I love cookbooks, that’s a fact.
I love to read them again and again and sometimes -when i’m feeling like- cook from them. Indeed i don’t cook that often from cookbooks as i tend to go off-shore and add a pinch of this, a dash of that…
But one of the cookbooks i cook most from is How to be a Domestic Goddess writen by Nigella Lawson. This book is a compilation of delicious sweet treats and yummy salty things.
I might have made something like 5 recipes from this book and maybe even more.

But this much cherished book of mine was sadly forgotten of the shelf. I got it from my fiance last Christmas. One of my first english cookbooks. And the beginning of an addiction - i can’t buy french cookbooks anymore, except Pierre Herme’s. A month ago or so, i opened it again and decided it was one of my favourite baking cookbook. The recipes work perfectly, the pictures are great and i like the fact that Nigella clearly gives the source of the recipe. OK you might think she did no job on the book, but god this is Nigella. And the pictures are mouth watering…

I made a list of all the recipes i wanted to give a try. I warn you, it is long.

CAKES
- Flora’s famous courgette cake p.18 (i must check on Clotilde’s blog, she might have tried it before)
- butterscotch layer cake p.20
- Boston cream pie p.21
- cherry almond loaf p.28
- banana bread p.33
- fairy cakes p.39

BISCUITS
- coconut macaroons p.50
- pistachio macaroons p.53
- sweet and salty peanut biscuits p.55
- ricciarelli p.56
- hot discs p.64

PIES
- supper onion pie p.85
- courgette and chickpea filo pie p.93
- cornish pasties p.97
- black and white tart p.112
- blackberry galette p.115

PUDDINGS
- apple syrup upside down pie p.135
- Calvados syllabub p.139
- Om Ali p.140
- profiteroles, my way p.142
- pistachio souflés p.145
- cheese blintzes p.154
- New York cheese cake p.157
- Joe Dolce’s Italian cheesecake p.161

CHOCOLATE
- torta alla ganduia p.172
- chocolate cheesecake p.175
- Chocolate coffee volcano p.181
- goey chocolate stack p.185
- chocolate raspberry tart p.187
- pain au chocolat pudding p.190
- white chocolate and macadamia brownies p.194
- cappucino cupcakes p.199
- banana cherry and white chocolate cupcakes p.200
- florentines p.203

CHILDREN
- Snickers and peanut butter muffins p.218
- peanut butter squares p.223
- dreams bars p.227
- cinder toffee p.229
- Roxanne’s millionaire’s shortbread p.240

CHRISTMAS
- Certosino p.255
- baklava p.273
- cranberry upside down cake p.284
- Christmas creme brulée p.287

BREAD AND YEAST
- potato bread p.298
- garlic and parsley hearthbreads p.306
- apple kutchen p.319
- almond danish p.328

THE DOMESTIC GODDESS’S LARDER
- passionfruit curd p.344
- spiced apple chutney p.357
- Edith Alif’s lime pickles p.361

I hope i will be able to make all these soon.

Coconut macaroons
makes 8

These are what we call in French: rocher à la noix de coco ou congolais [coconut rock or Congolian]. But they seems to be know as macarrons over the Channel.
They are very easy to make and delicious, though a little dry but that may be because i hadn’t any cream of tartar.

2 large eggs whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
100g caster sugar
30g ground almonds
1 tsp vanilla extract
250 shreded coconut (i only used 125g)

Preheat the oven to 170°C.
Beat the egg whites until frothy - no more - then add the cream of tartar and carry on beating, Missuss, until soft peaks are formed. Add the sugar a tsp at a time and whisk until the peaks can hold their shapre and are shiny. Fold in the almonds, salt, vanilla and coconut. The mixture will be sticky but should, all the same, hold its shape when clumped together.
Form inyo clementin-sized domes (i made ‘quenelles’).
Cook for 20 minutes or until they’re just beginning to turn golden in parts.

Yum!
This recipe was featured in 101cookbooks daily links of the 13th of January!

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