Daily Specials With Dishes By Daisy: Sweet v Savoury

Welcome back to our Daily Specials series, where we chat to our favourite foodies about what to cook for summer hosting!

Dishes by Daisy (@dishesbydaisy) was born out of an exploration into cooking during the first lockdown. Fast forward to now, 600k followers in, and Daisy's got the perfect recipes for everyone: whether it's a budget=friendly dinner or an indulgent bake.

Ready to impress your guests?

SWEET: CHOCOLATE FRENCH TOAST STICKS

INGREDIENTS:

- 4 Slices of brioche

- 1 Egg

- 70ml Milk

- 1tbsp Sugar

- 1tsp Cinnamon

- 2tbsp Butter

- 2tbsp Chocolate spread

- 20g Chocolate (grated into flakes)

- 1tbsp Freeze dried berries

1. Cut the brioche into slices.

2. In a bowl, mix egg, milk, sugar & cinnamon. Dip brioche in the mixture into lightly coated.

3. Melt butter in a frying pan and cook brioche sticks for 3 mins each side until golden brown.

4. Melt your favourite chocolate spread in the microwave and drizzle over the French toast sticks. Then sprinkle on chocolate flakes and freeze dried berries.

What do you love about cooking?

I find it rewarding for so many reasons. I love how something as simple as cooking has created some of my favourite memories! My happiest moments include sharing food I’ve made with my loved ones. I also love that cooking has created this amazing online community of people that are passionate and supportive of each other and all connect over a love of food.

What's your top tip for anyone wanting to learn how to cook?

Don’t be discouraged from cooking if it doesn’t go right the first time! Nothing goes perfectly straight away, and even simple skills take a lot of practice to master. Keep trying and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

SAVOURY: PENNE ALLA VODKA (SERVES 2)

INGREDIENTS:

- 200g Penne

- 1tbsp Olive oil

- 1 Large onion

- 3 Garlic cloves

- 1tbsp Butter

- 2tbsp Tomato purée

- 1tsp Chilli flakes

- 1tsp Paprika

- 1tsp Garlic granules

- 45ml Vodka

- 200ml Double cream or 2 large spoons of extra thick double cream

- 100g Parmesan (grated)

- Fresh parsley or basil to serve

1. Put pasta on to boil. Finely chop onion and garlic.

2. Cook onion & garlic in oil until soft. Then add in butter, tomato purée & seasoning. Cook until caramelised.

3. Add in vodka and cook for a couple of mins.

4. Add in cream and a little pasta water. Cook for 2 mins. Then add in parmesan.

5. Add in your cooked pasta and stir until sauce has coated the pasta. Serve with extra chilli flakes and fresh herbs.

What is your favourite meal to eat?

Hands down, it's pasta. I could live off pasta if given the opportunity! It’s my go-to comfort meal and something I’ll never get bored of.

How long have you been cooking?

I’ve been cooking since I was a little kid and my granny taught me recipes from cookbooks that had been passed down by her mum. I really started to cook on a more regular basis during the first lockdown in March 2020. I had always enjoyed watching cooking shows on television and cooking with family, but I wanted to really hone my skills in things like baking whilst I had a lot of time on my hands. I befriended a bunch of foodies on social media, and we all started posting and sharing our lockdown cooking.

Once I was back at Uni, my friends were getting weekly deliveries of my latest baked goods - I was cooking that much!