Apple, Pear & Fig Crostata

This is a very easy dessert to prepare, with store bought puff pastry. You can substitute the filling of apple, pear and fig with other fruits, such as fresh peaches, bananas and other berries. I always use fresh fruit though, as it is much healthier and natural than the canned kind.

Crown of Nutella Rolls

This may look very fancy and hard to bake, but it is actually one of the easiest doughs to handle. The dough is easy to make, and who doesn't love Nutella? The buns have that hazelnut goodness, and are crisp on top, due to the polenta. I balance the sweetness and richness of the Nutella with some chili powder and sea salt.

If you're not eating all of it once it gets out of the oven, reheat the rolls in an oven toaster or oven to enjoy the same warm, gooey goodness. Best enjoyed with coffee and tea.

My Crown of Nutella Rolls

Cheat's Orange Flavored Mini Croissants

I call this the Cheat's Croissants because the puff pastry is not made from scratch, but is store bought. I learned how to make puff pastry when I went for the short course at Le Cordon Bleu, but when you're not a full time chef and when you don't have an air-conditioned kitchen in a hot and humid country like Singapore, it's just so difficult to make it from scratch. You must be some kind of gastronomic masochist to be able to do it, when you have limited time and no air-conditioning. :)

Anyway, I cheated and made these croissants with store bought puff pastry. They still do have a personal touch, with that homemade sweetened orange rind, and orange syrup which I did make from scratch. But if you have no time and you really want to be a "double cheat", you can also get store bought, chunky orange marmalade. :)

The family loved it and once they devoured it, they immediately gave suggestions for other flavours, like peach, Nutella, chocolate...the possibilities are endless...for more cheating!

Ham, Cheese & Herb Puff Pastry Pinwheels

Ham, Cheese & Herb Puff Pastry Pinwheels, a perfect appetiser for early birds.

Whenever you host a party at home, there's always the possibility of people arriving late. What can you serve to the early birds without stuffing them too much and depriving them of the delicious meal ahead?

I recently made this appetiser and it was a big hit, and they're very easy to make as well with store bought puff pastry. The small, light, individual bite sized servings allow your guest to eat as little or as much as they want to, while waiting for the other guests. But they're so good that one of my guests last Christmas ate 8 of them in one sitting!

Chicken & Bacon Puff Pastry Empanada, a Leftover Victory

Does this look like it's made from leftover Jamie Oliver chicken???

I made Roast Chicken in Milk, Sage & Citrus, last Christmas Eve, based on a Jamie Oliver recipe. See my recipe here.

The chicken was so tender and succulent! We still had leftovers a week later and by that time, it had turned to some kind of pasty, disintegrated chicken.

Jamie Oliver chicken does not look appetising as a leftover....

I hate to throw away good food, so I decided to "re-fashion" the chicken into a light lunch of Chicken & Bacon Puff Pastry Empanadas, served with a side salad of spinach, cherry tomatoes and croutons, in a honey balsamico dressing.

The recipe is easy to make, and I relied on my trusted assistant, my teenaged son, to do this. No one will believe that you made these beautiful empanadas from the picture above!

Easy Puff Pastry Fruit Tart

My Pear & Strawberry Tart, served with a Berry Ice Cream.

This is a quick dessert. It's beautiful, delicious and healthy, and takes no more than 30 minutes to prepare.