Hi Maggie! Can you tell us about the recipe featured in your Food For Everyone poster?
We have one of the last two or three apricot orchards in the whole of the Barossa Valley, and whilst drying the apricots is our way of enjoying them year-round, this is a dish for ripe, fresh apricots, which have such a short window of about two weeks at most. However, this year the frost has burnt out the whole orchard, so there will be no crop.
For someone who doesn’t have a sweet tooth, somehow I just love a pavlova. It’s always been a family celebration dessert. It’s also about making the most of everything we grow. I love apricots for their sweet tartness and colour, and they must be served with crème fraîche and cream. I have never added vanilla to whipped cream, and I’m always looking for that piquant flavour, so combining cream and crème fraîche suits my palate. Perhaps I’m selfish in this way—suiting myself first when it comes to flavour!
If we were to peer into your pantry & fridge at home, what are 5 things we would always find?
Verjuice, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Australian peppercorns, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and Vino Cotto.
What sort of food did you eat growing up?
We ate adventurously, meaning every part of a plant or animal. We made brawn out of the head of the pig, used every bit of offal, and both my uncle and mother had green fingers. We also caught our own fish, and dabbing for prawns was all part of my childhood.
If you could be transported back to any memorable meal you've had in your life (any time or any place), what meal would it be?
My first trip to Japan in November 1996, when I had the most amazing plate of fresh uni (sea urchin) piled high on sushi rice at an incredible sushi bar at the Shinjuku Park Hyatt. I’m a huge fan of raw seafood and am forever chasing that nutty, sweet, creamy taste of the sea. It was the plumpest, most succulent sea urchin and totally transported me.
What are your favourite rituals around food and dining?
Sharing the table with family and friends—with food in the centre of the table, people helping themselves, and no specific entrée or main. It’s all the food together, like a mini feast every time.
What do you like to cook for the people you love?
The best chook ever is a 2kg Saskia Beer chook, roasted with verjuice and garlic cloves. It will feed at least six people and must be turned upside-down to rest so all the juices are retained. It’s just perfect every time and is the family go-to.
Maggie Beer's Pavlova with Dried Apricots and Roasted Almonds
