Rarely before has one dessert whipped up as much fuss as the Snow Egg, or one restaurant won so many accolades in this country as Quay – both creations of Peter Gilmore, whose restaurant was ranked number 26 among the world's top 50 at the San Pellegrino awards this year. We caught up with Quay's commander-in-chef to talk tips, tricks and new restaurant plans.

Do you get invited around for dinner often?
People rarely invite me over for dinner; I think they feel intimidated about cooking for chefs, but ask any chef and they don't care if you serve them a burnt sausage from the barbie, they'll love it because they didn't have to cook it.

What's your go-to dessert for guests?
I made a great lemon tart the other day which was lovely, and in winter I really like a caramel and banana pudding.

What ingredients are you excited about at the moment?
I'm growing white broccoli, which I've never seen in Australia, and I'm working on making a sort of Japanese smoked goose sausage; I'm playing around with that at the moment.

What do you cook for unexpected guests?
I usually have some good rice in the cupboard, good pasta, parmesan, butter, eggs, bacon you can always whip up a risotto or something that will please people with those ingredients at the last minute.

What are your tips for planning ahead?
Think of your main meal and if it's cold out, make something you can slow cook the night before and reheat which improves the flavour and makes life a lot easier. I made a really nice beef and red wine casserole and lots of mushrooms the other day which was great. And in the warmer months, I like to cook alfresco, put some beautiful prawns and seafood like whole fish on the barbeque and that way the cooking is part of the entertainment.

What's the biggest mistake people make with entertaining?
The biggest mistake people make in entertaining is by trying to do too much and complicate things. Keeping things simple is the key to successful entertaining.

What's your favourite summer drink?
A white peach Bellini which is just a simple white peach puree which you can sweeten with vanilla bean or a bit of sugar and mix with prosecco — but I like to add a bit of moscato d'asti which gives it a lovely sweetness. You can also blend it with ice for a frappe which is great for entertaining.

What do you make for breakfast?
A big favourite for breakfast is ricotta pancakes on the weekend.

Where do you like to eat out?
I like Marque, Rockpool Bar & Grill, Spice Temple in Sydney and in Melbourne I like Attica and Cutler & co.

What are your three tips for people to improve their cooking?
Practise, practise, practise!

What's next?
We're looking for a new site to do another restaurant, looking to do something a bit more casual in Sydney, which is really exciting — we are still looking for the right venue. I am also looking forward to creating menus for our Electrolux dinner explorer perfect for at home entertaining. For more information click here

Related video: How to make a white peach bellini