For Mother's day I booked my mum and sister into a macaroon classes Friday before last they had a great time with Baldwin. My sister described my mum as acting like a naughty school girl touching things she shouldn't, eating the ingredients and not listening but somehow she still managed to create delicious macaroons or macaroonez as she kept calling them.

Thanks to Xing who was also in the class I've got some great photos.

We call these 'Macaroons/macaroonez with character!'

This Easter we are proud to present James Campbell who will be running an extra special chocolate masterclass for us here in the London Atelier. James has worked in some of London’s top restaurants and currently, is executive pastry chef for the renowned Admiral Crichton Event company.

During the four hour class James will show you how to make four mouth-watering recipes

• Personlised Easter Egg
• Selection of choclate truffles
• Chocolate figurine for Eastertime
• Chocolate and sea salt caramel pave with caramelised banana and a glass of champagne!

The class will take place this Saturday 4th April 2009 3:00pm-7:00pm £90

http://www.atelierdeschefs.co.uk/Default.aspx?sp=101&cr=1&id=16741

I do love chocolate and financier cakes are a perfect little extra when serving yourself or guests a nice cup of tea or coffee! These little melt in your mouth cakes are really quick and easy to make.

Mini chocolate financiers !

Ingredients for 6 people

• Eggwhite: 5
• Flour: 50g
• Icing sugar: 175g
• Grounded almonds: 85g
• Butter: 150g
• Dark chocolate: 100g

Recipe

1. Preheat the oven at 180 degrees celcius.
2. Mix the egg whites, the sugar, the flour, and the grounded almonds.
3. Heat up the butter until a brown color appears and melt chocolate.
4. Mix the butter and chocolate mixture with the batter.
5. Cook them in the oven for 15 -20 minutes.
6. Serve the financier on a plate once cooled down.

Chef's tip- Use a good quality 70% dark chocolate

Kids can cook...3 day Easter workshop! 6,7,8 April 2009 10:00am-1:00pm

If you are at a loose end with the kids at Easter why not bring them along for a cooking class! Great for children aged between- 7-14 who love to cook or would like to learn. During the three hour hands-on workshop children will make a variety of delicious dishes:

• Sundried tomato and ricotta bread
• Mixed leaf salad with vinaigrette
• Meringues with fruit coulis and whipped cream
• Fresh spinach and ricotta ravioli
• Fresh salmon and dill ravioli
• Tomato salad
• Hot chocolate souffle
• Breast of chicken stuffed with pancetta, garlic and lemon
• Oven saute potatoes
• Green beans
• Baked rhubard and orange cake

After the children have finished cooking they can sit back, relax and enjoy eating what they have made with each other! For more information email enquiries@atelierdeschefs.co.uk or call Rebecca on 0207 499 6580

Easter is coming up and I feel very excited about all the chocolate Eggs to eat!!

Easter-time favourites:

• Hot cross buns
• Simnel cake
• Easter cakes with mini eggs on top
• Roast Leg of lamb or roasted ham

Here is a nice recipe for a french style Easter lunch!

Rack of lamb with red wine sauce

Ingredients:

• Rack of lamb: 2
• Red wine: 300ml
• Breadcumbs: 150g
• New potatoes: 30
• Mustard: 50g
• Salt: 10g
• Coriander: 1/2 bunch

Method

1. Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees celcius.
2. Cut the new potatoes into halves and place into cold water with the salt. Bring to the boil then simmer for about 20 minutes
3. Portion each rack of lamb into 3 portions.
4. Remove the excess fat that is covering the bones and remove the fat that is between the bones.
5. Seal the lamb in a hot pan with a little oil and set aside. In the same frying pan add the wine and reduce over a high heat to make a red wine sauce.
6. Chop the coriander leaves.
7. Spread the mustard over the lamb meat and dip into the breadcrumbs and then dip into the coriander.
8. Cook in the oven for about 20-25 minutes so that the lamb is cooked medium rare.

Ok so Mother's day is this Sunday! I still need to get my mum some flowers and a card, I have booked her in for a macaroons class today and I am taking her ice-skating on sunday as she requested!

It can be really difficult to find the perfect present for Mother's day so here are a couple of suggestions from L'atelier des chefs:

• 2 for 1 offer on our Mothers Day bunch cooking class! Saturday 21st April 9:30am - 11:30am 5 recipes in two hours.
• Gourmet Gift Voucher
• Kitchenware and gadgets from our boutique
• Cook your mum a Special Mothers Day dinner - Her favourite dish! to make her feel really special!

Don't be surprised if you see a lot of people dressed in green today, I myself have even made an effort with a green cardigan to celebrate St Patrick's Day! St. Patricks is the patron saint of Ireland, he was a Christian missionary who is thought to be behind bringing Christianity to Ireland.

There are two things that I associate with Ireland Guinness and potatoes. This morning in the metro I saw an interesting drink to make its called a Black Velvet you half fill a champagne glass with Guinness and fill the rest of the glass with champagne, and there is a technique to it you pour the champagne over the back of the spoon so the liquids don't mix (I love little tips like that). You can use Perry or cider instead of champagne which I think I might have to do because the bubbles go straight to my head!

Here is a tasty recipe for Potato and spinach bake

Ingredients

• potatoes: 900g
• Parmesan: 175g
• onion: x1
• Basil: 1/4 bundle
• Carrots: 200g
• Oregano: 1/4 bundle
• Celery: 3 sticks
• Red wine vinegar: 10 ml
• Fresh spinach: 150g
• Tomato puree: 2 tablespoons
• Tomatoes: 400g

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 180°C.
2. Scrub the potatoes, put them into a large pan of boiling water and cook until they are just done. Do not overcook. Drain and keep to one side.
3. Peel the onions and garlic and chop coarsely. Put a heavy bottomed pan on a medium heat; add a table spoon of olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until golden.
4. Wash the carrot, peel if not organic and grate. Wash the celery and chop. Add to the onion and garlic mixture with the herbs and leave to cook for a few minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, wine vinegar and grape juice. Bring back to the boil and allow cooking until the celery is soft.
6. Whilst the sauce is cooking, pull the stalks off the spinach and wash thoroughly. Drain and shred.
7. Once the sauce is cooked remove from the heat, season to taste and blend into a smooth mixture.
8. Mix the potato and the spinach in an oven dish. Pour the sauce on top, add the grated cheese and cook in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.
9. Serve as soon as possible.

However you celebrate St. Patrick's Day I hope you have a good one!!

When I was younger I always made my mum breakfast in bed on Mother's day. It would usually be a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice, some grapes and 'pan au chocolat' which I thought was my creation as I bought plain croissants and added my secret ingredient chocolate spread!

Here is a nice recipe for home-made Croissants!

Ingredients

• Flour: 250 g
• Fresh yeast: 8 g
• Salt: 6 g
• Whole milk: 120 g
• Sugar: 30 + 100 g
• Water: 50 g
• Butter: 50 + 63 g
• Egg: 1

Method

• Meet in a electric mixer: flour, salt, 30g of sugar and yeast. Warm the milk, then pour it slowly into the mixer. Mix until a smooth paste. Add 50g of butter and knead until the dough no longer sticks.
• Leave overnight.
• Roll out the dough into a square shape add some of the butter (from the 63g you prepared earlier) in the centre. Fold each corner of the square towards the centre and then spread with the roller length ways. Once flatten add some butter to the centre again and fold the top of the dough towards the center, then fold the bottom of the dough on top.
• Again let stand 30 min.
• Repeat this operation 3 times, allowing 30 min rest between each round.
• Spread the dough to about 4 mm thick and then cut triangles to make croissants (or rectangles for chocolate). Roll the triangles to form the croissants, then arrange on a sheet of silicone or parchment paper and let the dough rise near a heat source.
• Preheat oven to 220 ° C.
• Make a syrup by mixing 10g of sugar and water the boil mixture. Reserve.
• Brush the croissant with a beaten Egg, and bake at 220 ° C for about 15 minutes depending on size.
• Spread the syrup mixture on top of the croissant as soon as they come out of the oven

And there you have lovely croissants ready for the secret ingredient!!

We have two special Mother's Day classes this month.

Saturday 14th March 4-5:30pm Kids can cook... for Mother's Day!

• Mini dill scones
• Toasted brioche with mango and passion fruit
• Rhubarb & blood orange compote

Saturday 21st March 9:30-11:30am All about Mother's Day brunch!

• Fresh fruit smoothie
• "Nicoise" salad with fresh tuna and marinated anchovies.
• Poached eggs on wilted spinach with garlic sourdough toast and crispy bacon
• Hand-made almond croissants
• Grapefruit crumble with raspberry sorbet

As macaroons are very popular here is a special treat for all the macaroon lovers out there! I wonder if there is a I love macaroons group on facebook I am going to have a look...

Ingredients for 6 people

• Icing sugar - 50g
• Egg - 2
• Almond powder -250g
• Ginger - 15g
• Egg whites - 215g
• Butter - 160 g
• Sugar - 280 g
• Gelatin (1.5 sheet) - 3 g
• Green lemon - 3 pieces

Recipe Preheat the oven at 160 degrees C.

In a mixer, ground finely the icing sugar with the almond powder, sieve.

Whisk up the egg whites with a pinch of salt, add 150 g of caster sugar and beat until you have a stiff and glossy meringue mixture. Stir the meringue powder. Mix thoroughly the dry ingredients with the meringue mixture. Use a plastic spatula to cut and fold the mixture until it reaches the ribbon stage and it is smooth and shiny.

Use a piping bag to pipe macaroons onto a baking mat. Let the macaroons crust 15 minutes at room temperature then cook about 10 minutes in an oven at 160 degrees C.

Prepare the lime cream: make zests with the lime skin. Squeeze 2 lemons. Peel and grate the ginger. Heat the lemon juice, the zests, the ginger with 60 g of sugar.

Put the gelatine in a cold water to soften it.

Whisk the eggs with 70g of sugar. Pour the lime preparation on the whipped eggs and then boil this mixture to thicken it. Add the gelatine. Let cool down in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Take 2 macaroons and paste them with the lime and ginger cream.

We have 2 'all about macaroon' classes coming up on the 14th and 20th March 2009

The wonderful photo is thanks to fellow blogger Sun-lin!

(http://tamarindandthyme.wordpress.com/)

This Sunday 1st March is St. David's day the patron saint of Wales.

Every year parades are held in Wales to commemorate St. David.

In celebration I have found a lovley recipe for traditional Welsh cakes!

To cook these you really need the traditional heavy, flat, iron pan (sometimes called a griddle or girdle). However, a good solid heavy frying pan, with a flat base, will do.

Ingredients

• 225g/8oz self-raising flour, sieved
• 110g/4oz (preferably Welsh) salted butter
• 1 egg
• handful of sultanas
• milk, if needed
• 85g/3oz caster sugar
• extra butter, for greasing

Method

1. Rub the fat into the sieved flour to make breadcrumbs. Add the sugar, dried fruit and then the egg. Mix to combine, then form a ball of dough, using a splash of milk if needed.
2. Roll out the pastry until it is a 5mm/¼in thick and cut into rounds with a 7.5-10cm/3-4in fluted cutter.
3. You now need a bakestone or a heavy iron griddle. Rub it with butter and wipe the excess away. Put it on to a direct heat and wait until it heats up, place the Welsh cakes on the griddle, turning once. They need about 2-3 minutes each side. Each side needs to be caramel brown before turning although some people I know like them almost burnt.
4. Remove from the pan and dust with caster sugar while still warm. Some people leave out the dried fruit, and split them when cool and sandwich them together with jam.