Served as a sweet snack between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, olie bollen has many variations among Dutch families. Listen to Dutch chef Geert Elzinga, from Sydney&apos;s Essen Restaurant &amp; Beer Cafe, talk us through his recipe.

Apple and raisin fritters (olie bollen)

g bread flour (12-15% protein, check label)

tbsp yeast

cinnamon

g caster sugar

500 ml (2 cups) luke-warm water

salt

½ lemon, juiced

red apple,

g raisins

g cranberries

This cheesecake recipe is from my debut cookbook, Polska, and based on the one my grandma used to make for all kinds of family celebrations during my childhood in Poland.

Two-citrus cheesecake (sernik)

unsalted butter, melted

250 g plain flour

sour (soured) cream (see Note)

65 g (golden) caster sugar

100 g (golden) caster sugar

white cheese

100 g butter, softened

tbsp grated orange zest

tbsp grated lemon zest

vanilla extract

tbsp icing sugar

lemon juice

orange juice

These chips are one of my proudest legacies! You see them on menus up and down the country now but the original recipe came out of endless experimenting at home long before I even opened the Fat Duck. The first secret is cooking the chips until they are almost falling apart as the cracks are what makes them so crispy. The second secret is allowing the chips to steam dry then sit in the freezer for an hour to get rid of as much moisture as possible. The final secret is to cook the chips in very hot oil for a crispy, glass-like crust.

Heston Blumenthal&apos;s triple cooked chips

When I first discovered Korean fried chicken, it was a revelation: the coating is flakey and crunchy, the skin is thin and crispy, and the meat is super juicy and tender.

Korean Fried Chicken 4 ways (huraideu chikin)

chicken

salt,

tsp black pepper

1-cm (½-in) piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

180 g (6½ oz/1 cup) potato starch

vegetable oil,

vegetable oil

garlic cloves, finely chopped

soy sauce

Korean chilli paste (gochujang)

tbsp white vinegar

Korean rice syrup (ssalyeot) or corn syrup, glucose or honey

tbsp caster (superfine) sugar

sesame seeds,

cheese

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) soy sauce

55 g (2 oz/¼ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

mirin

garlic clove, finely chopped

½ tsp sesame oil

tsp wasabi paste

spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

Try something different this Christmas with a Sri Lankan-style dessert. The addition of chow chow (choko) preserve is what makes this cake so moist.

Sri Lankan Christmas cake

225 g (1½ cups) raisins

240 g (1½ cups) sultanas

150 g glacé pineapple, chopped

200 g (1 cup) glacé cherries, chopped

495 g jar chow chow preserve (see Note), chopped

tsp each orange and lemon zest

150 g (1 cup) unsalted cashews, toasted, finely chopped

160 g (1 cup) unsalted almonds, toasted, finely chopped

60 ml (¼ cup) brandy

385 g (1¾ cups) caster sugar

eggs, separated

cardamom

½ tsp ground cloves

tsp rosewater (see Note)

180 g (1 cup) fine semolina

1.5 kg store-bought marzipan (almond icing)

egg white,

Making your own sausages is a revelation, here Matthew Evans shares his recipe for Toulouse sausages. The secret is that a good sausage simply relies on great pork being used with no fillers, binders or emulsifiers added. Try to source some old-breed pork as the flavour is fantastic and the fat to meat ratio is just right.

Toulouse sausages

kg pork shoulder

salt pork

tbsp white pepper

nutmeg (freshly grated is preferable)

A pure pork sausage like the Toulouse-style can be cooked for a few minutes or a few hours. Use it in cassoulet or other slow-braised dishes such as this one. In the absence of a hare, you could adapt the recipe for rabbit (see Note).

Braised hare with Toulouse sausage and white beans

350 g dried white beans,

onion

bay leaf

hare

g pancetta,

500 g (about 6–7) (see Note)

lard

garlic bulb,

flour,

decent red wine,

sage leaves

rosemary

cracked pepper

When you make pittas at home, the oven is like a magician’s cave as you watch the dough puff up and transform into bread.

Pitta breads

g bread

g salt

g fast-action dried yeast

g nigella or black onion seeds

160 ml cool water

tsp olive oil,

Source the freshest fish you can find for this dish. With a recipe as simple as this one, the quality of your fish will be glaringly obvious. Ling, cod or grouper, with their clean oceanic flavour, make lovely choices.

Fish congee

500 g plain congee (recipe below)

fish

spring onion, sliced

tsp julienned ginger

chilli oil (recipe below), to serve

g dried Sichuan chillies,

Sichuan peppercorns

red chillies, topped

garlic,

cm piece ginger, peeled

(60 ml) vegetable oil

tsp salt

tsp caster sugar

spring onion, white part only, cut into large pieces

(375 ml) vegetable oil

cm piece ginger, skin on, sliced

star anise

black cardamom pod

g white rice

sprinkle each of salt, ground white pepper

Dude-food done Beirut street-style: deboned chicken wings stuffed with spiced beef sausage in a cornflake crumb, deep-fried until golden. Try to eat just one!

Stuffed Armenian chicken wings

275 g Armenian sausages (see note)

g caul fat (see note)

cottonseed oil

ml (½ cup) tomato ketchup

ml (½ cup) water

ml (½ cup) apple cider vinegar

brown sugar

45 g caster sugar

onion powder

mustard powder

Worcestershire sauce

sour cherry juice

60 g cornflakes, crushed coarsely

g plain flour

tomato soup powder

g rice flour

garlic powder

tsp smoked paprika

tsp sea salt

cayenne pepper

½ tsp ground black pepper

buttermilk

These aromatic Thai sausages come with a sauce punchy enough to keep them in line.

Northern Thai sausage (sai oua)

pork shoulder

shallots, finely diced

lemongrass, white part only, finely chopped

chillies, diced, remove the chillis

makrut lime leaves, spines removed, chiffonade

tbsp fish sauce

meters sausage casing

tops of lemongrass, finely diced

shallot, diced

limes, juiced

makrut lime leaves,

chilli, finely sliced

tbsp sugar

lettuce

herbs Vietnamese mint

A deep-fried lentil dumpling that will keep your guests salivating for more, bara is a popular canape served at weddings, Hindu festivals, and casual dinner parties alike. Try it with a side of green chilli chutney for a spicy kick!

Bara

yellow split pea dhal (chana dhal) (see Note)

de-skinned urad dhal (see Note)

500 ml (2 cups) vegetable oil,

tsp baking powder

½ tsp ground turmeric

tsp ginger, ground

tsp garlic, ground

tsp green chilli, ground

1½ tsp ground cumin

fennel seed

onion, finely chopped

coriander,

spring onions, finely chopped

red or green chilli chutney to serve

This chicken in this Indian curry recipe is roasted on the bone, then heated through again in the sauce resulting in rich intensely flavoured meat. Serve this curry with plain rice, accompanied by a mixed salad with a lemon and thyme vinaigrette dressing.

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Top 22 mid recipes from across the web

The most viewed mid recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Apple and raisin fritters (olie bol...

Two-citrus cheesecake (sernik)

Heston Blumenthal&apos;s triple coo...

Korean Fried Chicken 4 ways (huraid...

Sri Lankan Christmas cake

Toulouse sausages

Braised hare with Toulouse sausage ...

Pitta breads

Fish congee

Stuffed Armenian chicken wings

Northern Thai sausage (sai oua)

Bara

Sweet chicken curry

Spiced flatbread (methi paratha)

Beef rendang

Jaggery goat curry

Air-fryer five-spice roasted pork b...

Duck and foie gras pies (tourte de ...

Steak Diane

Patouda (Greek honey and date pastr...

Vegetarian cabbage rolls

Steamboat

The most viewed mid recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Heston Blumenthal's triple coo...