Very likely that you have seen the cute roasted Hasselback potatoes before, but you can also use this technique on a many other vegetables, for example, eggplants, tomatoes, and butternut squash! Slow-roasting in paprika sauce, and the use of harissa oil, smoked paprika and honey help intensify the flavour, esp. the sweetness of butternut squash. The final result is sure to impress the guests and looks really delicious and elegant as a vegetarian centrepiece, particularly with the simple yet yummy Feta and carrot top topping. Don't you just love the colour contrast? However, if you are going to serve this to vegans, just leave out Feta and use pomegranate seeds, nuts and mint instead.

	Easy Roasted Bell Pepper Sauce
1 / 800 g Butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthways and seeds scooped out 650-800 g Roastged bell pepper sauce (or your favourite pasta sauce or simply use canned tomatoes) 2 tbsp Harissa 2-3 Garlic cloves, smashed 1 tbsp Olive oil 2 tbsp Harissa oil Rosemary and sage 1 tbsp Runny honey 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika 100 g Feta, crumbled Carrot tops (or dill or parsley), chopped	1 jar / 640 g Roasted red peppers 1 Shallot, chopped 2 Garlic cloves 1 tbsp Olive oil 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes 3/4 tsp Italian seasoning Salt and black pepper to taste

1. In a large blender or food processor, combine all ingredients for the sauce, including the liquid from the roasted peppers, and process for 20 seconds or longer if you prefer a smooth sauce. I am just fond of a slightly chunky sauce. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Put a squash half flat-side down on a chopping board between two wooden spoon handles or chopsticks. Cut down in 1/2cm intervals (the spoon handles will stop the knife going all the way through). Repeat with the other half.
3. Put the roasted bell pepper sauce, harissa, garlic and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large baking dish, season well and stir. Put the squash halves into the dish, flat-side down on top of the sauce. Slot the rosemary and sage into the gaps, drizzle with the harissa oil and season well. Cover the dish with a large sheet of foil then cook for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the foil, drizzle over the honey and sprinkle with smoked paprika. Roast for a further 30-40 minutes or until the squash is completely tender. Sprinkle over the feta and carrot top to serve.

Light and buttery with a pillowy soft interior Brioche is a rich French bread with a high amount of butter and egg content. This combination gives it a richer flavour and a rather tender, moist, almost cake-like crumb. Brioche can be made into a loaf or into individual buns (fantastic as a burger bun). The Brioche loaf is wonderful as is, but slice it up and slather it with butter or chocolate spread is even better :-)

Spinach Brioche Loaf

inspired by this

50 g Spinach leaves, blended with 80 ml Whole milk 350-370 g Strong white bread flour 1/3 tsp Salt 2 tbsp Caster white sugar 5 g Active dry yeast 3 Medium eggs, at room temperature plus 1 egg white for the topping 140 g Unsalted butter, softened and cubed

1. Blend spinach leaves and whole milk togther until you have a smooth mixture. Set aside.
2. Place the flour in the bowl of a table mixer fitted with a dough hook. Place the salt and sugar on one side of the bowl and the yeast on the other side. Add in spinach milk and eggs and mix on a slow speed for 2 minutes, or until all the flour has been incorporated, then mix on a medium speed for 5 minutes. Gradually add the cubed butter, piece by piece, and mix for a further 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure the butter is thoroughly mixed in. The dough should look shiny, and feel soft but not too sticky.
3. Transfer the dough to a well-greased large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours. Once risen, place in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 12 hours.
4. Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Remove the cooled dough from the fridge and knead lightly for 2-3 minutes to knock back the air.
5. Shape the dough into a loaf and place into the prepared pan. You can also divide the dough into 7 even pieces. Working with one piece at a time and keeping the remaining dough covered, shape each piece into a smooth ball by repeatedly tucking the dough under itself. Place the balls in the loaf pan at a slight angle to each other so the pattern is slightly uneven. Cover with clingfilm and leave to prove in a warm area for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size again.
6. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Beat the egg white and brush the top of the brioche with the egg wash. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until risen and deep golden all over. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature before slicing. Store the cooled bread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Nothing says true love like a homemade dessert :-))This pastry heart makes the best dessert for someone special. It's basically just some twisted puff pastry straws rearranged in a heart-shaped baking pan. Perfect for pre-dinner nibbles or as the dessert and for when you are short on time because it's so quick and easy to make. It's beautiful and amazing enough for a special occasion like Valentine's or a birthday party while simple enough for an easy weekend treat.

	To Garnish
1 package / 250 g Poppy paste ( I used Dr. Oetker) 80 g Chopped hazelnuts 1 Large egg, lightly beaten together (reserved 1 tbsp for the topping) 1 sheet / 275 g Fresh puff pastry	1/2 tsp Sesame seeds Pink peppercorns Rose petals Rosemary

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the poppy paste, all egg except 1 tablespoon for the topping and chopped hazelnuts. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Lightly grease a 24-cm heart-shaped baking pan or line with a baking paper.
3. Unfold the pastry sheet and spread the poppy mixture evenly on the pastry. From the short end fold over and cut the folded pastry into 1cm strips.
4. Twist the strips and arrange them, from inside to outside, into the prepared form. Brush with the reserved egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
5. Bake in the middle of the hot oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Garnish with pink peppercorns, rose petals and rosemary.

These Filipino-style macaroons are so easy to make and so delicious. they are golden crisp on the odges and soft, chewy and moist on the inside, they’re super addictive. If you prefer, coat them in chocolate to give it a even richer flavour. The addition of small amount of white spelt flour in the batter makes them taste more like cakes rather than standard coconut macaroon, but they are just equally delicious. They make a great midday pick or after-meal dessert or even as a lunch box filler. Don't confuse coconut macaroons with chewy, yet crisp airy French macarons. Macarons and macaroons differ in their main ingredient, which for macarons is almond meal, and macaroons is shredded coconut.
A macaron (pronounced "mack-ah-ROHN") , which has roots in Paris, is a meringue-based cookie. Its batter is composed of almond flour, egg whites, and confectioners’ sugar. Parisian macarons come in a variety of colours and flavours and usually filled with buttercream, ganache, jam, or fruit curd. The main ingredient of a macaroon (pronounced "mack-ah-ROON") is shredded coconut and its original recipe does not require sweetened condensed milk. As the recipe suggests, this is a Filipino-style macaroon, which is composed of butter, sugar, sweetened condensed milk and coconut of course.

100 g Unsalted butter, softened 150 g Sugar 2 Eggs, medium 1 can / 397 g Sweetened condensed milk 1/2 tsp Vnilla extract 70 g White spelt flour 200 g Desiccated coconut

1. Line one 24-vavity mini muffin pan with paper cups and place 9 standard-sized reusable silicone baking cups in a baking tray. Set aside. Use two mini muffin pans or 20 silicone muffin cups if you have them.
2. In a bowl, beat softened unsalted butter using a hand mixer on low speed until creamy. Add in sugar and beat together until well blended and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
3. Add in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract and continue to beat until blended. In a medium bowl, combine white spelt flour and desiccated coconut. Add to the butter-egg mixture and beat until combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Divide the thick batter into the prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake the mini muffins for about 15-18 minutes and 25-28 minutes for standard-size muffins until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from baking pan and let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes.

Pillowy soft and pleasantly sweet, these light and tender pumpkin spelt rolls are filled with cinnamon sugar and raisins and glazed with a simple but very tasty vanilla icing. If you want to make them ahead, cover the baking pan with assembled rolls with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the next morning for a wonderful breakfast and the leftover would be fantastic as an afternoon snack.

Dough	Filling&Icing
120 g Pumpkin purée, homemade or canned 90 ml Whole milk 30 g Unsalted butter 30 g Brown sugar 1/4 tsp Sea salt 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract 1 Large egg 7 g Active dry yeast 370 g White spelt flour	80 g Brown sugar 1 tbsp Cinnamon powder 1/2 tsp Ground ginger, optional 60 g Salted butter, softened to room-temperature 150 g Raisins 80 g Powdered sugar 1 tbsp Freshly squeezed orange juice

1. In a medium saucepan, whisk pumpkin purée, milk, butter, coconut sugar and salt over low heat until combined. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Let it cool until very warm to the touch.
2. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add in pumpkin mixture, egg and yeast until combined. Add in spelt flour and stir on low speed for 5 minutes until the dough comes together. Increase the speed and knead for 2-3 more minutes until the dough is pull away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn out the dough on a work surface and shape into a ball. Grease the inside of the bowl with a small amout of butter or oil, then return the dough back to the bowl and rotate the ball of dough, so that it is completely covered with oil. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the bowl as it rises.
4. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or with a piece of plastic wrap and put the bowl in a warm, draft-free area of your kitchen. Let it sit until it has doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
5. Remove the kitchen towel and punch down the dough. Take the dough out and put it on a floured surface, cover with the kitchen towel, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
6. Line a 26-cm/10-inch springform pan with a piece of baking paper or simply grease the pan with butter. Combine coconut sugar, cinnamon and ginger if using, in a small bowl and set aside.
7. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into approximately a 10×14 inch/26x 35 cm rectangle. Brush the softened butter over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle the coconut sugar mixture evenly over the surface of the dough. Scatter the raisins on top of the sugar mixture.
8. With the long end toward you, roll the dough up evenly into a log. With the seam side down, use a sharp knife to cut the log into 8 pieces. Place them into the prepared pan. Cover the rolls with a clean towel and let rise for 30 minutes to one hour.
9. Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, preheat the oven to 190C/375F. Bake for 25 minutes in the middle of the hot oven until lightly browned on top.
10. Stir together the powdered sugar and orange juice until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the rolls. Serve warm or at room temperature.

same dough, but with date filling

After a challanging year of OX, here we are in the Year of the Tiger. I would like to wish you to be as brave and powerful as a tiger. I hope you find health, achievement, laughter, but also love, wisdom, and optimism. Have a safe and fun Chinese New Year!

Xin Nian Kuai Le, Gong Xi Fa Chai!