THE ROAD TRIP ISSUE
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With the longest weekend of the year headed our way, it’s the perfect time to get out and hit the road, have a break, enjoy our country and share some food, stories and memories with friends and family. That’s why for this issue of the Minimax Magazine we have decided to compile some tips and recipes so you can make the most of ‘The Big Weekend’.
ROA D T RI P ESS EN TIA LS
Can’t Live Without A guide to some of the must-haves to make your next getaway in the great outdoors more fun and relaxing
Kollab Picnic Mat $99 The sun is shining and you want to head to the park or beach? Stretch out your legs with plenty of room for a banquet on the 2 metre by 2 metre Native Floral Picnic Mat by Kollab. Along with a funky design, the mat comes paired with an adjustable strap so that they don’t need to be folded in any specific way. Just fold or roll it up however you please and adjust the strap to suit.
Tempa Atticus 800ml Water Bottle $34.95 Oasis Insulated 2.1L Water Jug $59.95 The one thing every hiker, bush walker or beachcomber needs is water. Both the Tempa Atticus and Oasis Drink bottles are insulated to make sure your water stays cool even while you are out hiking in the glorious sunshine.
Maverick Cast Iron Double Jaffle Maker $49.95 Cooking over a campfire is one the most enjoyable things about holidaying in the great outdoors, and there are fewer more classic campfire meals than the cheese jaffle. The cast iron double jaffle maker has an extra long handle to ensure you don’t get burned by the flames of the fire.
Telescopic Set of 4 Marshmallow Forks $29.95 Toasting marshmallows is another favourite fireside tradition enjoyed by all. 2 marshmallows are always better than one so the double pronged fork is just the ticket. The extendable arm of these handy fork means you can keep a comfortable distance from the flames, whilst packing up neatly to take up minimal space in your rucksack or drawers.
AVAILABLE SELECTED STORES ONLY
COMING SOON
Good Food Outdoors $19.99 The great outdoors doesn’t have to mean stock standard camp food with little thought for flavour and nutrition. Good food can be enjoyed free from the four walls of a kitchen. Find inspiration for your picnics, bbqs or camping trips in this gem of a recipe book.
Tempa Atticus Enamel Mug $14.95 Victorinox 11cm Folding Paring Knife $29.95 If you are wondering what are the 2 kitchen essential items you need to pack on a camping trip, look no further than a hardwearing mug and a safe and trusty knife. A classic enamelled mug is perfect for soups, billy tea or just some good old H2O. And from the makers of the famed Swiss Army knife, this folding paring knife from Victorinox is the bees knees. Up to many a task, it folds into itself to save on space and deliver on safety.
ROA D TRIP C L A SS IC RECIPE
Bush Spice Damper By Naomi Sherman Is there anything more Australian than an Easter road trip? An Easter road trip where you bake damper in your cast iron cookware? An Easter road trip where you cook damper infused with Aussie bush spices in your cast iron cookware? Okay, you get the drift. This damper is so easy and yet full of crazy good flavours. You can easily cook it on the campfire or in the oven. And ingredients include both weight and measure so that it makes cooking at camp easier.
Bush Spice Damper SERVES 4 INGREDIENTS: 2 cups / 450 grams self-raising flour ½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon lemon myrtle 2 teaspoons salt bush ¼ cup / 60 grams cold butter 1 cup / 250 ml milk METHOD: Pre-heat oven to 2000C or make sure you have a bed of coals prepared. Place the lid on the cookware and heat on the coals or in the oven while you make the damper. Place the flour, salt and bush spices into a bowl and then add the butter. Use a knife or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the milk and use the knife to create a dough. Shape it into a ball and cut a cross in the top. Sprinkle some flour into the hot pot and place the damper in, covering immediately. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap it on the base. Eat warm with lashings of butter and a drizzle of honey.
RECIPE BY NAOMI SHERMAN Naomi Sherman is a food photographer and stylist who creates edible artistry in her studio located in the beautiful Huon Valley. A firm believer that there is no one-sizefits-all approach to good health, Naomi loves to create recipes that are fresh and bursting with flavour, with an emphasis on gluten and refined sugar free dishes. Her recipes, along with her award-winning cookbook Edible Heirlooms, can be found at www.naomishermanfoodcreative.com
LO D G E CA ST IRON C O O K WA RE
Wanderlust Collection Dare to dive into deep waters, traverse undiscovered trails, and conquer ambitious climbs. And at the end of the day, gather with kindred spirits, put your feet up by the fire, and recharge for whatever fun tomorrow may bring. Wherever adventure takes you, allow the limited edition Lodge Wanderlust Series to inspire your pursuit of wonder and discovery. Lodge have been forging their premium quality cookware in Tennessee, USA, since 1896. The heavy-weight, pre-seasoned castiron range boasts incredible heat retention and the ability to withstand scorching temperatures—making it the indisputable choice for stove top searing, oven roasting, and even browning over an open fire.
The Wanderlust consists of 3 timeless pieces perfect for cooking in the great outdoors: Wanderlust 22cm Tent Skillet Perfect for scrambling breakfast or cooking sides, this outdoor skillet is easy to pack and ready to go wherever adventure takes you. Was $89.95 Now $69.95 Wanderlust 27cm Dual Handled Camper Pan Easy to store, lift, and manoeuvre, make one-skillet meals, roast veggies, and cook under the stars. This outdoor pan is ready to fuel your adventures on the open road. Was $119.95 Now $99.95 Wanderlust Combo Cooker A deep skillet, a frypan and a dutch oven in one, the combo cooker is exactly the versatile companion you need. A great addition to any kitchen or campfire, its many talents lend itself to a mountain of recipes. Was $249 Now $199
Cooking on the Road
W ITH A N A LIESE GREGORY
“I love east coast Tassie, the white sand beaches, the crystal clear blue water, the oyster and crayfish shacks.”
For our Road Trip issue we couldn’t think of anyone better to give us a few tips on cooking outdoors and enjoying the unique produce this land has to offer than Analiese Gregory. Author of ‘How Wild Things Are’, star of the SBS food series ‘A Girl’s Guide to Hunting, Fishing and Wild Cooking’ and chef from Michelin starred restaurants in Paris and Sydney, we asked Analiese a few questions about cooking on the road and what she loves in the kitchen.
Your book ‘How Wild Things Are’ celebrates nature and the slow food life, which dish of yours do you eat most often and why? At the moment I eat the abalone noodle dish the most, probably because I made a large batch of xo sauce and recently got an electric pasta roller that fits on my KitchenAid so making noodles has been so much easier and faster! Also, it makes people happy and all my friends always ask for it. Can you share with our readers, your top five tips for cooking in the outdoors? Oooh, ok obviously first of all be aware of fire bans and what the laws are regarding fires where you’re going. I like to let a fire burn down and cook over the coals, it’s a much more even heat. I take a small kit of seasonings with me like sea salt, pepper, olive oil, vinegar, seaweed jam, butter, as in the outdoors you only have what you bring. I love to cook seafood in sea water if you happen to be near a clean, unpolluted beach (which I often am in Tasmania!). Keep it simple. I also pack a small kit of basic equipment when I go away, a solid pan that is ok in the fire, a tiny chopping board, bread knife and cutlery set. It just makes everything that much easier and nicer. And I always have my knife roll wherever I go! What’s one thing you can’t live without in your kitchen? My KitchenAid. I make a lot of pasta, noodles, brioche, cakes and bread at home and I’m a lazy kneader so for me it’s diversified my home cooking life. Also a digital thermometer and scales. What would be your favourite spot for a road trip? I love east coast Tassie, the white sand beaches, the crystal clear blue water, the oyster and crayfish shacks. When I was running a restaurant and needed a stress free weekend I’d throw a bunch of stuff and a loaf of bread in the car and drive up the east coast camping or staying in shacks, diving, having early morning coffees on the beach and eating vegetables from roadside stands, crayfish sandwiches, abalone and periwinkles. The beauty and solitude of it all was something else.
Abalone Fritters with Bread and Butter (aka Tip Top Tacos) By Analiese Gregory These fritters are about as old-school Kiwi as you can get. They come with memories of the shore, attaching an old enamel hand mincer to a picnic table and mincing paua (the Maori name for abalone) to fry in patties on the barbecue. These days it seems like a very luxurious thing to do, and even though I now have more refined abalone recipes I still make them as a beachside snack for friends when I’ve been diving. 1 abalone (weight in shell 400 g/14 oz, or 170g/6 oz abalone meat; you can use fresh or frozen, either will work) ½ shallot, finely chopped 1 egg white ¼ bunch coriander (cilantro) ½ teaspoon chilli condiment, such as sambal or sriracha 100 g (3½ oz) soft butter 8 slices soft white sandwich bread* any other condiments you deem fit
Clean the abalone by removing it from the shell, pulling the guts away from the meat and trimming off any leftover pieces. I often use a small pair of scissors for this. Dice the abalone into 2 cm (¾ in) pieces and either run twice through a hand mincer or pulse in a food processor until no large chunks remain. Combine with the shallot, egg white, coriander and chilli condiment and season with sea salt to taste. Mix well, then use your hands to shape 8 balls. Heat a heavy-based frying pan. Add about 20 g (¾ oz) of the butter, then drop an abalone ball into the pan – it should be hot enough that it sizzles – and flatten to form a fritter. Fry each for approximately 2–3 minutes, adding more butter if required, flipping when coloured underneath. Butter your bread, then add the fritters and any condiments you want, such as lemon, sweet chilli sauce or tartare sauce. * New Zealand’s cheap white bread is called Tip Top, hence this recipe’s name. Just grab whatever local brand you have that’s reminiscent of sausage sizzles and beachside snacks.
This is an edited extract from How Wild Things Are by Analiese Gregory, published by Hardie Grant Books , RRP $45. Available in stores nationally. Photographer: ©Adam Gibson
AUST RA LI A N DESIGN ED. A U STRA LIAN MADE
Solidteknics Quenched We love nothing more than a home grown success story and Solidteknics is certainly that. This distinctive, seamless, low carbon steel cookware is non toxic, chemical free and commands a cult following. It is healthy, sustainable and built for life. Invented and manufactured in Australia, Minimax is proud to support this home grown game changer in cookware. Until now. Solidteknics required users to season their pans. Answering the call to make the product easier to use, Solidteknics has now done all the hard work for you. Quenched is pre-seasoned at the point of manufacture, using rice bran oil. No need anymore to season your pans in the oven. The more you use you cookware, the better it will perform. It’s never been easier to make the switch to healthy and sustainable cookware and support Australian innovation. Solidteknics’ expertise in engineering and materials makes them bold enough to back their brand with a multi generational warranty. When used in accordance with their care and use instructions, Soliteknics should outlast us all.. That’s with the normal, recommended care of course.
The Smore - a toasted marshmallow and chocolate sandwiched in Graham cracker is a classic, a campfire treat loved by the old and young alike. But like all classics we feel it may be a time to give the Smore a bit of a refresh so we have come up with list of ingredients that might help make you the master chef of the campfire.
THE BASE
THE CHOCOLATE
THE WOW
This is the bread of the Smore sandwich.
Chocolate is essential but what kind of chocolate will you choose?
This is the extra ingredient to send your Smore to the next level.
Graham Cracker
Milk CHOCOLATE
PEANUT BUTTER
Oreo Biscuit
PepperMINT Pattie
CARAMEL SAUCE
ChOC-CHIP CoOkie
REECE’S PEANUT BUTTER CUP
SLICED BANANA
PRETZEL
WHITE CHOCOLATE
CRISPY BACON
THE NON-NEGOTIABLE Don’t even think about making Smores without toasted marshmallow!
CAMPFIRE TOASTED MARSHMALLOW
In the social media spirit of ‘If you don’t have a photo then it didn’t happen’ we asked the professionals at Ted’s Camera Stores for some tips of what to take on a road trip (other than a great camera from Ted’s) to get that perfect shot. They’ve also shared a list of the some of the most photogenic landscapes in Tasmania
T H E TED’S CA M ERA STORES GUIDE TO
Taking Great Road Trip Photos IN TA SM A N IA
Tasmania is one of those places where it’s hard to take a bad photo with all that rugged beauty. Whether you’re a beginner or a well-seasoned photographer, taking photos of the Island of Inspiration (as it is sometimes referred to) has got to be one of the best things to do in Tasmania. From incredible coastlines to pristine snow-capped mountains, there are so many must-see places in Tasmania plus Hobart’s photography potential is undeniably a draw card for photographers. If you are short on time though, and you’re wondering where to go in Tasmania, here are the places that we recommend visiting: Wineglass Bay. If crystal-clear blue water and white sands are on your checklist, this should be your first port of call. It’s got to be one of Tasmania’s most photographed views. Bay of fires. This is not just a cool name, but also a very cool place to take photos. As well as a pristine beach backdrop, this area is known for its incredibly unique orange boulders. Bonorong Wildlife sanctuary. This sanctuary gives you the chance to see native wildlife up close, which is perfect for the aspiring wildlife photographers out there. Port Arthur. Port Arthur is perfect for history buffs. This heritage-listed site has plenty of man-made structures to photograph alongside lush greenery, and you can immerse yourself in some of Australia’s history with a guided tour. The Tarkine. As well as being found in a relatively untouched, picturesque area of Tasmania, this national park is home to various rare native species, so it’s a great opportunity for photographers to capture the most brilliant images.
Of Course you are going to need a great camera to capture Tasmania’s rugged beauty but once the team at Ted’s have set you up with the camera that best suits you, what are the other pieces you will need in your kit to get the best our of your trip? Here’s a list of what they recommend. A tripod. Tripods work to keep your shots free from blur and to help compose with greater accuracy. While it’s important that there’s a bit of weight to each tripod, there is a wide range of travel-friendly options on the market. A camera bag. You’re going to want to keep your camera gear safe from harm at all times, and this is even more of a concern considering Tasmania’s wetter climate. A camera bag with rain protection is the best option. ND filters, or neutral density filters. Due to all that rainfall, Tasmania’s waterfalls are full and flowing all year round. For waterfall photography, use an ND filter to help you soften the movement of the water, without overexposing your photographs. Spare batteries and memory cards. Although this is not specific for Tasmania, we thought we’d remind you so that you save yourself from missing any shots. A Travel Drone. While not essential, packing a portable and powerful travel drone is a great option for making the most of your trip, as aerial photography in Tasmania is guaranteed to be breathtaking, plus, you’ll get a unique perspective of the stunning scenery.
If you are more photography tips and camera advice visit www.teds.com.au
Eggstravagant Easter Cake By Naomi Sherman
White, dark or milk chocolate? How can you possibly cater for all tastes? With this epic chocolate creation, of course. Layers of rich and fudgy chocolate cake are sandwiched with fluffy whipped ganache buttercream and then decorated with even more ganache buttercream. Be as adventurous as you like with your decoration, this layered design is simple but looks like an expert created it. Finish off with a decadent pile of Easter eggs and your Easter lunch showstopper is done!
Ecology Alto 32cm Cake Stand - $59.95
CAKE: (makes 3) 750ml buttermilk 2 ¼ cups vegetable oil 6 large eggs 670 grams dark brown sugar 380 grams caster sugar 595 grams plain flour 290 grams cocoa powder 3 tbsp baking powder 3 tsp salt 375ml hot espresso or strong instant coffee
DARK CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM: 320 grams softened butter 240 grams icing sugar 400 grams dark chocolate, melted and cooled 4 tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp sea salt WHITE CHOCOLATE BUTTER CREAM: 500 grams softened butter 480 grams icing sugar 350 grams white chocolate, melted and cooled 2 tsp vanilla extract ½ tsp sea salt
DAY ONE: MAKE CAKES AND BUTTER CREAM Preheat the oven to 180°C conventional oven. Grease and line three 20 cm cake tins with baking paper. (If you don’t have three, you can weigh the batter and divide it evenly into three to cook in batches - each batch should weigh approx 1.2kg) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together oil, eggs, brown sugar and caster sugar. Add buttermilk and whisk in. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a bowl and then add to the wet mixture. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk in hot coffee. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 70 minutes or until well risen and a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean (don’t open the oven until at least the 45 minute mark). Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Trim and level the tops then wrap them in cling wrap and freeze overnight. Remove from the freezer half an hour before decorating. Make the chocolate butter creams, following the instructions for each batch: Beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, approx 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add the icing sugar, and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, give the melted chocolate a stir to make sure it’s not hot enough to melt the butter, then pour it in. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for approx 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla and salt and mix on low for another minute, until fully combined. Store covered in the fridge or in a cool area of the house until ready to use and re-whip if needed beforehand. DAY TWO: DECORATE Place three bowls on the bench and spoon ½ of the white chocolate butter cream into one bowl and half of the dark chocolate butter cream into another into bowls and the remaining halves of each mixture into the third bowl to be combined. Remove the cakes from the freezer and let sit for 30 minutes. Place the bottom layer down and spoon some of the dark chocolate butter cream over the top, spreading it out evenly. Top with the second cake and repeat with the milk chocolate butter cream. Finally add the final cake and a thin layer of white chocolate butter cream all over the cake to seal the cake. Chill for 30 minutes before frosting the top of the cake and the sides with the white chocolate butter cream and then adding the other butter creams to the middle and base. Use a smooth-edged palette tool or decorating blade to smooth the butter creams together to create an ombre look. Return to the fridge to firm up. Gently melt some dark chocolate and allow it to cool so that it is liquid but not runny. Gently spoon it around the edges of the cake and over the top, in whatever way you like. Finish by piling Easter eggs on top in a final touch of chocolate decadence. Let the cake sit at room temperature for at least 15-30 minutes before serving.
GLASSHOUSE FRAGRANCES
Limited Edition Velvet Rhapsody With the hunt for the perfect Mother’s Day gift fast approaching we think that this year might be an easier hunt than most. Glasshouse have launched a limited edition range just in time for Mum’s special day. We love the scent and think you will too, and the team at glass house probably describe it best when they say:
“Cascading petals of Jasmine, juicy Yuzu Citrus and Water Lily are a tribute to fruits and aquatic florals which conjure a garden idyll after rain. Extravagantly celebrate the bounty and enchantment of a secret garden, with birds and unfurling blooms as beautiful to the eye as to the senses.”
E C O LO GY DIN N ERWA RE
Nomad
With a subtle speckle and bold graphic prints Ecology’s Nomad dinnerware is a fun range of mix and match dinnerware that allows you to pick and choose the colour in from its earthy range of tones. Blush, amber, charcoal or papaya, Nomad’s palette evokes elements of the Australian landscape. Available in a range of bowls, plates and mugs we are sure this range will liven up your table across the seasons.
GRAND DESIGNS RANGE AVAILABLE IN STORE NOW
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