The day started like this...

Chicken stock, garlic, chilli... clearly I was feeling a little under the weather, but I wasn't about to let that stop me from enjoying a much needed baking session. There was no particular plan, but after a quick flick through the usual resources and a slow and feverish trip to the markets, one leftover ingredient led to another recipe, and things were soon well underway.

Excess egg whites became these beautifully moist and crunchy flourless walnut cakes...

Gâteaux aux noix sans farine

The astonishingly splendid idea of dusting your cake tin in almond meal soon led to the favoured combination of pear and ginger being effortlessly transformed into a luscious and dense afternoon tea cake...

Gâteau au gingembre frais et aux poires

And the ginger theme continued with these immensely comforting baked blackberry and stem ginger puddings...

Baked blackberry and stem ginger pudding

The recommendation was to serve these charming puds with a dollop of thick cream, but I thought a scoop of winter rhubarb ice cream would work pretty nicely too...

Winter rhubarb ice cream

Messy delicious

It's never fun taking time out for malaise, but if you do have to spend the day in, there are certainly worse ways to do it...