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Insider secrets
It’s time to move out of your everyday recipe comfort zone and try something new. Never mastered meringue? Do you think a beef Wellington is beyond you or are your poached eggs always overcooked? Look no further as we dispel the myths of those tricky dishes you never thought you could attempt, with tips and hacks galore. With practice, even a seemingly complicated dish becomes easy, so make it a weekend project to try these out. -
Macarons
The price of store-bought macarons is jaw-dropping, but they are not so hard to make at home. However, humidity is not a friend of the mixture, so on a hot day, they just collapse. It’s not your fault! Save them for a chilly day to make at home, weighing out the ingredients precisely, sifting the mixture to incorporate plenty of air and adding the sugar to the egg whites slowly and gradually.
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Pavlova meringue
The most common mistake in making this large meringue is to add the sugar to the egg whites too quickly. If buying liquid egg whites in a carton, use double the weight of sugar to the weight of egg white. Once the egg whites are beaten to soft peaks, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, counting to 10 in-between each addition. Ensure your mixing bowl is scrupulously clean and grease-free.
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Hollandaise sauce
This buttery sauce is the perfect partner for salmon and in eggs Benedict. With the addition of fresh tarragon, it becomes béarnaise sauce. It will split if gets too hot, so care is needed. Either over a pan of simmering water or using a blender, add melted butter to the eggs yolks, lemon juice and vinegar very slowly, whisking constantly. It can be made ahead and kept warm in a heated Thermos flask. Try it in our mushroom eggs Benedict recipe.
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The perfect steak
Cooking a great restaurant-quality steak at home isn’t such a challenge. A few tips will help: the steak should be at room temperature, buy the best quality beef you can and a thick steak is easier to cook than a thin one, with less risk of over-cooking. A medium-rare steak will just yield to your finger, whereas raw, it’s soft and bouncy.
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Choux pastry
Choux pastry is quite straightforward despite what people might say. It’s all made in a saucepan with just water, flour, eggs and butter. Measure out the ingredients precisely, then once the butter and water mixture comes to the boil in the pan, add the flour immediately off the heat, so none of the liquid evaporates. Cool this mixture before adding the eggs by putting the base of the pan in a basin of cold water. Then you’re ready to make amazing profiteroles.
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Risotto
Mastering the art of a great risotto is a skill everyone needs. In around 30 minutes, a meal will be on the table, but a risotto doesn’t cook by itself. It needs constant stirring with the gradual addition of stock which causes the starch in the rice grains to expand and achieve that wonderfully creamy texture. Buy good Italian rice – cheap versions will have broken grains in them and will make the risotto soggy.
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Crème brûlée
This classic dish is basically a rich vanilla custard topped with melted sugar. It can often turn out to be grainy because the proteins in the egg have overheated. The best solution is to bake the custard in a water bath in the oven, as in our recipe, which prevents the custard from overheating and gives a rich, silky texture. A cook’s blowtorch is a must for the caramel, as it’s impossible to get an even caramel with a domestic grill.
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Beef Wellington
This stunning centerpiece tastes as good as it looks, prime beef fillet covered with pâté and baked in flaky puff pastry. But how to ensure the beef is perfectly cooked and the pastry crisp? Follow the timings in our recipe for the perfect beef Wellington. The most important step is once the beef has been sealed and part-cooked, it must be completely cold before it’s wrapped.
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Homemade pasta
Making your own pasta is fun and you’ll have wonderful noodles, ravioli or tortellini as a result. The most important ingredient is the flour, a 00 Italian hard durum wheat flour. It’s finely ground and gives that silky, smooth result. A food processor will make light work of the kneading and a pasta machine will ensure fine pasta, though you can use a rolling pin. It will just take longer.
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Sweet soufflés
A soufflé requires a light touch to keep the air in and give that wonderful lightness. Ensure the eggs are at room temperature so the whites whisk up well. When folding in the egg whites, use a balloon whisk very gently. Although it’s a last minute dessert, have everything prepped, weighed out and ready to go and it won’t take long.
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Cream cheese frosting
This favorite topping for carrot cake can often turn into a runny mess. The good news is we have the simple solution. First of all, use a full-fat cream cheese – Philadelphia works brilliantly. Anything with a lower fat content will just run off the cake. Also use good quality butter as cheaper products will have had water added. The powdered sugar must be well sifted and the cream cheese and butter must be at room temperature.
Get the recipe for carrot cake with cream cheese frosting here
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Focaccia
This traditional Italian bread is always a winner, but it can often turn out hard and dry, rather than soft and almost cake-like, which it should be. The key is not to keep adding flour while kneading, but use a little oil instead. The dough is supposed to be wet and sticky, and becomes smooth as the dough is worked. It’s best made in a stand mixer with a dough hook.
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Classic crêpes
Let’s be clear – there’s no cheffy flipping and flambéing required to produce a perfect, lacy-thin French crêpe. What you do need is a decent non-stick omelet pan and a palette knife for turning. Use an electric hand whisk for the batter to ensure it’s lump-free and remember, the first one never works. It acts to season the pan ready for the batch.
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Traditional pork pie
A British classic, perfect for the buffet table, picnics and lunchboxes, which most people buy. It’s easier to make than you may think. The hot water crust pastry is very simple and extremely forgiving. You can’t overwork it. Traditionally a jelly, made from stock and gelatin, is poured in once the pie is cooked and left to set, but you can skip this step without harming the flavor.
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Proper gravy
You’ll never resort to a packet of gravy granules again once you master the simple art of homemade gravy. The method remains the same, whether the gravy is for beef, lamb, turkey or chicken. The key is to buy or make the best stock, reducing it on the hob until it’s thickened. You can make it ahead of time, then just add the pan juices when the meat or poultry is cooked.
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Poached eggs
Egg-poachers just steam and toughen the eggs. You also don’t need to whisk the water like a maniac or add vinegar which just taints the eggs. Simply crack a fresh egg into a small dish or cup, fill a sauté or frying pan with 2.5cm (1in) boiling water from the kettle. On a gentle heat, once the water shows tiny bubbles, tip in the egg, cook for one minute, then take it off the heat and cover for 10 minutes. Lift out with a slotted spoon, resting it on kitchen towel for a minute. -
Cheese soufflé
There’s no need to fear a cheese soufflé. Think of it just as a rich cheese sauce with beaten egg whites folded into it. All the ingredients need to be prepped and weighed out ahead, and just try not to be heavy-handed when folding in the egg whites, as you’ll knock the air out and the soufflés won’t rise. You can even freeze them uncooked, then bake from frozen, adding a little extra oven time.
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Yorkshire puddings
A soggy Yorkshire pudding is such a disappointment, but it’s an easy fix. Use an electric hand whisk to make the batter to ensure it’s lump-free. The batter can stand for up to 12 hours, which will make it lighter as the starch grains expand. Then, heat the oil in the oven until it’s smoking hot and ensure the oven is really hot too. The roast beef can rest as you bake the Yorkshires.
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Mayonnaise
It’s a pantry essential, but you can’t beat the flavor and texture of homemade mayo. It will keep for two weeks in the refrigerator and you can add your own herbs, extra garlic or lemon. The trick is simply patience. Once two egg yolks are beaten with a pinch of salt, 1tsp Dijon mustard and 1tbsp wine vinegar, add 300ml (1/2 pint) olive oil very slowly, whisking with an electric hand whisk until thickened. Season to taste and add a squeeze of lemon juice halfway through. -
Caramel
Caramel can be one of the trickiest techniques for a cook, but our foolproof method works every time. Put the sugar, either granulated or superfine, into a solid sauté or frying pan, shaking it to an even layer. Put it on a gentle heat to heat through the sugar. Turn up the heat a little, shaking the pan now and then for even coverage, until the sugar has melted. Don’t stir. Then turn up the heat until it becomes golden. Pour onto an oiled baking sheet until set or use as directed in your recipe.
