Keeping to Spanish theme however, the cherries are the acclaimed Picota cherries from Spain and the cheese is Manchego. I forget the type of meat but this too is Spanish in origin.

Serrano Ham and Manchego Salad - Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients
75g Frisée salad leaves 20 Picota cherries, pitted 25g Flaked almonds, toasted 4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 Tablespoons apple or white wine vinegar Salt and pepper 200g Serrano ham 100g Manchego, cut into cubes 4 Stems of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

1. Mix together the frisée, cherries and almonds in a bowl.
2. Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar, add to the salad and toss thoroughly.
3. Arrange the ham slices on a large plate and heap the salad in the middle.
4. Place the cheese around the salad, then scatter with parsley.

For inspirational mood-setting, three photos from my recent trip to Madrid. It was a while ago now but I've been saving these photos for just this occassion. (More photos on flickr.)

Casa Labra, C/Tetuan 12 is famed for its cod croquettes; cheap too.

El Abuelo, C/Victoria 12 supplied the most delicious, quickly fried prawns, washed down with a fresh, crisp white wine.

Casa Lucas, Cava Baja, 30 is one of my favourite wine bars. If memory serves this looks like a combination of beans, olive oil and squid. What I do recall is that it was damn delicious.

Actually I have no idea what a bistro is or how it differs from a restaurant. I'm assuming they are generally smaller and with less formality in both deco and style of food served. A bistro, at least if I ran one, would forgo side plates and such frivolous additions to the 'dining experience'. Under my management of course there would be an award winning, deliciously interesting wine list specifically tailored to the seasonally inspired dishes available.

I never got as far with a wine to match this 'salad' - too pumped on Gin and Tonic I'm afraid. But the locally grown baby potatoes, my own Elderflower cordial and the home grown sorrel leaves are as fresh and as local as you could want. The chicken wasn't but if I had any sort of space equivalent to a garden there would be a chicken run...

Warm Chicken and Potato Salad with Lemon and Elderflower Sauce

There are no specific quantities to this dish - use as many little boiled potatoes as you wish to eat tossed with pan-fried diced chicken breasts. The sauce is the interesting bit. Heavily reduce a quantity of chicken stock (enlivened with several strips of lemon peel and two sprigs of rosemary). Strain before returning to the heat with a hefty slug of cream. Reduce further. Add a slug of homemade Elderflower cordial (also good in the G&T!) to taste and maybe a little lemon juice. The sauce needs to be quite thick; the addition of a knob of butter helps. Pour over the chicken and potatoes and dress with a few sorrel leaves.

If any were available a few quarters of fresh figs would have been added (semi-dried figs are too sweet I thought) to give that 'real bistro' feel; if there is such a thing!

My entry to this months Passionate Cook hosted Waiter event.

Now I'm not going to buy a pot of those strands for just one dish (where else would you use them?) but I do remember the use of crushed nuts (hazelnuts probably, or walnuts) once in a while. Blueberries wouldn't have registered back in the '70s, but are used here, replacing the original tin of mixed fruit. Just don't mention the lemon curd. I've NEVER had a trifle with lemon curd in before, so that's not really 'retro'. But this recipe is quick, tasty and combines what a trifle is all about - fruit, cream, and sponge.

Lemon and Blueberry Trifle
Adapted from a recipe in Delicious Magazine June 2009.

A pack of French 'Specialite Locale' Madeleines (one or two per glass/individual serving), cut in half and spread with lemon curd. Then rejoined to make a sandwich are cut into slices and layered in the bottom of a suitable glass. A sprinkling of Sherry, Brandy or Lemoncello will add a suitable alcohol hit. Top with a few blueberries and smother those with some decent, vanilla-bean studded, ready made custard. In a separate bowl whisk mascarpone, cream and a squeeze of lemon juice together until thick. Swirl in some lemon curd and spoon on top of the custard. For four you will need 600ml custard, 250g mascarpone and 100ml double cream. Top with crushed nuts, pistachios, or multi-coloured sugar strands.

More worrying though is the thin level of entrants to the Waiter event. Following numourous other event hosts mentioning the same low level of participants, one has to wonder if this signals the end of these type of food events. Still, several tasty sounding dishes were submitted. Time to stock up on pineapple to replicate these delicious recipes:

1. To open proceedings Honey Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Yoghurt, my own entry, which is more filling and rich than it appears
2. From Nami-Nami a chocolate topped Pineapple Cake that I am sure is as moist and as tasty as it looks
3. A German Pineapple Kuchen from Mad Woman With A Shallot, another highly tempting dessert
4. Kip Ananas (aka Sweet and Sour Chicken) an 'excellent indeed' savoury suggestion from Lekker Lekker Lekkerste
5. From The Passionate Cook we have Spiced Pork Belly with Caramelised Pineapple a must try for all lovers of the mighty pork belly
6. Suggested as an accompaniment to biryani a Pineapple Raita from My Recipe Flavours
7. Pineapple and Banana Chutney is the brainchild of the Green Gourmet Giraffe (pictured below)

Many thanks to all those who entered; looking forward immensely to trying out some of these over the next few weeks.

Honey Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Yoghurt

• 6 slices of pineapple
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthways
• warmed honey
• 1 cinnamon stick
• handful of roasted nuts, pistachios recommended but I used hazelnuts

Allow to cool. Flavours are hugly improved if left in the fridge overnight.

Coconut Yoghurt

• 45g desiccated coconut toasted in the oven


• 1 cup plain yoghurt


• 1 tablespoon caster sugar


• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Refrigerate covered until required.

Serve the pineapple slices with a spoonful or two of the yoghurt and a handful of roasted nuts.

No real connection with South Africa to the waiter theme though; I simply picked pineapple on a whim having discovered a small tin of Sainsbury's own in the cupboard (I just wonder what I had intended to use it for?).

Anything that involves the yellow wonder is suitable - a cocktail perhaps, a dessert dish or even something savoury. Anything you like really. Blog about it between now and the 3rd April - drop me an email and I'll pull all together for a round-up on the 6th(ish).

The original recipe for the Hunter's Pudding asked for 1/2 lb of stoned raisins, as a replacement 150g of mixed berries was substituted.

Hunter's Pudding

• a breakfastcupful of flour (1/2 pint)


• a teacup of shredded suet (1/4 pint)


• a teacupful of sugar


• 1/2lb stoned raisins


• 1 1/2 pints milk


• 3 eggs

When well set turn out of the dish and serve with a sweet sauce.

Wine Sauce for Sweet Puddings
Boil gently together for 10 to 15 minutes the very thin rind of half a small lemon, about 1 1/2oz sugar and a wineglassful of water. Remove the lemon rind and stir into the sauce 1oz butter mixed with a large half-teaspoonful of flour. Add a wineglasful and a half of sherry or Madeira or other good white wine and when quite hot serve without delay.

The result is a hearty, full, real-English winter pudding. I think you are supposed to turn it out of the dish (a firm crust develops all round) but I didn't trust the steamingly hot wobbly mass to play its part so it remained in the bowl. In fact though after a few minutes out of the oven (it's a pudding to serve hot) the whole does firm up substantially (did anyone mention stodge?) so it shouldn't be impossible. The sauce, especially when made with Madeira, has a lovely Christmas flavour and would make for an excellent sauce for Christmas steamed pudding.

How much is a Victorian 'wine glass full' though? My sauce was particularly boozy!

Cooksister is hosting Waiter There's Something In My... this month with a Sweet/Savoury Swap. With a writing deadline looming (making money taking precedent over eating) Sweet Cheese on Toast was all I could conjure.

Technically of course the cheese is supposed to be melted under the grill; but have you seen spreadable Goat's cheese melted? Not a pretty sight I can tell you. Fruited Soda Bread, toasted, topped with spreadable goat's cheese, and keeping the fruit theme going topped in turn by a sprinkling of dried berries (raisins, cranberries, cherries and blueberries). It actually tasted ok.

December's Waiter was a mini-edition; a try-out of some of the marvellous suggestions that participants in Waiter contributed over the last few months. I went with The Food Traveller's Potato Tart from Jeanne's Topless Tart suggestion. Breakfast muffins was Jeanne's try-out recipe; and mighty good they look too. If it wasn't so cold outside I'd be down Waitrose buying some cranberries to make my own! But then Johanna's fruit tart looks equally impressive!

And that be it. Three recipe try-outs from the hallowed archives of Waiter. Normal waiter service will now resume.

For the perplexed the lovely Cooksister set me the theme of Tarts for this months Waiter Try Out . The event alternates host between myself, Jeanne and Johanna The Passionate Cook each month. For December each of us is to assign another host one of the Waiter themes from 2008; Jeanne selected Topless Tarts for me with the erroneous assumption that I would go for one of the many dessert options. Admittedly I was mighty tempted but ran with this Potato Tart from The Food Traveller.

As per the instructions I substituted Taleggio for the suggested Strachitunt cheese; the former being stocked locally the other meeting blank stares from the deli staff. As an addition a sprinkling of parsley adds a little colour. The pastry I made myself using a mixture of butter and lard ('cause I had a smidge stuck in the fridge).

The wine match was less successful; I should have opted for a crisp Italian white as the 'on offer at Waitrose' Loire Sauvignon was lacklustre and disappointing; certainly not worth a write-up on Spittoon.

What remained of the tart was served with Lamb Shanks the following day. Next time, and there will be a next time, I'm thinking a layer of spinach and/or pancetta would make for a worthy addition.

I'm sure many a recipe has been book-marked in one form or another; but how many actually make it to the table in a way suitable for blogging? My proposal, accepted by the wonderful J-duo of Jeanne and Johanna, is for one of us to pick a monthly theme for one of us to then select a submitted recipe, try it out, and blog about it. There are plenty to chose from - a terrine perhaps, or a berried treasure or a breakfast delight. The full list is detailed by Jeanne on the Waiter page of her Cooksister site.

Johanna will select one of the waiter themes for Jeanne to pick one of the recipes to recreate, Jeanne will select the theme for me and I'll pick for Johanna. Should be fun!

And if one of our faithful readers wishes to participate, comment or e-mail one of us and we'll pick an event for you to choose a recipe from!

Woodpigeon flesh is darker and moderately deep in flavour but they have a tendency to dry out during roasting if not dealt with appropriately; in this case covering with strips of pancetta or bacon to keep that flavoursome breast meat moist. Serve with mash potato and a stir-fry of Brussel Sprouts, Chestnuts and cubes of Pancetta.

From earlier in the week leftovers of a lamb pasta sauce were used to stuff the squash. for those looking to replicate the sauce was minced lamb,browned and added to a little chopped onion and garlic. A tin of chopped tomatoes was added along with a bay leaf and a sprinkling of dried herbs. Near the end of cooking a generous pouring of cream completed the sauce.

The squash was cut in half, the seeds and fibrous centre removed and rubbed with olive oil. A nip end of butter was added to the cavity along with more chopped garlic. I've no idea how long it was baked for - but an hour and a half seems about right. The stuffing was added towards the end to heat through and, using up the last dribble in the pot, a little cream was poured over prior to serving.

Stuffed Acorn Squash, my entry for Cooksisters latest round of Waiter, was served with a juicy, slightly sweet, new world Syrah (not the bottle pictured). You need that touch of sweetness to match the squashes inherent sweetness.

Little known is the cuisine of Indonesia (Malaysia and Singapore included), at least in the UK but I sourced most of the ingredients I needed, or close approximations, and surprised myself at the tasty dishes I created. I wasn't 'into' food during my leisurely travels down the Malay peninsula to Singapore (missing Indonesia I skipped across to Sarawak and Sabah before returning to Hong Kong). It would seem I missed out big time, especially in the regional variations as many entrants describe!

Entries in the order received:

1. Arfi from New Zealand with Martabak Telor a delicious looking pastry filled with egg and meat.


2. Zita in Jordan with Jakarta Beef Soup (Soto Betawi); a 'love potion' as Zita describes.


3. Serfa sent in Sweet Corn Kernel in Coconut Milk Syrup (Jagung Santan Manis) a sweet dish served during Ramadan as an appetiser or starter.


4. Mae from Surabaya, Indonesia recommends Beef set Soy sauté (Beef Krengsengan) chosen because of the ease of finding the ingredients.


5. From Caracas in Venezuela Mindy has blogged about Minced Beef Stuffed with Sticky Rice (Lemper Daging) nicely photographed and good instructions too!


6. Rita from Hong Kong but is an Indonesian gives us the amazing sounding Super Spicy Indonesian Pineapple Sweet Salad (Rujak Nanas Super Pedas) It's Spicy!


7. Dita in Kuwait brings a dessert Steamed Glutinous Rice and Coconut Milk Custard (Ketan Sarikayo) with very inspiring photos to accompany.


8. Celia in the UK brings us Chicken Satay - simple but a firm favourite. Time to throw out those pre-mix jar of satay sauce!


9. Next we have Yohana from Bandung in West Java with Colenak which translates as Dipped (Dicocol) delicious (enak). Hawker food never looked so tasty!


10. Regina brings us Spicy Stewed Pork (Tinoransak)


11. From Tiffanie in Vancouver, Canada we have Belado and Belado vegetables. Delicious!


12. From Cecil in Toronto we have Sticky RIce with Grated Coconut and Palm Syrup (Lupis). Learn all you need to recreate!


13. Anna in Sydney goes with Chili-Tamarind Fish (Ikan Asam Pedas) It might not be pretty An, but it sure sounds delicious.


14. Joint host of Waiter, Johanna in London, brings us Prawn and Macadamia Nut Curry which she appologss for being Malaysian. Close enough in my book Johanna!


15. And the other co-host, Jeanne, also in London, brings to the table Pineapple Chicken Rice (Nasi Ayam Nanas) in her imitable style.


16. Nate in San Jose, California, goes with Indonesian Spiced Fish (Ikan Pepes) excellently recreating a local restaurant dish at home.


17. Sweatha goes with Indonesian Tofu and Vegetable Satay and mouth-wateringly good they look too.
18. Our last entry is from Jude frm Chicago with Lemongrass Scented Coconut Rice (Nasi Uduk) simple but delicious.


19. Two entries from me Penang Noodle Soup (Penang Asam Laksa) and Braised Chicken in White Gravy (Opor Ayam)

Terima Kasih to all who entered and to those who also sent in photographs; a couple of which I've used here.

One ingredient that, and I stand to be corrected, is unavailable in the UK is Knotgrass (I substituted coriander). My little bible - Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine by Christina Sjahir Hwang - has a handy description of many ingredients at the beginning of the book. While the knotgrass was deemed essential for the authentic flavour of the Soup I'm pretty pleased with the results - maybe not as spicy as I recall from my travels in Malaysia & Singapore but mighty tasty.

Penang Noodle Soup Penang Asam Laksa
serves 2

• 450g mackerel


• 5 cups seafood stock


• 3 tbsp chili paste


• 5 tbsp tamarind juice


• 2 crushed lemon grass


• 1 1/2 tsp sat


• 1 tsp sugar


• 20 knotgrass leaves


• 1/4 cup diced pineapple


• 2 sliced shallots


• 2 shredded red chili peppers


• 1/2 cucumber peeled and shredded


• 450g Vienamese rice noddles

Bring to the boil the stock, choli paste, tamarind juice with the lemon grass. Add the fish and cook for 6 minutes until he fish is cooked.

Drain the liquid through a sieve and return to the boil. Add the salt and sugar and the shredded fish meat. Add the knotgrass before turning off the heat.

Cook the noodls and divide into two portions. Top with the pineapple, shallots, chili and cucumber before pouring the soup over the top.

Several recipes fitted the mass of ingredients - I picked on one and even went as far as defrosting the fish, only to find that I was bereft of fish stock. That one, Penang Noodle Soup, will have to wait until tomorrow. First up will be Braised Chicken in White Gravy (Opor Ayam) and damn tasty it was too.

Braised Chicken in White Gravy Opr Ayam
from Singaporean, Malaysian & Indonesian Cuisine by Christina Sjahir Hwang. Serves 2

• 600g chicken joints
• 4 tsp Fragrant Paste (I used Thai red paste)
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 crushed lemon grass
• 3 each bay leave, galangal slices
• 1 cup stock (I used chicken)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp crispy shallots

Brown chicken in oil. Add paste, coriander powder, lemon grass, bay leaves, galangal and stock. Reduce hea to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add coconut milk, salt and sugar and turn heat up. Cook until sauce thickens. Serve with crispy shallots (and shredded red chile) and rice.

My first entry for Waiter...

The result of this calamity is an empty fridge. Without food there ain't gonna be any pictures; but to be frank I haven't a clue what I would have made anyway!

Indonesian is the theme for this round of Waiter; a culinary area I admit to being a little ignorant of. I have been to Malaysia and to Singapore but not to Indonesia, not being 'into' food back then all I recallis copious amount of chicken satay, pineapples and mangoes. For this challenge, at a pinch I guess we could include Malaysian foods (and Singapore) (ignoring the Chinese influence is there much difference?) but it is the mass of islands that comprise Indonesia that I am interested in.

What can you create? Suggest something marvellous and inspire me and the whole the Waiter community. The deadline is the end of this month... entries to the email address above. Photos optional. Something a little more original than Nasi Goreng or Beef Rendang if you could; unless your version has a unique slant of course!

Chicken Wraps with Apple, Bacon and Pine Nuts

Gently fry some chopped bacon, add a little chopped cooking apple and a handful of pine nuts. Cook until the apple is soft, the bacon crispy and the pine nuts begin to colour. Remove from heat and cool. The large wrap, pictured, took half an apple and half a slice of bacon.

Combine pre-cooked chicken pieces with mayonnaise (or just dollop a little around as in the photo).

Pile in the centre of a deli wrap a handful of salad leaves (rocket, spinach and watercress being my preferred choice). Top with a little of the chicken and the bacon-apple-pine nut mix. Tightly roll the wrap into a cylinder and cut into slices or leave whole and secure with a cocktail stick.

Perfect picnic fare for this months Waiter There's Something In My... For the perfect Picnic rosé wine i suggest the Perdido Rosé from Navarra, Spain.

A quick, first, entry to this month's Waiter hosted by Cooksister.

Generally fruit in savoury dishes are not my favourite. Apart from apples with pork or oranges in salad I'll generally pick out the fruit bits (although strangely the South African platter was fine with separate fruit) like those currants in cous cous for example. But, as they say, in for a penny... and this I rather enjoyed.

The recipe is cobbled together from several found on blogs and the interent. Not sure exactly how true to a dish from North Africa the result was, but the combination of subtle sweetness, flavoursome lamb and spices was rather tasty. So thanks Bron for the suggestion.

Lamb and Mango Tagine

• 1 onion chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• mix of spices: 1/2 teaspoon each of cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tin chickpeas
• dried mango cut into slithers
• tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Lamb shoulder
• Chicken Stock
• Olive Oil

Roast in oven for an hour then add the chopped mango, more spices too if you think it needs it along with the chickpeas. Continue cooking for another hour or so until the meat is tender. Serve with cous cous.

My 'real' entry for Waiter There's Something In My... Dried Fruit and Nuts.

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.