spring 2024
this edition
Spring is a time of new beginnings. It’s a time to refresh menus, embrace the vibrancy of new ingredients and celebrate the joy of seasonal eating. As we welcome the warmer days and longer evenings, we take this opportunity to inspire you to innovate and create, making the most of the bounty this beautiful season has to offer.
In our spring edition of appetiser. magazine, we share what it takes for Craig Knudsen and the team at the Australian Turf Club to prepare for the Spring Racing Carnival. We explore Australia’s love affair with breakfast. We dive into Australian whiting. We spring into lamb. And we discuss some hot tips for upping your Champagne service.
featured
Rethinking breakfast: beyond bacon and eggs
Discover the evolution of breakfast culture in Australia: a $10 billion culinary experience. From bacon and eggs to breakfast pizza and Japanese katsu, Australian breakfasts embrace global influences. While bacon and eggs will remain a staple, we explore exciting additions like Venezuelan arepas, Malaysian roti canai and Chinese jianbing pancakes. Join the breakfast revolution and savour tantalizing flavours and creative twists.
What are you whiting for?
Looking for a sustainable and crowd-pleasing addition to your menu? Australian whiting is the answer. With its succulent texture, delicate flavor, and white flesh, it’s a true favorite. Whiting is abundant off our shores and is considered a better choice by seafood sustainability experts. Caught in a humane and controlled manner, the fish is quickly frozen to preserve its taste and texture. These fillets can be served in various ways, from classic fish and chips to spicy fish sandwiches or as a gourmet salad topping. Don’t wait any longer to discover the endless possibilities of Australian whiting.
Lamb springs to the rescue
When selecting lamb cuts, many chefs stick with primary options like racks or cutlets. But secondary cuts, like lamb shoulder racks, can deliver great flavour at a fraction of the cost. One standout is the lamb shoulder rack – tender and full of flavour when slow-cooked. Lamb ribs, neck, and shoulder also offer incredible value and versatility, from BBQ finger food to stews and slow-cooked showstoppers. These cuts are budget-friendly and crowd-pleasing, perfect for showcasing the full potential of spring lamb in your menu while boosting your margins.
Top end tucker: Darwin food life
Darwin’s food scene is vibrant and diverse, featuring bustling markets with global street foods and fresh local produce. The Mindil Beach Sunset Market offers unique dishes like kangaroo and crocodile, while suburban markets showcase international fare and tropical ingredients.
Crispy vadouvan spiced whiting
Fish and chips are a beloved classic, deeply tied to our culinary history and British heritage. But did you know this dish has roots in Spanish, Portuguese, Belgian, and French cuisines? While traditional fish and chips are perfection, sometimes a twist on a classic works wonders. Enter fish and chips with a touch of Indian spice – a nod to culinary fusion.
This recipe combines crispy Southern Blue Whiting fillets in a Vadouvan-spiced batter, served with super shoestring fries, chaat masala aioli, and gunpowder cucumbers, blending rich flavours from across the globe.
Son-in-law eggs – a tasty twist for your breakfast menu
Get ready to taste the most amazing breakfast ever! Son-in-law eggs, or kai look keuy in Thai, are simply the best eggs you’ll ever try. Imagine crispy yet velvety eggs that taste sweet, salty, and slightly sour. But there’s a twist! These eggs have a hidden meaning. When served by your mother-in-law, they tell a story about how you treat her daughter. Come join us on a journey to uncover the secrets of this delicious Thai dish. We’ll serve it with a mouthwatering spiced tamarind caramel and a fragrant herb salad. Get ready to be blown away!
Black pepper, balsamic and pomegranate glazed lamb ribs
If you’re in the lean-only meat camp, walk on by. For everyone else lamb ribs might just be the best ribs you’ve ever tried. When beautifully cooked, they’re insanely moreish – slightly crispy, perfectly rendered, glazed to unctuously sticky and melt-in-the-mouth, singularly redefining ‘finger-licking good’.
When served with a piquant pickled rhubarb, a herbaceous spring slaw and crunchy polenta chips, this dish will keep your customers coming back for more – while also making good margins.
Ethiopian tuna kitfo, saffron tuiles and niter kibbeh
Kitfo, a beloved Ethiopian dish, is typically made with beef, but this version swaps it for fresh, sashimi-grade tuna. Marinated in berbere spice and lime zest, the tuna offers a melt-in-the-mouth experience. Paired with saffron tuiles and warm niter kibbeh – a fragrant, spiced clarified butter – this dish is a stunning fusion of flavours. Garnish with micro herbs for a touch of freshness. With options to substitute tuna for scallops, salmon, or beef, this twist on kitfo embraces culinary creativity while honouring Ethiopian tradition.
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