Australia Day fare

Mini meat pies with mashed potato and minty mushy peas

This is a great little crowd pleaser and a delicious twist on an Aussie favourite
I baked these in a greased mini muffin pan using puff pastry cut into squares instead of filo pastry
Thanks to Taste.com for the recipe Meat pies with potato and minted mushy peas

Brined beer chicken

Brining the chicken keeps it moist and succulent during cooking and adds extra flavour.  It is also delicious cooked on a BBQ
Remember to allow several hours or overnight to brine the chicken thoroughly
Preparation + cooking:  1 hour + overnight brining
Serves 4
Ingredients

• 2 x 330ml bottles of lager
• 1 lemon, halved
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 30gm packet spicy seasoning of your choice
• 1½ kg chicken pieces (thighs are great)
• ½ cup salt
• 20gm butter, softened
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 400gm punnet cherry tomatoes, medley mix looks great
• Basil leaves, to serve

Method

1. Combine lager, 6 cups water, lemon, honey, thyme and seasoning in a large bowl.  Transfer 1½ cups of mixture to a small bowl.  Cover and set aside.
2. Place chicken in a deep ceramic dish.  Add salt to brine mixture and stir well.  Pour mixture over chicken.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C (180 fan forced).  Transfer chicken to a roasting pan.  Discard brine.  Roast chicken for 40 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
4. Pour reserved marinade into a small pan and place over medium heat.  Bring mixture to boil.  Combine butter and flour in a bowl.  Whisk into marinade, a little at a time.  Cook for 2 minutes until thick and glossy.  Serve chicken with the sauce, tomatoes and basil.

Recipe credit
Woolworths Fresh Magazine, September 2015

Mini meat pies

This is a delicious recipe
​Perfect for kids parties, footy finals and Australia Day celebrations
​Thanks to Taste.com for the recipe Mini meat pies

Arnotts Iced Vovo tart

An Aussie icon
Sweet, delicious and perfect for Australia Day
Thanks to Taste.com for the recipe Arnotts Iced Vovo tart

Aussie pavlova

A classic, crowd pleasing recipe taken from the legendary Margaret Fulton Cookbook.  This was my first cookbook and was given to me by my grandmother in the 1980's.  I still use my book often for classic, comfort food.  Cheers to Margaret and my lovely Hootenanny.
In the first picture, I used a springform pan to create nice neat, even edges.  In the second picture I drew a circle using a large dinner plate and created a free-form pavlova for a more rustic appearance.
Ingredients

• 6 egg whites
• 2 cups caster sugar
• 1½ tsp vinegar
• 1½ tsp vanilla essence
• Canola spray
• 300ml cream, whipped
• Selection of chopped fresh fruit to decorate

Method

1. Preheat oven to a low temperature of 150°C (130 fan forced).
2. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add caster sugar gradually (1 tablespoon at a time) beating at a high speed. When the sugar is thoroughly mixed through and a glossy meringue has formed, fold in the vinegar and vanilla.
3. Cover a flat baking tray with aluminium foil then grease with canola spray. Heap the meringue mixture onto the foil to about the size of a large round dinner plate. Use a spatula to build the sides up to achieve the required shape. Alternatively, pile the meringue into a greased, 20cm springform tin and lightly smooth the top for a flat surface.
4. Cook at low temperature for around 45 minutes. Turn oven off and leave the pavlova to sit in the oven for 1 hour to dry out.  Remove from oven to cool completely.
5. When ready to serve, top the pavlova with whipped cream and a selection of fresh fruit.

Cheesy Vegemite scrolls

Ingredients

• 2 sheets ready made puff pastry, thawed
• Vegemite, to spread over pastry, according to taste
• 1 cup grated tasty cheese, or more depending on how 'cheesy' you like it
• 1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tbsp water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (180 fan forced).  Line oven trays with baking paper.
2. Spread pastry sheets with vegemite, to your taste, then sprinkle with grated cheese.
3. Roll lengthwise.  Brush edge with egg wash to seal then gently slice into 1½ cm pieces.
4. Place scrolls on baking trays, flat edge down, allowing room for spreading.  Brush with egg wash.
5. Bake until golden brown.

Frozen honey and macadamia cheesecake

Delightfully sweet with crunchy macadamias
Please note this cheesecake needs to be made in advance, allowing time to freeze
Ingredients

• 250gm plain sweet biscuits
• 100gm butter, melted
• 500gm cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup honey, plus extra to serve
• 300ml cream
• ½​ cup chopped unsalted macadamia nuts, plus extra to serve

Method

1. Grease and line a 6cm deep, 20cm springform pan, extending paper 2cm above edge of pan.
2. Process biscuits until fine then add melted butter.  Mix until just combined. Press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan. Freeze for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and ½ cup of the honey until smooth. Add cream and beat for 2 minutes or until mixture is thick. Stir in macadamias.
4. Spread mixture into prepared pan. Drizzle remaining honey over top of cheesecake mixture.  Using a flat blade knife, swirl the remaining honey through the cheesecake mixture to create a marbled effect. Cover cheesecake and freeze overnight or until firm.
5. Remove cheesecake from freezer and allow to stand at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes, before serving.
6. Serve drizzled with extra honey and chopped macadamias.

Mango cheesecake

Serves 12
Preparation:  30 minutes + several hours chilling time
Ingredients

• 150gm plain sweet biscuits
• 100gm butter, melted
• 500gm cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup caster sugar
• 300ml cream, whipped
• 1 tbsp gelatine
• ¼ cup hot water
• 4 mangoes, peeled and sliced (or 2 fresh and 1 large can of sliced mangoes, drained) 

Mango coulis

• 1 mango, peeled and chopped (or 1 small can sliced mango)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

Method

1. Grease a 6cm deep, 20cm springform pan.
2. Process biscuits until fine then add melted butter. Process until combined. Press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan.  Place in fridge to chill.
3. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and caster sugar until smooth and creamy then fold in whipped cream.
4. Whisk gelatine and hot water in a small bowl until gelatine dissolves. Stir ¼ cup of cream cheese mixture into gelatine mixture. Fold the gelatine mixture through cheesecake mixture until well combined.
5. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over the biscuit base. Top with half of the mangoes then cover with remaining cheesecake mixture. Refrigerate until set.
6. Remove the cheesecake from fridge 15 minutes before serving.
7. To make coulis, place mango, lime juice and sugar in a blender and pulse until smooth. Add a little water to bring to pouring consistency, if necessary. Arrange the remaining sliced mango on top of cheesecake and drizzle with the mango coulis.

Note
As mangoes can be expensive, I used 1 large can of sliced mangoes, drained, in the middle of the cheesecake and used 2 sliced fresh mangoes for the top. I used a small can of sliced mangoes for the coulis.

Pavlova cheesecake

This recipe is heavenly to eat and easy to create
Preparation time:  30 minutes + several hours chilling time
Serves 8
Ingredients
Lemon cheesecake

• Canola spray
• 100gm plain biscuits
• 85gm butter, melted
• 500gm cream cheese, softened
• 2 x 400gm cans condensed milk
• ¾ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pavlova topping

• 150ml cream, whipped
• 1 cup roughly crushed mini meringues
• Selection of fresh fruit for topping

​Method

1. Grease base and sides of a 20cm springform pan with canola spray.
2. Process biscuits until fine then add melted butter. Pulse until combined. Press biscuit mixture over base of prepared pan.  Place in fridge to chill.
3. Meanwhile, beat cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.  Add condensed milk, one can at a time, beating between additions until combined.  Add lemon juice and beat until combined and thickened.
4. Spoon the filling over the biscuit base and smooth the surface.  Chill until set.
5. Prepare the pavlova topping by combining the whipped cream and crushed meringues.
   
6. Spoon the creamy meringue mixture over the cheesecake.  Top with your choice of fresh fruit and serve.

Recipe credit
Better Homes & Gardens

Bacon and cheese cobb loaf

Not a dish for the health-conscious ... but very tasty!
Ingredients

• 1 cobb loaf
• 300ml sour cream
• 500gm grated tasty cheese
• 3 spring onions, chopped
• 3 rashers bacon, rind removed and chopped

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160 fan forced).  Line a tray with baking paper.
2. Carefully remove the top and hollow out the cobb loaf.  Retain the bread and chop into bite size pieces.
3. Combine the sour cream, grated cheese, spring onions and bacon.  Fill the hollowed cobb loaf with the bacon and cheese mixture.
4. Place on baking tray and cook for about 45 minutes until golden and cheese is melted.
5. Serve with reserved bread pieces and a knife to cut up the shell (and lots of serviettes).

ANZAC slice

This is one of our family's favourites
A sweet variation to an Aussie classic
Thanks as always to Taste.com for the recipe ANZAC slice

Jam drops

Ingredients

• 230gm butter
• ½ cup caster sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla essence
• 1½ cups self raising flour
• ½ cup icing sugar
• ½ cup jam

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (160 fan forced). Line two trays with baking paper.
2. Cream the butter and caster sugar until light and fluffy then stir in vanilla.  Fold in flour and icing sugar and mix until well combined.
3. Roll heaped teaspoons of mixture into balls and place on prepared trays, about 5cm apart, allowing room for spreading.
4. Using your thumb or the handle of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in the centre of each ball. Spoon half a teaspoon of jam into the centre of each biscuit.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes until golden.

Ideas and inspiration ...