Cooking the Australian Way

by Elizabeth Germaine, Ann L. Burckhardt, Robert L. Wolfe (Photographer)

An introduction to the cooking of Australia, featuring such recipes as egg and bacon pie, Anzac biscuits, pumpkin soup, and glazed kiwi tart.

Index - Maps Metric Conversion Chart - Safety Hints

Genres: Cookbooks, Nonfiction

72 pages, Library Binding

First published July 1, 1990

Reviews

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our oldest is in love with the Wombat books by Jackie French. Her new goal in life is to one day move to Australia and rescue wombats. So, when she saw this cookbook at her elementary school library, she was excited to learn how to cook "the Australian way."

This book offers a concise look at the life and typical cuisine of various people in Australia, including sheepshearers, bushmen, and ranchers. We learned that "Australia has 13 times more sheep than people." After this introduction follows an interesting menu of different courses that vary in complexity.

We enjoyed reading this book together, and while I'm not sure how many of the recipes we will make together, I loved discussing some of the different foods that Australians eat, like Vegemite. Below is the recipe for Anzac biscuits, which look fairly easy and delicious.

Anzac Biscuits (p. 27)

Named for the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC), which fought in World War I.

ingredients:
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 Tablespoon honey or light corn syrup
3 Tablespoons boiling water
1 1/2 Teaspoons baking soda

kitchen parchment paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil

1. Measure the oats, coconut, flour, and sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl; toss to mix.
2. Melt butter and honey or corn syrup in a small pan over medium-low heat.
3. Pour boiling water over baking soda and stir to dissolve. Add to the melted butter mixture.
4. Pour the butter mixture over the dry ingredients; mix well.
5. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cover 2 baking sheets with kitchen parchment paper or heavy-duty aluminum foil (dull side up).
6. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough 2 inches apart onto prepared baking sheets.
7. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
8. Cool cookies on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes, then remove with a spatula and cook on wire racks. When cool, store in an airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

[Dray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat dated and extremely small cookbook. Nonetheless, there are not a lot of Australian cookbooks.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are too few cookery books from the Land of Oz; everyone in Australia eats and what they eat ought not be kept secret from the rest of the world. This small book, written for a juvenile or young adult audience, could fill that gap in most culinary libraries. One of the authors was born in Australia and studied at the Cordon Bleu in London. Some of the recipes offer suggestions to reduce the fat content in the dishes. The text would have benefited from more recipes but contains some Antipodean gems: ANZAC biscuits, salads combining fruits and vegetables, lamingtons, and damper (which is described as "classic bush tucker").

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

short collection of Australian recipes geared toward older children, includes sections on the country and cooking tips, great photos, tempted to make: anzac biscuits, glazed kiwi tart, roast leg of lamb with roast vegetables and gravy, pavlova, and macadamia nut bread

[Kittybellj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Used for daughter's research on Australian cooking for Foods class.