tinuing on with Australian food info we have the Vanilla Slice or more commonly called "Snot Block." This is the Australian version of the french Mille-feuille a dessert made of layers of pastry and custard generally topped with icing or fondant. The main difference between the vanilla slice and it's french counterpart is the latter uses many layers of pastry where the Australian version generally only has two layers. The pastry portion is thought to have originated in Naples, Italy but the origins of the first combined with custard is disputed between the French and Hungarians. The Vanilla Slice is credited with giving the rural town of Ouyen a new start after drought and the termination of the train to Melbourne almost made the town go bust. On a 1997 visit, Premier Jeff Kennett tried a vanilla slice at a local bakery and declared it the bast he had ever eaten. From this point on Ouyen has hosted the yearly Great Australian Vanilla Slice Triumph giving the town national media attention and bringing in masses of tourists.Tim Tams are a chocolate biscuit (cookie) made by Arnott's. A Tim Tam is compose
d of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. The name Tim Tam comes from the winning horse of the 1958 Kentucky Derby. Arnott's came under scrutiny in 2004 when Tim Tams were infused with different flavored liqueurs. Some people called the company irresponsible since this product was easily available to minors. Critics were silenced when the fact was released that one would have to eat over 1000 Tim Tams for the alcohol to have any
effect. The Tim Tam has become famous for not only it's delicious flavor but for the Tim Tam Slam. When Matt was over in June he met most of my family and Tim Tams in hand taught them how to do the Tim Tam Slam. Take small bites off each end of the biscuit and suck milk, coffee or tea thru the Tim Tam...yummy!! If you would like to watch a video demonstration watch this...
d of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. The name Tim Tam comes from the winning horse of the 1958 Kentucky Derby. Arnott's came under scrutiny in 2004 when Tim Tams were infused with different flavored liqueurs. Some people called the company irresponsible since this product was easily available to minors. Critics were silenced when the fact was released that one would have to eat over 1000 Tim Tams for the alcohol to have any
effect. The Tim Tam has become famous for not only it's delicious flavor but for the Tim Tam Slam. When Matt was over in June he met most of my family and Tim Tams in hand taught them how to do the Tim Tam Slam. Take small bites off each end of the biscuit and suck milk, coffee or tea thru the Tim Tam...yummy!! If you would like to watch a video demonstration watch this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boQadANaPsY Tim Tams have made it to the States. Cost Plus World Market carries them now and in Chicago they sell them at Century Center Mall movie theatre.
The Balmain Bug doesn't sound appetizing especially if you thi
nk, as the name suggests, it really is an insect but trust me they are DELICIOUS!!!! The Balmain Bug is a type of slipper lobster and is closely related to the rock lobsters. The bug is fished off the southern coast of Australia all year round and the edible meat comes from the tail. The meat has a delicate, sweet taste and is medium in texture. The bug is named after the Sydney suburb Balmain and is a favorite in Sydney fish shops.
nk, as the name suggests, it really is an insect but trust me they are DELICIOUS!!!! The Balmain Bug is a type of slipper lobster and is closely related to the rock lobsters. The bug is fished off the southern coast of Australia all year round and the edible meat comes from the tail. The meat has a delicate, sweet taste and is medium in texture. The bug is named after the Sydney suburb Balmain and is a favorite in Sydney fish shops. The Pavlo
va...the dreaded Pavlova ended my perfect Aussie food record. So maybe I got a little cocky baking wonderful ANZAC cookies and even making a half decent damper. Stupid Pavlova! The origin of the "Pav" is another debate between Australia and New Zealand. The one aspect of the Pavlova that is agreed upon is that it was named after the ballerina Anna Pavlova. New Zealanders say a chef at a hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, created the dish when Pavlova visited there in 1926 on her world tour. Australians say the pavlova is based on a cake baked by Bert Sachse at the Esplanade Hotel in Perth on October 3, 1935. Either way I thought I would have a crack at making one. It did
n't sound so hard...whip up a few egg whites with some sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and a bit of vinegar and Viola! Pavlova! So I popped one in the oven and then my impatients started. One thing I learned for sure is DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN!!! So sadly my pavlova fell but Matt being a very supportive man said he was sure it would still be tasty. I whipped up some cream, cut up some strawberries and served it up. "Yummy!" was Matt's first reaction but then cries of "Don't Eat It! Don't Eat It!" came as Matt dashed to the trashcan and spit my pavlova out. It seemed to have separated into two layers. The top layer was the proper meringue but the bottom layer was sort of a gelatin egg layer. Lucky for me there is a wonderful little invention called Pavlova Magic. All you need is the contents of th
e plastic egg, water and sugar and You Too can make a Beautiful Pavlova!!! My second attempts certainly looks better than my first. I haven't tried it yet because truthfully I don't even like meringue. At least there is no "egg jell-o" on the bottom.I am looking into a few other things so will probably do one more food post before I go. One thing I don't plan on trying is the Aboriginal delicacy whitchetty grubs. http://www.rumbalara-e.schools.nsw.edu.au/bushtucker/Xyleutes_sp.htm
Even I won't be this adventurous.
