Marmalade and almond tart and being persistent

Some people say I'm stubborn – myself included, sometimes – but this time I’ll choose the term “persistent”. :)

Remember those silly pastry strips from the other day? The ones that almost ruined my Saturday morning? Here they are, in this beautiful – and delicious – tart. Or did you think I was going to give up on this recipe just like that? ;)

This tart is for marmalade fans – and I am

Wholemeal apple and marmalade cake

Back in 2009 my dear friend Valentina introduced me to Nigel Slater – it was love at first sight. His delicious recipes, beautiful garden and passionate way of speaking about food – clear without being patronizing – were a perfect combination.

I really do not know why it took me so long to buy one of his books, but I certainly started with a wonderful one. This cake is absurdly tender –

Marmalade bread and butter pudding

Yesterday I did two things for the first time in my life: I made bread pudding and watched “Fargo”.

Let’s just say that the dessert was a thousand times better than the movie – and for the record, I like the Coen brothers. Even though I’m 14 years late for this, I think Frances McDormand should mail her Oscar to Kristin Scott Thomas, Brenda Blethyn or Emily Watson – the award should have gone