (well I reckon he ordered someone to plant them for him) in the Tower of London. Despite the history of quinces … Continued
It hasn’t felt like the weather for iced tea recently, but I made this dessert a while ago, so you’ll have to forgive me for the summery theme, despite the fact we’re now in Autumn. Once you’ve tasted it alongside … Continued
I have baked a lot with beer on this blog, but these are probably my favourite bakes with my absolute favourite brewery Magic Rock. I love Magic Rock Brewing Co. their branding is fantastic, their beer tastes amazing and their … Continued
I made these strawberry & elderflower tarts a few weeks ago when there were elderflowers everywhere. I picked a large bag and made a couple of bottles of elderflower cordial. I’ve always wanted to try making elderberry wine, but I’ve … Continued
I love baking macarons, they can be a labour of love and are known for their unpredictability. I have always admired people that make them for a living, offering them as wedding favours, it’s too much pressure for me, too … Continued
This is possibly one of the tastiest desserts I’ve ever made and so many of the ingredients were home-grown or homemade. I was given a couple of punnets of strawberries from some friends and I had some jam sugar, so … Continued
Can you believe this Lime Eton Mess is made from leftovers? When I made my Gin & Tonic Layer Cake the curd recipe made more than I needed. I also made meringues to decorate the top of the cake, of which, I … Continued
I tried so many times to make these mocha eclairs. I even ended up changing the flavour part way through making them. They were originally going to be filled with a chocolate cremeux, however when the first two batches of … Continued
This lemon bakewell tart feels a bit revolutionary to be honest with you. I did quite a bit of research into bakewell tarts and nearly every recipe blind bakes the pastry. Now if I am going to completely bake a pastry … Continued
I’ve been blogging for 3 years now and over this time, I’ve made lots of connections and found some like-minded friends. It’s a great feeling because blogging can sometimes feel a bit daunting, especially when you’re invited to a brand … Continued
This mango & cardamom macaron cake is the first macaron recipe on the blog since January 2016. I’m shocked by this as they are one of my favourite treats. The reason this came as a shock to me is because I … Continued
A croquembouche is a great celebration cake and I have something wonderful to celebrate. I have been writing Patisserie Makes Perfect for three years. I can’t believe I have been blogging for three years! It has gone so quickly, so … Continued
Chestnuts are so festive, I don’t know if it’s because they are at their best this time of year, or if it’s due to the fact they need a bit of work to really make them shine. Whatever it is, … Continued
It’s getting very festive around here, there was last week’s mincemeat Danish pinwheels and now I’ve made chocolate and amaretto mont blanc. I’ve never tried a mont blanc, but I thought they looked really cute and I like the fact they … Continued
This quince frangipane tart has appeared quite a lot on my social media over the last few days. Mainly because I had to make it twice, because I dropped the first one all over the oven door. I made quite … Continued
When I watched last week’s The Great British Bake Off it was patisserie week, so already I was a bit more interested than usual. After watching the whole show I realised I hadn’t attempted any of the recipes they featured. There’s … Continued
I’d never heard of a Saint Marc until I watched GBBO Creme de la Creme. It’s a very well known patisserie though and it just goes to show that there is still a lot for me to learn about the world … Continued
I love cheesecake, especially baked cheesecake. I also love Eton mess, so I made the brave decision to combine the two. Actually there’s nothing brave about it, these two classics were obviously going to work together and I’m not the … Continued
Kouign-Amann (pronounced queen amann), is a sugary, buttery pastry from Finistère, Brittany in France. The kouign-amann dates back to 1860 and the literal translation of the Breton words are kouign=cake amann=butter. The recipe resembles a croissant dough, but with less … Continued
I love eclairs, well I love choux pastry, I don’t really mind if it’s a raspberry eclair, a bun, a religiuese or a paris-brest. As long as it’s iced and filled with something tasty, I’m pretty happy. I knew that I … Continued
Back in March, I realised one of the dreams I’ve had since I started this blog. I got to visit Le Cordon Bleu London and attend an evening of cookery hosted there in collaboration with Lavazza and Great Italian Chefs. … Continued
It’s nearly Mother’s Day and my Mum is a huge fan of the baking I do for this blog. She’s lucky enough to get desserts and cake all year round, I nearly always have something with me for her and my … Continued
When I think of France, there are a few things that immediately come to mind, great cheese and wine, the Tour de France and of course patisserie. Over the time I’ve been writing this blog I’m always amazed at how many French … Continued
I’ve made strawberry choux pastries before on the blog and strangely enough I made them on 13th February last year. So there must be something about my mood in February that screams strawberries and choux! The thing I like about … Continued
I’ve always wanted to make a St Honore, but I always found them a bit daunting. I mean look at it! Two kinds of pastry and hot caramel – which I did burn my fingers on twice! That’s a lot … Continued
Today is apparently Blue Monday, so we have some blueberry macarons. If you’re anything like me, you’ll instantly think of the New Order song Blue Monday. You would, however be very wrong because Blue Monday is actually a mathematical calculation used … Continued
Happy New Year! Is it too late to write that now? I suppose it is the 13th January, but it’s my first post of 2016 so it feels apt. Instead of writing about resolutions and cutting back, turning over new … Continued
This recipe was meant to be posted ahead of New Year’s Eve, so that you had time to make these mini Baileys cheesecakes for an NYE dinner party or buffet menu. However the Christmas holidays have kept me so busy … Continued
This honey mead chocolate tart is so delicious and that’s hardly surprising given the amazing ingredients it’s made from. Caprera is an online purveyor of some of the best artisanal produce around, simply place an order for products from multiple small-batch … Continued
I have a funny relationship with tea, I rarely drink the stuff in an average day, but when it comes to Afternoon Tea I can easily guzzle multiple teapots of the stuff. Delicious loose leaf tea, steeped in hot water … Continued
I have to admit the reason I made these mini chocolate tarts was to use up the cobnuts I bought from a local market. I got so excited that I had found some cobnuts and would finally get to try them, that … Continued
The Godiva Chocolate Challenge is a competition held by Godiva to find the nation’s best chocolate dessert. This year Godiva are also raising money for Breast Cancer Now, 10% of every sale from their Mousse Meringue range will go to the charity. … Continued
The White Russian is a classic cocktail, often considered a softer option than some of the other cocktails out there. This is probably because of the inclusion of cream and Baileys with a Hint of Coffee, don’t be fooled though, … Continued
I love salted caramel, I think it might actually be my favourite food. I’ve used it a LOT on Patisserie Makes Perfect, this is actually the third time I have featured a salted caramel macaron recipe here. I’ve made it into … Continued
I wasn’t really sure how to decorate this Tiramisu Macaron Cake. Normally I sketch an idea for how I want the finished patisserie to look, or I have seen something that inspired me on Pinterest and I want to … Continued
When Seasonal Berries got in touch and asked me to create a summery dish using British berries for their #BerriesSaySummer campaign I knew immediately what dessert I was going to create. These Summer Fruit Tarts can be made with almost any berry, but … Continued
No-churn ice cream is pretty much everywhere at the moment. I admit, until I made my own, I was sceptical. I don’t have the space in my kitchen or the money for an ice-cream maker, so the idea of an … Continued
I had these strawberry & hendrick’s domes in mind for a long time and they sat in the freezer, partly completed for even longer. I made a similar looking dessert when I attended the Miele Patisserie course last year. I … Continued
No, I haven’t gone mad. These are Marmite macarons and they taste really, really good. A while ago I had my first ever Marmite truffle from Paul A Young, it tasted amazing. Now every time I go to London, I … Continued
Have you ever baked something you don’t really like, just because you had an idea in your head of what it would look like and you wanted to try it? Maybe not, maybe it’s just me. I mean I don’t … Continued
Last week I posted a question on my Facebook Page asking other bakers whether they thought French butter was better for baking with than our British butter. The result was a resounding yes, apparently the amount of water contained in French … Continued
I’d heard of possets and seen them on restaurant menus, but I never really knew what they were. The name doesn’t really give any clues either. I came across a recipe for a clementine posset on a fabulous blog I follow … Continued
It’s nearly Easter, which means a long weekend off work, lots of chocolate, hot cross buns, bunny rabbits and Easter chicks. I decided to celebrate Easter by making these meringue nests (the nest is the loose Easter connection) and hosting … Continued
I had my first proper cup of Masala Chai just over a week ago and I actually really enjoyed it. I remember having a Chai Latte once in a well-known coffee shop and I thought it was a disgustingly sweet mug … Continued
I’ve made Operas before on this blog and whilst I love how they look, I’m not a very big fan of coffee and chocolate, so I thought I would make an alternative flavoured Opera. I really enjoy good beer and I … Continued
On this blog, I always promise that if I make a recipe that turns out to be a failure, I will include the results here. My first batch of macarons à l’Ancienne were a flat pancake of a disaster, but … Continued
One of the many things I want to do this year is bake a bit more with fruit and ingredients that I haven’t used much before, if at all. I find I use chocolate a lot in recipes as it … Continued
I had in my mind an amazing patisserie bake for Valentine’s Day, I bought all of the ingredients and prepared my templates, I’d even watched some YouTube videos in preparation for the chocolate work I was going to do. Sadly … Continued
It’s been a year already! Happy 1st Birthday Patisserie Makes Perfect! Well that went fast, my plan was to write this blog for a year and then move on to something else. Only I didn’t expect to enjoy myself … Continued
I’ve made Paris-Best on the blog before and it was reasonably successful, but I’d always wanted to try it again. Liverpool Victoria Insurance gave me the perfect excuse to repeat this recipe when they provided me with a cycle safety kit to … Continued
Happy New Year All! No January detox here, I’ve started off with the rich butter laden pastry that we know as puff pastry. I wont be producing low fat versions of my recipes because I think patisserie is something that … Continued
I’ve had my eye on this Chocolate & Chestnut Bûche de Noël for quite some time, but I had real trouble trying to get hold of some of the ingredients as well as the specialist tins to make it. By … Continued
This recipe has been sat in my browser favourites / bookmarks for quite some time, ever since I first saw the recipe on Sous Chef. The Louis XV dessert is so called because it is served at Le Louis XV … Continued
When I first got my hands on a copy of Patisserie Maison by Richard Bertinet, I promised myself I was going to make the blackcurrant mousse on the front cover. Little did I know that getting hold of some fresh … Continued
Since beginning this blog, I have discovered a plethora of suppliers and resources that exist online, for a list of sites I recommend, have a look at my links page. One of the sites that stands out is Sous Chef, this is my go to site … Continued
I have another new book! My collection of patisserie books is rapidly expanding and the list of things I want to bake is increasing faster than I can make them. This new book is Patisserie Maison by Richard Bertinet, a … Continued
These macarons turned into a bit of a nightmare, proof that even 10 months into this blog, things can still go wrong. I was only introduced to Ispahan recently when I read about it online. The name refers to a … Continued
After last week’s course at Miele, I was feeling very inspired and racing to get back in the kitchen this week. I decided to tackle something that I had wanted to make for quite some time and to make a … Continued
I was set a challenge this week to bake a mini cake or cupcake that described me. I chose to bake a mini pie/tart, so I suppose that means I must be someone who has little regard for rules. Especially … Continued
I have been a member of a site called BzzAgent for quite some time, I’ve tested Fajita dinner kits, toothpaste and the least exciting of the bunch, laundry products. Every now and again something truly great pops up for me to … Continued
Recipe: Religieuse (Religious Dreams/Nuns) Level: Intermediate Techniques: Italian Meringue, Choux Pastry, Streusel Pastry, Creme Patissiere Last week I received a copy of a book that I have been waiting a long time for. Philippe Conticini is a world famous pastry chef and his … Continued
Recipe: Macarons au Caramel Beurre Salé (Macarons with Salted Caramel) Level: Intermediate Techniques: Italian Meringue, Caramel Macarons, or mini hamburgers, as one of my taste testers dubbed them, have become a colourful icon of the patisserie world. They were around before the hype of … Continued
