THE Weekend Cook

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The latest from Hartnett has been inspired by her and her husband Neil’s famous gatherings from their home and offers a relaxed guide to hosting anything from small dinners to raucous street parties. Hartnett, who runs a group of wonderful restaurants – including Murano in Mayfair and three Cafe Muranos – is the most bluntly self-effacing of chefs. She has always modelled her hospitality on that of her Italian grandmother, who made sure there was an unpretentious hug of welcome for guests, and something simple and delicious to eat.

Over the years I’ve built up a decent collection of weekend-themed cook books, so here are my favourites: some old, some new, all full of good ideas: Tamasin’s Weekend Food by Tamasin Day-Lewis Many of the recipes Hartnett includes in the cookbook are decidedly British, and others are very European. Pasta lovers will enjoy the fact that there are plenty of unique and mouthwatering pasta recipes; most are quite easy to make and will be perfect to make on weekends. Hartnett has also included a few breads, cakes, and other pastries that are definitely worth making. Besides scrumptious savory pasta dishes, there are great recipes for side dishes, including risottos, quiche, and unique main dishes using beef, lamb, poultry, and seafood. There is a good variety of recipes, and the beautiful photographs are mouthwatering. The recipes are written in the traditional manner and can be easily followed by both beginning and advanced cooks. The book is well-organized and is nice enough to generate interest from cooks of all ages. We made this most recently for our friend and neighbour Basil on his birthday, when we had about 14 people over to celebrate the great day. It’s full of my favourite things – capers, dijon mustard, anchovies, vinegar and herbs – and is served with perfectly blanched leeks and soft-boiled eggs. It’s wonderful. To serve, softly whip the cream until it just holds its shape, then spoon over the meringue. Arrange the quince pieces on top, drizzle with syrup, sprinkle the reserved hazelnuts on top and serve. (Alternatively, smash up the meringue, mix with all the other ingredients and serve in bowls for an autumnal take on Eton mess.) And for the rest of the week…

Confirmation

Angela knows the secrets to throwing the most relaxed and enjoyable dinners for friends and family – sometimes mad, but always magical evenings that people talk about for months afterwards – and in this book she's going to share them. Recipes include: This pan of rich, gooey chocolate brownie has been dotted with white chocolate Lindor balls and topped with a generous dollop (or two) of vanilla ice cream. Made for those with an unwavering sweet-tooth and for those willing to share…

Make the caramel. Tip the sugar into a clean pan and add 2 teaspoons of water. Melt the sugar over a low heat, brushing down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush from time to time, until the sugar turns a dark copper colour. Do not stir! Remove the caramel immediately from the heat to stop it from burning. Heat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with butter and dust with flour. Heat the oven to 170C/335F/gas mark 3. Grease and line a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin with baking paper.It’s always fun to cook dishes from other places, especially when they are appealing to everyone in your home or at a gathering at your home. This is a nice cookbook and will inspire some excellent dishes while the family is together over the weekend. An invitation to supper at Angela Hartnett's house is a real treat. Nestled in the middle of Wilkes Street, in London's vibrant East End, you know you're going to get delicious food, great company and a relaxed atmosphere that is as far removed from the high-octane stress of a professional kitchen as it is from the awkward social anxiety that many of us face when hosting a dinner.

Years ago, before marriage and kids (and in the days when my weekends often passed in a blur sandwiched between epic after-work drinks on Fridays and a crippling case of Sunday night anxiety, I came across Tamasin Day-Lewis’ book “Weekend Food”. Fairly small and modest-looking compared to a lot of cookbooks, I bought it on a whim, mostly because of its comforting tagline of “Cooking to come home to”. Using a serving spoon dipped in cold water, shape 12-16 (depending on the size of your spoon) quenelles (oval shapes with pointed ends) of the meringue and gently poach them in the milk mixture about 3-4 at a time. You need to leave room to be able to flip them over. Cook the quenelles for 4 minutes each side, making sure the liquid doesn’t boil, otherwise the meringues will puff and then collapse. As each meringue is cooked, remove it from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and place it on a large tray lined with baking paper to cool. Blind bake the pastry case for 20 minutes, until lightly golden, then remove the paper and beans and return the case to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly in the tin. Some people think you are allowed to put anything you want on a quiche. But I’m not so sure. It is actually quite hard to make a good quiche and one of the best I’ve ever eaten was made from a Simon Hopkinson recipe – it was just onions, onions and more onions and cream and cheese.

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Well-known British chef and author, Angela Hartnett cooks every day for a living, so on weekends, she likes to relax a little and prepare fuss-free down-to-earth cooking at home. She introduces her recipes in her cookbook, The Weekend Cook: Good Food for Real Life. I know I’m very fortunate to have great suppliers and great chef friends. Seafood guru Mitch Tonks often sends us crabs up from Devon, and sometimes we get them sent to our door from Portland Shellfish. It is just so delicious and a wonderful thing to enjoy with friends. I love it. When people bring stuff we sort of share a bit of the cooking and I do cook a lot at the weekend. So if we've cooked something or there's more of it, we'll always just ring or text a few neighbours, and they come on over. So I think it's really easy. I love it.” Heat the oven to 200C/390F/gas mark 6. Steam the potatoes for 10-15 minutes, until tender, then drain and leave uncovered to steam dry.

While the risotto is cooking, pound the parsley, nuts, vinegar and oil, ideally in a pestle and mortar, until you have a textured dressing, then season to taste. Add the eggs and cook on a low boil for 6 minutes, until soft boiled. Drain the eggs and transfer them to a bowl of iced or very cold water to stop the cooking process.

Heat a griddle pan to high. In a bowl, mix the harissa, garlic, a tablespoon of soft brown sugar and the juice and zest of one lime. Season to taste, adding more sugar or lime, if it needs it, then toss with the leeks. When the griddle is smoking hot, grill the leeks, turning regularly, until lightly charred on both sides, then transfer to a bowl. Internationally beloved chef Angela Hartnett's first cookbook released in the U.S., featuring 100 recipes perfect for entertaining at home. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil over a high heat. Add the leeks and boil for 5 minutes, until just tender. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside. Leave the pan on the heat.