Moderate

This spiced walnut cake with a brandy syrup is rich with the fragrance of cloves, cinnamon and orange.

Frozen peas can be thawed and substituted for fresh peas, add them to the pasta just before draining it. You need approximately 600g fresh peas for this recipe. Note

You simply can't beat homemade ice cream, and the tofu in this recipe enhances both the flavour and texture, for something even more special.

Rice paper wrappers are available from the Asian food section in supermarkets. Filling ingredients can be prepared several hours ahead. Keep covered in the refrigerator. Rolls can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead. Place on a tray lined with plastic wrap, then cover with a clean, damp tea towel and keep refrigerated. Note

Keeping time: 2 days. Note

We used snapper for this recipe but you can use any whole white fish you like. Be very careful when pouring hot oil onto fish as it will splatter. Note

A piping bag — available from cookware shops — is a really handy thing to have. They are easy to use, much easier than you’d expect, and make the dividing up of a mixture into trays quick and efficient. Buy a few different sizes and shapes of tubes — you’ll be surprised how often you’ll […]

Tall 850ml (8cm x 17cm) (3-inch x 6¾-inch) fruit juice cans make good nut roll tins. Use a can opener that cuts just below the rims to cut one end from the can. Wash and dry the can thoroughly before greasing well. Use a double-thickness of foil to cover the top of the can and […]

This pasta salad with crab is as striking as it is delicious.

Nobody was terribly surprised when this pistachio buttercake with orange honey syrup made the Australian Women's Weekly's Top 10 cakes list.

The classic flavours of chocolate, strawberry and hazelnut come together in this mouth-watering gateau. Just add a steaming cup of coffee and the our day is made.

The Weekly's Top 10 cakes - Number 3

Colourful, chocolatey and utterly moorish, these tasty spotty cookies are perfect for a bake stall or school fete.

Lemon lime polenta self-saucing pudding

Nutty butterscotch and creamy bananas are a match made in heaven. Put them together in a pudding and you've got yourself culinary divinity.

Soft, light and garlicky with a crisp, golden crust, these little garlic potato soufflés make an excellent starter.

Preserved grape leaves are available from some delicatessens and Middle Eastern food shops; they must be rinsed well and dried before using.

This tasty bean vegetable and soup is beautiful topped with a piece of crisp proscuitto. It's the perfect soup to warm your body and soul on those cooler Winter evenings.

Green tea soba noodles are made with buckwheat flour and finely ground green tea, which look great when combined with bright, fresh vegetables. Note

If you like your cakes with a little bit of tartness to them, then this surely is the cake for you. The deep red top presents beautifully, too.

We love slow cookers - simply pop all your ingredients into the cooker and come back to a warming, flavour-packed dish. This zesty hot and sour chicken soup tastes absolutely amazing after several hours of slow-cooking.

These zesty, twice-baked biscotti make the perfect tea time treat.

This gorgeous recipe is best made just before serving.

Look for fresh scallops as frozen scallops give out a lot of water. Note

Be careful to measure all the ingredients exactly, or too much or too little of some of the ingredients will affect the way the loaf rises. Note

Home-made icing

Interestingly enough, due to its shape, a tagine actually cooks by steaming, just like your microwave oven. Serve the tagine with steamed couscous with plumped raisins and finely chopped fresh coriander tossed into it.

Sweet, tart and rich, this caramelised onion and beetroot tart makes a great starter or lunch dish.

Impress your guests with these scrumptious banana and caramel cakes from Australian Women's Weekly.

Puffed corn is whole grain corn steamed until it puffs up. It’s available from health food stores. Note

This recipe is also wheat-free, yeast-free and nut-free. Note

Brought to you by the classic Australian Women's Weekly children's birthday cake cookbook.

You can buy chopped lamb for stewing from the butcher or supermarket to save time. Note

These little iced thongs are the cutest thing ever to serve up this Australia Day.

There is a place for store bought pastry and custard, but sometimes a sweet dish just deserves the homemade versions. This is one of those dishes.

Some butchers sell minced pork and veal mixture, this is fine to use here; you need to buy 500g (1 pound). You can use cherry jam instead of the redcurrant jelly for the cherry compote. Note

The true finger-licking chicken, southern fried chicken is a classic dish from the US Deep South. Especially good served with corn on the cob dripping in butter.

This wonderfully flavoursome cheese and herb stuffing puts a delicious twist on your usual roast dinner. Serve it hot from the oven, sliced thinly with potatoes and our homemade gravy.

As delicious as these lemon coconut macarons will be once finished, for a better flavour and a more chewy texture seal them in a container and refrigerate them overnight. It is a most cruel exercise in self restraint, but worth it.

Prosciutto is an unsmoked thinly-sliced Italian ham. It is air-cured and comes in two varieties: prosciutto crudo (raw) and prosciutto cotto (cooked). We used prosciutto crudo in this recipe Note

Panko breadcrumbs can be found in the Asian section of most supermarkets. You can use packaged or fresh breadcrumbs in this recipe, if you like. Note

These little morsels only improve with time.Make 1 or 2 days ahead. Use rounded ice-cube trays if possible as the ice-cream blocks will unmould more easily.You can also make this as a log. Place ice-cream mixture in a bar cake pan lined with baking paper.Once frozen, place on a wire rack and drizzle with melted […]

Perfect for school lunches or morning or afternoon tea, these fig jam and raisin rolls will not fail to satisfy. Spread them with a little butter and enjoy with your next cuppa.

This traditional Cuban dish is known as ropa vieja, which translates as "old clothes". It is so-named because the tender shredded meat is said to resemble shreds of fabric. It is wonderfully flavoursome, and beautiful served up with crusty bread.

If you want to add something extra to this dish, add a shot of orange-flavoured liqueur to the caramelised oranges, just stir through while they're cooling.

This warming and fragrant French style onion and fennel soup is absolutely amazing topped with melted cheddar cheese souffles. This is gourmet soup at it's finest.

Test Kitchen Za’atar is a blend of roasted sesame seeds, sumac and dried herbs such as wild marjoram and thyme, but the ingredients depend on each maker. Note

Basil is one of the easiest and most useful herbs to grow. You don’t need a large kitchen garden, a pot or a window box in a protected, sunny position is sufficient. Basil will grow year-round (depending on the climate) and you can freeze the leaves for later use. Note

If you love omelettes and are partial to a bit of heat, try this Asian-style delight. It is quick, easy and delicious. The heat in chillies comes from a chemical known as capsaicin. Chillies also contain high levels of antioxidants, so fire up!

This is traditional lasagne redesigned for vegetarians, but the flavours are so rich that meat-eaters will love it too. Note

Chicken option; cook single chicken breast fillets in lightly oiled non-stick through non-vegetarians’ portions. Note

This delicious olive and roasted tomato tart is equally delicious served hot or cold. Accompany with rocket salad for a light and healthy lunch.

Make these decorated cupcakes for that special someone in your life. Or spread some joy on February 14 and bake a batch for the office.

Vitello tonnato, veal with tuna sauce, is a classic Italian antipasto dish, usually served cold. It’s also commonly served in summer as a light meal. Note

Quarter some limes and heat up a stack of corn tortilla to serve alongside this chilli chicken, tomato and corn soup. A dollop of sour cream wouldn't go astray either.

Soup can be frozen. Rouille (a French sauce meaning `rust’ because of its reddish colour) can be made a day ahea Note

Candied clementines are available from specialty food stores and delicatessens. Note

For a great variation, make pesto and mozzarella croquettes by blending or processing ¾ cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, 1 tablespoon roasted pine nuts, 1 tablespoon finely grated parmesan cheese, 1 quartered garlic clove, 2 teaspoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon olive oil, until almost smooth. Add pesto to croquette mixture. Mould croquettes into […]

fish option Grill white fish cutlets. Cool; flake into pieces. Top rice salad with fish. Note

With a judiciously herbed crumb crust, tender lamb, this dish is sophisticated enough to serve at a dinner party but won't take you hours to make.

Spinach and ricotta filling can be prepared several hours ahead. Keep covered in the refrigerator. Fill bread, roll up and bake as required. Note

Use well-drained canned corn kernels or thawed frozen corn instead of fresh corn, if you like. Note

This Alsatian Christmas bundt is fluffy, buttery and completely delicious with its spiced walnut filling.