I've been back from France for 5 months now and it's taken me this long to pluck up the courage to not only OPEN one of the French cookbooks I brought back with me, but to actually COOK a recipe from one of them.

My first cookbook - Quand Katie Cuisine (What Katie Ate)

I don't tend to eat chocolate tarts, and in fact I didn't eat any of this tart, but I've had the recipe for ages and couldn't wait to make it.  I can honestly say it was a pure joy to make.

This is one of those tarts that gives you more bang for your buck.

A "wow" tart with very little effort on your part.

Basically, my kinda tart.

Remember my lip smacking mousse from last week?

Know what goes perfectly with it..... ...this week's recipe!  Der!

It's April, and that means it's Secret Recipe Club time once again.

This month I was given the blog Cooking in Stiletto's to stroll through and find my next little recipe.

 It's Autumn here in Australia and I'm sooooo looking forward to all of those yummy slow cooked foods I'm planning to cook as the weather gets cooler.  The wonderful aromas wafting from the kitchen.  My mouth drooling knowing that that aroma will be gobbled up and in my tummy in a few hours time.

One of the aroma's I love (sometimes even more than actually eating it) is the smell of roast chicken.

I'm one of those strange few people who tends to turn their nose up at Chocolate desserts.  Don't get me wrong, I'll each chocolate until it comes out of my ears, but put it in the form of a dessert......I'll pass.

Now a lemon dessert on the other hand....you have my full attention.

I've flicked passed this recipe numerous times thinking I must make it one day.  Sadly, that day never seemed to eventuate.  That is, until NOW!

Can you tell I'm excited?

Yes.  Another recipe from the cookbook I have fallen head over heals for.

I hope you're not bored yet, cause there is a lot more coming.

Each time I think I'll flick through another cookbook, I find I get a couple of pages in and then suddenly, low and behold, it's back in my hot little fingers once again.

I guess I can't really call it a "crush" anymore as I think we've moved more into "stalker" territory now.

My mum's birthday was back in January. 

It took us until this past weekend to celebrate it all together.

Mind you, she's been celebrating with us individually in between, so she hasn't done too bad!

So for our little family get-together, I decided to make some celebratory cupcakes.....

Whilst relaxing in the park one lazy Saturday morning (as seen here), flicking leisurly through some of my many French cookbooks, I came across this recipe. 

I'm a big lover of soup in Winter and I find it is my go-to staple for mid-week meals.  I'm not such a fan during the Summer time - go figure!  However this soup seemed a little different.  It looked fresh, light and packed full of yummy vegetables - and it was French.  I was sold.

Stew.

It's not a word I like. 

Having English parents, we grew up on stews and casseroles and I soon rebelled.  I refused to eat them.  Nothing to do with the food itself, I might add, but the word stew just didn't evoke a desire to eat.  At all!

Stew..Spew - that was what I called it.

Luckily I'm a grown up now.  I still call it "Stew Spew" but nowadays I eat it, and in fact I love, love, love it.

The humble peach.  After cherries, I would consider the peach as one of my favourite stone fruits on the market.  My preference leaning towards the beautiful rose blush of the white peach, but I'll still gobble down a yellow peach just as fast.

One of my favourite ways of eating peaches (well, most fruit actually, and to be honest, I did look at the manky banana sitting in my fruit bowl wondering how it might turn out) is poached.  It really doesn't get any simpler than that!  A couple of ingredients and you can turn humble piece of fruit into something drool worthy. 

So for this weeks challenge, I give you the simple poached peach.....

A cookbook writer that truly surprised me (in a good way) is Sophie Dahl.  If you're around my age, you will remember Sophie as being the +size model from England who caused a stir on catwalks all over the world. 

She now has two cookbooks on the market.  Both of which I have, and both of which I love.  Her recipes are lovely, simple and straightforward and quoting straight from the horses mouth, she is someone "who likes to cook and then write about what she's cooked, not a chef or a teacher."

I like that. It sounds like me. 

What fun! 

I've just joined a new little cooking club called the Secret Recipe Club, and today is my first "reveal" day.

This club is a little different from the norm, in that you are secretly assigned a different club members blog each month and you are to re-create one of their recipes ready to be revealed all at once on the same day.

I was a little apprehensive at first - What if I didn't like any of the recipes on their blog?  What if I didn't like their style of food?  During this process I've discovered I'm a little bit precious!  I soon got over myself.

With what seemed like hundreds of egg whites sitting in my freezer and a picnic to plan for, I couldn't think of anything more appropriate to make than the humble French friand, especially as it was for the So Frenchy So Chic in the Park picnic (see post here)

There seems to be a theme developing in this little challenge of mine.  Completely unintentional of course, although I'm sure my sub-conscious has been planning this all along.

Have you noticed?

Without meaning to, everything I've cooked so far seems to have some link to France.  Hmmm...wonder why that is......

You guessed it.  This week's contribution is no exception.

I'm smitten!

And my crush is the little cookbook Santa brought me called The Little Paris Kitchen by Rachel Khoo.  I know I've only recently posted about Rachel's cookbook, but this is what happens to me when I get a crush (some may call it being obsessed).  I want to try making everything from cover to cover, and so far I seem to be on track.

Presenting recipe #2 in the 2013 Cookbook Challenge:

Slowly but surely I'm edging my way back into the kitchen.  I can't believe what a slow process it has been for me since returning from overseas.  There are so many things I want to bake, recipes I want to make, lots of ideas swimming around in my head that I just don't know where to start, or if I'm honest, can't be bothered starting.

I know I'll eventually get there.  Patience is not a virtue of mine!

So to kick start this first little project of mine, here is my very first contribution to the 2013 Cookbook Challenge:

The humble white bean - I've eaten these little beauties for years - tossed in salads, maybe turned into my own version of baked beans, I've even pureed them with a little garlic and lemon and dolloped them on some crostini, but never have I used them as a replacement to mashed potatoes......and I'm in love!

There is something slightly decadent about it, and served with this quick and simple savoury mince - I enjoyed a most delicious supper this particular night.