Don’t you (barquette about me)

This week's recipe is a good one to make with and for the children now the Christmas holidays have started. A simple recipe for simple minds, if you will...You may not have children of your own, in which case, feel free to borrow some. They will devour these little sponge biscuit treats in a flash if they are anything like the gannets that mine turned into when a plateful of these alighted on the kitchen table. It was like the pigeons of old in Trafalgar Square.The shop bought version of these are crisper, so you could add more sugar to the mix if you like, but these ones are softer and lean a little more toward madeleines crossed with sponge fingers. I filled the first lot with some of mother in law Sue's chocolate sauce that she had mistakenly left lying about the place, the next batch used spoonfuls of Nutella. Both were delicious.If you want to make your own chocolate sauce, melt good, dark chocolate, a little milk chocolate, some honey, cocoa powder and butter together with a little splash of water until glossy, smooth and rich. This will keep in a jar, probably for eternity, highly unlikely that will happen though. Just reheat to pour over ice cream as and when.The week ahead should bring plenty of opportunity for fun meals, but with the big day approaching you may want a few simple meals such as the sausage, lentil and potato stew I made for Saturday lunch after the children's swimming lessons. Red and white onions, a tin of tomatoes, garlic, carrots and celery gently simmered in the oven while we decorated the tree. It was wholesome and tasty and practically cooked itself.Maybe you'd also like chicken thighs braised with a creamy mushroom and Dijon mustard sauce and some buttered, shredded savoy cabbage to keep out the cold. Or perhaps a big bowl of orzo with tomato and gently spiced meatballs. Whatever you eat in the run up, I wish you a happy Christmas.Ingredients4 eggs100g icing sugar100g plain flourChocolate sauce, Nutella or JamA madeleine tin, or similarMethodSeparate the eggs and whisk the whites to a light snow.Cream together the sugar and egg yolks then gently fold in the whites. Add the flour a little at a time and mix well.Spray the moulds with cooking oil or grease with a little butter then spoon the mix into each mould.Bake at 170c for 10-12 minutes until turning a delicate gold. Immediately make a large dent in the middle of each with the back of a spoon or your thumb. Fill with the chocolate and leave to cool.This weekSaw:London Mozart Players Christmas concert at the incredible St. John's Church on Auckland Road. It's like a local cathedral. Featured Noah's choir singing 'Yesterday Like You & Me' by composer David Braid. Also a fantastic recital of Winter, from the Four Seasons. Uplifting.Read:Deliverance from 27,000 feet. An incredible tale of death and survival on Everest from the New York Times. You'll need to set aside a little time to read it though.Listened to:Michael Bublé's Christmas album. Come on, it's great. Also, the soundtrack to White Christmas.Eat:Mince pies, stollen, mince pies, pannetone, mince pies, gianduja. Mince pies.

Strawberry, white chocolate and basil summer sponge

With only a minute to spare, we burst through the doors of the seventeenth century formal rooms into the wedding of an old friend. Maya, freshly pressed in her brand new dress still smelled faintly of sick. She had parted company with her breakfast just as we entered Richmond park (its roads lined with wooden spikes –possibly for the heads of drivers who tried to stop ANYWHERE– and no laybys) in a queue of cars and what appeared to be a lost peloton from the Tour de France. Finding a children's clothes shop with ten minutes to go before the ceremony was like Challenge Anneka. (An eighties tv show, for those of you who didn't have my childhood).I was returning to an almost normal heart rate. The petrol situation in the car would have to be dealt with later. The light had come on just as we left the house. Every mile to the venue was like driving with the sword of Damocles swinging above us; but we were there at least.The last wedding we went to, two or three years ago involved me screeching up to the steps of Brighton town hall kicking Bee and Maya out of the car, wheel-spinning off to find somewhere to park with Noah having a meltdown in the back because he didn't get to go with mummy and was stuck with purple-faced daddy. I hope no-one else I know gets married again. It's too stressful.And this leads me to another marriage which is far easier to prepare, less stressful to get to and, with hope, doesn't involve being sick. Strawberries, white chocolate and basil go so well together, and this flan is so simple to make. It looks far more impressive than the amount of work it takes to make so is perfect for a summer weekend tea-time treat and the children loved it.Ingredients2 eggs55g golden caster sugar55g strong flourSeeds from a vanilla podStrawberries, as many as fit on the base, about a punnet's worth, depending on their sizeA fig or two, quartered1 plum, quarteredWhite chocolate shavings2tbsp pistachios, choppedSome basil leaves to finish1tbsp atomised strawberries (freeze-dried and optional)For the glaze2tbsp raspberry jam1tbsp honey2tsp waterMethodHeat the oven to 190c and butter a 18cm flan tinWhisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until light and airy then remove from the heat and gently fold in the flour.Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until golden and springy.Leave to cool on a wire rack.Top with the fruit and nuts, cover with the glaze then add the basil, dried strawberries and chocolate leaves and serve.