English garden-inspired

It must be something in the air, or the Spring weather, perhaps the 4 day-holiday, or maybe it was the trip to the beautiful Cotswolds that inspired me to make this English Garden post.

I had a vision of how I wanted this week’s cook fest to look like. There would be a touch of Easter/Spring, colours would be used extensively, and it would require a lot of pretty little things in an outdoor setting.  All of these were very achievable if only the weather would cooperate. The only tricky part is that I also wanted macarons to add a lovely touch to the pictures.

I haven’t made macarons for a year. I’ve sworn not to make this finicky dessert again, because it’s so difficult.  Macarons are like delicate, immaculate, pretty ladies, but extremely high-maintenance. You may like looking at them, but you do not want to deal with them on a regular basis.  However, when the inspiration struck, I went all out and planned to make, not just one, but four batches of varying colours.

 

I relied on Macaron Fetish. Their recipes tend to give me a high chance of success when making the perfect maracon shells. Combining this recipe with the tips and macaron-making tricks I've learnt along the way, I scored 3 of out 4 batches. 

Two other desserts were made…just because.  Here’s the recipe for the bunny cupcake. I improvised on the bunny ears since I couldn't find the icing mix. Instead, I made the pink sugar glaze and spread them on top of the store-bought sponge fingers. For the last dessert, I used this opportunity to re-try the Thai coconut pandan jelly after last week's failed attempt.  

I got two beautiful rack of lambs and blue legbar eggs from Daylesford Farm on the lovely Cotswolds trip to make roasted lamb & vegetables and deviled eggs for the savoury dishes.

And there you have it. A beautiful English Garden-inspired meal right in our own backyard.

Happy Easter.