If you’ve ever read Roald Dahl’s book Matilda, or seen the movie, you’ll know that Bruce Bogtrotter is the little boy that dared to steal a sliver of chocolate cake from his evil headmistress’s tea tray. As punishment he was forced to eat the entire enormous cake in front of the whole school assembly. I’m […]
Okra, or ladies fingers as they’re sometimes called, is a vegetable that’s not often seen outside of the Middle East/India and, strangely enough, in the Southern United States where it’s used in such dishes as gumbo. Some people find the texture a little off-putting, referring to them as “slimy” but I prefer to think of […]
Brussel Sprouts have always gotten a bad wrap. Why I’m not sure as I love them. In fact if I had to choose between broccoli, or any other green veg, and sprouts, I’d choose sprouts every time. They actually have a very complex flavour profile that can stand up to a lot of different cooking […]
I love tarts of any kind; sweet or savoury, large or small. I particularly like individual tarts as they make such a lovely first course. The variations for fillings are endless but one thing I do prefer is for the tart to be more creamy than eggy, if you know what I mean – a […]
Laksa is a spicy curry based noodle soup that’s very popular is Malaysia and Singapore, not to mention Sydney where die-hard laksa fans are always on the lookout for the best laksa vendor. Making an authentic laksa from scratch can be a time consuming exercise and sometimes the craving for a laksa can hit you […]
I’m always searching for new ways to make potatoes. As much as I love them roasted and mashed it can get a bit boring. Pommes Anna is a traditional French side dish of potatoes which have been very thinly sliced, coated in butter and then neatly layered in a skillet where they are first cooked […]
This cake is what they refer to in America as a coffee cake. Not because it contains any coffee but because it’s the perfect type of cake to have with a cuppa – similar to what the Brits call tea cakes. It’s moist, light, sweet and just perfect for morning or afternoon tea. I made […]
If you come from the Southern States of America then this is a dish you’ve probably grown up eating, but it’s made it’s way into the hearts and plates of people all over the States, and for good reason – it’s darn delicious and comforting, a warm hug on a cold night. If you’ve never […]
A lot of the pasta sauces I tend to make are slow braises such as this bolognese or this chicken liver, veal and porcini ragu but sometimes the simplest things are often the best and in this less-is-more-pasta sauce of mixed seafood, chilli, fresh tomatoes and saffron that’s certainly the case. A short list of […]
There seems to be a lot of confusion between countries as to what a shallot is and what a spring onion is. Australia seems to have really muddied the waters by referring to spring onions (the long thin allium with the white and green sections) as shallots, which is the opposite to most countries. But […]
Mustard With Mutton 