Ladies and gentlemen….fire up your calculators.

Today's Delicious column begins with a simple arithmetic question.

I teach a minimum of 10 winning recipes in every Delicious class, and before I make my final selection, I test out at least a dozen more.

Multiply this by the many years I've run my cooking school both in Israel and South Africa, and we're talking of a repertoire of hundreds of tried 'n tested dishes.

Now, given the availability of ever-changing, fresh 'n exciting ideas at my fingertips, you'd think that I'd never repeat a single dish.

Right?

Wrong.

Instead, every time a friend tells me she is entertaining a crowd and needs ideas for a fast 'n fabulous menu, I always make the same recommendation.

What's more, whenever I am putting together a dairy meal for my family and friends, my dining table is guaranteed to include this one ever-popular combination.

It's not at all difficult to see the appeal.

Three easy to find ingredients…a total of three minutes’ preparation time…and make-ahead convenience.

What could be better?

The taste…that's what.

Try this beautifully balanced Triple Layer Cheese Dip without delay.

While you may never quite get your head around arithmetic, you'll never be at a loss for what to serve.

TRIED 'N TESTED (COUNTLESS TIMES OVER) TRIPLE LAYER CHEESE DIP

Ingredients

2 tubs 5% or 9% Symphonia cream cheese
Approximately 1/4 cup basil pesto*
Approximately 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Toasted pine nuts or flaked almonds to garnish

1: Line a small, deep bowl with plastic wrap - leave some plastic wrap to hang over the sides - and spoon in one tub of cream cheese to cover the base.

2: Spoon on a thick layer of basil pesto and then follow with a layer of chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

3: Carefully spoon over the remaining tub of cheese to completely cover the tomatoes, cover with the overhanging plastic wrap and refrigerate till needed.

4: To serve, turn out onto a flat plate or platter, peel off the plastic wrap and cover with toasted pine nuts.

5: Serve with crackers or toasted pita chips.

Cook’s Notes: Store-bought pesto can be used, but homemade is far better. Making your own pesto takes literally minutes, is far more economical and is infinitely tastier. To make your own pesto, place 1 cup of basil leaves into a food processor, add a garlic clove, 3 tablespoons of nuts or seeds, 1/4 cup grated cheese and a large pinch of salt, and process till well chopped. With the processor running, add olive oil to make a smooth paste, and then store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze till needed. Authentic pesto calls for Parmesan cheese and pine nuts but I find that walnuts, pecan nuts, almonds, Brazil nuts and even pumpkin or sunflower seeds work perfectly well. I try to make pesto with Parmesan if possible as the taste is that much stronger but I have also used Emek as a perfectly good substitute.

Join the Delicious Family: If you enjoyed this recipe then you'll love Delicious classes with their focus on quick, easy, family-friendly cooking and table décor classes held in a kosher kitchen in Hod Hasharon. Contact delicious.newsletter@gmail.com. You can also access recipes and workshop information online at www.deliciouskitchen.weebly.com.