Do you wear the same clothes as your 17-year-old niece? Listen to the same music (using the same technology)? Lust after the same movie stars and obsess over the same TV series? Did you just forget to grow up, or are we in the process of redefining adulthood? Either way, it looks like the generation … Read more

Set your table to match the occasion with spring flowers, pastel-hued crockery and all things eggy – from chocolates to decorations. Easter passion cake Carrots and pineapple make this cake incredibly moist – a real teatime treat! Preparation time: 45 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves 16 Easy/prepare ahead/freeze (cake only) Easter passion cake 300g … Read more

Spring meadow biscuits These pastel-hued biscuits are so pretty, and small enough for a feel good treat. Preparation tiivie: 35 minutes, plus chilling Cooking time: 15 minutes, plus cooling Makes 24 Easy/prepare ahead/freeze (undecorated) Spring meadow biscuits 125g (41/2oz) butter, cubed 125g (41/2oz) golden caster sugar 1tsp vanilla extract 175g (6oz) plain flour 1 large … Read more

Simnel cake Filled with feel good spice, zest and fruit – a small slice with satisfy any cravings. Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes Serves 11 Easy Simnel cake 500g (1lb 2oz) marzipan 250g (9oz) plain flour 300g (10oz) mixed dried fruit 50g (2oz) candied peel, chopped 1/2tsp baking powder 2tsp … Read more

Feeding a crowd doesn’t mean you can’t serve an impressive main everyone will love. Lemon-and-herb crusted rack of lamb Pine nuts add a lovely creaminess, and supply zinc, which balances blood sugar. Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 30 minutes Serves 4 Easy Lemon-and-herb crusted rack of lamb Small bunch mint, leaves only Small bunch … Read more

Spatchcock chicken with gremolata A spatchcock chicken is a chicken that has simply had the backbone cut out. Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 6 Easy Spatchcock chicken with gremolata 1.5kg (3lb 6oz) free-range chicken, spatchcocked 1tbsp olive oil Juice 1/2 lemon For the gremolata Handful each flat-leaf parsley and tarragon, roughly … Read more

“I have to admit that when making my own commitment to cook and eat more veg, and indeed to write this book. It was a little hard to shake off the meat lover’s niggling prejudices,” says Hugh. “The cookery I have embraced here is more democratic and the recipes are often a harmonious blend of … Read more

Warm puy lentil, butternut and beetroot salad Keep the skin on the butternut squash – it’s where all the nutrients are found. Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 4 Easy/prepare ahead Warm puy lentil, butternut and beetroot salad 1 large butternut squash, deseeded and cut into chunks 2tbsp olive oil 500g (1lb … Read more

Cauliflower and leek soup with gremolata Cauliflower is perfect when you want a creamy soup without calorie-laden cream. Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 4 as a main, 6 as a starter Easy/prepare ahead/freeze Cauliflower and leek soup with gremolata 35g (11/4oz) butter 1 large onion, chopped 1 leek, chopped 2 garlic … Read more

Spring vegetable stew Packed with gorgeous fresh veg – almost your 5 a day in one pot Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Serves 4 Easy/prepare ahead Spring vegetable stew 1tbsp olive oil 4 shallots or 1 medium onion, peeled and finely sliced 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed 100ml (4fl oz) dry … Read more

Sweet potato and Peppadew tortilla Make this tortilla for supper, then enjoy the rest for lunch the next day. Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 8 Easy/prepare ahead Sweet potato and Peppadew tortilla 750g (1lb 10oz) sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 2tbsp olive oil 2 onions, finely sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed … Read more

Pesto fusilli with courgettes Aromatic basil (used to make the pesto) is believed to calm the nervous system. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes Serves 4 (with pesto leftovers) Easy/prepare ahead Pesto fusilli with courgettes 300g (10oz) fusilli 1 potato, peeled 2 courgettes, sliced 85g (31/2oz) frozen peas For the pesto 85g (31/2oz) … Read more

Make the most of lazy weekends by serving a lovely brunch – much quicker to make than a whole roast, and just as relaxed Salmon-filled croissants Deliciously smoky salmon is perfect brunch food and boosts brain health too. Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 5 minutes Serves 4 Easy Salmon-filled croissants 4 large croissants 150g … Read more

Lobster, new potato and pea salad Sharp-flavored sorrel may help to maintain healthy sinuses. Preparation time: 25minutes Serves 4 Easy Lobster, new potato and pea salad 700g (1lb 9oz) new potatoes, cooked until just tender 300g (10oz) fresh or frozen peas, cooked 1.5kg (3lb 6oz) cooked and prepared lobster meat Several handfuls sorrel or micro … Read more

With differently subtle as well as diversified components and flavors, grain becomes an ideal food for you to enjoy and cook. You must have heard of quite much information about whole grains. Recently, such plant-origin foods rich in energy are considering the most nutritional foods in the world. Because of containing much fibre and important … Read more

Seared Scallops Scallops are one of those surprisingly easy but often-overlooked items. Sure, fresh scallops can be expensive, but you only need a few for a quick appetizer or part of a meal. Prepare the scallops for cooking by patting them dry with a paper towel and placing them on a plate or cutting board. … Read more

6. 356°F / 180°C: Sugar Begins to Caramelize Visibly Unlike the Maillard reaction, which requires the presence of both amino acids and sugars and has a number of interdependent variables influencing the particular temperature of reaction, caramelization (the decomposition via dehydration of sugar molecules such as sucrose) is relatively simple, at least by comparison. Pure … Read more

Michael Laiskonis on Pastry Chefs Michael Laiskonis is the executive pastry chef at Le Bernardin, one of only four three-star Michelin restaurants in New York City. A self-proclaimed “accidental pastry chef,” he traveled around the United States extensively before working in a bakery, where he had his first big “aha” moment working with bread and … Read more

Light, fluffy foods need two things: air and something to trap that air. This might seem obvious, but without some way of holding on to air while cooking, baked goods would be flat. This is where gluten comes in. Gluten is created when two proteins, glutenin and gliadin, come into contact and form what chemists … Read more

Simple Pie Dough Measure and combine all the ingredients for either the Joy of Cooking or the Martha Stewart recipe into a mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor, cutting the butter into small cubes (½″ / 1 cm). You should preferably use pastry flour, but AP flour is okay. Chill in the … Read more