The crunchy, sweet, nut brittle makes an irresistible combination with chocolate and a warmly spiced cream The 20 best Sunday lunch and dinner recipes – in full Serves 6 For the puddingbutter 150g soft brown sugar 150g self-raising flour 100g ground almonds 50g cocoa 50g eggs 3 milk 50ml For the spiced creamdouble cream 500ml blood orange 2 short strips of peel cloves 4 star anise 2 whole nutmeg ½ cinnamon stick 1 whole ..read more

Buttery shortcrust pastry combines with a curd-like filling The 20 best Sunday lunch and dinner recipes – in full Most meringue pies use a sweet pastry, but as I find the meringue so sweet, I think it is better served with a very buttery shortcrust, so I take out the sugar. The butter in the filling is optional – it’s not always used and I think it adds a richness, making the filling more like curd and less like custard. Serves 6 For the pastryplain flour 225g, plus extra for dusting butter 150g, chilled and diced egg yolk 1 salt a pinch ..read more

Amplify the flavour of blueberries with tangy lime and warming ginger The 20 best Sunday lunch and dinner recipes – in full Serves 6unsalted butter 115g, chilled and cubed, plus extra to grease the dish blueberries 600g, fresh or frozen crystallised ginger 50g, chopped jaggery or brown sugar 50g lime zest and juice of 1 cornflour 2 tbsp fine sea salt ½ tsp plain flour 280g sugar 2 tbsp baking powder 2 tsp whole milk 240ml Preheat the oven to 160C fan/gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 20cm x 28cm rectangular baking dish with a little butter, add the blueberries, ginger, jaggery, lime zest and juic ..read more

A pudding where crunchy-topped croissants soak up warm, saffron-infused custard The 20 best Sunday lunch and dinner recipes – in full Croissants are my bread of choice here, because the tops get unbelievably crisp, and in a pudding that is mostly quite soft I always welcome a bit of crunch. The warming saffron custard that seeps into the bellies of the croissants is earthy and grassy, infused with ginger and cardamom to brighten it up. You could let the milk steep overnight if you’d prefer a stronger saffron flavour, and swap the croissants for brioche or thick, white bread instead. Serves 4 ..read more

Four bakes to welcome spring: a brioche bostock with rhubarb, coconut and almonds, a no-bake take on the classic lemon tart, a light sponge soaked in malted tea and topped with cream, and chewy little pistachio and orange cakes At this time of the year, when everything starts to awaken, crocuses spring up and there are squirrels aplenty among the leafless branches for my dog to lust after through the windows, my palate tends to change, too. Moving on from the hearty stews and countless sticky toffee puddings of winter, I crave something sharper, lighter and a little more fragrant. These bakes ..read more

There’s banana bread, then there’s this sweeter, lighter loaf studded with passion fruit and topped with creamy icing I’m pretty sure we’ve all got at least one solid banana bread recipe up our sleeve. My go-to is dense, barely sweet and at its best when toasted and smothered in salted butter. But the version I’m sharing today is for when I need something that’s more cake than bread: a bit sweeter, fluffier and topped with a creamy icing studded with lots of passion fruit to brighten it up. I still make it in a loaf tin, but it also works in a 20cm square tin ..read more

Whether it’s the smell, the texture or the emotional associations, something has kept our guinea pigs away from everyday dishes such as hard-boiled eggs and shepherd’s pie. How traumatic will those first mouthfuls be? It’s not because they look phallic, OK? There is nothing Freudian or weird about the fact that I have spent my life recoiling at the sight of a banana. My banana aversion has nothing to do with me being gay. I like cucumbers! I like courgettes! I have no problem with phallic produce. ‘It took me a few days to work up the courage’ … Arwa with the dreaded fruit. Photograph: courtes ..read more

Engineers show 3D printing’s potential by turning cartridges of paste and powder into cheesecake It was perhaps no surprise, when researchers set out to push the boundaries of 3D printing, that their attempts to rattle out cheesecakes were not immediately successful. The first trial started well enough, but as the printer gradually built up the dessert, squirting one layer and then the next, the creation began to slump before quietly collapsing into a gloopy heap ..read more

An unusual and attractive fruity sweet treat Trim 500g of rhubarb, discarding any tough ends or dry tips on the stalks. Cut into 3cm lengths, then put them into a shallow baking dish in a single layer. Finely grate the zest from 1 medium-sized orange and set aside ..read more

Put magical mushrooms, fancy beans on toast, and a Dutch baby on the to-cook list (Pictured above ..read more