ORANGE FROSTING Beat cream cheese and butter in a small bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Gradually beat in sifted icing sugar; stir in rind. You can use a zesting tool to make the thin strips of orange rind. Note

It’s a good idea to wear some rubber gloves when preparing beetroot to prevent stained hands. If you don’t feel up to cutting it into strips, try the grater attachment on a food processor or use a box grater. Note

Quirky little sausage and pastry treats that are great for children's parties.

The combination of pork and veal mince gives these meatballs a deliciously rich quality that you won’t get with beef mince. Note

You need an 80cm length of 50mm diameter PVC pipe, cut into 10cm lengths; ask the hardware store to do this for you, or use a hacksaw. This recipe will also fit into six 10cm round springform tins or a 24cm springform tin. Note

Broccolini is a cross between broccoli and chinese kale; it resembles broccoli in appearance, but is milder and sweeter in taste. It has long asparagus-like stems and a long loose floret, both completely edible. Baby buk choy or gai lan work well in this stir-fry, too; use in place of the broccolini. Note

The secret for making perfect roast potatoes? Use olive oil instead of other oils or butter because it tolerates high oven temperatures better and gives a delicious taste to the potatoes.

Equipment; 20cm x 30cm rectangular cake pan; 30cm x 40cm rectangular cake board. Note

This meal has a medium GI. Note

You can use low-fat cream cheese in this recipe if you prefer. Note

A slab of American-style pork spareribs will consist of between 7 and 10 ribs each. After the meat is cooked, separate the ribs with a knife then eat them in your hands. Note

Ribollita is a Tuscan soup based on whatever vegetable the cook has at hand. Traditionally, it is thickened with stale bread.

Ragoût, which comes from the French verb, ragoûter, meaning `to stimulate the appetite', does exactly that in this dish.

We used corella pears in this recipe. Dijonnaise is a commercial blend of dijon mustard and mayonnaise, available in supermarkets. Note

Simple mocha cookies bring to joy of chocolate and coffee from pantry to plate in under 30 minutes.

There are usually 22 sheets of pastry in a 375g (12-ounce) packet of fillo pastry. Dried lavender flowers are available from spice shops and online. Note

Macaroons are available from speciality bakery shops and select supermarkets. If you can’t find them, any small round filled biscuit will do. Try mini Oreos or Wagon Wheels, or Monte Carlos. Colour the butter cream, and decorate the robot, using any colours and lollies you like. Fruit Mentos and Smarties come in pastel colours, if […]

other ideas: tiny blini or rösti, polenta squares, upturned mushrooms, baby cos or betel leaves, crisped won-ton wrappers or tortilla wedges. Note

You can use either savoy cabbage or wombok (also known as chinese cabbage) in the coleslaw. Stout is a strong tasting dark-coloured beer that goes well with beef. Note

You can substitute a white medium-grain rice if koshihikari is unavailable. Note

A flavourful dish for barbecues, lunch or dinner.

If white asparagus is unavailable, use all green asparagus or thin baby carrots instead. Note

An Italian-American dish of chicken breasts, capers, parsley and Marsala wine.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. Note

Quick, easy and full of flavour - this is a great Asian stir-fry for busy midweek dinners.

M'hanncha, a Moroccan almond pastry, means `the snake' and this coiled sweet pastry treat certainly represents that.

An easy way to make sure your toffee is cooked to the correct stage and will set hard, is to use a sugar thermometer. Toffee should reach 149°C (“hard crack” stage) on the thermometer. Red delicious are the best apples to use for this recipe. Note

Farfalle is a short, rather sturdy butterfly-shaped pasta that is also known as “bow-ties”. It is good for a dish such as this because the folds and crinkles of each piece help capture the pesto and hold the other ingredients. Replace the farfalle with penne or small shells if you wish. Note

These pork, fennel and fig sausage rolls will be the most gourmet snack at the party.

You can used store-bought char-grilled capsicum for this recipe, if you like. Note

Sometimes the strangest ingredients make the best cakes! The addition of mashed potato makes a cake that is deliciously moist.

We’ve used brown long-grain rice in this recipe because of its lovely nutty taste, but you can replace it with white long-grain rice if you wish. You need to cook about 1⅓ cups rice for this recipe. Note

The secret to this recipe is the amount of olive oil used. Perfect as a second course or as the main course for a light summer lunch, served with salad and crusty bread or with chips (frites). The moules in France are small and sweet. This recipe is not suitable for those large green New […]

Once they are toffee-coated, don’t refrigerate the pops, as the toffee will dissolve. Serve pops within 2 hours of making. Note

Make syrup the night before. If you can’t buy the fruits, due to seasonal availability, you can substitute with a mixture of fruits such as watermelon, kiwifruit, blueberries and strawberries; just make sure you have the same total weight of fruit. You could also use canned lychees if fresh ones aren’t in season. Note

With the help of a pressure cooker, make these exquisitely spiced and flavoured Greek lamb shanks in no time.

To save time, buy shelled prawns from the fishmonger. Note

A delicious and filling chickpea, watercress and capsicum salad from Australian Women's Weekly.

Piri piri sauce is a spicy Afro-Portuguese chilli sauce available from Middle-Eastern food stores and most major supermarkets. Note

Use white Candy Melts in place of chocolate Melts for an extra-white finish. Note

If you can’t buy char-grilled zucchini, you can make your own; use a mandoline or vegetable peeler to thinly slice one large zucchini lengthways, then cook the slices on a heated oiled grill plate until browned lightly and tender. Pizza bases can be bought at any regular supermarkets. Note

Juniper berries are the dried fruit of the juniper shrub, an evergreen from the Northern Hemisphere, and are found in specialty herb or health food shops. Note

A sweet, zesty and crispy Thai dish that literally means 'crunchy noodles'.

Smoked eggplant and capsicum jam can be tossed through pasta, spread on pizza bases, or served as side dish to chicken, lamb or fish. Note

It is fine to use just 1 x 300ml carton of cream for this recipe. Porcini, also known as cèpes, are the richest-flavoured mushrooms. Though expensive, they are so strongly-flavoured only a small amount is required for any particular dish. They are available from specialty food stores and some supermarkets. Pancetta is an Italian salt-cured […]

A healthy and simple mixed vegetable and stir-fried rice dish that can be spiced up with chicken or fish.

Friands are small French cakes, also known financiers. Note

You will need to buy a 265g packet of small lollipops for this recipe. You should never smile at a crocodile, or be taken in by her welcoming grin, but Clara looks friendly enough — maybe! Note

Chicken drumettes are drumsticks with the end of the bone chopped off. They are also sold as “lovely legs”. Note

Pilaf can be prepared several hours ahead. Transfer pilaf to an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and refrigerate. Warm in oven as required. Note

store recipe can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated, covered. Note

A simple grilled chicken dish packed full of big flavours.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, boil the syrup until it’s thick with heavy bubbles. Remove from heat, let bubbles subside, then reassess the thickness of the syrup. Note

Limoncello is an Italian lemon-flavoured liqueur made from the peel only of fragrant lemons, which is steeped in clear alcohol then diluted with sugar and water. Store unfilled macaroons in an airtight container for about a week. Fill macaroons just before serving. Note

Delicious and fragrant lamb fillet in chilli and coconut milk from Australian Women's Weekly.

A cheese slicer makes curls about 2.5cm long; if you don’t have one, use a vegetable peeler, it will make smaller curls. We used a white chocolate mud cake in this recipe, and made a coffee-flavoured ganache to complement it and the chocolates, however, a dark chocolate mud cake would also look wonderful filled with […]

You could use frozen ready-made crepes, or freeze your own. The filling needs to be made on the day of serving. Note

Aïoli is a garlic mayonnaise; it is available in supermarkets and delicatessens. Note

Any similar-sized pasta shape such as casarecce, rigatoni or penne would be suitable for this dish. Note

Whether you're a fan of the original story or of the sassy Shrek cat, this Puss In Boots cake from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook is an all-time favourite.

Peaches & Cream are found in Allen’s Party Mix. You’ll have about 1 cup of the cake mixture left over; use to make extra cupcakes for the party. Note