A New Year's Eve-worthy menu to cook on the barbecue

More than another meat cookbook, this is an elegant guide to classic cooking that will inspire moments to be remembered. Discover menus for special occasions - from a fiery butcher's picnic to a summer lunch in the garden - plus how to grill the perfect rib eye, prepare a spectacular steak tartare and create one great dessert.

Here's a few to get you through New Year celebrations.

The visual and sensory overload of grilling oysters over coals is almost as exciting and delicious as eating the final product.

Ingredients

Devilled vinaigrette:

Method

1. Prepare your fire or preheat a barbecue or grill.

2. To make the devilled vinaigrette: Whisk all the ingredients in a bowl until the brown sugar is dissolved.

3. To dress and cook the oysters: Cook the bacon in a frying pan over a high heat, gently stirring from time to time, until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.

4. When your fire or grill is ready, place the oysters flat-side facing up, balancing over and among the coals. Alternatively, you could place a grill rack directly on the coals and cook the oysters on this. Cook oysters for two to three minutes or until they start to steam and hiss and eventually pop open (remove each one at a time with a pair of tongs as they open). While the oysters are hot, remove the lid. Tip out half of the juice from each oyster and top with two teaspoons of the devilled vinaigrette, a pinch of crisp bacon and a pinch of chopped chives.

Serves 4.

Chicken wings are versatile, easy to find and relatively cheap to buy. We believe those are attributes worth celebrating and we do that here by elevating the humble wing from bit player to star. As with any extreme makeover, it takes a little work. There are some simple butchering techniques involved in boning the chicken wing. But what might seem fiddly at first is actually pretty simple and a sure-fire way to impress your guests. And if a few wings get destroyed in the process, you can save those to make stock.

Ingredients

Seasoning mix:

Filling:

Glaze:

Method

To make the seasoning mix:

1. Cook spices in a frying pan over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for about two to three minutes or until lightly and evenly toasted (take care as they can burn quickly - you will know when they're ready as you'll smell the aromas). Transfer to a mortar and pestle and pound until finely ground. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling:

1. Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Add the seasoning mix and mix well until all the ingredients are well combined.

2. Run the tip of the knife along the bone towards the wing tip, being careful not to pierce the skin. Keep tracing around the two bones in the wing until you have freed all the meat away from the bone as far down towards the tip as possible. Now, with your hands, hold onto the tip and pull the two bones away (you might need to bend it to dislocate the joint so it pulls away). Repeat with remaining wings.

3. Using the handle of a teaspoon, scoop small amounts of the filling mixture into each of the deboned wings, filling them up as much as you can but making sure to leave enough space to seal. To seal, thread a toothpick through the open end. Place the stuffed wings into the fridge for an hour to set or overnight.

To make the glaze, and cook:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a large roasting tray with baking paper. Whisk the glaze ingredients together in a small bowl. Place the stuffed wings in the tray, making sure they are not crowded.

2. Bake the wings for about 15 minutes or until they start to colour. Remove from the oven and baste with the glaze, then cook for a further 30 minutes, basting every 10 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 6 as a snack.

Lamb oyster chops are a cut from the shoulder. They contain terrific intermuscular fat which makes them perfect for barbecuing. To get the full umami romance of fish sauce, marinate the chops the day before you wish to serve them.

Ingredients

Method

1. To make the marinade, add herbs, lemon zest, garlic, fish sauce and oil to a food processor and blend for about two minutes to form a paste.

2. Put the lamb in a large dish and cover with the marinade, making sure the lamb is coated all over. Cover the dish and leave in the fridge to marinate overnight.

3. You can cook these in a frying pan, but we think it's best over charcoal. Heat enough charcoal to cook your chops (or heat your frying pan over a high heat), grill (or pan fry) for four to five minutes on each side until well caramelised and cooked to medium-well. Set aside in a warm spot to rest for 15 minutes.

4. Arrange the lamb on a serving platter and serve with the mustard and lemon wedges.

Serves 4.

We've cooked this recipe more than any other dessert. It's our favourite and the recipe never fails. The large format also adds enough wow factor for the end of the night.

Ingredients

Caramel:

Custard:

Method

To make the caramel:

1. Combine sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, continue to boil rapidly, without stirring, until the mixture turns golden brown.

2. Pour the caramel into a round 20cm x 5cm deep cake tin. Hold the tin with a cloth and quickly tilt to coat the base evenly with the caramel.

To make the custard:

1. Preheat the oven to 150C.

2. Lightly whisk the eggs, vanilla and sugar together in a stainless-steel bowl. Combine milk and cream in a small saucepan over a medium heat, bring to the boil then remove from the heat.

3. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture. Leave the custard to rest for a minute before pouring the custard through a fine strainer over the caramel.

4. Place the cake tin in a deep roasting tray and add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the tray. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the custard is just set; it will continue to cook and firm up as it cools. Remove from the water and set aside to stand for several hours to cool to room temperature.

5. To serve, run a knife around the edge of the custard, place the serving dish on top and flip it over.

Serves 6.