Or that’s what I’ve found, as I’ve gone through life. The big, complicated recipes are always the ones that fall flat in some way – I’m sure it’s because there’s too much room for error in them. The simple, three or four ingredient recipes are the ones that always come out “just as it says on the tin”.

Mind you, the first goodie I have to report this week looked – upon first inspection – to be a complicated sort. There were three distinct phases to its creation. Firstly, make the pastry and leave until the following day. Secondly, make some milk curds, then leave overnight to drain. Thirdly, assemble both pastry and curds to create that divine dessert that is the Yorkshire Curd Tart.

In fact, the pastry making was so simple I hardly got my hands dirty – thanks largely to the use of a food processor. Pop 140g plain flour, a pinch of baking powder, 40g lard, 45g salted butter and 1tsp caster sugar into the processor’s bowl and whizz, whizz, you’ve got the basics for pastry. Add a leetle teeny bit of water, whizz again and it all comes together as a crumbly but soft pastry. Tip out onto cling film, pat it lightly together, store in the fridge and job’s a good’un.

Making the curds was absurdly simple, but fascinating, too. Take a saucepan and heat 1.2l gold top or jersey milk (trying not to “taste” too often, as it is completely gorgeous when you’ve been existing on skimmed) as it comes to a gentle simmer, remove from the heat and add the juice of one lemon. Stir extremely gently as you watch the magic happen. The curds begin to form almost instantly, separating themselves from the whey. Allow the mixture to cool, then pour it into some muslin or cheesecloth which has been used to line a colander or sieve. I found I started with the colander then moved to the sieve. Place in the fridge to continue draining until the following day. The whey can be kept for making scones with, as apparently it’s very good for that. I have to admit that mine went down the sink, (sacrilege!) as I couldn’t see my making scones any time soon.

The following day, roll out the pastry and line an 8” shallow pie dish, then put into the oven (180deg C) to part-bake for 25 mins or so.

Finish the filling by creaming together 50g unsalted butter and 50g caster sugar, then add a large beaten egg bit by bit, whisking all the way. Then add the curds, whisking to amalgamate and break up any large lumps. Once blended, add 50g of currants. Spoon into the pastry case, add a grate of nutmeg on the top and bake for 30mins or more at 160deg C. The filling should rise slightly and the centre feel firm to the touch when it is done.

Then, all you’ve got to do is leave it to cool and serve it up with a drizzle of cream. Utterly, utterly divine – and a real surprise as to the delicate nature of it’s flavours.

I seem to be having a calcium-induced fancy for my meal choices this week, whereas hubby seems to be having a red pepper induced fancy. His first creation was a lovely Red Pepper and Chorizo Risotto, which stands out as being the first Risotto to be given the thumbs up by our son. Of course, it would be difficult not to like, as the chorizo worked its magic through the rice and the red pepper and green peas acted as delicious sweet counterpoints to it. So take note, parents of small boys!

In fact, my next meal choice was also decided upon with our son in mind. Macaroni Cheese is a family favourite, as we are all committed cheesehounds who just cannot turn down a delicious cheesy treat.

My Macaroni Cheese is made by sweating off an onion, then cooking half a pack of diced streaky bacon, before making a roux-based white sauce with English mustard powder and heaps of strong matured cheddar.

The best bit of all, to my mind, is the breadcrumb topping. Used directly from the freezer, the breadcrumbs go lovely and crisp in the oven and provide a perfect counterpoint to the softness of the macaroni, languishing as it is in it’s cheesey loveliness. Mmmmn, gorgeous!

All that cheesey lushness requires something to cut through its richness, I find, to prevent one’s palate becoming overloaded. So, I had planned a little side salad of some simple salad leaves, cherry tomatoes and cucumber. However, that wasn’t doing it for me (in my imagination, as I was planning the meal), so I began thinking along the lines of what sort of dressing to use. I decided upon a Honey & Mustard dressing, to a) echo the sweetness to be found in the cooked onions, and b) to complement the mustard in the cheese sauce. The dressing consisted of 1-2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp cider vinegar (these are rough measurements, as I did it by eye), half a teaspoon of grain mustard, a teaspoon of runny honey, then salt & pepper to taste. Whisk it all together and it did the job perfectly.

So, it will be interesting to see what theme(s) emerge for this coming week’s menus. I made a plum & apple pie for dessert this weekend, plus hubby had a sausage & red pepper main course soup to concoct for dinner on Monday. After that, it’s anyone’s guess!