Recipes

Melissa Thompson · Fired Up

This dish is one that I used to serve at my supper club and pop-up restaurant, Fowl Mouths. I could cook the steaks on a proper grill in the kitchen, and it was one of the best sellers. Ponzu is a Japanese citrus-spiked soy sauce. It’s pretty easy to find in bigger supermarkets, and East Asian supermarkets will almost certainly stock it. It brings an umami flavour that’s lifted with the citrus, while the garlic keeps things fragrant and the pepper spices things up. I also add a drop of mirin, which is a sweet Japanese rice wine. It caramelises fast, but because bavette only needs a quick one-two on the coals, the meat is done before there’s risk of burning.

Skye McAlpine · Winter in the Highlands

This is a wibbly-wobbly jelly with a soft melt-in-your-mouth set rather than the more solid, gelatinous variety I so strongly associate with childhood tea parties. Plus it has sparkling booze in it, which of course makes the whole thing feel very grown-up. The joy of jelly is that you can (indeed, you must) make it in advance, which in part at least is what makes it such an ideal dinner party dessert. It’s also low-effort, easy to make and both gluten- and dairy-free, so it’s a good option when navigating dietary restrictions.

Sabrina Ghayour · Feasts

Don't be afraid about using this amount of oil to cook the aubergines - the excess oil can be squeezed out after cooking. To serve this as bruschetta, simply omit the bread from the recipe and serve on slices of toasted sourdough.

Bertrand Auboyneau with Gwénaëlle Cadoret · Le Bistrot Paul Bert

Yotam Ottolenghi, Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley · Ottolenghi COMFORT

This is comfort food by so many measures. The soothing texture of the chicken and porridge; the chicken-soup-for-the-soul; bowl food eaten with a spoon or chopsticks. It’s the sort of food we eat when we are in need of something soothing and convivial, and is a dish that takes Helen straight back home. Kids love it too: you might just hold back on the sprinkle of peppercorns and chilli at the end. Getting ahead: The congee is best made fresh, but the chicken can be poached and shredded the day before. You’ll need to warm it up before serving, or stir it into the hot congee, rather than placing on top.

Helen Goh · Baking and the Meaning of Life

A traditional Bakewell tart consists of a pastry shell filled with jam and almond cream filling, finished with a layer of icing and a cherry on top. My version here replaces the jam layer with fresh plums for brightness and acidity. A little raising agent in the rich nutty filling lightens the crumb, while the layer of white icing has been replaced by a light dusting of icing sugar. Cut into bars, this is a hand-held, portable cake to take with you on a long drive, to a picnic or to pack into a lunchbox, but it’s equally good plated for dessert and served with cream.

Alexandra Dudley

Growing up, tiramisu was my favourite pudding. In fact, it still is. However, by some cruel twist of fate, I have married a man who does not like tiramisu. While that is fine in a restaurant (more for me), it does mean that I usually only make it at home when we have people coming over. I made this version in an attempt to sway my husband as he loves pistachio anything. It sort of worked. His response was ‘I don’t hate it’. Just the sort of thing you want to hear when you’ve lovingly made pudding. But don’t take his word for it, take mine instead — it is delicious.

Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh · Sweet

Our technique of 'training' the roulade here (see additional information) is a neat little trick, if you don't know it already. Once you've cracked it (or not, in the case of your sponge), you'll feel like a roulade-making pro.

David Lebovitz · Ready For Desserts

It was a happy day when an enterprising Midwesterner decided that the surplus of sour cherries could be dried instead of left neglected on the trees. And thus, one of my favorite baking ingredients was born: dried sour cherries. But this recipe is eminently adaptable, and you can use any kind of dried fruit or toasted nuts that suit you. In my kitchen, diced apricot pieces and cranberries, walnuts and toasted pecans, and roasted cocoa nibs have all found their way into various batches of this bark. I even got really experimental once and crumbled candied bacon into a batch. That one met with a few raised eyebrows but was gobbled up nonetheless.

Pippa Middlehurst · Dumplings and Noodles

This is something that I always have on hand in my pantry. I will make it by the litre and store it in large swing-top jars. I give it as gifts at Christmas, or favours at events. My mum will bribe her friends to babysit her cat with promises of it. It is one of those things that is just better when it's homemade, and once you have tried it, you will never settle for mediocre store-bought chilli oil again. The recipe is also very versatile - you can double the quantities or make half, as you wish. Do not use Italian chilli flakes for this recipe (the dark red circular-shaped flakes with seeds); it must be bright red crushed Asian chilli flakes, which are finely ground and have a distinctive colour and flavour. Korean chilli flakes (gochugaru) also work well.

Ursula Ferrigno · Cucina Dell'Emilia-Romagna

These flatbreads are popular across the entire Emilia-Romagna region, which is not surprising as they are so delicious. In fact, they are now enjoyed the length and breadth of Italy. Even if you are a novice breadmaker, do try these flatbreads as they are relatively simple and quick to bake. I love to eat these piadina folded in half and filled with prosciutto, stracchino cheese, sliced tomatoes and rocket or basil leaves, but they are equally good with just slices of mortadella. I like to use Mulino Marano 00 flour or Canadian bread flour for best results.

Ponpailin 'Noi' Kaewduangdee · A Child of the Rice Fields

Pho is a renowned Vietnamese dish of rice noodles in a light beef stock that is popular all over Laos. Often it is served with a combination of thinly sliced raw beef that is allowed to cook until medium-rare in the piping hot broth, and beef meatballs or Luk Sin Ngua. In Laos, unless you are eating in a Vietnamese-run noodle shop, the soup will not be seasoned as you would find in Vietnam. The stock itself is often made using pork rather than beef bones, and there’ll be no cinnamon, star anise or black cardamom used in the stock. Meat offerings will include chicken, pork and offal, and meatballs. I have never been a fan of the bland and rubbery meatballs, Luk Sin, that are used in noodle shops, so my pho recipe is for a simple, clean-tasting pork soup with homemade pork balls. They are quick and easy to make. The addition of a small amount of smoked bacon takes these meatballs to another level. You can pinch nutmeg-sized pieces off the mixture, give them a light squeeze to bind the m

Peter Gordon · Savour: Salads For All Seasons

Chickpeas are incredibly easy to cook from dried but you will need to soak them overnight in water and baking soda before cooking them, so if time isn't on your side you can resort to canned ones. I used broccoli and asparagus in this dish because they were in season when we shot the photograph, but you can also use sweetcorn, pumpkin, carrots, aubergine (eggplant) or other vegetables instead. The bagel croutons add a lovely chewiness and crunch to the salad, so if you're gluten intolerant, use gluten-free bread rather than leave them out. This salad can be served as a first course, or as part of a meal.

Peter Gordon · Eating Well Everyday

An aromatic stew, the chicken is best cooked on the bone to keep it juicy, although boneless thighs will also work. Try replacing the chicken with chunks of thick fish fillet, and the beans can be replaced with asparagus in season.

John Gregory-Smith · The Greatest Traybake Cookbook Ever

Perfumed with saffron and cardamom, with crispy chicken and fluffy rice, this is one of the most exquisite traybakes around. I was inspired by a stunning Persian dish, zereshk polo ba morgh, or saffron-roasted chicken with rice and barberries. The OG recipe is all cooked separately, the chicken in one pot, crispy rice (this is known as a tahdig) in another and barberries candied in sugar syrup in another. Mine has more of a laid-back throw-it-all-in-the-oven vibe to get those crispy edges of golden rice and succulent juicy chicken thighs. I love piling on the garnishes for colour and texture – more is more in my opinion, but feel free to scale back if I’ve gone a little overboard.

Ben Lippett · How I Cook

Mussels and chips, or moules frites as they're known on the continent, are a wonderful thing to eat, but I'm here pitching a new way with shellfish and potatoes. Enter, peppered clam frites. Peppercorn sauce is a hard-hitting classic and a sauce recipe that I think every home cook should have in their locker. Sure, it's right at home on a piece of seared sirlion or a filet mignon, but for me, it has plenty of applications away from the classic steakhouse serve.

Ruth Rogers, Sian Wyn Owen and Joseph Trivelli · The River Cafe Look Book: Recipes for Kids of All Ages

Sometimes you need a fast and reliable pasta recipe and this is one we love. Make sure you crumble the sausages finely before you cook them.

Chetna Makan · Easy Baking with a Twist of Spice

Such a perfect way to end a meal: a flaky pastry base with soft pears, covered in star anise caramel, nuts and deep chocolate, served warm with ice cream or cream.

Andrew Carmellini · American Flavor

Karen DeMasco, the pastry chef at Locanda Verde, is a genius big-deal award-winning New York pastry queen - but she's also a Midwestern girl at heart, and a Clevelander just like me. That means she loves really old-school American desserts - and nobody, but nobody, makes a better cookie that Karen. This is her version of the classic after-school recipe - only much, much better.

Philip Khoury · Beyond Baking

Need I say more? This decadent cookie takes inspiration from the chunky, indulgent style made famous by New York’s Levain Bakery. It’s perfect for when you want to whip up cookies using ready-made nut butter. With rivulets of melted chocolate weaving through a nutty, tender morsel, these cookies are best enjoyed slightly warm, but their magic doesn’t end there. Stored in an airtight container, they will keep well for up to a week. When you’re ready for that molten, gooey goodness, simply pop one in the microwave for 8 seconds for swift revival.

Ravinder Bhogal · Comfort and Joy

One of my earliest memories is of gobbling raw sweet peas straight out of the pod in my grandfather’s shaamba. They tend to get overlooked as a vegetable, but they are allowed to shine unobstructed in this simple zesty dip. It can conveniently be made with fresh or frozen peas and is equally lovely piled on toast with soft-boiled eggs for breakfast.

Hetty Lui McKinnon · Tenderheart

My love for macaroni soup runs deep. It’s an evocative dish, a reminder of my mother’s devotion to cooking hearty breakfasts every morning and the quick lunches we would share when it was just the two of us at home. It is also a dish that captures her time in Hong Kong, where she lived for several years before her passage to Australia was made possible. Macaroni soup is the quintessential breakfast served in Hong Kong’s cha chaan teng (this translates to “tea restaurants”), where eclectic Asian-style Western meals are served. It comes with a variety of toppings, including thick slices of ham, often with a fried egg on top. Some versions feature a tomato-based soup (there’s a recipe in my book To Asia, With Love). My mother’s version is simple: macaroni swimming in a stock made with chicken bouillon cubes, dotted with frozen three-vegetable mix (peas, corn and carrot) and cubes of Spam, topped with Maggi seasoning sauce (of course). I adore the sweet, plump peas in this version, which p

Helena and Vikki Moursellas · Opa!

Tavernas will often serve their meats or baked dishes with a side of oven-baked potatoes just like these. They’re crunchy on the outside, and deliciously soft on the inside. This recipe is so simple, but once you’ve tried it, we promise you will roast your potatoes like this all the time.

John Whaite

I adore passionfruit, so much so that I can quite easily eat the pulp of three passionfruit with a spoon and a smile. Sometimes, though, I try to be a little more refined, and this tart is perfect for those occasions.