The Perfect Australia Day Menu with Our Most-Loved Foods

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There are some pretty awesome things about being an Australian, and January 26th is the perfect time to recognise them. An Australian…

  • is bred tough thanks to a constant threat of pain or death inflicted by the country's creatures
  • actually knows the meaning of "girt"
  • understands that "you" has a plural – "youse"
  • knows what a Hills Hoist is really for
  • thinks every town should have something BIG to attract tourists
  • thinks it's perfectly acceptable to have a criminal who wears an iron helmet as a national icon
  • abbreviates almost anything without thinking – "servo", "arvo", "chocky"

But the best thing? Australians love their food.

In Australia, sausage rolls and meat pies are staples, lamb chops reign supreme, salads often contain a fruit, bread is cooked on sticks, and no evening is complete without a Tim Tam. So this Australia Day, why not celebrate with a menu that's fitting?

For Starters:

Kangaroo, Salsa Verde and Chili Sausage Rolls

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Image and recipe via SBS

Make your sausage rolls that bit more gourmet and that bit more Australian with the addition of kangaroo meat. They're delicious too!

Ingredients

445g ready-made frozen sour cream shortcrust pastry, thawed
500g kangaroo mince
2 eggs, one lightly beaten, the other reserved for glazing
2 tbs breadcrumbs

Salsa Verde

2 tsp baby salted capers, rinsed
4 baby cornichons, chopped
1 anchovy fillet
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 red chilli, de-seeded and chopped
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 cup chopped herbs (dill, basil, mint, parsley)
zest and juice of half a lemon

Method

  • Preheat oven to 180°C, lightly grease two baking trays and line with baking paper.
  • Place salsa verde ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.
  • Add kangaroo mince, breadcrumbs and egg, season well and pulse to combine.
  • Roll out pastry on a floured surface to create two 18cm x 25cm rectangles.
  • Divide kangaroo mixture in half and shape down the centre of each rectangle. Encase the mixture, then brush the seam with egg glaze. Repeat the other side.
  • Place sausage rolls on prepared trays and chill for 30 minutes.
  • Divide the rolls into eight, snip each top three times, and brush the pastry with remaining egg.
  • Cook for 25-30 minutes until golden.

The Main Event:

Lamb Chops with Pomegranate Relish

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Image and recipe via Bon Appetit

Lamb is an Australian staple, and the perfect main event to serve on our national day. You'll get to fire up the BBQ, and the addition of pomegranate relish makes it distinctly summery.

Ingredients

8 lamb rib chops
½ cup pomegranate seeds
¼ cup black olives, chopped
¼ cup feta
5 tbs olive oil
2 tbs flat-leaf parsley, chopped
2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

Method

  • Prepare a grill pan or BBQ for medium-high heat.
  • Toss together pomegranate seeds, olives, feta, parsley and 3 tablespoons of oil. Season to taste.
  • Rub lamb chops with remaining oil before rubbing with fennel seeds. Season a cook for four minutes each side.
  • Rest for 4 minutes, then serve with relish.

Sides:

Mango and Avocado Salad

Mango, Avocado and Macadamia Salad

Image and recipe via Taste

Two of our favourite summer ingredients combine in this delicious salad.

Ingredients

1 ripe avocado, cut into small cubes
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard
1 long red chilli, deseeded and sliced
100g rocket leaves
1 cup macadamia nuts, crushed

Method

  • In a small bowl, mix together lime juice, olive oil, garlic, mustard and sliced chilli to make the dressing.
  • Put the rocket in a large bowl, add the mango and avocado and the dressing and gently toss to combine.
  • Sprinkle with macadamia nuts to serve.

Peppered Camembert Dampers

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Image and recipe via Taste

There's nothing more Aussie than damper, but who really wants to eat the stuff unless you're camping and cooking it over a fire? To pay homage to the Aussie tradition but still offer something extremely tasty, try this gourmet take on it.

Ingredients

3 cups self-raising flour
1 ½ tsp cracked pepper
100g camembert cheese
90g butter, melted then cooled

⅔ cup milk

Method

(Note: Damper can be made by shaping onto sticks and then baking over an open fire, but on a hot summer's day, we recommend using the oven.)

  • Preheat oven to 210°C and lightly grease two baking trays.
  • Sift flour and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Add pepper and camembert.
  • Combine butter, ½ cup of milk and ½ cup water in a jug. Make a well in the centre of the flour and gradually add milk mix, stirring as you go with a flat-bladed knife.
  • Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until dough comes together.
  • Divide into 8 balls, slightly flatten, and place onto prepared trays.
  • Brush tops with remaining milk and taking a small, sharp knife, make three slits on each roll.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes, swapping trays halfway through. Serve warm.

Sweets:

Tim Tam Cake

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Image and recipe via Raspberri Cupcakes

Ingredients

4 large eggs
½ cup caster sugar
65g cornflour
¼ cup good quality cocoa powder
1 tbs plain flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
50g unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling

100g butter, room temperature
150g chocolate, melted
3 cups icing sugar, sifted
1 tbs milk
1 packet Tim Tam biscuits, crushed

Ganache

300ml pouring cream
400g milk chocolate, finely chopped

Method

  • Preheat oven to 180°C and line two brownie tins or one large sheet cake tin with non-stick baking paper.
  • Whisk eggs and sugar with an electric mixer, whipping for at least six minutes.
  • Sift in flours, cocoa, cream of tartar and bicarb soda, then fold to combine.
  • Spoon into prepared tin/s and bake for around 10-12 minutes.
  • While cake is cooling, beat butter until light and fluffy before adding icing sugar. Add chocolate, crushed Tim Tams and milk, then sandwich between the two cakes. (If using one tray, cut cake in half.)
  • To make ganache, slowly heat cream in a small saucepan and pour over chocolate to melt. Stir, then pour over the cake.
  • Chill in the refrigerator to set ganache.

To Drink:

The Pavlova

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Image and recipe via News.com.au

Turn the traditional dessert into a delicious cocktail your guests won't forget!

Ingredients

30ml vodka
20 ml apricot brandy
10ml Yellow Chartreuse
30ml lemon juice
20 ml Gomme Syrup
egg white
grapefruit bitters

Method

  • Add all ingredients to a shaker, and shake to emulsify egg.
  • Remove shaker lid, add ice, then shake again.
  • Strain into a cocktail glass, and top with a little passionfruit.

With your menu sorted, all that's left is to pump up the blow up pool, make a John Farnham-filled playlist and get the esky cold. Happy Australia Day!

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Mireille Kilgour

Mireille Kilgour

Mireille Kilgour has been an entrepreneur for 35 years in the hospitality sector. French born, she has been an accomplished business owner and operator for a number of Sydney venues. Leading the industry with high profile institutions such as Lamrock Café Bondi, she has endless passion for the industry, and now has the pleasure of supporting restaurants to fill their tables with the new Good Food Gift Card program.