Boy do I love Christmas time! It’s baking heaven – from Zimtsterne and Vanillekipferl to Stollen and Florentines, I really love indulging in traditional Christmas treats. And, ever since I’ve moved to the UK, two new seasonal desserts have found their way into my festive xmas heart: mince pies and the pudding of all puddings: Christmas pudding! This fruit-studded dessert is a real revelation: laced with brandy and most often devoured with brandy butter, it’s just heavenly. Still, I often find that after a huge Christmas dinner, it’s hard to do this dessert any justice, and most often there are more leftovers than intended.

Now, I’ve got the perfect solution for such a typical leftover situation or if you find yourself with an unopened Christmas pudding at the end of the festivities… My Christmas pudding trifle! It’s pretty divine if I may say so myself: laced with an extra double kick of whisky and topped off with vanilla whipped cream, it will make you wish it was Christmas all year round! Enjoy!

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New York, New York. What a city! Definitely one that inspires in all kind of possible ways – from its unique architecture and world-class exhibitions, super hip street styles and quirky neighbourhoods to an unmatched buzz, energy and the most amazingly diverse food scene ever. Yes, it is a pretty cool city, isn´t it?

I was lucky enough to spend a week in NYC in October, visiting friends (a big thanks to L.) and eating my way around town. I think I had about a burger a day, which, fortunately didn´t leave too much of a mark on me thanks to the miles and miles I walked through this fascinating city every day.

Now, I´m going to say something controversial and I know that many of you are going to get off your chairs, thump down your fists and say “no way”! But I just really think that, despite the hipness and huge variety of restaurants found in NYC, I find that the food is better in London… Seriously.

I can´t help but feel that the look often triumphs over the food in New York, so that it´s more important to be in a cool setting than to actually eat an amazing dish. Ok, I haven´t been to any super renowned restaurants, but I checked out quite a few that are trendy at the moment (and have been for a bit), and that Zagat rates quite highly too. And that´s what I found. But hey, who am I to judge this anyway?! What do you think? My friend who´ve lived in London and New York normally violently disagree, so I´d be really interested in finding out.

One of my favourite places was a little Mexican place, recommended by my brilliant sister (who’s got a great taste in music by the way, check out her blog). If you didn’t know it was there, you’d walk straight past Tacombi. Popped up in a former mechanic’s garage, this taqueria is dedicated to Mexican street-food: tacos, quesadillas and grilled corn make up the smallish menu, complemented with quirky drinks such as white sangria and watermelon juice.

To keep it all street, Tacombi’s decor is made up of metallic chairs and tables (adorned with painted-on board games) plonked down next to an old-school 70s VW van, out of which the tacos being served. Too cool for school, so you have to check it out!

More New York foodie addresses after the break…

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So, I guess Christmas magic has arrived and everyone is in a festive mood? I’m not yet, probably because I just returned from a 2-week-trip to Goa in India, and spent most of my time sweating in 30° heat, drinking coconut water and getting a tan. Still, I couldn’t help but think of christmas baking, especially when I got to nibble on a branch of a real cinnamon tree and see how cardamome, nutmeg and cloves are grown – the essentials for my traditional mulled wine.. Fortunately the spice farm I visited had a little counter that sold all the spices they grow there – I think I bought about two kilos worth of fragrant spices, which included cinnamon sticks the length of my lower arm, oh joy!

And so here I am, back with a suitcase full of spices and ready to kick-start my festive season metabolism! First up, my very favourite christmas cookie: the Zimtstern. A traditional German cookie, it is full of almonds, icing sugar and cinnamon – no butter needed for these beauties, so yes, you can trick people in thinking they’re low fat  (well, the almonds are not, but who cares!). Make these well-ahead of Christmas and store them in an air-tight container with a slice of fresh apple – and you’ll notice they’ll increasingly become better and better. That’s because the moisture in the apple slice gradually transforms these cookies from hard buggers into chewy little stars, a trick I learnt from my mum, and which is essential to get the right texture for these awesome little treats.

On this festive note, I’ve got a video for you (shot for vouchercodes.co.uk), in which I prepare an absolutely jawdropping soft chestnut meringue roulade, a take on the festive yule log. It’s going to truly make you want to run to your kitchen and impress your guests (and, the best part is, it’s so simple to make, it’s actually ridiculous). You can watch the video here.

Also, if you’re looking for more Christmas inspiration, check out my Christmas baking section in my recipe index, where you’ll find the likes of Stollen, spiced cookies, Vanillekipferl, Gingerbread cookies and orange marzipan chocolates.

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