VOLUME ONE
Modern Australia Australian Good Taste Magazine
Page 1
Entree
Grilled Steak Pinwheels
Page 2
Ingredients • • • • •
680 grams skirt steak Olive oil, salt, and pepper 170-226 grams sliced prosciutto, ham, bacon, or salami 170-226 grams sliced provolone, Swiss, or mozzarella Optional: fresh spinach, arugula, basil, scallions, sundried tomatoes, or roasted red peppers
Directions 1. Place steak, with the grain running vertically, on a plastic wrap-covered cutting board. 2. Using a sharp knife, butterfly the steak so that it opens up like a book. Cover the top of the steak with a double thickness of plastic wrap and pound until it’s 0.6 cm thick. Remove wrap and discard. Rub the entire steak with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Layer the steak with the prosciutto, followed by the provolone (and your other fillings, if using). 3. Turn the steak 90 degrees so that the grain is now running horizontally. Starting with the short end that’s closest to you, tightly roll up, pressing down as you roll. Use baker’s twine to secure the roll, and refrigerate until it’s ready to cook (up to one day ahead). 4. Preheat the grill to medium-high. Insert metal or bamboo skewers at 2.5 cm intervals (soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes prior to using). Slice the roll into 2.5 cm sections and place on a grilling pan. Grill pinwheels until well-browned, 4-5 minutes per side. Remove skewers and serve.
Page 3
Main
Monterey Chicken
Page 4
Ingredients • • • • • • • •
4 small skinless chicken breast fillets 1 tablespoon olive oil 3 bacon rashers, finely chopped 200g button mushrooms, halved if large, finely sliced 1/3 cup (80ml) barbecue sauce 2 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 cup (100g) grated mozzarella cheese
Method 1. Carefully slice each chicken breast fillet horizontally, so that it is in two evenly sized pieces. Gently pound with a meat mallet so that the fillets are an even thickness. 2. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the chicken fillets, a few pieces at a time, for around 2 min on each side, or until golden brown and just cooked through. Be wary of over-cooking or it will be very dry. Remove the chicken from the pan, keep warm under foil. 3. In the same pan, sauté the bacon until starting to brown, then add the mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are soft and cooked. 4. Add the barbecue sauce, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and cook for a further minute. Place chicken on a foil-lined baking tray. Put a spoonful of the bacon mixture onto each piece and carefully press it all over the top. Sprinkle grated mozzarella on top, cook under a hot grill for 2–3 min, or until golden and bubbling.
Page 5
Dessert
Strawberry Pavlova Cupcakes
Page 6
Ingredients • • • • • • • • • •
1 cup fresh strawberries, cut in small pieces 2 tablespoons sugar 4 egg whites, at room temperature (they will separate easier when they are cold, though) 1 cup superfine sugar (or regular is fine) 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar 1 cup heavy whipping cream 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar Optional: more fruit toppings e.g; passion fruit
Method 1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix strawberry pieces with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside. Place 12 muffin liners in a muffin tin, set aside. 2. In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a medium bowl with a hand-held mixer), whisk eggs until stiff peaks form. With mixer still on high, gradually add in one cup of superfine sugar, about a tablespoon at a time. Keep whisking until egg whites are stiff and glossy. Mix in 1 teaspoon of vanilla, and whisk until just combined. Whisk vinegar and cornstarch into the mixer and whisk until just combined. 3. Spoon meringue mixture into prepared muffin liners (or large nut cups, like in the picture) until mixture just overflows the top of the liners. 4. Reduce oven temperature to 220 degrees, and bake for one hour. Turn off oven and allow cooling completely as the oven cools. 5. Whip cream together with confectioner’s sugar and a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla until soft peaks form. Gently cut the tops off the cupcakes and fill with a dollop of whipped cream and a spoonful of strawberries.
Page 7
Analysis Modern Australia in my opinion reflects fresh produce that highlights the goodness of the land and animals. Upon this it was essential that I chose dishes that used fresh Australian items in my recipes to photograph in the magazine. The layout of the magazine communicates a level of sophistication by entailing a simple colour scheme of white, grey and green in an effort to draw the main focus to the photos of the food itself.
Grilled Steak Pinwheels In this shot the food has been positioned in the center of the plate in a vertical formation. This was done so the audience views the meat as the main point of focus, also assisted by the landscape layout and blurred background. The eye-level shot with a slight low camera angle helped to make the food look larger in comparison to the size it actually was. The food looks neat and visually appealing as the colour and texture of the meat as well as garnishes highlight the freshness of the food. These garnishes include the use of spinach leaves and olive oil. Both were specifically placed on the plate to make the plate look less bare and as well to do justice to the fresh Australian produce theme. The garnishes improve the overall presentation and quality of the dish. In this photo no specific props were used other than the serving plate and open grass background. This was done intentionally to keep from over crowing the picture which would take away from the food itself. The open grass background nicely contrasts the food and magazine theme. No extra lighting was used in this photo, only the natural north-eastly morning sun in order to continue the authentic flow of the dishes.
Monterey Chicken The vibrant red and yellow colours of the sauce and cheese make it visually appealing by drawing valiancy to the dish. Also this burst of colour indicates the freshness of the produce as all the ingredients appear the correct colour that it would be associated with. The food has been neatly positioned in the dish to cover the entire surface area of the baking dish to give the food that homely feel. The dish is presented in a neat manner, however it also is made rusty as the chicken and toppings are not placed in any particular fashion. The garnish of cheese demonstrate the all Australian fresh produce exhibiting Australian dairy products. This in turn nicely compliments the Australian farmed chicken used. This garish also exhibits a smooth texture that perfectly cooked cheese should entail giving a mouth watering sensation to the audience. Without this garnish the food would look unappealing as the sauce would be the main focus and this part of the dish is not the best looking. Therefore the cheese breaks up the sauce and coincides well with the overall interest of the Monterey Chicken.
Page 8
Props used include the spatula, tea towel, background and baking dish. These items were chosen to highlight a ‘straight out of the oven’ idea particularly with the spatula sitting slightly underneath the chicken communicating a ready to eat feel. Keeping with the colour scheme of whites and reds, the props do not distract from the dish. Choosing a white baking dish on a white bench top automatically draws attention to the chicken by blending well causing no fight for focus. With the tea towel positioned in the corner of the picture creates imagery of the cook picking the dish straight out of the oven with the tea towel and serving directly, ultimately adding to the fresh concept. The background of the grassy area and lake aim to illuminate the Australian natural wonders reinstating our country's strive for fresh foods. The background has been blurred subtly to maintain attention on the food. No extra lighting was used in this shot only natural light. This adds to my theme with a nice mid-day sun shine.
Strawberry Pavlova Cupcakes The bright red strawberries demonstrate the Australian fresh produce. The strawberries were also placed on top of the pavlova cupcake specifically to the side of the cream, as well as slight drips from the strawberries on the cupcake. This creates a salivating texture and breaks up the crunchy roughness of the meringue with the smooth toppings. Placing the toppings in a heightening form on the cupcake makes the food look larger than reality. This is also achieved by using a plate with a small area to place the food on which makes the cupcakes appear larger. The food looks cold, as it should, because the background of the water gives that appeal of a summer time cool dessert. It is visually appealing because the cupcakes have been made to ignite the association of summer time traditional pavlova with a twist. This twist is enforced through the cupcake form and delicious fresh produce. The garnishes of strawberries and cream support the meringue by adding a conflicting texture. They also add an extra level of colour that is valiant and hides the brown of the meringue. Props used include; extra strawberries in the bowl, the serving plate, background, pool chair and tea towel. All of these assist in creating an image of a hot summer Australian day with this pavlova treat. Summer and water are commonly associated in order to cool down, therefore using this as the background and a pool chair to present the food on highlights that theme. Strawberries are a popular summer fruit and most enjoy these on their own, so the bowl of fresh strawberries entails this. The tea towel was added to draw attention to the messy nature of the pavlova thus enhancing imagery of enjoying a cupcake and needing a towel to clean up. This photo was taken late in the afternoon, therefore the sun was beginning to go down. As no artificial lighting was used this was nice as it presented no shadows in the photo and helped to make the food look cold, as it should. Page 9