Milk

Bread and butter pudding is as old as the hills and it's great for using up stale bread. There are many different ways of making it. This recipe is a bit of a departure from the traditional, with the addition of bananas.

Creamy vanilla custard and layers of light pastry dusted with icing sugar, a piece of French vanilla slice is a perfect afternoon treat, especially with a cup of good coffee on the side.

Make your custard adults-only by giving it a kick with the liqueur of your choice. We've chosen orange flavoured liqueur for this recipe, but brandy, drambuie or even rum would work, too.

Indian chai is a milky tea flavoured with various spices that has become increasingly popular throughout the world. The spices used vary from region to region and we think this recipe has the perfect, fragrant balance.

These simple white cakes make an elegant wedding cake for an all-white wedding.

This decadent butterscotch pie will satisfy the cravings of any sweet tooth. The only problem with this luscious dish is trying to decide whether to serve it with lashings of whipped cream, or ice-cream.

Béchamel is one of the “mother” or base sauces of classic French cooking and probably the one sauce that most people learn to cook before leaving home, often with the addition of cheese. Note

For the most lusciously smooth, fluffy, irresistible mash, this is the recipe to follow. Use potatoes that are high in starch and take care not to overcook them. Push the potato through a sieve, as we suggest here, or through a potato ricer or food mill (mouli).

storage Lolly cake biscuit will keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Slice it as you need it. For round biscuits, place a 30cm x 40cm (12-inch x 16-inch) sheet of baking paper on the work surface. Spoon biscuit mixture onto paper and shape into a 30cm (12-inch) long, 5cm (2-inch) […]

This type of bread involves a few more steps than a usual loaf, but is definitely worth the time. The aromas of delicious, warm, fresh baked bread will fill the kitchen, building the anticipation for the final, delectable result.

Leche frita are deep-fried custard shapes tossed in cinnamon sugar.

These elegant desserts are perfect for the silly season.

The rich redness of the rhubarb manages to make this dish look both striking and sophisticated. Few will be able to resist the charms of the deliciously tart topping hiding a rich creamy custard filling.

For a super-chilled summery smoothie, freeze the chopped banana and the mango overnight before blending.

Beautiful and delicate flower cakes to impress your dinner guests.

More than just a drink, this luscious hot chocolate spiked with liqueur and topped with Maltesers is a dessert in its own right.

Baked until crisp in a bubbling cheese sauce, these moreish witlof make an excellent starter or light lunch.

You simply can't beat homemade ice cream, and the tofu in this recipe enhances both the flavour and texture, for something even more special.

Cook the sago the night before; refrigerate overnight, then assemble smoothie in the morning. While sago and tapioca are not the same, sago may be found labelled as ‘seed tapioca’ on some packets. Note

A light pouring custard perfumed with a split vanilla bean, crème anglaise is ideal paired with fruit pies and crumbles, or steamed puddings.

The glamour set know where the best lattes are, and always get a seat at the best restaurants. This party food is sure to be on their “what’s hot” list, and will have them wanting more. Note

Gird your loins and fire up your blowtorch, it's time to make a classic French crème brûlée. If you don't have a blowtorch, just heat the grill until hot.

These fun and impressive blondies can be enjoyed by everyone. They are both nut-free and egg-free.

The creaminess of the ice cream and chocolate sauce is a delectable texture contrast to the crunchiness of the pavlova. You can serve this with a berry compote as well if you like.

What better way to treat the kids or your nearest and dearest for this weekend's brunch with this decadent stack of blueberry buttermilk pancakes with bacon. Enjoy!

An Australian/Kiwi twist to pouring custard. Banana custard also makes a great quick pie, just fill a ready-to-go pie case and top with sweetened whipped cream.

It is fine to use a 300ml carton of cream for this recipe. Note

If fresh fruit is unavailable, use frozen mango or drained canned mango in natural juice, for this healthy smoothie full of calcium, magnesium and B12.

Use white sauce (also called béchamel) in pasta dishes like lasagne, or serve with grilled fish fillets or corned beef. It’s the base for many other sauces, including mornay. You can make sauce ahead of time but, to make sure a skin doesn’t form on the sauce, cover its surface with plastic wrap. Note

Try adding a few spoonfuls of toasted muesli to create a healthy and satisfying breakfast smoothie.

Classic, creamy and comforting, blancmange is really the French version of panna cotta. It is delicious all on its own, or served with a variety of toppings, for example, berry coulis

Kumara dampers are a marriage of old Australia and new, of bush practicality and modern, urban culinary exploration. The pumpkin scone of Modern Australian cuisine.

Gnocchi with caramelised pumpkin & sage sauce

You can use any type of milk you prefer ­ almond, rice, soy, goat’s and cow’s milk are all suitable. If you don’t have coconut oil use olive oil instead. Use a gluten-free bread for a coeliac-friendly version of this recipe. Make sure you use a more nutritious wholegrain bread than wholemeal, which is often […]

The word 'junket' normally conjures up images of politicians on 'work' trips in exotic places, or unappetising, lumpy bowls of custard. This dish is, thankfully, neither. It is a smooth, sweet, gingery bowl of goodness.

This classic dish is comforting, dependable and delicious. No wonder it is so popular in so many cultures around the world.

You can use any leftover damper in bread-and-butter pudding. Sprinkle extra muesli over damper before cooking. Damper suitable to freeze. You can make mini dampers; cooking time will vary. Note

Use mixed frozen berries if preferred, or chopped fresh strawberries. makes 12 Note

A genuine Australian classic, pumpkin scones are best scoffed warm and spread with lashings of butter.

There are many flavours in this exquisite chocolate winter pudding, lavender, honey, chocolate and orange, that mingle and flow together to create something rather beautiful.

Bread sauce is a classic English accompaniment to roast chicken or beef dishes.

Crème catalana is the Catalan version of the French dessert, crème brulée. In fact, many regions lay claim to the origin of this dish. It's traditionally prepared on fathers day in Spain. We think you should enjoy it all year round.

Slightly sweet and rich with eggs, this bread is common throughout Central Asia, but is most famously made in Greece as part of their celebration of Easter.

Similar to creme caramel, cinnamon flan has the same delicate custard base topped with a burnt sugar caramel, but with added spice.

Rizogalo is a traditional Greek-style creamed rice pudding that can also be served cole. Often spiced with cinnamon and lemon peel, it is also delicious served topped with nuts and honey.

Rich, creamy and sweet, this classic custard recipe is the perfect accompaniment to many pies, cakes and desserts.

Light, crumbly kisses are utterly divine sandwiched together with Vienna cream. These classic little biscuits are make a scrumptious afternoon treat. The hardest thing is trying not to eat them all at once.

You can decorate these party patty cakes just like we have, or you can use your favourite lollies to make up your own designs. For a fun, if messy, party game place all the bits and pieces out on a long table, and let the kids decorate their own cupcake.

This lime and poppy seed syrup cake is topped with fragrant lime zest. Before you grate the lime, make sure it is at room temperature and roll it, pressing down hard with your hand, on the kitchen bench to bring out the oil in the peel.

This slice can keep for 3 days. Note

We used purple jubes, small jelly beans, Smarties and fizzers, but you can use any lollies you like. Note

If you cannot find doongara rice, use white long-grain rice instead. Doongara rice was developed and is grown in Australia. It’s a white, long-grain rice similar to basmati, and has a higher content of amylose (starch) than other rice, which means it is more slowly digested ­ it has a lower glycaemic index than most […]

Made from little more than apples and a touch of spice, the long slow-cooking concentrates the apple taste. Serve as a dessert cake, perfect for guests with intolerances to wheat or gluten. Note

Recipe can be made two days ahead, store, covered, in the refrigerator. Don’t worry if the mixture separates, giving you two layers, one creamy and one clear. The mixture separates into two layers when the gelatine mixture is of a different temperature to that of the cream mixture, when the two mixtures are combined, they […]

If syrup is a little thin, remove quince with a slotted spoon, then boil syrup, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until thicker. Note

You’ll have about ½ cup of the cake mixture left over; make more cakes for a longer serpent, if you like Note

You will need 12 strong wooden toothpicks, tips broken off into 1.5cm lengths. Note

Make one packet of cake mix at a time. Bake two trays of cakes together and, while they’re baking, put the cake mixture into the next two trays. For the best effect, match the paper cases to the colours of the frosting and jelly crystals. Note

Boiled lollies are made from a thick syrup of boiled sugar and water, to which colour and flavourings are added before the mixture is rolled, cut into pieces and hardened. Also known as rock candy, humbugs and bullseyes. Note

Rose petal jam is available from Middle-Eastern foodstores and delis. Note

Vary the fruit according to your taste and what’s in season; just make sure you use the same amounts. Note

Soufflé can be made ahead through the end of step 4. Just before you intend to fold in the egg whites and bake the soufflé, warm the prepared egg yolk and spinach base by standing the bowl in warm water a few minutes. Note

Make sure the rosebuds have not been treated with any chemical sprays. Note

Substitutes: use whole roasted almonds instead of hazelnuts. Note

Stand the yeast mixture in a warm place to allow it to become frothy. It’s important that the spot you choose is warm, not hot. If it’s too hot you’ll kill the yeast. Note

We used Grand Marnier liqueur in this recipe; you can use any orange flavoured liqueur you like. Note

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Not suitable to freeze. Not suitable to microwave. Note

This recipe is not suitable to freeze. Note