Queensland: I felt completely at home here

Transcription

1 Queensland: I felt completely at home here Queensland has long been a favourite for Kiwis travelling to get some sun, surf and fun at the theme parks. But for me, it has been proven to be much more than that. In fact, my eyes have been completely opened to its culinary flare, beautiful landscapes and of course the people. The place looks and feels a little like Asia, sounds very Aussie and has a typically relaxed Australian attitude. The variety of produce and seafood are second to none. From memory, there are more than 40 types of bananas alone. Mix all that together and we Kiwi s are in for a great trip. I felt completely at home here and found myself cooking and eating with legends like Nick Holloway from Restaurant NuNu and having an absolute blast doing it. This guy is working hard to make Queensland a culinary heavyweight and doing a superb job at it! If you want a quick and easy escape, this is the place to do it, it truly has something for everyone. Brett McGregor. A highlight for me was crabbing with local guides. This is not something for the faint hearted but well worth the effort when you get to taste the amazing seafood on offer. You just want to keep exploring the miles of untapped coastline and beyond. I even got to forage for a few green ants, which were surprisingly tangy and lemon-like.

2 QLD: Local Heart of Palm Salad Serves: 1 Recipe creator: Nick Holloway 8gm ginger miso caramel 30gm pineapple granita 50gm heart of palm, shaved into ribbons 8gm cucumber, brunoise no skin 10gm daikon pickle 2gm dried daikon 5 garlic crisps ½ egg, soft boiled 2gm honey & crispy rice 1 pinch hibiscus flowers ginger miso caramel 100gm ginger, grated finely 250gm caster sugar 1gm white vinegar 2gm healthy boy brand thin soy sauce 300gm mirin reduced to 100gm 300gm white miso paste 100gm sesame seeds, roasted & crushed 100gm Korean chilli paste (gochujang) Heat the caster sugar in a heavy skillet to achieve a dark caramel and then remove from the heat and add the ginger, its juice, vinegar and thin soy. Next add the reduced mirin, white miso paste, crushed sesame seeds and Korean chilli paste. Continue to stir off the heat until cool. Store refrigerated indefinitely.

3 Pineapple Granita 1 pineapple 1gm citric acid Juice the pineapple and skim off any accumulated foam or froth from the top of the juice and stir in the citric acid. Freeze until solid and then crush into a grainy icy consistency (ice crusher is best). Daikon Pickle 100gm water 100gm white vinegar 50gm caster sugar 1gm salt 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced longways 200gm daikon, sliced thinly into rounds Bring the water, vinegar, sugar and salt to the boil and then leave to cool completely. Vacuum pack the daikon, garlic and pickling solution on full vacuum to compress.

4 Dried Daikon 1 daikon Peel and julienne the daikon into long threads and dehydrate overnight in a dehydrator. Garlic crisps Garlic vegetable oil Slice the garlic long ways into very thin slices. Gently fry in the vegetable oil over a medium heat until pale yellow and resembling corn flakes. Remove the crisps from the oil & scatter on paper towel to drain.

5 Honey & crispy rice 150gm white glutinous rice vegetable oil for frying 72gm honey 132gm brown sugar 50gm butter 2gm bi carb 2gm salt 80gm white sesame seeds, roasted and crushed 80gm black sesame seeds, roasted and crushed 1sheet nori, toasted and ground Boil the rice until cooked and then strain and wash the rice in cold water to remove the excess starch. Spread the rice in a thin layer of a dehydrator and leave to dry overnight. Puff the rice in hot oil and then drain on paper towel. Make a caramel with the honey, sugar, butter and salt and then whisk in the bicarb. Spread the rice on silicon paper on a baking sheet and pour over the aerated caramel. Cook in the oven at 110C for 15minutes, stirring regularly to separate the grains then allow to cool. Use a mortar and pestle to lightly break apart the crunchy rice and stir in the sesame seeds and nori. Store in an airtight container until required. In a frozen (or deeply chilled) bowl place the ginger miso caramel and then cover it with the shaved heart of palm and the pineapple granita. Top the granita with the cucumber and daikon pickle. Next, make a nest with the dried daikon and garlic crisps. Place the egg on top and scatter over the honey & crispy rice and flowers. Serve immediately.

6 QLD: Crab Salad Serves: 2 Cooking time: 25 minutes 1 mud crab, whole 300g green pawpaw 10g coriander bunch, root for dressing, pick leaves for salad 1 red chilli, long 20g garlic peeled, flash fried 20g ginger, fresh, flash fried 40g shallots, flash fried 10g shrimp paste 1 lime, juice 15ml fish sauce 30g palm sugar, light 1 young coconut, flesh julienned 1 ruby grapefruit, segments To cut the crab, make sure it has been in the freezer for at least 1.5 hours if freshly caught and dispatch by slicing between the eyes. Rip the shell from the back and remove the guts. Using the back of the knife, break the claws and slice the crab into four quarters. In a hot wok, add the broken and cleaned crab and cook until meat is opaque (around 6 mins for a 1kg muddy). Thinly slice garlic, ginger, shallots on mandolin and flash fry. Put on paper towel to dry. In a pestle and mortar make a spice paste from the flash fried ingredients, including coriander root, chilli and shrimp paste. When the paste reaches consistency, season with lime juice palm sugar and fish sauce. For the salad, julienne the pawpaw and the young coconut. Pick the coriander leaves and segment the grapefruit. Pick the crab meat (if for 4 take meat from claws too, if 2 then reserve claws for garnish) mix all ingredients just before serving. Tip: Best served with a great Northern stubbie!

7 QLD: Kangaroo Prosciutto Crepe Serves: 1 Cooking time: 10 minutes 1 cup of gluten-free and organic buckwheat flour 1/2 cup water 1 egg Cheddar cheese, shaved Handful baby spinach, roughly ripped Goat s cheese curd 100g shaved kangaroo prosciutto Handful cherry tomatoes, cut Bush tomato chutney sauce, to serve Sprinkle parsley, to garnish Using 100% organic buckwheat flour, mix with water to create a thin paste. Blend with an electric mixer to reduce lumps. Pour the mixed batter on the hot crepe maker, which is set to 180 degrees. Stir the mix in a circular motion with the crepe stick to flatten the mix in a perfect circle. After about 30 seconds or until the bubbles begin to surface, turn the crepe over with a spatula. Crack one egg onto the crepe and spread the egg white onto the whole crepe, keeping the yolk intact. Sprinkle a decent amount of cheddar cheese onto the crepe. Add tiny pieces of baby spinach evenly on top of the cheese, reserving the egg. Fold two bottom corners of the crepe inwards to create a cone-shaped and press down edges using the back of a knife. Place kangaroo prosciutto on top of the crepe evenly, add the cherry tomatoes and goat s cheese paringly on top. Sprinkle some parsley to finish and plate with a side of bush tomato chutney sauce. Serve immediately.