Forget about “coming”, winter is most definitely here. And with it comes some of the year’s most delicious produce. That means we can now make such delights as beetroot chutney with orange zest and coriander seeds to dollop on hummus, feta salads or roast lamb; a pretty broccoli frittata; rhubarb, either roasted and served with custard or in a crumble; or even a tray pie of shortcrust pastry sandwiching a wide seam of silverbeet, feta and grated haloumi, which will bring out your inner Greek.

They’re all very good, but they aren’t my current seasonal obsessions. These are my five must-eats for the start of winter.

Brussel sprouts with fish sauce

So hot right now. In New York City, at Jake Gyllenhaal’s favourite, Prune, they boil the sprouts for 10 minutes and then souse them with olive oil and fish sauce. Up the road at Momofuku they’re roasting them in lots of olive oil and butter, then tossing them with a caramel made with garlic, ginger and lots of fish sauce. And everyone is talking about the Brussels sprouts at swaggering hipster Hong Kong sandwich bar Bread & Beast: roasted and served with a 63-degree egg in Hong Kong, or all gnarly and crisp with fish sauce caramel, chilli and a crisp shallot garlic crumb at its Melbourne pop-up.

Creamy soup without cream

A whole basket of vegetables has come into season that will produce a creamy soup without the need to add gallons of cream. Instead of the usual pumpkin soup, how about cooking grated peeled celeriac in milk to make a celeriac soup to serve topped with the fresh crunch of diced celery? Other winter veg that make creamy soups all on their own are Jerusalem artichokes (braise them in butter, blitz them with chicken stock and serve the soup topped with toasted hazelnuts and thyme); parsnips (top it with crumbled blue cheese) or sweet potatoes (which can be turned into a memorable bowl of Jamaican-spiced goodness). If you must make pumpkin soup, try roasting apple with your pumpkin for a brighter result. (You’ll find my recipe and other hints and tips here.)

Chinese pork with mandarins

One of the most unique products I’ve ever tasted is the expensive dried and aged mandarin/tangerine peel so loved by top Chinese cooks. Fresh mandarins also work wonderfully in a Chinese-inspired dish like the mandarin and pork belly stir-fry that was such a hit in my last book (Yummy, Easy, Quick).

Brown 1.5 kilos of cubed pork belly in batches in a wok for five minutes each. Add three crushed garlic cloves for the last minute or so of the last batch. Return all the pork to the wok, add 375ml of water, 80ml kecap manis, 125ml soy sauce, 70g brown sugar, 6 cloves, 4 whole star anise, 2 cinnamon sticks, 20 thin slices of ginger and two pith-free strips of zest cut from a mandarin (reserve the whole fruit) with a potato peeler.

Simmer the mixture, covered with pierced foil, for 90 minutes or until the pork is really tender. Remove the foil, turn up the heat and cook it for about 15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Pour boiling water over the zest of another two mandarins to blanch it for five minutes and cut the three mandarins crossways into 1cm slices and fry them in peanut oil until caramelised. Drain the blanched zest and add it to the pork. Serve the dish on rice and top it with the caramelised mandarin slices.

Pears with wine and cheese

With the weather turning chilly, now is a good time to make my pears poached in mulled wine. It’s so simple. Find a saucepan that holds four pears snugly. Make a syrup with a bottle of red wine, 100g sugar, 1 whole star anise, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 cloves and 2 tbs clear honey in the pan. As you bring it to the boil, peel the pears and rub them with a cut lemon. Place the pears in the syrup and simmer them for an hour over low heat. When the pears are soft, set them aside in a warm place and reduce the syrup until it’s, er, syrupy. Serve the pears with the syrup and something creamy. Cream and crème fraîche are the obvious choices, but I like a slice of very ripe and oozy Brie or Camembert instead. These cheeses work wonders with the spice and the red wine.

Tarte tatin

This upside-down tart is traditionally made with apples – the Pink Lady is ideal according to Q, the head of my pastry-research department, who finds the variety holds together best and has a good brightness – but other fruit and vegetables can be artfully employed in the caramel instead. Try lightly poached quince, chunks of banana, fat barrels of leek or even halved witlof for a tart that’s great with a steak and Dijon mustard.

Click here for more recipes from Matt.