The ultimate Australia Day recipes from Qld’s top chefs

From pink lamingtons to a lamb roast with a twist, some of Queensland’s best chefs share their favourite Australia Day recipes.

FORGET throwing another snag on the barbie, it’s time to turn your Australia Day feast gourmet.

From prawn cocktails to roast lamb, we’ve asked some of Queensland’s top chefs for their favourite quintessentially Aussie recipes.

Simple and easy to make at home, they’ll lift your celebrations up a notch and are guaranteed to impress your friends.

“[A prawn cocktail] it’s the perfect dish because it highlights our amazing Mooloolaba prawns [which] are so sweet and elegant,” said chef Kelvin Andrews from SK Steak and Oyster in Fortitude Valley.

“Paired with a light cocktail sauce and fresh lettuce, it becomes a decadent dish for everyone and can be eaten anywhere – at the park for a picnic, on a boat or at the beach.”

Bianca Cannell with Hibiscus Jammie Lamingtons, part of the high tea of Australia at the W Brisbane. Picture: Liam Kidston

HIBISCUS JAMMY LAMINGTONS

Recipe: Chef David Ho from Living Room Bar, W Brisbane

MAKES 20

200g shredded coconut

Hibiscus jam

500g rosella

500g sugar

250ml water

¼ teaspoon vanilla paste

250ml freshly squeezed lime juice

300g sugar

130g fruit thickener / Arrowroot powder

Genoise sponge

9 eggs

1 cup (110g) caster sugar

2/3 cup (100g) plain flour

120g butter, melted

METHOD

1. Make the jam. Use a blender and blend the rosella into a smooth puree.

2. In a clean pot, bring 500g sugar, water, lime juice and vanilla paste to a boil.

3. Incorporate the rosella puree, stir occasionally to prevent from burning.

4. Meanwhile, incorporate 300g sugar and thickener powder and set aside. Make sure there are no lumps.

5. When the mixture in the pot begins to boil, add in the sugar and fruit thickener mixture, stirring continually until it thickens.

6. Remove from the heat, and cool. Once cool, put in a blender and blend until smooth. Store in a sterilised airtight jar and refrigerate until ready for use.

7. Make the sponge. Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a deep 20cm (8-inch) square cake pan and line base with baking paper.

8. Place eggs and sugar in large heatproof bowl over large saucepan of simmering water (do not allow water to touch base of bowl). Beat with electric mixer for about 10 minutes or until thick and creamy.

9. Remove bowl from pan and beat mixture until it reaches room temperature.

10. Triple sift the flour. Sift half of the flour over egg mixture, carefully fold in flour; fold in remaining sifted flour. Quickly fold in cooled butter. Pour mixture into pan.

11. Bake sponge for about 20 minutes. Turn sponge, topside up, onto baking-paper-covered wire rack to cool. When cool slice into fingers 2.5cm x 10cm.

12. Dip sponge fingers into jam mix then lightly cover in shredded coconut.

Alistair McLeod’s honey-brined brined shoulder of lamb with mint sauce recipe by Alastair McLeod. Picture: Miranda Porter

HONEY BRINED SHOULDER OF LAMB, MINT SAUCE

Recipe: Alastair McLeod, chef-owner of Al’FreshCo, alfreshco.com.au

SERVES 4

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp juniper berries

2 cloves

2 litres water

80g sea salt + 1 tbsp extra

35g honey

2 lemons, halved

6 bay leaves

Handful of parsley stalks

1 lamb shoulder on the bone (about 1.3kg), trimmed

4 sprigs of rosemary

12 cloves of garlic, peeled

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 litre lamb stock

Mint sauce

1 clove garlic, roughly chopped.

¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked

1 bunch mint, leaves picked

75ml grape seed oil

75ml extra virgin olive oil

50ml lemon juice

Sea salt

Fresh milled pepper

Pinch of sugar

METHOD

1. Gently bruise pepper, juniper and cloves in a pestle and mortar.

2. Bring water to the boil with 80g of salt, honey, spices, lemon, bay leaves and parsley stalks. Stir to ensure the salt has dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool then pass through a fine sieve. Pour over the lamb shoulder and refrigerate for 3 hours.

3. Remove lamb and place into a deep baking tray. Pick the rosemary and finely chop with the garlic then mix with the 1 tbsp salt and olive oil. Rub this mix all over the lamb. Pour the lamb stock into the tray. Place a sheet of baking paper over the whole tray and then tightly wrap in foil. Place in oven preheated to 100C for 10 hours, or the lamb falls from the bone.

4. Remove foil and pour lamb stock through a fine sieve into a container and leave to settle. Cover the lamb and place into the fridge to cool. When the lamb stock is cool the fat will settle on the surface. Remove this then place in a medium pot over a high heat and reduce by half. When ready to serve, increase oven to 180C. Uncover lamb, add reduced stock and cook for a further 30 mins or until golden.

5. For the mint sauce, place all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until silky. Serve lamb with vegetables of your choice and anoint generously with mint sauce. 

Pavlova, like this one from Daniel Espinosa from George's Paragon, never goes out of style.

CLASSIC PAVLOVA

Recipe: Chef Daniel Espinosa from George’s Paragon, Brisbane City

4 egg whites

1 cup caster sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp cornflour

Whipped cream and fresh fruit to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 130C. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.

2. In a mixing bowl, add sugar, lemon juice and sifted cornflour and beat until stiff and shiny (at least 10 minutes).

3. Pile meringue onto lined tray in a large circle or smaller individual circles for individual portions, leaving the centre slightly hollow.

4. Bake at 130C for 1 hour or until crisp on the outside. Turn off the oven and leave the pavlova to cool completely in the oven with the door ajar.

5. Decorate with whipped cream and fruit to finish.

Prawn cocktail from SK Steak & Oyster in Fortitude Valley.

SK PRAWN COCKTAIL

Recipe: Chef Kelvin Andrews from SK Steak & Oyster, Fortitude Valley

SERVES 4-6

1kg cooked king prawns – peeled and de-veined

Fresh lemon

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

Iceberg lettuce

Cocktail sauce

300g whole mayonnaise

150g tomato ketchup

25g Worcestershire sauce

Pinch of Espelette pepper/chilli (Tabasco to substitute)

METHOD

1. For the sauce, mix all ingredients together with the pepper to taste.

2. Finely slice the lettuce and dress lightly with a splash of oil and squeeze of lemon.

3. Place lettuce in serving dish as. Add prawns on top and drizzle on cocktail sauce. Serve with fresh lemon on the side.