Vegemite Roast Chicken & Chilli Pineapple Mini Pavlovas

Main: Vegemite Roast Chicken
Delicious – Love to Eat

Dessert: Chilli Pineapple Mini Pavlovas
Delicious – Love to Eat

Hi Everyone!

Well this week’s Delicious – Love to Eat recipe is definitely a bit different. Who would have thought that good old Vegemite would work with chicken, but work it does. The mixture created of Vegemite, butter and parsley to push under the skin of the chicken does not look particularly appetising. In fact it closely resembles what one would find in the nappy of a new born!

The vegemite, butter and parsley combination which is pushed under the skin really packs a punch of flavour

However, this little chook was filled with scrumptious flavours that all worked so very well together. Served on a bed of healthy macadamia couscous and broccolini, everyone came away from dinner feeling light and yet truly well fed.

It’s a recipe that would work incredibly well cold. You could shred the chicken and add some blanched asparagus, cherry tomatoes and even avocado and you’d have a beautiful salad bowl.

Try this cold as a salad and add your favourite extras

It’s not a difficult recipe and I’m thinking that you could prep the chook in the morning or the night before and pop it in the oven when you get home from work. Serve with some smashed potatoes and you have a winner. This scored and very respectable 9/10.

Dessert was very interesting. When have you ever thought of pavlova and pineapple? Okay often, I know. Okay, so when have you ever thought of pavlova, pineapple AND chilli? Never? Well, I haven’t either so I really wanted to give it a go. Besides it is literally a pinch of chilli. Just when I didn’t think there was another different way to do the pavlova, I discover there is. This recipe heats the egg whites and the sugar in a double boiler whilst you madly whisk for 10 minutes, then you place it in the bowl of your stand mixer to beat the heck out of it. This created a very chewy pavlova which set the pineapple off beautifully. It’s not a difficult recipe and can mostly be done ahead.

Just a pinch of chilli adds a punch to this interesting dessert

The flavour of lime in the cream along with the chilli in the pineapple and the chewy pav certainly makes for an interesting taste sensation. Could I taste the chilli? Well, not intensely as it was more of an after taste in my throat. One of my family members didn’t like it, the rest said they couldn’t taste the chilli at all and loved it, so you be the judge. Give it a go and let me know what you think. The one family member who didn’t like the chilli taste bought the overall score down to 7/10. (I’m sneaking this one onto the Xmas menu for us this year!)

Next week we will be doing a prawn pasta from Delicious – Love to Eat. It looks amazing.

So until then,

From my table to yours with love x

Vegemite Roast Chicken with Macadamia Couscous

This is a tasty and interesting way to roast a chicken and will work very well cold as a salad

1 tbsp Vegemite
125 g unsalted butter (softened)
½ c flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)
1.8 kg whole chicken
2 onions (thickly sliced)
2 tbsp macadamia oil or extra virgin olive oil
finely grated zest of 1 small lemon (lemon preserved)
1 c chicken stock
1 c couscous
20 roasted macadamias (roughly chopped)
1 bunch broccolini (blanched)

Preheat oven to 180°c
Using a wooden spoon, beat the Vegemite, butter and ¼ cup parsley in a bowl until combined. Alternatively, process in a small food processor.
Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with paper towel. Gently loosen the skin from the breast meat with your hands, pushing as far as possible without tearing the skin. Spread the butter mixture all over the breast meat, then pat down the skin to cover.
Spread the onion over the base of a roasting pan, then place the chicken, breast-side up, on top. Rub 1 tbsp macadamia oil over the chicken and season. Place the reserved lemon inside the cavity, then truss the legs with kitchen string.
Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes or until the juices run clear when the thickest pat of the thigh is pierced. Set chicken aside to rest, loosely covered with foil, for 10 minutes.
Bring the stock to the boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat, then pour over the couscous in a bowl. cover with a clean tea towel and set aside for 10 minutes. Add 1 tbsp macadamia oil, season, then fluff with a fork. Add the macadamias, lemon zest, broccolini, roasted onion and remaining ¼ cup chopped parsley and stir to combine.
Using poultry scissors, cut chicken into quarters and serve with couscous, drizzled with pan juices.

Main Course

Modern Australian

Chilli Pineapple Mini Pavs

These lovely little pavs have a delicious sweet flavour with a very gently after taste of chilli

4 egg whites
250 g caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white wine vinegar
110 g unsalted butter
30 g demerara sugar
½ pineapple (peeled, cut into 3cm pieces)
pinch of dried chilli flakes
300 ml thickened cream
2 tbsp icing sugar
finely grated zest and juice of ½ lime

Preheat the oven to 140°c.
Line a baking tray with baking paper. Place egg whites and caster sugar in a bowl over gently simmering water. Using a large balloon whisk, whisk for 6-8 mins until the sugar dissolves.
Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer and whisk until thick and glossy. Using a metal spoon, fold in the cornflour and vinegar.
Place 6 dollops of meringue on prepared tray, making a shallow indent in the centre of each one. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and leave meringues in the oven with the door propped open until the oven is cold, or overnight.
Melt the butter in a frypan with the demerara sugar over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add pineapple and cook, turning, for 8-10 mins until the pineapple softens and the sauce starts to thicken. Add chilli, then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Whisk cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks, then whisk in lime zest and juice. Dollop cream mixture onto each meringue and top with chilli pineapple to serve.

Dessert

Modern Australian

Vegemite Roast Chicken & Chilli Pineapple Mini Pavlovas