Nelson - The Australian Macadamia Cookbook

2015

ISBN: 9781483550428

MACADAMIA COOKBOOK

Deborah Nelson

Contents

Introduction

Macadamias are a wonderful natural food and are native to Australia. As an Australian living in a macadamia producing area I wanted to create a cookbook that celebrates and utilizes this marvellous nut in a wide variety of ways.

Macadamia nuts are beautiful to look at and delicious. The mild creamy flavour of the nuts combines wonderfully with many other ingredients and can be eaten at any time of day. They have long been used with chocolate and ice cream. They are very versatile and useful in a wide range of cooking including in salads, vegetable and main meal dishes, snacks, cookies, cakes, desserts, and celebration foods such as for Christmas.

Macadamia nuts can be used whole, roughly chopped, finely chopped or ground (meal) and can be roasted. The nuts can be sprinkled over salads, fish or chicken and they can be used in crust toppings on fish or chicken dishes. As they are also a very healthy nut it makes sense to include them in as many recipes as possible. I have used them in Mediterranean dishes such as Pesto in place of almonds and in Thai dishes in place of cashews or peanuts. The ground nut meal is ideal for baking and can be used in place of flour.

Macadamia oil and honey are also available. Macadamia oil is wonderful in salad dressings and to cook with and Macadamia honey is delicious.

The recipes here are just a starting point for the possibilities. I hope these recipes inspire you to find ways to add a bit of macadamia magic to your cooking. So I encourage you to, just add Macadamias, which is the name of my blog, www.justaddmacadamias.blogspot.com.au.

I hope you enjoy adding macadamia nuts to your cooking as much as I did, and that you are inspired to use macadamias by the recipes and images on the following pages.

Deborah Nelson

A little more about Macadamias

A Brief History

The macadamia tree is native to Australia. It grows naturally in north-eastern New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland in isolated pockets of rainforest. The nuts were known to Australian aborigines by various names in various areas. Aboriginal people are known to have held seasonal feasts on macadamias which they called boppal nuts near Gympie in Queensland, especially at Mt Bauple (which was named after it). There is a historical museum in the town of Bauple which has some information about the history of macadamias. There is also a native Australian macadamia or Boppal tree across the road from the museum. Remaining stands of native macadamias in the Bauple area are not accessible to the public.

In 1828 Allan Cunningham was the first European to discover them. They were named in 1857 by Ferdinand Von Mueller after his colleague John Macadam who was a fellow botanist.

Australia is now the worlds largest commercial producer of macadamia nuts accounting for 40% of production. The largest producing area in Australia is now Bundaberg in Queensland.

Health Benefits

Nutritionally it makes good sense to include macadamia nuts and oils in your diet. Macadamia oil contains 84% monounsaturates, the good oil. This is the highest percentage of any nut oil, and higher than canola or olive oils and contains no cholesterol. Research has also shown that by consuming macadamias 5 or more times per week, you can reduce your risk of coronary heart disease. Macadamias contain vitamins E, A1, B1, B2, B5, B6, Niacin and dietary fibre. Macadamias contain anti-oxidants including polyphenols, amino acids, selenium and flavanols. The healthiest way to enjoy them is to eat the nuts raw or dry roasted.

Macadamia oil is higher in monounsaturates than Extra Virgin olive oil and has a much higher smoke point than olive oil at around 210C, so it is an excellent healthy cooking oil as well as being a delicious oil in salad dressings

Macadamias are a beneficial addition to diets such as heart friendly low-saturated fat diets, gluten free, vegetarian, vegan and paleo. The nuts can be used in place of meat gram for gram, and ground macadamias can be used to replace some or all of the flour in cakes making them gluten free or gluten friendly.

Macadamia nut oil is also used in skin and hair care products, having many beneficial properties. It can be used as a massage oil or rubbed into dry hair ends.

Macadamias in the husk, in the shell and the raw shelled nuts

Macadamia Nut Storage and Preparation

Shelled macadamia nuts will keep in a cool dry dark place for several months, but longer in the refrigerator and up to a year in the freezer. They should be packaged in foil packets, not plastic or cellophane, which lets light in.

To chop nuts use a heavy wide blade knife and chopping board. Hold the tip of the knife to the chopping board with one hand with the other hand lifting the handle up and down to chop.

Macadamia meal is not readily available at supermarkets but can be found online, see suppliers at the end of this book. Food processors can be used to chop nuts too, or to grind them to make nut meal (ground nuts). Pulse the nuts for a few seconds at a time taking care not to over process or the nuts will become oily.

To roast nuts place them in a single layer in a dry non-stick frypan. Dry roast over medium-high heat and stir slowly until lightly browned. Take care as nuts roast very quickly. Once they start to colour, watch them closely and remove from heat as soon as they are ready so as not to burn them. Nuts can also be roasted in the oven. Place them on trays in a single layer and roast in a moderate oven for 3 to 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Shake the tray once or twice so that they brown evenly. Check the nuts after 3 minutes and take care to not let them burn.

Opposite: Macadamia nuts ready for use; ground, finely chopped, roughly chopped, roasted, whole and in the shell.

Below: Some varieties of processed nuts available from Macadamias Australia; lemon myrtle, salted, dark chocolate, honey roasted and milk chocolate.

Macadamias for Breakfast

Blueberry and Macadamia Muffins

Makes 12

cup blueberry jam

cup blueberries (fresh or frozen, defrosted)

cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

2 cups self raising (self-rising) flour (white or wholemeal)

cup sugar

1 cup milk

90g (3oz) butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs, lightly whisked

1. Preheat oven to 210C (410F). Place muffin papers in 12 muffin holes.
2. Mix together the blueberries and the blueberry jam with a little water (about 1 tablespoon) and heat together in the microwave in a microwave safe jug or in a saucepan over low heat. Set aside.
3. Sift the flour into a large bowl, and the sugar and make a well in the centre. In a jug whisk together the milk, melted butter and eggs. Pour the milk, melted butter and eggs mixture into the flour mixture and stir from the centre until just combined. Mix in half of the nuts, reserving the rest to sprinkle over the muffins. Add half of the blueberry mixture and stir through to create a rippled effect.