RASPBERRY ALMOND TORTE

Grandma came across this ultra-simple raspberry almond torte, during a visit to South Africa and has loved it ever since. This recipe is loved by all, especially Leo who adores raspberries! If you don’t have raspberries try sweet or tart fresh cherries instead, but they will need to be pitted.

1. Butter the cake pan, line the base with wax or parchment paper, and then butter and flour it. Wash the raspberries, dry them on paper towels. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Heat the oven to 350˚F/175˚C and set a shelf in the center.

2. Cream the butter until smooth in an electric mixer. Add the sugar and continue to beat until soft and light, 2-3 minutes. Beat in the egg until well mixed, about 1 minute. Using a large metal spoon, stir in the ground almonds, followed by the flour mixture. (Expect the batter to be quite stiff.)

3. Spread half the batter in the cake pan. Sprinkle the fruit on top and dot with the remaining batter so the fruit is almost covered. Bake until the torte starts to shrink from the sides of the pan and the top is firm when lightly pressed with a fingertip, 45-55 minutes. The top will be rustic looking, like a crumble.

4. Let the torte cool for 10-15 minutes, in the pan, then loosen the sides and slide the torte onto a rack to cool completely. Sprinkle it with confectioners’ sugar and serve it warm or at room temperature.             

OATMEAL CRUNCH COOKIES

Grandma’s mother, who hated to cook, nonetheless kept a notebook of handwritten recipes, many of them handed down from her own mother. This recipe is cryptically called “crunch” and during baking the mixture runs all over the baking sheet, browning to a giant golden wafer rather like peanut brittle. We were all set to throw it out as a failure when Leo started to nibble on the results. Scrumptious! You can eat it like a candy or transform it to delicious cookies by adding a cup of flour as suggested here.

Makes about 15 2-inch/5-cm cookies

1 cup/80 g rolled oatmeal

1 cup/125 g flour

½ cup/35 g shredded coconut

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 heaping tablespoon/80 g golden syrup

2 tablespoons water

¼ cup/60 g butter

¼ cup/60 g sugar

13×18-inch/32×45-cm sheet pan or bar cookie pan

1. Heat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F and set a shelf in the centre of the oven; butter the sheet pan, line it with parchment paper and butter the paper. Stir together the oatmeal, flour, coconut and baking soda in a medium bowl. Heat the golden syrup, butter and sugar over low heat in a small pan, stirring until melted and smooth. Stir the golden syrup into the oatmeal mixture to make a rough dough that pulls from the sides of the bowl. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the dough onto the sheet pan, setting them well apart. With a fork dipped in water, flatten the mounds to make 2-inch/5 cm rounds.        

2. Bake the cookies in the oven until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet 2-3 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a rack to cool completely. They can be stored, layered in paper, in an airtight container for several days.

Dear Friends,

Announcing the happy news that I’m starting a series of posts entitled The Cooking with Grandma Chronicles, available exclusively on www.lavarenne.com. A couple of times each month, I’ll share a story and/or a recipe, even a drawing or poem. These posts celebrate my time in the kitchen with my five grandchildren, whom I’m proud to say all enjoy cooking and eating as much as I do. It has been a pleasure to have Sophia, Leo, Lucy, Xenia and Nina join me at the stove learning the recipes I treasure. These dishes go back to my Yorkshire childhood and extend to family favorites gathered from life in France, the USA, England and travels around the world. Cheese balls with just three ingredients – a touch of mustard is our runaway favorite.

As a cooking teacher and cookbook writer, I have so enjoyed being in the kitchen with my grandchildren that I thought I would share that joy with all of you. I hope that you will share these stories and recipes with your own grandchildren, grandparents and others you cherish. I look forward to hearing what you’ve chosen to cook. Do send me your comments.

Watch this space for new Cooking with Grandma Chronicles and make sure you follow me on @AnneWillan on Twitter and @annewillanlv on Instagram for updates. You can also sign-up to the La Varenne e-mail list if you would like these new posts in your Inbox.

Bon Appétit, Anne

Summer Week 1

Here is a poem written by my Grandson Leo

COOKING WITH GRANDMA, by Leo Schulkin aged 12

I love cooking with Grandma …

Because she teaches me things I never knew before

I love cooking with Grandma …

Because she helps me if I get stuck in a muddle

I love cooking with Grandma …

Because her instructions are so clear so I can follow along

I love cooking with Grandma …

Because we can test recipes that I never knew before

You are always in my heart

I love you Grandma no matter what happens