Lydia Brimage, Recipe Tester

A list of all the recipes Lydia Brimage has tested.

Lydia Brimage

Lydia first learned to cook when she went to university. After buying a wok from a Chinese supermarket, she learned to make stir-fries and then tomato sauces. She has collected many cookery books over the years and now tries to be very selective in which books she buys.

Lydia trained as a biochemist originally and eventually became so interested in food that she undertook formal qualifications in Professional Cookery, taking both chef qualifications in Kitchen and Larder and in Patisserie and Confectionery. She worked professionally as a chef for approximately ten years.

Recently she has taken a sit-down job and now enjoys using her cooking skills for herself and for friends. She has been a Leite’s Culinaria Recipe Tester since 2013 and has kept the recipes she has tested during that time with all her comments. Over the years it has required her to keep seeking out and trying new recipes, which she may not have found on her own. The process also forces her to find other new dishes to use up any leftover ingredients. She finds the process quite meditative and often loses herself in a single recipe for an hour or two. She wonders if sometime she will hand her curated recipes to someone and say there you go, that was my life in food.

A metal skillet filled with sausage pappardelle with grated Parmesan on top.

Jamie Oliver’s Sausage Pappardelle

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This easy one-pot pasta meal from Jamie Oliver features fresh pasta and sausage smothered in a luxurious tomato sauce. Our testers are calling it a “quick, elegant, comforting meal.”

Several of Dorie Greenspan's rugelach tumbling our of a jar

Dorie Greenspan’s Rugelach

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These butter and cream cheese pastries are filled with cinnamon-sugared nuts, a slick of jam, currants, and a handful of chopped chocolate.

A round white plate with six slices of eggnog pie and a dish of whipped cream.

Eggnog Pie

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Essentially a slightly tipsy cheesecake, this bourbon-enhanced eggnog pie is something we’re classifying as “holiday desserts for parties where people like to party.”

Pumpkin cider soup in a blue and white teacup, garnished with crème frâiche and chives.

Pumpkin-Cider Soup

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This pumpkin soup gets a boost from apples and a bite from a cupful of Irish cider. The soup, with its intense pumpkin flavor, makes for great fall fare.

Three pieces of white cake topped with frosting and toasted coconut on individual blue glass plates with forks resting on the side.

Coconut Tres Leches Cake

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Coconut lovers rejoice! This inventive riff on tres leches cake is infused with coconut flavor, thanks to a combination of extract, coconut milk, and toasted coconut on top.

Ten salted brown butter chocolate chunk cookies on a wire cooling rack.

Salted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

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There are chocolate chunk cookies and then there are THESE chocolate chunk cookies. After experiencing the combination of dark chocolate, brown butter, and toasted milk powder, we’re never going back.

A square baking dish filled with traditional Italian tiramisu with a spoon resting inside and a portion missing.

Traditional Italian Tiramisu

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Layers of light and creamy mascarpone custard and boozy coffee-infused ladyfingers. It’s the reason why tiramisu never goes out of style.

Several plates with slices of pistachio-lime polenta cake topped with confectioners' sugar and chopped pistachios

Pistachio-Lime Polenta Cake

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This lime-infused polenta cake boasts a light texture and rich, buttery flavor. It’s perfect for teatime or dessert, but we won’t judge if you sneak a slice for breakfast.

A pineapple upside-down cake on a white plate with a slice taken out

Pineapple Upside-Down Cake

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There’s a reason that this Southern cake is a classic. One bite of the pineapple, maraschino cherry, and pecan-topped dessert, and you’ll understand why.

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