Baking

Fragrant and filling Thai-style green chicken curry pies make a great alternative to your usual meat pie. Accompany with plenty of green vegetables for a complete meal.

This decadent cake is packed full of the goodness of cherries, raisins and sultanas, then coated in a rich, dark chocolate frosting to create this divine dessert that's worthy of any celebration.

We used Grand Marnier in this recipe but you could use any citrus-flavoured liqueur you like. Serve warm with lashings of cream, custard or hard sauce.

Best served in small squares, these dark chocolate, fig and muscat brownies are rich, fruity and spiked with heady muscat.

This marshmallow-textured pavlova is cooked directly on the platter it's served on, which eliminates the risk of breaking the fragile meringue when transferring it. Simply make sure the platter is plain, sturdy and ovenproof.

The apples can be cooked ahead of time and left in the pan, covered, in the fridge. The tarte tatin can be finished and transported in the pan if you’re picnicking – simply reheat on the barbecue or fire before turning out and serving warm.

This dish is both a fabulous way to use up last night’s vegetables and an excellent meat-free meal, frittata always goes down a treat.

Delight both the kids and adults with this decadent dessert. The hot fudge sauce is so easy, delicious and versatile you'll never be tempted to buy the supermarket version again.

This fruity, crunchy-topped dessert is one of the easiest you'll ever make.

You can also use desiree or pontiac potatoes for this recipe. Note

Gingerbread cases can be made 3 days ahead; store in an airtight container. Assemble tarts on the day of serving. Top with caramel shards just before serving, as they will slowly melt, especially in humid weather. Note

If liked, sprinkle the top of the damper with some extra grated cheese before baking. Replace chives with a combination of other herbs like parsley and thyme, or use some Aussie flavourings such as lemon myrtle and dried bush tomato. Note

You need 24 bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water for at least an hour prior to use to prevent them from splintering and scorching. Note

This recipe is gluten-free, wheat-free, yeast-free and dairy-free. Use a hot dry knife to cut the cake. storage Note

With a cloud-like, marshmallowy centre, this pavlova is the stuff dreams are made of. Serve with lashings of whipped cream, and fresh berries.

Ground almonds replace the flour in this recipe, making it rich and luscious. As a bonus it is an ideal dessert for dinner guests who have a gluten intolerence.

We used blue-eye fillets but use any firm white fish fillets you like. Note

Crostini in Italian means "little toasts". The thin slices of bread are drizzled or sprayed with olive oil, toasted and served warm.

Chicken quesadillas (from queso, the Spanish word for cheese) with a spicy jalapeño tomato salsa.

A delicious veal parmesan dish popularised in New York by Italian immigrants.

Espagnole sauce is one of Auguste Escoffier's five mother sauces that are the basis of sauce-making in classic French cooking.

Served with pistachio yoghurt, this Moroccan-inspired lamb shoulder is melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Pie is best left to cool completely before slicing. Note

A sweet and summery salad with witlof and nashi from Australian Women's Weekly.

This dense, moist almond carrot cake has a delicious lemon cream cheese frosting. If you prefer, you can use orange juice and zest in place of lemon in both the cake and frosting.

It's time to jazz up the classic fruit cake to be enjoyed at any time for any season or occasion.

An updated version of the Armenian nutmeg cake, this cake uses different spices and is more like a slice having a cake-like topping. Any nuts, such as almonds, pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts, can be substituted for the pistachios. Butter should be chopped while still refrigerator-cold. Using a medium- to large-sized food processor or large blender […]

Brioche makes the very best bread pudding, this fruit mince brioche pudding has a rich spiced custard topping that's spiked with a generous shot of brandy.

Creamy and delicious, baked rice pudding is a classic dessert. Bring a shot of new flavour to an old favourite with this poached quince and almond topping.

In Indian cooking terms, masala literally means ground or blended spices but, informally, has come to mean a “mix” or “mixture”; a masala can be whole or ground spices, a paste or powder, or a sauce-like curry incorporating solid elements. Banana chillies, also known as wax chillies or hungarian peppers, are almost as mild as […]

Add the peppermint essence to suit your taste. Start with what we have recommended and add more until you achieve a nice balance between the chocolate and the mint. Note

It might be a touch retro, but Beef Wellington is also a bona fide classic, the jewel in the crown of British cooking.

These divine fig galettes make a beautiful dessert with a mug of hot coffee. The combination of buttery pastry and juicy fruit is a match made in heaven.

Punch phora literally means 'five spices' and is a spice blend of cumin, brown mustard, fenugreek, nigella and fennel commonly used in Eastern India and Bangladesh.

Wonderfully moist from the sweet orange syrup, thos beautiful cake is lovely enjoyed warm or cool with a mug of your favourite cuppa.

Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

The fruit needs to stand overnight before starting the recipe. You can swap the dark rum with brandy or sweet sherry, if you like. This cake is overflowing with cherries and currants rather than the typical variety of mixed fruit. Note

Give your regular chicken cacciatore some pizzaz by topping it with this delicious and piquant gremolata mix. Serve with crusty bread or mashed potato for a complete and hearty meal.

Spoil the kids with these amazing dessert pizzas topped with strawberries, banana and caramel sauce. Perfect for a sleepover party!

These tasty zucchini and corn frittatas are delicious enjoyed warm as a delicious savoury breakfast, or popped in the lunchbox as a healthy snack.

Serve with cranberry sauce and accompany with vegetables of your choice. Recipe is best prepared as required. Note

These cheesy corn and bacon muffins are delicious served both warm and cold. They make a great morning tea or after-school snack, and are perfect for packing in a lunch-box.

Enjoy this buttery classic in slice form.

This cake is a good one for budding pilots, flight attendants or for those who just want to travel the world.

For added pizzaz, you can layer the cashew cream in glasses and top with the fruit for a more formal dessert. Try roasting other stonefruit such as plums and apricots.

Twice-cooked asian pork belly with steamed ginger rice from Australian Women's Weekly.

Served warm with a slather of butter, this golden loaf is perfect for the cooler months of the year.

Salsa verde gives this dish a splash of colour and a delicious flavour. Teamed with crispy roasted potatoes, there should be no complaints at the dinner table.

A classic modern pie with beef and caramelised onion from Australian Women's Weekly.

This golden slice makes a delicious, homely dessert served with ice-cream.

This recipe is suitable to make in a slow cooker and pressure cooker. Note

We used blue sugared almonds, available from confectionery and speciality nut shops, but you can use any colour you like. Note

Delight the family with these moreish beef pies with cheesy polenta and potato toppings.

Make this exciting and fun cake for your child's birthday party.

A match made in culinary heaven.

There's nothing more authentically Australian than serving up a classic pavlova, laden with cream and fruit, at the end of a summer's day barbecue.

To save waste you could use the different coloured fondant sections from the licorice allsorts and decorate each cake with a different colour. Note

Make your child's birthday special with this amazing butter cake covered in yellow buttercream and blue stars.

Although these crisps make a great snack on their own, you can also use them to accompany dips or soup. Make crisps in two large sheets, then break into shards to serve. Add sesame seeds to the mix if you like.

Rich, sweet and earthy, this hazelnut butterscotch self-saucing pudding is an excellent way to warm up this winter.

Rich and full of flavour veal with eggplant, olives and capers from Australian Women's Weekly.

A torte is traditionally a layered cake with buttercream type frosting. Of course they can always be adapted to the size, flavours and styles you prefer.

This recipe is simple and oh so sweet, but the best part? It uses less refined sugar, and instead opts for the delicious natural sweeteners of dates and honey. Bonus!

Called a soufflé omelette because of the way it puffs and billows when cooked, a lighter-than-air appearance make this an impressive dish to serve for brunch.

If you prefer, you can cook the filled jacket potatoes in the microwave on high (100%) power for 2 minutes. Note

Coconut frosting Put a tropical twist on Christmas with these pretty little cakes. Note

Recipe is best prepared as required. Note

For an easy, delicious dessert, make these cardamom-spiced apples stuffed with berries and drizzled with a berry yoghurt sauce.

These mini lemon meringue tartlets are everything you'd want in a tasty, sweet morsel. Crispy pastry, sweet yet tart creamy centre and gently toasted meringue on top.

It is fine to use just 1 x 300ml carton (tub) of thickened cream. When spreading the cream mixture over the sponge, don’t go too close to the edges, the cream will spread a little when you add the next layers. To make dark chocolate ganache; bring cream to the boil in medium saucepan; remove […]

Golden filo pastry filled with lemony spinach and feta cheese and fragrant with dill and mint, this pie is a winner.

Meatballs can be baked a day ahead. Keep, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat in a slow oven just before serving. Note

To butterfly quails, cut down either side of the back bone with a pair of kitchen scissors, poultry shears or a knife; discard backbone, open quails out flat. To remove seeds from the pomegranate, cut a whole pomegranate in half and scrape the seeds from flesh with your fingers while holding the pomegranate upside down […]

You can make glacé icing without butter (or oil) but, a tiny amount of butter will add gloss to the icing and make it easy to cut neatly ­without butter, glacé icing tends to shatter when you cut it. Note