Step-by-Step Cooking Solutions

We are delighted to introduce a brand new series, Step-by-Step Cooking Solutions, and also to introduce everyone to Megabytes' guest chef, Carmel Somers. Carmel, who has recently come to live in Ireland, has worked with such luminary chefs as Simon Hopkinson and Colin White in the UK.

Our recipes this month have been chosen to suit the season: a bowl of wonderful glace fruit from Country Choice in Nenagh inspired the first two recipes, which utilise the fruit we normally associate with Christmas cake and pudding (who, after all would make either cake or pudding given that there is so much quality on hand to buy!). Rice à l'Imperiatrice is an old Escoffier classic, that Carmel modernises and makes scrumptious. And the same is true for the Nougat Glace, which freezes the fruit and gives you a dessert that will last through the season for impromptu entertaining. (Ugh, did we really write "impromptu entertaining"? That's as verboten in Megabytes Central as "Painless Partygiving" and "Speedy Stuffings")

We've also included our favourite Christmas recipe, the ever reliable Cargoes Cranberry Tart. We make no apology for constantly returning to this recipe - it's incredibly easy to make and indubitable delicious, and we thought you might like to see just how simple it is to make.

Finally, a little canapé that is a pure dawdle, and which uses ingredients you will probably have in the fridge over Christmas: these little pear and blue cheese filo parcels are set to become as much a part of our Christmas repertoire as the classic Cargoes Cranberry Tart.

Rice à l'Imperiatrice

Nougat Glace

Cargoes' Cranberry Tart

Quick Pear and Blue Cheese Filo Parcels