From meat loaf to apricot chicken, give daggy dinners a new twist for today

JUST LIKE facial hair and pocket squares, what’s old is new again and dinner is no exception. Hip inner-city menus are strewn with old-school classics including prawn cocktails — here’s how to transform daggy dinners into family favourites at home.

WALDORF salad and prawn cocktails. Carpetbagger steak and crepes suzette.

Just like facial hair, pocket squares and Brylream, what’s old is new again and dinner is no exception.

Hip inner-city menus are strewn with old-school classics given a twist for today with a retro revival in full swing.

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But how to transform the daggy dinners of yesterday — apricot chicken and beef stroganoff and tuna mornay — into family favourites of today.

We’ve asked some of our best cooking brains how to turn dinner with flares into dinner with flair.

DEVIL’S ADVOCATE

“I have fond memories of devilled eggs in my school lunch box from leftovers of cocktail parties my mum catered for,” says Guy Stanaway. The executive chef at Jackalope on the Mornington Peninsula says his twist on this retro classic was inspired by a deep-fried version he tried in San Francisco which has become a playful mainstay on the menu at Rare Hare.

“Like a hybrid of a scotch/devilled egg, I fell in love with the crisp outer matched with a spicy creamy texture.”

And if you have neither the time nor inclination to deep fry your devilled eggs don’t worry — Guy says they are just as delicious without.

Better than the devilled you know: Rare Hare’s version by exec chef Guy Stanaway is worth a drive down to the Mornington Peninsula.

LOAFING AROUND

Matt Preston is a master of reinventing classics and making them cool — or at least making them delicious for today’s tastes.

“I’ve been a fan of reviving dishes ever since I started my Retro Revival column in Taste magazine with their food guru Michelle Southan five or so years ago. It’s such a rich playground of deliciousness,” he says.

Over the years the cookbook author and kitchen whiz has turned his hand to making meat loaf marvellous — forget about the solid grey block served with lumpy mash and say hello to chicken mince meat loaf with onion jam and a kransky-inspired version that oozes with melted cheese.

Hidden treasure: Pork and beef meat loaf with bacon jam gives a modern twist to an old family favourite.

In his latest book Yummy, Easy, Quick he gives an Indian twist to chicken meat loaf thanks to tandoori paste and a mango chutney glaze.

“There has been a huge wave of interest in revisiting retro classics but in a way that’s a bit more modern. This means making lighter versions but that still pack the same familiar flavour punch. Like we say on MasterChef there is no point recreating a dish unless you improve it.”

WINNER WINNER

“It was definitely a staple when I was growing up,” says Sharlee Gibb of that 80s classic one-pot wonder — apricot chicken.

But rather than use the packet of French onion soup mums around the country once relied on, the co-author of Mr + Mrs Wilkinson includes dukkah and, perhaps controversially, Promite, in her modern version to give a salty depth to the sweet fruity sauce.

Coating the chicken in flour and spices and browning the meat first adds depth of flavour before putting it in the oven, with tinned apricots adding juicy sweetness at the end.

“The kids love eating chicken drumsticks, and I add cauliflower in there to sneak in some veg,” she says.

Apricot chicken for a new generation thanks to Sharlee Gibb’s recipe in Mr + Mrs Wilkinson. Photography: PatriciaNiven

GONE SURFING

Head chef of Argentinian restaurant Palermo in the CBD, Ollie Gould says his early memories of “Surf and Turf” involve pre-steamed Moreton Bay bugs atop flavourless steak with béarnaise sauce.

“Three no no’s in this day and age,” he says.

To transform it into a dish for today, he suggests using a good grass fed beef — “my preferred would be O’Connor’s scotch” — that will help to highlight the flavour of the seafood atop. Ollie says soft and buttery scallops work at treat.

“As scallops are difficult to buy fresh for the home, I prefer Canadian scallops as they are fat and keep their moisture as they cook.” A pan sear on either side to caramelise the outer with a sprinkle of good sea salt at the end is all they need — Ollie cautions against salting before cooking as this draws moisture out from the shellfish. “Resting your beef well to avoid bleeding on the plate is a must!”

Chimichurri is a versatile condiment which, if balanced correctly, goes with anything — and Argentinians put the mix of chopped curly parsley, chilli, garlic, dried oregano, red wine vinegar and vegetable oil onto everything. “Earthy, acidic flavours with a slight hit of chilli helps to mould the beef and scallops together without over powering,” he says.

Going swimmingly: healthier surf and turf. Picture: taste.com.au

STROG ROCK

“When I worked at Mosimanns in London we would serve at lunchtime ‘Emince de veau Lucernoise’, a dish compromising cream, sliced veal, wild mushrooms, vegetables and fresh tagliatelle,” says Sean Donovan from Fitzroy’s Town Hall Hotel.

While the Swiss serve a version with roesti and Russians use dill to finish their dish, and there’s even the mention of soy sauce in Stalin’s iconic mid-20th century cookbook — The Soviet Book of Healthy and Tasty Food — they are all basically versions of the same dish that found favour in households across Australia in the 70s thanks to a can of cream of mushroom soup.

“I have based my updated version of beef stroganoff on a recipe from the grandmother of some Russian friends of mine. I noted all the ingredients were pantry items so I have kept it that way. They would serve it with matchstick potatoes which I thought was something you don’t see every day.”

Meat, mushrooms, cream and pasta: stroganoff is born anew.

SHOW ME THE MORNAY

For Iki-Jime’s Sam Homan the best way to update the bake that every Australian family has sat down to over the years is to source better quality produce. A tuna mornay made from fresh yellowfin tuna, as opposed to tinned, Sam says will go a long way to creating a memorable meal.

His version is a type of lasagne, with layers of thinly sliced potato interspersed with tuna and white cheese sauce.

Sam suggests barbecuing the seasoned and olive oil-dressed potato slices — “this will give the dish a nice charred smoky flavour” — and then layering a ceramic dish with the potato, the tuna sliced into 5mm thick pieces, and the sauce, sprinkling the final layer with grated cheese.

Cook gently in the oven (you don’t want to dry out/overcook the fish) — test by inserting a knife into the centre and checking the temperature, you’re looking for it to be just above room temp. Blastunder the grill to give the top a lovely golden gratineed finish.

Why not give a light and healthy twist to tuna mornay by transforming the classic into a salad?

REAL MEN EAT THIS

At its core, it’s bacon and eggs in a tart — and who doesn’t love that? — so quite why Quiche Lorraine came to be a casualty of early 80s gender politics at a time of moustachioed masculinity is a bit of a mystery.

But real men do eat quiche, and master baker Michael James from South Yarra’s Tivoli Rd not only eats but makes a mean one, too.

“I made this classic often when I first started working in kitchens, in the big 5 star hotels,” he says.

“Caramelised onions work so well with so many savoury dishes, and eggs, bacon and onion is my ideal way to start the day, especially when warm from the oven.”

Nothing niche about a quiche, for what’s not to love about eggs and bacon?

Blind bake the tart shell, and then spread caramelised onions evenly over the bottom of the base. Sprinkle freshly chopped chives and thyme on top. Add a mixture of eggs, cream and a little milk to fill the tart, ensuring that it doesn’t overflow. Grate some gruyere cheese on top, just enough to cover so you get colour and a little crispness.

Michael says it’s best to bake the quiche not too high or too fast in the oven, as that will over cook the egg mixture — you want a slight wobble, as the residual heat will keep cooking the egg mixture through after you take it out of the oven — similar to a custard or lemon tart.

“The end result should be a rich and silky filling packed full of flavour from the herbs, spice, eggs, bacon and cheese, with a little grating of nutmeg on top to finish.

Peach Melba pavlova is something to sing about. Recipe at taste.com.au

LIFE’S A PEACH

Pastry prince Pierre Roelofs says it was in the weighty tome known as Larousse Gastronomique he first came across Peach Melba.

“As a 16-year-old apprentice I read it from cover to cover. I was fascinated by the era of grand European hotels and superstar chefs such as Careme and Escoffier. My desire to pursue a short-lived career in hotels was born then and there,” he says.

His version uses Australian ingredients “in order to better celebrate an Australian Dame”.

For the raspberry sauce, in a food processor blitz 250g raspberries, 25g icing sugar and lemon juice to taste, then sieve to remove seeds.

In a pot bring to the boil 500ml water, 250g sugar and the seeds from 1 vanilla pod. Add 2 ripe yellow peaches, halved and stoned, and reduce to a simmer for 5 mins. Remove from heat, add 8 lemon myrtle leaves and leave to stand for 20 mins to infuse. Remove the peaches gently with a slotted spoon and place them onto a plate lined with paper towel to drain. Gently peel away the skin from the peaches.

To serve, divide the sauce between 4 bowls. Place a peach half in the bottom of each bowl. Spoon a little poaching syrup over the top, place a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream onto each peach.

Scatter Geraldton wax sprigs and freeze dried raspberry over the top and serve immediately.

Pierre will serve a peach melba version of his famous dessert tube at the next batch of Dessert Evenings at Minanoie in Collingwood on Aug. 23, 24 and 25.

RECIPES

DEVILLED EGGS

Recipe: Guy Stanaway

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

Red onion pickle

100 ml Chardonnay vinegar

100g Red onion

5g pickling spice

Salt

Crumb mixture

4 hard-boiled eggs

50g plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

50g panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper

Curried mousse

4 cooked yolks

1 tbsp creme fraiche

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp Keens Curry powder

1 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp chopped chives

10 ml chardonnay vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

8 sprigs fresh dill

METHOD

Bring the spice to the simmer with the vinegar, add the sliced red onion rings and remove from the heat. Allow the mix to cool reserve until needed.

For the eggs, toss the peeled hard-boiled eggs into the seasoned flour. Coat the egg in the beaten eggs and place into the breadcrumbs. Pat the egg to ensure an even coating.

To deep fry, fill a pot with canola or vegetable oil to about half the depth of the food you’ll be frying. Turn the burner to high, and heat the oil until a pinch of flour sizzles.

Fry the eggs until golden, around 1-2mins. Allow to cool slightly. Cut eggs in half lengthways and remove yolks.

For the curried mousse, mash yolks with a fork. In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, creme fraiche, chardonnay vinegar, mustard and curry powder until well combined, then stir in the egg yolk, chives and lemon zest. Taste and add more of any of the seasonings to suit your taste. Pipe or spoon the mix into the yolk cavity. Garnish with the pickled red onion and fresh dill.

HINT: Serve on scrunched baking parchment to help them stop rolling around.

APRICOT CHICKEN

Recipe: Sharlee Gibb

SERVES 4

1/2 cup plain flour

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp dukkah

8 free-range chicken drumsticks

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp Promite or other yeast extract — based spread (optional)

600 ml apricot nectar

1/4 cauliflower, cut into small florets

5—6 apricots, halved (fresh or tinned)

1 tsp apple-cider vinegar

salt flakes to taste

rice to serve

METHOD

Put the flour and spices in a bowl, add two of the drumsticks and shake to coat. Remove and set aside on a plate, then repeat with the remaining drumsticks.

Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add half the drumsticks and brown all over. Remove from the pan and set aside, then add the rest of the oil and repeat with the remaining drumsticks, setting them aside once browned along with the first batch.

Add the Promite, nectar and 100 ml water to the pan and cook, stirring, for 2—3 minutes, until the Promite has dissolved. Return the drumsticks to the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes, until the drumsticks are just cooked through. Remove the lid, add the cauliflower, apricots and vinegar and cook, uncovered, for a further 2—3 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft. Season to taste with salt and serve with rice.

Edited extract from Mr & Mrs Wilkinson’s How It Is At Home by Matt Wilkinson and Sharlee Gibb published by Hardie Grant Books

VEAL STROGANOFF

Recipe: Sean Donovan

1kg veal rump steak (or fillet for a bit more luxury)

100 g butter

4 onions, peeled and sliced

5 cloves garlic finely grated

500 g button mushrooms chopped

2 tbsp flour

2 cups sour cream

21/2 tsp Keens mustard powder

2 1/2 tsp of wholegrain mustard

2 tsp soy sauce

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Dill and parsley chopped

METHOD

Flatten veal steak with rolling pin or mallet and cut into strips. Heat butter in pan and caramelise onions and garlic. Add meat and mushrooms, stir until cooked, sprinkle flour over meat and stir for a few minutes. Stir in sour cream. Turn off heat and let stand.

Mix mustard powder, wholegrain mustard, soy sauce, sugar and salt in a dish. Slowly add 1-2 tsp boiling water to form a thick paste. Mix well and add more water if needed. Allow paste to stand for 10 mins. Before serving, add paste to pan and heat through.

Serve with pommes allumettes (matchstick potatoes) and buttery pasta with chopped parsley and dill.