Autumn is here and the mushroom season is underway. My father's hobby is mycology and as a child we picked porcini mushrooms in the woods outside Rome. A post-rain autumn day was perfect. This recipe uses dried porcini, but do try it with fresh – often called ceps here - if you can find them. I created this recipe one evening at friends' house, when we didn't know what to prepare.

Savory muffins have a fan-following of their own. Once you have mastered the art of preparing them, you can be adventurous with your fillings. Try courgette and Cheddar or black olive and sun-dried tomato. Best served warm from the oven or reheated the next day. Excellent with a wintry soup.

Makes 10-12

Ingredients

● 250g plain white flour

These spooky cakes are perfect for Halloween. Dariole moulds are the ideal shape for them, but you could cheat and cut out circles from a Madeira cake.

Makes 12

Ingredients

● 175g butter
● 175g caster sugar
● 1 tsp vanilla essence
● 3 eggs
● 175g self-raising flour

● Cornflour or icing sugar
● 750g ready-to-roll white icing

Succot is the time we pray for rain, although preferably not when we're actually sitting in the succah. It is also the time to prepare dishes that reflect the flavours and colours of autumn, such as this wonderful salad.If you can't find baby carrots, you can use the full-size version, chopped up, or roasted butternut squash instead.

This chicken and beef broth is a true classic in my family, a perfect way to start and end Yom Kippur. The beef gives it a delicious flavour. No stock is needed if you use good quality, fresh ingredients and enough salt.

Doigts (fingers)

Makes up to 30-35, or 20-25 larger biscuits

Ingredients

● 2 eggs
● 2 tsp vanilla sugar
● 150g caster sugar
● 125ml vegetable or sunflower oil
● Approx 500g self-raising flour

Method

● Heat your oven to 190°C (180°C fan oven) and line a baking sheet.
● Beat the eggs, sugars and oil with a fork.
● Add the flour g

Celebrate and cherish the bees' extraordinary contribution with this ultimate honey cake or lekach – it is rich with dried fruit, nuts and a dash of brandy.

This recipe honours traditional Jewish Moroccan tagines, but without the need for a special pot. Flavoured with cinnamon, and full of sweet fruit, this is a perfect celebration dish, especially good for Rosh Hashanah. It freezes well.

Serves 10–12.

Ingredients

● 40g flaked almonds

The addition of rosewater and cardamom makes this jam wonderfully fragranced. It is my mother's recipe, which she makes for Rosh Hashanah. You can use Golden Delicious or Royal Gala apples.

Ingredients

● 200ml water
● 730g granulated sugar
● 1 kg apples, peeled, cored, seeded and quartered
● 7 whole cardamom pods
● 1 tbsp rosewater
● 1 lemon, juiced