This leaf is used as a dried spice product in bushfood cooking, especially with fruit and in herbal teas and carbonated beverages.
Strawberry gum is used to enhance the flavour of cooked fruit dishes, desserts or spiced jams, bringing out the classic ‘berry’ flavour.
Dried Strawberry Gum powder or flakes can be purchased at Taste Australia Bush Food Shop
Strawberry & Cherry Macadamia Nut Cake
Ingredients
185gm SR flour
185gm Macadamia Nuts (ground)
185gm unsalted butter
185gm caster sugar
1 teaspoon Strawberry Gum
1 egg plus 1 yolk
Line the bottom of a cake tin with greaseproof paper. Grease sides and paper.
Combine all ingredients (mixture is very firm). Using a spoon dipped in water spread half the mixture into tin. Top with 1 punnet of sliced strawberries and a 425gm can cherries (drained). Cover with the half of the mixture. Bake for one hour until skewer comes out clean.
Serve with whipped cream (add a teaspoon of strawberry gum to to mix to further enhance the strawberry flavour)!!
Wattleseed French Toast served with Jam and Strawberry Gum Cream
Set up your breadmaker as for French bake (6 hours) and add a teaspoon of Ground Wattleseed.
Lovely crunchy crust with the warm nutty taste of wattleseed.
For the cream, place a jar of cream in your blender and whip with a teaspoon of Strawberry Gum and a teaspoon of Icing Sugar.
Strawberry & Spiced Apple Tart
Ingredients:
Puff Pastry
3 apples, peeled, cored and diced
raw caster sugar
strawberry gum
ground Macadamia Nuts
Prepare the filling:
Place the diced apples into a bowl sprinkle over with 2 desertspoons of caster sugar and a heaped teaspoon of strawberry gum. Toss well to combine and let it sit for a few minutes.
Place a sheet of pastry into the the base of a tart tin. Sprinkle the base with a little ground macadamia nuts – this will absorb the juices of the apples as they cook. Loosely top with the filling, making sure it is evenly distributed.
Fold the edges of the pastry up around the filling to form the tart. Brush the pastry with a little milk and a generous sprinkle of raw caster sugar.
Bake at 170C for approx 30 to 40 minutes, until golden and the apples are cooked through
Serve hot or cold with whipped cream
Strawberry Gum Cheesecake with a Wattleseed Crust
Ingredients
10 or 12 plain chocolate biscuits, crushed to make 1 cup fine crumbs
1 teaspoon Ground Wattleseed
85g butter, melted
500g cream cheese
250mL light sour cream
¾ cup caster sugar
¼ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon Strawberry Gum
3 teaspoons gelatine dissolved in ¼ cup hot water
Combine biscuit crumbs, wattleseed and melted butter and press into base of a lined 22cm springform pan. Place in freezer to set.
Beat cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, fruit juice, Strawberry Gum and gelatine mix in a food processor until smooth.
Pour mixture over base and refrigerate one hour, or until set.
To serve – top with fresh strawberries.
Fresh Strawberry Icecream Topping
Puree 2 punnets of fresh ripe strawberries with a half teaspoon of strawberry gum.
Strawberry Gum & Orange Cocktails
Place 6 whole Strawberry Gum leaves in a bowl with half cup of boiling water and leave for 8 hours to allow the leaves to release their flavour.
Heat 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan and heat until sugar has dissolved. Cool, then refrigerate.
To make cocktails, mix 1/4 cup Strawberry Gum Syrup with 1/2 cup orange juice, 3/4 cup vodka, 2 Tbspns Grenadine. Add a chilled bottle of prosecco or soda water. Serve over ice.