For extra fibre, use wholemeal pasta. For those who are gluten-intolerant, try gluten-free pasta. Note

EQUIPMENT 12 plain white paper cases Large piping bag 1cm (.-inch) plain piping tube Cupcakes stale quickly, so it’s best to use a fruit or mud cake for the best keeping qualities. The cakes can be made and frozen for about 3 months. Choose the cake you like, then a type of jam, or a […]

Calves liver should be cut into paper-thin slices then quickly seared because too much cooking will destroy its soft, delicate texture. Your butcher will slice the liver thinly for you. Note

Baskets can be deep-fried up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and keep airtight when cool, then reheat by immersing briefly in hot oil until heated through. Note

Spelt is an ancient form of wheat that has a higher level of protein and wider range of nutrients than ordinary wheat. It still contains gluten, making it unsuitable for coeliacs. You can use any form of long pasta instead of the spelt fettuccine. Note

Bunting can be found at most craft and party shops. Be sure to remove the toothpicks from the cake before serving. For a boy, decorate with green or yellow fruit sticks and matching bunting, or use the colours of his favourite sporting team (of course, this also can be done for girls and their favourite […]

For the pickled ginger syrup in the dressing, use the syrup drained from the pickled ginger in the salad. The salmon skin gets wonderfully crunchy when cooked twice on the grill, as we do in this recipe, this provides added texture and flavour. Note

Dried rose petals are available from specialist food stores. Note

We’ve used shredded coconut in our picture, but feel free to mix and match using shredded, desiccated or flaked. If you use flaked coconut, be sure to blend or process it until it’s chopped coarsely; this helps it to stick to the icing. Note

A cute little wintery ice-cream cake that the children will love.

Rose, violet, nasturtium and pansy petals are all edible and make beautiful additions to recipes. Note

Cook a double or triple batch of these quinces and store them in their syrup in the fridge. Serve with porridge or muesli for breakfast. Note

Made from fresh corn, these fritters, served with spinach, bacon and tomatoes, are also a great lunch dish or casual dinner. But for a late breakfast they can’t be beaten. For breakfast they should be cooked just before they’re served, but cold corn fritters are excellent picnic food, so make a few more than you […]

Ask your butcher to score the rind, 1cm apart, across the pork in the same direction as you will slice, to make carving easier. Note

Don’t overbeat the frosting or the texture will be grainy. Note

Player position seems to indicate only a handful of runs are needed before the end of the match. Budding cricketers will surely want a rematch before cutting into this fun cake. Note

No one will want to pick this guitar up and smash it...it’s much too tasty for that and it's just another of our old-school favourites from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook.

Use a lemon zester to make lemon rind strips for decoration; soak them in iced water to make them curl. Note

sicilian creams are best assembled close to serving. Any liqueur can be used to flavour these biscuits, e.g. Galliano, Grand Marnier, Cointreau or Amaretto. Note

Equipment: 30cm (12-inch) round wooden cake board 15cm (6-inch) round wooden cake board smoothing tools 4 wooden skewers 2 paper piping bags number 1 and 2 cutters 2 x 10cm (4-inch) pieces 18-gauge floral wire fine artist’s paint brush pasta machine 1cm (½-inch) plain piping tube Covered in pastel hues, this very simple, though elegant, […]

Use roti bread instead of the naan, if you prefer. Note

For a clear jelly, don’t push the mixture through the muslin-lined strainer, instead, allow the mixture to strain gradually. Note

Take a tropical holiday with this pina colada-inspired cake. Made with refreshing fruity pineapple and coconut and topped with a zesty lime glacé frosting, it's a true taste adventure.

Equipment 10 lollipop or ice-cream sticks tyrofoam block or egg carton paper piping bag Decorations 10 mini ice-cream cones 2 tablespoons each grape, orange and pink WONKA NERDS, combined 10 WONKA Gobstoppers 10 ALLEN’S JAFFAS 2 ALLEN’S Ripe Raspberries, sliced thinly 5 Fairy Floss ALLEN’S FUNFAIR THRILLS Jelly Beans, halved crossways 10cm piece licorice strap […]

You will need to buy a 200g jelly beans packet and a 35g tumini M&M’s for the decorations. Colin should beeaten before he under goes a metamorphosis and changes into a giant butterfly. This cake is just the right size for small hands and its bright colours will keep little ones amused. Note

For those who prefer a light fruit cake, this is ideal. Keep the cake for 3 to 4 days before cutting, then cut with a sharp serrated or electric knife to cut cleanly through the almonds. Note

Daikon are large, long, white radishes that have a sweet, fresh flavour without the bite of the common red radish. Used extensively in Japanese cooking, daikon are also great eaten raw in salads, shredded for a garnish, or cooked in stir-fries. Note

Keep salad refrigerated; bring to room temperature before serving. Note

Cooking the pizza in a covered barbecue gives it a wonderful smoky flavour similar to a wood-fired oven. If not using covered barbeque, pizza can be cooked in the oven. Place toppings on dough and bake until browned and crisp. There is no need to turn the dough over using this method. Note

Italian sausages are coarse pork sausages generally sold in plump links. They are usually flavoured with garlic and fennel seed or anise seed and come in two styles, hot (flavoured with thai red chilli) and sweet (without the added heat). They are available from speciality butchers and delicatessens. Note

Starchy potatoes, such as sebago, are best to use. Reheat before topping with dip and almonds. Note

The king of curries, the fiery Indian vindaloo, is from the former Portuguese colony of Goa. The name is derived from the Portuguese words for vinegar and garlic, the dish’s primary ingredients. Jars of vindaloo paste are available in supermarkets, however, some commercially prepared curry pastes can vary in heat and flavour. Add less than […]

The pork neck can be marinated in the glaze the day before. The pork and potatoes can be roasted in an oven at 180°C/350°F. Note

You can peel the potatoes in advance and leave them in a bowl of cold water so they don’t go brown. Once they are sliced, assemble the dish immediately. Don’t stand the sliced potatoes in cold water or you will wash away their natural starch, which thickens the sauce. Note

You can buy packaged pizza bases in two sizes: the large ones we’ve used here measure 25cm across; smaller ones measure 15cm across and come packaged in pairs with a total weight of 225g. Use six of the small ones to make individual pizzettas. Note

The technique to split open and flatten quail so that it cooks quickly and evenly is called `butterflying’. Place quail, breast-side down, on a chopping board. Using poultry shears or kitchen scissors, cut down both sides of the backbone; discard the bone. Turn over, open out and press down on the breast plate to flatten […]

While this frilly little cake is ideal for a baby shower or christening, it would also delight any budding prima ballerina in the family. Use shades of pink to resemble a tutu, and top with a pair of ballet slippers. The frilled strips of icing should still be slightly soft when positioned on the cake. […]

Arrrr you looking for the best kids' birthday cake ever? Pirate Pete is the the way to go! From The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook, this easy cake is sure to impress.

These scrolls can be made 3 days ahead; store in an airtight container. They are not suitable to freeze. Note

Ground lemon myrtle is available from specialist spice shops and some gourmet food stores. Lemon myrtle is a small tree that grows in sub-tropical and tropical rainforest areas of Queensland. Ground lemon myrtle is a ground mixture of the dried leaf and flower; it has a strong lemon flavour. If you can’t find it, use […]

Also known as floating islands, this dessert is an adaptation of a French pudding, in which a stale sponge cake, steeped in liqueur, was floated in a bowl of custard. Note

For a healthier option, use olive-oil spray instead of butter for pastry sheets. School prawns (shrimp) can also be used, or try crab or lobster meat. Note

Harissa is a North African paste made from dried red chillies, garlic, olive oil and caraway seeds; can be used as a rub for meat, an ingredient in sauces and dressings, or eaten as a condiment. It is available from Middle Eastern food shops and some supermarkets. Note

You will need to buy four 22g packets of Life Savers for this cake. Be sure to remove toothpicks, cotton wool and skewer from cake before cutting and serving. Note

We don’t recommend that you freeze cooked vegetables as they tend to have a spongy texture and “leftover” look about them once they’ve been thawed. Mushrooms, eggplant and members of the squash family are especially freezer unfriendly. Note

Use a mandoline or V-slicer to cut the potatoes into paper-thin slices. Note

Use any firm white fish fillets, such as perch, ling or blue-eye trevalla, for this recipe. Note

When they’re in season, this pudding also works well with quince. Prepare 4 small quince (800g) as for the pears in step 1, cooking them for 30 minutes until softened. Note

Potted prawns can be made a day before the picnic, keep well-iced during transportation. Make crostini close to departure time. Note

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

Generally the meat filling and lettuce leaves are served separately; guests fill and roll their own lettuce leaves. Note