Australian Macadamia Nuts

16/1/2012

We lined up to buy some shelled vacuum-packed macadamia nuts from a stall at the Capital Region Farmer's Markets yesterday and will enjoy them as an Australia Day treat, roasted and spiced with some wattleseed from Herbie's Spices.

Due to their relatively high kilojoule content (about 3000kj per 100g), we try to eat macadamia nuts sparingly, but love them roasted and added to the Sour Peach Salad I highlighted recently. I insist on adding them to ANZAC biscuits, see my recipe below, as they add a lovely depth of flavour to a classic biscuit. Macadamias are also an excellent substitute for candlenuts in Asian recipes and can be used to coat chicken and fish. Make sure you store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator, as they will quickly turn rancid.

ROASTED MACADAMIAS WITH AUSTRALIAN SEA SALT AND WATTLESEED
100g raw macadamias
Australian sea salt
1 tablespoon wattleseed

Preheat oven to 200˚C. Prepare a baking pan by generously sprinkling it with sea salt. Add macadamias to the pan in a single layer. Sprinkle with wattleseed and more sea salt. Roast macadamias in the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the macadamias are golden and fragrant. Allow macadamias to cool completely before serving. Store in an airtight container. Bookmark the following recipe for ANZAC Day, 25 April, and try my deliciously nutty, crisp version of the favourite biscuit recipe:

MACADAMIA ANZACS A LA LIZZY
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup raw sugar
3/4 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup Australian macadamia nuts, chopped
4 tablespoons golden syrup
125g unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon bicarb
1 tablespoon boiling water

Combine oats, flour, sugar, coconut and macadamias in a bowl. Set aside. In a small saucepan melt combined golden syrup and butter. Mix the bicarbonate of soda and boiling water, add to the melted syrup and butter and stir into the dry ingredients. Drop rounded soupspoonfuls of mixture onto lined baking trays and flatten carefully, using fingertips. Bake in a preheated oven (160 deg C) for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool and store in airtight containers.