It falls to you to decide which fruits you should use and whether you use both fruit and nuts in the dish or just play with one. The actual dish can be anything at all - bread, salads, desserts, whatever you fancy!

Entries should be emailed to me with the subject line of Waiter F&N by the 30th of the month. A picture is optional but sold be 100 pixels in width. Don't forget to tell me which city and country you live in; it makes it so much fun in receiving submissions from around the world.

During the week breakfast though is little more than a slug of juice, a slice of Marmite-topped toast and a few slurps of coffee taken on the run. Neither make for interesting post for a blog event; especially as Johanna explicitly stated that Marmite on toast is not a suitable entry for Waiter There's Something In My...which has a Breakfast theme this month.

This week, then, something a little more interesting than a fry-up; how does Vanilla Pain Pain Perdu with Fruit Compote grab you?.

Vanilla Pain Perdu with Fruit Compote
For the Fruit Compote

• 380g frozen mix of blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries, red currants


• half glass red wine


• 125g caster sugar

For the Pain Perdu (sweetened French Toast)

• thinnish slices of stale bread


• 1 egg


• 150ml milk


• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla flavoured caster sugar


• butter and oil for frying

Add the beans and heat through gently. Add a splash each of white wine and white wine vinegar. Reduce. When ready add a big handful of chopped parsley tip into a bowl and douse with more olive oil. And voila, a bowl full of beans with pancetta and black pudding. A recipe of Spanish origins of such simplicity that I wonder if it is up to the usual standards of Waiter!

I've made this several times - butter beans and haricot work well, as does adding a little chopped boiled egg or a little tomato. Good on its own but I served this with some cold, sliced turkey. Really tasty.

Sorry for the brevity of the recipe listings, no personal comments I'm afraid due to time constraints (and the fact that my keyboards space bar and shift key are only working intermittently, which is driving me insane), but I think this gives even more options to explore the wondrous delights that everyone has come up with. Plenty here to stave off anyones green-stuff deficit. Interestingly, while many used fruit within the recipe, the number of submissions for a dessert salad totalled one!

1. Very Belgian Salade Liegeoise - from Andreea at Glorious Food and Wine
2. Wilted Russian Kale Salad With Balsamic Vinegar & Orange Zest - from Eve at The garden of Eating
3. Shrimp Salad with Tomato Raita Dressing from Zlamushka at Burnt Mouth
4. Tambo Salad with Preserved Lemons and Capers from Johanna down at Green Gourmet Giraffe
5. Coleslaw Salad from Gay at A Scientist In The Kitchen
6. Mixed Tomato Salad from Haalo at Cook Almost Anything
7. Spinach Salad With Warm Vinaigrette from Elizabeth at Blog From Our Kitchen
8. Ensalada Caprese from Gretchen at Canela & Comino
9. Carrot and Charred Capsicum Salad from Bron at Bron Marshall
10. Pea Shoot Salad with Bacon & Lime from Kelly at ass & Veracity
11. Desperation Citrus Tossed Salad from Tracy at Rah Cha Chow
12. Seasonal Salads: Seeing Red from Hank at Honest Food
13. Fennel, Red Onion, Blood Orange and Sicilian Olives Plainly Dressed from Louise at Gato Azul
14. Scallops on chicory, dolcelatte and walnut salad from Johanna at The Passionate Cook
15. Full English Salad from James at Biggest Jim
16. Carrot Salad from Chris at Mel Cotte
17. Winter salad with parsnip, blue cheese, walnut and pear from Caitlin at The Gooseberry Fool
18. Kohlrabi, Fennel and Beetroot Salad from Helen at Helen Graves
19. Blood Orange Salad with Orange Poppy Seed Vinaigrette from Paula at Half Baked
20. Colorful Spring Salad with Homemade Bleu Cheese Dressing from Mansi at Fun and Food
21. Green Bean, Red Onion & Pecorino Salad from Michelle at Greedy Gourmet
22. Tropical fruit Salad with a Hint of Mint from Meeta at What's For Lunch, Honey?
23. Kohlrabi and Apple Slaw from Alanna at A Veggie Adventure
24. Beet, Fennel, and Leek Salad with Lemon-Ginger Dressing from Laurie at Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska
25. Warm Tuna Salad With Passionfruit, Dragon Fruit, Almond And Mustard submitted by 'Cakelaw' at Kitchen Law
26. Mixed Greens and Feta Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette from Annie at The Daily Digress
27. Carrot and Fennel Salad with Lemony Raisin Dressing from Mia at Red Ramekin
28. Carrot and Radish salad with miso dressing from Smita at Smita Serves You Right
29. Pomegranate Bulgur Salad from Anne at Annes Food
30. Roasted Potato Salad from Jeanne at Cooksister
31. Lettuce, pear and Walnut Salad from Madeline of Madelines Adaptations.
32. Lazy Wednesday Salad from Le Petit Kitchen
33. Mid Winter Salad from 'Mrs W' at Mrs W's Kitchen

The salad is based on one from the March 2008 issue of Delicious where their version utilises yellow split peas instead of the lentils. No real recipe just top a mix of salad leaves (I used one of those supermarket bags of mixed watercress, spinach and rocket You must know the ones, they go off in the bottom of the fridge overnight once you have opened it) with blanched green beans, peas and the lentils and dot with the chive dressing. The dressing is about as close to a complication as you can get - mix a bunch of finely snipped chives into 120g natural yoghurt and mix in 1 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.

Yes, I do realise a photo of Valentines Marmite has nothing at all to do with the theme or the Waiter event but it is the only foodie-pic I have at the moment that hasn't yet appeared on Spittoon Extra! You see the problem - run down and NOT taking photos...

What I am thinking of, in regards to salads, are seasonal ingredients. I would have called it Winter Salads but the bottom-end of the world is of course in Summer and lets not forget the middle-bit that doesn't really bother with summer or winter. The list of ingredients is therefore wide open. It would be great if the ingredients were local, were all seasonal, organic, fair-trade and all that but often this is just not possible.

There are no restrictions apart from the green-stuff (and the fruit component, if any) which should form the majority of the final dish. Additions such as nuts, chicken, ham, potatoes or Marmite are all fine but they must not dominate. No problems either with lashings of mayo or dressings!

If you could get your entries in by the end of February that would be great. Please email to me direct with the subject line of WAITER.

Thanks by the way to Johanna for collating the last round - Waiter There's Something In My... Terrine

The recipe is taken from Delicious! The Deli Cookbook by James Martin. He recommends a lime syrup as an accompaniment and includes the recipe but I really couldn't be arsed to make it despite making a special trip to see Mr Wait and Mr Rose for limes. The recipe also includes 3 tablespoons of vodka but I didn't bother with that either.

All well and good once tipped out. The problem, as you can see from the second picture, was on cutting. The blueberry layer squirted out the back. And the sides. Oh how we laughed.

Not.

Basil Scented Fruit Terrine
6 leaves of gelatine
500ml water
200g caster sugar
1 ripe mango
fresh fruit - raspberries, blueberries, blackberries
basil leaves

Line a loaf tin with cling-film leaving an ample amount to fall over the sides. Soften the gelatine in a little water to soften.

Bring the water to the boil and add the sugar. Stir until dissolved. Remove gelatine from the water and gently squeeze out any excess. Put in the sugar syrup and stir until dissolved.

Make a layer in the tin and leave to set. I put mine in the fridge each time, resting the tin in a little water. It sets eventually. Once set add a layer of fruit topped with the gelatine mix. Chill to set between layers. Mine, at random began with raspberries, then a layer of basil leaves followed by mango, blueberries, mango again and ending with blackberries.

The terrine really needs to set fully in the fridge overnight. Turning out is the easy bit. Cutting while retaining the shape and showing off the layers to full effect is more tricky.

This is my entry to Waiter; hosted this month by Johanna, The Passionate Cook. My turn to host and select a theme next month I think.

The recipe is from the new Great British Food magazine, written by dessert maestro James Martin. No idea where to get crab apples from, stewed crab apples being the recommended accompaniment. Still, with a little GU Vanilla ice-cream they were fab.

Kentish Pudding Pie Tarts

• 500g sweet shortcrust pastry


• 75g caster sugar


• 150ml double cream


• 250ml milk


• 100g ground rice


• 125g currants


• 2 eggs


• zest and juice of 1 lemon


• pinch of nutmeg


• icing sugar to serve

Mix eggs and sugar.

Mix the cream and milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pour onto the egg/sugar mixture and whisk. Pour everything back into the saucepan and return to the heat. Constantly stir until lightly thickened. Remove form heat. Add ground rice, nutmeg and lemon. Pour onto tart cases. Sprinkle currants over the top.

Bake for 10 minutes until just set and lightly golden.

My entry to Waiter There's Something In My... Topless Tarts hosted by my friend Cooksister.

Pictured a version of my entry - replacing the Lemon Curd Cream and raspberry topping of my official entry this has chocolate mousse sandwiched between the two sponge layers. Rich and decadent but the chocolate over-powered the subtle lemon flavours of the sponge. Good but not as successful as the lemon version.

Sponge Made With Yoghurt and Lemon
Bizcocho con Yogur y Limón - double these ingredients for two layers.

• 50g butter (recipe states margarine)


• 120g sifted plain flour


• 130g caster sugar


• 150ml lemon yoghurt


• 2 eggs


• 1 tablespoon baking powder


• grated rind of 1 lemon

The filling is a tub of double cream whipped until stiff with lemon curd folded in to taste.

My entry to Waiter There's Something In My... Layered Cake. Round-up coming soon to allow for a few late entries.

Lets take, at total random, Brenda. I think a step up from plan ol' sauce is needed here to accommodate her nuts and a choke. And it's green with spots! Need I say more...

Ronnel on the other hand has to use a little red wine to get saucy. Those eggs are gonna be a-rolling...

Raaga is getting all cheesy on us; but not content with one she grabs the headlines with another - recklessly she "went ahead and added some puree and some chilli flakes" (every full-blooded male is wincing...)

Zlamushka has a burnt mouth (I tell yer darling, you are doing it wrong! Blow, girl, blow) but comes out the other end with a little bit of spicy Asian. Not sure where the 'mushroom' comes into play though... poor chap.

Haalo is getting all excited too, all that talk of rustic Italians gets the heart racing.

True to form Zorra is in the skinless zone - wild abandonment of eggs is just the sort of thing we have come to expect!

Susan though is going all sensible on us - she never fails apparently, and enthuses us to lie and say its home-made. What ever can she be talking about?

Andreea, playing down Brussels way, asks us to think thick. Now I know exactly what she means!

Pille though is going all ethnic on us. Smoking darlin', smoking! Just don't ask what a 'vanaema' is though. Thoughts of tubes, running water and so much more are probably wide of the mark.

Down Seattle way Lara likes 'em sweet; just don't get caught ogling them pictures... food smut one an' all!

In tigerfish land there is much more balance - a good party trick amongst your closest and dearest - sweet and sour may just be a euphasium...

Sarina, oh Sarina, she likes them 'simple, 'fiery', 'tropical' and 'hot' ... don't we all darling, don't we all...

Meanwhile Elizabeth is never late to the party.. and like all good parties the best action occurs in the kitchen!

Not the kitchen for Anne though, in true Scandinavian style she is off for a smoke, not sure if that's in the sauna or if the 'rocket' is leaking fumes.... oh, man arnt we all a'leaking!

(that'll be just me then... those rampant saliva glands play havoc with oral hygiene)

Jenny has turned me on big time, get a load of that creme!

Passionate to the last is our Johanna, lend an eye to the lovely plump roundness of those... eggs... and if anyone even mentions those green tips...

The only thing that is going to get Barbera going is thoughts of a stove on an island beach, looking at the ocean... easily pleased is our Barbera.

Funny thing married life, you seem to grave certain homogenised things; with Jenni it is raspberries - we all know where she is coming from though, don't we!

Jeanne though thinks she has the best bit o' sauce in the world... and after reading all the juicy details who are we to argue?

Which just leaves enough tissue to mop up the the ice-cream, the mayo and the blackberry sauce. Stuff 'em all in your trunks and away we go.

Late to the party is Marta. Poor ol' Marta, but blimey boys what a party trick she brings to enliven a dull evening! Seed me baby, seed me!

A chat with Jeanne, after she had announced the Waiter... theme, initially had me thinking of a 'retro' fruit salad using tinned fruit salad with those artificial tasting cherries, Mandarin segments, and rock hard pear. Might have been fun if not quite as tasty.

Image below was taken at the edge of Plaza de Oriente, Madrid. Oh how I wish I was still there!

For ease I have grouped these into 'Sweet' breads and 'Savoury'. We have buns, we have loaves, we have naan bread, we have puff balls and Austrian delights and more brioché than you can wiggle a raisin at! A couple of entries were not actually bread so, sorry people, they don't appear on the list. Enjoy!

Sweet Breads

• Light Lemon Fruit Buns from Apple & Spice "The buns are great eaten as they are, spread with lemon curd or jam and are also great toasted. I even know someone who likes to eat theirs with cheese and marmalade".
• Fennel, Orange, Raisin & Pine Nut Bread from Kitchen Unplugged "I like any bread that requires longer fermentation, like this one; the crumb is usually more tender, with a deeper wheat-y aroma. From its title name you properly are overwhelmed, but not yet, wait until the first bite, you'll start to wonder if everyday there's carnival along the Ligurian coast, and that's why the people can come up such an incredibly festive and soul-warming bread!"
• Chocolate Chip Brioche from Puu's Cookbook "I've been dreaming about brioche, mostly for things like strawberry-mascarpone French toast, bread puddings (also forthcoming, because I've been craving it for weeks, and it's so unseasonably cold around here), and a great afternoon snack with my usual hot cocoa."
• Pecan Sticky Buns from Nook and Pantry "These are really good,” Steven said for the fourth time, as he unrolled and tore off pieces off his sticky bun. Rarely does he give something so much praise but these sticky buns were exceptional."
• Pain Brioché from Beyond Salmon "You have to realize that you are embarking on a 10 hour adventure here and it helps to know what to do if you need to leave the house or go to bed."
• Devonshire/Cornish Splits from Stitched in Holland "I know these as Cornish Splits, but across the border in Devon, these are known as Devonshire Splits. From the little information I gleaned in searches the recipe varies slightly between the two counties, a Devonshire Split being made with cream, while a Cornish Split uses milk. A Cornish Split is apparently a little smaller than a Devonshire Split."
• Cinnamon baguette-shaped brioche from O'Delices "My entry is a simple baguette-shaped brioche, in which I've added my favorite spice: cinnamon!"
• Brioche from Tartelette "Simply buttered and touched by a spoonful of strawberry jam...nothing makes me happier".
• Chelsea Buns from Lemon Pi "They are pretty easy to whip up. All you really need is a bit of time to let the dough prove. The result is not so much life changing, rather life affirming, which should be a good enough reason to try making these at least once "
• Sopaipilla from Cafe Lynnylu "Sopaipillas are golden fried puffs of bread traditionally served at the dinner table in the Southwest, Mexico and South America, but are equally delicious drizzled with honey or stuffed with meat and beans"
• Hot Rolls One Dozen Ways From Andrea's Recipes "What I found was my two-year-old sampling rolls. He took one or two or three bites out of seven rolls and then put them back on the cooling racks. I guess he thought that since they all looked different they should taste different, too".


• Small Milk Rolls with Cranberries from Kochtopf
• Chocolate Banana Bread from Rachel's Bite "I love banana bread so was excited to see a recipe for Chocolate Banana Bread in Tyler's Ultimate cookbook".
• Chocolate Brioche by Kitchen Musings "Making successful brioche dough is all about getting the temperature and consistency of the butter right".
• Brioche from Jumbo Empandas "For some reason I had always believed that brioche was difficult to make, I classified it as some sort of croissant variation. I couldn’t have been more wrong".


• Craquelin from Feed Your Vegetarian "we decided to make a Belgian bread called a craquelin. It is a brioche with orange flavored sugar cubes, that give the bread a nice crunch, hence the name craquelin!"
• Flower of Surprises from My Kitchen "it was fun looking at Tak's expression as he discovered different fillings in each petal. Actually after baking I could not tell which is which, kind of surprised myself too".
• Mostly Whole Wheat Raisin Bread from Cuis-Zine.
• Chocolate Chunk Challah from Le Petrin
• Schiacciata Con L'uva (Foccacia with Grapes) from A Luxe Life "This traditional Italian bread seems so celebratory yet rustic and evokes warm feelings of home and hearth. Taken from an old issue of Gourmet magazine, the instruction lists Chianti as one of the ingredients needed. What a perfect excuse for a new bottle of wine".
• Fig and Saffron Bread from The Food Philosophy
• Berry Twist Bread from Technicolour Kitchen "The dough is so soft and tender you won’t believe it. I feel like trying it with a number of different jams, even though raspberry is my favorite".

I just threw a teaspoon of dried yeast in with the milk, the melted butter and maple syrup and let it stand for 40 minutes or so until frothy. Mixed with the flour, pummelled for a few minutes then rested for 10. Another quick kneading and another 10 minute rest. Repeated. Spilt into two the dough was rolled into two balls and left in a loaf tin for about an hour and a half. Baked then eaten. Simple and tasty. I find the best place to keep things warm is balancing, precariously I should add, the bowl on the back of my old CRT monitor.

• 1 ½ tsp fresh yeast crumbled (1 tsp dried)


• 350g whole milk (I had to top up the milk with a little cream)


• 20g golden or maple syrup


• 250g plain flour


• 250g strong white bread flour


• 1 ¼ tsp fine sea salt


• 25g warm melted unsalted butter

This is, for those who follow such excitement, my entry for Waiter There's Something In My... many lovely entries already received (I'm the host again this month) for the bread theme, but still plenty of time for more.

I'm looking for Rye bread, Potato Bread, plain white rolls and simple milk loaves, ale loaves, scrumpy buns, sweet brandy buns, wheatgerm bread, soda bread and sunflower breads. Loaves studded with raisins, onions, herbs, olives or little pieces of meat. Perhaps a walnut loaf or a chestnut and hazelnut bread. Maybe some saffron breads or a lemon barley cob. Or how about a fougasse, a puff ball, a focaccia or ciabatta, a flatbread or wholemeal loaf, a pain de campagne or even a pain viennois..the choice, as they say, is yours.

I tried out a different recipe yesterday, a recipe that requires a ferment before making the dough. Two knock-backs as well, which I thought was unusual. But the result is near-as-dammit to a perfect Hot Cross Bun. It is all in the texture and these buns have that soft, springy, bread-like texture last years recipe lacked. I cut down the dried fruit a little from the stated quantity and loved the simplicity of the Golden Syrup glaze

Not all in one sitting I hasten to add. One straight out of the oven. Another a few minutes later. The third with a cup of coffee a couple of hours after. While I was making some garlic soup another and the fifth as a 'dessert' after the soup. All untoasted and unadorned.

The fact I am leaving buttery fingerprints over the keyboard attests that they are just as excellent the next day toasted.

Make whatever takes your fancy: something savoury or sweet, baked or cooked, traditional or brand-spanking new... it's got a place on our great WTSIM smörgåsbord! Plus, you get to share with us anything that is traditional where you are 'round this time of year... bunnies, egg painting, murder mysteries (apparently big in Norway), Easter fires, or spanking and waterfights (no kidding, this is custom in parts of Central Europe), whatever it is, we'd like to hear it!

Don't take the title too seriously, though, as this event is all-encompassing: you don't need a basket to take part, you don't need to (but can) belong to any church, so whether you call it Easter, Passover, Lihavõtted or Fukkatsu-sai, or think this is all too pagan and just rejoice at the thought of having a few well-deserved days off, you're definitely in. After all, as a food blogger, I bet you're just as religious about food as we are and enjoy every supper as if it was the last!"

I know exactly what I am going to make!

Rather than encasing the whole in pastry I went for a simple lid. About 6 bramley apples were used in the dish. An old recipe I found advocated the use of rose petals as a topping before the lid. With roses not being in season, and highly expensive due to Valentines Day, I decided to replace them with a big spoonful or two of quince jelly, placed in the centre.

Two pies for Waiter There's Something..., tomorrow the apple pie, but here a mix of game packed into a loaf tin and encased by the most delicious pastry. Both recipes (for the pastry and the pie itself were adapted from The Big Food And Drink Book (published 1993 from the old BBC Food and Drink program). The mixed pack of game was on offer at Waitrose - a bunch of scraggy looking mallard, pheasant, pigeon and partridge which was tossed into an onion sauce with a chopped carrot plus a big pinch of mixed herbs. After cooking served warm with a little of my home-made Sloe Jam.

We had a tremendous start to Waiter There's Something... last month with 50 entries on the theme of Stews. I do hope you can join in again with round 2. Head on over to Cooksister to read all about round 2.