Two dishes to launch you into spring

Spring is a funny time of year. One minute you are basking in warming September sunshine, the next you are being blown away in a gale. It's hard to know where to begin with spring cooking, whether you'll need soups or salads or a bit of both. Our contributing cook Elizabeth Hewson is going all in with alfresco spring cooking this week, heading to the barbecue to fire up the grill for an Italian-inspired feast of beef and sausage spiedini, or skewers. As it is spring, she is also reaching for those most seasonal of ingredients, asparagus and peas, two greens that always ring in the change of season. It's spring cooking at its best.

I am a sucker for brownies, they are just so delicious. In their new cookbook, Sweet Seasons, Pippa and Michael James offer an intriguing version that blends chocolate with miso and tahini for brownies they describe as a taste sensation. Read how they do it in this week's recipes. The couple also offer a tantalising pistachio cake and some nutty walnut cookies. Happy cooking.

Cellar director John Lehmann selects three stunning red wines for a saving of $68 in a super six deal. Click the link to see the deal. Details here.

If you love cheese, and who doesn't, there is reason to be alarmed. Some of the world's favourite cheeses including camembert and brie are in danger of becoming extinct. “Blue cheeses may be under threat, but the situation is much worse for Camembert, which is already on the verge of extinction,” ­stated an article published by France's National Centre for Scientific Research in January. So what can be done about this crisis? Read more here to discover what's next for the almighty fromage.