1. food and drink
2. desserts and baking

THE
RECIPE
BOOK
Bring the Australia Day
party to the workplace!
australiadayintheoffice.com.au
Let the celebrations begin…
Aussies love nothing
more than to come
together to eat,
drink and celebrate!
This collection of
recipes includes
Aussie favourites
that you can
make and share
to celebrate
Australia Day.
So, whether you’re
a master chef or a
cooking novice,
take to the kitchen
and whip up an
Aussie treat for
your workmates
this Australia Day!!
WIN the ‘Most Ozalicious’
trophy!
To enter, cook up a storm, take a
few snaps and share them on our
Australia Day in the Office Tasmania
Facebook page.
You could even make the Aussie
cook-off competition part of your
Australia Day in the Office event for a
bit of competitive fun between your
workmates! Use this recipe book, or
your own proven recipes to create
Aussie-themed culinary masterpieces.
The competition will be judged by
Tasmania’s Australian of the Year
for 2013, Andrew Hughes, with
the winner to be announced on
31 January 2013.
Contents
Contents
Savoury
Lamb meatballs
4
Damper5
Sausage rolls
6
BBQ garlic prawns
7
Cheesy Vegemite pastry twists 8
Sweet
Pavlova9
Echidna balls 10
Pineapple upside-down cake
11
Easy lamingtons 12
Banana cupcakes
– with passionfruit icing
13
For the novice chef
Aussie-mite sandwiches
14
Oz deli delight 15
Chocolate dipped strawberries
16
No-mess, no-fuss
fruit salad
17
Lamb meatballs
Family recipe supplied by the Tassie Australia Day in the Office team
makes 30
Lamb it up this Australia Day with
these delicious meatballs and mint
yoghurt dipping sauce.
Ingredients:
Method:
500g minced lamb
2 tbsp finely chopped mint
Thoroughly combine all ingredients for meatballs.
Shape into 60 small balls. Thread two balls onto
each skewer and refrigerate until ready to cook.
1 tsp ground coriander
To cook, place meatballs under a preheated griller
for 10 minutes, turning frequently.
¼ tsp ground pepper
Serve with mint yoghurt.
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp ground cardamom
Skewers for assembly
Mint yoghurt
To prepare mint yoghurt, mix all ingredients in a
bowl and serve.
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander
4
Damper
Recipe from www.taste.com.au
The bushman’s snack of choice. A true blue Aussie delight with
a modern twist (i.e. not cooked on a camp fire and this recipe
includes the not-so-traditional ingredient of butter – but all the
better for it we reckon!)
Ingredients:
Method:
450g (3 cups) self-raising flour
Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with nonstick baking paper.
80g butter, chilled, cubed
Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use your
fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the
mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Pinch of salt
185ml (3/4 cup) water
Add the water to the flour mixture and use a
round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until
the mixture just comes together, adding 1-2 tbsp
extra water if the mixture is a little dry. Use your
hands to bring the mixture together.
Note: For a savoury twist, serve
damper with olive oil and bush
dust (available from your local
specialty shop).
For a sweet twist, serve with
butter and golden syrup – yum!
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface
and knead gently for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.
Shape into an 18cm disc and place on tray. Use a
sharp knife that has been dipped in flour to mark 8
wedges on top. Dust the damper with a little extra
flour and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes
or until the damper is cooked through and sounds
hollow when tapped on the base.
Transfer to a wire rack for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
5
Sausage rolls
Family recipe supplied by the Tassie Australia Day in the Office team
makes up to 60
You just can’t go past the sausage roll
when having an Aussie celebration.
These sausage rolls are moist on the
inside and surrounded by melt-in-yourmouth golden pastry. Serve with a
squirt of tomato sauce and you’ll have
your work mates begging for more.
Ingredients:
Method:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 220C. Spray oven trays with
non-stick spray.
1kg sausage mince
Combine onion, breadcrumbs, mince, egg, tomato
paste, tomato sauce, parsley, garlic, mixed herbs
and seasoning in a large bowl and thoroughly
mix together. Alternatively you could use a food
processor.
½ cup breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp crushed garlic
2 tsp mixed herbs
Salt and pepper
6 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
Sesame seeds
Cut pastry sheets in half lengthways. Place equal
amounts of the filling mixture along the centre of
each piece. Roll each pastry piece, from one wide
edge, to enclose filling. Brush a little water on the
pastry edge to help it stick and press edge with a
fork.
Cut each roll into four or five pieces. Place on trays a
few centimetres apart and put three knife holes in
the top of each.
Combine and lightly beat egg and milk, then brush
sausage rolls with this mixture and sprinkle with
sesame seeds.
Cook for 10 minutes at 220°C, then drop to 175°C and
cook for a further 10-15 minutes until golden brown.
6
BBQ garlic prawns
Recipe by Julie Goodwin available at www.channelnine.ninemsn.com.au
serves 4
These prawns are simple and a great
addition to the heartier dishes usually
served at an Aussie barbie.
Ingredients:
Method:
24 green king prawns, peeled,
deveined with tails intact
Place prawns onto a board and using a sharp
small knife, cut down the back of each prawn to
“butterfly”. This gives the prawns more surface
area to absorb flavour.
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Zest of a lemon
¼ cup olive oil
Ground black pepper
Sweet chilli sauce to serve
Combine prawns, garlic, lemon zest and black
pepper and toss to mix evenly. Cover and
refrigerate for 1 hour or use immediately.
Heat a BBQ hotplate over high heat. Cook prawns
for 2-3 minutes or until just cooked through.
Remove to a server platter and serve with sweet
chilli sauce.
7
Cheesy Vegemite pastry twists
Recipe created by Melissa Hughes for Kidspot www.kidspot.com.au
makes 12
Simple but tasty and oh so Australian
with that Vegimite tang – a crowd
pleaser for your Australia Day in the
Office celebration.
Ingredients:
Method:
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
Place pastry sheet on bench to defrost. Preheat
oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
1 tbsp Vegemite (or to taste!)
Spread pastry sheet with butter, Vegemite and
then sprinkle with cheese.
1 tsp plain flour
Fold the bottom edge of the pastry over to encase
the ingredients, sprinkle with some plain flour and
use a rolling pin to roll out to original pastry
sheet size.
1 tbsp butter
½ cup grated tasty cheese
1 tbsp milk
Cut into 12 strips and twist 2-3 times. Place on
baking tray, brush with milk (or lightly beaten egg)
and bake for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp.
Serve warm or cold.
8
Pavlova
Recipe from A Cook’s Guide: the best of Donna Hay Magazine’s how to cook, by Donna Hay
serves 10
What could be more Aussie than a pav (not that the New Zealanders
would agree with you)? Every Christmas, birthday and Australia Day
just wouldn’t be a celebration without this delicious dessert – but stay
clear of the kiwi fruit (it is not an authorised Australia Day topping)!
Ingredients:
Method:
150ml eggwhite
(approximately 4 eggs)
Preheat oven to 150°C. Line baking tray with nonstick baking paper.
2 tbsp cornflour, sifted
Place eggwhite in the bowl of an electric mixer and
whisk until stiff peaks form.
1 cup (220g) caster (superfine) sugar
2 tsp white vinegar
1 cup (250ml) single (pouring) cream
½ cup passionfruit pulp
(approximately 4 passionfruit)
250g strawberries, hulled and
halved (or use other seasonal
berries and fruits)
Gradually add the sugar, whisking well, until the
mixture is stiff and glossy. Add the cornflour and
vinegar and whisk until just combined.
Shape the mixture into an 18cm round onto
prepared baking tray. Reduce oven to 120°C and
bake for 1 hour 20 minutes.
Turn the oven off and allow the pavlova to cool
completely in the oven.
Immediately before serving, whisk the cream until
soft peaks form. Spread over the pavlova, and top
with passionfruit and strawberries.
9
Echidna balls
Family recipe supplied by the Tassie Australia Day in the Office team
makes 36
It’s not what it sounds – just an Aussie slant on the well-loved rum
ball. We’ve used flaked almonds instead of desiccated coconut to give
the effect of an echidna’s spikes.
Ingredients:
Method:
395g can of sweetened
condensed milk
Grease and line two baking trays with baking paper.
2 tbsp cocoa, sifted
1 cup (80g) shredded or
desiccated coconut
250g milk arrowroot biscuits,
crushed
1 tbsp Irish cream (optional)
1 cup (80g) flaked almonds
Combine sweetened condensed milk, cocoa,
coconut, biscuits and Irish cream in a bowl and
mix well.
Roll heaped tablespoonsful of mixture into balls
and decorate with flaked almonds (as echidna
spikes), currents (as eyes), and liquorice (as echidna
snout). Place on prepared tray and refrigerate
until set.
½ cup currents
Liquorice strap, cut into 1cm lengths
10
Pineapple upside-down cake
Recipe from the Australia Day Recipe book available at www.australiaday.vic.gov.au
serves 12
Tangy, sweet and delicious. This cake
tastes as good as it looks and will be
sure to impress your workmates.
Ingredients:
Method:
440g can pineapple thins in
natural juice, drained
Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan-forced. Grease a
6cm-deep, 22cm round (base) cake pan. Line base
and side with baking paper.
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Begin by making the caramel topping by whisking
butter and sugar together in a bowl until combined.
Pour into prepared pan.
1 1/4 cups self-raising flour, sifted
Pat pineapple dry with paper towel and arrange
over caramel, pressing down into caramel.
1/2 cup milk
Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and
vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a
time, beating after each addition. Add flours and
milk then stir to combine. Spoon mixture over
pineapple and smooth the top.
125g butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup plain flour, sifted
Caramel topping
75g butter, melted
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
Note: This cake is delicious on
its own, but for an extra special
treat, serve with whipped cream.
Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a skewer
inserted into the centre of cake comes out clean
(cover loosely with foil if over-browning during
cooking).
Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire
rack and serve.
11
Easy lamingtons
This recipe was written by Weight Watchers as part of Kidspot’s
Positively Life Changing initiative www.kidspot.com.au
makes 20
You can’t go past the classic Aussie
lamington when celebrating
Australia Day. This version has all the
flavoursome goodness of delicious
lamingtons that we all know and love,
minus the excess kilojoules.
Ingredients:
Method:
1 X 3 second sprays of canola
or olive oil spray
Preheat oven to 190°C. Grease and line base of a
20cm square cake tin with baking paper.
3/4 cups caster sugar
Beat eggs with a pinch of salt. Add sugar and half
of the vanilla. Beat until thick and creamy.
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cups plain white flour
1/4 cup cornflour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
80g reduced-fat dairy blend with
canola (melted)
3 tbsp cocoa powder
2 cup icing sugar
1/3 cup desiccated coconut
Note: It’s a good idea to keep
the chocolate icing warm
when icing the lamingtons so
it doesn’t become too thick to
work with. You can sit the icing
bowl over a small saucepan of
simmering water.
In a separate bowl, sift together plain flour,
cornflour and baking powder. Add to egg mixture,
then carefully fold through 60g melted dairy blend.
Pour cake mixture into prepared tin and bake for
approximately 30 minutes, or until cake springs
back when lightly touched. Leave in tin for 10
minutes before turning out onto a wire cake rack to
cool. Cut into 20 squares.
Meanwhile, to make icing, dissolve cocoa in 1/3 cup
boiling water. Place icing sugar in a medium size
bowl. Add cocoa mixture, remaining dairy blend
and remaining vanilla essence. Stir well to combine.
Using a fork, skewer each cake square then spoon
over warm icing to coat. Lightly sprinkle with
coconut, then arrange on a lined baking tray and
set aside.
12
Banana cupcakes – with passionfruit icing
This recipe was created by Ella Walsh for Kidspot www.kidspot.com.au
serves 16
Everyone loves a cupcake! And they
provide a blank canvas so you can be
as creative as you like when decorating
them in your own Aussie theme.
Ingredients:
Method:
125g butter, room temperature,
Preheat oven to 180°C. Line 12-hole muffin pans
with paper cases.
2 eggs
2 cups self-raising flour
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together
until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time,
beating well after each addition.
1 cup mashed banana
Sift flour and spice together. Fold into butter
mixture with banana, sour cream and milk.
1 tbsp milk
Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan until each
case is 2/3 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes until cakes
are cooked when tested. Transfer to a wire rack to
cool completely before icing.
¾ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp mixed spice
¾ cup sour cream
Passionfruit icing
1½ cups icing-sugar mixture
1 tsp soft butter
2 tbsp passionfruit pulp
To make the passionfruit icing, combine all
ingredients in a heatproof bowl. Place over a
pan of simmering water. Stir until combined and
spreadable. Spread over cooled cakes.
Note: This recipe will make
about 16 cupcakes so you’ll need
to bake the extra cakes after
you’ve removed the first batch
from the oven – unless you have
2 muffin trays.
13
For the
novice chef
Aussie-mite
sandwiches
– we can’t all be
master chefs
For the more culinary
challenged cooks amongst
us, here are a few easy-aspie solutions that anyone
can have a bash at. It’s
pretty much an assembly
job followed by the one
golden rule: presentation,
presentation, presentation.
The trick here is to go over
the top - the more kitsch the
better! Think about ramping
up your green and gold colour
combinations, cutting your
tucker into fun shapes or the
ultimate winner – present your
food on a stick. It’s guaranteed
to make any creation 100%
more appetising (it’s the
only way we can account for
the popularity of the
dagwood dog!).
And of course, if there is any
chance to whack an Aussie
flag toothpick into it, then
the answer is always going
to be YES.
So try your hand at one of
these little beauties and wow
your workmates with your
awesome creative talents.
You’ll be surprised at how
popular they are and how many
compliments you receive.
Ingredients:
Loaf white bread
Vegemite
Butter or margarine
Method:
Take two slices of bread. Spread one slice with
butter or margarine followed by the Vegemite
and slap another piece of bread on top. Bobs your
uncle – Aussiemite sandwiches to go! Repeat until
desired quantity is reached.
Note: To Ocker-up your gourmet delight,
use Aussie themed cookie cutters to cut your
sandwiches into shapes and secure with an
Aussie flag toothpick.
14
Oz deli delight
Ingredients:
Method:
Cheese
Cut both the cheese and kabana into 1cm2
sized pieces. Thread a piece of cheese,
followed by a piece of kabana, and then a
pickled onion onto a skewer leaving a few
centimetres at one end so they can easily
be picked up (chop skewers to appropriate
length). Repeat until you have enough Oz
deli delights to go round.
Pickled onions
Kabana
Skewers for assembly
15
Chocolate dipped strawberries
(Aussie style)
Ingredients:
Method:
300g chocolate
Break the chocolate into even pieces and place into
a small heat-proof bowl. Microwave in 20 to 30
second intervals until chocolate has melted. Give
the chocolate a good stir between each burst and
keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn. Set aside
to cool slightly.
500g large strawberries
Aussie flag toothpicks for assembly
Line a baking tray with baking paper and place
an Aussie flag toothpick into the top of each
strawberry.
Dip strawberries one-by-one into the melted
chocolate so they are half covered and place onto
the tray. Refrigerate until set.
It’s not super Aussie, but they sure are
a crowd favourite!
16
No-mess, no-fuss
fruit salad
makes 18
Ingredients:
Method:
2 medium bananas
Who needs the hassle of crockery and cutlery –
that just equals more washing up for you!
The cheats fruit salad relies on your chopping and
skewering skills alone.
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup desiccated coconut, toasted
1 punnet strawberries, washed,
hulled, halved
3 kiwifruit, peeled, sliced
18 marshmallows
18 wooden skewers
Peel bananas and cut into 2cm slices. Toss gently in
lemon juice and coat lightly in coconut.
Thread skewers with fruit and marshmallows and
refrigerate for 20 minutes or until needed.
17
What could be more Aussie than celebrating
Australia Day twice?
On Friday 25th January get everyone together to
celebrate what’s great about Australia,
your workplace and workmates by holding a
morning tea, BBQ lunch, or Aussie quiz.
Register for free and download a toolkit of
Aussie ideas, plus go into the draw for a $400
prize to help cater your event.
To register visit:
australiadayintheoffice.com.au