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Recipes from Milkbar Memories: Musk sticks, burger with the lot and chocolate ice cream

Jane Lawson

Before burgers got trendy: with the lot (plus crunchy hot chips).
Before burgers got trendy: with the lot (plus crunchy hot chips).Brett Stevens

Filled with memories of relaxed Friday night take-aways, naughty stuff that we bought on the way home from school, family road trips and icy treats at the beach, this new cookbook brings back favourite food moments of 1970s Australia.

In Jane Lawson's fun book you'll find recipes for the maltiest of milkshakes, banana splits, nostalgic lollies and take-away food - collected in chapters such as Milk-bar, Ice-cream Cabinet, Lolly Counter, Pie Shop and Fish 'n' Chip Shop.

Musk sticks

Make your own must sticks.
Make your own must sticks.Brett Stevens
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These musk sticks taste like the ones we had as kids. A little crisp on the outside, and tender in the centre, these are the 'goldilocks' of the musk-stick world — the aroma, flavour and texture are just right. I must warn you they are rather more-ish, and all my guinea pigs agreed "they taste like musk sticks, only better". You can double the batch if you have a big kid's party on. Or even a big-kids' party.

mild-flavoured cooking oil spray
4 small gelatine sheets, each about 7cm x 11.5 cm
1 tablespoon liquid glucose
½ teaspoon good-quality musk essence
a few drops of pure vanilla extract
2 drops of red food colouring (optional)
250g (2 cups) icing sugar mixture, sifted

Method

1. Spray two baking trays with cooking oil spray. Line the trays with baking paper. (Oiling the trays first will help the baking paper sheets adhere, so they don't slip around when you're trying to pipe the musk mixture onto them.)

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Murdoch Books

2. Soak the gelatine sheets in cold water for 5 minutes, or until soft and pliable. Drain and squeeze out the excess water.

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3. Put the gelatine in a saucepan with the glucose and 60ml cold water. Stir over high heat until the gelatine sheets have melted. Remove from the heat and tip into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

4. When the mixture is cool, add the musk essence, vanilla and food colouring, if using. Add 125g (1 cup) of the icing sugar and beat at low speed until well combined. Increase the speed to high and whisk for 1 minute, or until smooth and evenly coloured.

Milkbar Memories' dairy milk chocolate ice cream.
Milkbar Memories' dairy milk chocolate ice cream.Supplied

5. Turn your machine off and add the remaining icing sugar. Mix in slowly, then increase the speed to high for about 3 minutes to ensure is is all well incorporated, and a little like a thick, raw meringue mixture.

6. Put the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a 1cm star-shaped nozzle and pipe 10cm lengths onto the baking trays. (If your mixture is too firm to pipe, simply tip it back into the electric mixer bowl and add extra cold water, just 1 teaspoon at a time, until you have a pliable consistency. Just be careful not to add too much — a little water goes a long way in this recipe.)

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7. Leave in a cool, dry place to set overnight. The musk sticks should be crisp and dry all the way through.

They will keep in an airtight container for several months, but will soften over time, as sugar is a fickle medium and its natural moisture content depends on the weather.

Makes about 32 sticks

Beef burger with 'The Lot'

The name speaks for itself: this burger includes every optional topping available from an authentic, old-school Aussie milkbar. The Lot. It is packed full of flavour and layered with colour and texture. However, feel free to flick the beetroot or pineapple if you aren't into it. By all means play around with the layers - used minced lamb or pork in your patties, add pickles, relish, mayo, aioli or chilli sauce and change up your cheese choice. Make it your own.

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500g good-quality minced (ground) beef, with decent marbling
olive oil, for pan-frying
1 small onion, finely sliced
4 pineapple rings, either fresh or tinned in natural syrup (optional)
4 streaky bacon rashers, cut in half
4 small eggs
120g cheese (I like mild cheddar or edam for this burger), sliced 3–4 mm thick
4 hamburger buns, split in half
softened butter, for spreading
lettuce leaves or shreds
4 slices ripe tomato
4 slices cooked beetroot
Tomato sauce or barbecue sauce, for drizzling
Double-crunch hot chips to serve

Method

1. Divide the beef into four equal amounts. Lightly compact each into a ball, then flatten each ball between squares of baking paper until they are about 6mm thick and 13cm in diameter. They may seem large, but will shrink a little on cooking.

2. Heat a little oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Gently sauté the onion over medium–high heat for 10–12 minutes, or until dark golden. Remove from the pan and keep warm.

3. If using fresh pineapple slices, give each side a good flash over high heat in the same frying pan until they are hot through and a little charred on the edges. If using tinned pineapple, just quickly warm through on each side. Cover and keep warm.

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4. Meanwhile put the bacon in another non-stick frying pan and cook over medium–high heat until it is as crisp as you like it, then remove from the pan and keep warm.

5. Cook the eggs in the bacon fat, over medium heat, until the whites are set and the yolks are still a little runny — or to your desired doneness. Remove to a warmed plate and keep warm.

6. Carefully wash out both frying pans. Heat your grill to high so it is ready and waiting for your buns.

7. Return the clean frying pans to a fairly high heat and brush liberally with oil. When the pans are hot, season the burger patties on one side with fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper and cook two patties, seasoned side down, in each pan for about 80 seconds, or until well browned. Season the tops of the patties and flip them over, then top with the cheese slices and cook for a further 70 seconds. Do be careful not to cook the patties longer, as the beef can very quickly dry out. This timing yields a nice, juicy, flavoursome patty.

8. While the patties are cooking, pop the cut side of your burger buns under the hot grill until very lightly toasted. Butter the buns and place the bottom halves on your work surface. Top each with a little lettuce, a slice of tomato, slice of beetroot, and pineapple (if using).

9. As soon as the burger patties are cooked, place them, cheese side up, on top of the pineapple. Divide the sautéed onion over the patties, then top with the bacon and the eggs. Give each a good squirt of tomato or barbecue sauce and top with the bun lids.

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Serve immediately, with double-crunch hot chips if desired.

Makes 4 burgers


Double Crunch Hot Chips

4 large floury potatoes, such as russet, king edward or coliban; they should weigh about 1kg all up
2 tablespoons sea salt
peanut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying; you can also use half oil and half lard or duck fat
fine sea salt, chicken salt or lemon, rosemary and garlic salt , for sprinkling
malt vinegar, to serve (optional)

Method

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1. Preheat the oven to 170°C.

2. Peel the potatoes, then rinse. Using a large sharp knife, cut into thick, square chips, about 1.5 cm wide, and as long as the length of each potato. You can trim off the rounded ends of the potatoes for a more uniform look.

3. Spread the chips out evenly in a large roasting tin. Stir the sea salt into 2 litres boiling water until dissolved, then pour over the potatoes. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until very tender, but not breaking apart.

4. Using a slotted fish lifter or spatula, carefully transfer the chips-to-be in a single layer onto your work surface, or several baking trays that have been lined with clean, dry tea towels. Loosely drape some tea towels across the top to help the potatoes steam as you leave them to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 hours, or until completely cold.

5. One-third fill a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan with oil and heat to 140°C, or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 45–50 seconds. Cook the chips in batches for 6–8 minutes, or until pale gold in colour.

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6. Drain on paper towel, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate again for at least a couple of hours, or overnight — the chips must be completely cold. Allow your oil to cool in the pan, then cover if not using until the next day.

7. When ready to give the chips their final frying, heat the oil to 205°C, or until a cube of bread dropped into the oil turns golden brown in 5 seconds.

8. In batches, add the chips. The temperature will drop to about 180°C, so try to keep it consistently at this heat. Cook each batch for 4–5 minutes, or until deep gold and crunchy crisp. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with your choice of salt. Serve with malt vinegar for traditionalists.

Serves 5


Dairy Milk Chocolate Ice Cream

This rich, smooth-as-silk chocolate indulgence is sure to become a household staple. Sorry.

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300ml thin (pouring) cream
400ml full-cream milk
60g (¹⁄₃ cup) brown sugar
75g caster sugar
1½ teaspoons good-quality unsweetened cocoa powder
½–1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
200g good-quality milk chocolate, chopped

Method

1. Put the cream and milk in a saucepan. Bring almost to the boil over medium–high heat, then remove from the heat.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, brown and caster sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla until well combined. Gradually pour in the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly until smooth.

3. Pour into a clean saucepan and stir over medium–low heat for 12–15 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened to a thin custard consistency and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, then add the chocolate and stir until it has melted and the custard is an even colour. Cool slightly, then strain into a bowl. Cover and chill for 2 hours, or until cold.

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4. Set up an ice cream machine and churn and freeze the mixture according to the manufacturer's instructions. (Alternatively, you can pour the custard mixture into a large shallow cake tin and freeze for 2–3 hours, or until just frozen around the edges. Whisk to evenly distribute the ice crystals through the mixture. Repeat this every hour until the mixture is frozen and evenly textured.)

5. Transfer to a 1 litre plastic container. Smooth the surface over, top with a sheet of baking paper, then pop the lid on.

Note: The ice cream will keep in the freezer for up to 1 week, but tastes best if eaten within a few days.

Makes 1 litre

Recipes and images from Milkbar Memories, by Jane Lawson (Murdoch Books, May 2016), $39.99.

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