Prawn and Aubergine (Crostini)

Nigella Lawson

This may well be — indeed is — the smell, the taste, the dish that says "family" to me and my siblings, and brings our long-absent mother back to the kitchen and the table with us. This is not merely a recipe, but my family's culinary fingerprint. It's not quite poached, not quite braised, and so I've settle on "praised" - which feels exactly right, as for me both cooking and eating it feel like a devotional act. And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding.

Nigella Lawson · Nigella Bites

This is the wholesome, comforting version of a trad English (white) bread and butter pudding that my maternal grandmother always made. Use apricot jam or regular orange marmalade if ginger's not your thing.

Nigella Lawson

Now, this is a beauty. I don't mean flash or fancy — rather the opposite; there is something austerely handsome about its appearance, and yet gorgeously warming about its taste. But then, this laid-back Sunday-lunch pudding is what kitchen food is all about. I'm happy to leave the picture-perfect plate-decoration dessert to the professional chef and patissier. When I want to eat one, I'll go to a restaurant. That way, everyone's happy. I don't want to be too prescriptive about this marmalade pudding cake — which has the surprisingly light texture of a steamed sponge — as it doesn't seem in the spirit of things. I love the bitter edge of a thick-shred, dark marmalade and so tend to go for a proper, glamorously auburn, tawny one here; if this is too full-on for you, choose a fine-shred marmalade, instead.

Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson