| What would otherwise be a basic chicken casserole is made 'special' by the addition of pine nuts, almonds and white wine (although wine is not an unusual addition in my basic chicken casseroles). This casserole can be eaten as soon as it's cooked, but like most other casseroles is better eaten the next day or even a couple of days later (having been refrigerated betweeen the cooking and the eating of course). I have also frozen this one successfully.
It's an easy option to make ahead and serve to guests: They are invariably impressed. |
| This is an easy recipe for these little almond cakes that are such a popular with-coffee cafe treat in Australia and New Zealand (and I'd be interested to hear if their popularity has spread to other countries). We probably stole the idea from the French.
David Herbert keeps his ingredients to the minimum necessary and his instructions are clear and concise. My only quibble about this recipe is that it could be emphasised that the melted butter should be allowed to cool to room-temperature or luke-warm before it's added to the other ingredients. Of course if DH's method is followed to the letter the butter *will* be at room temperature at the right time, but if you're someone who's used to playing fast and loose with recipe instructions (like me) you should take note. It would also have been useful to be reminded that friands are best served at room-temperature - never hot.
I have used this recipe twice now and shall do so again. |
| Very good as part of a smorgasbord/buffet meal as it can be eaten hot or cold. Otherwise tasty as a light meal accompanied by a green salad. It contains neither gluten, nuts nor soy.
The 'pie' crust is made of well-cooked rice, eggs, chives, butter and cottage cheese pressed into a flan tin, pie plate or similar. The filling is cottage cheese, spring onions, butter and eggs.
Instead of using the recommended cottage cheese I tried ricotta once but it didn't work nearly as well as the cottage, and I've successfully used various other vegetables as part of the filling (think frittata or quiche).
This is a dish that's proved popular with family and friends - whether or not they have any food intolerances or allergies. |
| This is one of those never-fail, easy to prepare dishes that is always appreciated - particularly by guests who usually suspect it must be more complicated to prepare than it is.
There are only five main ingredients: onion, zucchini (courgettes/summer squash), eggs, butter and cheese.
For me it's a lunch dish, but it would be perfectly OK as a light evening meal too. This recipe is the main reason I bought the new edition of Claudia Roden's book when the old one eventually fell apart.
Edited to add that I know this looks a bit like the (usually) firmer-setting frittata/Spanish omelette/quiche, etc., sort of dish, but is much less dense and presents as if a little wine sauce might be involved.
Incidentally, I often use a mixture of gruyere and parmesan cheese, although cheddar will do at a pinch.
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| Elegantly thin, melt-in-the-mouth cheese biscuits. I made these for the first time recently to go with drinks at a small party at my place. It's the only party I've had where the cookbook containing the recipe for one of the 'dishes' was required to be produced together with pencils and paper so that the guests could copy the list of ingredients down!
The simplest cheese biscuits I've ever made: All the ingredients into the food processor for a few seconds, the resultant firm mixture shaped into a log, chilled then thinly sliced and baked.... and that's it! The author, David Herbert, suggests rolling the 'dough' into a log, but I just shaped it with my hands.
These savoury biscuits and a couple of sweet ones in this book can be made into a 'log' and either chilled before slicing or frozen for future slicing and baking.
Maximum result for minimum effort.... My sort of recipe! The trouble is that now the recipe will have spread like wildfire all over town and I'll have to find a different one to wow my guests next time.... and I'll hide the cookbook then too.
An afterthought: It does help to have a grating attachment to a food-processor or electric stand mixer in order to grate the cheese effortlessly. |
| This 'slice' is what I think North Americans might call a 'brownie'. It's easy to make (not many ingredients) and very 'more'ish. Quite a sophisticated taste and good to serve with after-dinner coffee or with morning or afternoon tea. Oh, all right, I might eat one or two after my evening meal..... and possibly after lunch..... and..................
It tastes even better after a couple of days in the fridge (the slice - not the cook) and it freezes well.
I should add that I've found the best chocolate to use for this recipe is an ordinary 'club' style dark eating-chocolate. I've tried the more expensive dark choc and the luxury-type cooking one.... neither worked as well as the cheaper variety. |
| This punch recipe is always appreciated by adults who don't want to get sozzled at a summer party. It tastes "adult"... dry-ish and as if it is spiked with something alcoholic: It isn't!
Ingredients are oranges and lemons, strong black tea, crushed pineapple, dry ginger ale. |
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