Food From Down Under, Australia's Finest Cuisine

Aussie Meat Pies recipe
Pastry
2 cups plain flour
4 ounces lard, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons water (approximately)
2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

Sift flour into bowl; rub in lard. Add eggs and enough water to make ingredients cling together. Press dough into a ball; knead gently on floured surface until smooth, cover, refrigerate 30 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 portions. Roll each portion on lightly floured surface large enough to line 4-inch pie tins. Trim away excess pastry. Place tins on oven tray, line pastry with paper, fill with dried beans or rice. Bake in moderately hot oven about 8 minutes. Remove paper and beans, and bake another 8 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned; cool.

Filling
1 ounce lard
2 onions, chopped
1 pound ground (minced) beef
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons powdered beef bouillon
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
2 tablespoons water, extra

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Heat lard in pan, add onion, cook, stirring, until soft. Add ground beef, stir over heat until browned. Stir in sauces, bouillon, water and allspice. Bring to boil, simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixed with the extra water, stir over heat until mixture boils and thickens.

Spoon cold filling into pastry cases. Cut eight 5-inch rounds from puff pastry, brush edges of pastry with a little egg yolk, gently press puff pastry tops into place; trim edges. Brush tops with a little more egg yolk. Make 2 small slits in center of pies, place on oven trays and bake about 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Recipe can be made a day ahead and stored covered in the refrigerator.

Makes 8 pies.

Australian Sticky Date Pudding (Cake) recipe
This Australian recipe, a very moist, scrumptious cake (not what we'd call a pudding) has taken Down Under by storm. You'll find it on restaurant and dinner party menus across that country.

Cake
1/2 cup butter, room temperature, cut into eight
pieces plus extra to butter pan
1 1/4 cups chopped pitted dates
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

Caramel Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan with sides at least 2 inches high, such as a springform pan.

Place the dates in a saucepan and cover with water (about 1 1/2 cups). Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 3 minutes. Add the baking soda (the mixture will foam) and set aside.

In a bowl, cream the cut up butter, sugar and eggs, adding the eggs one at a time. Gently mix in the flour, salt and vanilla. Slowly stir in the baking powder and 1/4 cup of the liquid from cooking the dates, until the cake mixture resembles thick pancake batter. Drain off remainder of date cooking liquid and discard. Stir in the dates.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked in the center.

Sauce: Combine the butter, whipping cream, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Bring to a boil; reduce to simmer, and cook for 3 minutes.

To serve: Drizzle some of the sauce over the cake as it is cooling.

Serve remaining sauce separately.

Makes 10 servings.

Aussie Sausage Rolls recipe
Filling
2 pounds ground lamb
2 eggs
6 slices crustless white bread
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup tomato paste
Salt and pepper

Pastry
3 sheets puff pastry (11/2 packs Pepperidge Farms frozen sheets)
2 egg yolks
Sesame seeds, untoasted

Thaw puff pastry sheets to room temperature and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make fresh bread crumbs by putting slices of bread through a blender or food processor. Combine lamb, eggs, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well.

Roll pastry into flat sheets and cut into long, wide strips. (If using Pepperidge Farms sheets, cut in half.)

Place filling into sausage-shaped lines down the center of the pastry strips. Roll pastry over the top to enclose and then turn upside down so the seam is underneath. Cut meat-filled tubes into 6 portions and place on a nonstick baking tray. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 15 to 25 minutes or until golden and cooked through.

Serve with ketchup.

Frosted Meringue with Kiwifruit (Pavlova) recipe
This dessert celebrates ballerina Anna Pavlova. It was created to welcome her during her tour of Australia. Another popular fruit used to make this dessert is passion fruit.

3 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup chilled whipping cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced*

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Line bottom of 8- or 9-inch round layer pan with brown paper.

Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy; add vanilla extract. Beat in 3/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until stiff and glossy. Spread in pan. Bake 1 1/2 hours.

Turn off oven; leave meringue in oven with door closed 1 hour.

Finish cooling meringue at room temperature.

Loosen edge of meringue with knife; hit pan sharply on table to remove meringue. Invert onto plate (meringue will be crumbly on bottom and around edge). Remove paper.

Beat whipping cream and 2 tablespoons sugar in chilled bowl until stiff. Frost side and top of meringue, building up edge slightly. Arrange kiwifruit slices on top. Cut into wedges to serve.

Yields 8 servings.

* 1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh strawberries, cut into halves, raspberries, blueberries, or a combination of these can be substituted for the kiwifruit.