Aussie Childcare Network Forum

Hi everyone,

I am looking for some good Australian food recipes for kids. It would be really great if you can share your cooking ideas that we can do with children!

I recently did Pavlova with my preschool kids and it was a lot of fun. I know some may argue that Pavlova is actually a New Zealand dessert, but hey its a popular dish in both Australia and New Zealand! Here is the receipe that I followed:

Recipe for Pavlova:

Ingredients:

-- 6 Egg Whites
-- 1 cup of Castor Sugar (or) Sugar
-- Pinch of Salt
-- 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla essence
-- 2 teaspoons of cornflour

Cooking Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 C and line an oven try with baking paper foil.
2. Beat the "egg whites" with a pinch of salt until it goes nicely white and foamy. You may use an electric mixer to wisk if available since its a lot easier..
3. Now gradually add sugar and continue beating until it gets to thick consistency and also the sugar dissolved.
4. Continue wisking and add vanilla essence and 2 teaspoon of cornflour. Wisk the mixture until it gets really thick.
5. Spoon the mixture out to the tray like a blob. Make sure that you put this mixture on top of the baking paper so it doesnt get stuck to it while cooking.
6. While putting the mixture on the tray, try to shape the mixture in a circular form and Rougly flatten the top so you can add some cream and fruits to the toppings later if you want.
7. Drop the oven temperature down to 130 C and put the Pavlova for 1 to 1.5 hour. Cook it until the outside becomes dry and is a very pale cream color.
8. Once cooked, turn off the oven and leave the pavlova in for another 30 minutes to let it set. It has to completely cool down after its cooked.

Toppings:

If you want, you can add toppings to the pavlova after it is cooked and set in the oven. You need the following ingredients for the topping:

-- Thickend cream
-- Castor Sugar
-- Fruits of your choice. Example: Mango, Kiwi fruit, Passionfruit, Strawberry.

Preparing Pavlova Toppings:

• Wisk the thickened cream and castor sugar until it forms a thick cream.
• Spread this mixture evenly on top of the cooked pavlova. Make sure that the pavlova has cooled down before you add the toppings.
• To finish it off, add some fruits to the top and decorate it the way you want it!

End result: It looked all cracked a bit from outside but soft inside. But it tasted gooood...(yum..I'm hungry now )

Please share your Australian food recipes and Australian cooking ideas for kids here...I would love to read your recipes!

Hi C. How about good old Aussie Damper. I got this recipe from taste.com.au

DAMPER
Preparation Time
10 minutes
Cooking Time
30 minutes
Ingredients (serves 4)
• 450g (3 cups) self-raising flour
• Pinch of salt
• 80g butter, chilled, cubed
• 185ml (3/4 cup) water
Method
1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
2. Add the water to the flour mixture and use a round-bladed knife in a cutting motion to mix until the mixture just comes together, adding 1-2 tbs extra water if the mixture is a little dry. Use your hands to bring the mixture together.
3. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Shape into an 18cm disc and place on tray. Use a sharp knife that has been dipped in flour to mark 8 wedges on top. Dust the damper with a little extra flour and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until the damper is cooked through and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer to a wire rack for 5 minutes to cool slightly. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serve with margarine or jam. Aussie Bush jam like Lilly Pilly would to add to the Aussie experience.
Notes
• Note: Damper was traditionally made in a cast-iron pot with a lid, called a "camp oven". The entire pot was either covered in hot wood coals or the camp oven was placed in a hole in the ground and surrounded with hot wood coals. It was usually served with tea made in a billy over the camp fire. Damper was originally made with plain flour, salt and water. Adding butter and self-raising flour came later on and gives a much tastier result.

Hi catchmeifucan,
Thanks for starting Australian food recipe threat and sharing Pavlova recipe with others also. Never tried Pavlova before and excited to try your Pavlova recipe. Found few ingredients out of stock so will try your Pavlova recipe on weekend.