Last night, I had the pleasure of attending Oz’s first annual seasonal tasting party. I have always been curious about traditional Australian cuisine. What is it? Chef Brad Feickert taught us a bit about how Australian fare is influenced by Asian and Mediterranean flavors. He even credited Australians for popularizing “chicken parm” – traditionally the dish featured eggplant, but Australians swapped the vegetable for poultry. While the menu did not include an Australian chicken parm, we tried five modern Australian courses.
Carrot Mango Cold Soup
This was an Australian gazpacho. Chilled and refreshing. A nice alternative summer entree.
Watermelon & Rocket
I love watermelon & feta salads in the summer! This one was not my favorite; each ingredient was a notably different temperature. I’d prefer it if the watermelon, feta and rocket were a just out of the fridge, cool temp. Great recipe though!
Nasi Goreng
Chef Brad nailed this dish. Crunchy peppers, peas and jalpenos offset the soft, gooy warm egg yolk for a nice flavorful bite with different, complimentary textures.
Salmon
The fish was cooked to perfection and served with pickled avocado – something new for me in the avocado world!
Top Sirloin Steak
The steak was cooked to my liking, medium rare, and was atop an Australian style hashbrown, better known as a pommes darphin. The steak had a thick horseradish sauce layered between it, which paired nicely with the meat and the tempura battered asparagus.
Lamington
I loved this deconstructed dessert. A blend between a cake and a pie – the lamington features lemon sponge cake, lemon curd, coconut, toasted coconut, fresh blueberries and strawberries and is topped with a drizzle of cherry sauce. Kind of like a grown up sundae, this one is a winner!
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