--- The Cook Up with Adam Liaw airs weeknights on SBS Food at 7.00pm and 10.00pm, with episodes made available after broadcast on SBS On Demand. Look out for the macadamia episode on Monday August 16 ---
The macadamia's creamy texture and taste make it the perfect partner in baking - "I use it so often in so many of my baking, from biscuits to cakes, to cheesecake bases, all of those sorts of things," says baking teacher and author Anneka Manning when she joins Adam Liaw in a macadamia-themed episode of The Cook Up. And she's right. But have you thought of using it in savoury dishes?
Australia's native nut is incredibly versatile - it's a classic in a white choc and macadamia biscuit, but it's also right at home in a laksa paste.
Inspired by Adam Liaw and his macadamia episode, here are some of our favourite ways to put an unexpected spin - sweet or savoury - on this Aussie nut.
Pot chicken with macadamia pesto
A macadamia, herb and kale (or spinach) pesto is the finishing touch to this nourishing bowl. You can use macadamia oil in the pesto too if you have some. "This recipe epitomises the nourishing autumn dish; a contemporary translation of an old favourite. Hopefully it makes you smile from the inside like it does for us," says Georgia Wall of her hearty take on chicken soup.
Double-choc stout, macadamia and candied bacon brownies
"When you’re making brownies, there’s no need to mess around. Pack as much crunchy goodness as you can in there to contrast with the gooey fudgy cakey bit," says Jack Campbell of this gloriously indulgent recipe, where the "crunchy goodness" includes macadamias, dark choc chunks and bits of crisp candied bacon.
Native dukkah with Johnny cakes
In The Cook Up macadamia episode, Adam Liaw's other guest is Rae Johnstone, who shares a recipe for Johnny cakes - one of the easiest breads you can make, using just self-raising flour, salt and water - with a full-of-flavour dukkah that mixes ground macadamias with wattleseed, pepper berry, lemon myrtle and sesame seeds.
In Jack Stein's recipe, macadamia's are on of the ingredients in a laksa paste he makes for a laksa inspired by a trip to Cape Leveque, a remote wilderness camp on the tip of the Dampier Peninsula.
Fried haloumi with sticky fruit and nuts
This recipe from Justine Schofield is a great combination of salty-sweet flavours, from the golden fried haloumi to sweet ripe pawpaw and the pops of flavour from the finger lime.
Macadamia hummus
Given the creamy flesh of a mac, it's not surprising that it works well in one of our fave dips. Try substituting some of the chickpeas in your favourite hummus recipe with roasted macadamias, or try this one, made with roasted macs, chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic and basil, which we spotted on the website of Australian Macadamias, the umbrella body representing the nation's macadamia growers.
Vegan, gluten-free salted caramel tart
Instead of a biscuit crumb base, macadamias and dates are used to make a nutty bottom layer for this rich dessert.
Chocolate-orange panforte
Put an Australian spin on an Italian classic: Anneka Manning's version of this traditional recipe makes a great gift. It also keeps for a long time.
Mushrooms and pearl barley with macadamia bread sauce
Another twist on a classic, this recipe uses macs to add some nuttiness to a bread sauce. It's a great topping for a warm bowl of barley, mushrooms, lemon zest and herbs.
Macadamia baklava
Two native flavours come together in Mark Olive's take on a classic Levantine sweet. Here, baklava is made with macadamias and a lemon aspen syrup.
Find many more ideas in SBS Food's macadamia recipe collection.
SBS Food is a 24/7 foodie channel for all Australians, with a focus on simple, authentic and everyday food inspiration from cultures everywhere. NSW stream only. Read more about SBS Food
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