Leaning Into Aussie Beef and Lamb

Leaning Into Aussie Beef Aussie Beef and Lamb and Lamb

Lance Cook, Executive Chef of Hammock Dunes Club, is leveraging the endless culinary possibilities with Australian beef and lamb.

By Isabelle Gustafson, Senior Editor

LANCE COOK, WCMC, CEC, CCA, CFBE, FMP, CFSM, Executive Chef of Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast, Fla., is always looking for new ways to hone his skills and excite and engage members through his cuisine.

So when he was invited to attend a two-day culinary immersion event at Ansley Golf Club in Atlanta earlier this year, he was eager for the opportunity to learn about Australia’s sustainably raised, grass-fed beef, wagyu and lamb.

“The event was awesome,” says Cook. “I had worked with some of these products before, but I didn’t know much about [Meat & Livestock Australia’s] True Australian Beef & Lamb brand up to that point. I found it to be extremely informational.”

He learned that sustainability is a major focus for the region. Australian lamb is entirely climate-neutral and contains 13 essential nutrients, including iron, zinc, omega-3 and B vitamins. It’s free of artifi cial additives and hormone growth promotants.

The Australian red meat industry will be carbon-neutral by 2030.

Because the animals graze on pure, natural grasslands throughout their lives, they are lean and low in cholesterol, yet full of fl avor.

The immersion event also focused on new and excting cuisines and o ered ideas for how Australian beef and lamb could be used to showcase trends like charcuterie, bocadillos, modern Greek, island escape, Mexican comfort, salt, and savory pies. There was also a segment on “fl avors on the edge,” which covered pandan, minari, garums, boondi, htipiti and frico.

After the presentations and sessions, the chefs were put into teams of two to plan dishes featuring di erent cuts of Aussie beef and lamb. They headed to Atlanta’s Buford Farmers’ Market, equipped with a $50 gift certifi cate for ingredients. Then they set to work.

on “fl avors on the edge,” which covered pandan, minari, garums, boondi, htipiti

After the presentations and sessions, the chefs were put into teams of two to plan dishes featuring di erent cuts of Aussie beef and lamb. They headed to Atlanta’s Buford Farmers’ Market, equipped with a $50

UP FOR THE CHALLENGE

Cook was paired with Lance Warren, Executive Chef of Bent Tree Country Club in Dallas, Texas. The teams were challenged to create three di erent dishes for Ansley’s members to enjoy that evening.

“The pairing into teams was benefi cial for me personally,” says Cook. “I had known some of these chefs before, but I hadn’t spent much time with them. This opportunity helped expand my network. Chef Warren and I continue to collaborate and share menu ideas.”

At the True Aussie Beef and Lamb immersion event in Atlanta, Lance Cook, Executive Chef of Hammock Dunes Club (right), was paired with Lance Warren, Executive Chef of Bent Tree CC (left). The two were tasked with creating three distinct dishes for Ansley Golf Club’s members to enjoy using Australian beef and lamb products.

For the fi rst challenge, the chefs were asked to craft an entrée suited to a board dinner, featuring a rump roast of Australian lamb. “We decided on a fall-inspired red winemushroom-onion stewed lamb, wrapped with a baguette crostini and served with wilted greens, beet-infused asparagus, pickled white beech mushrooms and buttered broccolini tops,” says Cook. Next, the chefs had to prepare a summertime dish that could be served at the pool or golf shop. Cook and Warren were provided with grass-fed ground lamb and decided to prepare a lamb kofta with roti, a carrot-arugula-sesame salad, cucumber raita and pickled red onions.

For the third and fi nal challenge, the chefs were asked to create a dish inspired by current dining trends using ribeye. They prepared a beef tartare bocadillo with parmesan frico, tomato concasse, fried capers, red onions, olive oil, garlic aioli, garlic buds and pickled mustard seeds.

“[Warren and I] had both worked with products very similar to these,” says Cook, who wanted to incorporate specifi c trends discussed at the event. “Our goal was to make something universally appealing and innovative.”

fall-inspired red winemushroom-onion stewed lamb, wrapped with a baguette crostini and served with wilted greens, beet-infused asparagus, pickled white beech mushrooms and buttered broccolini tops,” says Cook. Next, the chefs had to prepare a summertime dish that could be served at the pool or golf

UPDATING THE MENU

Since the event, Cook has been fi nding elegant ways to employ all that he learned during the immersion event.

“Every three days, we o er seven new features,” he says. “And we’ve been incorporating a lot of the Australian beef and lamb products.”

New and noteworthy dishes include masala, made using Australian lamb sirloin, served with cucumber slaw and a yogurt sauce, as well as a Mediterranean-style burger using ground lamb and olives, topped with cucumber, red onion and feta, served on either a brioche bun or Mediterranean bread.

Hammock Dunes members also love Cook’s lamb Tbone served with a chimichurri sauce, as well as his rack of lamb with a persillade crust.

“We have Aussie lamb shank on our menu right now for fall,” says Cook. “It’s braised for about 24 hours. Sometimes I serve it with gremolata, but I’ll change it up other times and do a leek confi t on top.”

Cook especially likes to use Australian wagyu beef for wine dinners.

“We do at least one wine dinner a month,” he says. “Often, we’ll make a fl at iron steak; sometimes, we make a ribeye or a fi let mignon. All of these cuts are excellent quality, and the members enjoy learning the story behind these products.” C+RC