Timbale is a moulded dish, coming from the French term "timbale" meaning "a small drum". Historically, timbale moulds were shaped like drums, hence the name. A timble is a type of shell or container filled with meat, fish, cheese, vegetables, or custard, and it can be turned out into a firm structure. They can be both sweet and savoury and are most often found in French or Italian cuisine. When we look at the world of custard dishes, timbales, soufflés, and brûlées, we see ve

I loved this combination of figs and foie. Last year, I was travelling in Krakow, Hungary, and I found this little shop at the farmers' market that specialised in charcuterie. I was stocking up on Bresaola and smoked venison sausages when I spied these small cans of foie gras, goose liver pate, in the corner. I had to pick up a few. The owner explained that these were special cans infused with their spectacular Tokai sweet wine. The pairing is lovely, with the wine's sweetnes

Sometimes a soup brings out the vegetable's freshness and flavour. This is the soup that pushes boring zucchini to a masterful vegetable. For this recipe, use only young zucchini, not older ones, and red, ripe tomatoes with a beautiful flavour. This is a simple soup, and ingredients matter so much. The soup can be left chunky, but I find that folks are put off by the soft vegetables and end up focusing on the flavours rather than the beautiful soup. So I puree the soup to a t