Key Ingredient: Cream

Modern life has a lot to answer for. Due to our obsession with weight and health, cream, salt and butter have pretty much been demonized. This is a shame because, in moderation, they really bring food alive ? salt especially. My argument is ? cut out all the process rubbish in your diet, cook from scratch with vegetables, meat and grains and you never have to worry about too much salt.

As for cream, it is a wonderful ingredient ? any sauce you make with wine and cream is sure to impress. Yes, it has cholesterol in it but it also has fat soluble vitamin D in at as well, and I am not suggesting you eat it everyday. I feel exonerated in my use of cream because I use scant amounts, and I am a female who doesn't drink milk in tea or coffee so think it is a good way to keep my bones healthy and stave off osteoporosis in the future!

Try:

Melting good quality chocolate with a small pat of butter and whisking into cream,chill and you have chocolate ganache

After cooking meat in a pan, deglazing you pan with wine, reduce, add a swirl of cream and you have an instant sauce accompaniment

Melting a blue cheese like gorgonzola in some cream for a sauce for pasta or steak

Puree rip fruit and whip through double (heavy cream) with sugar to taste for a luxuriant but vitamin packed dessert

Mix some cream through sautéed white cabbage that was fried with garlic and spritzed with lemon juice ? mix through pasta or as a great side dish