Dolly Parton’s Mother’s Banana Pudding with Banana-Infused Custard
A twist on Dolly Parton’s Mother’s Banana Pudding, inspired by Dana Cree’s Hello, My Name Is Ice Cream. Very ripe bananas are infused into the milk overnight, then strained out before the custard is made, giving plenty of banana flavour without adding the fruit’s starch. Layered with vanilla biscuits and fresh bananas, then finished with golden meringue, it’s rich, nostalgic and wonderfully banana-forward.
Pan-Fried Red Mullet, Aegean Style
A quick and simple Aegean-style pan-fried red mullet recipe, inspired by the small fish served in seaside meyhanes in Turkey. The fish are lightly coated in flour and salt, fried for around three minutes on each side until golden, then finished with a squeeze of lemon. Perfect served hot with a table of meze and, if you like, a glass of rakı for a little taste of the Aegean at home.
David Lebovitz’s Dukkah
A crunchy, deeply aromatic dukkah adapted from David Lebovitz’s My Paris Kitchen. Hazelnuts, sesame, pumpkin seeds and whole spices are toasted separately for maximum flavour. I grind the spices finely first, then pulse everything else briefly so the nuts stay chunky. It’s the dukkah I keep coming back to, and one that has found its way into plenty of Ottolenghi-style dishes at home.
BAO-Inspired Peanut Milk with a Slow Juicer
Inspired by BAO’s cult Peanut Milk and the traditional Taiwanese drink Mee Jiang, this creamy, nutty drink is surprisingly easy to make at home. I adapted BAO’s original recipe to use a slow juicer, extracting milk from soaked roasted peanuts before gently simmering it with oat milk, oat cream, muscovado sugar and vanilla. Served chilled over plenty of ice, it’s rich, refreshing and gently sweet.
