A ripe pear is notoriously difficult to purchase so we always seem to have a number, in various degrees of ripeness, sitting in our fruit bowl …. just in case. This week a few rapidly ripening offenders were put to very good use in our Pear, Ginger and Honey Cake which we topped with Pears Poached in Mead ....

While we put macadamia nuts to good use in biscuits, cakes, puddings and so on, they also make a great savoury snack for an instant pick-me-up. And, of course, they’re delicious with a cool drink at the end of a day ….

Similar to the much-loved Lemon Delicious but with a more exotic flavour, this light and comforting gluten-free pudding is sure to please ….

While mandarins are still in season we thought we’d introduce you to these delicious Duck Breasts with Chinese Five-Spice and Mandarin. It’s an easy recipe but you’ll need to begin the day before by curing the duck breasts overnight in spiced salt, a process that helps crisp up the skin and enhances the tenderness and flavour ....

This week we’re focusing on delicious polenta, whether it be soft and creamy straight from the pot, or allowed to set, cut into shapes, brushed with olive oil and baked until crisp on the outside but with its trademark creaminess through the centre ....

Iranian Curry Powder has many uses - one example is to dust a whole fish before roasting. Also, it’s great mixed with some plain yogurt to serve with boiled chat potatoes or to marinate pieces of chicken before barbecuing. Try our recipe for Spice Roasted Macadamias. So versatile ....

The quinces and almonds in this cake make a wonderful marriage but it is the addition of pastry cream that gives it its fabulous texture and sticky crust ….

If you’re looking for an easy way to add extra flavour to a range of different vegetables, try this simple Japanese technique ….

Easy to whip up and even easier to devour, our gluten-free, Pear, Chocolate and Vanilla Cake is as delicious eaten warm as it is at room temperature. But don’t be put off by its modest appearance. A slice will deliver wafts of vanilla, sweet and juicy slices of pear and bursts of chocolate all in a moist, sweet gluten-free cake ….

Chargrilled eggplant is nothing new but it’s definitely worth a revisit, especially when crowned with a salad of pomegranate and walnut ….

 A Tarte Tatin was traditionally only made with caramelised apples and known as an upside-down apple tart but these days anything baked with the pastry on top, a good suntan, and turned up to serve, is referred to as a something-or-other Tatin, sweet or savoury ….

Our beef short ribs, slowly braised in the oven with a simple paste of fresh garlic, ginger, coriander and onions, some chicken stock and sherry, will make a very tender and succulent stand-alone dish. But when topped with its Hot and Sour Salad it will zing with chilli, fresh herbs and lime …

How often do you look in the fridge hoping for some inspiration for the evening’s meal? We find that if we have some delicious homemade sauces and condiments on hand then the ideas come a bit quicker and easier ….

This ambrosial Fresh Date and Vanilla Tart is the genius of Sydney pâtissiere, Lorraine Godsmark, and she is deservedly famous for it. I have basked in her glory for the many years I have been making her wonderfully rich, sweet and aromatic concoction ….

Winter Pesto is great to have on hand to enrich a wintery soup, serve as a pasta sauce with some freshly grated parmesan, pancetta and peas or use wherever you fancy some extra tasty, green flavour ….

Have a jar or two of Candied Quinces in your larder, some whipped cream or ice cream and you’ll have a delicious dessert on the table in an instant. Or use them, as we’ve done, in our Quince and Almond Cream Cake, or our Candied Quince and Ricotta Cake. Try replacing the rhubarb with Candied Quinces in our Rhubarb, Orange and Almond Tart ….

The big flavours of gluten-free walnut crispbread, pickled carrots, spicy nduja and cucumbers with mustard and dill all combine to make an unusual but very delicious entrée ….

A friend made a Cypriot Grain Salad for us recently, which was nutty, fresh and super-wholesome, not to mention fabulously delicious. It was also naturally gluten-free because the freekeh that’s usually in the grain salad was substituted with quinoa ….

This no-fuss recipe is a handy stand-by when you really need a great meal to cook itself. In 5 hours, and in one dish, it delivers all the flavours of a classic Greek Roast Lamb - fall off-the-bone meat, lots of garlic, lemon and oregano, and onions and potatoes as well …..

New Zealanders, it seems, have quite a reputation for home baking. Their 1908 cookbook, Edmonds Cookery Book, provides recipes for a plethora of favourite sweet-treats including the classic and now politically incorrectly named, Afghans ….

I really like this dish of Potted Prawns. It’s simple to make, delicious, a bit ‘old school’ and two of my favourite ingredients, prawns and butter, are the heroes. Use the best quality prawns and butter you can find and you’ll be assured of success ….

Our Valentine’s Day Lime and Rose Cheesecake is on the more delicate end of the scale and uses lime juice and zest to cut the richness a little. And to fit the occasion we’ve made it in a heart shape, decorated with dried rose buds ….

These delicious Ginger, Cranberry and Pistachio Chocolates, made with the red, green and gold of Christmas, are too easy to prepare and too easy to tuck away too many ….

Where we live we happily enjoy our festive season in the hot summer months when chestnuts are not in season. However, like Santa Snow, they are still often thought of as a traditional Christmas component ….

Traditional with a bit of a twist. That’s our suggestion for your main meal this Christmas. We’re offering a rolled and stuffed pork neck cooked slowly in apple cider, accompanied by vegetables …. with a bit of zing ….

Ah, I know, I just know that you’re looking at the list of ingredients for Pan-Fried Prawns in Black Lime Butter and thinking ‘This isn’t for me’. But I encourage you to give it a go as it really is as easy as 123. And it’s really tasty ….