Nougatine

Dublin fruit scones

Scones originated in Britain and Ireland. The Irish version is often made plain and traditionally served with tea. Scones are more of a bread than a cake, eaten split in half and spread with butter or jam, for example. There are also sweeter versions and scones with dried fruit, like the ones I have made here.

French baguettes

This classic of French baking is rather different from the recipe for leavened bread, it's a question of making a good crust and light crumb along the whole length. To succeed, you should know that there are two secrets: water first of all (much more than for normal bread), and the working of the dough, which is also very different.

Household cake (Gâteau de ménage)

A traditional recipe from Franche-comté, it's a flat round kind of brioche, covered with an egg cream called "Goumeau".

Macarons (the original French macaroons)

This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe, particularly the tricky parts. This variety of flavours means that I test many alternatives, so don't be surprised if in the pictures the colour of the macarons changes, I used the best photograph available...

Bouquet garni

Used very frequently in French cuisine, a secret of French chefs, it adds flavour to a lot of recipes, and it's easy to prepare. The basic principle is to make a small bundle of herbs, bind them in green leek leaves and to tie it up, so that the whole thing can be removed and discarded easily after cooking.