Cherries and chocolate for Christmas

Cherries from the Granite Belt are plentiful at Christmas... here is something cool and sweet for a hot summer's day.

Chocolate pannacotta with cherries and raspberries

Ingredients

200ml milk

375ml cream

2 tbsp castor sugar

100 g dark couvertures, chopped small

2 leaves gelatine

4 cardamom pods

1 dessertspoon coffee beans

150g cherries

150g raspberries

Method

In a heavy based saucepan, warm the milk, cream, castor sugar, cardamom pods and coffee beans.

Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 2 minutes to soften. Remove and add to milk mixture along with the chocolate.

Stir to dissolve and strain out coffee beans and cardamom pods into a bowl over ice.

Stir continuously until mix starts to cool and pour into moulds or martini glasses and let set whilst covered over night.

Turn out onto plates and decorate with cherries and raspberries.

Add a scoop of your favourite icecream.

Queensland wine match:2005 Ballandean Estate, Sylvaner

Christmas in Queensland

Christmas Day in many households in Queensland starts off planned as a day of festive cheer. It quickly turns into a week of torture as we organise for family and friends to celebrate with each other at this special time. This year, break the mould - get your partner more involved, do your preparations early and don't be a slave to tradition or the kitchen!

Buy some beautiful fresh vegetables and fruit, in particular delicious berries and stone fruit from Stanthorpe, but of course keep it simple. For those visiting, what better present than Queensland prawns, oysters and mudcrabs.

Order your produce for the festive season in advance to secure the best ham, turkey or prawns.

Salad of shaved ham, fetta and figs

Ingredients

420 g shaved ham

9 purple figs, ripe

180 g Kingaroy fetta

2 bunches of rocket, trimmed and washed

large basil leaves

150 g fresh peas, podded

1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts

extra virgin olive oil

aged balsamic vinegar

Method

Place shaved ham to cover the outside of the plate.

Cut figs in half and place 3 halves per plate.

Follow with rocket leaves dressed with a splash of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Scatter with peas and hazelnuts and finish with Kingaroy fetta.

Queensland Wine Match: 2009 Witches Falls Fiano

Summer seafood

Recently I talked about Red Throat Emperor... here is a recipe I recommend, perfect for a summer lunch.

Baked Red Emperor with soba noodle salad
Serves 6

Ingredients
Salad
Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl, mix thoroughly.

120g soba noodles, cooked
1 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
1 red chilli, julienned
1/4 medium Daikon (white radish), peeled and julienned
2 lebanese cucumber, peeled, de seeded and julienned
75g bamboo shoots, julienned
50g pickled ginger, julienned
1/2 medium salad onion, peeled and finely sliced
30g bean sprouts
30g snow pea sprouts
18 coriander leaves
18 mint leaves
18 vietnamese mint leaves

Coconut Dressing
Blend and strain the following ingredients:

1 tsp caster sugar or palm sugar
150 ml coconut cream
3 limes, juiced
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tsp sambal olek
1 dessertspoon ketjap manis*
1 clove garlic
1 coriander root

Fish
1 Red Emperor (2.5kg scaled and gutted)
4 stems lemon grass, peeled, crushed and chopped
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 red chillies, cut in half
50 ml ketjap manis
2 limes, halved
25g butter
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4 stems of coriander, chopped

Method
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Spread out aluminium foil and lay down the red emperor.
Cover the fish with crushed lemon grass, lime leaves, chilli, butter, ketjap manis, limes, garlic and coriander stems.
Wrap up and place on a baking tray. Place in fan forced oven for approximately 30 minutes.
Remove to cool slightly.
Divide salad evenly between 6 plates. Using a slice or a spoon, remove fish from off the bone and place next to salad.
Dress with coconut dressing and serve.

Marvellous mangoes

The Queensland mango season is about to start, so it's time to think about how you can make them a feature of your summer menu. There are lots of different varieties to choose from - my preference is the more acidic varieties because I like to use them in savoury dishes. The Kensington Pride (aka Bowen) mango remains the most poular breed among Australian consumers. The Calypso (pictured) a breed developed in Queensland is a cross between the Kensington Pride and a Florida Red Blush variety that gives it a distinctive red/pink blush. It has a smaller seed and firm, sweet fibreless flesh which makes it excellent for salads and cooking. Other varieties include the Honey Gold - very sweet and good in smoothies or with ice cream; the R2E2; Keitt and the Kent. 67% of Australia's mangoes are grown in North Queensland and the season runs from late November to March.

Choosing a good mango is relatively simple. You use your nose. You can usually tell the perfectly ripe mango by how it smells. Give it a good sniff - the aroma should be strong but sweet. After choosing a ripe mango, store it in the refrigerator and eat it within three days.

Macadamia nut parfait with caramelized mango

Serves 6

Ingredients
100g roasted macadamia nuts

1 vanilla pod

175 ml milk

2 egg yolks

50g caster sugar

1 dessertspoon honey

200ml whipped cream

2 whipped egg whites

2 Honey Gold mangoes cut into slices

4 dessertspoons castor sugar

Method

Split vanilla bean and heat with milk.

Cream egg yolks and sugar and then slowly add vanilla milk.

Heat in a heavy based pot on low until mix lightly coats the back of a spoon.

Remove from heat and cool.

Remove vanilla bean.

When cool, add whipped cream, honey, egg whites and 75g of macadamia nuts. Fold lightly.

Pour into 6 moulds, cover and place in freezer overnight.

To unmould, run around edge with a pairing knife or dip quickly into boiling water.

Turn out onto plates.

Sprinkle sliced mango with castor sugar and place under a hot grill until caramelized.

Allow to cool and place next to each parfait.

Garnish with macadamia nuts.

Summer seafood

Summer in Queensland equals fresh seafood. Most people will know about iconic Queensland products - Gulf barra, Crystal Bay prawns, Hervey Bay scallops, Moreton Bay bugs and oysters.

This summer I'd encourage everyone to experiment with something different on the BBQ perhaps a coral reef fish like the Red Throat Emperor from North Queensland. The fish is line caught in a sustainably managed fishery. It has a moist, firm flesh that's easily removed from the frame after cooking.