When I first made chocolate mousse, when I was about 10 years old, my sister, a devoted chocolate lover steadfastly refused to eat it as it contained raw egg. She has a “thing” about eggs (the worst thing for her is finding stray pieces of egg shell in her food). Come to think of it my mother also loathed eggs while pregnant with her so you’d suppose this has been passed on to her. This recipe is ideal for her and anyone who dislikes the idea of eating raw egg. It’s also ideal for those short on time, who don’t have hours to wait for a mousse to set.

It is ludicrously easy and sets straight away. The only thing that you might find is that it takes a while to melt the marshmallows (and don’t forget the water like I almost did, it will burn if the marshmallows are sitting at the bottom of the pot) and I wanted to set aside some time for the chocolate mixture to cool so that my thick whipped cream didn’t collapse. I set the pot of melted chocolate in a cold water bath and within 5-10 minutes while I was whipping the cream it had started to set and cooled well enough to fold in the cream. I used milk chocolate as I had used up all my dark chocolate on other things and didn’t have the time to buy some. The most fun part about this apart from eating it is dolloping it in the glass, it has the perfect dolloping texture and holds its dolloped shape. And whatever you do, don’t refrigerate it like I did, it becomes a bit too hard and loses it light mousiness. Keep it at room temperature and it will be lovely, soft and light.

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I was in two minds as to whether to put this recipe up. Mainly because I didn’t really like this sauce much and the sauce is really the main bother with this. I actually preferred my humungous Australian King Prawns plain or with the mayo by itself or even with the bought Thousand Island that it resembled in look, if not entirely by taste.

For me, the harissa was just too strong, bitter and spicey. I dutifully bought a good Mayonnaise as Nigella suggested (not Organic but an expensive Swiss style mayo); gorgeously fresh and sweet and perfectly textured prawns (most measuring between 17-20 cms long prawns on steroids the polar opposite of the small shrimp that Nigella had); authentic Moroccan Harissa which was finally found in a Kirribilli deli; fresh lime and honey. What I failed to do was read her blurb before the recipe which says to work up to the amount of harissa below which was the fatal mistake. If I had listened to her and worked my way up to the quantity, it would have been much nicer. Tread lightly with the Harissa if you have an authentic, hot one.

If you do want to make this I’d suggest making much less sauce. With 500g of the large prawns, I halved the sauce quantity and even then we hardly made a dent into the sauce. And go for Tiger rather than King Prawns if this is for more than 1 person. 500grams of Gigantic King Prawns will only get you between 8-10 prawns.

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My father is one those people, you may know the kind, that will not eat anything that is bad for him unless absolutely necessary (i.e. a daughter guilting him into eating a cupcake by saying that she baked it especially for him). My mother swings the other way, she loves sweets and butter although she is attempting to curb it by removing the icing from the cupcake before eating it.

The only things that my father will voluntarily eat without the added persuasion of guilt is these particular nuts and Portuguese custard tarts. Indeed, I gave him a huge jar of these for his birthday and he happily polished them off in no time. Nigella is right, once you start eating these spicy, aromatic toasted nuts you will find resistance is useless…even for a disciplined eater like my father.

The Union Square Cafe’s Bar Nuts

More picking food, and ludicrously easy to make. You might think that nuts, untampered with, are perfect picking food as they are, and up to a point you’d be right. But try these, modestly adapted from the recipe for spiced nuts served at the Union Square Café in New York and you’ll truly know what perfection is.

• 500g assorted unsalted nuts, including: peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans and whole unpeeled almonds
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary (from 2 x 8cm sprigs)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I’ve also used smoked paprika and it is delicious although less spicy)
• 2 teaspoons dark muscavado sugar
• 2 teaspoons Maldon salt
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ gas mark 4.

2. Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven till they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, muscovado sugar, salt and melted butter.

4. Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts with the spiced butter and serve warm. And once you eat these, you will never want to stop.

Recipe adapted from Nigella Bites by Nigella Lawson

Ahhh Winter, I have fully surrendered to you by now with this recipe. This is an unashamed Winter Warmer recipe designed to make you less resentful of the cold weather by helping you embrace it.

It’s a sweet caramelly version of a bread and butter pudding, the milky caramel soaking into the croissants on the bottom side leaving the topping lovely and crunchy with sugar. Nigella suggests that this feeds 2 greedy people. I’d say that for dessert this would feed 4 greedy people but perhaps she means as a main. If anyone would suggest eating this as a main, it’s Nigella. Which is why of course we love her.

Caramel Croissant Pudding

Serves 2 greedy people

• 2 stale croissants (I used 3 fresh croissants)
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 x 15ml tbsp water
• 125ml double cream
• 125ml full-fat milk
• 2 x 15ml tbsp bourbon (I used scotch)
• 2 eggs, beaten

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4.

2. Tear the croissants into pieces and put in a small gratin dish; I use a cast iron oval one with a capacity of about 500ml.

3. Put the caster sugar and water into a saucepan, and swirl around to help dissolve the sugar before putting the saucepan on the hob over a medium to high heat.

4. Caramelize the sugar and water mixture by letting it bubble away, without stirring, until it all turns a deep amber colour; this will take 3 to 5 minutes. Keep looking but don’t be too timid.

5 Turn the heat down to low and add the cream – ignoring all spluttering – and, whisking away, the milk and bourbon. Any solid toffee that forms in the pan will dissolve easily if you keep whisking over a low heat (there was a large lump of toffee which took about 5-8 minutes to whisk and dissolve away). Take off the heat and, still whisking, add the beaten eggs. Pour the caramel bourbon custard over the croissants and leave to steep for 10 minutes if the croissants are very stale (as my croissants were fresh, I skipped the steeping).

6 Place in the oven for 20 minutes and prepare to swoon.

Recipes by Nigella Lawson from Nigella Express

***NEWSFLASH*** NQN is holding a Banana Bread Bake off event! Bake your Best Banana Bread recipe and enter this event here!

It is true that there are at least 1001 recipes for Banana Bread. It is also true that some of them will claim to be the best ever recipe. Whilst I can’t say that I am remotely qualified to be the judge of the best banana bread, I can say that I am somewhat qualified to eat them. So I decided that with a surplus of bananas (in Australia April-June and August-October are the best times to eat them), I’d make four different kinds of Banana Bread. The first one was of course from Nigella, the second a standby good old banana bread recipe I found in a Woolworths Fresh magazine, the third from the Taste website by Janelle Bloom (yes, I know she microwaves everything but this recipe did not involve the microwave and I was persuaded by the coconut flavour in it) and the last one is a Chocolate Banana bread by Karen Martini from the Sunday Life magazine.

1. Nigella’s Banana bread

I was woken at 7am this morning by a sudden urge to bake. Actually no, it was the birds outside and their loud morning calls that woke me but not knowing what to do with myself, I decided to bake. It was at the urging and from the favorable reviews on Vogue’s food forum that I sought to make Nigella’s banana bread. I was also influenced by the bananas that were ripening aromatically in my kitchen that were the perfect size for this recipe. The addition of brandy or rum soaked sultanas and walnuts makes this a little fancier and showier than your normal Banana Bread. I call this the Marcia Brady of the Banana Breads.

I made this a little rougher textured that I would like in that I didn’t chop the walnuts too finely and unlike most baked goods, I found this really came into its own when it was cold, sliced and buttered. When it was straight out of the oven, it just didn’t appeal to me as much.

• 100g sultanas
• 75ml bourbon or dark rum (or apple or orange juice if you’re wanting it to be non alcoholic)
• 175g plain flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• half teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• half teaspoon salt
• 125g unsalted butter, melted
• 150g sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 4 small, very ripe bananas (about 300g weighed without skin), mashed
• 60g chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 23 x 13 x 7cm loaf tin, buttered and floured or with a paper insert

1. Put the sultanas and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour if you can, or until the sultanas have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.

2. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3 and get started on the rest. Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended.

3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas. Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit.

4. Scrape into the loaf tin and bake in the middle of the oven for 1 to 1 and a quarter hours. When it’s ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish. Leave in the tin on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.

Makes 8-10 slices

From How To Be A Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson

2. Woolworth’s Fresh Banana Bread

This is more your plain Jane, nothing fancy like walnuts or brandy soused sultanas. I see it more as the Jan Brady of Banana Bread. Nigella’s would undoubtedly be Marcia Marcia Marcia. That doesn’t mean Jan isn’t good but she just isn’t as flashy but it also means that she is less work. It’s soft and fine grained but less moist.

Prep: 10 minutes Cooking: 50 minutes Makes: 1 loaf (10-12 slices)

• 1 cup (150g) plain flour
• 1/2 cup (75g) self raising flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 125g butter, melted and cooled
• 2 eggs whisked
• 3-4 ripe bananas, mashed

1. Preheat oven to 180c. Grease and line the base and sides of an 11cms x 21cmsx6cm deep loaf pan.

2. Combine flours, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Whisk butter and eggs together. Stir in banana. Spoon into prepared pan. Smooth the surface.

3. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve spread with butter.

Recipe: Woolworths Fresh magazine

3. Janelle Bloom’s Banana and Coconut Bread

Yes I do know that she is on Ready Steady Cook purporting the merits of Microwaves at every turn but I am willing to overlook this because of the addition of coconut and coconut milk in this Banana bread. This cake is very delicate, moist and light, the lightest of the four and not overly sweet but just sweet enough. Interestingly, there’s no butter in the recipe with the moisture and fat content provided by the coconut milk (I used coconut cream) which produces a lovely moistness. I call this the Mrs Brady-the surprise fox among the hens.

Ingredients (serves 8 )

• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 cup mashed banana (see note)
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

1. Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease and line a 6cm deep, 10.5cm x 20.5cm (base) loaf pan.

2. Combine coconut, sugar and flour in a large bowl. Using a fork, beat banana, coconut milk, egg and vanilla in a jug. Pour over flour mixture. Gently stir to combine. Spoon mixture into pan. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes or until a skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.

3. Stand for 10 minutes in pan. Turn onto a wire rack to cool completely. Serve sliced or toasted with butter, jam or cream cheese.

Notes & tips

* Note: Two large or 3 medium-sized ripe bananas will give 1 cup of mashed banana.
* Tip: Banana coconut loaf will keep for 1 week stored in an airtight container.

Source Super Food Ideas - September 2005 , Page 21
Recipe by Janelle Bloom

4. Karen Martini’s Chocolate and Banana Bread

I left the most fiddly one until last. It’s not particularly fiddly when you compare it to a normal cake but it does require creaming and thus the aid of the heavy equipment whereas the other banana breads just needed a bit of luxuriated stirring. I am in two minds about Karen Martini’s recipes, the ones that I have tried have not been great, but the picture of this one was too tempting to not make. As it turns out, mine did not resemble the one in her picture in the slightest (notwithstanding the fact that I forgot to add the banana on top). Hers was a deep, dark chocolate colour on the outside with a glossy coating on top. Mine was more a very light brown and not glossy. Also when cutting it when warm, it wasn’t very dense, I would have liked a note to slice it when it’s cold. So I guess it’s the last Karen Martini recipe for me at least for a while. I like the little notes that Nigella gives and the fact that things turn out as they look in the pictures. As its the most trouble, and a little bit dense, it just has to be Cindy Brady.

• 250g plain flour
• 20g cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 120g butter softened
• 130g raw sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2-4 very large ripe bananas (about 500g, mashed plus 1 extra)
• 60g shredded coconut
• 80g dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to fan-forced 175c (195c conventional)

2. Soft combined flour, cocoa and baking powder into a bowl. Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Add mashed banana and stir until combined. Fold in flour mixture, then add coconut and chocolate chips and stir until well combined.

3. Grease a loaf pan (22×12cms) and line the base with baking paper. Spoon mixture into pan. Slice extra banana and place on top of loaf (arrrgh I forgot the banana on top!). Bake for 65-70 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.

Recipe from Sunday Life by Karen Martini

I can say that out of the 4, I most liked Janelle Bloom’s Coconut and Banana bread the best followed closely by Nigella’s Banana Bread. I wasn’t so taken by Karen Martini’s Chocolate banana bread as I prefer dessicated to shredded coconut as it’s more delicate. As for the plain Jane Jan Brady Woolworth’s loaf, that was my least favourite in comparison with the others.

However my husband was an entirely different matter altogether. He liked the Woolworths Fresh magazine one the most, followed by Nigella’s, then Karen Martini’s Chocolate Banana bread and then Janelle Bloom’s Coconut banana bread which he said stuck to the roof of his mouth too much for comfort!

Having said that I don’t think that I would chuck any of them out of my bed at night and I found them all, uniformly best served cold with a spread of butter.