Mama Chan has made these for years and years. They are up there with the classic custard tarts you get from a Chinese bakery.

Custard:
500 ml milk
¾ c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp white vinegar

Flakey pastry:
1 c flour
125 g butter
½ small c milk
1 tsp vinegar

This recipe makes 18 tarts.
Heat milk to almost boiling. Stir in sugar to dissolve. When cool add eggs and vinegar and beat lightly until mixed.

Grate cold butter into flour. Add vinegar and milk. Bring together to form a d...

Alessandra does a corn loaf with sultanas in her book Savour. I did a savoury version with cheese and gluten-free flour. Turned out to be a good firm loaf that cut easily. The slices toasted well too.

250ml warm water
2 tsp active yeast granules
¼ tsp sugar
200g flour (I used gluten-free mix)
100g fine ground cornmeal
pinch salt
1 c grated cheese

Place warm water in large bowl, add yeast and sugar and set aside. When yeast starts to bubble, add cornmeal, flour and salt...

Jenny made these lovely butterfly cakes on Marie’s birthday for an office morning tea. Nice touch with the jam on top.

125 g butter
125 g sugar
2 eggs
175 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbs milk
whipped cream

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs well beaten, then flour and baking powder, then milk. Half fill paper cases with mixture, place on cold oven tray and bake about 10-15 mins at 200 C.

When cool, cut a small piece off the top of each, put a heaped tsp of whipped c...

Great to try a different kind of shortbread. The coffee/chocolate flavour came through really well. Took them to a function and they went like hot cakes.

1 c butter, softened
2/3 c icing sugar
2 c flour
1 tbs cocoa
1 tsp instant coffee granules
½ c chocolate bits

Preheat oven to 160 C. Line or lightly grease a baking sheet.
Using electric beaters, cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. Sift together flour, cocoa and coffee. Use a metal spoon to fold four mixtu...

Ginny says: I exchanged evaporated milk for the cream/milk in an attempt to make it slightly less 'give you a heart attacky'...

3 eggs
375 ml thin cream (1.5C)
375 ml milk (1.5C)
110g caster sugar (1/2C)
2 tsp vanilla extract
6 croissants
200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Heat oven to 160ºC
Whisk eggs, cream, milk, sugar, vanilla
Cut croissants into small pieces and arrange half in an ovenproof dish
Sprinkle with chocolate and cover with the rest of the croissants
Pour egg mixture over...

This recipe is from Healthy Food Guide. It turned out really well and leftover lunch tasted good too.

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
2 stalks celery, trimmed, chopped
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, crushed
pinch dried chilli flakes
1/4 cup no-added-salt tomato paste
400g can no-added-salt diced tomatoes
1⁄3 cup chopped fresh basil
75g fresh baby spinach
400g can borlotti beans, drain...

The Esplanade Theatre, nicknamed the “durian” as the “scales” look like a durian fruit.

Sticky, stinky, hot and humid. That is Singapore and Hong Kong in a nutshell - but don’t let the weather put you off. Just wear cotton and comfortable shoes, walk slowly, carry a fan and a bottle of water. I was in Singapore performing in Tempest: Without a Body with Mau dance group. We performed at the Arts Festival at the Esplanade Theatre.

Before I get to the food, the archit...