Dessert in 2 minutes

Not sure if this qualifies as a "recipe," but here goes. It's a whole bunch more complicated than a platter of figs, anyway (seeing as how that involves all of setting one ingredient down on one utensil).

Cut some ripe pear into bite-size pieces. Drizzle honey over it, crumble a few walnuts on top, and ta da! You can also add some plain yogurt for a creamier version. To make it look fancier, you could cut the fruit in thin, even slices and put it on a plate instead of in a bowl, omitting the yogurt. When I'm pearless, tart apples work pretty well too.

Thai Shrimp Stock

When I cook prawns, I often peel away their legs and shells when they are raw, to make them easier to eat. I usually boil them up into a little stock, to make two meals. Today I hit jackpot, which I thought I would share: add a couple of kaffir lime leaves, and some fish sauce, and you have the perfect base for all sorts of thai soups. This was my recipe:

Makes just under 2 cups' worth

shell and legs of 12 prawns
2 cups water
2 kaffir lime leaves shredded into small pieces
1 small carrot roughly diced
1 small stick celery roughly diced
1 clove garlic sliced
1/2 small onion chopped
nam pla fish sauce

sweat the vegetables in oil (i used coconut oil to make it more thai) for about 10 minutes. add the lime leaves and garlic and cook for 5 more minutes. add the water and a few splashes of fish sauce. bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes to 45 minutes (not too long, i hear fish stock goes bad if overcooked).