Sweet scones (+/- 20 scones)

500 g of flour, 32 g of yeast, a teaspoon of salt, 100 g of butter, 50 g of cane sugar, 20 cl of milk. One egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of milk to glaze.

Preheat the oven to 180°, sieve the flour, yeast and salt into a bowl and incorporate the butter at room temperature until you obtain a crumbly mixture.
Add the sugar then the milk, until you obtain a smooth dough. Flour the baking sheet. Make small balls of dough of around 50 g and distribute them on the baking sheet. Brush with the glaze.
Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes and serve still warm with butter, raspberry jam and cream.

Cheese scones (+/- 26 scones)

500 g of flour, 300 g of grated Comté, 32 g of yeast, 100 g of butter, 2 eggs, 25 cl of milk, 1 tablespoon of strong curry powder, 2 tablespoon of ground ginger, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. One egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of milk to glaze.

Preheat the oven to 180°, sieve the flour, yeast, salt and spices into a bowl and incorporate the grated Comté, then the butter at room temperature until you obtain a crumbly mixture. Pour in the milk and mix until you obtain a smooth dough.

Flour the baking sheet. Make small balls of dough of around 50 g and distribute them on the baking sheet. Brush with the glaze.
Place the baking sheet in the oven for 15 minutes and serve still warm with horseradish sauce.

Variant:

For sweet scones, you can add walnuts, almonds, raisins etc. One of my favourite varieties involves adding 30 g of grated coconut and 5 cm of Kahlúa (coffee liqueur). You just have to make sure you don’t work the dough too much after you've added the dried fruit so you don’t make it too greasy.

For savoury scones, you can add small pieces of smoked ham, matcha (10 g sieved in at the same time as the flour) or use other cheeses. Make sure they have plenty of flavour – Parmesan is preferable to Gouda.

Coffee and cardamom cake: (Serves 8)

200 g of sugar, 200 g of butter, 250 g of flour, 3 eggs, 16 g of yeast, 12 cl of very strong coffee in which you have infused a dozen split cardamom pods.

Preheat the oven to 180°. Butter a 24 cm diameter cake tin. In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar, sieve the flour with the yeast, add the butter mixture then the eggs and coffee. Place in the oven for 50 minutes.

Variant:

Orange cake: 200 g of sugar, 200 g of butter, 250 g of flour, 3 eggs, 16 g of yeast, one orange (juice and zest)

Chocolate cake: (Serves 8)

Biscuit dough: 125 g of flour, 125 g of butter, 1 pinch of salt, 1 egg yolk ,60 g of cane sugar.

Cake: 200 g of cane sugar, 5 egg yolks, 3 tablespoons of flour, 210 g of butter, 210 g of chocolate melted in a bain marie, 6 egg whites.

Preheat the oven to 180°, combine the biscuit dough ingredients and line the base of a 24 cm diameter cake tin. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the sugar and egg yolks in a bowl until pale and creamy, add the flour, then the melted butter and chocolate, beat the whites in another bowl with a pinch of salt, carefully fold into the mixture and pour onto the precooked biscuit base. Place in the oven for 40 minutes, still at 180°.

Cheesecake: (Serves 10)

Pastry: 190 g of flour, 90 g of sugar, 190 g of butter, 1 egg yolk, salt

Filling: 1 kg of fromage blanc, 280 g of sugar, the zest of half an orange and one lemon, 6 eggs, 25 cl of double cream.

Preheat the oven to 180°, combine the pastry ingredients and line the base of a 26 cm diameter cake tin with half of the pastry. Place in the oven for 15 minutes.

Place the remaining pastry into the refrigerator and meanwhile mix the filling ingredients.

When the precooked pastry has cooled, line the walls of the tin with the remainder of the uncooked pastry and pour in the filling. Cook for 15 minutes at 200 °, then for 60 minutes at 100° and finish with 5 minutes under the grill.

Apple crumble: (Serves 8)

180 g of ground almonds, 180 g of butter, 260 g of sugar, 100 g of oat flakes, 180 g of flour, 6 apples.

Preheat the oven to 180°, peel and cut up the apples, mix in a bowl with the juice of one lemon then divide between eight individual ramekins.

Combine the flour, sugar, flakes and butter in a bowl and add the ground almonds. Divide between the ramekins and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve hot with whipped cream.

Variant:

You can replace some of the apples with a pair or mango, or add raisins. One of my favourite versions is to add the pulp of ten passion fruit – which means you only need the juice of half a lemon.

Almond tart: (Serves 8)

120 g of cane sugar, 3 eggs, 25 g of flour, 120 g of ground almonds, 20 cl of double cream, 50 g of butter, (2 cl of orgeat syrup), raspberry jam for the base of the tart and slivered almonds and cane sugar for the top.

Preheat the oven to 140°, butter a 24 cm diameter tart tin, rapidly combine the pastry ingredients and line the tart tin. Brush a fine layer of jam over the base of the tart.
In a bowl, combine the sugar and eggs until the mixture thickens. Sieve the flour into the ground almonds and add to the eggs, then add the melted butter, (the orgeat syrup) and cream. Pour the filling over the pastry, arrange the ground almonds and a little sugar on top of the tart and place in the oven for 45 minutes.

Variant:

Strawberries: 120 g of cane sugar, 3 eggs, 25 g of flour, 120 g of ground almonds,10 cl of cream, 10 cl of coconut cream, the zest of one orange, 50 g of butter, 250 g of sliced strawberries.

Oriental: 80 g of cane sugar, 3 eggs, 20 g of ground almonds, 100 g of ground pistachios, 1 pinch of salt, 20 cl of double cream, 2 tablespoons of liquid honey, 25 g of flour, 2 cl of orange flower water, 50 g of butter.
Chopped pistachios and sugar to decorate.

Piña colada: 80 g of cane sugar, 3 eggs, 120 g of ground almonds, 1 pinch of salt, 10 cl of double cream, 6 tablespoons of coconut cream , 3 cl of rum, 25 g of flour, 50 g of butter.
Cover the base with pineapple, 10 g of grated coconut and cane sugar to decorate.

Speculoos: Add a dash of rock sugar syrup to the pastry. 80 g of rock sugar (dark brown), 50 g of almonds, 80 g of hazelnuts, 1 pinch of salt, 20 cl of crème fraîche, 2 tablespoons of rock sugar syrup, 25 g of flour, 50 g of butter, 1 teaspoon of four spice mix, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of ground ginger.
To decorate after cooking, eight small rolls of cinnamon and eight hazelnuts

Hazelnut: 100 g of cane sugar, 3 eggs, 160 g of ground hazelnuts, 1 pinch of salt, 4 tablespoons of coconut cream, 25 g of flour, 50 g of butter, (3 cl hazelnut syrup).

Maple syrup & walnut: 100 g of dark cane sugar, 25 g of flour, 3 eggs, 10 cl of double cream, 10 cl of maple syrup, 75 g of chopped walnuts, 50 g of butter.

Pear tart: (Serves 8)

Pastry: 140 g of butter, 165 g of flour, 1 egg yolk, pinch of salt.
Filling: 4 pears, 10 cl of double cream, 3 eggs, 80 g of brown sugar, 50 g of ground almonds, 1/2 flan, 1 pinch of cinnamon.

Preheat the oven to 160°, butter a 24 cm diameter tart tin, rapidly combine the pastry ingredients and line the tart tin.

Peel the pears and cut them into slices to line the base of the tart. In a bowl, lightly beat the sugar and eggs. Add the cream, the flan, the cinnamon and finally the almonds. Pour over the pears, sprinkle with cane sugar and place in the oven for 50 minutes.

Variant:

Fresh fig tart: Filling: 7 fresh figs, 2 cl of orange flower water, 2 cl of rose water, 10 cl of double cream, 3 eggs, 80 g of brown sugar, 50 g of ground almonds, 1/2 flan.

Nectarine tart: Filling: 4 nectarines, 10 cl of double cream, 3 eggs, 80 g of dark cane sugar, 50 g of ground almonds, 1/2 flan.

Mango tart: Filling: 2 large mangoes, 10 cl of double cream, 3 eggs, 80 g of cane sugar, 50 g of ground almonds, 1/2 flan.

Banana and date tart: 3 bananas, 120 g of ground almonds, 100 g of dates cut into pieces, 3 eggs, 100 g of cane sugar, the juice of one lemon.

Lemon tart: (Serves 8)

Pastry: 180 g of flour, 120 g of butter, salt, 1 tablespoon of dark cane sugar.
Filling: 250 g of butter, 200 g of sugar, 2 lemons (juice and zest), 3 eggs, 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon of sugar. 1 tablespoon of crushed cardamom seeds with the husks removed.

Preheat the oven to 180° and mix the butter, eggs, sugar, juice and zest of the lemons in a saucepan. Place the saucepan in a bain marie over a medium heat until the lemon cream coats a spoon (20-30 minutes).

Combine the pastry ingredients and line a 24 cm diameter tart tin. Prick the pastry with a fork. Place in the oven covered with parchment paper and filled with dried beans for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, remove the dried beans and the parchment paper and cook for a further 10 minutes. Mix the breadcrumbs, sugar and cardamom seeds and sprinkle over the still warm pastry case.

When it has cooled, fill it with the lemon cream and place the tart in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Matcha and date tart: (Serves 8)

Pastry: 140 g of butter, 165 g of flour, 1 egg yolk, 1 pinch of salt.
Filling: 120 g of cane sugar, 3 eggs, 25 g of flour, 10 g of matcha, 120 g of ground almonds, 20 cl of double cream, 50 g of butter, 200 g of large soft dates.

Preheat the oven to 140°, butter a 24 cm diameter tart tin, rapidly combine the pastry ingredients and line the tart tin.

Stone the dates, cut them in half lengthways and line the pastry base with them, reserving eight halves for the decoration.

In a bowl, mix the sugar and eggs until the mixture lightens, sieve the flour and matcha into the ground almonds and add the eggs, followed by the melted butter and cream. Pour the filling into the pastry case and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Once removed from the oven, arrange the last dates on the tart.

Variant:

Matcha & strawberries: 120 g of cane sugar, 3 eggs, 25 g of flour, 10 g of matcha, 120 g of ground almonds, 20 cl of double cream, 50 g of butter, 250 g of sliced strawberries.

Matcha & ginger cake: (Serves 8)

100 g of cane sugar, 200 g of butter, 250 g of flour, 3 eggs, 16 g of yeast, 4 limes, 10 g of matcha and 100 g of crystallised ginger.

Preheat the oven to 180°. Butter a 24 cm diameter cake tin.

In a bowl, mix the butter and sugar, sieve the flour and matcha with the yeast, add the butter mixture. Remove the lime zest and chop it with the crystallised ginger. Add the resulting paste to the mixture, then add the eggs and lime juice and place in the oven for 50 minutes.

Variant:

Matcha & plums: 200 g of sugar, 200 g of butter, 250 g of flour, 3 eggs, 16 g of yeast, 4 plums peeled and puréed, 10 g of matcha.

Matcha biscuits:

175 g of flour, 16 g of instant yeast, 75 g of cane sugar, 75 g of butter, 50 g of ground almonds, 2 tablespoon of liquid honey, 5 g of matcha. (milk), (crystallised ginger)

Preheat the oven to 180°. In a bowl, sieve the flour, matcha and yeast. Add the sugar, incorporate the butter, then the almonds and finally the honey. The dough should have the consistency of marzipan. If it is still too crumbly, add a very small amount of milk. Form small balls, then flatten them onto a baking sheet. (Place a small piece of crystallised ginger on each biscuit.) Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.