Skip to content
LoginRegister
WhatToEat.Today

Lunchbox ideas

Make-ahead food that packs well for school and office lunchboxes. (342 recipes)

Tarta de coco y dulce de lecheCoconut and dulce de leche tart

Ask Argentinians for their favourite tart at a family birthday and this one often wins: a crisp shortcrust spread thickly with dulce de leche, then covered with a coconut, sugar and egg topping that bakes into a golden, chewy crust. Bakeries from Córdoba to Mar del Plata sell it by the slice for the merienda with mate or a café con leche. It is very sweet, so the slices are thin, and it is a good keeper for a few days. Ordinary spreading dulce de leche is the mistake: it runs and bubbles out at the edges. Use the thicker pastry-style kind, sold in Argentina as 'repostero'. Chef's tip: chill the case with the dulce de leche spread on it for 15 minutes before adding the coconut, so the two layers stay distinct.

75 minArgentinianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Biskut dahliaPiped flower butter cookies

In the last days of Ramadan, Malaysian kitchens from Johor to Kedah turn into small factories of kuih raya, and biskut dahlia is one of the easiest and prettiest: soft buttery dough piped through a star nozzle into ruffled flowers, each with a bit of glacé cherry or a chocolate chip in the centre. They are crisp at the edges and tender inside, with a vanilla-milky flavour from custard powder and milk powder, and they fill the jars set out for open-house visitors at Hari Raya Aidilfitri. This version uses one egg yolk; for an eggless batch, replace it with 2 tablespoons of milk. Dough that is too stiff is the usual problem, as it will not go through the nozzle; beat the butter well and keep the kitchen warm. Chef's tip: chill the piped trays for 15 minutes before baking so the petals hold their sharp ridges.

50 minMalaysianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Torta de ricotaLemon ricotta tart

Italian families brought ricotta tarts to Buenos Aires and Rosario, and torta de ricota is now as Argentinian as mate: every panadería has one in the window, with a lattice of sweet, crumbly masa frola over a pale, lemon-scented ricotta filling. It is cut into wedges for the merienda, the late-afternoon snack, or for a birthday where nobody wants a heavy cake. The texture is light and slightly grainy rather than silky, and the pastry tastes of butter and vanilla. Wet ricotta is the biggest risk, giving a weeping, soggy tart. Chef's tip: drain the ricotta overnight in the fridge in a sieve lined with a cloth, and add a few raisins only if they have been soaked, or they draw moisture from the filling.

90 minArgentinianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Belgian biscuitsSpiced jam sandwich biscuits

A fixture of New Zealand bakery cabinets and tearooms, the Belgian biscuit (often called 'Belgium biscuit') is two spiced rounds sandwiched with raspberry jam, finished with pale pink icing and a scattering of red jelly crystals. It was known as the German biscuit until the First World War, when it was renamed. It is a cousin of the Scottish Empire biscuit, but the dough is quite different: soft brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and mixed spice make it darker and warmer than plain shortbread, and the pink icing replaces Empire's white glaze and cherry. Jelly crystals contain gelatine, so this version uses crushed freeze-dried raspberries; agar-based vegetarian jelly crystals work too. Chef's tip: sandwich and ice the biscuits only when they are completely cold, and spread the jam thinly; too much jam is the usual mistake, and it squeezes out and makes the tops slide.

57 minNew ZealandBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

PaledoniasRaw cane sugar spice cookies

Paledonias are the flat brown cookies that fill the glass jars of Venezuelan bodegas and corner panaderías, sold singly for a few bolívares to schoolchildren and taxi drivers alike. Their flavour comes from papelón, the dark unrefined cane sugar sold in cones, melted into a syrup and spiced with cinnamon, clove and a few aniseeds. The texture is soft and slightly chewy, somewhere between gingerbread and a cake. Eat one with a guayoyo (thin black coffee) or a glass of cold milk. Chef's tip: simmer the syrup only until the papelón dissolves; boiling it on and on turns it to toffee and the cookies set hard.

39 minVenezuelanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Besitos de cocoChewy coconut kisses

Along Venezuela's Caribbean coast, from Puerto Cabello to Margarita Island, vendors walk the beaches with trays of little coconut sweets, and besitos ('little kisses') are the ones that vanish first. They are piles of grated coconut bound with egg, sugar and a little butter, baked until the craggy tips and bottoms go toasty brown while the inside stays moist and chewy. Lime zest and a pinch of cinnamon keep them from tasting flat. A spoonful of cornflour, not wheat, holds them together, so they are gluten free. Pale besitos are the common letdown: they need the full baking time to get those caramelised edges. Chef's tip: let the mixture stand for 10 minutes before shaping so the coconut drinks up the egg and the mounds hold their peaks.

35 minVenezuelanBakingGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

SequilhosCornstarch condensed milk cookies

Brazilian grandmothers keep a tin of sequilhos (seh-KEEL-yos) on the shelf for afternoon cafezinho, and children in São Paulo and Minas Gerais grow up pinching them from it. Made almost entirely from cornstarch, butter and sweetened condensed milk, they bake pale and chalky-looking, then dissolve on the tongue like a cloud of milky sugar. A fork pressed into each ball leaves the classic stripes. This version adds one egg yolk for a little richness; plenty of families leave it out, and the cookies are just as good. Because there is no wheat, they are naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: lift one off the tray after the minimum time and check the base; it should be the faintest cream-gold, not brown, or the melting texture turns sandy.

35 minBrazilianBakingGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Meggyes piteSour cherry slice

Hungarian grandmothers bake meggyes pite in a big rectangular tin in June, when sour cherries hang from every garden tree, and the rest of the year with jarred ones from the pantry. Two layers of soft, almost cakey pastry made with sour cream hold a tart, juicy cherry layer, and the top disappears under a snowfall of icing sugar. Squares of it turn up at Sunday lunch, in school lunch boxes and on the plate next to an afternoon coffee. Skipping the semolina is the mistake that gives a soggy middle: it soaks up the cherry juice as it bakes. Chef's tip: drain jarred or thawed cherries in a sieve for a good 30 minutes and keep the juice for a drink or a sauce.

90 minHungarianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

CoricosCornmeal cinnamon ring cookies

Coricos come from Sonora in Mexico's northwest, where maize has always been ground for more than tortillas. They are rings of sweet corn dough flavoured with cinnamon, baked until golden: firm and a little crunchy on the outside, with the slightly gritty, toasty taste of corn inside. Families make them by the dozen for coffee in the afternoon and for visitors, and Sonoran panaderías sell them in plastic bags by the counter. They are traditionally made with lard; this recipe uses butter (vegetable shortening works too), so they are vegetarian. A little wheat flour keeps the rings from cracking. Chef's tip: if the ropes split when you join them into rings, the dough is too dry; work in milk a teaspoon at a time until it bends without breaking.

43 minMexicanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

BanketstaafAlmond paste puff pastry log

From mid-November, when Sinterklaas arrives by boat, Dutch bakers fill their windows with banketstaven: long logs of buttery puff pastry with a thick seam of soft almond paste inside. They carry on through Christmas, and in many families a banketletter, the same pastry shaped into the first letter of a child's name, is part of the 5 December presents. Sliced thick, it is flaky outside and moist, sweet and marzipan-like inside; serve it with coffee or hot chocolate. Leaving a weak seam is the mistake that lets the almond filling burst out in the oven. Chef's tip: make the almond paste a day ahead and rest it in the fridge: the almonds absorb the egg and it bakes up softer and more fragrant.

60 minDutchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MieliebroodSweetcorn loaf

Bring a mieliebrood to a South African braai and it disappears before the boerewors is off the fire. This moist, golden loaf is made with creamed sweetcorn and whole kernels, so every slice is soft and sweet-savoury with little bursts of corn. Older recipes steam it in a covered tin in a pot of simmering water for about 1½ hours, which gives an even moister, pudding-like loaf; baking is quicker and gives a golden crust. Serve it thickly sliced and buttered with chakalaka, braaied mielies and salads, or toasted the next day. Overmixing is the mistake that gives a tough, rubbery loaf with tunnels, so stir only until no dry flour shows. Chef's tip: let it cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing, then reheat thick slices on the braai grid until lightly charred.

70 minSouth AfricanBreads & Parathas
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pain de mieSoft square sandwich loaf

Ask a Paris café what goes into a croque-monsieur and the answer is pain de mie, the 'crumb bread' baked in a lidded tin so it comes out as a neat square block. Shut away from the oven's heat, the dough rises against the lid into a fine, soft, close crumb with a thin, pale golden crust that barely needs trimming. French children take it to school as tartines with butter and chocolate spread, it makes the best croques, French toast and canapés, and it is the loaf to choose for neat cucumber sandwiches. Milk and butter keep it tender for several days. The tricky moment is the final rise: if the dough reaches the rim before the lid goes on, it squeezes out of the seams and bakes with a dense band; too little rise and the corners come out rounded. Chef's tip: put the lid on when the dough is about 1 cm below the rim, and grease the underside of the lid as well as the tin so the block turns out cleanly.

190 minFrenchBreads & Parathas
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MokkapalatChocolate coffee squares

Mokkapalat ('mocha pieces') are what Finnish parents bake on the big oven tray for a child's birthday, a school bake sale or a summer cottage weekend: soft chocolate sponge squares with a thin, glossy coffee-cocoa icing and a shower of coloured sprinkles. The coffee is gentle and only deepens the chocolate, so children love them, and you can use decaf. They are moist enough to keep three days in a tin and freeze well. Icing the cake while it is hot is the classic mistake; it soaks in and goes dull, so wait until it is just warm. Chef's tip: add the icing liquid a spoonful at a time; it should spread like thick paint and set with a shine.

45 minScandinavianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

BoterkoekButter cake

Boterkoek sits on the counter of almost every Dutch bakker, from Amsterdam to small towns in Brabant: a round, flat butter cake, scored in a criss-cross on top, glossy with glaze, dense and fudgy in the middle and crisp at the edges. It is cut into small wedges, because it is rich, and eaten with a cup of coffee at elf uur, the eleven o'clock break, or offered to visitors. The dough itself has no egg; only the top is brushed with beaten egg for shine (milk works too, though the colour is paler). Overbaking is the classic mistake: it should come out golden but still soft in the centre, so it sets fudgy, not dry. Chef's tip: use salted butter, or add the pinch of salt; it is what stops boterkoek tasting merely sweet.

45 minDutchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Graham balls

Graham balls are often the first sweet a Filipino child makes, usually for a class party or a cousin's birthday: crushed graham crackers kneaded with condensed milk into a dough, wrapped round a mini marshmallow and rolled in more crumbs, then set in paper cases in the fridge. They need no oven, just clean hands. They contain gluten and milk, and marshmallows usually contain gelatine, so they are not vegetarian unless you use gelatine-free marshmallows or a vegetarian gelling agent version. Graham crackers can be swapped for digestive biscuits. Chef's tip: chill the mixture for 20 minutes before rolling and it stops sticking to your palms.

30 minFilipinoDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hayashi rice for toddlersBeef and onion sauce on rice

Hayashi rice, thin slices of beef and sweet onion in a glossy tomato and brown-roux sauce over rice, is a Japanese home and school-lunch favourite that children often love even more than curry. Shop roux blocks are salty, so this version builds the sauce from scratch with butter, flour, tomato and no-salt stock, mild enough for toddlers from a year old, with no wine. It contains milk (butter) and gluten (wheat flour). Chef's tip: cook the onions slowly until deep golden; their sweetness replaces the sugar and salt of a packet roux.

50 minJapaneseMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Guyanese coconut buns

A coconut bun and a cold drink from a Georgetown cake shop is a Guyanese after-school ritual, and the same buns turn up in lunch boxes, at church teas and in the bags of sweets sent to relatives abroad. They are rough, rock-cake-style mounds, crisp and golden outside, crumbly and moist inside from freshly grated coconut, freckled with raisins and fragrant with nutmeg. Have one with a cup of tea, or with a wedge of cheddar as many Guyanese do. The mixture needs to be stiff enough to hold a peak; adding too much milk is the classic error, and the buns flatten into biscuits. Chef's tip: rub the butter in until the flour looks like breadcrumbs, then stop handling the mix as soon as it clumps, for a short, tender crumb.

42 minGuyaneseBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ragi laddooFinger millet jaggery balls

In Karnataka, ragi (finger millet) is everyday food, and mothers roll ragi laddoos to keep in a tin for after-school snacks and school sports days, because they are filling and keep well. The flour is roasted in ghee until it smells like toasted biscuits, then bound with melted jaggery and sesame into dark, fudgy balls. Jaggery is still sugar, so these are a treat, kept small. They contain milk (ghee) and sesame. Chef's tip: roast the flour slowly until it darkens a shade and smells nutty; under-roasted ragi tastes raw and floury.

30 minIndianIndian SweetsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mawa cakeCardamom khoya butter cake

Walk into an old Irani café in Mumbai or Pune at teatime and the glass jars on the counter will hold squat, golden mawa cakes, each crowned with a single cashew. The crumb is close and buttery, heavy with milky khoya and perfumed with cardamom, somewhere between a pound cake and a barfi. Locals dunk a slice in cutting chai or eat it with a bun maska on the side. This version uses eggs, as the classic bakeries do; eggless versions swap the eggs for yogurt or condensed milk and are just as popular. The usual slip is adding the khoya in hard lumps, which leave greasy pockets in the cake, so grate it and rub it smooth before it meets the butter. Chef's tip: warm the cardamom seeds in a dry pan for a minute before grinding; the aroma doubles and carries right through the bake.

65 minIndianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Bolo de coco geladoChilled coconut cake

Wrapped in squares of foil and kept in the fridge of Brazilian padarias and birthday parties, bolo de coco gelado ('cold coconut cake') is a soft white sheet cake drenched while warm in coconut milk sweetened with condensed milk, then buried under grated coconut. Eaten straight from the fridge it is cool, damp and milky, a little like a coconut tres leches but less sweet. It is a favourite for hot afternoons, children's parties and festas juninas, and it actually improves after a night's rest. Pouring the soak over a cold cake is the common mistake; it sits on top in a puddle, so poke the cake while it's still warm and add the soak a ladle at a time. Chef's tip: wrap each square in foil before chilling, the way bakeries do; the coconut stays moist and the squares travel well to a party.

120 minBrazilianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Persian kotlet (beef and potato patties)

Kotlet is the dish Iranian families make in big batches for school lunches, road trips and Friday picnics in the park: minced beef mixed with grated potato, onion, egg and turmeric, shaped into flat ovals and fried until deep brown and crisp at the edges. They are eaten tucked into lavash or a soft roll with tomato, cucumber pickles and herbs, warm at home and cold the next day. They contain egg and gluten (breadcrumbs). Chef's tip: squeeze the grated onion and potato hard in a cloth; that water is what makes kotlet fall apart in the pan.

50 minPersianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hina arare (Girls' Day rice puffs)

On 3 March, Japanese families with daughters set out tiered dolls for Hinamatsuri and fill little bowls with hina arare, crunchy pastel rice puffs whose pink, green and white stand for spring blossom, new leaves and snow. In the Kanto region they are sweet; around Kyoto and Osaka they are bigger and soy-glazed, so this version makes both. Puffing cooked rice at home is easy and children love watching it bloom in the oil. It contains soya and gluten (from the soy sauce) and is otherwise free of the common allergens. Chef's tip: dry the cooked rice until every grain is hard and glassy; damp rice spits and never puffs.

45 minJapaneseSnacks & StartersVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Fiskegrateng (Norwegian fish and macaroni gratin)

Fiskegrateng, a baked gratin of flaked white fish and macaroni in a thick nutmeg-scented white sauce, is classic Norwegian family food and a favourite way to get children to eat fish, served with grated raw carrot on the side. It is soft, creamy and mild, with a crisp crumb on top, and this version uses no added salt for toddlers from a year old. It contains fish, milk, egg and gluten (pasta, flour and breadcrumbs). Chef's tip: let the white sauce cool a little before whisking in the egg yolks, so they thicken it smoothly instead of scrambling.

60 minScandinavianFish
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Buko saladYoung coconut fruit salad

Buko salad is the dessert Filipino families bring to every birthday, christening and Christmas Noche Buena: strips of soft young coconut, mixed fruit, chewy nata de coco and sweet cream, chilled until icy cold. Children fish out the cherries first. It is quick to make the day before and is gluten free; it contains milk. Grapes in tinned fruit are already halved, but quarter any whole grapes lengthwise for younger children. Chef's tip: drain the fruit and nata de coco really well in a sieve for 15 minutes, or the salad turns watery overnight.

20 minFilipinoDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chocolate slices on rye (pålægschokolade)

Pålægschokolade, wafer-thin slices of chocolate made for laying on bread, is a Danish lunchbox treat, usually saved for Fridays or birthdays: buttered dark rye, a slab of chocolate on top, then cut into fingers. The sour, dense rye and the sweet chocolate are a famous match. Shop slices are thin squares; here you make your own from a bar, which lets you pick dark chocolate with less sugar. It contains gluten (rye and wheat), milk and soya (lecithin in most chocolate). Chef's tip: spread the chocolate as thin as a coin; thick pieces crack and fall off.

15 minScandinavianBreads & Parathas
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kerala honey cake

No Kerala bakery counter, from a tiny shop in Thrissur to a busy one near Kochi bus stand, is complete without a tray of honey cake: sticky squares of vanilla sponge sandwiched with red jam, drenched in honey syrup and coated in white coconut. Children buy them after school; adults eat them with a glass of sweet tea in the late afternoon. The sponge is soft and damp right through, sweet and faintly floral from the honey, with fruity jam at its heart. People often pour hot syrup over a hot sponge and get a soggy, collapsing cake, so let the sponge cool and use the syrup just warm. Chef's tip: stir a squeeze of lemon into the syrup; it stops the honey tasting flat and helps the cake soak evenly.

70 minIndianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sweet potato simmered with lemon (satsumaimo no lemon-ni)

Satsumaimo no lemon-ni is an autumn favourite in Japanese homes, when sweet potatoes are at their best and bento boxes need a splash of colour. Rounds of purple-skinned sweet potato are gently poached with lemon slices and just a spoonful of sugar until tender and glossy, tasting of honeyed potato with a fresh citrus edge. It is eaten cold, so it is a natural make-ahead for packed lunches, and it contains none of the common allergens. Chef's tip: keep the skins on; the purple ring against the yellow flesh is what makes it look so pretty in a box.

30 minJapaneseSidesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Brazilian party hot dogs (cachorro-quente de festa)

At almost every children's birthday party in Brazil, a big pot of 'cachorro-quente' sits next to the brigadeiros: frankfurters simmered in a mild tomato sauce with onion and pepper, spooned into soft mini rolls so the sauce soaks in. It feeds a crowd cheaply, can be made ahead and kept warm, and children eat it standing up between games. It contains gluten from the rolls; check the sausages if anyone has allergies. Chef's tip: slice the frankfurters into coins or halve them lengthwise before simmering, so they soak up the sauce and are safe for little ones.

40 minBrazilianFast Food
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Glazirovanny syrok (chocolate-glazed curd bars)

Glazirovanny syrok, the chocolate-coated curd cheese bar, has been sold in Russian dairy aisles since Soviet times and is still what children across Russia, Ukraine and the Baltics grab after school. Made at home, it is a firm, creamy, gently sweet vanilla tvorog filling under a thin snap of dark chocolate, like a tiny cheesecake bar. This version uses less sugar than shop bars. It contains milk (and may contain soya in the chocolate). Chef's tip: press the tvorog through a sieve first; it is the only way to get the smooth, dense texture of a real syrok.

30 minRussianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Honey joysHoney cornflake cakes

Honey joys have been on Australian children's birthday tables for generations, next to fairy bread and chocolate crackles: crunchy clusters of cornflakes coated in bubbling honey butter and baked in little paper cases until golden and crisp. Children can stir and spoon them while an adult handles the hot syrup. They are for school-age children and not for babies under one, who shouldn't have honey. They contain milk and usually gluten (from malt in cornflakes). Chef's tip: bake them just until golden; a few minutes too long and the honey turns bitter.

25 minAustralianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Stolichny keksRaisin loaf cake

Stolichny keks, the 'capital city' cake, was made to a fixed state recipe in Soviet bakeries and sold in waxed paper in every Moscow grocery: a tall, buttery loaf with a cracked top, a fine yellow crumb and so many raisins that each slice is studded with them. People still bake it at home for New Year and for guests, and it keeps well for a week, wrapped, next to the teapot. Some cooks plump the raisins in brandy or cognac; this recipe soaks them in hot water and lemon juice instead, and a spoonful of brandy can go into the soak if you like. Under-creamed butter is the usual problem: the cake comes out heavy and greasy, so beat the butter and icing sugar until really pale. Chef's tip: dry the soaked raisins on a towel and roll them in flour; wet raisins all sink to the bottom.

95 minRussianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sữa chua (Vietnamese set yogurt)

In Vietnamese homes, sữa chua is made in a row of small jars and kept in the fridge or freezer, and children in Hanoi and Saigon eat it after school straight from the cup, sometimes frozen hard like ice cream. The condensed milk gives it a mild caramel sweetness and a smooth, firm set that is less sharp than plain yogurt. It is sweetened, so this version uses less condensed milk than the street-stall kind. It contains milk. Chef's tip: keep the milk at blood heat, about 43 °C; hotter kills the yogurt culture and cooler sets slowly and sour.

25 minVietnameseDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

DilkhushCoconut and candied fruit stuffed bread

Teatime at an Iyengar bakery in Bengaluru or Mangaluru means dilkhush ("happy heart") stacked in wedges beside the khara buns: a soft, sweet bread round with a thick layer of grated coconut, sugar, tutti-frutti and cashews baked inside it. The dough in these bakeries is usually eggless, so the crumb is light and milky rather than rich, and the filling stays moist and chewy. Eat a wedge with a small glass of filter coffee or masala chai, or pack it for a school snack. The usual mistake is to pile the filling to the very edge; leave a clear 2 cm rim or the seal splits and the coconut toasts black on the tray. Chef's tip: squeeze a little milk into dry desiccated coconut before mixing the filling, so it tastes closer to fresh coconut and does not steal moisture from the bread.

145 minIndianBreads & Parathas
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Vegetable cutlet

From Kolkata's railway canteens to Bengaluru's school tiffins, the vegetable cutlet is one of India's most familiar snacks: mashed potato with peas, carrot and green beans, lightly spiced, shaped into ovals, rolled in breadcrumbs and shallow-fried until crunchy. Children take them to school with ketchup and eat them warm at tea time. They are vegan and contain gluten (breadcrumbs). Chef's tip: chill the shaped cutlets for 20 minutes before frying; cold patties hold together and crisp better.

45 minIndianSnacks & StartersVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Crostata di marmellata (Italian jam tart)

Crostata di marmellata is the tart that Italian grandmothers bake on Sunday and cut into slices for the week's merenda, the after-school snack eaten from Turin to Palermo with a glass of milk. A tender, lemon-scented pasta frolla holds a layer of apricot or cherry jam under a simple lattice. Choose a high-fruit jam to keep the sugar down. It contains gluten, milk and egg. Chef's tip: chill the pastry well and keep it cold; warm pasta frolla tears and shrinks in the oven.

60 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Casadinho (black and white brigadeiro)

No Brazilian children's birthday is complete without a table of docinhos in little paper cases, and casadinho, the 'little married couple', is the one with two halves: dark chocolate brigadeiro and creamy white beijinho-style fudge rolled together into one ball. Children help roll them the day before the party. It contains milk and is gluten free; check the sprinkles are gluten free if that matters to you. Chef's tip: the fudge is cooked when you can drag a spatula across the pan and see the bottom for two seconds before it closes.

50 minBrazilianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Makaronilaatikko (Finnish macaroni and beef bake)

Makaronilaatikko, macaroni and minced beef baked in an egg-and-milk custard, is the dish Finnish children vote for again and again, at home and in school canteens, often eaten with a dab of ketchup. It bakes until the top is golden and slightly crunchy and the inside soft and custardy, ideal for toddlers from a year old. This version adds no salt, only white pepper, so adults can season at the table. It contains gluten (wheat pasta), egg and milk. Chef's tip: bake it until a knife in the middle comes out clean; a wobbly centre means the custard isn't set.

80 minScandinavianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Jelly slice

Jelly slice is a fixture of school fetes, church bake stalls and birthday tables in Australia and New Zealand: a crushed biscuit base, a tangy layer of lemon and condensed milk set with gelatine, and a glassy top of red raspberry jelly, cut into neat squares. It needs no oven but a lot of fridge time, so make it the day before. It contains gluten and milk, and gelatine, so it is not vegetarian; agar-based vegetarian jelly crystals and a vegetarian gelling agent work if set according to their packet. Chef's tip: let the jelly cool until it is syrupy and only just warm before pouring, or it melts into the creamy layer.

35 minAustralianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mango floatMango icebox cake

Mango float is the no-bake party cake of the Philippines, made in a big dish for birthdays, graduations and fiestas when Philippine mangoes are at their sweetest. Layers of crackers soften overnight in sweet cream until they slice like cake, with ripe mango in every forkful. Older children can assemble it themselves. It contains milk and gluten. Chef's tip: use mangoes that are fully ripe and fragrant but still firm enough to slice neatly; stringy, sour mangoes spoil it.

30 minFilipinoDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ash-e dandooni (Persian first-tooth soup)

When an Iranian baby's first tooth appears, the family cooks a big pot of ash-e dandooni and shares it with relatives and neighbours, who return the bowl with a small gift for the baby. It is a hearty, mild soup of whole wheat, chickpeas, beans and lentils, eaten by the whole family; in some homes the little one gets the soft, mashed grains without salt or toppings. It is free of milk, egg, nuts and soya and contains gluten (wheat). Chef's tip: soak the wheat and pulses together overnight, so everything cooks at the same speed.

120 minPersianSoupsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

German party pasta salad (Nudelsalat)

In Germany a big bowl of Nudelsalat is the backbone of a Kindergeburtstag, a summer barbecue or a school outing: short pasta, ham, peas, sweetcorn and chopped gherkins bound in a mayonnaise and yoghurt dressing, made the evening before so the flavours settle. This version lightens the dressing with yoghurt and gherkin brine. It contains gluten, egg (mayonnaise) and milk. Chef's tip: dress the pasta while it is still slightly warm, then add a splash more dressing just before serving, because the pasta drinks it overnight.

32 minGermanSalads
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Puff pastry party bites (salatini di pasta sfoglia)

Trays of salatini are on the table at nearly every Italian children's birthday, from Turin to Palermo: small squares and spirals of puff pastry baked around pieces of frankfurter, a dab of tomato with oregano, half an olive or a cube of cheese. They are made in batches, eaten warm or at room temperature, and vanish faster than the cake. This recipe makes about 40 bites and contains gluten, milk and egg. Chef's tip: keep the pastry cold and chill the filled bites for 10 minutes before baking, so the layers rise tall instead of spreading.

43 minItalianSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

OntbijtkoekSpiced rye breakfast cake

Ontbijtkoek means 'breakfast cake', and in Friesland and Groningen, where the best-loved versions come from, a thick slice spread with butter is still a normal start to the day or a mid-morning snack with coffee. The loaf is dark, sticky and springy, made with rye flour and syrup and scented with the Dutch spice mix koekkruiden: cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and cardamom. It contains no egg and no butter in the batter, and it gets better after a day or two wrapped up. Baking it too hot is the usual mistake; the outside goes bitter before the middle sets, so bake it low and slow. Chef's tip: wrap the loaf in cling film while it is still slightly warm and leave it overnight; it softens into the classic tacky, chewy crust.

85 minDutchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MuraveynikAnthill cake

Muraveynik is the 'anthill' that Soviet home bakers built for birthdays when shop cakes were hard to come by: crisp shortbread is baked, broken into crumbs, bound with boiled condensed milk and butter, then heaped into a little mountain and sprinkled with poppy seeds for the ants. It needs no tin and no layering, sets in the fridge, and is still a favourite at children's parties from Moscow to Omsk. The common mistake is crumbling the biscuit too fine, which makes a dense block instead of a craggy, crunchy heap. Chef's tip: break the dough through the coarse holes of a mincer or grater before baking so the crumbs are uneven and crisp.

50 minRussianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

DrömmarCrisp dream cookies

Drömmar, 'dreams', are on almost every plate of the seven kinds of cookies that Swedish hosts traditionally set out for kafferep, the old coffee party, and grandmothers in Dalarna still bake them by the tin. They are pale, domed and so light they crack and melt on the tongue. That texture comes from hjorthornssalt, baker's ammonia, which smells strongly while baking but leaves nothing behind once the cookies are cooked through. Baking powder works too, but the cookies will be less airy. A common mistake is baking at a high heat; they must stay white. Chef's tip: bake in a low oven until completely dry inside, or the ammonia taste lingers.

40 minScandinavianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MagenbrotSpiced gingerbread bites

The smell of Magenbrot drifts over every Volksfest, Kirchweih and Christmas market in Bavaria, Baden and Swabia, where it is sold warm in paper cones. The name means stomach bread, because the spices were once thought to help digestion. Small diamonds of honey-spiced cake with cocoa are dipped in a shiny chocolate glaze that sets with a slight crunch. They keep for weeks in a tin, so they are made in big batches. The common mistake is overbaking, which makes the pieces hard instead of soft and chewy. Chef's tip: cut the cake while it is still warm, then glaze the pieces once they are cool so the glaze stays glossy.

60 minGermanSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

HallongrottorRaspberry thumbprint cookies

Hallongrottor, 'raspberry caves', are the cookie Swedish children learn to bake first, pressing a thumb into each ball of buttery dough and filling the hollow with raspberry jam. They turn up at birthday parties, school bake sales and every proper fika in homes from Malmö to Luleå. Baked in paper cases, they keep their shape and the jam bubbles into a glossy jewel. A common mistake is overfilling the hollows, which makes the jam boil over and burn. Chef's tip: use a thick, set jam and fill only to the rim.

30 minScandinavianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mjuk pepparkakaSoft gingerbread loaf

When Swedish cooks talk about soft gingerbread they mean a tender, dark loaf cake that comes out in December but is welcome at fika all year, especially in farmhouse kitchens in Småland and Värmland. Sour cream keeps it moist, and the spice mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom fills the house as it bakes. It is often eaten in thick slices with butter or a slice of cheese. A common mistake is overbaking it until dry; it should still be just moist on the skewer. Chef's tip: wrap it as soon as it has cooled; it tastes even better the next day.

60 minScandinavianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Maja blancaCoconut corn pudding

Wobbly squares of maja blanca sit on almost every Filipino Christmas Eve table, beside the leche flan and the fruit salad. Coconut milk and milk are thickened with cornflour into a smooth white pudding studded with sweet corn, poured into a tray and set firm enough to slice, then crowned with latik or toasted coconut. It tastes cool, milky and gently sweet, and kids love it. Chef's tip: whisk the cornflour into cold liquid first and keep stirring as it heats; added to hot milk it seizes into lumps you can't whisk out.

35 minFilipinoDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Betefour (Egyptian piped butter biscuits)

Egyptians took the French name petit four and made it their own: betefour are crumbly piped butter biscuits sold by the kilo at Cairo patisseries and baked at home by the tray before Eid and family visits. The dough is soft enough to pipe into rosettes and fingers, then they are sandwiched with apricot jam or half-dipped in dark chocolate. Serve with tea. The mistake that ruins them is cold butter: it won't pipe, and the bag splits; beat it until it's as soft as mayonnaise. Chef's tip: chill the piped trays for 15 minutes before baking so the ridges stay sharp. Contains milk, egg and wheat.

47 minEgyptianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nigerian salad

At owambe parties in Lagos and Ibadan, and on Christmas and Sallah tables right across the country, a big glass bowl of Nigerian salad sits next to the jollof and fried rice, piled in neat stripes of shredded lettuce, cabbage, carrot, sweetcorn, baked beans and sliced egg, then smothered in creamy salad cream. It is cool, crunchy and slightly sweet, the thing everyone reaches for between spoonfuls of peppery rice and chicken. Salad cream contains egg and mustard, so mention it to anyone with allergies. The common mistake is dressing it hours ahead: the cabbage and lettuce weep and the bowl turns watery, so layer it ahead but pour the dressing on just before serving. Many party versions add ham or corned beef; this one keeps it vegetarian. Chef's tip: soak the shredded lettuce and cabbage in iced water for ten minutes and spin them completely dry; they stay squeaky-crisp all evening.

35 minNigerianSalads
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mahalabeya (Egyptian milk pudding)

Every corner sweet shop in Cairo has trays of mahalabeya cooling in the window, and at home it is the dessert made in ten minutes when guests ring to say they're coming. Milk is thickened with cornflour into a trembling, silky pudding, scented with rose or orange-blossom water and topped with chopped pistachios or coconut. Serve chilled in small glasses. Lumps are the usual complaint: mix the cornflour into cold milk first, never into hot. Chef's tip: stir in the rose water only after the pan comes off the heat; boiling kills its perfume. Contains milk and nuts (pistachio topping).

20 minEgyptianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

EnsaymadaSweet cheese brioche

Filipino bakeries took the coiled Mallorcan ensaïmada and made it richer and softer: an egg-yolk brioche rolled with butter into a snail, baked pale gold, then spread with more butter, dusted with sugar and heaped with finely grated cheese. Boxes of them are carried to Christmas visits and town fiestas, and a single one with hot tsokolate makes a proper merienda. The salty cheese against the sweet crumb is the whole point. Chef's tip: the dough must be sticky and soft when you knead it; adding flour until it is easy to handle gives you dry, bready buns instead of feather-light ones.

170 minFilipinoBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Buko pandanCoconut pandan jelly dessert

Big bowls of buko pandan come out of Filipino fridges for Christmas, New Year and every family reunion in between. Soft strips of young coconut and cubes of bright green pandan jelly are folded into chilled sweetened cream, so each spoonful is cool, fragrant and slightly chewy. This version sets the jelly with agar (gulaman) rather than gelatin, so it is fully vegetarian. Chef's tip: let the jelly set completely before cutting and folding; half-set agar breaks into mush and turns the cream cloudy green.

25 minFilipinoDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Biskoweet (Egyptian Eid vanilla biscuits)

In the last nights of Ramadan, Egyptian families bake kahk, ghorayeba and biskoweet together, sending trays to the neighbourhood bakery in Shubra or Imbaba if the home oven is too small. Biskoweet is the crisp, lightly sweet one: a vanilla and milk dough pushed through a biscuit press or a meat-mincer attachment into ridged ribbons, glazed with egg and baked golden, perfect for dunking in Eid-morning tea. The common mistake is baking them too pale; they should snap, not bend, so take them to a full honey colour. Chef's tip: a pinch of mahlab in the dough gives the subtle almond-cherry scent of the bakery biscuits. Contains milk, egg and wheat.

45 minEgyptianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kue putri saljuSnowball crescent cookies

'Snow princess' cookies are a Lebaran favourite in every Indonesian city, set out in jars for the stream of visiting relatives during the first days of Syawal. Little crescents of buttery, nutty shortbread made with ground cashews melt the moment you bite them, under a thick snowy coat of icing sugar. Children love helping to roll the crescents. Chef's tip: dust them twice, once while warm so a thin layer melts on and once when cold for the snowy finish; dusting only hot cookies leaves them patchy and damp.

55 minIndonesianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Spanish breadSweet buttery bread rolls

Despite the name, nobody in Spain would recognise these: they belong to the neighbourhood panaderya, sold warm from glass cases at dawn and again at four o'clock alongside pandesal. A soft milk dough is rolled around a paste of butter, sugar and breadcrumbs, then coated in more crumbs before baking, so the filling melts into a sticky, caramel-like ribbon. Dunk one in coffee for merienda. Chef's tip: roll the dough thin before adding the filling; thick dough swallows the butter paste and you lose that gooey centre.

138 minFilipinoBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Filipino fruit salad

Ask any Filipino family what Christmas tastes like and fruit salad will be near the top of the list: tinned fruit cocktail, chewy nata de coco, sugar-palm kaong and sometimes cubes of cheese, all folded into sweetened cream and chilled until icy. It is made a day ahead for Noche Buena and New Year's Eve and served straight from the coldest corner of the fridge. Chef's tip: drain the fruit really well, even overnight in a sieve; leftover syrup thins the cream into a watery puddle.

15 minFilipinoDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mantou (plain steamed buns)

From Shandong to Shaanxi, mantou are what bread is elsewhere: plain, slightly sweet steamed wheat buns bought by the bagful each morning and eaten with porridge, pickles, braised dishes or a fried egg. A good one is snowy white, smooth-skinned and springy, with a fine, close crumb that tears in soft layers. The common mistake is lifting the lid the moment the heat goes off: the sudden cold air makes the skins wrinkle and collapse, so let them stand covered for 5 minutes first. Leftovers are sliced and pan-fried, or split and filled with anything from braised tofu to chilli sauce. Chef's tip: knead much longer than you think, then knead again after the rise; the second knead pushes out the big air bubbles and gives that silky skin.

115 minChineseBreads & ParathasVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Peanut cookies (hua sheng bing)

Lift the lid on a Chinese New Year snack tray in Guangdong, Penang or Singapore and there will be these pale golden domes, so short they crumble the moment they touch your tongue. They are nothing but roasted peanuts ground fine, flour, icing sugar and oil, and this version skips the usual egg wash, so they are vegan. The mistake is over-grinding the peanuts into a paste, which makes the dough greasy and the cookies flat; stop while it is still a fine powder. Chef's tip: let them cool fully on the tray before moving them, because they are fragile until set.

40 minChineseBakingVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sathu maavu kanjiSprouted grain and nut porridge

Ask a Tamil grandmother about sathu maavu and she will tell you exactly which grains go into her tin: ragi, kambu (pearl millet), cholam (sorghum), wheat, a little rice, green gram and roasted gram, with almonds and cashews for richness. Each one is dry-roasted until fragrant, cooled and milled into a fine, beige 'health powder' that keeps for weeks. A couple of spoonfuls cooked with water and milk make a nutty, mildly sweet kanji that toddlers in Madurai and Coimbatore eat for breakfast or after their afternoon nap, and older children drink from a tumbler. The texture should be smooth and creamy, never gritty. Sweeten it with jaggery or karupatti (palm jaggery), or make it savoury with buttermilk and salt for grown-ups. This version contains wheat, so it is not gluten-free. Chef's tip: roast every grain separately; small seeds like ragi brown in minutes while wheat and green gram need longer, and roasting them together leaves half burnt and half raw.

40 minIndianBreakfast & Brunch
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Mahua (crisp fried dough twists)

Tianjin in northern China is famous for mahua, and the shops on Guifaxiang street sell giant ones stuffed with candied fruit; but the everyday kind is a small, hard, golden twist sold in bags in every corner shop and eaten with tea or as a snack on the train. This home version is crisp right through with a little sweetness and toasted sesame. The common mistake is frying too hot: the outside browns while the thick twist stays doughy and raw in the middle. Keep the oil at about 160 °C and give them time. Chef's tip: let the shaped twists rest 10 minutes before frying so the dough relaxes; tight twists spring open in the oil.

90 minChineseSnacks & StartersVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

InarizushiTofu pouch sushi

Named after the Inari shrines, whose fox messengers are said to love fried tofu, inarizushi are sold by the dozen in Tokyo department-store food halls and packed for school sports days, picnics and long train rides. Thin aburaage pouches are simmered in a sweet soy broth, then filled with vinegared rice and sesame, giving a juicy, sweet-salty bite. Mirin contains alcohol; see the note for an alcohol-free swap. The common mistake is squeezing the pouches dry after simmering; leave them moist so they stay juicy, but drain them enough that they don't drip. Chef's tip: roll a chopstick firmly over each sheet before cutting it, which loosens the layers so the pouch opens without tearing.

70 minJapaneseRice & GrainsVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chè khúc bạch (almond milk jelly with lychees)

Saigon's café-dessert shops made chè khúc bạch a craze in the 2010s, and it is still a cooling order on hot afternoons around Bến Thành. Soft, creamy cubes of almond-scented milk jelly float with lychees in a light lychee syrup, topped with crunchy toasted almonds, all over crushed ice. Gelatin is often used; this version sets with agar so it is vegetarian, and it holds firm even in tropical heat. Chef's tip: boil the agar for a full 2 minutes before adding the milk; agar that is only warmed won't set, which is the usual reason the jelly stays runny.

35 minVietnameseDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Nieve de mameyMamey ice cream

Mamey, the rough brown fruit with salmon-orange flesh that tastes like sweet potato, pumpkin and almond at once, is a favourite in Tabasco, Chiapas, Veracruz and the Yucatán, and its ice cream is a star of the nevería in any southern town. The fruit is naturally so creamy that a little milk and sugar is enough. It contains dairy. Chef's tip: use a mamey that gives like a ripe avocado when pressed; underripe ones taste chalky.

45 minMexicanDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Paletas de cocoCoconut ice pops

Coconut pops are a classic of the paleterías of Michoacán and of the beach carts of Acapulco and Veracruz, where fresh coconuts are cracked open to order. They are milky, sweet and chewy with shreds of coconut, more like frozen coconut cream than ice. It contains dairy. Chef's tip: toast a third of the coconut lightly before using, which brings out a deeper flavour without changing the snowy colour much.

260 minMexicanDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Polvorones de nuezPecan butter cookies

Christmas cookie tins, wedding tables and bakery counters all over northern and central Mexico hold polvorones, small domes of toasted pecan shortbread that crumble to dust in the mouth, which is how they got their name. They are rolled twice in icing sugar, once warm and once cold, so they look snowy. Old recipes used lard; this one uses butter, so it is vegetarian, and it contains wheat and tree nuts. Chef's tip: toast the pecans first, which turns a plain cookie into a deeply nutty one.

40 minMexicanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gelatina de mosaicoMosaic milk jelly

Mexico has a whole street culture of gelatinas, sold in cups from glass carts in town plazas, and the mosaic or 'cathedral window' jelly is the star of birthday parties: bright cubes of red, green and yellow jelly suspended in a creamy condensed-milk jelly. Traditionally it is set with gelatine, which is made from animal collagen, so this version is not vegetarian; to make it vegetarian, use agar powder instead, as shown in the steps. Chef's tip: cool the milk jelly until it is only just warm before pouring it over the cubes, or the colours bleed.

40 minMexicanDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Paletas de fresa con cremaStrawberry cream ice pops

Pink, creamy and dotted with red fruit, fresa con crema pops are the milky paletas children pick first at any paletería michoacana, and they echo the strawberries and cream sold in cups in Irapuato. Fresh strawberries are folded into a sweet milk-and-cream base that freezes smooth. It contains dairy. Chef's tip: macerate the strawberries in sugar first, as the syrup keeps the fruit soft rather than icy.

260 minMexicanDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tamales dulcesSweet tamales

Every tamal tray in Mexico City has a few pink ones tucked in among the green and red, and these sweet tamales are what children reach for first at December posadas and on 2 February, Día de la Candelaria. The masa is beaten with butter and sugar, tinted the colour of a sugared almond and studded with raisins, then steamed in husks until soft and cakey; they are eaten warm with atole or hot chocolate. This version uses butter and vegetable shortening, not lard. Chef's tip: add a few drops of colour at a time; the pink deepens as it steams.

115 minMexicanSnacks & StartersGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Carlota de limónLime icebox cake

In Mexican home kitchens carlota de limón is the dessert everyone's aunt knows by heart: layers of Marías biscuits and a lime cream whipped from condensed and evaporated milk, chilled until it slices like a cake. It is made on hot afternoons in Sonora and Veracruz and turns up at every children's party. The lime curdles the milk just enough to thicken it, so there's no cooking at all. It contains wheat and dairy. Chef's tip: blend in the lime juice slowly, with the motor running, until the cream thickens visibly.

25 minMexicanDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Marranitos de piloncilloPig-shaped gingerbread biscuits

Every pan dulce case in Mexico has a row of little brown pigs, called marranitos in the centre, cochinitos in the north and puerquitos in between. They are soft, cakey biscuits sweetened with dark piloncillo cane sugar, spiced with cinnamon and a touch of anise, and dunked into café de olla or cold milk in the afternoon. They are made here with butter, so they suit vegetarians, and contain egg and wheat. Chef's tip: roll the dough thick, about 1 cm, because thin pigs bake into hard crackers instead of soft cakes.

42 minMexicanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Quatre-quartsPound cake

The quatre-quarts, "four quarters", is the butter cake of Brittany, made with equal weights of eggs, salted butter, sugar and flour, eaten in slices at goûter or with coffee, and sold wrapped in every Breton bakery. Weighing the eggs first and matching the rest to them is the old way. The common mistake is using cold butter, which will not cream. Chef's tip: whisk the yolks and sugar first, then fold in the whites at the end; it gives a lighter crumb.

60 minFrenchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Langues de chatCat's tongue biscuits

Langues de chat, "cat's tongues", are long, thin butter biscuits with golden edges, served with coffee, ice cream or a bowl of chocolate mousse in French homes and cafés; they keep well in a tin and children love them. A simple batter of butter, sugar, egg white and flour is piped in strips and baked until the edges just brown. The common mistake is piping them too close together; they spread. Chef's tip: tap the tray firmly on the worktop after piping so the strips flatten evenly.

25 minFrenchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gâteau marbréMarble loaf cake

Gâteau marbré is the marble cake of French childhood, a vanilla and chocolate loaf with swirls through every slice, packed in school bags for goûter and sold in supermarkets everywhere as a lunchbox cake. Homemade, it is soft, buttery and quick. The common mistake is swirling too much, which turns the cake brown all through. Chef's tip: layer the two batters in the tin and drag a knife through just two or three times.

60 minFrenchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Budino al cioccolatoChocolate pudding

Budino is the dessert Italian children find in the fridge on a Sunday afternoon: a soft, wobbly milk pudding flavoured with cocoa and set with cornflour, poured into little cups or a mould and chilled. It is the kind of thing nonna makes in ten minutes for the grandchildren's merenda (afternoon snack), and it is gluten free and egg free. Chef's tip: whisk the cocoa, sugar and cornflour together before adding the milk; mixed dry, they don't form lumps.

15 minItalianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pain surpriseFilled party sandwich loaf

The pain surprise is the showpiece of French birthday parties, weddings and New Year apéros, a big round loaf hollowed out and refilled with stacks of tiny sandwiches made from its own crumb, so guests lift the lid and find it full. Classic fillings are ham and pâté; this vegetarian version uses herbed cream cheese with cucumber, egg mayonnaise, and butter with Comté (use a vegetarian cheese, as Comté uses animal rennet). The common mistake is cutting the sandwiches unevenly, so they do not fit back. Chef's tip: chill the loaf before cutting out the centre, and use a long serrated knife.

60 minFrenchSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MendiantsChocolate nut and fruit discs

Mendiants are little discs of chocolate topped with an almond, a hazelnut, a raisin and a dried fig, the four "beggars" of the Provençal Christmas, whose colours were said to match the robes of the four mendicant orders of monks; they are part of the thirteen desserts and a favourite home-made Christmas gift. The common mistake is letting the chocolate set before adding the toppings, so they fall off. Chef's tip: pipe only six discs at a time and top them straight away.

30 minFrenchDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Salame di cioccolatoChocolate biscuit log

Salame di cioccolato is the sweet that Italian children help to make: crushed biscuits mixed with melted chocolate, butter and cocoa, rolled into a log, chilled and dusted with icing sugar so that, when sliced, it looks just like a salami with "fat" spots of biscuit. It is served at birthday parties and Christmas, and some families add rum for adults. This version uses no raw eggs and no alcohol, so it is safe for everyone. Chef's tip: break the biscuits by hand into pieces the size of a fingernail; crumbs make it look like a plain chocolate log.

20 minItalianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Riz au laitVanilla rice pudding

Riz au lait is the comforting rice pudding of French grandmothers, cooked slowly on the hob with milk and vanilla until thick and creamy, eaten warm or cold at goûter, sometimes with a spoonful of caramel or jam. In Normandy, a baked version is called teurgoule. The common mistake is cooking it too fast, so it sticks and the rice stays hard. Chef's tip: stir in the sugar only at the end; added earlier, it toughens the rice.

50 minFrenchDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sablés au parmesanParmesan shortbread

Sablés au parmesan are the crumbly savoury shortbreads French hosts bake for the apéro, served with a glass of something cold before dinner, and they keep well in a tin. Parmesan is always made with animal rennet, so for a vegetarian version use a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese. The common mistake is overworking the dough, which makes them hard rather than melting. Chef's tip: roll the dough into a log and chill it, then slice and bake straight from the fridge.

27 minFrenchSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Navettes de MarseilleOrange blossom boat biscuits

Navettes are the little boat-shaped biscuits of Marseille, made for Candlemas on 2 February, when the archbishop blesses them at the Abbaye Saint-Victor and people take a batch home for luck for the year. They are firm, dry and fragrant with orange-blossom water, made to be dipped in coffee or hot chocolate. The common mistake is overmixing, which makes them tough. Chef's tip: the deep slit along the top is what makes the boat shape, so cut it right down to the middle with a sharp knife.

45 minFrenchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Flan pâtissierBaked custard tart

Flan pâtissier, or flan parisien, is the thick, wobbly vanilla custard tart that every French boulangerie sells by the slice, a favourite snack after school or on the way home from work. The custard is cooked on the hob first and then baked tall in a pastry case until the top is blistered dark brown. The common mistake is cutting it warm; it needs to chill for hours to set. Chef's tip: let the custard catch to a deep brown in the oven; those dark spots are the flavour.

80 minFrenchDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Torta allo yogurtYogurt cake

Torta allo yogurt is the first cake many Italian children bake, because everything is measured using the empty yogurt pot: one pot of yogurt, then pots of sugar, flour and oil. It is a soft, moist everyday cake made in homes across the country for breakfast or the afternoon merenda (snack), plain or with fruit. This recipe gives the amounts in grams for an average 125 g pot. Chef's tip: use whole-milk yogurt at room temperature; it gives a moist cake that stays soft for days.

50 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pizzette rosseMini tomato pizzas

At every Italian children's birthday party, and in every bakery window from Rome to Bari, there is a tray of pizzette: small round pizzas the size of a palm, topped with tomato and a little mozzarella and oregano, soft and easy for small hands. Mothers buy them by the dozen for school snacks and christening buffets. They freeze well. Mozzarella is usually made with calf rennet; vegetarian versions are easy to find. Chef's tip: cook the tomato sauce briefly first and keep it thick; a runny sauce makes soggy pizzette that slide off the plate.

45 minItalianPizza
by KrazyBadal 0 views

CiambelloneItalian ring cake

Every Italian nonna has her own ciambellone, the tall, plain ring cake that sits under a glass dome on the kitchen counter for breakfast, sliced and dunked in caffellatte or eaten with jam. It is made with eggs, sugar, flour and oil or butter, flavoured with lemon zest, and often marbled with cocoa. In Rome and Emilia it is also the cake brought to friends' houses and church fêtes. Chef's tip: whisk the eggs and sugar for a full 8 minutes, until very pale and thick; that air is what makes the cake rise tall without much baking powder.

60 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gelato al fiordilatteMilk gelato

In every gelateria from Turin to Palermo, fior di latte ("flower of milk") is the plainest flavour in the case and the one gelato makers judge each other by: just fresh milk, cream and sugar, with no eggs and no vanilla, so it tastes clean and milky. It is the base for stracciatella and the perfect partner for fruit sorbets in a cone. Italian children often choose it on summer evenings during the passeggiata. Chef's tip: chill the base overnight before churning; a fully cold base freezes faster into smaller ice crystals, which makes it smoother.

25 minItalianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

HoppangRed bean steamed buns

When the first cold snap hits, Korean convenience stores bring out glass steamer cabinets full of hoppang, and office workers grab one for breakfast on the way to the subway. The bun is soft, slightly sweet yeasted dough wrapped around a thick, smooth red bean paste, steamed until pillowy and eaten piping hot. Making them at home takes a morning but they freeze perfectly. The usual mistake is opening the lid too early or steaming over too fierce a heat: the buns collapse and wrinkle, so keep a steady medium heat and leave them to rest 5 minutes before lifting the lid. Contains wheat. Chef's tip: let the shaped buns rise on squares of baking paper; you can move them into the steamer without squashing them.

120 minKoreanBakingVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Canestrelli liguriFlower shortbread biscuits

Canestrelli are the most delicate biscuits in Liguria: daisy-shaped shortbread with a hole in the middle, so fragile they melt in the mouth. The secret is hard-boiled egg yolks pushed through a sieve into the dough, with potato starch, which makes them crumbly and sandy. They are sold in Genoa and the hill town of Torriglia, piled in paper and covered with snowy icing sugar. Chef's tip: work the dough as little as possible and keep it cold; warm dough becomes too soft to cut into neat flowers.

45 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KrumiriCornmeal butter biscuits

Krumiri were created in 1878 in Casale Monferrato in Piedmont, and they are said to be shaped like the curled moustache of King Vittorio Emanuele II, who had just died. They are sandy, buttery biscuits made with flour and fine cornmeal, piped through a star nozzle into a curved line, and still sold in their red tins in the town's old shops. Piedmontese eat them dunked in a glass of sweet wine or with a cup of hot chocolate. Chef's tip: use fine cornmeal, not coarse polenta; coarse grains make the biscuits gritty and stop them piping.

35 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Purin (Japanese custard pudding)Caramel custard pudding

Old-fashioned Tokyo kissaten pride themselves on purin that stands up on the plate: a firm, slightly bouncy custard under a dark, bittersweet caramel, served in a glass dish with a long spoon. It is a favourite dessert for children and nostalgic adults alike, and it keeps for two days in the fridge. The mistake that ruins it is too much heat; a hot oven or rolling boil makes the custard puff and fill with tiny holes (called su), so bake it gently in a water bath. Chef's tip: take the caramel darker than you think, to a deep mahogany, because its bitterness is what balances the sweet custard.

60 minJapaneseDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gnocchi alla romanaBaked semolina gnocchi

Unlike potato gnocchi, Roman gnocchi are made from semolina cooked in milk like a thick porridge, spread out to set, cut into discs and baked with butter and Parmigiano until golden and bubbling. In Rome they are traditionally Thursday food: "giovedì gnocchi" is still on trattoria chalkboards across the city. Children love their soft centre and crisp, cheesy top. Parmigiano is made with animal rennet; a vegetarian hard cheese works well. Chef's tip: wet the worktop and spatula before spreading the hot semolina; it won't stick and sets in a smooth, even sheet.

70 minItalianPasta & Noodles
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KurikintonSweet potato and chestnut mash

Kurikinton means 'chestnut golden mound', and its bright yellow colour is meant to look like piled gold, which is why it sits in the osechi box at New Year as a wish for wealth. Smooth, sweet mashed sweet potato is folded around whole candied chestnuts, giving a dessert-like side that children love. The traditional yellow comes from dried gardenia pods cooked with the potato. The common mistake is mashing the potatoes without sieving them, which leaves fibres; pushing them through a sieve while hot gives the silky, glossy finish. Chef's tip: peel the sweet potatoes thickly, cutting away the layer just under the skin, as that is where the grey colour and stringiness sit.

45 minJapaneseDessertsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gelato alla cremaCustard gelato

Crema is the yellow, custard-flavoured gelato that Italian grandparents always order, made with egg yolks like a crème anglaise and perfumed with lemon zest rather than vanilla, as was the old way in Florence and Sicily. It is rich and smooth and is the base for many classic flavours, and many gelaterie still call it "crema della nonna". Chef's tip: cook the custard until it reaches 82 °C and coats the back of a spoon; this makes the yolks safe and gives a silky texture without scrambling.

35 minItalianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Torta della nonnaLemon custard pine nut tart

Torta della nonna, "grandmother's tart", is on the dessert menu of almost every trattoria in Florence and across Tuscany: a shortcrust case filled with thick lemon-scented custard, covered with a second layer of pastry and scattered with pine nuts and icing sugar. Despite the name it was probably invented by a Florentine restaurant cook in the 1900s, but it tastes of family Sunday lunches. Contains pine nuts. Chef's tip: let the custard cool completely before filling the tart; warm custard melts the butter in the pastry and makes the base soggy.

90 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Baci di damaHazelnut shortbread sandwiches

Baci di dama, "lady's kisses", were born in Tortona in Piedmont in the 1800s: two small domes of buttery hazelnut shortbread pressed together with dark chocolate, like two lips meeting in a kiss. They are sold in every pastry shop in Piedmont and eaten with coffee or as a gift at Christmas. The local Piedmont hazelnuts are some of the best in the world. Contains nuts. Chef's tip: weigh each ball of dough so they're all the same size; matching domes make neat kisses.

45 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gelato alla stracciatellaChocolate chip gelato

Stracciatella was invented in 1961 at the Gelateria La Marianna in Bergamo's upper town, inspired by stracciatella soup, where egg is stirred into broth in little rags (stracci). The gelato maker drizzled melted dark chocolate into churning fior di latte, where it froze instantly into thin, crisp shards. It became one of the best-loved flavours in Italy, a favourite with children. Chef's tip: drizzle the chocolate in a thin stream right at the end of churning; it must hit the cold gelato and set at once, or it forms hard lumps.

25 minItalianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Savoiardi

Savoiardi were created in the 1300s at the court of the House of Savoy in Piedmont, for a visit by the King of France. They are long, light finger biscuits of whipped eggs, sugar and flour, with a crisp sugary crust and a dry, spongy inside, made to be soaked: in coffee for tiramisù, in liqueur for zuppa inglese, or in milk for children's breakfast. Chef's tip: dust the piped fingers twice with icing sugar, 5 minutes apart; this forms the pearly crust that keeps them crisp outside.

37 minItalianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Goan cashew marzipan

Where Europe makes marzipan from almonds, Goa uses its own crop: cashews. Maçapão is a Portuguese legacy that Goan Catholic families make every December, pressing the cashew paste into rubber or plastic moulds of stars, flowers, fish and bells, tinted pink, green and yellow, for the Christmas kuswar tray. Ground cashews are cooked with sugar syrup and a little egg white (which gives it its smooth, pliable texture) until it leaves the pan, then kneaded, coloured and shaped. It tastes rich, sweet and buttery, softer and creamier than almond marzipan. Because of the egg white, it is vegetarian with egg rather than vegan. The common mistake is grinding the cashews too long, which releases their oil and gives a greasy, sticky paste; pulse them in short bursts. Chef's tip: when the mixture is ready, a small piece rolled between your fingers should feel like soft play dough and not stick; if it does, cook it a few minutes longer.

60 minIndianIndian SweetsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KulkulsSugar-glazed dough curls

No Goan or Mangalorean Catholic Christmas kuswar (sweet platter) is complete without kulkuls, the tiny ridged shells that families sit round the table rolling for hours in the week before 25 December. A soft dough of flour, coconut milk, egg and butter is pinched into small balls, pressed and rolled over the back of a fork (or a clean comb) so each curls into a ribbed shell, then fried until crisp and tossed in a white sugar glaze. They are crunchy, lightly sweet and moreish, and they keep for weeks in a tin, which is why the kuswar is shared round the neighbourhood. These contain egg: vegetarian, not vegan. The mistake everyone makes once is rolling the dough too thick, which leaves them hard and doughy inside; each should be no thicker than a coin. Chef's tip: fry on a medium-low flame until just golden; kulkuls darken a little more once out of the oil and the glaze is meant to stay white.

75 minIndianIndian Sweets
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Sakkare acchuMoulded sugar figures

Every Sankranti plate in Karnataka carries a few of these little sugar figures beside the ellu bella: an elephant, a temple gopuram, a parrot, a coconut. The wooden moulds, two halves tied with string, are soaked in water overnight so the sugar does not stick, and the syrup is clarified with a splash of milk until it is crystal clear. It is cooked to a thick stage, then stirred until it turns cloudy and pours like thin cream, and poured fast before it sets. Children love making them almost as much as eating them; they melt on the tongue like a soft fondant. The milk makes them vegetarian rather than vegan. The common mistake is pouring before the syrup has been beaten enough: it stays clear and sets like brittle glass that sticks in the mould. Chef's tip: work in small batches of about 150 g sugar so the syrup does not set in the pan while you are still pouring.

55 minIndianIndian SweetsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Murmura ladooPuffed rice jaggery balls

On Uttarayan, the whole of Ahmedabad climbs onto its rooftops to fly kites from dawn to dusk, and the steel dabbas that come up the stairs are full of chikki, til ladu and these mamra na ladu. Puffed rice is crisped in a pan, then tossed in jaggery cooked to the hard-crack stage and pressed quickly into balls that crunch loudly and taste of caramel. Children love them, they cost almost nothing and they keep for weeks. In North India the same sweet is made for Lohri and Sankranti as murmure ke laddu. The common mistake is undercooking the jaggery: the ladoos then turn chewy and soft after a day. A drop in cold water must snap cleanly. Grease your hands with oil and a splash of water to keep them vegan. Chef's tip: shape them fast and with wet, oiled hands, a few at a time; the syrup sets within a minute and the last balls crumble if you dawdle.

20 minIndianIndian SweetsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

SoetkoekiesSpiced almond biscuits

Cape Malay and Dutch kitchens in Stellenbosch and the old Bo-Kaap have been baking soetkoekies for at least two centuries, stacking them in tins for Christmas, New Year and visiting season. They are thin, snappy-edged biscuits with a slightly chewy centre, warm with cinnamon, ginger and a deep note of cloves, and nutty from ground almonds. Old recipes often splash in sweet wine; this one uses milk and a spoon of golden syrup instead, so there is no alcohol at all. The most common mistake is baking until they look firm, which makes them hard once cool: take them out while they still feel soft in the middle. Chef's tip: rest the dough overnight in the fridge if you can, because the spices deepen and the dough rolls more cleanly.

45 minSouth AfricanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Frittatina di pastaFried pasta rounds

The frittatina is Naples' way of turning a pot of pasta into street food: bucatini bound with thick béchamel, cooked ham (pork), peas and grated cheese, set in rounds, dipped in a flour batter and deep-fried. Pizzerias from Via dei Tribunali to Fuorigrotta fry them as a starter while your pizza bakes, and friggitorie sell them in a napkin to eat on the go, often in the late afternoon. The crust is crisp, the inside creamy with a little chew from the pasta. Chef's tip: chill the shaped rounds overnight; cold, firm frittatine hold their shape in the batter and the oil.

120 minItalianSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Polpette di zucchineCourgette and cheese balls

Across Puglia, Campania and Sicily, summer gardens overflow with courgettes, and the glut ends up grated into polpette that are fried for supper and packed cold the next day for school and work. They are crisp outside and soft and herby inside. The common mistake is skipping the squeeze: courgette is mostly water, and if you don't wring it out the mix stays sloppy and the balls fall apart in the pan. Traditional recipes use Parmigiano or pecorino, which are always made with animal rennet, so this version uses a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese. Chef's tip: let the shaped balls rest in the fridge for 15 minutes so the breadcrumbs swell and they hold their shape.

45 minItalianSnacks & Starters
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Dousha bao (red bean buns)

All over China, from Beijing breakfast stalls to Shanghai school bags, dousha bao are the sweet buns people grab in the morning and tuck into a lunch box for later: fluffy white yeasted dough wrapped around smooth red bean paste and steamed until springy. They freeze beautifully, so families make a big batch on Sunday. The mistake is opening the steamer lid as soon as the timer goes; the sudden cold makes the buns wrinkle and collapse. Turn off the heat and wait five minutes before lifting the lid. Chef's tip: chill the bean paste and roll it into balls before wrapping; a firm filling is much easier to seal neatly.

55 minChineseBakingVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

AppelflapApple puff pastry

An appelflap is the snack Amsterdammers pick up at the bakery counter or the Albert Cuyp market on a grey afternoon: a triangle of flaky puff pastry, packed with soft cinnamon apple and plump raisins, its top crackling with sugar. You eat it from a paper bag on a bench by the canal, or with a coffee at about four o'clock, and the filling is always hotter than you expect. Chef's tip: cook the apple filling first and let it cool completely; warm filling melts the butter in the pastry and you lose the layers.

60 minDutchBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

DashmiMilk and jaggery flatbread

Dashmi is the bread Maharashtrian mothers make for pilgrimages, school trips and the first days of a long journey: wholewheat dough kneaded with warm milk instead of water and sweetened with jaggery, cooked on a tawa until soft and spotted. Milk and ghee keep it tender for two or three days without a fridge in cool weather, and children eat it plain or with pickle. The common mistake is rolling it too thin and cooking it on a fierce tawa, which makes it crisp like a khakhra; it should stay soft and pliable. Chef's tip: stack the dashmis in a cloth as they come off the tawa, so the trapped steam softens them further.

40 minIndianBreads & Parathas
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Kabocha saladPumpkin salad

Children across Japan know this golden, chunky salad from their bento boxes and school lunches: steamed kabocha squash crushed with mayonnaise, a few plump raisins and a touch of pepper, sweet enough to pass for dessert. It holds its shape cold, so it fills a bento cup neatly. The common mistake is mashing the squash while it is wet, which gives a watery salad; dry it off in the pan first. Leave some skin on for colour. The mayonnaise contains egg. Chef's tip: dress the squash while it is still warm with the salt and pepper, but add the mayonnaise only once it has cooled, so it stays creamy instead of turning oily.

22 minJapaneseSaladsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chocolate cracklesChocolate puffed rice cakes

No Australian child's birthday party is complete without chocolate crackles, served in paper patty cases alongside fairy bread at backyard parties from Adelaide to Cairns. Puffed rice cereal is bound with melted solid coconut fat, icing sugar, cocoa and desiccated coconut, then set in the fridge. Kids can make them almost entirely on their own. A common mistake is using hot fat, which makes the mixture greasy; let it cool a few minutes. Chef's tip: use solid white hydrogenated coconut fat sold in blocks, not jarred coconut oil, which won't set firm at room temperature.

20 minAustralianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Coconut icePink and white coconut fudge

Coconut ice is the pink and white sweet that fills Australian school fete stalls, Christmas hampers and CWA cake tables, a no-cook fudge of desiccated coconut, condensed milk and icing sugar. It is soft, chewy and very sweet, so cut small squares. A common mistake is a mixture that's too wet to hold; add more coconut until it's firm enough to press. Chef's tip: press the white layer first, then the pink, and chill before cutting for sharp stripes.

20 minAustralianDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Lolly cakeNo-bake malt biscuit log

Lolly cake is the no-bake treat every New Zealand child helps make for birthday parties and bake sales, a log of crushed malt biscuits bound with butter and condensed milk, studded with chewy, brightly coloured fruit lollies (fruit puffs) and rolled in coconut. Sliced into rounds, it shows off the colours. A common mistake is crushing the biscuits to dust; leave some small chunks for texture. Many fruit lollies contain gelatine, so choose gelatine-free ones to keep it vegetarian. Chef's tip: wrap the log tightly in cling film and twist the ends so it chills into a neat cylinder.

20 minNew ZealandDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

TsukuneChicken meatball skewers

Tsukune are the minced chicken patties of yakitori bars all over Japan, and squashed into small ovals they are one of the most loved bento fillers, eaten cold at school or the office. Ginger and spring onion keep them fresh, and a glossy soy tare makes them sticky and sweet. The tare uses mirin, a sweet rice wine; most of its alcohol cooks off as it bubbles, and for an alcohol-free glaze use 1 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp water instead. The common mistake is a loose mix that falls apart in the pan; knead it until sticky. Chef's tip: add a spoon of grated tofu or potato starch to the mince, which keeps the patties juicy even the next day.

30 minJapaneseChicken
by KrazyBadal 0 views

GimjabanFried seasoned seaweed

Korean children grow up eating gimjaban scattered over rice or rolled into jumeokbap rice balls, and a little tub of it is the easiest way to make a plain dosirak exciting. It is laver seaweed toasted, crushed and stirred in a pan with sesame oil, a little sugar and plenty of sesame seeds until crisp and savoury-sweet. The common mistake is adding the soy sauce while the pan is very hot, which turns the flakes soggy and clumped. Chef's tip: mix the soy and sugar into the oil first, then toss in the crushed seaweed off the heat and return it to a gentle flame just to dry out.

13 minKoreanSidesVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

ShankarpaliFried sweet diamond biscuits

Every Maharashtrian Diwali faral box has a pile of shankarpali: small diamond-shaped biscuits, flaky and crisp, sweet with sugar dissolved in warm milk and ghee. Families make large batches in the week before Diwali alongside chakli and karanji, and the tin is raided until Tulsi Vivah. The common mistake is frying too hot, which browns them outside before the layers crisp, so they soften within a day; fry slowly until pale golden. Chef's tip: dissolve the sugar fully in the warm milk and ghee before adding flour, or sugar crystals burn in the oil as dark specks.

70 minIndianIndian Sweets
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Hachis parmentier for toddlersBeef and mash bake for toddlers

Hachis parmentier, France's answer to cottage pie, is a fixture of school canteens and Wednesday family lunches from Lyon to Paris, named after Antoine Parmentier, who championed the potato. This toddler version for children from 12 months uses lean minced beef cooked soft with plenty of carrot and onion, topped with a buttery milk mash and baked until just golden, then cut into soft squares. It is cooked without stock cubes and with no added salt. It contains milk; there is no gluten, egg, nuts or soya. Chef's tip: simmer the meat with a splash of water until it's tender and saucy before topping; dry mince makes a crumbly pie that toddlers struggle with.

60 minFrenchMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

White ChristmasPuffed rice and coconut slice

White Christmas is an Australian Christmas tradition from the days when a hot December made baking a misery, a no-bake slice of puffed rice, dried fruit, glacé cherries and coconut set in white chocolate or coconut fat. It is cut into squares and kept in the fridge for drop-in visitors through the holidays. A common mistake is overheating the white chocolate, which seizes; melt it gently. Chef's tip: red and green glacé cherries make it look festive.

20 minAustralianDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Parovye kotlety for toddlers (steamed cutlets)

Parovye kotlety, steamed cutlets, are the nursery and kindergarten classic of Russian homes from St Petersburg to Novosibirsk, served with mashed potato or buckwheat at lunch. Minced chicken or turkey is mixed with bread soaked in water and grated onion, shaped into small patties and steamed until soft and juicy, so there is no crust for small gums to struggle with. This version for toddlers from 12 months has no added salt and no egg. It contains wheat (gluten, in the bread); there is no milk, egg, nuts or soya. Chef's tip: beat the mince against the side of the bowl for a minute; it makes the cutlets hold together without egg.

35 minRussianChicken
by KrazyBadal 0 views

RosinbollerCardamom raisin buns

In Norway, rosinboller are what a parent bakes on Sunday so the week's lunch boxes have something sweet, and what fills the tables at every school dugnad and bake sale. The dough is enriched with milk and butter and scented with freshly ground cardamom, and the buns are pulled apart soft and golden. The common mistake is using hot milk: anything above blood heat kills the yeast and the buns stay flat. Chef's tip: crush the cardamom seeds yourself just before mixing; the pre-ground powder loses most of its perfume.

42 minScandinavianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Soft idli for babies

Idli is breakfast across Tamil Nadu, from Chennai's Mylapore tiffin rooms to village kitchens, and a fluffy, plain idli is one of the first finger foods many South Indian babies hold. Since family batter is salted, parents make a separate salt-free batch for babies under one, or steam a few from it before the salt goes in. The cakes are pillowy, faintly sour and melt under the gums, torn into pieces or mashed with ghee or thin dal. They contain no gluten, egg, nuts, soya or sesame; they contain milk only if served with ghee. Chef's tip: grind the urad dal with ice-cold water until it is light and foamy; air in the batter, not salt, is what makes idli soft.

45 minIndianBreakfast & BrunchGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Showing 120 of 342 recipes

Show more recipes

Page 6 of 15

More collections