We love a grand finale and the more spectacular the better. But not everyone is such a dessert extrovert. If that sounds like you, then we have some easy options ....
THE MAIN EVENT
A generously laden Christmas table needs a main event, a dish or two around which all others are planned, and here we have two suggestions which will make very handsome additions to your festive feasting. The first is a whole fish which is perfect for feeding a crowd. The second is a butterflied, pork neck which is first marinated then stuffed and rolled ....
ENTREE CHRISTMAS DAY
Two of our trio have been to Greece this year and we’ve noticed an ever so subtle leaning to the flavours of that region sneaking into our Christmas menu. Dill, marinated feta, oregano, figs, nuts, dried beans and the like have all made an appearance in our recipes but in a deliciously understated way ...
PREPARING FOR PARTY TIME
In the run-up to the festive season, or anytime really, I feel quite satisfied with myself if I have a little hoard of good things to eat on hand for whoever might drop in, and these classic Italian biscuits are close to perfect because they accompany a lovely glass of sweet wine just as easily as a cup of tea ....
TIME TO GET TOGETHER!
Yes, we all do it. Wanting to catch up with everyone before Christmas as if there’ll never be another chance! It makes a crazy time even more crazy but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We love the idea of catching up over drinks with a few delicious bites no matter whether it is a huge festive affair with all the friends and neighbours dropping in or something more intimate. Either way, we’ve got you covered ....
IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS
Here we go again, turning our heads towards Christmas dinner.
It’s only four weeks till D Day, or rather C Day, so getting ourselves prepared is not such a bad idea. In the next four weeks we’ll be posting lots of ideas for your Christmas dinner, in fact we have so many we’ll be posting twice as often as usual but just in case you’re a real Scout and would like to be prepared NOW, we’re here to help ...
RHUBARB, RHUBARB, RHUBARB
Funny how one thing leads to another. I recently needed only a couple of stalks of rhubarb, to pickle, to top some delicious sticky rice cakes for a pre-dinner nibble. As our rhubarb pickle loses its vibrant colour after a week or two, I only pickle what I need. What to do with the rest? A bit of poaching with some star anise, orange juice and zest produced a cup full of delicious pulpy sweet rhubarb.
What to do with that ...
LIGHT, GREEN AND NICE
SWEET NONYA
Nonya cuisine is probably the world’s first true fusion food. It really is a fusion of cultures using Malay, Indonesian, Thai and Chinese flavours and spices and is also well known for a wide variety of delicious and sometimes unusual (to me) traditional cakes and sweets. I went crazy for their delicate Pineapple Tarts ...
SINGAPORE KAREN'S SINGAPORE NOODLES
I love Singapore and not just for the noodles. A very old friend and her husband have been living and working there for ten years and we love to visit. They live in Tiong Bahru an old, historic part of Singapore which has lately become a very trendy part of the city. There is a wonderful Chinese wet market there full of a vast variety the freshest produce. It’s hot and noisy, bustling and busy and I love it ....
YUZU MEETS PUDDING
RICOTTA AND LEEK TART
WHOLESOME LOAF
THUMBS UP, PUMPKIN
QUARK FOR DESSERT ANYONE?
TUBULAR TASTES
Deliciously succulent pasta tubes filled with aubergine, ricotta, spinach, parmesan and smoked Fior di Latte, topped and bottomed with home made tomato sauce ….. salivating yet? This week’s recipe is a home-cook’s dream as it can be prepared well ahead of time and gently reheated to serve topped with fresh basil leaves. It can be made in very large quantities for parties and freezes well ....
SLICE IS NICE
YOU SAY SHISO, I SAY PERILLA
Some years ago I found an interesting herb garnish on my salad in a Vietnamese restaurant. I didn’t recognise it but my mother, the green thumb in our family who couldn’t identify it either, suggested that I take it home and stick it in a glass of water. I did and roots sprouted. Now, I have a garden that is verdant with perilla ....
WORTH THE WORK
Husband’s birthday. Cake needed. But what to make? Something new. He’s had all our recipes of course. Birthday getting closer ..... Chatting with a friend just back from Europe who, on a train to Brussels, consumed several pieces of what she described as the most delicious cake she’d ever had - a Medovik, a Czechoslovakian Honey Cake. Bingo! ....
LUXE SOUP
Dinner for a very dear friend’s birthday required a bit of thought as I wanted to cook her favourites but with a twist. She loves a corn curry I’ve been making for years but I didn’t want to serve a curry meal and so decided to convert the curry idea into a soup for entrée and make it a bit luxe for the celebration by garnishing with crayfish tails ....