Baking

The best French dessert of all time: delicious mini french éclairs with rich praline and smooth vanilla custard.

Fruit mince is a mixture of dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas and candied peel, nuts, spices, apple, brandy or rum. It is used as a filling for cakes, puddings and fruit mince pies. Note

Make your own delicious cheesy crisps for snacking or sharing with family and friends.

White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the supermarket and cake decorating shops. Note

Equipment: 2 x 12-hole (2-tablespoons/40ml) deep flat-based patty pans 24 standard paper cases (brown) 40cm-square prepared cake board decorations white and black decorating gel The recipe makes 24 cakes, however, we’ve only used 17 in our picture. Encourage the guests to bring their instruments, if possible, to a musically-themed party. A white board would make […]

Assemble pastries no more than an hour before serving, refrigerate until required. Note

Equipment deep 15cm (6-inch) square cake pan 20cm (8-inch) square prepared cake board or cake stand small piping bag fitted with small plain tube Cake can be completed a day ahead of the party. You will have some cake mixture left over,­ use it to make cupcakes. Note

Filling can be made a day ahead. Store, covered, in the fridge. Note

This Italian-style baked cheesecake uses ricotta for extra creaminess. The addition of mixed glace fruits brings another layer of sweetness you'll go mad over.

Swiss brown mushrooms, also known as roman or cremini, are light-to darkbrown in colour with a full bodied flavour. Store on a tray in a single layer, covered with damp, absorbent paper and keep where cool air can circulate around them. Note

Equipment Deep 15cm (6-inch) square cake pan 25cm (10-inch) square prepared cake board If the icing is set on the cake, you can attach the roses using a tiny dab of apricot jam. The ribbon is easier to tie around the cake if the icing is set. The cake can be completed about three days […]

Equipment: Deep 30cm-round cake pan 2 x 20cm x 30cm lamington pans 2 bamboo skewers 3cm, 4cm, 6cm and 9cm-round cutters 40cm x 1m prepared cake board Decorations 3 rainbow sour straps, cut yellow strips from strap Note

White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the supermarket and cake decorating shops. Note

We used a greek feta, which crumbles well and has a sharp taste. Note

Rugelach, while they can be eaten throughout the year, are a Hanukkah tradition. The dough is usually made with cream cheese, and the fillings can include fruits, nuts, jams and chocolate. Sprinkle the dough lightly with ground cinnamon for extra spice. Note

Chicken can be coated with parmesan several hours ahead. Place in a single layer on a plate and keep refrigerated. Cook chicken and prepare salad as required. Note

This is a very quick and easy cake to make that only involves hand-mixing in one bowl. It is very important to thoroughly drain the pineapple, or else the cake will be doughy and heavy. Toasting macadamias brings out the flavour. There are two ways to toast them: spread macadamias onto an oven tray, toast […]

This cute and colourful birthday cake is perfect for young adventurers and little ones that love the outdoors.

School would be much more entertaining, and homework much more fun, if we could all have pencil cases as delicious as this one. Note

Parties for budding artists are popular ­and this cake will get them in the creative mood. It doesn’t matter if these pots tip over, nothing’s going to spill. Tint the icing any colours you like, just make them bright. Lollies could easily be hidden under the glacé icing. You’ll have enough cake mixture left over […]

Crispy pork belly and nashi salad with a plum and five-spice dressing from Australian Women's Weekly.

Dressing can be made 1 day ahead; chill, covered. Recipe can be 3 days ahead up to step 3; store in airtight container. Note

Now we are six! Celebrate this auspicious occasion with this delightful sssssnakey ssssix cake, by the Australian Women's Weekly. The birthday boy or girl will be delighted!

Keeping time: 3 days. Note

You'll never have plain old mashed potato again after this delicious bacon and cheesy potato bake.

Soufflés must be made just before serving. Note

Rollmops are herring fillets wrapped around a slice of gherkin, red capsium and/or onion preserved in a spiced vinegar brine. Note

Crispy and delicious pork rack with a sweet apple sage sauce from Australian Women's Weekly.

White ready-made fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes), silver luster and cachous can be found at specialty baking and cake-decorating stores. Note

A row of clown faces on a party table decorated with streamers and party whistles would look great. Pushing the “hair” into the cakes is a bit fiddly, and needs to be done about an hour before the party. You will have enough cake mixture left over to make about another five clowns , you’ll […]

Children of all ages will be delighted with a cake that makes one of their favourite games good enough to eat. Note

Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Roll each piece of dough into a long oval about 3mm thick. Note

You will need 2 x 180g packets of Allen’s Killer Pythons for this recipe. Note

To keep the coconut free of chocolate drips, spread out half the coconut in a tray and coat half the lamingtons before using the remaining coconut for the remaining lamingtons. This gives the lamingtons a clean look. Lamingtons can be frozen for up to 3 months. Note

Equipment 25cm (10-inch) round cake pans 35cm (14-inch) round wooden cake board Smoothing tools 2cm (¾-inch), 1.5cm (¾-inch) and 1cm (½-inch) round cutters fine artist’s paint brush We used the end of a 1cm piping tube to cut out the smallest dots. What a fun cake this is to have at a party -­ a […]

You could buy 4 x 75g salmon fillets instead of the larger fillet. The yellow beans add some colour to the dish; if unavailable use green beans. Note

This is a complete meal in a dish, but, it doesn’t reheat or freeze well, as the breadcrumbs absorb the moisture as it stands. Packaged japanese breadcrumbs (panko) can be bought from supermarkets which stock Japanese ingredients, they’re an excellent substitute for stale breadcrumbs. Note

Spicy vegetable and lentil salad packed full of char-grilled capsicum, carrot, pumpkin and red onion.

You’ll need to buy about three packets of conversation hearts to get 16 pink hearts. Note

It is fine to use just the one 300ml carton of cream for the mocha sauce. Note

You’ll have ¾ cup of the cake mixture left over, enough for another three cup cakes. Note

Sumac is a purple-red, astringent spice ground from berries growing on shrubs around the Mediterranean; it has a tart, lemony flavour. It can be found in Middle-Eastern food stores and major supermarkets. Note

Cool the quiches before packing into airtight containers. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. They are not suitable to freeze. You need four 10cm (4-inch) spring-form tins for this recipe. Note

This bright and colourful lime curd, coconut and mango cake is the perfect summertime treat.

For this recipe you will need about 12 passionfruit to make 80ml of pulp. This type of cake is best made on day of serving. Note

Keeping time: 3 days. Note

Orange blossom water, also called orange flower water, is a concentrated flavouring made from orange blossoms. It is available from Middle Eastern food stores, delicatessens and some supermarkets. Note

Use a 26cm x 35cm baking dish 35cm square cake board. Cake can be made and covered with butter cream a day before the party. Top with popcorn and finish the cake up to three hours before the party. Be sure to remove toothpicks before cutting and serving the cake. Note

You need to cook 200g pumpkin to get the required amount of mashed pumpkin. Note

Coulibiac is a Russian fish pie stuffed with spinach, rice and brown mushrooms.

The same amount of ingredients used to top a 30cm pizza will top four mini pizza bases. Note

You need two large (460g) overripe bananas to get the required amount of mashed banana. Note

Serve this cake warm. Note

Hearty and delicious dish of potato wedges with a spicy beef topping.

This recipe would also work really well with apple. serving idea Note

You could also add some coarsely chopped fresh coriander or finely chopped fresh chilli to the corn salsa. Couscous, the North African cereal made from semolina, lends an intriguing crunch to the coating on the chicken. Note

Store slice in an airtight container for up to a week. Note

You need to cook 2 medium potatoes (380g) for this recipe. The scones are best made and eaten on the same day. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.Thaw in oven, wrapped in foil. Note

It is important that the chocolate moulds are thoroughly cleaned and dried before using. You will need to buy three 50g packets of Smarties. Work quickly while making chocolate numbers, as the chocolate tends to set quickly. You may need to resoften the chocolate in a microwave oven for a couple of seconds, if this […]

Black Cats and vanilla Milk Bottles are found in Allen’s Party Mix. Pink and oranges Nerds are found in Wonka Neon Nerds. Note

We used the firm, non-astringent persimmon variety (fuji fruit) in this recipe. Note