Country : Australia

This week for Australia you won't find any Vegemite, fairy bread, or Witchetty grubs, but you will find meat pies, prawns, bbq, Lamingtons, and wine. Which sounds like a much better idea anyway! This meal was delicious thanks to my wonderful friends Joe and Seth! I also leaned that it is customary for party pies (small meat pies) to be eaten one handed and the trick is to not let the filled spill out whatsoever. Dinner and a show!? Yes please!

Appetizer: Meat Pies
Main Course: BBQ Prawns & Veggies
Dessert: Lamingtons
Wine: The Hermit Crab - Viognier Marsanne 

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So don't quote me on this, but I read somewhere that on a season of The Amazing Race contestants in Australia had to consume a meat pie and were GAGGING!? They said it was because Americans are use to a "pie" being sweet not savory. WHAT!? Meat, gravy, and a flaky crust!? I would eat that any day hands down. And these were worth it!

Meat Pies

Ingredients:
2 sheets puff pasty crust, thawed
1 egg, beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped finely
1 lb ground beef
2 tbsp flour
1/3 C tomato sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/4 C beef stock
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
​salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Filling:
1. Sauté the onion in olive oil until translucent before adding beef to the pan and cooking until fully browned. Sprinkle flour over the browned ground beef and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce, beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add parsley, season with salt and pepper, remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Pies:
1. Preheat oven to 390 degrees
2. Grease cupcake tray
3. Cut out circles from the puff pastry large enough to line the cups of the cupcake tray
4. Fill the cups with meat
5. Cut out circles from the second puff pastry sheet large enough to over the pies and crimp together the edges
6. Brush the edges of the pies with water and crimp edges together to seal
7. Make a small cross in the center of the pies with a sharp knife and brush with beaten egg
8. bake for 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake another 20 minutes, or until golden brown

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Okay, so while "Shrimp on the Barbie" is as American as it gets, Australians DO love to barbecue and they DO love their seafood. I wanted a simple, healthy, and delicious dinner and thats exactly what I got!

BBQ Prawns and Veggies

Ingredients:
1/2 C butter, melted
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C parsley and thyme
3 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp minced garlic
1.5 lb shrimp, unpeeled and deveined
veggies of choice- I chose mushrooms, onion, squash, and eggplant

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except shrimp and veggies in a large bowl and mix together before adding shrimp and let marinate for 1 hour. 
2. Heat grill and skewer shrimp and veggies (I used the same seasonings for my veggies)
3. Grill until opaque, about 2 minutes on each side, veggies may need longer

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Sponge cake, coconut, and chocolate?! Sign me up! Desserts have seriously been kicking my ass lately and I was SO pleased with how these turned out! Maybe desserts are going in my favor again! 

Lamingtons

Ingredients:
​For the cake:
3 C flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C butter, softened
1 1/2 C sugar
4 large eggs
3 tsp vanilla
3/4 C whole milk

For the Glaze/Coating:
3 C powdered sugar
1/4 C cocoa powder
1/2 C boiling water
2 C fine coconut flakes

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a cake pan with parchment paper
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix well
3. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each. Add vanilla and mix through
4. Add 1/2 the flour mix and fold gently with a spatula, add the milk and fold through before adding the remaining flour and folding gently in
5. Spread the batter evenly in prepared dish and bake 25 minutes, turning at the half way mark, until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cooling completely on a wire rack. Once cooled cut the edges off of the cake and cut into squares. 
6. Place into the fridge for at least 2 hours. I left mine overnight and it worked perfectly. 
7. Combine the powdered sugar, cocoa, and boiling water in a deep bowl and mix well until syrupy. 
8. Place 1/3 of the coconut into a separate bowl and set two wire racks over parchment paper
9. Using forms dip a square of cake into the chocolate glaze turning to coat. Let drain then transfer to a wire rack, repeat with a couple more cake squares. 
10. Take the first square and using clean forks roll in the coconut before transferring to the second tray. Repeat until all are complete.