Recipes
SPICED TOMATO AND CIDER BRISKET
This is a dish of maximum flavour for minimum effort.
Recipe
This is a dish of maximum flavour for minimum effort. Yes, this takes several hours to cook, but it’s the oven doing the work and it only needs 20 minutes of your time to prepare.
It also can be cooked a couple of days ahead then gently reheated ready to serve. Slow cooked brisket is for a great meal when feeding a hungry crowd. Serve with a tangy coleslaw in rolls, or pair up with pickled vegetables like cucumbers or sliced red onions, an aged cheddar cheese and leafy greens.
Serves 6 - 8
Combine all the spice rub ingredients in a non-reactive container with lid (plastic, ceramic or glass is good) large enough to sit the meat flat. Rub the spice mix over the meat to coat all the sides well. Cover with the lid and place in fridge for at least an hour or up to 24 hours, if time allows.
When ready to cook remove the meat from fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 160°C (140°C fan-forced).
Use a deep heavy based dish just large enough to lay the meat flat (it will shrink while cooking) with a tight-fitting lid (such as enamelled cast iron casserole). Alternatively, line a deep sided roasting dish with a double layer of foil allowing overhang of about 5cm around the edges. This will make it easier to seal the edges and protect the dish from baked on sauce when cleaning later.
Combine all the braising stock ingredients and pour into the dish. Place meat into the dish and cover with lid, or if using a foil lined dish cover with a generous sheet of foil, then fold and seal along the foil edges. Transfer to the oven and bake for 5 hours or until fork tender, this may take up to 6 hours depending on thickness and size of piece. After each hour of cooking, remove the lid or unseal the foil and baste the meat with cooking at the same time checking the liquid has not reduced too much, adding some water if necessary. Then cover with lid or reseal edges, making sure the foil edges are sealed well again to avoid evaporation and continue baking.
When the meat is fork tender ready, remove the lid or top layer of foil and increase the heat to 200°C (180°C fan-forced) and return to oven to cook for 12-15 minutes until it starts to lightly char around the edges. Remove from oven and let meat rest for 15 minutes.
Transfer meat to a chopping board. Remove excess fat from the sauce and discard. Shred the meat along the grain into strands using two forks. Return meat to the sauce to serve.
Note: If you prefer a thicker sauce, pour the remaining cooking liquid from base of the dish into a saucepan and place over a high heat then reduce to desired consistency.
Ingredients
1.5kg-1.8kg grass-fed quality beef brisket
Spice rub mix:
1 tablespoon sea salt flakes
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 tablespoon brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
Braising liquid:
1 cup (250ml) tomato passata
2 cups (500ml) beef stock
330ml (small bottle) dry apple cider
Share recipe
PAVLOVA TOPPED WITH LEMON CURD CREAM, MANGO AND PASSIONFRUIT
The Pav is one of Australia’s favourite summer desserts.
Recipe
The Pav is one of Australia’s favourite summer desserts For an end of meal delight, here it is topped with a rich lemon curd – made with the leftover yolks – swirled through whipped cream, then crowned with sliced fresh seasonal mango and a drizzle of passionfruit pulp.
Start with the freshest eggs, follow the instructions and you’ll be rewarded with a crisp meringue crust and cloud-like marshmallow centre.
Serves 8
Preheat oven to 160ºC (140°C fan-forced). Line a baking tray with baking paper. Using a 20cm diameter plate or cake tin to trace around, draw a circle on the paper.
Using an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites on the medium setting in a clean bowl until soft peaks start to form. At this point continue whisking, while slowly adding the caster sugar a spoonful at a time, until all the sugar is incorporated. Increase speed to high and whisk for about 5 minutes until the meringue is firm, glossy and silky. Sift the cornflour over the meringue. Add the lemon juice and gently fold with a spatula into the meringue mixture, to just combine.
Spoon the mixture into a pile in the centre of the circle on the baking paper. Gently flatten the top, shaping mixture into a 20cm round. To create decorative sides, using the back of a spoon, gently swipe up from the base, working all the way round. Place in the oven and immediately reduce oven to 110ºC (90°C fan-forced). Cook for 1 ½ hours. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in it to cool completely, at least 6 hours.
When ready to serve, gently fold about ½ cup of lemon curd into the whipped cream. Spoon the cream mixture on top of the pavlova, then dollop around two or three extra teaspoonfuls of curd. Carefully create a swirled effect with the curd and cream with a spoon. Top with the mango slices. Drizzle over the passionfruit pulp.
LEMON CURD
Makes 1 cup
4 reserved egg yolks
75g caster sugar
100ml freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
75g unsalted butter
Whisk the yolks and sugar together in a medium saucepan to combine well. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Add the butter. Place the saucepan over a medium heat and continue to stir for about 5 minutes until butter melts, the mixture thickens and just begins to bubble. Remove from heat immediately and transfer to a sterilised jar. When cooled, refrigerate. This will keep for up to two weeks.
Ingredients
4-5 egg whites (you need 120g), reserve the yolks
240g (1 cup + 2 tablespoons) caster sugar
2 teaspoons cornflour
2 teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
2 mangoes, peeled and flesh thinly sliced
2 passionfruit, cut in half and scrape pulp into a small bowl
½ cup Lemon curd (see recipe below)
300ml thickened cream, whipped until firm peaks form
Share recipe
SPICED MANGO TARTE TATIN
This is a twist on the French classic upside-down apple tart, Tarte Tatin. Puff pastry is used instead of the traditional shortcrust and coconut sugar with its natural soft toffee flavour notes blend with the spices to creates a buttery caramel.
Recipe
This is a twist on the French classic upside-down apple tart, Tarte Tatin. Puff pastry is used instead of the traditional shortcrust and coconut sugar with its natural soft toffee flavour notes blend with the spices to creates a buttery caramel (if not available substitute with brown sugar). A hint before you start, make sure the pan fits into the oven and the surface is clean and not well-worn, so the fruit does not stick to base.
Makes a 22cm round tart. Serves 8
Have ready a serving platter with raised edges, large enough to hold the tart and any cooking syrup.
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Have ready a 20 cm diameter heavy based frying pan that fits comfortably into the oven
Scatter the sugar evenly over the base of a dry frying pan (an enamelled cast iron pan is ideal) over a medium-high heat until the sugar starts to melt around the edges and caramelises, about 1-2 minutes. Keep a careful watch and gently rotate pan to swirl to caramelise the sugar evenly (avoid stirring as causes the sugar to crystallise) , about 1 minute. Quickly remove pan from heat, add the butter, spices and salt and swirl to melt and combine well.
Arrange the mango segments flat side facing upwards (rounded side facing downwards) packed closely to completely cover the caramel layer over the base. Place the chilled pastry circle on top, then working quickly and gently tuck the pastry edges in with a spoon. Score the pastry 3 times on top with point of a sharp knife to allow steam to escape when baking.
Ingredients
350g ready-rolled quality butter puff pastry (23cm sheet Careme pastry used), cut to a 22cm round
2 large or 3 medium ripe mangoes, peeled, core discarded, cut into wedges
75g coconut sugar (or raw caster sugar)
50g unsalted butter
Pinch sea salt flakes
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
Quality coconut ice-cream or vanilla ice-cream, to serve
Share recipe
FRESH PINEAPPLE AND BANANA HUMMINGBIRD CAKE WITH SWEET LABNE
A moist cake flavoured with the tropics of coconut and fresh banana and pineapple. It’s simple to make, an easy mixing of the wet ingredients into dry.
Recipe
A moist cake flavoured with the tropics of coconut and fresh banana and pineapple. It’s simple to make, an easy mixing of the wet ingredients into dry. The only thing to plan is draining the yoghurt the day before to create the beautiful sweet labne. This adds a layer of freshness and tangy-ness instead of the usual super sweet cream cheese icing. Layer the cakes for an impressive presentation or serve as a single cake to enjoy during your coffee breaks or lunch box fillers and freeze the other.
Makes two 20cm round cakes (serves 8)
Start making the sweet labne the day before. Line a sieve with muslin or a clean ‘chux’ cloth and sit comfortably over a deep bowl. Tip the yoghurt into the lined sieve and fold any overhanging cloth across the top of yoghurt. Transfer to the fridge and allow yoghurt to drain for 24 hours.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (fan-forced 160°C). Grease two 20cm round cake tins and line the base with baking paper.
Cut away the peel from the pineapple, remove the core and cut flesh into chunks. Place the pineapple flesh in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped (crushed), but do not puree. Measure 250g (1 cup) of the crushed pineapple including juice and set aside. Enjoy eating any remaining pineapple. Return the food processor bowl to the machine.
Sift the flour baking powder, spice and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the nuts and coconut. Set aside.
Place the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla in the bowl of food processor and blend until well combined and creamy in texture, about 2 minutes.
Pour the egg mixture, banana and pineapple into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly with a spatula to combine. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake tins. Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked when a skewer comes out clean when tested. Remove from the oven, set aside for 20 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When ready to decorate, remove the drained yoghurt from the fridge. Tip the yoghurt into a bowl , sprinkle over the brown sugar and stir with a spatula to combine well, the sugar will dissolve while stirring. Discard the drained liquid and the cloth can be cleaned and dried for use again. Place one of the cake bases down on a serving platter. Spread about ¾ cup of the sweet labne evenly across the top, then sit the other cake on top. Spread the remaining labne over the top in a decorative pattern. Scatter over pineapple crisps or toasted coconut flakes, to decorate the top.
To store: The un-iced cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. The cake will keep for up to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge. It is best served at room temperature. Note that the pineapple crips or coconut decor will soften while stored in the fridge.
Ingredients
½ ripe medium pineapple (about 500g)
250g (1 2/3 cups) plain flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground mixed spice
pinch sea salt
½ cup walnuts (or pecans, or macadamia nuts), roughly chopped
25g (1/3 cup) shredded coconut
185ml (3/4 cup) light olive oil (or sunflower oil, or rice bran oil), plus extra for greasing
220g (1 cup) raw caster sugar
2 eggs (size 70g)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas (about 200g peeled), mashed
Sweet labne:
750g Greek natural yoghurt (full fat)
(75g) 1/3 cup brown sugar
Dehydrated pineapple chips (or ¼ cup toasted flaked coconut), for garnish