Throughout the writing of this book, my husband, Miles, has been very concerned with the number of chocolate offerings (he worships chocolate). Don’t get me wrong, I like chocolate, too. Earthy and comforting, I find it’s a natural match for a pantry staple of mine: sesame oil.
Nothing beats the flavours of a gorgeous baklava — think orange, saffron, honey and pistachios. Imagine the perfection of combining those flavours with a creamy baked cheesecake. A Middle Eastern-inspired treat, perfect for a celebration.
John is obsessed with dips. He will dip almost anything, especially pizza crusts. I can't quite get into the pizza crusts into sour cream and chive dip he loves, but I do love a dip.
Caponata is a masterclass in balancing sweet, sour and salty. It's most often made with aubergine, which you have to fry in lots of olive oil first, making it less of a weeknight situation.
Agrodolce means sweet and sour in Italian. In Italy there are so many ways of using this contrast of flavours to bring out the most in ingredients.
