Gabriel Gaté:
Yes, once the lemon peel has softened in a simmering syrup for two hours, the syrup will have a lemon flavour and will be very sweet. Make sure you don’t leave too much white pith on the lemon skin which could make the syrup a little bitter. You can perhaps use the syrup to moisten a sponge or cake. As for drinking the syrup, use it in sparkling water or in a fruit cocktail.

Gabriel Gaté:
Before using the lemongrass, trim the harder ends. You can then cut each stalk into 3 or 4 pieces and use it to flavour an Asian-style soup or a curry. You can also cut it thinly and add it early in a stir-fry chicken, fish or vegetable dish. You can blend lemongrass with onion and garlic to a paste, and use the paste to marinate chicken pieces. I like lemongrass with fish; here is one of my recipes:

Baked coral trout with lemongrass
Serves 2

For its firm flesh, coral trout is one of my favourite fish, and it's also one of the easiest fish to recognise with its dotted orange colour. If unable to obtain lemongrass, replace it with 1/2 tsp fennel seeds. Ask your fishmonger to clean and scale the fish for you.

1 x 600g fresh coral trout
2 tsp finely grated ginger
1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 tsp sesame oil
5cm piece of lemongrass, finely sliced
1 tbsp light soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp hot water
A few sprigs of fresh coriander

Preheat oven to 200°C.

Make a few 1cm deep cuts about 2cm apart in the thickest part on both sides of the fish.

In a bowl, combine ginger, garlic, sesame oil, lemongrass, soy sauce, half the lime juice and a little black pepper. 

Lay the fish in an oiled oven tray and rub it all over with the marinade, placing some of the lemongrass slices inside the fish. Add 3 tbsp hot water to the oven tray. Cover the tray with foil and cook the fish in the preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until cooked. Add a little extra water if necessary during the cooking, and baste the fish a couple of times as well. 

Serve the fish with the remaining lime juice and garnish with coriander leaves.

:
Yes, red bean paste is very popular in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine. It’s made by cooking Azuki red beans (which have first been soaked) in boiling water until soft. The beans are then drained, blended to a purée, and sweetened to taste with sugar or honey. The paste is then dried a little in a pan or oven to remove excess moisture.

Gabriel Gaté:
Most white loaf breads are too moist for making fresh breadcrumbs and it’s hard to crumble the dough. I like to use well aerated, white sourdough bread that’s 1-2 days old with plenty of holes in it. I trim the crust and cut it into smaller slices, and then into 5mm or smaller dice.

Gabriel Gaté:
Try this easy sweet potato, bean and egg salad: Line a baking tray with baking paper. Top with 4 whole, medium, yellow-flesh sweet potatoes and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C until cooked (about 30 minutes). Once cool, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1½cm cubes. Steam 300g of green beans and hard-boil 4 eggs. Make a dressing by mixing together 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar; a little salt and pepper; ½ teaspoon of curry powder; 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil; and 3 tablespoons of finely cut chives. Gently mix the sweet potatoes, cold beans and diced hard-boiled eggs with the dressing. Serves 4-6.