Does the world need another cheesecake recipe? Probably not, but I’m sharing this because it’s easy, it works, and it tastes good. Lemon desserts are always my preferred choice, they’re a refreshing end to a meal even when (*cough*) they are quite rich. Continue reading
I once tried to make a strawberry pavlova and it was such a disaster that I broke up the meringue and turned it all into an Eton Mess. Pavlovas … those big meringue nests you fill with cream and fruit to spectacular effect … can be a bit tricksy. They conspire with your oven to make you look like a bad cook. Then all your friends tell you how easy they are and how theirs work perfectly every time. Pah. Time for a fight-back. Continue reading
Hollandaise sauce is one of those things that can strike fear into the heart of even the most experienced cook. Get the temperature wrong or turn your back for a minute and you can end up with a curdled mess. Continue reading
When I first launched this ‘basics’ series I asked for suggestions from readers. Quite a few people asked how to make stock. I must admit I’ve been postponing a response as it’s a thorny subject.
If you’d like to know how to make a restaurant-standard demi-glace, or a bone broth that’s simmered for 24 hours, you’ve come to the wrong place. I don’t have the patience for the first or the inclination for the second. Continue reading
You can buy very good pre-made all-butter puff pastry from the supermarket these days but when I was growing up that wasn’t an option and my mum would make this. It’s a quick flaky pastry, or rough puff, which is really very good. Continue reading
Hah, you might say, I don’t need anyone to tell me how to poach an egg. Well, maybe you don’t, but I’ve had umpteen poached eggs in hotels where professional chefs have put vinegar in the water to help the egg set. This is a personal bugbear. Forgive me while I shout for a moment: IT IS NOT NECESSARY! Continue reading
Shortcrust rolled and cut for a pie lid
I rarely make puff pastry as it’s so much easier to buy a good all-butter puff ready-made (although I do make rough puff). But making shortcrust is quick and easy, especially if you have a food processor, and it tastes so much better than shop-bought. Continue reading
Cooking terms can be stupidly confusing sometimes and if you have a recipe that calls for a béchamel or roux, you might wonder what the difference is. Continue reading
Tomatoes peeled and chopped and ready to be made into sauce
This is an enormously useful and versatile sauce to have in your arsenal: eat it simply stirred through pasta, serve it with meatballs, chops or sausages, cook it until it’s thicker and use it as a pizza topping, thin it down and eat it as a soup. Continue reading
A gorgeously gloopy saffron allioli
We’ve all reached for a jar of shop-bought mayonnaise but making your own is well worth the effort. It’s a different animal, rich, unctuous and utterly delicious. Continue reading