SERVES 4

120 ml | 4 fl oz oil
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground mace
2 green chillies, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed
30 g | 1 oz fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
2 onions, peeled and sliced
225 g | 8 oz sweet potatoes, sliced
225 g | 8 oz parsnips, sliced
450 g | 1 lb tomatoes chopped or 1x 400 g | 14 oz can
1 tablespoon garam masala
Lemon juice to taste
salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large pan, add the mustard seeds and mace and cook until seeds pop.
2. Reduce the heat, add the onion and cook until soft. Add the chilli, garlic, ginger and onion, and cook for a further minute.
3. Add the sweet potato, parsnip and tomatoes. Cover and simmer very gently until the vegetables soften. Add the garam masala. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

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Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]

SERVES 6
For the meringue
3 egg whites
170 g| 6 oz caster sugar
Icing sugar, sifted

For the filling
1 x 440 g | 15 oz can of sweetened chestnut purée
150 ml | ¼ pint double cream, lightly whipped

To decorate
Chocolate caraque or coarsely grated chocolate

1. Preheat the over to 110°C | 225°F | gas mark ½. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking parchment.
2. Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gradually add half of the caster sugar and whisk again until very stiff and shiny. Fold in the remaining sugar.
3. Place the meringue in a piping bag with a fitted 1 cm| 1 ½ in plain nozzle. Pipe the mixture into an 18 cm | 7 in circle on the prepared baking sheet, starting from the centre and spiraling outwards. Pipe a rim 3 cm | 1 ½ in deep. Dust lightly with icing sugar.
4. Bake in the oven for 2 hours, until the meringue is dry and crisp. When cooked, remove from the oven, and leave to cool completely on a wire rack. Carefully peel off the lining paper.
5. Beat the chestnut purée until soft. Pile into the meringue case, cover with the cream and sprinkle the chocolate on top.

________________________________________

Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]

SERVES 6
4 egg whites
225 g| 8 oz caster sugar
140 g| 5 oz walnuts, roughly chopped
290 ml| ½ pint double cream
4 tablespoons lemon curd
2 tablespoons icing sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C | 375°F | gas mark 5.
2. Line 2 x 20 cm| 8 in cake tins with lightly oiled kitchen foil or simply line the base with non-stick baking parchment and oil the sides of the tin.
3. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then gradually whisk in half of the sugar. Whisk again until very stiff and shiny.
4. Fold the remaining sugar with the walnuts. Then fold into the meringue.
5. Divide the mixture between the 2 tins, smoothing the tops slightly.
6. Bake for 40 minutes. Turn the cakes out on to a wire rack, peel off the lining paper and leave to cool completely.
7. Whip the cream and mix the lemon curd. Sandwich the cakes with this mixture.
8. Sift the icing sugar over the top to decorate.

________________________________________

Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]

20 g | ¾ oz butter
20 g | ¾ oz plain flour
pinch of dry English mustard
a pinch of cayenne pepper
290 ml | ½ pint milk
55 g | 2 oz Gruyere or strong cheddar cheese, finely grated
15 g | ½ oz parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and stir in the flour, mustard and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.
2. Remove the pan to the heat and stir until boiling. Simmer, stirring well, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Add all the cheese, and mix it well, but do not reboil.
4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

________________________________________

Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]

This is a quick and easy basic white sauce

20 g | ¾ oz butter
20 g | ¾ oz plain flour
a pinch of dry English mustard
290 ml | ½ pint creamy milk
salt and freshly ground white pepper

1. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat.
2. Add the flour and the mustard and stir over the heat for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat, gradually stir in the milk and mix well.
3. Return the sauce to the heat and stir continuously until boiling.
4. Simmer for 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper

________________________________________

Excerpt from Leiths Cookery Bible

[Leith, P., and Waldegrave, C., (2003), Leiths Cookery Bible, 3rd edition, Bloomburys, UK]