makes 4 1 small ripe avocado 240ml/1 cup (8 fl oz) water 1/4 cup (50 g) sugar pinch of salt 1 tablespoon lime juice Put the sugar and water into a saucepan and simmer until fully dissolved. You need to keep it at a simmer for a couple of minutes, as this helps prevent the sugar separating out later. Cool to room temperature, then blend with the avocado flesh, lime juice and salt.

makes 4 240ml/1 cup (8 fl oz) single cream 60ml/1/4 cup dulce de leche (about half a can of condensed milk, boiled) pinch of salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 45g/1/3 cup chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans (optional) Mix the ingredients; you may need to add some sugar (50g) to the cream and heat to dissolve, depending on your dulce de leche (boil a can of condensed milk for a couple of hours - VERY IMPORTANT - unopened).

Adjusted from a recipe in the Telegraph for “Almondines”. Makes 12 - in a 12 hole muffin tin. Crumble: 4 oz / 120g plain flour 3 oz / 80g demerara sugar 3 oz / 80g unsalted butter Fragipane: 3.5 oz / 100g unsalted butter 3.5 oz / 100g caster sugar 3.5 oz / 100g ground almonds 1 egg 2 oz / 50g cornflour 2 drops of almond extract Filling:

This recipe has surprising symmetry, as it uses 1 egg per person and 28g of chocolate. And nothing else. I think it comes from Elizabeth David, reminded by Felicity Cloake and Simon Hopkinson. Separate the eggs. Melt the chocolate over a bain marie. Whip the egg whites to a firmish soft peaks stage. Beat the yolks into the chocolate. Fold the beaten whites into the chocolate mix by first stirring in 1/3 of the whites, then gently folding in the remaining 2/3.

Horchata is one of the Mexican agua frescas (and this is the Mexican, not the Spanish, version). The other two big flavours that you will see everywhere are tamarindo and jamaica (hibiscus). 1.5 - 2 litres rice milk 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 80g sugar Mix, chill. Serve over ice. Using rice milk is the quick way. If you don’t have access to it, the traditional method is easy, and may give better results:

3 oz/85g chocolate 10.75 oz/305g plain flour 2 tsp/12g baking soda 1 tsp/6g salt 3 large/150g eggs 1.5 tsp/7g vanilla extract 4 oz/115g butter 13.5 oz/385g brown sugar 8 oz/230g sour cream 8 oz/230g boiling water Heat oven to 350F/175C and prepare a 9" cake tin (line with greaseproof paper, 3" deep).

Ham Soup 1 ham hock, pre-cooked (can substitute 200g cooked ham) 1/2 onion 80g pancetta or smoked bacon 100g red lentils 100g yellow split peas 1 can marrowfat peas 1 bay leaf Brown the pancetta in 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the onion and sweat until translucent. then add the various pulses and the bay leaf, and cover well with water. If you have a hock, add it now, bone and skin and fat and all.

1 can chick peas 1 clove garlic 60ml/4 tbs tahini juice of half a lemon 1/2 tsp salt This really needs a blender. Drain the chick peas, put all the ingredients into the blender, and blend to a smooth paste. Season to taste. Add some water or reserved cooking liquid to adjust the texture. The details: you can used dried chick peas; they will need to be soaked overnight and cooked for anywhere from 40 minutes up, but probably closer to 90, depending mainly on the age of the beans.

Lentil and Sausage Casserole 1 lb good quality pork sausages (85%+ meat); can be italian or toulouse 250g puy lentils (or green or brown lentils) 1/2 onion 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 can tomatoes 1 bay leaf 80g pancetta Brown the sausages, then brown the pancetta in a tablespoon of oil. Over a medium/low heat, sweat the onions until translucent, then add the garlic for 1 minute.

100g pancetta (optional) 1 dried chilli 1/2 onion 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 1 can tomatoes 1 cup red lentils 3-4 large red peppers Brown the pancetta in a tablespoon of oil, then add the onion over a low/medium heat. Cook until the onion starts to turn transparent, then add the chilli and garlic for 30 seconds to one minute, until you can smell the aroma of the cooking garlic.