I love making and decorating cakes, I love nothing better!

I also enjoy a good sunday roast, even though I cheat and use packet puddings :hihi:

Anyone else?

I think my favourite thing to cook is lasagne. There's quite a few stages to it and a bit of preparation, which allows for a couple of glasses of wine whilst cooking, then it spends a nice amount of time in the oven which gives me time to have a starter while the smell from the oven fills the flat.

Gorgeous, and the reason I never have lasagne when I go out to eat

ooh lasagne, good call! I love that too, do you make it totally from scratch or cheat like me and buy the jars

ooh lasagne, good call! I love that too, do you make it totally from scratch or cheat like me and buy the jars

From scratch :)

I can't bake (or cook come to think of it) to save my life but I do like doing stews!

They're so easy, do it in the morning, stick it in the slow cooker, get on with my day and it fills the house with a homely smell and is ready and waiting for me at dinner.

Always tastes good too but I can only eat stews I've made so I know what's in it :lol: Don't like them when made by other people!

I love to cook but always think that it doesn't turn out well (don't know why).

My favourites are, chocolate fondants (easier than they look and completely gorgeous), lemon meringue pie (my grandads favourite too) and roasted tomato and red pepper soup.

I also used to decorate cakes but I am self taught and a perfectionist, the two don't mix well !

I love to cook and love to bake especially cup-cakes, they're my new thing, especially since I'm actually getting paid to make them.

As 3 of us are gluten free, anything gluten free really,
including cakes, traybakes,lasangne the list goes on..:)

mbunting would you be prepared to share your choc fondants recipe? Sounds scrummy :)

Of course, will dig it out and post in shortly.

Here goes then......... chocolate fondants, really easy !

3oz caster sugar, 6oz butter chopped (extra for greasing), 6oz dark chocolate chopped (must be at least 70% cocoa solids), 3 free range egg yolks, 3 whole free range eggs, 1 tablespoon plain flour, double cream to serve.

oven temp - 180oC/ 350oF/ Gas 4.

grease 4 dariole moulds, then put sugar, butter and chocolate in a bowl over a simmering pan of water. Heat (without stirring) till butter and chocolate is melted then remove from the heat. Whisk together till combined then add the eggs and egg yolks and beat well. fold in the flour then pour the mixture into the moulds. place in the fridge for at least 20 - 25 minutes. preheat oven, place the moulds on a baking tray and take them from the fridge straight to the oven, bake for 8 - 9 minutes. Allow to rest for 2 minutes then turn out onto serving plates. Serve with double cream.


Note - This recipe looks more difficult than it is. When the fondants are done they should be firm sponge on the outside while being runny chocolate in the centre. The secret to getting this right is to ensure that the moulds are greased well and the mix is in the moulds in the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes and that they then go straight from the fridge to the preheated oven. You cannot take it out of the fridge and leave it on the side for a minute while you sort out the oven as the mix will heat up and the fondants will not turn out.

Good luck.

I love love love baking x

Mine would have to be either lasagne, lamb moussaka or a sunday roast. I always prefer to cook from scratch I think it tastes far better. :thumbsup:

thanks mbunting :) they sound heavenly. going to try it this week as soon as i get chance :thumbsup: though I need the moulds first

I love making any kind of dessert, especially cheesecake! And jambalaya is also great - really easy, throw everything in a pot stuff!

No problem SamMT, I got mine (small metal ones) from tesco and they were about 95p each. Let me know how they turn out wont you ?

unistudent, you might like the cheesecake I posted under the vanilla cheesecake thread, it is a baileys chocolate cheesecake. Heavenly !

I don't really get chance to cook that often cos either my mother cooks or Deej cooks for me. However, he's moved in at mine now so i'm the lead cook :hihi: I'll be trying out lots of different meals in the next few weeks.

My fave though is a full Sunday roast - guess i'll be cooking one of those for the family soon! :)

Stew & Dumplings are good too. Especially when done in a slow cooker, left most of the day!