| Hello reader So much for normal service resuming. When I went to write last week's newsletter, there was a technical glitch with MailerLite and I was unable to do it. You've just got to love technology. The result is two posts for the price of one this week. One for cherry jam and one for a rather luscious apricot and almond cake. The more I get used to our new kitchen, the more I'm enjoying it. I've found space now for most things without the tops looking too cluttered and it's much easier to keep clean. As for the dishwasher, I'm in love. Everything comes out so clean and shiny AND dirty dishes cluttering up the place is a thing of the past. In fact I used it to sterilise the jars for the cherry jam. I've always offered that as an alternative method of sterilisation, but have never been able to use it myself - until now. We're still in cherry season, so you've plenty of time to make jam if you so wish. I tie the cherry pits into muslin along with lemon pips and rind and pop that into the cherries whilst they're cooking. These give additional flavour as well as a pectin boost to help set the jam. Anyway, it's delicious. Summer is the time for jam making. I've even made jam on the new induction hob. We've had a fabulous crop of figs this year, so I made a small batch of fig and orange jam, which was tasty as well as satisfying. For CT's birthday this year I made the apricot and almond cake. It's covered with a sticky pistachio nut topping and it's really good. I use dried apricots and a little gluten-free flour as well as ground almonds. It keeps really well too and doesn't lose its freshness like some cakes do. We polished off the final slice last night. Citrus is a must in this cake. I used lime as that's a firm favourite, but I've made it with both lemon and orange in the past too. They all work well. The ingredients are quite expensive, especially the pistachios, so it's really a special occassion cake rather than one for every day. Not, I hasten to add that we have cake every day! Since last writing I've been home to Cornwall to stay with my mother and we've had a day trip to Salisbury. Despite travelling through and around Salisbury, I've never actually stopped or been to the Cathedral. What a beautiful city it is. The countryside comes right into the centre and there's plenty of off-road walking. Lots of waterways too. We even spotted an otter. Talking of water, it rained whilst I was in Cornwall and whilst we were walking around Salisbury too. We were desperate for rain, but I think we've all had enough, especially as it's now grain harvest season. How have you been coping with the winds and rain this summer? If you're dreaming of warmer climes, I've just updated a recipe for a simplified version of an Italian cassata cake - an orange version. It might help. Keep cooking and stay safe.
Choclette x
P.S. Please do let me know if you make any of my recipes and remember to star rate them. It really helps to make them more visible on search engines. I especially appreciate questions or feedback via comments on the blog posts. | 
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