Nuts are rich in nutrients, flavour and texture – and so versatile! Here are some of my favourite sweet and savoury nut recipes.
Hong Kong Walnut Biscuits While lard is traditional in these deliciously crumbly Hong Kong walnut biscuits, I’m more likely to have butter on hand so that’s what I use, I also like the flavour Pepe Saya’s gorgeous butter adds. Substitute extra castor sugar for the brown sugar if need be. Makes 12 pieces Ingredients ¾ […]
Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer) Called payasam or kheer, this rice pudding is one of the most typical southern Indian desserts and has as many variations as there are cooks. At its simplest, it’s rice simmered in milk with a pinch of sugar and spice, though it’s often flavoured with fruits, like mango or jackfruit, or […]
Masala Nuts Spicy salty masala nuts are a popular treat in India, especially during Diwali. Use any nuts you like, just one kind or a mixture, and mix up the spicing to suit your taste. Use rice flour instead of potato starch if that’s what you have on hand. Serve these nuts with drinks – […]
Ricotta Walnuts & Honey This is a great way to end a meal when you feel like something slightly sweet to nibble on but don’t want dessert. It’s inspired by a recipe in Lucio Galletto’s book Coastline, he makes his own ricotta – and you can too, see video below – but I usually cheat […]
Guinea Fowl Bisteeya Variously written as bisteeya, bastilla, bestela, bastila, pastilla or pastila, this Moroccan pie has many variations but is traditionally an elaborately spiced preparation of pigeon, egg, almonds and warqa pastry, which is similar to Greek fillo pastry. It works well with almost any birds, including quail, chicken and guinea fowl, and is […]
Gorgonzola & Walnut Sauce with Lumache I first had this sauce many years ago in an Italian restaurant in Glebe. I remember writing a letter (no email back then) to the chef asking if he’d share the recipe, but he ignored my request. He served it with the little shell-shaped pasta called conchiglie, but I’ve […]
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 […]
Hazelnut & Butterscotch Pull-aparts Hazelnut and butterscotch pull-aparts are one of the quickest and easiest sweet treats to make, yet looks fabulous and tastes delicious. That’s my kind of cooking! Best of all, you can use this technique to make any flavour pull-aparts, sweet or savoury. Replace hazelnuts with any other nut, add dried fruit […]
Walnut & Cinnamon Coffee Cake I’m not much of a baker, but this moist walnut and cinnamon coffee cake, with a scrumptious crunchy streusel topping, is foolproof and so delicious that it’s become my go-to when I need a homemade sweet treat to take to a friend’s house. Moist strudel-topped coffee cakes (streuselkuchen) originated in […]
Date & Walnut Roll If I’m baking, it has to be super-easy, like this delicious date and walnut roll that I don’t even need to get the electric mixer out for. I remember my Aunty Dorothy making these when I was a child, her daughter Gail often had slices in her lunchbox and I thought […]
