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A generous and warming autumnal crumble featuring tart cranberry, fragrant quince, and sweet apples, crowned with a buttery almond crumble topping studded with toasted flaked almonds. This deeply flavored dessert showcases the subtle flavors of fall fruits balanced with sweet spices and served warm for maximum comfort.
Chicken poaches in a heavily spiced broth (saffron, ginger, cinnamon, lemon). The shredded meat returns to a reduced sauce thickened with beaten eggs to make a soft set. Toasted almonds with sugar and cinnamon form a layer. Everything wraps in butter-brushed filo, baked golden, and dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon.
Delicate, lace-like brandy snap pastry baskets filled with silky tanginess and fresh raspberries, these elegant petit fours showcase the classic combination of crispy-sweet with fresh tartness. The ginger and Cognac in the brandy snap mixture add sophisticated depth and warmth to what could otherwise be a one-dimensional dessert.
Chicken inasal is the pride of Bacolod City on Negros Occidental, where streetside grill houses serve nothing else: trays of chicken parts skewered on bamboo, smoking over long coal pits, with the cook brushing on bright orange annatto oil every few turns. The marinade is what marks it as Filipino: calamansi (a small, sour citrus halfway between lime and tangerine), cane vinegar, ginger, lemongrass, garlic and a generous slug of black pepper. The annatto oil (atsuete) is just neutral oil warmed gently with annatto seeds until it stains a vivid orange-red; this is the dish's signature look and a mild peppery flavour. Basting starts halfway through cooking so the colour goes onto skin that's already partly cooked, and continues right up to the moment the chicken leaves the grill. Difficulty for a home cook is low; the only special ingredients are calamansi (lime juice plus a touch of orange juice substitutes well) and annatto seeds (sometimes sold as achiote, found in any Filipino or Latin American shop). The flavour profile is sharp, herbal, slightly smoky, with a peppery edge from black pepper rather than chilli, and ribbon-thin lemongrass perfume running through everything. Service is non-negotiable: a heap of garlic rice (sinangag), a saucer of toyomansi (soy-calamansi-vinegar dipping sauce with sliced chillies), and the cook's pot of warm annatto oil for the table.
Lamb and chicken poach slowly in a saffron-tomato broth with chunks of root vegetables and chickpeas. Merguez sausages grill or fry separately. Couscous steams (or is rehydrated quickly with hot broth and butter). Everything plates separately on a vast platter; diners build their own bowls and slick with harissa.
Ethiopia's national dish, the spiced chicken stew that turns up at every wedding, Easter feast and Christmas table, and the one dish a cook is judged on. The foundation is the onion - you cook it down slowly for nearly an hour into a deep dark base, and this is the step that decides whether the wat is great or merely acceptable. Berbere (the Ethiopian spice blend of chilli, fenugreek, ginger and a dozen others) and niter kibbeh (spiced clarified butter, the dish's defining fat) fold in. Chicken thighs and legs simmer in the deep red sauce, and hard-boiled eggs join late, scored with a knife so they take on the colour and the flavour. Eaten communally from a single platter, with injera flatbread torn into pieces to scoop the stew. No cutlery, no individual plates, hands clean before the meal.
Saudi Arabia's national dish, the one platter you'll meet at almost every gathering from family lunch through wedding banquet. You brown chicken pieces or lamb shoulder hard in a heavy pot, then build a base of onion, garlic and ginger softened in the same fat, with tomato and a spoonful of baharat (or a dedicated kabsa spice mix) blooming until the kitchen fills with cardamom and cinnamon. The protein simmers in tomato and stock until it's tender and pulling away from the bone, then long-grain rice goes in to cook absorption-style in the same liquid, drinking up every layer of flavour the broth carries. You finish with almonds toasted in butter, raisins plumped briefly, and a fresh salsa of tomato, onion, chilli and parsley spooned on the side to cut the richness. Eaten communally from the centre platter, with hands or a long spoon.
Beef tenderloin or fillet is cut into 3 cm cubes and marinated in two stages. A first short rub with raw papaya, ginger-garlic, salt and a splash of vinegar tenderises the meat (papaya enzymes break down the muscle fibre). After 30 minutes the second marinade goes in: yogurt, Kashmiri chilli, garam masala, kasuri methi, mustard oil and a touch of besan. The beef sits for at least 3 hours, ideally overnight. Threaded onto skewers and grilled hot until charred at the edges; the inside should stay pink and juicy.
Whole chickpeas are soaked overnight and simmered until tender (or pressure-cooked). The chickpea cooking liquor is measured and reserved as part of the rice cooking liquid. A fried-onion base is built in ghee with whole spices, ginger-garlic paste and ground spices, and the cooked chickpeas are folded in. Soaked basmati is toasted in the base, then the measured cooking liquor goes in for the steam. A scatter of fried onion and coriander finishes.
Bone-in lamb is browned in ghee with a small handful of whole spices, then ginger-garlic paste and tomato are added in two stages: first chopped, to break down into a base sauce, then sliced, to give texture at the end. The dish cooks uncovered the entire time, which is what defines Lahori karahi (the gravy reduces by half and concentrates). Green chilli, fresh ginger and coriander finish; a tablespoon of butter or ghee makes the slick on top.
The Mughal-Pakistani slow-cooked lamb shank stew: meat braised for hours in a spice-thick gravy of ginger, garlic, ground spices and a wheat-flour slurry that gives the broth its characteristic velvety body. Traditionally a Friday-morning dish in Lahore. Mild compared to other curries; the flavour is deep rather than hot.
Chicken thighs are marinated briefly in onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and a sprinkle of curry powder, then sealed in a banana-leaf parcel along with chopped onion, tomato and a knob of butter. The parcels steam in a covered pot for 90 minutes to 2 hours, the leaves perfuming the meat, the juices concentrating into a glossy sauce. Each diner unwraps their own parcel. Baking parchment and foil stand in if banana leaves are unobtainable.
Beef is browned and simmered with onions, garlic, ginger, tomato and a touch of curry powder. Green, unripe plantains are peeled and added to the pot to steam-cook in the sauce until tender. A loose peanut paste is stirred through near the end for body and richness. The whole dish is one pot and built in stages.
Potatoes, cauliflower, peas boil until tender. A masala base softens onions and tomatoes in butter with ginger-garlic paste, then chilli powder, turmeric and pav bhaji masala. Capsicum joins. Boiled vegetables mash in roughly; everything cooks together 10-15 minutes, mashing as you go, until the bhaji turns a deep orange-red and the consistency is thick-spreadable. Finishes with extra butter, lemon juice, coriander. Pav rolls split horizontally, griddle-fry in butter with a sprinkle of pav bhaji masala till the cut sides char. Serve bhaji in shallow bowls topped with diced raw onion, lemon wedges, a coriander shower; pav on the side.
A flavorful methi chicken tikka combining fresh fenugreek with aromatic spices and yoghurt marinade. This recipe blends elements from various traditional preparations, resulting in a barbecue favorite with charred edges and tender, juicy meat.
Sweet shortcrust pastry: plain flour rubs with cold butter to breadcrumb texture; icing sugar adds sweetness; an egg yolk binds with a splash of water. Rests in the fridge 1 hour. The pastry is rolled, lined into a 22 cm fluted tart tin, pricked, chilled again, and blind-baked with baking beans for 15 min, then 5 more min uncovered. Filling: warm golden syrup, lemon zest and juice, fresh breadcrumbs from a day-old loaf, a beaten egg and a small pinch of ginger / cinnamon. Stirred together; poured into the blind-baked case. Baked at 180°C 25-30 min until set with a slight wobble. Cooled to warm; served with cold clotted cream.