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Summertime is an excellent theme for this ICSA, and while the northern hemisphere swelters, here in the northern tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, it is mid-winter. Australian architecure is unfamiliar with the advanced concepts of "insulation" or "central heating" so these two Canadians (my wife and I) shiver under electric blankets and dream of warm Decembers. Fuelling these dreams are classic Australian summer foods, especially that appliance so central to Aussie culture, the Barbie! I decided to try my hand at a simple take on the mixed grill, accompanied by potato salad and pavlova for dessert. Before I could get started on the food, I had to set up the BBQ. I'd picked this one up at the local Tip Shop, where salvageable items from the municipal dump ("tip" in Aussie) are sold for a shrug and a wave - I think the cost of this BBQ, complete except for a fuel bottle and not as dirty as one might think, was zilch. The employees at the Tip Shop know us and are happy to have us carry / wheel random items out of their yard. Then it sat in the garage waiting for me to pay some attention to it. I took the fuel hose to Bunnings and bought a full fuel bottle in their swap program, and then cleaned up the BBQ with lots of oven cleaner and hooked everything up. It fired up right away, though the ignitor seems not to be working - direct application of flame to the burner with the gas on quickly resulted in pretty blue flames.  Restored BBQ by ExecuDork, on FlickrWith the cooking device for the central course sorted, I went to the kitchen. I made four things: mixed grill (steak, sausages, chicken drumsticks); BBQ sauce; potato salad; and pavlova. BBQ Sauce The recipe was a simple one from the internet that assured me it was authentically Australian: BBQ Sauce  BBQ Sauce ingredients by ExecuDork, on FlickrIt's a very simple recipe, just soften the onion in oil then simmer everything for 5 minutes.  BBQ Sauce by ExecuDork, on FlickrMixed Grill Not so much a recipe as just putting meat on the BBQ for the first time. I had a pair of scotch fillets and a set of 6 sausages from a local beef operation, Good Life Beef - we'd bought a 10Kg box a few weeks ago, and I added a pair of chicken drumsticks (nothing special there, just a pack from Woolies).  Meat for Grill by ExecuDork, on FlickrI got the BBQ good and hot then put everything on. Then, I brushed BBQ sauce all over everything, and stuck a meat thermometer into one of the chicken pieces, after I got it un-stuck from the grill plate.  Mixed Grill by ExecuDork, on FlickrSorry for the blurry picture, it was well past sunset (at about 6:30pm) and my phone doesn't quite know how to deal with light from my camping headlamp. Potato Salad This was from my 2007 edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook, Creamy Potato Salad.  Potato Salad ingredients by ExecuDork, on FlickrThe ingredients for the potato salad, minus the potatoes and the hard-boiled eggs.  Potatoes by ExecuDork, on FlickrThe spuds, ready to cook.  Potatoes and BBQ sauce by ExecuDork, on FlickrFront: potatoes for the potato salad; Back: BBQ sauce simmering.  Hard Cooked Eggs by ExecuDork, on FlickrI had gone back and forth in my mind on the eggs, and I didn't hard-cook the 4 eggs called for in the recipe until everything else for the salad was done. My hesitation stemmed from the egg-intensity of this meal - after these eggs went into the salad, we had only one egg left. The pavlova consumed many. Pavlova Pre-made pavlova bases, a cylinder of merringue, can be bought in the grocery stores around christmas. But they are harder to find in mid-winter and anyways, I wanted to make one from scratch. Again, I found a recipe that claimed to be authentic: Pavlova  Pavlova Ingredients by ExecuDork, on FlickrI consider myself reasonably skilled at separating eggs and baking in general. So I was not particularly concerned by the tiny amount of yolk that snuck into the bowl. It was only later, after much mixing and swearing, that I discovered the magnitude of that mistake.  Endless Whipping by ExecuDork, on FlickrAccording to the "Don't make these mistakes!" site I found, even a very small amount of yolk will prevent a merringue from solidifying, and mine remained stubbornly liquid despite my increasingly-desperate additions of more vinegar, more corn flour, and a seventh egg white (no yolk from this one). The recipe clearly describes a process of building the pavlova base by spooning and shaping very firm whipped egg whites, and mine was much more like cake batter. I used a removable-bottom cake pan as a mould and put it in the not-very-hot oven.  Moulded merringue by ExecuDork, on FlickrAn hour and 20 later I just turned off the oven and propped the door open to let it cool slowly. The pavlova took the greatest amount of time to prepare, so while it was baking and cooling I was busy making the other three items. We were getting hungry and I was feeling very uncertain about the pavlova so I put the meat on the grill and we ate the main course while the pavlova was still in the oven - probably, by this point, it had cooled sufficiently. Wine  A Nice Crisp White by ExecuDork, on FlickrThe before-supper wine was a nice crisp white, a broad concept very popular in Australia, particularly on a warm summer afternoon. This riesling went down very well.  Hearty Shiraz by ExecuDork, on FlickrDuring supper, which heavily featured grilled red meats, we drank a big hearty red. Australian shiraz suited this meal nicely. Supper  Mixed Grill and Potato Salad 1 by ExecuDork, on Flickr Mixed Grill and Potato Salad 2 by ExecuDork, on FlickrThe steak turned out particularly well - delicious! Feeling nicely relaxed by the wine and good conversation of supper, I regained my courage and returned to the kitchen. The merringue had set, at least on top, with a nice light-brown dome above the mould.  Merringue by ExecuDork, on FlickrThis was a false top - when I pulled up on the mould, the top detached from the softer material below, which collapsed somewhat under its own weight.  Merringue Geology by ExecuDork, on FlickrI was able to separate the crisp dome from the mould, and I assembled the pieces on top of the blob.  Lemon by ExecuDork, on Flickr Ladyfinger Bananas by ExecuDork, on FlickrThe recipe called for lime juice, to coat sliced ladyfinger bananas. A coworker was handing out lemons from her tree earlier this week and it provided a good amount of juice for the last ladyfinger bananas I could find at the shop. I'd never had one before, they're smaller and less round in cross-section than the cavendish bananas I usually buy. I sliced up three golden kiwis and a handfull of strawberries, then grated 85% dark chocolate on top of everything. Then I decided it needed bigger pieces of chocolate so I chopped some larger chunks and threw them on top. Dessert  Pavlova by ExecuDork, on Flickr Pavlova Cut by ExecuDork, on Flickr Pavlova closeup by ExecuDork, on FlickrAbsolutely wonderful. And it made an excellent breakfast the next morning. Big thanks to Liquid Communism for running this ICSA, I had a great time. I'm looking forward to testing my new knowledge about merringue and about grilling as the weather warms up here.
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Aug 14, 2022 09:59
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that pavlova looks like delicious mess, you nailed it!
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Aug 16, 2022 06:02
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drat. would crush that pavlova right now. Meringue is so satisfying to get right.
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Aug 16, 2022 18:39
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The pavlova was goddam fantastic. I very much did not nail the meringue, it was slimy when I moved The Blob onto the platter for cream-and-fruit adding. But it tasted loving amazing.
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Aug 17, 2022 01:21
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