4 cups(1L)water
2 tbsrocksalt
500gpicklingcucumbers
2 garliccloves,roughlysliced
(^1) / 2 bunchdill,frondspicked
2-3 tsp caster sugar (optional)
Topicklethecucumbers,addthewater
andsalttoa largesaucepanandbring
totheboil.Removefromtheheatand
setasidetocooltoroomtemperature.
Pack2 wide-mouthedsterilisedjars
tightlywiththecucumbers.Dividethe
garlicanddillbetweenthejars,pour
overthecooledbrineandsealtightly
withthelids.(If youlikeyourpickles
a littlesweet,youcanadda fewteaspoons
ofcastersugarat thisstage,too.)
Leavethejarssomewherecooland
darkforabout7 days,thengiveone
ofthepicklesa try.If it is saltyandsour,
thentransferthejarstothefridge;
if not,leavethejarswheretheyare
tokeeppickling.Jarswill keep in the
fridge until needed.
HOTCRAYFISH ROLL
SERVES 4
“I grewuponthecoastlineof
southernAustralia,famousforitsrock
lobster(akacrayfish),soit madesense
formetoincludethistakeonthe
famousNewEnglandlobsterroll here
[at The Hot Chicken Project]”.
1 × 600gcrayfish
4 store-boughtbriochebuns
80gunsaltedbutter,melted
2 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated
SAUCE
1 cup(250g)whole-egg mayonnaise
Juiceof^1 / 2 a lemon
1 tbsapplecidervinegar
2 tspDijonmustard
1 tsptomatosauce
(^1) / 2 cup(125ml)grapeseed oil
(^1) / 2 tspchillipowder
(^1) / 2 bunch dill, finely chopped
DRESSING
100gunsaltedbutter
100ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tspsmokedpaprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Bringa largesaucepanofsaltedwaterto
theboil.Carefullyaddthecrayfishtothe
panandboilfor7-8minutes,thenturnoff
theheat,coverwiththelidandleavetosit
fora further2 minutes.Removecrayfish
fromthepanandplungeit intoa bowlof
icedwatertostopthecookingprocess.
Forthesauce,whisktogetherthe
mayonnaise,lemonjuice,vinegar,mustard,
tomatosauce,grapeseedoilandchilli
powderin a bowl.Seasontotaste, then
foldthroughthedill.Setaside.
Forthedressing,meltthebutterandoil
togetherin a smallsaucepanovera low
heat,thenaddthepaprikaandcayenne
andwhisktogetherto combine. Set aside
andkeepwarm.
Removethecrayfishfromtheicedwater
andcutoffthetail.Cutlengthwaysdown
thetailandbreakawaytheshell,then
chopthemeatintoroughpieces.Transfer
thechoppedmeattoa bowl,sprinklewith
a pinchofsaltflakes,spoonoverthesauce
andmixeverything together well. Season
totaste.
Splitthebriochebunsdownthemiddle
andbrushtheinsideswithmeltedbutter.
Placea largefrypanoverhighheat,then
addbriochetothepan,buttered-side
down,andleavefor a few seconds until
lightlycharred.
Whilethebunhalvesarestillwarm,
bringthemtogetherandpilethemhigh
withthebabycosleavesandthesauced
crayfishmeat.Spoonover the buttery
dressing to serve.
HANDPIES
MAKES 15
“I don’thavemuchofa sweettooth,so
theseareperfect.Youcanfillthesewith
anythingyoulike,really– freshberries,
stewedfruit,cannedfruit– andtheycan
alsobeeasilyadaptedtomakethemwork
forsavouryfillings,justomitthesugarfrom
thepastry.If youcan’tgetholdofcake
flour,justsift1 tbsofcornflourwiththe
samequantityofplain(all-purpose)flour,
less1 tbs.”Beginthisrecipe1 dayahead.
You will need a kitchen thermometer.
600gseasonalfruitsuchas
blueberriesorstrawberries,
cutintosmallchunks
Vegetableoilorlard,to fry
Icing sugar, to serve
PASTRY
280gunsaltedbutter, chilled
90glard,chilled
650gcakeflour,sifted
11 / 2 tbscaster sugar
2 tspsalt
235ml ice-cold water
Forthepastry,cutthebutterandlard
into1cmcubesandplacein the freezer
for 10 minutesoruntilfirm.
Combinetheflour,sugarandsaltin
a bowl.Addhalfthebutterandlard
cubesandtosstocoat,thentransfer
themixturetothebowlofa standmixer
withthepaddleattachmentandbeat
togetheronmediumspeed,gradually
addingtheremainingbutterandlard
asyougo,untilthemixtureresembles
a coarsemeal.Addthecoldwaterand
beatagainslowlyuntilit formsa rough
dough.Removefromthemixer,wrap
thedoughin plasticwrapand
refrigerateovernight.
Ona lightlyflouredworkbench,
rollthedoughoutto4mmthickand
cutit into13cmcircles.Youwill have
approximately 15 circles.
Coverhalfofeachpastrycircle
withseasonalfruit,leavinga smallborder
aroundtheedge,thenfoldthepastry
overtocoverthefruitandpressalong
theedges,pinchingandfoldingtoseal.
Transferthepiestothefreezer for
20 minutestofirmup.
Whenreadytocook,half-filla large
deepheavy-based,saucepanor
deep-fryerwithoilorlardandheat
to180°C.Workingin batchesof
2 or3, carefullylowerthepiesintothe
hotoil,shakingthepangentlyso
theydon’tsticktogether,andcook
for8-10minutes,turningeveryminute
orso,untilgoldenandcrispallover.
Removefromtheoil,drainonpapertowel
anddustwith icing sugar while hot,
to serve.
EXTR ACT.