The Sydney Morning Herald logo
Advertisement

STREAT Cookbook

STREAT co-founder Rebecca Scott, with the new cookbook, hopes to keep fighting youth homelessness.
STREAT co-founder Rebecca Scott, with the new cookbook, hopes to keep fighting youth homelessness.Supplied

STREAT Cookbook
STREAT team, with a forward by Poh Ling Yeow, $45.

For: the gold-hearted mum.

STREAT fights homelessness by training at-risk youth in hospitality and putting them to work in the organisation's three not-for-profit Melbourne cafes. This is a lovely hardcover cookbook filled with round-the-world recipes from STREAT's head chef, Rob Auger. Some of Rob's original recipes have been given a unique spit-and-polish by the program's graduates, whose life stories are interspersed throughout the 160 pages. See STREAT website for details.

Advertisement

Soft shell crab "Po'Boy"

The Po’Boy sandwich originated in New Orleans during the 1930’s. Restaurant owners would give away free
sandwiches filled with leftover fried meat and seafood to the unemployed or striking workers who they referred to as
Poor Boys, which later got shortened to Po’Boys.

Ingredients
4 soft shell crabs (these can be bought frozen from most fish markets)
2 eggs beaten with 100 ml of milk
100g polenta (cornmeal)
100g breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 long baguette
2 ripe tomatoes, sliced
150g mixed leaf lettuce

Creole remoulade
3 egg yolks
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
200ml canola oil
Squeeze of lemon juice
1 tbspgrainy mustard
1/2 tsp toasted ground cumin
1/2 tspsmoked paprika
1 tbsp capers, chopped
1 tbspparsley, chopped
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Tobasco sauce or any other vinegar-based hot sauce


Method

To make the crabs
Clean the crabs

Combine the polenta, breadcrumbs, smoked paprika, cumin and oregano in a bowl.

Season the crabs then completely coat with flour, dip in the beaten milk and egg mixture, then coat the crabs with the polenta breadcrumb mixture. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to allow the crumbs to set.

Advertisement

To make the remoulade
Whisk together the egg yolks, Dijon mustard and vinegar until combined. Continue whisking while slowly pouring the canola oil into the mixture, drop by drop at first, and then in a steady stream until all of the oil is incorporated. You now have a
basic mayonnaise.

Stir through the remaining ingredients to create the remoulade. If you don’t feel comfortable making the mayonnaise you can buy a high quality mayonnaise and add the grainy mustard, capers, parsley and spices.

Finishing the dish

Pour enough canola oil into a deep fry pan or wok, to create a depth of 1 cm. Heat the oil on medium heat. Fry the crabs in
the oil on each side for about 1 minute until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle with salt.

Cut the baguette into four even sandwich-sized sections then cut 3/4 of the way through and spread the top and bottom
with the remoulade. Add a layer of lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and then place the crab on top of this.

Serves 4


Shae's blackforest "cheesecake"

Advertisement

Shae is one of our Class 5 graduates who particularly loves desserts. The fun part of this recipe is that it has all of the
components of a cold-set cheesecake but they’re prepared separately so you can use some imagination in the presentation.

For filing
500g cream cheese
2/3 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup thickened cream
Zest of one lemon
1 1/2 tsp powdered gelatin, softened in 15ml of cold water
1/2 cup thickened cream, whipped
1 cup drained tinned morello cherries, half chopped and half reserved for garnish

For cherry glaze
2 cups reserved juice from the tinned cherries
2 tbsp sugar

For base
200g sweet biscuits, OR sweet biscuit crumbs
100g melted butter
5 tbsp cocoa powder

For chocolate ganache
100g dark chocolate
150m cream

Method

Advertisement

To make the filling
Remove the cream cheese from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature. Beat it until soft using an electric beater or food processor.

Place the thickened cream, caster sugar and zest in a saucepan then warm over low heat until all of the sugar is dissolved.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir through the softened gelatine until fully dissolved.

Pour the cream and gelatine mixture into the cream cheese using the electric beaters.

When the mixture comes back to room temperature, fold through the whipped cream and chopped cherries, then place in
the fridge and allow to set.

To make cherry glaze
Combine the reserved cherry juice and sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the mixture has reduced and only a quarter of the original volume remains. Allow to cool and set aside.

To make the base
Combine the biscuits or biscuit crumbs in a food processor with the cocoa powder and blend together while pouring in the melted butter.

To make the ganache
Combine the chocolate and cream in a bowl and heat in the microwave for twenty seconds. Remove and stir.
Repeat this process until all of the chocolate has melted
through the cream.

To serve
Use a pastry brush to brush two or three strokes of the cherry glaze onto a plate.

Pour a tablespoon of the chocolate ganache onto the centre of the plate, top with the crumb base and a scoop of the
cream cheese filling mixture. Garnish with cherries and grated chocolate.

Serves 4

Advertisement


Aaron's bread and butter pudding

Aaron is one of our remarkable graduates with a very fond memory of his Nan making him bread and butter pudding
as a child. In his recipe he wanted to stay true to some of the original flavours, but together we put a spin on the dish.

For caramel sauce
125ml cream
125ml milk
125g brown sugar

For whipped cream
150ml cream
1 tsp caster sugar
Pinch of cinnamon

For pudding
1 loaf Brioche
250ml cream
250ml milk
2 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
100g sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon
Zest of 2 oranges
25g almonds, toasted
35g sultanas

Method

Advertisement

1. Cut the Brioche into slices, toast then brush with melted butter.

2. Separate the egg yolks, whisk together with whole eggs and sugar, then add the milk and cream.

3. Stir through vanilla, cinnamon, and orange zest.

4. Cut the brioche into cubes, add the custard, the toasted almonds and sultanas, and mix thoroughly. Allow the
mixture to sit for 15 minutes.

5. Place two large rectangular sheets of cling wrap on top of each other on a bench. Spoon the mixture into the middle of the cling wrap, and then roll it into a fat sausage shape about 5cm wide. Holding each end of thecling wrap, roll the sausage
backwards and forwards on the bench and keep tightening each end so the sausage gets tighter and tighter. Tie each end
of the cling wrap so the sausage remains held firmly in place.

6. Place the sausage in simmering water and poach for about 20 minutes. Remove from the water and place in the fridge
to cool. For a more traditional bread and butter pudding you can bake the mixture in a water bath in the oven for about 45
minutes at 165°C.

Make the caramel sauce
1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and simmer until a caramel sauce consistency is achieved. Keep the sauce warm.

2. When the pudding is cool slice it into discs or medallions about 2 cm thick. Fry in butter until golden brown, and then
finish cooking them in the oven for about 5-10 minutes at 180°C.

3. Place some medallions on the plate, and then garnish with whipped cream, orange segments and zest. Pour over
the warm caramel sauce.

Serves 4-6


Recipe images by Patrick Varney from STREAT Cookbook. (Some photos have been cropped for website).

The best recipes from Australia's leading chefs straight to your inbox.

Sign up

From our partners

Advertisement
Advertisement