How to prevent bad breath after eating garlic

Bouquet garni

Used very frequently in French cuisine, a secret of French chefs, it adds flavour to a lot of recipes, and it's easy to prepare. The basic principle is to make a small bundle of herbs, bind them in green leek leaves and to tie it up, so that the whole thing can be removed and discarded easily after cooking.

Pan-fried potatoes

What could be simpler than fried potatoes? No need of a recipe for that! Quite right, but it's also very easy to end up making fried mash instead. Here are the main pitfalls to avoid.

Pear compote

Stewed pears are not as easy to prepare as stewed apples, as they contain more juice and you risk ending up with more of a coulis than a compote. So here are two simple methods to help you succeed.

Papadums

Papadums (pronounced "poppadoms") or papad are very thin, crisp Indian crackers. They are often served as an aperitif snack in Indian restaurants. The tricky part of making them at home is rolling them out thinly enough.

Pogne de Romans

Pogne de Romans is a kind of brioche lightly flavoured with orange and rum. It originated in Romans-sur-Isère, a town in south-east France. This recipe dates back to medieval times, when it was made in a ring (or crown) shape to celebrate the end of Lent, as eggs could then be used again. This more contemporary version is not particularly tricky, though it takes a long time for all the kenading and resting stages.