Moderate

Use a mandoline or V-slicer to easily cut the kumara into thin slices. Note

Grand Marnier or Cointreau can be used for the orange-flavoured liqueur. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Truffles, without cocoa coating, can be frozen for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer 1 hour before serving and dusting with cocoa. Note

There's no cake like an chocolate layer cake, and this one will be sure to turn heads when presented at any party.

This cake is perfect for the little girl who dreams of having her very own pony. Note

Creative kids will love helping with this easy sewing machine birthday cake from The Australian Women's Weekly's famous 'Children's Birthday Cake Book' cookbook.

Persian lamb and rhubarb stew

These cookies can be topped with nuts before baking or, once cooked, iced then dipped into various sprinkles, or simply dusted lightly with sifted icing sugar. To flavour the dough, beat your choice of essence or extract with the butter and sugar mixture, or beat in a teaspoon or two of finely grated citrus rind. […]

During the final 10 minutes of cooking, stir the barbecue sauce occasionally to ensure it doesn’t catch on the base of the pan. To make the chicken wings go further, cut each one in half through the joint into two pieces. Do ahead The barbecue sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate […]

A moist and delicious Greek apple cake that is traditionally eaten for breakfast.

Delicious and flavour-packed Asian-style dumplings with a spicy dressing.

You can use any small, whole, white-fleshed fish for this recipe. Note

Cook dumplings, in batches, in a large saucepan of boiling water for about 5 minutes or until filling is cooked. Remove dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon. Note

Hundreds & thousands 18 milk chocolate freckles 30cm yellow ribbon The cutter we used was about 5cm (2 inches) deep, which made it easier to cut right through the cake. You could use a sharp pointed vegetable knife to cut out the cake rounds, cutting around the markings of the shorter cutter. Freeze the little […]

You will need to cook 350g pumpkin for the amount of mashed pumpkin required in this recipe. Note

Edible gold leaf and candy thermometers are available from kitchenware stores and cake decorating suppliers. Note

This pudding recipe is suitable to freeze. Note

Pizza bases are available from most supermarkets Note

EQUIPMENT Deep 22cm (9-inch) square cake pan 35cm (14-inch) square cake board Carefully position photograph in centre of cake. You can use any photographic print you like, but remember to laminate it if you want it to remain after the cake is gone. Use a selection of your favourite lollies to decorate this cake Note

Canned tiny new potatoes are a nifty shortcut in this recipe. Tortilla can be eaten hot or cold and makes great picnic fare. Note

Flaked coconut can be bought from a store which stocks Indian and Fijian food. Note

An uncomplicated Asian-style sweet and sour chicken soup packed to the brim with delicious flavours.

A light and fluffy strawberries and cream sponge cake with visually stunning layers.

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

Stand the beef at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking. Salsa can be prepared a day ahead, keep, covered, in the refrigerator. Note

Store slice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Note

The caipiroska is a classic cocktail made with vodka, sugar and muddled lime. Great for a hot summers day.

Ballerina cake toppers are available from cake decorating suppliers, or top with tiny ballerina dolls from toy stores. Note

Equipment 18 x 30cm cake pop sticks; large square styrofoam block; 2 paper piping bags. Use any firm-textured cake to make cake pops ­ mud, fruit, coconut or butter cakes all work well. Leftover Christmas cake or pudding are real winners as they’re usually moist. Cake pop sticks (also sold as `lollypop candy sticks’) are […]

Use a clean piping and tube for each different coloured meringue. Note

Place the unused vanilla bean in a jar of caster sugar to make your own vanilla sugar. Note

Use frangelico (hazelnut) or crème de cacao (chocolate) flavoured liqueurs. Cut cakes with a serrated knife. Note

Store cake pops in an airtight container at a cool room temperature until ready to serve. Pipe eyes and mouths on the day of serving. They will keep for up to a week. Note

Tender roast lamb with a fragrant herb rub and burghul salad.

Soba noodles are long, flat thin Japanese buckwheat noodles from Asian food stores and major supermarkets. Note

You need 1 large (230g) overripe banana to get the amount of mashed banana required for this recipe. Note

Reserve some of the feathery fennel fronds to sprinkle over the soup at serving time. Note

Éclairs are best made on day of serving, but do not fill until ready to serve. Unfilled éclairs can be frozen. Note

Clarissa the cow is out in the paddock, eating the flowers and generally getting into all kinds of mischief. Note

Aïoli is garlic mayonnaise, available from the condiment aisle in most supermarkets. Note

Create the flavours and textures of a slow-cooked meal in under an hour by using your pressure cooker. This delicious chickpea and lentil soup can be ready in no time at all, perfect for a cool weeknight dinner.

We used desiree potatoes in this recipe. Season this dish carefully as the haddock and stock are already salty. Note

We used blue-eye trevalla cutlets in this recipe, but you can use any white fish cutlets. Vietnamese mint is not a mint, but a pungent and peppery narrow-leafed member of the buckwheat family. Also known as laksa leaf and cambodian mint. It is available from Asian greengrocers. Note

A light and summery dish of char-grilled scallops with a zesty corn salsa.

Pink petal dust can be purchased at specialty baking or cake-decorating shops. Note

You can turn this into an ‘eggless processor fruit cake’, if you like. Omit the eggs, and increase the golden syrup by 1 tablespoon to ⅓ cup (155g). The cake doesn’t keep quite as well without eggs, about 5 days, but will freeze for 3 months. Note

Place any leftover lime leaves in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for another use. Add three or four to a curry, scrunching the leaves first to release the flavour; toss thinly sliced leaves through a tropical fruit salad; or add sliced leaves to a jug of iced water for a refreshing citrus flavour. Mango […]

Who said sausage sausages have to be boring? These ones are packed full of strong flavour, and are presented beautifully - perfect for a picnic lunch with loved ones.

You can find artificial spider’s web at novelty shops. If you can’t find it, use fairy floss or cotton wool instead. Be sure to remove spider’s web or cotton wool and skewers before cutting and serving the cake. You will need approximately 3 x 100g bars of Toblerone for this cake. Note

Sometimes called Indian blood plum, the large plum used in this recipe has a distinctive dark red to purple fibrous flesh, is extremely juicy, pleasantly sweet, and is the plum most often found canned. Canned apricots or peaches can be substituted for the plums. A delicious time-and waist-saving recipe. Note

Dried lavender is available from selected delis and spice shops. If you prefer, you can use 1 teaspoon finely grated orange or lemon rind instead. Note

Some butchers sell a pork and veal mixture. If itis not available as a mixture, buy half the amount as pork mince and half the amount as veal mince. Passata is available from most supermarkets. If you can’t find it, use pureed canned tomatoes instead. You can freeze this dish in an airtight container for […]

Flavoured Milk Bottles can be found in packets of Allen’s Milk Bottle Mania; you will need about 3 x 170g packets. Note

To make lemon dressing; dry-fry cumin and coriander in small heated frying pan, stirring, until fragrant. Combine spice mixture in small jug with oil and juice. Note

The taste of this loose-crumbed pineapple and coconut cake will instantly transport you to the seventies when a piña colada was 'the' cocktail.

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

You need about four trimmed rhubarb stalks for this recipe. Calcium is well absorbed from dairy products, but poorly absorbed from foods rich in oxalic acid, such as spinach and rhubarb. So stick to dairy foods as the main source of dietary calcium, but enjoy rhubarb as a tangy, vibrant, stewed fruit. Note

Equipment you will need for this recipe, 23cm x 34cm number 4 cake pan and a 25cm x 40cm rectangular cake board. You can decorate this cake with single or multi coloured lollies. Place lollies such as Smarties on butter cream close to presentation time to prevent the colours running. Note

You need two passionfruit for this recipe. Note

The chicken can be marinated a day ahead. Recipe best made close to serving. Note

Use hundreds and thousands as an alternative to the orange sprinkles. You can use cream-filled rollettes, if you prefer. If using butter cream instead of the vanilla frosting, you will need two quantities. White icing is also known as fondant (it’s the traditional icing used on wedding cakes). It is available in packets from the […]