York chef James Lowe stops at S and T in his alphabet of food.

SAFFRON is the most expensive spice in the culinary world. It adds a phenomenal golden-yellow colour to food but its flavour is hard to describe. Saffron is a subtle but distinct spice with a slightly bitter taste.

Saffron is made up of tiny filaments that are the dried pollen stigmas of the saffron flower. Thousands of saffron filaments are needed to make just a pound of spice. On a weight for weight ratio, saffron is actually more expensive than gold. You don't have to splash out on pure dried saffron, though, because it is sold in a cheaper and lesser quality powdered form.

Saffron is often used in French, Spanish and Italian cooking. It appears in soups, rice and pasta dishes. Always use saffron sparingly because only a tiny amount is needed to add a lot of colour and flavour.

Next up is salt, which is an absolutely essential cooking ingredient. There are two types - sea salt and rock salt - but to be honest there is little difference in taste. Personally, I like to use coarse ground sea salt in cooking.

Salt is a basic seasoning that brings out the flavour of vegetables and meat. Without salt, food is bland. A sprinkling of salt on a tomato really brings out the sweet taste of the fruit. Celery comes alive when accompanied by a dash of salt. The key is to season a dish with salt to suit your own taste.

There are literally hundreds of uses for salt in food and cooking. Always boil vegetables in salted water to enhance the flavour. Salted water makes hard-boiled eggs incredibly easy to peel. Putting peeled potatoes in salted cold water stops them going brown. The list of tips is endless!

In my opinion, Stilton is simply the best cheese in the world. It is known as 'the king of cheeses' and is made to a traditional English recipe. Stilton is a creamy and slightly acidic blue cheese with a soft and crumbly texture. It has a traditional cylindrical shape and is threaded with delicate blue veins. It is great eaten raw and tastes even better when cooked because it goes all gooey. One of my absolute favourite soups is broccoli and Stilton, as the combination of flavours is fantastic.

Stilton is something of a tradition in the Lowe household. In the run up to special occasions, I always buy a large Stilton and stand it on a dish in the fridge. I scoop out a small well in the top of the cheese and use a long skewer to make holes in it. I pour a drizzle of port on the Stilton each day for a week or so. The cheese absorbs all the richness of the port and by the time the big celebration arrives, the flavour is fab!

Moving on to the letter T and first on my list is tiramisu. This is a classic Italian dessert that is also known as the Tuscan trifle. Tiramisu is a lovely layered sponge pudding made from finger-shaped biscuits, coffee liqueur, mascarpone cream cheese, eggs, sugar, chocolate and cocoa powder. Tiramisu is a sweet, light dessert that is surprisingly easy to make. After a big heavy meal, tiramisu is like heaven in your mouth.

Next: tomatoes, another absolutely essential cooking ingredient. In recent years the humble tomato has undergone something of a revolution. Today a wide range of fresh varieties such as plum, cherry and vine tomatoes are readily available. Even preserved tomatoes can now be bought in a whole host of different forms such as tinned, bottled, sun dried and pureed.

The perfect fresh tomato is nice and ripe with a slightly soft, bright-red skin. They shouldn't be pale and crispy like so many packaged tomatoes in supermarkets. Fresh home-grown tomatoes are best from June to September when they are full of flavour. Be sensible about whether to use fresh or tinned tomatoes when cooking. Even the top chefs use tinned tomatoes. My tip is to always plump for the mid-priced tins.

Finally this month is turkey, which is not just for Christmas. It is a versatile and healthy meat. It's great for stir frying, stews, soups and pasta dishes. You can use turkey in any recipe that features chicken.

James Lowe at Villa Italia, 69 Micklegate, York. Tel: (01904) 670501

Potted Port and Stilton Pat

(Makes 4 small ramekins)

Ingredients

55g/2oz butter

1 bunch spring onions, finely chopped

60ml /2fl oz port

Zest from half a lemon

125g/4oz Stilton, crumbled

1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan and gently sweat the spring onions until soft. Add the port and simmer gently for 3 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir well.

Transfer to a blender and process until the mixture has bound. Season to taste.

Divide between individual ramekins and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

James says: 'Delicious served with warm toast.'

Tiramisu

(Serves 4)

Ingredients

3 egg yolks

75g/3oz caster sugar

A good splash or two of Kahulua or coffee liqueur

2 x 250g/9oz tubs mascarpone cheese

200ml/7fl oz strong coffee or espresso, cold

14 boudoir biscuits or sponge finger biscuits

25g/1oz plain chocolate, finely grated

Cocoa powder

Method

Whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar together until pale and thick. Add the mascarpone and whisk slowly until the mixture is pale and smooth. Add 1 tbsp of the coffee liqueur and whisk gently.

In a separate bowl, mix the coffee and remaining coffee liqueur.

Dip half of the boudoir biscuits into the coffee mixture and place in the bottom of four glass coffee cups or small bowls.

Spoon over half the mascarpone mix and sprinkle with half the chocolate. Repeat with another layer of biscuits, mascarpone and chocolate. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and dust with cocoa powder before serving.

James says: 'Like heaven in your mouth.'

Updated: 08:52 Saturday, January 08, 2005