The diversity of the Australian landscape, verdant fields, dense forests and lush waters, provides for a richly varied cuisine. Likewise, the diversity of people also lends their influence. English, Greek, German, Italian, Asian and South African blend with indigenous traditions to create flavor possibilities as vast as the country itself.
So with so many dishes to choose from, I needed a little help from someone who eats Australian food every day.
After some correspondence, Zeller, an American transplant to Adelaide, South Australia and a family friend, sent me some recipes and this video:
Well we sure don’t want to be un-Australian on Australia Day so lamb it is.
Pepper-crusted grilled lamb chops with plum chutney to be exact, with potato and romaine salad in a lemon sour cream dressing, cheese and chive damper and pavlova for dessert.
Flavorful, uncomplicated and filling, this week’s dinner was an easy one to tackle. Especially since we had help from our chef friend Vincent, who came prepared with his own pavlova recipe.
Named after Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova who toured Australia and New Zealand in the 1920s, “pav” is a meringue-based dessert topped with whipped cream and fresh fruit. Although there is some argument as to whether the dessert first originated in Australia or New Zealand, pavlova is still considered a quintessential Aussie favorite.
While Vincent whipped the egg whites, I set to work on the damper.
A yeast-free bread traditionally made over camp fire coals, damper is popular with indigenous Australians. Self-raising flour is mixed with butter, milk, water, and in this case cheddar cheese and chives, and then lightly kneaded and formed into a ball. I made individual-sized balls, brushed them with a little milk and sprinkled them with Parmesan cheese.
The recipe I used called for “tasty” cheese, which I thought an odd distinction until I found out that the term “tasty” is used in Australia the same way we use “sharp” in the U.S.
Once the dampers were in the oven I began making the chutney. Diced dried plums with cranberry sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and fresh rosemary brought to a boil was all the preparation needed for the lamb.
For the salad, boiled new potatoes with halved grape tomatoes, diced red onion and chopped romaine were all tossed in sour cream, whole grain mustard, chives and lemon juice. This salad can also be served with sausage, but I chose not to use this addition since I didn’t want it to interfere with the lamb as our centerpiece.
With the bar-be-que fired up, we sprinkled the baby lamb chops with fresh ground pepper and grilled them to a nice medium rare. Minutes before they were done we added a spoon of mint jelly to each. 
Topped with plum chutney, the tender chops had the perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors that sent us all back for seconds. I spread the remaining chutney on my damper and again the fruit mixed perfectly with the pungent sharp cheese within the bread. 
The damper itself was lighter than I was expecting and was so simple to make I will have to try the more authentic preparation next time I go camping. It would be interesting to also try other damper additions, although the cheese and chive version we tried was definitely a winner.
As for the salad, the lack of oil or vinegar in the dressing made for a delicate side dish that was still quite hearty. Adding the sausage could definitely bring this dish up to entrée status. I can always tell how much Adam likes his food by how quickly it disappears and this dinner was no exception. In fact, we all vigorously cleaned our plates.
Then came time to decorate the pavlova. The meringue crust had a chance to harden while we ate our main course and all that was left to do was top it with fresh whipped cream, pineapple, kiwi and mango. For an additional surprise Vincent added a few dates as well.
After trying the pav it's easy to see why Australia and New Zealand would argue over its inception. From the first until the last, each bite simply melts on the tongue. I would have also had a second helping of dessert had my head not started to swim from the rush of sugar, but I seriously considered it. I will definitely be saving these recipes for future use and will be happy to share them with anyone who wants to amaze their guests with a simple and delicious meal from down under.
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