Roast Figs, Sugar Snow: Food to Warm the Soul by Diana Henry

    • Categories: Pies, tarts & pastries; Main course; Fall / autumn; Winter; French
    • Ingredients: bacon lardons; crème fraîche; all-purpose flour; freshly grated nutmeg; Gruyère cheese; flaky sea salt
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Notes about this book

  • demomcook on December 16, 2023

    The text size in the print issue is very very tiny. Had to return and got the kindle instead. At least then I can adjust and actually see. Too bad, because otherwise the book looked beautiful.

  • BookWorm53 on November 04, 2023

    Please note that the 2023 reissued version sold in Canada is the US one. No metric measurements. A bit disappointing that the editor would not have seen fit to include metric measurements in an update.

Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Zuppa alla Valpelleunenze

    • Gingko on February 10, 2025

      Comforting and delicious on a very cold snowy night. Used Gruyere vs. fontina because that's what we could find at the store. The quality of ingredients matters here.

  • Onion and cider soup with melting Camembert

    • Lillibet on September 23, 2013

      Very nice and rich for an onion soup - cheese melt really sets it apart.

    • pattyatbryce on March 13, 2024

      Very good. Not much different for a regular French onion. Used Brie

    • ksg518 on February 10, 2026

      The US edition has a major mistake. The onions should be in kilos not pounds (or the equivalent in pounds). Otherwise it’s a nice soup and I was surprised how much I like the cider in the soup.

  • Alsatian tarte flambée

    • pattyatbryce on March 15, 2024

      Super easy dough. Perfect toppings. A lot of ways to riff on this. The key is that it is like cracker dough, not pizza dough. Great because you can make it in 2 hours vs. letting yeast rise and rest. Most of the time is letting it sit in the fridge and baking. I used her 450 deg rec with convection and it was almost overcooked at 20 min. I'm still learning about convection, so it's new.

  • Georgian cheese pies

    • mfranklin125 on September 20, 2018

      What is awesome about this is that it's really easy and you don't have to wait for the dough to rise or anything that requires splitting up the day with making this recipe. Making larger ones and cutting seemed easier to me. The recipe takes about 15-20 min of prep max plus baking time on top of that.

    • stockholm28 on January 13, 2020

      This was fine, but it was nothing like the khachapuri that I tasted in a Georgian restaurant. It seems that most of the khachapuri recipes use yeast. This one uses baking powder. The recipe makes 2 pies, so I just made half a recipe. The dough is made with bread flour, Greek yogurt, milk, salt, and baking powder. After kneading a couple minutes, I had to add about a Tbsp more yogurt as it became clear that I would never get all the flour incorporated. She also says to place it on a buttered baking pan and I wasn’t sure if this meant a sheet pan or a round cake pan or something else. I used a 9” cake pan and it worked fine, but I think a sheet pan would work better. I doubt I will make this again, but I will seek out a more authentic recipe.

  • Farmer's carrots with bacon and parsley

    • pattyatbryce on March 04, 2024

      Wasn't bad, but didn't leave me wanting to make again.

  • Hungarian potatoes with paprika and caraway seeds

    • pattyatbryce on March 04, 2024

      Good flavor, but it was pointed out that her temps may be based on convection baking. I'd cook again at my normal 425 degrees in a non-convection oven.

  • Mustard mashed potatoes

    • TrishaCP on February 12, 2017

      This was a nice twist to make mashed potatoes taste less rich. My whole grain mustard is basically just bound seeds, so I got lovely pops of mustard seed throughout the potatoes- lovely! Served with the baked sausages as suggested.

    • Pamsy on October 02, 2019

      Served with DH's Baked Sausages from the same book. Very tasty and a wee bit different.

  • Roast beetroot salad with orange and goat cheese

    • vickster on July 04, 2014

      It is a pretty standard beet salad, but the toasted walnuts add a delicious touch. And I had some blood oranges remaining from this year's crop. I'm sure I will be making this salad frequently.

    • Frogcake on January 31, 2017

      So good! Love the vinegrette and roasted walnuts. Have made this with crumble feta.

  • Styrian venison with chestnuts, cranberries and wild mushrooms

    • rmardel on December 04, 2024

      This was quite good. The flavor combination of the mushrooms, chestnuts, cranberries and venison harmonized beautifully. My only complaint with the recipe was that I thought 3 1/2 cups of stock, along with the mushroom soaking liquid, was excessive, but that could have been because my own homemade stock was already high in collagen and got syrupy long before it reduced to 1 1/4 cups. In terms of the final dish, I did not think that the sour cream was necessary, and I adore sour cream. Although the sugared burst cranberries were gorgeous, I might leave out the sugar the next time as I craved a bit more tartness from the cranberry. That added tartness might also have offset the sour cream nicely.

  • Swedish halibut with wild mushrooms and horseradish

    • pattyatbryce on March 28, 2024

      Very nice little dish. I trusted my gut and added oil to the pan with the mushrooms to cook at higher heat - no regrets to the nice browning. Very mild dish that any white fish will do. I used sea bass because there was no halibut at the store. I didn't taste the horseradish. Not sure what I did wrong.

  • Roasted squash with porcini cream

    • Foodycat on July 28, 2014

      I add some garlic to each squash. We've also done this on the Weber in summer, as a side dish and it is very successful!

  • Farmer's salad

    • pattyatbryce on March 13, 2024

      This was a wow for us. I love a good English or Irish, but never thought of them as a salad. Worth the effort to find the blood sausage.

  • Danish roast pork with pickled prunes and sweet cucumber

    • shawn_n5dfya on April 04, 2026

      I made this for a dinner party. The pork with crackling skin is rich and fatty, while the prunes and cukes are sharp.

  • Baked sausages with apples, onions, raisins and hard cider

    • TrishaCP on February 12, 2017

      This was delicious using bratwurst. Easy to throw together as well, though the cooking time makes this a better meal for a lazy weekend rather than weeknight. I omitted the sugar and I would either skip the raisins next time or just plump them in water instead.

    • ksg518 on February 10, 2026

      With some slight revisions, this recipe also appears in Henry's Simple book and has multiple comments.

  • Austrian pasta with speck and smoked cheese (Schinkenfleckerl)

    • ethedens on January 28, 2025

      This was pretty good. I much prefer the creamy style of baked pasta so not a lack of quality issue, but a personal preference one. Nothing wrong with the recipe itself. 3.5/5

  • Dublin coddle

    • pattyatbryce on March 18, 2024

      Very versatile. Don't fret the amounts - onion, pork products, and potatoes. Used half cider and broth. I did some internet research and it's really a personal choice/family recipe type of stew. Trust your gut. I added some odd ham, wish I'd put that extra potato in, used 6 big sausages, and some bacon that I'd used for lardons, but still had some heft.

  • Smoked fish plate with Granny Millar's wheaten bread

    • herbietea on January 25, 2013

      Very tasty, next time use smaller, less green leeks

  • Roasted shoulder steaks with pears, onions and melting Gorgonzola

    • Foodycat on November 01, 2014

      I made this once years ago, and I remember being stunned by how rich it was. This time around I used loin chops and omitted the marscarpone, and it was still quite rich, but really delicious.

    • CopperpotCrank76 on January 26, 2025

      Was stunning! Easy and delicious - dinner party worthy

  • Québécois mussel chowder with cod and cider

    • SheilaS on March 01, 2024

      Seriously delicious for something so simple. The potatoes get seasoned through and through from cooking with the leeks and the cider used to cook the mussels. The big squeeze of lemon juice at the end is a must - it makes all the flavors sing!

  • Georgian lamb with damson plums and walnuts

    • saladdays on March 08, 2014

      This is such a good recipe that I shall find it difficult to make any other lamb casserole dish. There is a real depth to the flavours from the different spices especially enhanced by the pomegranate molasses. I halved the amount of cayenne pepper used as it looked rather a lot and it was lip tingling rather than lip numbing. Used damsons from an autumn glut that I had in the freezer. Recipe is on p. 133, it is not in the book's index.

  • Melting leg of lamb with juniper

    • shawn_n5dfya on April 04, 2026

      Made this as the main dish for a supper club dinner. It’s stellar and very tender. I expected the juniper might have been a strong/forward flavour, but it was mild.

  • Gin and juniper cured salmon with apple and fennel cream

    • rmardel on December 30, 2025

      This is a "lighter" cure than many of the gravlax-style salmons I have purchased. Easy and will make again.

  • Beetroot, walnut and cilantro purée

    • IsaSim on December 14, 2016

      Well balanced flavours, earthy beet against garlic and walnuts. Husband loved it.

  • Hungarian lecsó

  • Mulled wine (Glögg)

    • adrienneyoung on January 02, 2017

      Made it with madeira and, owing to lack of aquavit, a good slug of poire william. Yum yum! Definitely a keeper.

    • stockholm28 on January 25, 2020

      While this has some ingredients that I’ve never seen in glögg before (Marsala wine, Angostura bitters, and Cointreau), it was very tasty. I omitted the aquavit.

    • adrienneyoung on December 01, 2023

      Made it this year with armagnac (still got no aquavit in the house), madeira and cointreau. Still very much a keeper.

  • Danish Christmas kringle with cardamom

    • monica107 on January 26, 2014

      The recipe put me off at first glance because it required yeast and rising time and such, but upon further review (and making it) it is quite unfussy. I left the first rise overnight (no time is specified) out of sheer convenience. After making the dough I made the filling and stuck it in the fridge til I assembled and baked it the next day. Let the filling sit out and come to room temp before you attempt to spread it onto the long strip of dough. The frosting seemed superfluous to me; a dusting of powdered sugar looked much better. Overall, an impressive looking dessert item, quite uncomplicated once you get started, and highly recommended for a holiday table.

  • Warm duck and wild rice salad with dried cranberries and maple-cider vinaigrette

    • pattyatbryce on March 20, 2024

      Great dressing if you double the mustard. Then double the dressing. Delish. I din't cook the duck her way (used Keller's Ad Hoc method (with just S&P) because I was nervous about getting it wrong). Oh, and doubled the green beans. Overall, an amazing dish with the hacks for person preference.

  • Swedish meatballs with cranberry sauce

    • pattyatbryce on March 26, 2024

      Very nice little recipe. For those not finding cranberries in the store, I had a languishing jar of cherry-cranberry jam from a company that starts with Bon... It totally worked as the side component.

    • rmardel on December 04, 2024

      Nice, fluffy, moist meatballs. I made mine with venison, as suggested in the headnote and will do so again. The amount of both recommended means that most of the sauce has thickened to a mere glaze on the meatballs, and I prefer them served this way, but these are not the Swedish Meatballs swimming in sauce of my childhood. Also note that Henry does not add salt to the meatball mix and they do need it. I added too little but will adjust next time. I also think that 2 teaspoons of allspice is not enough for the volume of the meatballs, it barely registered. That could also have been because I used venison instead of a beef/pork mix, but I think I would add more seasoning whichever meat I used and I will make these again with seasoning adjustments.

  • Hennickehammar's toasted ginger cake with wine-poached cranberries

    • mwin on December 22, 2021

      this recipe is on page 170n

  • Pasta alla Norcina

    • pattyatbryce on March 03, 2024

      Solid recipe and very easy. Definitely use fresh nutmeg and a mild sausage.

  • Chocolate, blackberry and rosemary brownies

    • mlbatt on October 14, 2024

      Indexing error: recipe does not include creme de menthe, but creme de mûre (with a substitution of creme de cassis)

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  • ISBN 10 1783255765
  • ISBN 13 9781783255764
  • Published Oct 17 2023
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 208
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Aster

Publishers Text

Diana Henry’s classic cookbook, Roast Figs, Sugar Snow, is now revisited, revised, and refreshed nearly 20 years after its first publication, with a new foreword by Nigel Slater and seven new recipes. Full of comforting delights from cold-weather climates, it features recipes gathered from Diana’s travels to Scandinavia, the French and Italian Alps, Scotland, Ireland, and New England. This is irresistible food you’ll cook over and over again. Choose Alpine dishes of melted cheese; autumnal pies and substantial winter salads; pastries from Viennese coffee houses; festive snow biscuits and – closer to home – Diana’s definitive recipe for warming Irish stew. Of course, there is also a recipe for Sugar-on-Snow as well. These recipes will bring warmth to your heart as well as your home. And Diana’s evocative writing about both place and food make this a book well worth reading, as well as cooking from.

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