Are marshmallows the new cupcake?

A marshmallow stack from Three Tarts

A double-decker marshmallow stack from Three Tarts

They’re fluffy, sometimes adorned, and remind Americans of their childhood. And this time we’re not talking about cupcakes!

For Americans, marshmallows hold a special place in our dessert repertoire, particularly in the summer time when we make S’mores, first roasting them over an open flame and then sandwiching them between squares of chocolate and graham crackers.

These plush, sticky pillows do have a reputation for being too sweet (and not just when they’re smooshed between chocolate and cookies!), but a host of bakeries and specialty dessert shops around New York city have found a way to elevate this seemingly simple treat to gourmet status, first reported in the New York Times and then across the pond in the Daily Mail and the Metro.

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Swede Child(hood) of Mine

Being born to a (very) Scottish father and an English mother, one central question dominated my childhood. Not devolution of powers, not Scottish independence, not even whether poem should be pronounced ‘poem’ or ‘poyem’. The question that seemed to most vex my family was: what does a turnip look like? Is it small and purple-tinged, as my Mum would argue, or large and orange as my Dad would?

In Scotland, a turnip is a swede, and a swede is a turnip. Or (just for diplomacy’s sake) in England, a swede is a turnip, and a turnip is a swede. Something funny happened, somewhere around Hadrian’s Wall, and left many a violent vegetable dispute in its wake.

A turnip by any other name would taste as swede

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Britain vs. America – Who will get pie in their face?

Today may be America’s National Pie Day and even though they might know how to whip up a delicious pie or five, here at Food Network UK we think the upper crust of British pastries are fabulous enough to triumph over quintessential American creations.

With the UK’s repertoire of gorgeously retro bakes, we think we have what it takes to challenge our friends across the pond at Cooking Channel to a battle of the pies.

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Orange Passion Fruit Curd Mini Tarts from 6 Bittersweets

In honour of Chinese New Year and The Year of the Dragon, we’ve teamed up with one of our favourite food bloggers, Xiaolu of 6 Bittersweets to indulge in these delicious flame-hued tartlets.

Although these tartlets are not traditional Chinese fare, oranges and tangerines symbolise good health and longevity in Chinese culture, so it was only right that citrus fruits were chosen to be baked into a light and refreshing pud.

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Why not going running is better in the long run…

It’s 6.30am on Tuesday 3rd January, and my alarm goes off. I have all my gym clothes in a bag by the door, as well as a small banana, which I have convinced myself will be enough breakfast for the ‘new me’. I press snooze – not once, not twice, not even thrice, but four times, until I realise it is 7.45, and unless I run to the shower now (the only running I will be doing) I will be late for work. In a record even for me, it took me less than 25 seconds to break my resolution (the same every year) that I will lose a few of my podgiest pounds.

Cheesecake... not just for Christmas

In many ways, this isn’t fair. The change between the indulgence of the last hours of December (and maybe the first few hours of January) and the diets and deprivation of the New Year is too radical. Your body doesn’t know what’s hit it – but, more importantly, neither does your mind. For the last few weeks, you’ve allowed yourself every treat within reaching distance (it would be far too much effort to get up) and suddenly you’re expecting levels of willpower that a Benedictine monk would be proud of.

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