Daily Plenty D U M A R E S Q V A L L E Y, N S W , A U S T R A L I A
PHOTOGRAPHY SHARON ANDERSON
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Daily Plenty DUMARESQ VALLEY, TENTERFIELD AUSTRALIA
WR ITTE N B Y
Annabelle Hickson Megan Trousdale R EC IPE S B Y
Sarah Glover
“I think of good eating as something to enrich our daily lives, be it a dish of slow-roast ribs with creamed cauliflower or a bowl of saffron-hued dal. Simple cooking that results in something unfussy, unshowy, understated. Something to bring pleasure to our own lives and to those of others� - N I G E L S L AT E R , THE KITCHEN DIARIES III.
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PHOTOGRAPHY SAMANTHA KLOMP
P6H O T O G R A P H Y L E A N T I M M S
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EDITORS ANNABELLE HICKSON MEGAN TROUSDALE RECIPES SARAH GLOVER MOST HARDWORKING HELPERS JANE GRYLLS S O M E R WAT S O N WORKSHOP TEACHERS LUISA BRIMBLE SARAH GLOVER ANNABELLE HICKSON CAITLIN MELLING LEAN TIMMS MEGAN TROUSDALE PA R T I C I PA N T S SHARON ANDERSON MEL ARNOTT (ABSENT) GILLIAN BELL LISA BURDUS R O S I E FA I R B A I R N - WAT T ILONA GLASTONBURY JANE HENRY SAMANTHA KLOMP LARA MILLER ANNABEL OVERELL F L O R E VA L L E R Y- R A D O T HELEN VLAHAKIS
© 2016 Daily Plenty, Dumaresq Valley. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. General Enquiries annabellehickson@gmail.com Designed by Luisa Brimble Printed by Blurb Location: Moorabinda Station owned by Philip & Julia Harpham
Contents 13
INTRODUCTION
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M O O R A B I N D A S TAT I O N
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WOOLSHED DINNER
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ROASTED DUCK WITH ORANGE JUS
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D U C K E G G A N D WAT T L E B L O S S O M PAV L O VA S W I T H P R I C K LY P E A R S Y R U P
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CAMPFIRE COOKING
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S O F T S H E L L YA B B I E S A N D P O TAT O C H I P S W I T H A I O L I
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SMOKY HARISSA FISH
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SMASHING PUMPKIN
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IN THE KITCHEN
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B L O W - T O R C H E D B E A N S W I T H YA B B I E B U T T E R
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P R I C K LY P E A R A N D R O S E P E TA L J A M
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FROM THE WOOD OVEN
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SWEET APPLE CIDER PIE WITH PINE NEEDLE CREAM
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CHARRED PECAN AND HONEY SYRUP CAKE
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HUMMINGBIRD CAKE
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SARAH GLOVER
Contributors
F R O M L E F T T O R I G H T: Somer Watson, Rosie Fairbairn-Watt, Sharon Anderson, Jane Henry, Sarah Glover, Helen Vlahakis, Annabelle Hickson, Samamtha Klomp, Lean Timms, Luisa Brimble, Lara Miller, Megan Trousdale, Flore Vallery-Radot, Lisa Burdus, Jane Grylls, Gillian Bell, Caitlin Melling. (Not in the picture: Annabel Overell & Ilona Glastonbury)
PHOTOGRAPHY MEGAN TROUSDALE
Introduction We came together, near my home on a pecan farm in the quiet Dumaresq Valley, to create a cookbook. Well, the chapter of a cookbook. It was an ambitious premise for a workshop – to create a cookbook with the styling and photography by the participants, some of whom had never picked up a camera before – but when I look at what these ladies have created, I wonder how I could have ever felt nervous. What I see on these pages is glorious; beautiful food, rich colours and scenery that takes my breath away. It is a visual celebration of the area I call home and the beautiful ingredients that are found in it. I look at these photos and I do not see ISO levels or F-stops or styling tricks of triangles and the rule of thirds …. All these things are there behind the scenes but here, like in any good work, technique appears so effortless it is invisible. Instead of seeing the work of students learning their craft, I see the earthy colours of the Dumaresq Valley, I feel the light all around me outside, and the cosy warmth of the tiny kitchen with the wood oven inside. I can taste the smoky sweetness of the pumpkins smashed on the wooden log by the fire, I can almost feel the cold shiny claws of those blue yabbies and the red of the apples on the old wooden table in the quarters’ kitchen literally fills me with joy. Ladies – Flore, Rosie, Sam, Gillian, Ilona, Sharon, Lisa, Annabel, Jane, Lara and Helen - what a job you have done in creating this book congratulations. Thanks to you and the hundreds of kilometres you drove to get here, what we have here in our hands is the first chapter of the Daily Plenty cookbook. And I hope it is the first of many.
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I’d like to make a special mention of the Daily Plenty team. While I write a blog called The Dailys as a personal project, it is together with some VERY talented women that we have formed the Daily Plenty posse. Chef Sarah Glover, whose food somehow combines the blokey elements of ultraphysical adventurous cooking with fire together with feminine simplicity and ball gowns, very generously created the recipes in this book for us to use. Luisa Brimble, the master mind of this project, along with Lean Timms shared their photographic wisdom with the participants and helped draw these high quality images out of their cameras and onto the page. Caitlin Melling, with her gentle grace, helped us on the styling front while making everywhere look impossibly beautiful and Megan Trousdale, along with her beautiful props from her shop Odgers and McClelland Exchange Stores, got us thinking about the words behind the pictures. And last but not least, heartfelt thanks to the hardest working, funniest kitchen helpers you could imagine – Somer Watson and Jane Grylls – what total dreamboats you are. We all had a lot of fun making this book. There was laughter everywhere; on the long, open verandah of the shearers’ quarters, lying next to each other like school girls in the simple, shared bedrooms under the fresh white linen, in the cosy dark kitchen warmed by the wood stove, at the table under the huge clouds of fluffy white cotton, still on its branches, in the nearby woolshed and of course around the campfire with the stars overhead. And as I cook from this book I will remember that laughter and the new friendships forged, and the joy of coming together with like-minded people to do what you love. Love Annabelle
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PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
WORDS MEGAN TROUSDALE PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
Moorabinda Station The hub of the Daily Plenty Workshops is the rustic
Philip, a retired veterinarian, and Julia, call in during
shearers’ quarters and shearing shed of 4,000-hectare
the workshops to check how things are going, and join
Moorabinda Station, in the beautiful gum-lined
us for a convivial candlelight dinner in the shearers’
Dumaresq Valley, between Tenterfield and Inverell in
quarters dining room on our final night. Holding
northern inland NSW.
court, standing ceremoniously at the end of the table, Philip declares in his dry, laconic manner, “Julia is
Our most generous and welcoming hosts, cattle farmers
very fond of the place. I don’t care for it much.” The
Philip and Julia Harpham, proudly retain the authentic
table of women erupts with laughter. There are even
character of the timber and corrugated iron buildings.
tears.
Philip and Julia bought Moorabinda in 1988 and have lived there since 2005. Part of the romance and charm
The Harphams’ subtle improvements between
of the setting is its untouched-by-time, raw, utilitarian
workshops show their great affection for the buildings
ambience; a never-renovated shearers’ cook’s kitchen,
and interest in their use; a new shelter for dry
with working wood stove, cast iron enamelled sink, and
firewood, outdoor lighting, an iron grate for the open
unpainted tongue and groove timber walls.
fire. The shearing shed has been the venue for family celebrations, and even a comedy night, and Julia and
Then there’s the perfectly imperfect collection of
her sisters hosted an art retreat at the quarters just
mismatched iron single beds, timber wardrobes, dining
weeks after the workshop.
tables, and spindle back chairs - enough patina to make a group of mostly-urban dwellers swoon.
“We are proud of the traditions and heritage of this property and try to keep it in the original style as
“My father arrived in the district in 1928 and the
much as possible,” Julia says.
shearing shed and quarters were built in the 1930s,” Julia says. “He met my mother, a teacher at Ascham,
“Our grandchildren come here for holidays and love
at a woolshed dance at Moorabinda for the Red Cross
the freedom of it all, especially the quarters where
in 1941. My parents lived in the district and we visited
they set up cubby houses.”
Moorabinda very often as children. I particularly remember the picnics we used to have on Reedy Creek.” 19
20 PHOTOGRAPHY LEAN TIMMS
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WORDS MEGAN TROUSDALE STYLING CAITLIN MELLING
Woolshed dinner Preparation for the Daily Plenty Workshop winter welcome dinner starts months ahead, inspired by Edward and Annabelle Hickson’s autumn cotton harvest. Annabelle wrote on her The Dailys blog in March, ‘I have plans for a massive cotton installation in a woolshed’. Few of us reading that post would have envisaged the beauty created two months later. Stylist Caitlin Melling saw the post and accompanying photograph, and took the contrasting white cotton and Annie’s navy shirt to form a foundation colour palette for the welcome dinner table setting. The eve before the workshop our group of helpers sweep the floor of dust and remove surplus fittings out of sight to reveal the handsome form and function of the Moorabinda Station shearing shed. Before breakfast the next morning, hands-on, DIY collaborators Annabelle attaching bunches of cotton to a timber beam, tied with multiple strands of thick twine. The soft, white, cloud-like clusters of cotton fibres are juxtaposed against the woody branches and timber and iron building. They achieve their vision of the cotton ‘growing’ out of the timber rafters. We dress trestle tables below with natural linen cloth, Caitlin’s collection of antique silver railway cutlery, organic shaped candlesticks by Slab and Slub, rough textured stem vases made by Tara Burke, ink-coloured bowls by Batch, and irregular speckled bowls by Robert Gordon Australia.
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PHOTOGRAPHY ANNABELLE HICKSON
and Caitlin take turns straddling the peak of a ladder and artistically
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“It’s important to not only complement with colour tones, but contrast smooth and earthy, raw, rough textures, and antique and contemporary design,” Caitlin explains.
Moorabinda Station once ran 5,000 sheep that would have been shorn annually in this shed (“We still have a few ewes, and one very feisty ram,” says owner Julia). The scent of lanolin transports our memories to every shearing shed we’ve ever known. As guests arrive at the welcome dinner, the cavernous, candlelight shed is at once cathedral and theatre, celebrating food and company. Chef Sarah Glover serves roasted duck with orange jus and bush lemon bone marrow rice and bronzed fennel, followed by duck egg and pine needle ice cream with prickly pear syrup. The flavours and setting are extraordinary. Between courses we listen to introductions, as every person at the table gives a verbal snapshot of themselves. One of the blessings of poor mobile reception in the country is that, coverage drops out after leaving Inverell. The knowledge that you cannot send or receive emails, SMS, internet or social media gives you the freedom to be present like it’s the 1990s. There are no heads down checking phone
PHOTOGRAPHY LEAN TIMMS
screens. Our ubiquitous phones are refreshingly absent. Instead, our group of 11 students, and eight teachers and caterers fast become friends the old school way, face-to- face, sharing conversation, smiles, laughter, stories, and a lovingly-prepared meal.
PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
Roasted duck with orange jus 1 duck 2 oranges cut into segments, skin on
ROASTING YOUR DUCK
Preheat oven to 1900C. Dry duck with paper towel for a crispier
salt pepper
skin. Ensure the vent end of the duck is open to allow even cooking.
star anise
Never stuff the duck as it prevents even cooking. I put the orange in
2 cups of stock, duck or beef
the pan whilst its cooking.
1 cup of red wine Place duck in the roasting pan. Season with sea salt, star anise, and freshly ground pepper. Roast for 40 mins per kg until golden brown then remove duck from oven and leave to rest for 20 mins. To portion the duck into 4, gently cut out the 2 breasts and the 2 legs with a sharp knife. TO MAKE ORANGE JUS
Whilst the duck is resting, pour all the fat and juices from the resting duck back into the roasting pan, discarding the orange. Pour red wine or dry sherry into the roasting tray to deglaze and bring to the boil. Add 1 cup of stock and return to the boil. Scrape all the sediment on the bottom of the roasting tray. Slowly add the remaining stock, stirring well over a medium heat until all the stock has been added. Remove the excess fat from the juices in the jug and keep the fat for roasting your potatoes. Add the juices to the sauce, taste and season with salt and pepper if required, strain and serve. To serve, add the duck and roasted potatoes. Pour the jus over the top. SERVES 4 • TIME TO MAKE: 1.5 HOURS 26
PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
Duck egg and wattle blossom pavlovas with prickly pear syrup 4 duck egg whites
Preheat oven to 120°C. Line an oven tray with baking paper.
1 cups caster sugar wattle blossom 300ml thickened cream prickly pears, skin and seeds removed 1/3 cup of coconut sugar
Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites in a clean dry bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition, until meringue is thick and glossy and sugar dissolved. Rub a little meringue between fingers. If still “gritty” with sugar, continue to whisk until sugar dissolves. Spoon meringue into a piping bag with a medium nozzle and or place a dollop on the tray. Using the marked circle as a guide if needed, sprinkle the wattle over the top. Bake in oven for 1 1/2 hours or until pavlova is dry to the touch. Turn off oven. Leave pavlova in oven with the door ajar to cool completely. When completely cold, transfer to serving plate or store in an airtight container until required. Whist the pavlova is cooking, make your prickly pear topping. Add prickly pear and coconut sugar to the bowl and let it steep for 20 mins. The juices will come out of the prickly pear and the sugar will caramelise. Use an electric mixer to whisk the cream. Add a little of the coconut sugar if you like in a medium bowl until firm peaks form. Spoon cream onto the top of pavlova and add your prickly pears on top.
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SERVES 8 • TIME TO MAKE: 1.5 HOURS
PHOTOGRAPHY ANNABELLE HICKSON
PHOTOGRAPHY MEGAN TROUSDALE
Campfire cooking
TEACHERS LEAN TIMMS MEGAN TROUSDALE PHOTOGRAPHS HELEN VLAHAKIS F L O R E VA L L E R Y- R A D O T
Soft shell yabbies and potato chips with aioli 4 sebago potatoes
FOR THE ANCHOVY AIOLI
vegetable oil for frying approximately 1 cup small yabbies
Using a blender, add in the anchovies, garlic paste, egg yolks, mustard and verjuice, blend till smooth. With the motor still running, start adding the oil in a very slow and steady stream. Once
ANCHOVY AIOLI
5 anchovies 1 whole roasted garlic bulb, cooled and with the flesh squeezed out
it has emulsified, taste and adjust acidity with the lemon juice and add salt and pepper to taste. F O R T H E P O TAT O C H I P S
2 egg yolks 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 500ml grapeseed oil 5 tablespoons verjuice
Wash and slice the potatoes thinly, (I like to use a mandolin approx 1-2mm). Place in cold water to stop oxidisation and this also helps separate the slices.
juice of 1 lemon salt and pepper
Heat your oil in a deep fryer or wok. You want the oil hot, but not smoking, between 180-2000C. Drain the potatoes and pat-dry with paper towel. Gently drop the potatoes in the oil a few at a time and cook for 3-5 mins until golden brown. Use tongs to remove potato chips from oil and place on dry paper towel. Repeat process and when all done, toss through with salt and any other seasoning you may like.
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F O R T H E S O F T S H E L L YA B B I E S
Heat the oil to 2000C and using tongs place the yabbies in batches into the hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes or till the shell pops its colour and changes to orange. As with the potatoes use tongs to remove the yabbies from the oil and place onto paper towel. Serve the soft shell yabbies with the chips and the anchovy aioli. SARAH’S TIP AND TICKS
Make sure you stand a bit back as you lower the yabbies into the hot oil, as yabbies are a fresh water crustacean the oil can spit. SERVES 2 - 3 • TIME TO MAKE: 30 MINUTES
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P H O T O G R A P H Y R O S I E FA I R B A I R N - WAT T
TEACHERS LEAN TIMMS MEGAN TROUSDALE PHOTOGRAPHS R O S I E FA I R B A I R N - WAT T HELEN VLAHAKIS
Smoky harissa fish wooden plank 1 fillet fish with skin and bones (I used a 1.5kg side of salmon) 1 tube harissa paste 200mls grapeseed oil salt and pepper
Soak your wooden plank for 2 hours before cooking the fish. Light a fire and allow coals to form, this will take about an hour. Mix the harissa paste and the grapeseed oil until combined. Lie the plank flat and place the fillet on skin side down. Then nail the fish to the board. Smother the fillet in the harissa dressing (you may have leftover harissa dressing depending on your fish size). Lean the plank approximately 30cm away from the fire and allow to cook gently. It will take between 30-40mins. Test the fish by pulling away at the thickest part and if it has changed colour from translucent to opaque it is done. Leave fish to rest for 10 minutes then just place the plank on a table and use a fork to pull SARAH’S TIP AND TICKS
Depending on the fillet size or the type of fish (I have used salmon) you will need to check how well cooked it is, by separating the flesh on the thickest part of the fish. SERVES 10 • TIME TO MAKE: 30 MINUTES - 1 HOUR
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TEACHERS LEAN TIMMS MEGAN TROUSDALE PHOTOGRAPHS F L O R E VA L L E R Y- R A D O T R O S I E FA I R B A I R N - WAT T
Smashing pumpkin 1 medium sized whole pumpkin sesame seeds to sprinkle salt and pepper
FOR THE PUMPKIN
Light a fire and allow coals to form, this will take a good hour. Make a fire pit by shovelling some of the coals away, then place the
DRESSING
100g tahini juice of 1 lemon 100ml good quality olive oil
whole pumpkin it the fire pit and cover with some coals. Cook for approximately 1-2 hours depending on the size of the pumpkin. You can test by putting a knife in and if its goes in easily it will be ready. FOR THE DRESSING
While the pumpkin is cooking, in small bowl, whisk the tahini, lemon juice and olive oil. Set aside. Once the pumpkin is cooked, dig it out with a shovel and smash it over a bowl, or on a big steady log, dress with the tahini dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds and season to taste. CONVENTIONAL COOKING METHOD
Preheat the oven to 2000C. Place the whole pumpkin in the oven, cook for approximately 1-2 hours depending on the size of the pumpkin. Dressing (as above). SERVES 6 - 8 • TIME TO MAKE: 3 HOURS
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In the kitchen
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TEACHERS ANNABELLE HICKSON CAITLIN MELLING PHOTOGRAPHS LARA MILLER SHARON ANDERSON
Blow-torched beans with yabbie butter 2 whole yabbies, split in half 250g cultured salted butter 12 green beans spray oil salt and pepper to taste
F O R T H E YA B B I E B U T T E R
Place the yabbies in a small pot with butter and cook on a very low heat for one hour, then leave in a warm spot to allow to steep for another hour to develop the yabbie flavour even more. Drain the butter through a sieve, really pressing down on the yabbies to extract all the juice. Discard the solids, then place the butter into a small mixing bowl and whip with an electric beater, and keep whipping till butter cools and air is captured, creating volume, and goes a beautiful soft pale yellow colour. FOR THE BEANS
Spray the green beans with oil and blow torch them on a tray until bubbles form on the bulk of the beans. Then serve the warm beans with the billowy yabbie butter. SARAH’S TIPS & TRICKS
Yabbies are native to certain areas of Australia and are quite seasonal, if you can’t get hold of them you can always use other types of crustaceans. This butter is best served straight from the mixing bowl. You can always serve this amazing butter with other vegetable crudités, it goes especially well with radishes. Any left over butter just place in a tub and use as you would any other flavoured butter. Just use any good quality butter if you have trouble finding cultured butter. 46
SERVES 2 - 3 • TIME TO MAKE: 30 MINUTES
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TEACHERS ANNABELLE HICKSON CAITLIN MELLING PHOTOGRAPHS LISA BURDUS JANE HENRY
Prickly pear and rose petal jam 2 generous handfuls of fresh, fragrant rose petals 1 kg prickly pear fruits, with prickles removed (the oval pink fruits as opposed to the green cactus paddles) 500g white sugar 1/4 cup water 1 lemon (1/2 tsp zest, 2 tbsp juice) pinch salt 3-4 glass jars with lids
STERILISING THE JARS
Preheat oven to 1100C. Wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water. Rinse well. Place jars and lids in a deep saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring water to the boil over high heat. Cover pan. Reduce heat to medium and boil gently for 10 minutes. Line a baking tray with a clean tea towel and then, using metal tongs, remove jars and lids from boiling water and place upside down on tray. P R I C K LY P E A R S
Only handle the prickly pears with tongs – they are not called prickly pears for nothing. The tiny prickles can leave your hands feeling very tingly in a not pleasant way for a long time. So, using the tongs to hold the fruits, sweep each one over a flame to singe off the fine prickles. FOR THE JAM
Place the rose petals in a bowl and massage the lemon juice into the leaves, set aside. Then place the prickly pears, sugar, water, lemon zest and just a pinch of salt in a heavy based copper pot (preferable) set over moderately low heat - I like to cook it over an open fire flame, but be careful it doesn’t burn. Stir intermittently as the 50
sugar dissolves and pears break down and watch it because you will want to prevent any scorching. After 15 mins, when the pears have started to break down and the juices are coming out, you will need to pass the mixture through a sieve to remove the hard seeds in the prickly pears. Get a drum sieve, or a sieve that is fine enough to keep the seeds out but not too fine to prevent the sweet juices and flesh from coming through. Pass the mixture through the sieve and then return to the pot to cook for about an hour, stirring frequently as it starts to thicken. Then, when the pears are broken down and have become jammy but not burnt, stir in the lemon juice and rose petals. To test if the jam is ready, take a cold plate, dollop on a teensy bit of jam on it, and let it cool for 30 – 60 seconds. When you turn the plate at a 90˚ angle, the jam should droop a little bit but overall will stay put and not run or drip. Pack the hot jam into clean, hot sterilised jars and seal with the sterilised lids. FOR THE JAM
This jam will not set as firmly as others. Here you are aiming more for a just-set syrupy consistency. You can cook this over an open fire, which will give the jam more of a smoky flavour, but don’t try this if you are not used to making jams. Unless you have a good feel for making jams and working with an open fire, you could cook it too fast and burn the jam. Bottle hot chutneys or jams in hot jars and cooled chutneys or jams in cold jars MAKES 3 - 4 JARS • TIME TO MAKE: 2 HOURS
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PHOTOGRAPHY ANNABELLE HICKSON
From the wood oven
TEACHER LUISA BRIMBLE PHOTOGRAPHS GILLIAN BELL SAMANTHA KLOMP ILONA GLASTONBURY
Sweet apple cider pie with pine needle cream PA S T RY
500g pastry flour 300g butter 50ml apple cider vinegar (I used Braggs unfiltered apple cider vinegar) FILLING
500g apples (peeled and sliced) 350g rhubarb 100g sugar 1 tablespoon cornflour
FOR THE DOUGH
Place the flour in a medium bowl, rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs (this coats the flour in a fat and helps to keep the dough short and flakey). Then add the apple cider vinegar in stages and mix until it forms a smooth dough (be careful not to overwork the mixture as you don’t want to activate the gluten in the flour, so less kneading is best). Wrap the dough in cling wrap and place in fridge to chill for 30 minutes. FOR THE FRUIT
E G G WA S H
(simply beat together) 1 egg 1/3 cup milk
Place the prepared apples in a medium pot, half cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10min until the apples are par-cooked. Drain the liquid away and leave to cool. Place the cooled apple in a medium bowl, add the rhubarb, sugar and cornflour, toss like a boss till well coated.
CREAM
300ml thickened cream handful of pine needles
A S S E M B LY O F P I E
Split the dough into thirds, keep two-thirds for the bottom and the sides of your dish and the last third for the top. Roll out 2 thirds between two pieces of baking paper. Place the rolled dough over your empty pie dish and gently press in and around the bottom and the sides. Add the fruit mixture, then roll out your final third of
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dough the same way as before. Place over the top and press in and around the sides and join together by crimping the edges Brush the pastry top with the egg wash, sprinkle with a little more white sugar. Bake in the oven for 45min - 1 hour, until the pastry has browned and fruits have cooked through to prevent any scorching. FOR THE CREAM
Place the cream in a small pot with the pine needles, bring to a simmer and then turn off the heat, allow to steep for at least 30mins. Leave to cool. When you are ready to serve, whisk the cream lightly and serve alongside the pie. SARAH’S TIPS & TRICKS
Chilling and resting the dough allows the gluten to relax and therefore your pastry should not shrink. Any leftover pastry can be used to decorate the top of the pie. S E R V E S 8 G E N E R O U S LY
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PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
TEACHER LUISA BRIMBLE PHOTOGRAPHS ILONA GLASTONBURY GILLIAN BELL
Charred pecan and honey syrup cake FOR THE CAKE
150g butter salted 150g honey (extra for drizzling)
FOR THE CAKE
Preheat your oven to 180C or get your campfire coals ready. Lightly butter a cake tin and line the bottom and sides with baking paper.
100g marzipan 3 eggs 200g pecans finely diced or blended
Cream the butter, honey and marzipan till light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and then fold in the pecans, flour and baking
(extra for garnish)
powder. Pour into the prepared tin, top with more pecans and pear,
100g cassava flour
brush with a little olive oil and drizzle on a some honey and a hint
5g baking powder
of nutmeg.
1 sliced pear for decoration olive oil nutmeg for dusting
Bake for 35-45mins until the top of the cake bounces back and is firm to touch. While the cake is baking make the honey syrup.
HONEY SYRUP
100g honey 200ml water vanilla bean, split
FOR THE SYRUP
Place the honey, water and vanilla bean in a small pot and bring to the boil, then simmer for 20-30mins. Cool the cake a little then serve with the honey syrup and fresh cream.
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg SARAH’S TIPS & TRICKS
Wait 10-15mins before you take the cake out of the tin. If you rush it, the cake will crack. Use any seasonal fruit available for decorating the top of the cake. SERVES 8 • TIME TO MAKE: 1 HOUR
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“I think careful cooking is love, don’t you? The loveliest thing you can cook for someone who’s close to you is about as nice a valentine as you can give.” - JULIA CHILD
Hummingbird cake FOR THE CAKE
3/4 cup plain flour 3/4 cup self-raising flour
TO MAKE THE CAKE
To make the cake pictured, double the cake and icing ingredients and make two cakes.
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp ground cinnamon/nutmeg mix 1 cup brown sugar
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease 23 cm round cake pan. Line base and sides with baking paper.
1/2 cup cooked quince or apple 450g can crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
Sift flours, bicarbonate soda, cinnamon/nutmeg mix and sugar into a large bowl. Stir in pineapple, quince or apple, coconut, banana,
1 cup mashed banana
egg, oil and 1/4 cup cold water. Pour into prepared pan.
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup extra light olive oil 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn over onto a wire rack to cool.
FOR THE FROSTING
250g cream cheese, softened 2 tablespoon of lemon juice 3 cups icing sugar
TO MAKE THE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually add icing sugar and lemon juice. Beat until smooth. To compile, cut each cake in half, and spread icing between each layer. Spread icing on side of cake. Remove some of the icing to reveal the cake below and create desired naked effect. Pipe icing onto top of cake before decorating with seasonal foliage and flowers. SERVES 8 • TIME TO MAKE: 1 HOUR
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PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
WORDS ANNABELLE HICKSON PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
Sarah Glover Given the chance, chef Sarah Glover will find her way to the edge of a windswept cliff, a clearing in a pine forest, to a salty stretch of beach or to the bend of a trickling stream next to a grassy paddock. She will gather some wood, strike a match and use fresh, local ingredients – whatever is good that she can get her hands on – to cook up a storm. Her food is intuitive, fresh and uncomplicated and is a joy to eat. The thing that strikes me most about Sarah is that she is equal parts chef and adventurer. And her food is a reflection of this. There is a dramatic romance to it all. Armed with a knife, she will dive down into the ocean to gather abalones and cook them straight away over a fire on the beach. Dressed in a vintage formal maxi skirt and a flannel shirt, she’ll throw whole pumpkins in the coals of a campfire and then, when the pumpkins are soft and sweet, she’ll smash them with a spade on a nearby log and scatter them with goats cheese, fresh herbs and olive oil, to be eaten then and there. She is not constrained by tradition. She works with what she has in front of her, guided by what feels good and what tastes great. I am completely entranced by her approach to cooking; the fearlessness and fun and physicality she injects into each meal. Sarah, who grew up in Tasmania as the second oldest of eight children, has cooked professionally since she was 16. After working at restaurants in Tasmania, Sydney and New York, Sarah now lives in Sydney where she runs her own cookie company Bondi Bikkies, squeezing in a surf whenever she can. Sarah is also working on a cookbook (with Luisa Brimble behind the lens), which will be epic and full of adventure. Watch this woman people, she is incredible.
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PHOTOGRAPHY ANNABELLE HICKSON
PHOTOGRAPHY LEAN TIMMS
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PHOTOGRAPHY ANNABELLE HICKSON
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PHOTOGRAPHY ANNABELLE HICKSON
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PHOTOGRAPHY ANNABELLE HICKSON
PHOTOGRAPHY LUISA BRIMBLE
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