Goat Cheese Pudding

This is one of my favourite puddings, a gorgeous dessert. Quick and easy to make, tasty and not too sweet or heavy…At home we all crave for it…here is my dear mum’s recipe. She learned it while living in Africa.

Ingredients

6 eggs

250g sugar

350ml milk

1 tbsp butter

150g grated dry goat cheese (best to use artisanal cheese)

1 grated lemon zest

For the caramel

8 tbsps sugar

2 tbsps cold water

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180ºC

2. Put the sugar with the cold water in a frying pan and heat gently over a low heat. Keep stirring until the sugar melts and forms a dark golden caramel. Do not let the sugar burn!

3. Pour the caramel into a pudding mould, quickly, before it hardens. (I use a trusty 16 cm diameter, 10 cm deep aluminium pudding mould.)  Set aside to cool completely.

4. In the meantime, blend together the sugar, eggs, milk and the melted butter for about 5 minutes.

5. Add the grated cheese to the liquid mixture and add the grated lemon zest.

6. Pour the liquid into the pudding mould, over the cooled caramel. Then, place the pudding mould in a pan partly filled with water (bain-marie, a technique that prevents the sugar from overheating) and put them in the oven.

7. Cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. It is ready when it becomes firm.

8. Let it cool before putting in the fridge for around 8 hours. Then, turn the mould over a serving plate in a sudden movement. Serve.

Serves 12-14

Tips: If there are any leftovers, refrigerate. You can easily keep the pudding for up to five days. You can prepare it in advance (this makes it even tastier).

The Greenhouse, 2007 (original title: Afleggjarinn)

At 22, Arnljotur leaves the ice and lava of his native Iceland, destined for a monastery on the continent where he must restore the rose garden. He leaves with, in his pocket, a photo of his baby daughter, in his heart, the love of his father and his autistic brother and the memory of his prematurely departed mother and, in his trunk, three cuttings of rosa candida.

Author: Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, is a woman writer born in 1958 in Reykjavik, Iceland. She is also a professor of art history at the University of Iceland and director of the University of Iceland Art Museum. She has published four books to date.

My thoughts: It was in May that I bought this book, to which I was intuitively drawn by its intense pink cover. After reading the first lines, I decided to take it home, but it was not until early January that I read this gem.

“The book chooses us, not the other way round.” A writer I once met at a book fair said to me....and experience has proved to me so many times that this is true!!

The Greenhouse is a gentle and soothing book - a touch of sweetness in this cruel world! A masterpiece of Icelandic literature. I loved everything in this book: the people, the landscapes and the emotions... It is the journey of a young man in search of himself who, thanks to encounters, advice and new experiences, discovers who he is and who he can become. I loved Arnljotur for his candour, freshness and goodness. I also adored his father, an old man completely overwhelmed by the unexpected death of his wife, always worried about his son, so kind and loving. This book is a breath of fresh air, a means to disconnect from harsh reality... We need more innocent and loving people like this young man. Captivated, I have purchased another of Ólafsdóttir’s novels "Rigning í November" or “Butterflies in November” in English.

Make Up

My taste for make-up is very limited; it doesn’t really interest me! Nevertheless, for very special occasions, I make a little effort…To summarise, my makeup kit includes seven items that are still almost new.

So, from time to time, I put on the ever versatile red lipstick to give a twist to my look. At other times I wear a pink shade of lipstick or a transparent lip gloss. I also wear black mascara for sensitive eyes. I have a BB foundation cream (used only once), I prefer the Nuxe "healthy glow" effect powder for sensitive skin.

However, I must admit that my preference is just red lipstick! In Gwyneth Paltrow’s words, “Beauty, to me, is about being comfortable in your own skin. That or a kick-ass red lipstick”. I couldn't agree more with that.

My tiny kit includes:

Multi-Usage Compact Bronzing Powder, Nuxe

Beauty Balm Hydra Zen 4, Lancôme

Mascara Respectissime, La Roche- Posay

Envy Sculpting lipstick, Estée Lauder

Rose Envy Christal Shimmer, Estée Lauder

Gloss Ocean Shimmer, Chanel

… and this Christmas gift Gossamer Emotion Red by Kiko Milano

This post, like all my blog posts, is not sponsored.

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honey Drops Body Cream

Hello ladies, I have a divine cream suggestion for you, it is Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Honey Drops Body Cream.

Those who follow this blog know that I swim and thus need a rich body cream for my dry skin. I am addicted to this cream since I first tried it over a month ago. I bought a 500ml jar for CHF 27.00 before catching my flight. It was on promotion at Geneva Airport.

I love the texture, rich but not heavy, yet still thick enough to hydrate and nourish the skin perfectly. It is quickly absorbed; my skin just feels soft and smooth. I also love its fresh smell, both sensual and relaxing. The green tea scent is subtle and the honey makes it voluptuous.

This was my gift to me for Christmas. From time to time it is important to give yourself a treat. If you find it on discount, it is worth purchasing. I think you will love it!

This post, like all my blog posts, is not sponsored.

The First Sunday

The first Sunday of January we were treated to a radiant sun in the morning. After grey and rainy days, the sun woke us up at 8:00.

So, after breakfast, I took my faithful comrade - Mr Nikon - for a long walk into town.

It was nice to still see the Christmas decorations in the shops and restaurants: they warmed my heart!

I came across a multitude of people:  joggers trying hard to accomplish their New Year resolutions... and tourists capturing the last moments of their holidays. There were good vibrations in town... only happy faces!

I hope this year will be filled with joy and peace for all of us, just like that sunny Sunday morning.

Have a sweet Wednesday!

Ava Gardner, Love is Nothing by Lee Server (2006)

Ava Gardner was the sex symbol who dazzled the other sex symbols. Elizabeth Taylor and Lana Turner thought her the most beautiful woman they had ever seen. She drove Frank Sinatra to the brink of suicide. Ernest Hemingway carried around one of her kidney stones as a sacred memento. Howard Hughes begged her to marry him: she punched his front teeth out. Her charismatic presence, jaw-dropping beauty and scandalous adventures fuelled the legend that she became. Yet she was a farm girl who became a reluctant goddess, and who retreated from the world's gaze for the last years of her life. Filled with fresh insights gleaned from interviews with Ava's colleagues, friends and lovers, this is the definitive biography of Hollywood’s most glamorous, restless and uninhibited star.

Author: Lee Server is an American writer who has written several books about Hollywood and cinema.

My thoughts: I just had to introduce you to Ava Gardner's story! I have read two, maybe three biographies of Ava, but this one is very well written and complete. It is an overview of Ava the actress, the woman, the lover. I was eight or nine years old the first time I saw her on the screen in a Sunday series of old black and white movies. That is how I became acquainted with great movies and Hollywood stars. I thought, and still think today, that Ava is the most beautiful woman in the world. She was dark, exotic and had great sex appeal. Astonishingly, she never underwent plastic surgery, she ate and drank like a man and she swore like a trooper. She lived a free and passionate life, so passionate that Ava invented her own rules. It will surprise you to learn that Ava never wanted to be an actress, but fate, as many would have it, decided otherwise.  I love this book and I feel that her life was both exciting and chaotic, as she was prone to sabotaging her happiness. After all, she did shut herself away in her own gilded prison. I strongly recommend to you this excellent and heart breaking biography of a very shy farm girl who became a barefoot goddess.

Me, Myself and I

After the recent busy weeks, I have been taking it easy for a few days. The only thing on my agenda has been total relaxation!

But I will come back next week with new posts: book reviews and news of what is going on in my little city.

I may live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but I am a simple girl at heart. There is nothing I like doing better than curling up on an afternoon, with a cup of tea, a book and listening to music.

Today, I’ve put together some of my holiday looks for you.

Have a lovely day!

Happy 2016! My Six Months in Pictures

How is it possible that the festive season is over in a flash! Can you believe it? After all that fuss! After all the time it took us to prepare everything and to think about all the details and now the magic has flown by too fast... Another year has gone...

Never mind... My message to you for 2016 is: live with optimism even when all seems lost. Highs and lows will always exist. As they say in my home town "When we lack luck, we have to have attitude, because bad luck is terrified of determined people."

That said, let's talk about my blog. It has been six months that my little corner exists. I like to use it to share some snippets of my life, especially things that make me smile. It's good to know that some of you really like what I post here and think that my opinion is worth something.

I love the interaction that I have with my readers. I like recognising familiar names and always enjoy responding to your comments. I cherish your opinions!

Obviously, if my life changes, my little corner will take new directions too. But I know for sure that I will continue as long as it brings me the pleasure that it has been giving me until now.

To finish, I want to thank all of you...Those who send emails, those who always comment, those who just comment once in a while, and those who don't comment but just come here to visit.

So here I have put together the highlights in photos of the most read posts.

I hope you like them!

About Me (July 2015)

Lagos: Sun Sea Seafood (July 2015)

Best Desserts in Geneva - Martel (August 2015)

Save one last dance... (August 2015)

Afternoon Tea at The Royal Horseguards Hotel, London (September 2015)

A Fabulous Bookstore in London (September 2015)

Idyllic day at Lavey-Les-Bains thermal baths and Saint-Maurice (September 2015)

Tourist, not mannish! (October 2015)

Saudade Cocktail (October 2015)

Where to stay in the Swiss Alps? Etoiles des Montagne - Part I (November 2015)

Hello Autumn - A stroll in Parc de La Grange and Parc des Eaux-Vives (November 2015)

A Birthday...Details that make the difference (November 2015)

Montreux Christmas Market (December 2015)

Oriental White Lily (December 2015)

DIY - Christmas Tin Baskets (December 2015)