Taste of Summer Recipes
GRILLED SWORDFISH WITH SPANNER CRAB, CUCUMBER, TOMATOES, MACADAMIAS AND LEMON MYRTLE
This is a great example of how you can use two Indigenous ingredients that are easy to acquire in a dish to give it an Asian flavour. Use Macadamias in place of peanuts and lemon myrtle instead of lemongrass to give a Thai flavour with an Australian twist. When I use lemon myrtle leaves in a salad like this, I always choose the soft tips from the tree – you can slice them very finely and you get the flavour with it being too fibrous or chewy. Enjoy! – Matt
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 4 x 150 gm swordfish steaks
- 150 gm cooked spanner crab meat
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, julienned
- 200 gm cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ bunch coriander leaves, washed well
- 1 small golden shallot, finely sliced
- 100 gm macadamia chips, roasted
- 6 lemon myrtle leaves, very finely sliced
- 2 tbs fish sauce
- 2 tbs lime juice
- 2 tbs castor sugar
Method:
- Stir the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved.
- Mix together the crab, cucumber, tomatoes, coriander and shallot together and dress with the fish sauce dressing.
- Lightly oil and season the swordfish and grill in a hot pan or BBQ until just cooked through.
- Sprinkle the macadamias over the swordfish, transfer to four plates and divide the salad between each. Sprinkle with lemon myrtle leaves.
SERVE WITH:
Pretender
2022 Deviation Road Pinot Gris, Adelaide Hills, SA
$25-$30
Perfect
2016 Tyrrell’s HVD Semillon, Hunter Valley, NSW
$40-$45
Pretentious
2021 By Farr ‘GC’ Cote Vineyard Chardonnay, Geelong, Victoria
$155-$160
DAVIDSON PLUM BRAISED PORK RIBS WITH APPLE, WALNUTS, SULTANAS AND MINT
Davidson Plum on its own is very sour and needs to be balanced with honey or sugar. But its sourness also makes it the perfect accompaniment to proteins such as pork or duck that have a fattiness that benefits from a tart balance.
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
- 1 kg pork spare ribs
- 250 gm Davidson Plums, diced
- 150 gm honey
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 red apple, diced
- ¼ cup walnuts, roasted and roughly chopped
- 4 tbs sultanas
- ¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs lemon juice
- ½ tsp dijon mustard
- Salt and pepper
Method:
- Place the spare ribs in a single layer in an oven proof dish and scatter over the plums, honey, cinnamon sticks and salt.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake at 150°C for 3 hours.
- Strain the plums and juices through a fine sieve and reduce to a thick paste.
- Brush the paste liberally onto the ribs and place back into a hot oven for 5 – 10 minutes.
- Mix together the apple, sultanas, walnuts and mint and dress with the lemon juice, olive oil and dijon mustard.
- Serve the ribs topped with generous spoonfuls of the apple salad and drizzle with any of the leftover plum reduction.
SERVE WITH:
Pretender
2021 Alamos Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
$18-$23
Perfect
2021 Wirra Wirra ‘The Absconder’ Grenache, McLarenvale, SA
$65-$70
Pretentious
2014 Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, Napa Valley, USA
$90-$95
MACADAMIA TART WITH DAVIDSON PLUM SAUCE AND CRÈME FRAICHE
This is very similar to a treacle tart but it has the added texture of crunchy macadamias. The sourness of the Davidson Plum sauce lends itself beautifully to the sweetness of the tart and the creaminess of crème fraiche. If you can’t get hold of Davidson Plums then blood plums would work well, but they’re sweeter and less sour so you’ll probably need less sugar.
Makes 4 x 8cm Tarts or 1 x 20cm round tart
Ingredients:
- 1 sheet ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry
- 85 gm brown sugar
- 30 gm butter
- 125 gm golden syrup
- 150 gm macadamias, roughly chopped
- 30 gm breadcrumbs
- 1 egg, whisked with 1 tbs water
- 200 gm davidson plums, diced
- 150 gm castor sugar
- 3 gm agar
- 200 ml crème fraiche, whipped
Method:
- Line the 4 tart trays with the pastry, then line the pastry with baking paper, fill with uncooked rice and blind bake until the pastry is almost cooked through but not too dark. Carefully remove the baking paper and rice.
- In a saucepan, heat the sugar, butter and golden syrup gently until the sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Cool slightly, then stir in egg and water mixture, followed by the macadamias and breadcrumbs.
- Spoon the macadamia mixture into the tart shells, and bake at 160°C for 20-25 minutes or until mixture is firm and golden and the pastry is cooked through.
- Put the plums and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over a low heat until the plums break down and become jammy. Add the agar and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and refrigerate.
- Serve each tart on a large spoonful of Davidson Plum sauce and top with a dollop of crème fraiche.
SERVE WITH:
Pretender
NV Buller Wine Victoria Malmsey, NE Victoria
$15-$20
Perfect
Henriques & Henriques Madeira Malmsey 10 yo, Madeira, Portugal
$60-$65
Pretentious
NV Sandalford Sandalera, Swan Valley, WA
$10
