The easiest-ever summer lunch party you can have is one where you can just pull everything out of the fridge and serve. They might not be in fashion these days but I love a Kilpatrick oyster. This chilled version gives them a lighter twist. Add a dash of vodka to the mix and it's nearly a Bloody Mary.
I love to pile the Christmas lunch on my plate, so by the time it comes to dessert I'd always prefer a lighter, fruitier alternative to Christmas pudding. You could substitute light clouds of chantilly cream for the yoghurt for li
Here' s a simple, seasonal and refreshing idea to get your romantic night or summer party started.
Oven broken or don't fancy getting a sweat on in the kitchen? You can whip up this delicious dessert with just a stove top and a freezer. This decadent ice-cream cake with a crunchy hazelnut praline rippled through it makes a crowd-pleasing finale.
There is no simpler or more delicious dessert than a tangy summer pudding. And with all the wonderful berries in season, there is no better time to be making – and eating – it.
Wrapping your turkey with bacon not only protects the meat from drying out, it gives you a spectacular end result.
Begin your 'traditional-with-a-twist' Christmas feast with this make-ahead smoked salmon mousse brought bang up-to-date with a tangy herb jelly. Make the day before you plan to serve it.
With Christmas smack-bang in the middle of barbie season, there are few more perfect gifts than a home-made barbecue sauce made from summer stonefruit.
This summer's coolest idea, the frozé (frozen rosé), is luxed up into a very Christmassy dessert with raspberries and mascarpone. You'll need to prepare this the day before serving.
This super-tasty salad is perfect for a summer afternoon – just add a crisp white wine and crusty bread. If you want to make it really simple, replace the poached chicken with a bought roast chook or cooked king prawns.
Start this recipe the day before serving. If you're time-poor, use tinned peaches. And if you're flush, use fancy champers.
It wouldn't be Christmas without ginger somewhere on the table. These bikkies are peppery hot with ginger. The chestnut flour adds an earthy background flavour, but if you don't have it, replace it with rye flour or wholemeal.
We created this seafood dish for a mate’s 50th birthday earlier this year. It was such a hit that we’ll definitely be cooking it for Christmas. If you want to trick it up, replace the prawns with cooked lobster.
If you have a charcoal barbecue, you can get the skin crisp by finishing the porchetta over very hot coals for 15 minutes. Chimichurri is an Argentinian herb sauce made with parsley, garlic, oil and vinegar.
Straightforward to prepare, these Asian-style pork skewers with dipping sauce are full of flavour and a great way to feed guests. Marinate the meat overnight for best results.
Part-tiramisu and part-trifle, this simple, no-bake Christmas dessert is absolutely foolproof. The best bit? You can make it ahead and pull it out of the fridge when the family is ready for 'afters'.
The best way to get fish skin nice and crispy is to scrape the skin with a sharp knife and pat dry with paper towel to help remove moisture. Placing a weight on it while frying helps to keep the skin in contact with the pan.
Adam Liaw: Slicing the steak thinly is the best way to ensure your skewers are tender and full of flavour. Intersperse the meat with little slices of the fat, which will render and keep the meat moist while it cooks.
I think great side dishes make or break a barbecue. You can't get away with just chopping up some lettuce, tomato and cucumber any more. Here's a simple side idea for a sophisticated warm-weather feast. Pasta salads should be more pasta than salad. Leave the spirals on the shelf and use an interesting pasta shape to give this dish a little more elegance.
While this blueberry tart is at its most delicious served with lightly whipped cream, vanilla ice-cream is pretty tasty, too.
It's spring, time to dust off the picnic basket, unfurl the checked blanket and don your daintiest hat. But what to eat? With our bumper picnic recipe collection the question is 'what can't you eat in the great outdoors?'
You can tweak this pot au feu by leaving out the parsley and chevril and topping it with a dollop of pesto, which really brings the broth to life. I also like a good grating of fresh parmesan over the bird as well.
Here's a truly smashing way of serving up seasonal vegies. You can cheat and use ready-made ricotta for this dish but once you've tasted it freshly made and still warm, you'll wonder why you ever bought it.
Not sure what to cook? Don't stress, throw some seasonal fruit and vegetables into your shopping trolley and you'll find plenty of recipes to match right here.
An attractive glass or mould can give dramatic shape to a simple set dessert, and you don't need to spend a lot of time artfully placing ingredients and fussing over presentation. These are fantastic for a dinner party.
Spring time means asparagus! Here are some great asparagus recipes to help incorporate the bright, healthy green into easy dinners, salads and party platters.
Zucchini is one versatile vegetable – it can be anything you want it to be. Turn it into zucchetti, add it to a cake, stuff the flowers with cheese and deep-fry until golden, or serve it in a fresh spring salad. Make the most of spring's bounty and get cooking.
I am a firm believer that stews shouldn't be restricted to cosy winter nights. A light summer broth, like this one made from rosé and packed with spring vegetables, makes for a great dinner party dish.
These simple rules are mighty useful when visiting a market or grocer.
This recipe makes for a great batch cook, the flavours even intensify when left overnight, so you'll take even greater pleasure from it the next day. Chipotle chillies add a brilliant depth of smokiness.
Propel the humble poached chook into culinary orbit with a super-savoury classic French sauce that’s so easy to make. Sauce gribiche goes with so many springtime dishes, whether hot or cold.
Start this recipe two days in advance to pickle the prawns. There are lots of flavours in this pickling brine mix; if you wish, take a few ingredients out – just make sure the lime juice and lemon juice are included. These prawns also work well served on vegies such as green beans, broccolini or asparagus.
With a little forward planning, this simple recipe will bring sublime, intense new flavours to your table. It's best served with a simple green salad.
Use your favourite seafood in these versatile favourites: play around with hot smoked salmon, barramundi, snapper, leatherjacket and flathead, sometimes even a few prawns. . Serve with a fresh crunch slaw and dinner is done!
It's not going to win you any points with your doctor or personal trainer, but once in a while an indulgent dish like this is good for the soul.
We've revved it up with chocolate and burnt orange, but try it with chopped dates and walnuts, poach. We've revved it up with chocolate and burnt orange, but try it with chopped dates and walnuts, poached pears and almonds, or just flavoured with a simple spice*.
The olive oil cake is delicious with vanilla ice-cream and any poached or seasonal fruit. Using oil helps achieve a moist crumb and with the wine and fruit this makes a great dinner-party finisher.
Looking for a lighter winter meal? Swap those rich glazes for a no less delicious winter meal of fish cakes - a perennial winner.
Solve your winter salad dilemma with this delicious, healthy and filling beet and grain salad. If pickling beets sounds like too much trouble, freshly grated beets are just as delicious.
With this chicken recipe, you could try duck legs instead of chicken. They will take a little longer and should be cooked until the meat is falling off the bone. You can also add heat with a couple of chopped red chillies or a teaspoon of chilli flakes. And if you want to save time, use tinned lentils – just drain, wash and add at the end.
Food doesn't have to be fancy to be good. The creamy, cheesy spinach is part sauce and part side dish for the steak. Top off with crispy onion for texture - a great meal.
Meals that make the most of what you have at home is a great way to save money. A cheesy, seasonal salad is a great example because it's easy to adapt to whatever vegetable, cheese, nuts or dried fruit you have to hand.