modern australian

This, my friends, is brownie perfection. Deep mud-like fudge topped with the crisp and crunch and crack of a dried creek bed. The fact this is gluten-free is incidental, but the buckwheat flour is a must, it adds a glorious nutty background flavour. And the staying power puts it over and above most freshly baked goods.

Gluten-free chocolate, buckwheat and sea salt brownies

unsalted butter

caster sugar

brown sugar

eggs

vanilla bean paste

unsweetened cocoa powder

buckwheat flour

sea salt flakes

Preheat the oven to 150C fan-forced (170C conventional). Grease and generously line a 30cm x 23cm x 5cm baking tin with baking paper.

Cream the butter and sugars until light and pale, for at least 5 minutes – it&apos;s important not to rush this step. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and incorporate, then add the cocoa powder and gently combine. Add the buckwheat flour and stir to combine. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and generously sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle again with another pinch of sea salt. Allow to cool completely in the tin before lifting out and slicing.

These brownies are best served at room temperature. They can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days at room temperature, and will last for a week in the fridge, just note they become quite solid once refrigerated because of their high butter content.

Adam Liaw's spring fritters feature wine-poached salmon fillets.

Salmon and sweet potato croquettes recipe

sweet potato,

white wine

salmon

spring onions, sliced

tbsp plain flour

eggs, beaten

nutmeg

¼ tsp ground cumin

salt and black pepper,

panko breadcrumbs

vegetable oil, for shallow frying

rocket leaves, to serve

red onion,

olive oil,

lemon

1.&nbsp;Place the sweet potato in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes until tender, then mash well and set aside to cool.


2. Bring the white wine to a simmer in a small saucepan with a quarter of a cup of water and add the salmon fillets. Cover and simmer for six minutes. Remove the salmon from any remaining liquid and allow to cool, then break apart into small chunks. Combine the salmon with the mashed sweet potato, spring onions, flour, one egg, nutmeg and cumin and season well. Stir to combine and form eight-centimetre-diameter puck shapes about four-centimetres&nbsp;thick (this should make about four croquettes). Whisk the second egg, dip in&nbsp;the&nbsp;croquettes and coat in the panko breadcrumbs. Chill in the fridge for 20 minutes to firm.


3. Heat two centimetres of oil in a wide frying pan to 165C. Shallow fry the croquettes for around six minutes, turning once, until golden brown. Season with a little extra salt and black pepper and drain well.

4. Toss the rocket and red onion in the olive oil. Serve the croquettes with the rocket and onion, with lemon wedges.

Jill Dupleix baked a batch of biscuits and called them Matildas. Because they’re winners.

Meet the Matilda biscuits: they’re tough, spicy, and they’ll last, just like our soccer stars

plain flour

ginger

cinnamon

½ tsp mixed spice

sea salt

butter, chopped

golden syrup (see note)

tsp bicarbonate of soda

Preheat the oven to 160C fan-forced (180C conventional). Prepare two baking trays by lining them with baking paper.

Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, mixed spice and sea salt into a bowl and make a well in the middle.

Melt the butter, sugar and golden syrup in a medium pan, stirring, until the sugar has melted.

Remove from the heat, wait for 60 seconds, then add the bicarb, stirring as it froths up.

Pour the hot mixture into the flour mixture, and bring it together with a spatula until there are no streaks of flour.

Use a teaspoon to scoop up a portion of dough (see note), then roll it into a ball in your hands. Place the biscuit on a tray lined with baking paper, allowing a little room for spreading.

Press down lightly to flatten and sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar (see notes).

Remove from oven and stand on tray for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Don’t like bran muffins? Helen Goh’s rich and deeply flavoured recipe might change your mind.

Helen Goh’s healthy bran muffins to make today and enjoy during the week

All-Bran cereal

milliliters plain kefir milk drink

date molasses

coconut oil, melted,

soft, light-brown sugar

egg,

raisins

orange

plain flour,

tsp baking powder

tsp baking soda

¼ tsp fine sea salt

wholemeal flour

salted butter, soft, for spreading

Place the bran cereal in a large bowl and add the kefir milk, date molasses, coconut oil, brown sugar, egg, raisins and orange zest. Stir well to combine, then set aside for the bran to soften.

Meanwhile, brush the 12 holes of a muffin tray with the 2 tsp melted coconut oil, then sprinkle lightly with the extra flour. Rotate and tap the pan, so the holes are evenly dusted with the flour, then turn upside down and tap away the excess.

Heat the oven to 180C fan-forced (200C conventional).

Sift the plain flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl, then add the wholemeal flour. Whisk to combine, then add to the wet bran mixture in three batches, folding gently between each addition until just combined; don’t overmix the batter as this can lead to rubbery muffins.

Spoon the batter into the muffin cups so it comes almost to the top (an ice-cream scoop with a latch release is useful here if you have one). Place the muffin tray in the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of one comes out clean. Remove the tray from the oven and rest on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before turning out the muffins.

Serve them warm, split in half and spread liberally with soft, salted butter.

Winter is the perfect time to give your classic roast a modern twist. The creamy polenta makes a great change from ordinary mashed spuds, and the peppery pickled grapes tie everything together.

Flat-roast chicken with pickled grapes and polenta

whole (about 1.5kg) free-range chicken

salt

olive oil

rosemary

onion,

chicken stock

parsley

1. For the pickled grapes, trim the stem end from each grape and pack into a heatproof jar. Bring the remaining ingredients to a simmer then pour over the grapes. Allow to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least one hour before using. The grapes will keep for about a week.

2. Heat the oven to 220C. Cut along either side of the backbone of the chicken with a heavy knife or kitchen scissors to remove it, then press firmly on the front of the chicken breast to flatten it. Chop the backbone into smaller pieces and place in a roasting tray with the onion.

3. Season the chicken well with salt on both sides and rub with the oil and the rosemary, leaving the rosemary in the tray. Place the chicken in the tray, pour in about a cup of stock or water. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through. You may wish to switch the oven to its grill setting for the last 10 minutes for skin that is very browned.

4. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and rest it for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, place the pan on a hob and simmer, adding the extra stock or water to deglaze the pan and scrape away any dark bits. Season the pan juices with a tablespoon or two of the grape-pickling liquid, then strain out the solids.

5. For the polenta, mix the water and milk together and bring to a simmer. Add the polenta and return to the simmer, stirring regularly for about 15 to 20 minutes until the polenta is the consistency of cake batter. Add the cheese and butter and mix well.

6. Scatter the chicken with the grapes and parsley and serve with the pan juices and the polenta.

-&nbsp;Roasting a chicken flat is not only a great time-saver: it also gives you more crisp chicken skin than ordinary roasting.

- If you have any grapes left over, try them with cheese and crackers.

Winter citrus is approaching its best in May and June, so it’s time to take it out for a spin.

Adam Liaw’s simple breakfast proves fruit salad isn’t just for summer

pink grapefruit

mandarin

lime

tsp honey

juice of ½ a lemon

tbsp marmalade

Peel all the fruit and remove the segments from the pith (see note) with a knife over a large bowl. Place the segments onto a plate or tray. Squeeze all the pith over a bowl to collect the juices and tip in any juices from the plate or tray. Reserve the skins for garnish.

Warm the honey in a microwave for a few seconds until runny. Combine with the citrus juices, including the lemon juice, and pour over the segments.

Mix the marmalade and yoghurt together. Arrange all the citrus segments on a plate and add a big dollop of yoghurt. Using a rasp grater, grate a little of the zest from the reserved skins on top and serve.

With a little more crunch and interplay of sweet, sour and funk, this baked feta is snack perfection in four ingredients.

This sweet chilli Philly upgrade is perfect for Friday night drinks

block firm feta

tbsp crunchy chilli oil

tbsp honey

chives,

Preheat the oven to 170C fan-forced (190C conventional).

Place the feta in a baking dish. Add the crunchy chilli oil and honey to a bowl and stir to combine before spooning it over the top of the feta. Bake for 10–15 minutes or until the cheese has warmed through. For a few colour marks on top of the feta, turn the grill function on (optional) for the final minute of cooking time, watching like a hawk so as not to burn the seeds in your crunchy chilli oil.

Serve as-is or transfer to a serving plate and drizzle the honey-chilli oil mixture over the top. Scatter with chopped chives and serve with crackers or spring roll crisps (see tip). Best served warm.

Quick, easy, flexible and delicious, Nagi Maehashi turns to this dependable recipe after a long day, and you will too.

RecipeTin Eats was almost too embarrassed to share her incredibly simple go-to dinner with crispy chilli oil

beef scotch fillet steaks (see note)

tsp vegetable oil,

¾ tsp cooking salt

½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Lao Gan Ma crispy chilli oil (see note)

Take the steak out of the fridge. (See note below about salting overnight.) Pat the surface dry with a paper towel then leave the steak on the counter for 1 hour to remove the chill. This will help it cook more evenly. 

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 5cm of water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to medium-high, and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft all the way through. Drain in a colander, transfer to a bowl, and crush them lightly with a fork so they burst open slightly. Drizzle with butter, sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley, if using, then gently toss and keep warm until you’re ready to serve. 

Preheat a dry cast-iron frying pan on high heat until it is smoking hot (look for wisps of smoke). Do not put oil in the pan or use a non-stick pan (you’ll destroy it).

Meanwhile, drizzle the oil on the steak and rub it all over, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

Place the steaks in the pan and cook the first side for 2½ minutes or until a deep golden-brown crust forms. Turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes or until the steak’s internal temperature reaches 51C (medium-rare) – see note for other levels of doneness.

Remove the steaks from the pan and rest for 5 minutes on a rack over a plate (this prevents the bottom from becoming “sweaty”). The internal temperature will rise to 56C. Cut the steaks into thick slices.

While the steaks are resting, add the asparagus to the still-hot pan over high heat. Toss for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender-crisp. The residual oil, salt and pepper will season the asparagus. 

To serve, divide the steak slices among two plates and place the potatoes and asparagus alongside. Dollop as much crispy chilli oil as you want across the steak. Then dig in!

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