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Ultimate Baked Mac and Cheese
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⏱ 55 min
👤 8
🧺 Ingredients
- 450g (1 lb) cavatappi or elbow pasta
- Cheese sauce: 4 tbsp butter, 4 tbsp flour
- Cheese sauce: 720ml (3 cups) warm whole milk, 240ml heavy cream
- Cheese sauce: 200g sharp white cheddar grated, 120g Gruyere grated, 80g fontina grated
- Cheese sauce: 1 tsp Dijon, ½ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt
- Topping: 80g (1 cup) panko breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp butter melted, 30g Parmesan grated
👨🍳 Instructions
- Cook pasta 2 minutes less than package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain. Preheat oven 175°C (350°F).
- Make béchamel: melt butter over medium heat, add flour, whisk constantly 2 min until light golden and nutty-smelling.
- Add warm milk gradually whisking constantly. Add cream. Whisk over medium heat 8-10 min until thick enough to coat a spoon.
- Remove from heat. Add mustard, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt. Add all three cheeses in three additions, stirring after each until completely melted and smooth.
- Combine sauce with drained pasta, adding splash of pasta water to loosen. Pour into buttered 9x13 baking dish.
- Toss panko with melted butter and Parmesan. Scatter evenly over mac and cheese.
- Bake 25-30 min until topping is deep golden and edges are bubbling. Rest 5 min before serving.
- Serve immediately while cheese is still stretchy.
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Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese
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⏱ 1 hr
👤 4
🧺 Ingredients
- 1kg ripe tomatoes halved
- 1 large onion quartered
- 1 head garlic top sliced off
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tsp dried thyme
- 480ml (2 cups) vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 120ml (½ cup) heavy cream, 1 tsp sugar
- Grilled cheese: 8 slices sourdough, 3 tbsp butter, 200g Gruyere and cheddar combined sliced
👨🍳 Instructions
- Preheat oven 200°C (400°F). Arrange tomatoes cut-side up on baking sheet with onion and garlic head. Drizzle with 3 tbsp oil, season with salt, pepper, thyme.
- Roast 40-45 min until tomatoes are caramelized and concentrated. Squeeze roasted garlic cloves out of papery skins.
- Transfer everything to pot. Add broth and tomato paste. Simmer 5 min.
- Blend completely smooth with immersion blender. Strain through fine sieve for silky texture.
- Stir in cream and sugar. Heat gently. Season generously — roasted tomato soup needs lots of salt.
- Make grilled cheese: butter one side of each bread slice. Cook in skillet over medium-low heat butter-side down with generous cheese inside. Cover pan to melt cheese faster. Cook 3-4 min per side until deep golden.
- Cut sandwiches diagonally. Ladle soup into bowls.
- Serve immediately with grilled cheese for dunking.
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Swiss Cheese Fondue
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⏱ 25 min
👤 6
🧺 Ingredients
- 400g (14 oz) Gruyere coarsely grated
- 200g (7 oz) Emmental coarsely grated
- 1 garlic clove halved
- 350ml (1½ cups) dry white wine
- 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 1½ tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp kirsch cherry brandy (optional)
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg, white pepper
- Dipping: 1 baguette cubed and lightly toasted
- Dipping: boiled baby potatoes cornichons charcuterie
👨🍳 Instructions
- Rub inside of fondue pot with cut garlic. Discard garlic.
- Pour wine and lemon juice into pot. Bring to gentle simmer — not boiling.
- Toss both grated cheeses with cornstarch until evenly coated.
- Add cheese to simmering wine in three additions, stirring in figure-8 pattern (not circles) — figure-8 prevents separation. Wait for each addition to fully melt.
- Stir over medium-low heat 8-10 min until smooth and creamy, coating the spoon. It should flow slowly like lava.
- Add kirsch, nutmeg, and white pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Transfer to fondue stand over flame. Must stay warm — if it cools it seizes up.
- Serve with bread, potatoes, and accompaniments. Stir occasionally while eating.
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Lemon Ricotta Pancakes
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⏱ 25 min
👤 4
🧺 Ingredients
- 250g (1 cup) whole-milk ricotta drained 30 min
- 4 large eggs separated
- 60ml (¼ cup) whole milk
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 120g (1 cup) all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp fine salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter for cooking
- Maple syrup fresh berries powdered sugar to serve
👨🍳 Instructions
- Combine drained ricotta, egg yolks, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla in large bowl. Stir until smooth.
- Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt together. Add to ricotta mixture and fold just until combined.
- In separate clean bowl, beat egg whites to stiff peaks — they should hold their shape when beaters are lifted.
- Fold egg whites into batter in three additions using gentle folding motion. Batter will be light and airy. Work quickly.
- Heat non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Melt butter, swirl to coat.
- Spoon ¼ cup batter per pancake. These are thick — cook 3-4 min until bubbles appear and edges look set. Flip gently.
- Cook 2-3 more minutes. Should be pale golden, not dark. Don't press down.
- Serve immediately stacked with maple syrup, fresh berries, and dusting of powdered sugar.
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Baked Brie with Honey and Walnuts
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⏱ 25 min
👤 6
🧺 Ingredients
- 1 wheel (250g) brie or camembert
- 3 tbsp runny honey
- 60g (½ cup) walnuts roughly chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 tbsp dried cranberries
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes optional
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
- Apple slices pear slices crackers baguette to serve
👨🍳 Instructions
- Preheat oven 175°C (350°F). Line small oven-safe skillet or baking dish with parchment.
- Using sharp knife, score top rind in crosshatch pattern cutting about 1cm deep — this allows heat to penetrate.
- Place brie in dish. Scatter walnuts, dried cranberries, thyme leaves, rosemary sprigs over the top.
- Drizzle honey evenly. Sprinkle brown sugar. Add red pepper flakes if using.
- Bake 15-20 min until sides visibly start to ooze and rind on top is soft when pressed gently.
- Remove from oven. Drizzle balsamic glaze over melted brie.
- Serve immediately in baking dish with apple and pear slices, crackers, and baguette.
- Instruct guests to scoop through the soft rind into the molten cheese.
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Fettuccine Alfredo
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⏱ 25 min
👤 4
🧺 Ingredients
- 450g (1 lb) fresh or dried fettuccine
- 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter cut into tablespoons
- 240ml (1 cup) heavy cream
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 200g (2 cups) Parmesan freshly grated — not pre-grated
- 1 tsp fine salt, ½ tsp white pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- Extra Parmesan and fresh parsley to serve
👨🍳 Instructions
- Cook pasta in generously salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1.5 cups pasta water before draining.
- In large skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook gently 1-2 min until fragrant, not browned.
- Add cream and bring to gentle simmer. Cook 3-4 min until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Reduce heat to very low. Add half the Parmesan and stir gently until melted.
- Add drained pasta directly to pan. Toss to coat. Add ¼ cup pasta water to loosen.
- Add remaining Parmesan gradually while tossing. Add more pasta water as needed — sauce should flow around pasta, not be stiff.
- Season with salt, white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg. Toss 1 more minute.
- Serve immediately in warm bowls. Alfredo waits for no one. Top with extra Parmesan and fresh parsley.
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Creamy Tzatziki Bowl
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⏱ 20 min + 30 min rest
👤 4
🧺 Ingredients
- 500g (2 cups) full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 large English cucumber
- 4 garlic cloves minced to fine paste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for serving
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh mint finely chopped
- ½ tsp fine salt
- Serving: warm pita Kalamata olives sliced tomatoes
- Serving: grilled chicken or falafel optional
- Serving: za'atar or sumac for garnish
👨🍳 Instructions
- Grate cucumber using large holes of box grater. Place in clean towel and squeeze very firmly — remove as much liquid as possible. Excess moisture makes watery tzatziki.
- Spread squeezed cucumber on paper towels, press again to remove more moisture.
- Combine Greek yogurt, drained cucumber, garlic paste, olive oil, lemon juice in large bowl. Stir well.
- Fold in fresh dill and mint. Season with salt. Taste — should be garlicky, fresh, and tangy.
- Refrigerate minimum 30 min to let flavors meld. Tzatziki always improves with resting.
- Spoon generous mounds into wide shallow bowls. Create swirl with back of spoon. Drizzle with extra olive oil.
- Scatter olives and tomatoes around. Dust with za'atar or sumac.
- Serve with warm pita triangles and proteins.
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No-Bake Lemon Cheesecake
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⏱ 30 min + 6 hrs chilling
👤 10
🧺 Ingredients
- Base: 250g digestive biscuits finely crushed, 100g butter melted, 2 tbsp sugar
- Filling: 600g (2½ cups) full-fat cream cheese room temperature
- Filling: 300ml (1¼ cups) heavy cream cold
- Filling: 100g (¾ cup) powdered sugar sifted
- Filling: 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp lemon zest, 1 tsp vanilla
- Topping: lemon curd or mixed berries
👨🍳 Instructions
- Combine crushed biscuits, melted butter, sugar. Press firmly into base of 23cm springform pan. Refrigerate 20 min.
- Beat cream cheese on medium speed 2 min until completely smooth — no lumps at all. Scrape bowl thoroughly.
- Add powdered sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla. Beat until combined.
- In separate cold bowl, whip cold heavy cream to stiff peaks.
- Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture in two additions with gentle folding motion until just combined.
- Pour onto biscuit base. Smooth top with offset spatula. Tap pan gently on counter.
- Cover and refrigerate minimum 6 hours, ideally overnight.
- Release springform, top with lemon curd or berries. Cut with clean sharp knife.
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Burrata with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
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⏱ 30 min
👤 4
🧺 Ingredients
- 2 balls fresh burrata (125g each)
- 600g cherry tomatoes mixed colors
- 4 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar
- Large handful fresh basil
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt, 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- Crusty sourdough to serve
👨🍳 Instructions
- Preheat oven 200°C (400°F). Place cherry tomatoes on baking sheet. Add garlic, 2 tbsp oil, salt, pepper, sugar, thyme. Toss to coat.
- Roast 20-25 min until tomatoes have collapsed, burst, and are caramelized around edges. They should be jammy and concentrated. Cool 5 min.
- Arrange warm roasted tomatoes in wide shallow serving bowl or platter.
- Place burrata balls in center of tomatoes.
- Drizzle remaining 2 tbsp olive oil over burrata and tomatoes. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over everything.
- Scatter fresh basil leaves — tear the large ones — over the dish.
- Finish with flaky sea salt and red pepper flakes.
- Serve immediately with crusty bread to mop up all the juices.
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Classic Panna Cotta
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⏱ 25 min + 4 hrs chilling
👤 6
🧺 Ingredients
- 720ml (3 cups) heavy cream
- 120ml (½ cup) whole milk
- 80g (⅓ cup) granulated sugar
- 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean
- 2½ tsp (7g) powdered gelatin
- 45ml (3 tbsp) cold water
- Berry coulis: 300g mixed berries, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp lemon juice
- Fresh berries and mint to garnish
👨🍳 Instructions
- Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl. Let stand 5 min to bloom — it becomes a thick gel.
- Combine cream, milk, sugar in saucepan. If using vanilla bean, split and scrape seeds into cream with pod. Heat over medium, stirring to dissolve sugar, until hot and steaming but not boiling (80°C/175°F).
- Remove from heat. Add bloomed gelatin, stir until completely dissolved — about 2 min. Add vanilla paste if using. Remove vanilla pod.
- Lightly oil 6 small ramekins with neutral oil. Strain cream through fine-mesh sieve into a jug.
- Divide equally among ramekins. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate minimum 4 hours until firmly set.
- Berry coulis: cook berries, sugar, lemon juice over medium heat 8-10 min until broken down. Strain for smooth or leave textured. Cool.
- To unmold: run thin knife around edge, place plate upside down over ramekin, flip. Tap gently.
- Serve with berry coulis poured over and fresh berries as garnish.