Recipe – Duck a l’Orange

Duck a l’Orange I love this easy version of the classic duck à l’orange. It’s inspired by Pierre Koffman’s recipe for wild duck in orange sauce in Memories of Gascony and is simpler than most because it doesn’t require stock, just fresh orange juice. When they’re in season, I love to use Peter Dryden’s Poorman’s […]

Recipe – French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup Soup, bread, cheese: three of my favourite comfort foods. I love French onion soup because it combines all three! Beef stock is considered the traditional base, but I often use chicken stock or just water. Sometimes I use the stock leftover from poaching veal for vitello tonnato and find the vinegar cuts […]

Recipe – Kaffee Fertig

Swiss Kaffee Fertig Discover more Swiss specialties on my small group food & wine tour of Switzerland! Adding alcohol to coffee is popular in many cultures. Caffè corretto (coffee ‘corrected’ with a nip of grappa) is a common way to start the day in Italy, in France it’s pousse-café and in Spain, carajillo. The Swiss […]

Recipe – Swiss Vermicelles

Swiss Vermicelles Discover more delicious Swiss specialties on my small group Swiss food & wine tour! One of the easiest Swiss desserts is chestnut puree on crisp meringue topped with whipped cream; it’s also popular in France, where it’s called Mont Blanc (or la torche aux marrons in Alsace). A potato ricer, typically used to […]

Recipe – Coq au Vin

Coq au Vin Coq au vin was one of the first French dishes I ever cooked, and it seemed terribly sophisticated in the early ‘80s. Literally ‘rooster in wine’, it’s a classic braise of chicken, onion, mushrooms and lardon (cured pork belly), sometimes thickened with the chicken’s blood (but not in my case). Coq au […]

Recipe – Steak Diane

Steak Diane I love food history almost as much as I love food. I always thought this dish of steak with a garlicky sauce was a French classic. In fact, steak Diane originated in the USA in the 1940s, when tableside cooking was all the rage. Every recipe I’ve found is a little different; butter, […]

Recipe – Welsh Rarebit

Welsh Rarebit The alternative name for this cheesy British classic, Welsh rabbit, may be the original title, and the ‘rarebit’ name may have been created later to try and make sense of a nonsensical sounding dish. Etymology aside, this is the classic cheddar dish and the ‘Welsh’ appellation suggests an origin close to cheddar’s traditional […]

Recipe – Orange Pots de Crème

Orange Pots de Crème Isn’t nature clever, making citrus fruit abundant in winter when we need its vitamin C most? These easy custard pots are a great way to use excess oranges; the recipe is inspired by one from Stephanie Alexander’s Cooks Companion using mandarins. Tahbilk Cane Cut Marsanne is a fabulous wine match for […]

Recipe – Orange & Almond Impossible Pie

Orange & Almond Impossible Pie Impossible pie is so named because all the ingredients are mixed together in one bowl and then ‘miraculously’ separate into three layers in the oven, giving a soft pie base, a creamy custard filling and a crunchy coconut topping. Sounds impossible but it works every time! The recipe seems to […]

Recipe – Strawberries in Cointreau

Strawberries in Cointreau So simple, it’s hardly a recipe at all, strawberries in Cointreau is my go-to dish when I want a super-quick delicious finish to a meal. It’s perfect for a night in for two, and just as easily multiplied for a casual dinner party. In summer, when it’s easier to get full-flavoured strawberries, […]

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