One of the best things about the travelling I do, and living in two different countries, is the cuisines I get to explore. French food is divine, and for those with a sweet tooth, there are so many pastries and cakes and biscuits and chocolates to choose from in the pâtisserie, as the picture illustrates!

One of my favourites to buy is fours pochés – delicious and light piped biscuits. I also love to make them at home, because it gives me an excuse to have fun with the piping bag.

Here’s a simple recipe to try. It’s surprisingly easy, but the results look impressive, so this is a great recipe to have up your sleeve for when you have visitors.

Ingredients:

340g flour (pastry, ideally; if not, plain)

90g cocoa powder

160g unsalted butter, softened

90g caster sugar

1 1/2 egg whites

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

2. Line two baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

3. Cream together the butter and sugar.

4. Add the egg whites bit by bit and beat thoroughly.

5. Fold in the sifted flour and cocoa powder.

6. Put the mixture into a piping bag with a star-shaped tip. Pipe out swirls of around 3 centimetres, leaving room between each to allow for expansion.

7. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browning.

8. Cool on wire racks.

The biscuits last around five days when stored in an airtight container. If you’re feeling adventurous, try making two batches of mixture – one with the cocoa powder and the other with a couple of drops of vanilla essence, then swirl the two together into shapes to create chocolate-vanilla fours pochés. Delicious served with coffee!