delicious Australia - March 2018

PHOTOGRAPHY

NIGEL LOUGH

STYLING

KIRSTEN JENKINS

MERCHANDISING

EMMALY STEWART

WE LIVE OUR LIVEStied to an invisible bungee cord; no matter

howhardweruntowardsthefuture,thereisaconstantpressure

pullingusbacktothepast.Andevenworse,itseemsweloveit.

LookatthecurrentsuccessofTVshowslikeStranger Things

orRiverdale,whichareloadedwithretroreferences.Lookat

music’slong-runningdesiretosamplethehitsofthepastto

makethehitsoftoday,whetherit’sRayCharles’‘IGotA

Woman’poppingupinKanye’s‘GoldDigger’,orDeadmau5

sampling Chopin. Look, too, at fashion, which seeks to reinvent

everythingfrom’80sshoulderpadstotheLBD–constantly.

Foodisnodifferent.Chefsconstantlyseekinspirationinthe

past,andfoodwebsitesarebombardedwithrequestsforrecipes

fromthe’70s,’80sorevenearlier.Maybeit’snostalgia,maybeit’s

ussearchingforthereassuranceofwhat,throughrose-coloured

glasses,seemedlikeasimplertime,butwhenIlaunchedmylast

cookbook,inordinateattentionwaspaidtoitsretrorecipes.

So,whatarethetopfiveretroclassicsweshouldrevisit...

THE VOL AU VENTI’ve made it a crusade over the past couple of

yearstobringthiscompellingcombinationofcrispy,butterypuff

pastrywitharichfillingbackfromthedead(mushroomand

thyme...hamandcheese...chickenandleek...sigh!).Forgetthe

dust-dry pre-baked shells and make your own full-sized main-

coursevolauvents,asheroedbyFrenchculinarysuperstarsAlain

DucasseandAlainPassard.Loadthefillingswithfreshherbsand

alittleaciditytobalancetherichnessandavoidgluggyness. The

modernvolauventfillingshouldbelightandbright.

CHOW MEINThis dish so beloved by our earliest Chinese

restaurantshasfadedfromviewsincethearrivalofawokinevery

homeandtheubiquitousTuesday-night‘stir-fries’ofwhateveris

in the crisper drawer. Bring it bang up to date by frying your

noodlessotheyareniceandcrispybeforeyoustartcookingyour

vegandsauce.NodtothosepioneeringChineserestaurantsby

‘velveting’chickenforyourchowmeinbymarinatingitinamixture

of1eggwhite,1tbscornflourand1tbsricewineforhalfanhour

beforecookinginbatchesinthewok.Makesureboththenoodles

andchickenarethenonlyaddedbacktothewokattheverylast

moment before serving, to ensure that velvet texture remains.

RISSOLESNot since theThe Castledebuted has this meatball-

burgerhybrid been celebrated. Derided... yes, belittled... yes,

butnotcelebrated.Remindyourselfthatrissolescanbemade

sexierbyusingyourfavouritemincewithmatchingseasonings–

pork with five-spice powder, lamb with chopped mint and mashed

Everything old is new again, not thatMatt

Prestonis complaining, as he gives five

old-school culinary classics a modern twist.

ILOVETHE

RETURN

OF RETRO

peas, or chicken mince with chopped coriander (roots, stems and

leaves) and tender lemongrass. Then, when cooked, glaze them

inthepanwithasyrupycombinationoforangejuice,ricewine

andsugar;redcurrantjellyandredwinevinegar; or palm sugar,

fish sauce and lime juice, respectively.

MEATLOAFMeatloafhasburstforthfromitsdullandgrey

chrysalislikesomesortoftastymincebutterfly.Ifyouneed

convincing that meatloaf can be a thing of beauty, try making

achickenversionglazedwithonionjamloadedwithmustard

seeds, or my cheesy Mr Kransky’s meatloaf from last year. You’ll

findtherecipeatdelicious.com.au.Warning:it’snotaclassydish.

SWEET AND SOURThegreatestretrosauceevermadeIMHO

wasthisChinesetakeawayclassic.Foramodernversion,dump

thebatteredfriedporkinfavourofservingitsparinglyover

barbecued chicken thighs or pork meatballs. Like so many great

’60sand’70ssauces,itallstartswithhalfacupoftomatosauce

addedtoacoarselychoppedandfriedonionand,similarly

treated,aredandagreencapsicum.Stirina225gcanof

pineapple chunks with the juice,^1 / 4 cupricewinevinegar,1tbs

castersugarand2tbssoysauce.Slowlybringtothe boil over

medium-low heat, then simmer for five minutes.

RETRO GINGER SNAP CREAM CAKE

SERVES 6-8

Begin this recipe 1 day ahead.

1cup(250ml)sweetsherry

(^1) / 2 cup (125ml) ginger cordial (from good grocers)
600mlthickened cream
250g ginger snap biscuits
100g white chocolate, melted
Thinly sliced candied ginger, to serve
Tomakethegingersyrup,placesherryandcordialinasaucepan
over high heat and bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes or until
reducedbytwo-thirds.Setasidetocool.
Meanwhile,inastandmixerfittedwiththewhiskattachment,
whiskcreamtostiffpeaks,thenchilluntilneeded.
Tomakecake,brushbaseandsidesofa12cmx17cm1.5L
(6-cup)loafpanwithsomegingersyrup.Reserveandchill^1 / 2 cup
(125ml)whiskedcreamforfinallayer.Brushbothsidesofenough
biscuitstolinebaseofpreparedpanwithsyrupandusetocover
basecompletely,overlappingslightlyandbreakingtofitwhere
necessary. Top with^1 / 2 cup(125ml)whiskedcream,smoothing
top with a palette knife. Repeat layering process with biscuits,
syrupandcreamuntilpanisalmostfilled,finishingwiththe
reserved chilled cream. Smooth surface with a palette knife,
thenchillovernightforbiscuitstosoften.
Tomakethechocolateshards,spreadaverythinlayerof
chocolateacrossapieceofbakingpaper.Coverwithasecond
pieceofbakingpaperand,fromashortend,rollintoacylinder
and loosely secure with an elastic band. Freeze overnight.
Thenextday,unrollchocolate(itwillbreakintoshards)and
top cake with shards. Scatter with candied ginger to serve.
44 delicious.com.au
I’M LOVING.