Taste of the Gardens

A Taste

of the

Gardens RECIPES VICKI RAVLICH-HORAN | IMAGES BRYDIE THOMPSON

Tucked away on the shelves in the Hamilton Gardens gift shop are jars of joy. The range, all made from produce grown in the gardens, includes lemon curd, damson plum jam, sweet chilli sauce and Seville orange marmalade. It’s a great use of the excess produce with the remainder being either sold to the Hamilton Gardens Cafe or donated to Kaivolution. These jars are brimming with a taste of the gardens and make a wonderful gift but are also equally worthy of a place in your pantry with proceeds all going back into our wonderful Hamilton Gardens.

Marmalade Steam Pudding

Just right on a cold winter’s night, this steam pudding is perfect for marmalade lovers! Serve it with thick creamy custard or pouring cream.

1 orange, unpeeled, thinly sliced into rounds 1 240g jar of orange marmalade 125g softened butter 1/3 cup caster sugar 2 eggs 1½ cup self-raising flour ½ cup yoghurt Simmer orange slices in a small saucepan of water for 3–4 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain, return to pan, add 3 large tbsps. marmalade and 3 tbsp water, and simmer until syrupy (1–2 minutes). Arrange in the base of a buttered 1.5 litre pudding basin or 6 dariole moulds/ ramekins for smaller puddings and set aside. Stir yoghurt and remaining marmalade together to break up the marmalade.

Beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour and yoghurt/marmalade mix, then spoon into the prepared pudding basin. Smooth top, cover closely with a round of buttered baking paper and seal with foil and string or a lid. Place in a large saucepan, add hot water to three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pudding basin, cover the saucepan with a lid and steam until a skewer withdraws clean (1½–1¾ hours). Top saucepan up with extra boiling water if necessary. Alternatively, place baby puddings in a deep tray, pour boiling water halfway up the sides of the moulds and bake in the oven at 180°C for 30–35 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Invert the warm puddings and glaze with any remaining marmalade syrup then serve with custard, cream, ice cream or all three!

HAMILTON GARDENS SEVILLE ORANGE MARMALADE

Forty-eight majestic Seville orange trees stand proud in the Italian Renaissance garden. But if you were a cheeky visitor who thought taking a bite might be alright, you’ll be in for a fright! These mouth puckering tart numbers are really only valued for their looks and eventually as marmalade.

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Marmalade and Chocolate Rugelach

These delicious, flaky Jaffa-like cookies are a delicious weekend treat. The dough is simple to make and can be frozen as a dough or once shaped, meaning you have fresh Rugelach within 30 minutes of feeling the urge. While I have used Hamilton Gardens Seville Orange Marmalade and chocolate to create a Jaffa flavour, you can swap out the filling to suit your tastes. Lemon curd and pistachio or white chocolate is delicious, as is finely chopped walnuts and cinnamon sugar. 2½ cups flour 225g cold butter, cut into small pieces 225g cold cream cheese, cut into pieces 1 egg yolk Hamilton Gardens Seville Orange Marmalade 125g dark chocolate, finely chopped or grated Combine flour, butter and cream cheese in a food processor. Pulse 4 to 5 times, then add the egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of cold water. Turn the processor on and process until the dough forms a shaggy ball. Transfer dough to a lightly floured bench and divide into three balls. Flatten these into thick discs and then wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. You can also freeze the dough at this point if you like. When ready to shape your rugelach, take the pastry out of the fridge and place on a floured bench. Roll the dough into a 27cm circle, using a dinner plate and sharp knife to trim edges. Spread the pastry with a thin layer of the marmalade then sprinkle with the grated chocolate. Using a sharp knife, pastry wheel, or pizza cutter, cut the pastry circle into 16 equal wedges. Starting from the wide end of each long triangle, roll up and press on the pointy end to seal. Place the seam side down on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining triangles, working quickly and placing cookies about 2 inches apart. Again, at this stage, you can freeze the rugelach to be baked at a later date.

Bake at 180°C for 20–25 minutes or until browned and flaky. Some filling may squish out; that’s okay. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

500g skinless boneless chicken breast/thigh, cut into small pieces. oil, for deep-frying 1 tbsp oil 2 cloves garlic, minced 2cm piece of ginger 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sake 2 spring onions, chopped 1–1 ½ cups Thai sweet chilli sauce 2 tsp lime juice 1 pinch salt 1 tsp white sesame ½ tbsp chopped coriander leaves

FRYING BATTER

1 egg white ½ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup cornflour ½ tsp baking powder ½ cup water, ice cold (sparkling if you have it) 1 tbsp cooking oil 1 pinch salt

Pound the chicken to make it slightly thinner, then chop into 2cm cubes. Grate the ginger and garlic and add to the sake and soy sauce to marinade the chicken in for 30 minutes.

Make the batter by mixing the flour, cornflour (or potato starch) together with the baking powder. Whisk in the egg white, followed by cold water. Heat up a wok or deep fryer with the oil to approximately 180°C, then, in batches, dip the chicken into the batter and deep fry until golden brown. Transfer the chicken out to a dish lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

Clean the wok or use a fresh skillet. Add the 1 tbsp of oil and stir fry the spring onion for 1–2 minutes. Add the sweet chilli sauce, lime juice and sesame seeds, followed by the chicken. Stir to coat chicken well with the sauce.

Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with steamed rice.

SWEET CHILLI

If you have ever planted a chilli in your garden you will know the dilemma of what to do with them all. Imagine 150 odd chillies and the harvest this yields. Thankfully the Hamilton Garden team’s chilli harvest can be made into this ever so handy sauce. Use sweet chilli sauce as an easy dip by mixing with sour cream. This is also the perfect topping for wedges or a baked potato. Swap the sour cream for cream cheese and spread on sandwiches or unbaked scone dough before rolling into delicious pinwheels. Slather it on salmon and bake or mix with soy sauce to marinade chicken nibbles. With so many ways to use sweet chilli sauce, it’s not only the perfect gift but a pantry essential, so make sure next time you’re visiting you stock up on this taste of the Hamilton Gardens.