Aniseed scented subtle sweet liquorice flavoured leaves used for flavouring desserts, sweet sauces and preserves. It also is popular as a scented savoury sauce or marinade for meats and sets a deep fragrant flavour to salad dressings. Great with fish or pork, steamed rice, seafood, biscuits, ice-cream or tea.
Roasted Eggplant Salad with Aniseed Myrtle and Feta Dressing
Halve 2 eggplants and then cut each half into 6 thin wedges. Brush both sides with macadamia oil, place on baking tray, season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Into a 200C oven for 20 mins. Cool.
Dressing: Blend 150gm feta cheese, 1 teaspn Aniseed Myrtle powder and half cup water to a smooth puree.
To serve toss eggplant with rocket and baby spinach and drizzle dressing over. Garnish with some dry roasted macadamias.
Kale & Parsley Pesto
Blend 2 tspns coriander, 1 tspn lemon myrtle, 1/2 tspn aniseed myrtle, 1 tspn mountain pepper, 1 tspn bush tomato and 100gm macadamias with handful fresh kale, handful parsley, 50gm grated parmesan, 2 garlic cloves, tbspn honey and macadamia oil
Spread on toast, use as a dip, stir through pasta, stuff chicken fillets
Rich Aniseed Chocolate Tart with Davidson Plum Topping
Ingredients
250gm Chocolate Biscuits
90gm melted butter
The Base: Whizz biscuits until crumbed and then add butter. Press into lightly greased tart case and refrigerate until set.
200gm cooking chocolate
1 dspn Aniseed Myrtle
25gm unsalted butter
100ml cream
Chocolate filling:Melt chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water and then add butter. Slowly add cream until a smooth texture is achieved. Turn off heat and add Aniseed Myrtle.
Pour into prepared biscuit base and refrigerate.
Topping:
100gm Davidson Plums
half cup sugar
Cover deseeded plums with water and cook until soft. Then add sugar to taste. Refrigerate until cold. When chocolate is set spread over top.
Sweet Aniseed & Cherry Pizza
Ingredients
3 cups of plain flour
2 packets of powdered yeast
20gm of aniseed myrtle
100gm of demerara or coffee sugar
200gm morello cherries
Method
Combine flour, yeast and enough warm water to make a soft, easily worked dough. Knead until smooth and place in a bowl covered with cling-film to prove for 1 hour.
Divide in half and roll out 2 circles or rectangles, 1/2 cm thick, (to fit a pizza tray).
Place aniseed myrtle and sugar in a mortar and crush until fine. Roll cherries in sugar mix so that they are coated.
Lay half the cherries on the first sheet of dough and sprinkle half the aniseed sugar mix over. Now lay the other sheet of dough on top. Scatter the remaining cherries, aniseed sugar mix on top, pressing the cherries into the dough.
Bake in a preheated oven at 250C for 15 min.
Allow to cool then serve.
Aniseed Myrtle Shortbread
Ingredients:
125gm butter
40gm sugar
25gm icing sugar
250gm plain flour
1 desertspoon Aniseed Myrtle
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Orange Blossom Water (or orange juice)
Cream the butter and sugar. Add icing sugar. Blend. Sift flour with Aniseed Myrtle and salt and then slowly add to the mixture alternating with orange blossom water until a smooth dough is formed.
Divide dough into 4 or 5 pieces. Shape into bars about 1cm thick. Place on ungreased sheet. Bake 150C for 15 to 20 minutes until pale golden (not brown).
Leave to cool and then transfer to wire rack.
Aniseed Myrtle Truffles
Ingredients:
50gm butter
3/4 cup icing sugar
180gm chocolate
1 desertspoon Aniseed Myrtle
150gm Macadamia Nuts
2 Tablespoons Cream
Place first 5 ingredients into a bowl and melt over a saucepan of hot water. Then add the nuts and cream. Mix well. Drop spoonfuls into paper patty pans. Refrigerate to set.
Purchase dried powder or flakes at Taste Australia Bush Food Shop