A dash of hot sauce gives a handsome kick to this floral pear aperitif If you like, add a subtle kick to this refreshing cocktail with a few dashes of your favourite hot sauce – a touch of peri-peri spice complements its floral and fruity flavours brilliantly. Our favourite is Quinta d’Avó’s Piri-Piri Extra Forte. Michela Castiglioni, bar manager, Fino at Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill, London EC2 ..read more

Who is buying the more obscure wines, and where can you get them? These days, it seems, the more obscure and unpronounceable a wine is, the better. True, this is a trend that’s been going on for a while, with both Marks & Spencer and Waitrose in competition with their spookily similar Found and Loved & Found ranges, and they’ve now been joined by Sainsbury’s Discovery and Aldi’s Unearthed. So who is buying these bottles, and why are the supermarkets doing them? Because the other concurrent trend seems to be to give the customer more of the same, whatever it is – sauvignon blanc, malbec ..read more

When the world isn’t particularly sweet, sometimes we all need a sharp blast of teeth-chattering, sugary goo … Apple Butter Cafe, which recently opened a second branch at the top of London’s Regent Street, is very much a cafe of its time. Today’s young may be eschewing the vices of yesteryear – booze, ciggies, drugs, etc – but their Achilles heel is sugar. Build a cafe that serves short stacks of chunky, fat pancakes smothered in banoffee syrup and topped with mini meringues, shards of tempered chocolate, quenelles of thick cream and microplaned lemon zest, and they will come. Post a video on ..read more

Elevate your weekend brunch with a loaded dutch baby, piled high with smoked salmon, and a light, spring vegetable crostata Almost by definition, brunch is a luxury. I consider any meal that nibbles at the heart of the day luxurious (as is going to the movies in the afternoon) and, by necessity, it mustn’t be tough to pull off. Extra points for a bit of glam. It’s a lot to ask of morning food, but it’s doable with dishes that you can start on early and that later need minimal time away from the table. This dutch baby, piled with everything you’d want on a bagel, and the vegetable crostata with ..read more

Baked cheesecake, American-style, is a classic for good reason Cheesecake, which in reality is more a tart than a cake, comes in many forms, from the creamy, set fruit-topped numbers in the freezer section of the supermarket to the magnificently charred Basque variety that the Observer’s Jay Rayner complained was “bloody everywhere” last year. This is a simpler baked version, based on a classic American recipe and perfect for pairing with seasonal fruit. Prep 25 min Cook 1 hr 50 minMakes 1 cake, about 20cm ..read more

Hearty, nutritious and a thrifty way to give unused fruit and veg some love Sophie Gordon’s inspirational book The Whole Vegetable is full of inventive, plant-based recipes. Her fridge dinner salad, for example, turns tired vegetables into a luscious and exotic pink salad by serving them with a tart rhubarb dressing. In today’s take on the original, I’ve added legumes to make it more substantial and upped the umami factor by putting some optional white miso in the dressing ..read more

Our panel of culinary experts offers advice on seasonal quiches and tarts with an edge Got a culinary dilemma? Email feast@theguardian.com The thing about quiches and tarts, says Kitty Coles, author of Make More with Less, is people are set in their ways. “Quiche really can be whatever you want it to be, so don’t worry about following exact rules.” That said, a rough formula is always helpful. “It’s some sort of creamy thing [creme fraiche, cream cheese, ricotta, say], plus an egg or two [depending on the size of the quiche/tart you’re making], plus any ingredients you have in your fridge ..read more

A riff on kedgeree featuring roast aubergines and peas, and a rich and smoky lamb curry This week, I bring you two approaches to weeknight dinner. First, a new take on kedgeree that’s swiftly put together and swaps the traditional boiled eggs for roast aubergines. Kedgeree was the invention of the British in colonial India, but was inspired by khichuri, a more ancient dish of rice and lentils, so here I’ve reinstated the pulses in the form of mung dal and peas: an Indian dish, adapted by the British, and changed again by an Indian living in Britain. The other dish is a smoky lamb curry that I ..read more

Sweet chestnuts make a savoury flour that’s just perfect for this cracking, herby mushroom pasta As anyone who has picked up a winking chestnut and rolled it around the palm of their hand knows, sweet chestnuts are heavy things – too heavy to be spread by animals or birds, meaning the chestnut landscape is largely man-made. Throughout history, chestnuts have been planted to provide food (especially in areas that are not suitable for grains), wood and fuel, or as a gift for future generations. In her charming and informative book On Chestnuts: the Trees and their Seeds, Ria Loohuizen recalls a ..read more

Tesco is on a mission to get the nation to eat more legumes. Seasonal foodie Gem Morson and clinical nutritionist Nishtha Patel explain why they’re on board Go back in time as far as the iron age, and you’d find our ancestors eating broad beans. For centuries, the legumes were a crucial part of the British diet, until they fell out of fashion. Recently, however, they’ve been cropping up in an increasing number of recipes from some of the country’s most exciting chefs and food influencers. Gem Morson, AKA the Mother Cooker, is on a mission to help us eat more seasonally. “Broad beans are a fant ..read more