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Kakadu Complex� 1 litre

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 13:38:53 +1100

Kakadu Complex� is an ultra-premium, high nutrient health food tonic in a convenient formulation. You will find 15 popularly reported superfoods in Kakadu Complex� including goji, acai, mangosteen, blueberries, cherries, pomegranate, green tea, flax seeds, grape skin and seeds, barley grass, green tea and cocoa bean extract.

In addition to this, the ingredients which make Kakadu Complex� really potent, nutritionally dense and satisfyingly rich are our wild food collection of 11 ingredients. These include Kakadu plum, wild rosella, Illawarra plum, Davidson plum, quandong, rainforest lime, mountain pepper and pepperberries, aniseed myrtle, lemon myrtle and forestberry herb.

Nutritionists tell us to have 2 serves of fruits and 5 of vegetables in order to get the antioxidants our metabolic processes need for optimum health and well-being. The reason there are only 2 fruits is that we have bred most of our fruits to be high moisture, high sugar, low nutritional density foods which are generally of little nutritional value. Even the fibre has been reduced in most of our fruits and continues to be bred out. The bad news is that as the nutritional density of our fresh produce is falling every year, this government recommendation is set to increase to 11 pieces.

Kakadu only includes conventional fruits which are still exceptional sources of antioxidants and when combined with the Australian wild fruits and herbs in Kakadu Complex�, this results in a synergistic superfood beverage with a powerful antioxidant cascade. This potentiates or amplifies the effects of any one antioxidant improving the results you can expect from our whole food drink.

Added to this, it tastes great. Simply try a bottle of Kakadu Complex� for a month taking 2 x 15ml daily for the 30 days (at $2.50 a day it's cheaper than a cup of coffee yet infinitely better for you) and see if you notice any difference to your health, energy, vitality and overall well being. If not, ask us for a refund.

Kakadu also offers a way to earn money while you improve your health. If you are open to a side project which will not interfere with your current activities, visit this link. It is a 3 page website which explains the distribution system we use, information about the company, the product and the opportunity. The next page is a short video which presents a visual explanation of this same detail. Finally, we ask you for a few details about yourself because we look for motivated, even driven people who have a passion to succeed and live a great life. Check it out and see how you can find time freedom and true wealth all through an exceptional, uniquely Australian product and a fulfilling lifestyle business.

Kakadu Complex is a trade mark of Kakadu International Pty Ltd

Dining Downunder Cookbook with Australian spices and seasonings

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:26:14 +1000

This value pack includes a Dining Downunder Cookbook as well as a selection of Australian seasonings. These Australian seasonings include one each of;

* Alpine Pepper
* Sprinkle
* Fruit Spice
* Wildfire Spice
* Red Desert Dust
* Rainforest Rub

Accompanying the popular Australian TV series, Dining Downunder, The Dining Downunder Cookbook is a journey of three chefs across Australia, looking at our contemporary Australian cuisine, cooking with indigenous ingredients and sharing their passion of an authentic Australian food style.

Chefs Vic Cherikoff, Benjamin Christie and Mark McCluskey crank up the barbeque off the back of a boat in a sheltered bay in Sydney Harbour, travel to the valleys of the Blue Mountains in NSW, pop over to Margaret River in our far west or see what Australian ginger is all about up in the Queensland hinterland. The culinary delights of Australia are a lot more than just the promotional chefs over whom the general press is obsessed and Dining Downunder (TM) tracks down the quiet achievers, the dedicated and the low key stars of the Australian food industry. And it's all in the book.

There's Cherikoff�s introduction to the Australian native food industry which he pioneered back in the 1980s commercialising a collection of ingredients following their Aboriginal origins. Then the book features a foreword by Australian entrepreneur, Dick Smith, the face behind Dick Smith Foods, which uses native foods in a growing number of their all-Australian products.

Australian native fruits, seeds, nuts, herbs, spices, essential oils and products made from them, are emerging as a trend in the global marketplace. Together, they make a uniquely Australian cuisine possible with flavours that reflect their geographic origins of deep rainforests, outback deserts, coastal woodlands and alpine valleys.

With over ninety beautifully photographed recipes from the show, The Dining Downunder Cookbook provides a visual feast for the senses and includes detailed descriptions on how to use the many native ingredients including Wattleseed, Paperbark, Riberry Confit, Alpine Pepper, Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle, Fruit Spice, Wildfire Spice, Red Desert Dust and Rainforest Rub. Also featured are recipes from the select restaurants the chefs visit. Those who frequently entertain at home as passionate cooks or are gourmands looking for the next food trend and new ingredients will find The Dining Downunder Cookbook a must and will appreciate the easy to follow recipes and informative guides, including the secrets of an Australian barbeque.

Dining Downunder Cookbook by Vic Cherikoff & Benjamin Christie

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 13:25:05 +1000

Accompanying the popular Australian TV series, Dining Downunder (TM), The Dining Downunder Cookbook is a journey of three chefs across Australia, looking at our contemporary Australian cuisine, cooking with indigenous ingredients and sharing their passion of an authentic Australian food style.

Chefs Vic Cherikoff, Benjamin Christie and Mark McCluskey crank up the barbeque off the back of a boat in a sheltered bay in Sydney Harbour, travel to the valleys of the Blue Mountains in NSW, pop over to Margaret River in our far west or see what Australian ginger is all about up in the Queensland hinterland. The culinary delights of Australia are a lot more than just the promotional chefs over whom the general press is obsessed and Dining Downunder (TM) tracks down the quiet achievers, the dedicated and the low key stars of the Australian food industry. And it's all in the book.

There's Cherikoff�s introduction to the Australian native food industry which he pioneered back in the 1980s, commercializing a collection of ingredients following their Aboriginal origins. Then the book features a foreword by Australian entrepreneur, Dick Smith, the face behind Dick Smith Foods, which uses native foods in a growing number of their all-Australian products.

Australian native fruits, seeds, nuts, herbs, spices, essential oils and products made from them, are emerging as a trend in the global marketplace. Together, they make a uniquely Australian cuisine possible with flavours that reflect their geographic origins of deep rainforests, outback deserts, coastal woodlands and alpine valleys.

With over ninety beautifully photographed recipes from the show, The Dining Downunder Cookbook provides a visual feast for the senses and includes detailed descriptions on how to use the many native ingredients including Wattleseed, Paperbark, Riberry Confit, Alpine Pepper, Lemon Myrtle, Fruit Spice, Wildfire Spice, Red Desert Dust and Rainforest Rub. Also featured are recipes from the select restaurants the chefs visit. Those who frequently entertain at home as passionate cooks or are gourmands looking for the next food trend and new ingredients will find The Dining Downunder Cookbook a must and will appreciate the easy to follow recipes and informative guides, including the secrets of an Australian barbeque.

Kakadu Wild Weightloss Way kit - A Whole Month's Supply

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 08:14:55 +1000

The Kakadu Wild Weightloss Way is an extremely effective program that guarantees easy and permanent weight loss in anyone who follows the system. It is based in part, on the popular and proven Dukan Diet developed by French MD, Dr Pierre Dukan. Some 5 million people have used the diet in France alone and worldwide the number is many times this.

Why should anyone want to lose weight?

Being over-weight has many health implications. Heart attack, blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and a whole of other conditions are all risks if you are carrying too much fat. Longevity as well as your quality of life are challenged by being over-weight. It's even harder to get clothes that make you look good and just moving around can be difficult compared to being lean, trim and fit.

Additionally, and unfortunately, many people judge us by our appearance. Being overweight might make getting a job more difficult. Some jobs have physical requirements that being over-weight can stop the job from being done. The health implications mean that employers see over-weight people as a probable cause of too many days off. Some jobs just favour those who are not over-weight.

The Kakadu Wild Wightloss Way� has made the often impossible task of losing weight easy and achievable. We've even made it fun and deliciously enjoyable.

I've tried those diets which expect you to eat like a sparrow and exercise like a demon every day for hours on end. As if starvation isn't bad enough, these programs almost demand 2 or more personal trainers to guide your nutrition, work your body and keep up your motivation - it's like a private Biggest Loser show but you are the victim.

I've tried those powders that taste like they smell - disgusting! And they are not easy to mix, drink or even to remember to take.

And then I tried that other system where I had to replace food with pills. Lots of synthetic vitamins in coloured tablets that are not only hard to swallow, but certainly don't replace eating as they are meant to.

I was convinced. I had to FORGET powders, potions and pills. They are more profit driven products and synthetic components can't replace natural foods with which we evolved.

But even though these methods just don't work and that 90% or more of people subjecting themselves to these unrealistic processes just regain the weight lost and some, it still seems that a new diet appears every week. You might have asked yourself why this happens.

Well. The problem is our food. And it's not any particular type of food in that you can't just blame fast food, snack food, sweets and desserts, sugar in your coffee or alcoholic drinks. All these are not healthy but it is all of these AND our fresh produce that's making us fat.

The Kakadu WWW e-book tells us why and the program works to over-come the everyday challenge of sugar and fat in our diet and how they are making us obese.

Download a copy of the ebook here.

See the change in your body shape in less than a month and feel the difference of not carrying around all that bulk of unnecessary fat. Your clothes will fit better. You'll have more choices in life.

The Kakadu Wild Weightloss Way works because of two innovations: The first is the inclusion of Kakadu Complex� to your dietary regime as a whole food health tonic and an essential component prior to each meal. This unique food combines 11 Australian wild foods with another 15 global superfoods. It effectively transforms modern foods into their wild equivalents (from a blood sugar perspective) and delivers high levels and a wide range of antioxidants* along with a host of other functional benefits.

The second innovation is our use of Slim�n Sticks� (heat activated, flavor-infused skewers) as a means to boost metabolic rate, as an additional source of antioxidants and to provide interest and ease of food preparation of the proteins in the program. Slim�n Sticks� impart no sugar, no fat, no salt and leave no goo on the cooking surface and are a great alternative to high fat, sugary sauces, added salt or sprinkles of seasonings that just burn on cooking. The flavours infuse from the inside out and are sophisticated, clean, impactful and totally natural.

The Slim'n Sticks� in the WWW kit are really good. They make cooking fun and easy. With a choice of 8 different flavours you can make all the proteins in the meal plan interesting and delicious. It does require a small amount of pre-planning in terms of shopping for meats, poultry and seafood but think of the time you'll save not having to roam around the fruit and vegetable displays trying to smell, squeeze and choose produce that doesn't look bruised or over-handled, too ripe, under-ripe or just damaged. All this effort and as you'll learn, it's generally not worth eating in the end anyway.

The Slim'n Sticks anchor your health to real food too. Your sustenance doesn't get linked to some artificial powder or pill collection. You will recognize good food by the way it makes you feel and our functional spices in the Slim'n Sticks really add to this healthy food feel. Often feeling hungry on a starvation diet makes you weaken and a sugary cheat is the easiest 'cure' for your cravings and depression. You are made to feel weak as these poor diets based on rubbish foods and chemicals result in many people cheating and then feeling worse about themselves. Eventually, the diet goes by the wayside and the weight piles back on.

All this and they expect you to get to the gym as well for long periods of self-inflicted torture. Who has the time or the motivation?

Then there's talk of your fat 'set-point'; metabolic efficiency during low calorie intake; satiety factors; and all the other biological tricks with which we evolved to make us find the nutrients we need to survive. None benefit us with our modern, impoverished food quality.

Here's the Kakadu promise:

We are so confident that this program will work for you and that you will find it easy and fun to do that we offer a 30 day money back guarantee. If you follow our plan and do not lose weight, we will refund the purchase price of the Kit. You have zero risk and everything to gain - health and weight loss.

Yakajirri 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:22:38 +1000

Yakajirri is our bush tomato seasoning which features akudjura (ground bush tomatoes) as a rich, spicy tomato-ness but still something very new, exciting and different. It has all but replaced akudjura (ground bush tomato) in use due to the attention we paid in developing an easy to use form of bush tomato. Many chefs have trouble using pure akudjura because of the bitterness often expressed when it is heated even a little. Rather than struggling to balance out this unwanted flavour, we have added the perfect amount of salt and peppery heat, garlic undertones and tomato notes needed to strongly enhance the akudjura while adding to its versatility in use.

Flavor - rich tomato paste and eggplant notes with spice pungency and aromatics coming from mountain pepper and aniseed myrtle, respectively

Color - tomato paste red with green herb flecks and a coarse texture

Aroma - unmistakable akudjura nose with backnotes of conventional tomato paste and herbaceous aromatics of Australian spices

Yakajirri 180g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 22:22:12 +1000

Red Desert Dust 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:54:54 +1000

OK. So it's not really dust but our Red Desert Dust is a seasoning with a gutsy, aromatic mix of conventional and native Australian ingredients and ideal as a finishing flavor over meats, potatoes, eggs or cheeses such as baked ricotta. Try a simple grilled cheese on toast sprinkled with Red Desert Dust and taste the added dimensions of flavors from the native Australian ingredients.

COLOR - Central Australian red sand colour with green, purple-black and bright red flecks and pale tan sesame seeds

AROMA - spicy, peppery primaries with roasted chicken notes and a herb finish

PALATE - initial sweet and salt, followed by a full chicken and pepper mid-palate with complex spice and toasted seed

Put it on salmon, white or red meats and bake to doneness then blacken the spice mix under the grill or broiler. This lessens the herb notes but brings out the peppery zing and smokey spice flavors.

There are a few herb inclusions in Red Desert Dust which work as flavor enhancers for tomato dishes such as gumbo, stews or your favorite pasta sauce so add some early in the cooking and let the ingredients combine and meld to a richness you won't forget.

Red Desert Dust can also be used as a dry rub or marinade, adding complexity to meats. Alternatively, mix some into butter or your favorite substitute and melt over cooked meats allowing the warmth to heighten the impact of the ingredients.

Another use is as a general flavoring in dressings, mayonnaise or oil and whisking will help infuse the flavors or warming works, either way, as appropriate. Try adding Red Desert Dust to pancake batter for an interesting savoury crepe which can be filled with tinned tuna, salmon, roast chicken strips etc and moisten with snow pea sprouts or some enoki mushrooms for a simple snack or entr�e.

One easy finger food is to slice Lebanese flat bread into segments, drizzle them generously with macadamia nut oil and sprinkle on the Red Desert Dust (or try my other seasoning mixes for variety). I might add a little extra salt to some. Lay the segments out on a baking tray and place into an oven at 100�C (212�F) to dry to crispness. It only takes about 5 minutes. Serve with an Australian riesling or unwooded chardonnay or an ice cold beer.

Red Desert Dust 225g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:54:31 +1000

Wildfire Spice 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:54:13 +1000

This is our all-purpose spice mix which includes a bit of zing from mountain pepper combined with a herb finish from the blend of lemon aspen, lemon myrtle and aniseed myrtle. It also includes a few conventional herbs and spices to round out the flavour and make it a highly versatile seasoning.

Wildfire Spice is gently spicy but is a complex flavoring and ideal for the BBQ, grilling and baking.

COLOUR - coarse, multi-ingredient, multi-coloured herb, spice and salt flecks

AROMA - complex, mixed spice nose tending to Mediterranean but with a wild woody Australian character and suggestion of pizza

PALATE - full chicken and spice mid-palate with pepper and mild chilli heat followed by complex herbaceous citrus aromatics and toasted seeds

Use it as a dry marinade or rub over seafood, meats, eggs or vegetables.

Try a heaped teaspoonful per 500g (about a pound) of dough or batter when baking bread or for pizza bases, crepes or savoury pancakes.

Use Wildfire Spice in burgers, meatloaf or other savoury mince meat or sprinkle some liberally over your next stir-fry, salad, pasta or pizza.

You can also add a sprinkle and infuse the flavour into red wine or mushroom sauces for steaks and chops; add some to warmed olive oil for that tasty dipping oil with some fresh bread or make salad dressings with oil and vinegar and Wildfire Spice to taste.

See what I mean about all-purpose?

I also like mixing some into sour cream and topping baked potatoes or seasoning kumara chips or slices baked in the oven. It turns boring vegetables like cauliflower and kale into gourmet treats (OK, so you still need a nob of butter as well).

Get some seed mix such as linseeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and maybe some finely chopped almonds and add a generous amount of Wildfire Spice to make a delicious dukkah or spiced seed mix. As an alternative, dry roast the seeds and while they are still hot, add a splash of soy sauce and then mix this into some Wildfire spice. These mixtures can be used as a sprinkle for olive oil soaked bread or as a crusting over meats and seafood for frying, broiling or grilling.

The more you use my Wildfire Spice mix the more favorite applications you'll find. I can promise you that!

Wildfire Spice 225g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:53:53 +1000

Rainforest Rub 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:53:29 +1000

We Aussies love chilli so this herb and spice mix has a bit to add those special tingles for your tongue. It's not too hot but formulated to give that Wow! factor and the flavor blends well with the lemon myrtle, lemon aspen and pepperberry in this wild Australian mix.

COLOR - pale yellow mix with bright red chilli fines, sesame seeds and green herb flecks

AROMA - spicy, roasted chicken nose with a sweet lemon, lime and lemongrass oil bouquet

PALATE - full chicken and spice mid-palate with pepper and chilli heat followed by complex herbaceous citrus aromatics and toasted seed

A vegetarian chicken flavored base is used for this rub since it is a flavor which goes with a wide range of other foods. However, if you are at all concerned, please note that this is a fully vegetarian seasoning and a great example of the molecular basis of taste where the similarity of the plant protein extract to chicken protein results in the same taste to our brains. Our product is gluten and MSG free.

One of my favorite uses for Rainforest Rub is on potato chips. I mean the thin slivers of the humble potato, deep fried and unhealthy. You might call them crisps. I dust them with Rainforest Rub and the lemony chicken and chilli makes one of the most moreish snacks I know. You might want to try it on the thicker, softer wedges and fries (they apparently can't be called French anymore since S11 made this politically incorrect), on corn, sweet potato or taro chips or pop corn as well.

Not surprisingly, Rainforest Rub is great over chicken to intensify the flavor of what must be the world's most popular bird. Use it as a general seasoning in and over practically any dish, including roasted, grilled, broiled, barbecued, stir-fried or braised poultry, pork or seafood, vegetables, veal or game. Season stews, stocks, soups and sauces and like all of my mixes, you can add it to breads and batters for a savory twist to these.

As a way to carry the seasoning on foods such as yabbies (crawdads), crays, lobster, octopus, calamari, prawns or shrimp, mix it with breadcrumbs or a fine polenta. Add some grated cheese such as a cheddar or parmesan.

Rainforest Rub 225g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:52:46 +1000

Fruit Spice 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:02:54 +1000

Fruit Spice is a really unique seasoning for enhancing fruit flavors of soft or stone fruits such as berries, apricots, peaches or tropical fruits like mango. You can also use it to make ordinary fruit jams and jellies more fruity.

COLOR - visually mixed green herb fines and pieces including micro-crystals of natural flavor and with flecks of dark purple fruity spices

AROMA - passionfruit and berry front notes with a hint of cumin and the tiniest suggestion of caroway

PALATE - full-on fruit to match the aroma and with a subtle pepper and anise long palate

It only takes a light sprinkle, stir it in and wait for a few minutes for the flavor to infuse. It takes less time if the product is warm to hot. If you pur�e fruit for dessert sauces or make syrups from cooked fruit and sugar, Fruit Spice will add a delicious strawberry-passionfruit character with a subtle lemony hint.

And here's a really good recipe for a salad dressing - one which I still use often. Blend some strawberries and add Fruit Spice by the pinch, to taste. If I don't have fresh strawberries on hand, try apple and strawberry juice. You might even add a bit of cracked black pepper. Now, if you are serving a salad of interesting green leaves such as radicchio, cos, rocket, coral, baby beetroot leaves, cresses and more, you can dress it well ahead of time with this Fruit Spice and juice mix. You see, if you use an oil based dressing, the oil wilts the leaves quickly unlike juices which actually make the leaves more turgid or pumped up. I once cooked a lunch for 60 chefs as a demonstration meal and made this dressing so that I could prepare the salad hours beforehand and just chill the salad covered in plastic wrap. It looked better than when I made it and tasted so good I had nearly all 60 chefs ask what I used to flavor the leaves. What better recommendation?

I love using this mix in yoghurt, custards and whipped cream and think that it makes one of the best ice creams you will ever try. If melons eg honey dew melons, are in season, give them a sprinkle of Fruit Spice and see the difference. Give it a go and let me know what you think.

Fruit spice by the generous pinch also turns up the gain on vegetable casseroles and other wet dishes with pumpkin, sweet potato or kumara. And it makes a fruity Asian or Indian curry come to life!

Store Fruit Spice in a cool place, preferably chilled.

Fruit Spice 160g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:02:33 +1000

Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:01:41 +1000

Lemon myrtle sprinkle is deliciously aromatic and an extremely versatile, all native ingredient, herbal and fruit mix which can be used in an extremely wide range of dishes, including an exceptional herbal tea.

COLOR - bright green herb with pale yellow flecks of citrus

AROMA - early sweet lemon, lime and lemongrass oil bouquet with a citrus middle nose

PALATE - robust lemon flavour-scent complemented with a mild acid citrus back palate and faint anise and green tea late notes

Lemon myrtle sprinkle could be considered even more lemony than lemon myrtle because of its unique formulation. It is a blend of the best quality lemon myrtle leaf; some aniseed myrtle (both specially dried in the dark and milled at sub-zero temperatures); rainforest lime pulp and lemon aspen pulp which provide a hint of acid; and finished with encapsulated lemon myrtle essential oil. This results in a mix which is probably closer to 125% as lemony as lemon myrtle leaf alone and with a more rounded flavour as well.

Lemon myrtle comes from a tall rainforest tree (up to 30m) and once was only found in SE Queensland, from Brisbane to Cairns but is now widely planted in coastal New South Wales and some even in South Australia, Victoria as well as our coldest State, Tasmania. The growth rate is highest in warmer climates but leaf quality can vary with plant nutrition, watering regimes, the weather, time of day and harvest cycles. The Lemon myrtle leaves are now more-often machine harvested for the food, cosmetic, fragrance and cut flower industries. Some growers still pick by hand, particularly for cottage industry products such as oils and vinegars where a whole leaf may be added as a garnish. Generally, though, larger scale manufacturers look to our distilled essential oil which we provide solubilised or encapsulated for functionality and ease of use.

Lemon myrtle sprinkle can be used in an unlimited number of ways: As a herb tea, just infuse to taste in boiling water or tea. Add a tiny sprinkle to freshly brewed coffee as it brings out the flavor of the coffee itself and adds those heady aromatics of citral to complement the coffee roasted notes. It's also good in hot chocolate. Try Lemon Myrtle tea with ginger juice, black or green tea, rooibos or other herbals and even chill and gas it with a soda stream to make your own soft drinks. (Add sugar or fruit juice and sweeten it to taste). I recommend making a strong infusion to use as a health-giving tea and a weaker one as a soft drink which I drink a lot, ice cold and bubbly. As a lemon seasoning, Lemon myrtle sprinkle is best used as a finishing flavoring, ie add it to hot or just-cooked food before serving and the essential oils are driven out by the warmth. Bake chicken or fish, add a sprinkle of Lemon myrtle sprinkle as it comes out of the oven and it'll be full-flavored by the time it gets to the table. Add to a buttery fish sauce or chicken stock - there's nothing better.

As a flavoring in custards or any soft cheeses, clotted cream, yoghurt or other dairy product add it to taste or infuse the Lemon myrtle sprinkle in warmed milk and add this as a concentrate.

Use sugar syrup (say, 500ml water and 500g sugar dissolved by heating the stirred mixture slowly) and as it cools to less than 40 degrees C add Lemon myrtle sprinkle to infuse to a strong flavor. Use this over stewed fruits, ice cream (or to make your own ice cream), thicken it with agar agar or gelatine to make a soft jelly or add lemon juice and turn it into a lemon spread with the pectin.

Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle 160g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:00:01 +1000

Alpine Pepper 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:52:43 +1000

Alpine pepper is a carefully considered formulation of the peppery leaves and fruits of a high country wild pepper found in the mountains of Tasmania. The fiery leaves get draped in snow in the winter and blasted by Antarctic winds which sweep the icy valleys where this tough plant grows.

COLOR - olive and pastel green herb with dark purple flecks of fruits of sumac and pepperberries

AROMA - woody peppery note with a hint of fruit

PALATE - herbaceous short palate with conventional pepper zing then exhibiting an increasing burn with rich berry and a hint of green tea

You may think that you have tried all the varieties of pepper already but here is a totally new one. Sure. There's black, grey and white pepper as well as green, pink and red pepper which all come from the same plant (a climber, originally from India). You may have even tried betel pepper, Indian long or Javan long peppers or the rough-leaved pepper - all are different species of the same genus, Piper.

However, here in Australia, we have a totally new type of pepper which is more closely related to the source of aspirin or oil of Wintergreen than to the tropical pepper vine. We call it mountain pepper and it's actually a herb although the fruits which we call pepperberries are also used - sparingly. I say this because chewing on a few pepperberries is like having a pepper grenade go off in your mouth.

I also include a specially prepared, encapsulated extract of the leaves which imparts that instant zing of wild warmth. There's some forest anise, which not only ideally complements the taste but adds a real lift to any dish. Finally, I have added some of the tangy, Turkish sumac for its fruitiness to enhance the pepperberries; some Szechuan pepper and some conventional Piper corns in their black and white forms, added for those familiar pepper notes.

Most creative chefs reach for the Alpine pepper as other cooks would for a peppermill. It can easily and deliciously substitute for ordinary pepper on meats, seafood, soups, vegetables, eggs and cheese dishes. Use it to taste and you'll discover that Wow! factor you want in your food.

Alpine pepper can also be used in far more ways than just as a seasoning over cooked dishes. Use it as a dry marinade on meats or add it to breads, batter and pastry as a herb mix. It makes the best salt and pepper squid you'll ever try.

Now here's something I discovered by accident - Try sprinkling Alpine pepper over raw or cooked fruit or mix it into ice cream (particularly strawberry flavoured), yoghurt, cream cheese or custards. Alternatively, generously season peeled and sliced bananas or pineapple pieces with Alpine pepper and pan-fry them in butter and a dash of your favorite oil (olive, macadamia, avocado, walnut, pumpkin seed, whatever) until they just brown and soften. Serve with ice cream and a small cup of strong coffee.

Store Alpine pepper chilled. It keeps the aromatics fresh.

Alpine Pepper 180g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 15:52:18 +1000

Alpine Pepper (30g sachet)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:41:13 +1000

Alpine pepper is a carefully considered formulation of the peppery leaves and fruits of a high country wild pepper bush found in the mountains of Tasmania. The firey leaves get draped in snow in the winter and blasted by Antarctic winds kissing the icy valleys where this tough plant grows.

COLOR - olive and pastel green herb pieces with dark purple flecks of fruits of the spices; sumac and pepperberries

AROMA - woody peppery note with a hint of fruit

PALATE - herbaceous short palate with conventional pepper zing then exhibiting an increasing burn with rich berry and a hint of green tea

You may think that you have tried all the varieties of pepper already but here is a totally new one. Sure. There's black, grey and white pepper as well as green, pink and red pepper which all come from the same plant (a climber, originally from India). You may have even tried betel pepper, Indian long or Javan long peppers or the rough-leaved pepper - all are different species of the same genus, Piper.

However, here in Australia, we have a totally new type of pepper which is more closely related to the source of aspirin or oil of Wintergreen than to the tropical true pepper vine. We call it mountain pepper and it's actually a herb although the berries we call pepperberries are also used - sparingly. I say this because chewing on a few pepperberries is like having a grenade go off in your mouth.

I also include a specially prepared, encapsulated extract of the leaves which imparts that instant zing of bushy heat. There's some forest anise, which not only ideally complements the taste but adds to some serious functionality in that the combination is super-strongly anti-microbial so that there is some preservative action when using Alpine pepper as a marinade. Finally, I have added some of the tangy, Turkish sumac for its fruitiness to enhance the pepperberries and some conventional Piper corns in their black and white forms are added for those familiar pepper notes.

You'll grab for the Alpine pepper as most cooks would for a peppermill. It can easily and deliciously substitute for ordinary pepper on meats, seafood, soups, vegetables, eggs and cheese dishes. Use it to taste and you'll discover that Wow! factor you want in your food. Alpine pepper can also be used in far more ways than just as a seasoning over cooked dishes. Use it as a dry marinade on meats or add it to breads, batter and pastry as a herb mix. It makes the best salt and pepper squid you'll ever try.

Now here's something I discovered by accident - Try sprinkling Alpine pepper over raw or cooked fruit or mix it into ice cream (particularly strawberry flavoured), yoghurt, cream cheese or custards. Alternatively, generously season peeled and sliced bananas with Alpine pepper and pan-fry them in butter and a dash of your favorite oil (olive, macadamia, avocado, walnut, pumpkin seed, whatever) until they just brown and soften. Serve with ice cream and a small cup of strong coffee.

By the way, I store my Alpine pepper on the door of my freezer. It keeps the aromatics fresh and is always at hand so it won't go the way of less valued spices which get buried and lost or just forgotten in the pantry.

Suggested recipes using Alpine Pepper

Alpine peppered venison on rainforest herb linguini

Tasmanian salmon with soy Alpine Pepper dressing

Wine drenched lamb with Alpine Pepper mash

Alpine peppered pineapple with wild fruit yoghurt

Ingredients: mountain pepper, sumac, pepperberry, black pepper, aniseed myrtle, white pepper, encapsulated pepper

Forest Anise 30g sachet

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 09:40:38 +1000

Flavour � Subtle Pernod-like aniseed flavour with a sweet aftertaste. Colour and Appearance � A fine light green powder which can still provide texture in biscuits and cakes. Typical uses � Use with white meats as a sprinkle, mixed in stuffing or part of a stock seasoning. Add to desserts (eg. ice cream), cream cheese or bread. Helpful hints � Extremely versatile flavouring. Oils are volatile and can dissipate with heat so best added as a post-preparation seasoning or cold-formulated. Use at around 0.5% (5g/kg) addition. Storage � Cool and dark Packaging � 100g PET jars, 1kg bags Many chefs find this a difficult herb to use and as there are many people who just don�t like aniseed as a flavour (often from abusing Ouzo, Pernod or Arrak in their younger days) it can be a highly polarising ingredient. Its best use is probably in ice cream and then as a backnote flavour in seasonings and sauces. Forest anise is a natural flavour enhancer for tomatoes and other solanaceous vegetables and it has some interesting bioactive effects which make it a valuable food.

Herbal-Active - 100g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 03:48:52 +1000

See this page of our shop for the background information on Herbal-Active.

This 100g pack is more for chefs to use as it will ultimately make 10 litres of dipping solution at 1%.

Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle (sachet) 30g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:28:10 +1000

Lemon myrtle sprinkle is deliciously aromatic and an extremely versatile, all native ingredient, herb and fruit mix which can be used in an extremely wide range of dishes, including an exceptional herbal tea.

COLOR - bright green herb with pale yellow flecks of citrus

AROMA - early sweet lemon, lime and lemongrass oil bouquet with a citrus middle nose

PALATE - robust lemon flavour-scent complemented with a mild acid citrus back palate and faint anise and green tea late notes

Lemon myrtle sprinkle could be considered even more lemony than lemon myrtle because of its unique formulation. It is a blend of the best quality lemon myrtle leaf; wild, rainforest lime pulp and lemon aspen pulp (specially dried in the dark and milled at sub-zero temperatures) which provide a hint of acid; and I have worked in more lemon myrtle using encapsulated, lemon myrtle essential oil. Finally, there's some aniseed myrtle which is a good source of trans-anethole. Trans-anethole is a phyto-estrogen and immune system stimulant. This results in a mix which is probably closer to 125% as lemony as lemon myrtle leaf alone and a more rounded flavour as well.

But back to the lemon myrtle in Lemon myrtle sprinkle. This 'herb' comes from a tall rainforest tree (up to 30m) and once was only found in SE Queensland, from Brisbane to Cairns but is now widely planted in coastal New South Wales and some even in South Australia, Victoria as well as our coldest State, Tasmania. The growth rate is highest in warmer climates but leaf quality can vary with plant nutrition, watering regimes, the weather, time of day and harvest cycles. The Lemon myrtle leaves are now more-often machine harvested for the food, cosmetic, fragrance and cut flower industries. Some growers still pick by hand, particularly for cottage industry products such as oils and vinegars where a whole leaf may be added as a garnish. Generally, though, larger scale manufacturers look to the distilled essential oil which might be solubilised or encapsulated for functionality and ease of use. So for culinary uses as an all-purpose, sweet or savoury lemon seasoning.

Lemon myrtle sprinkle can be used in an unlimited number of ways: As a herb tea, just infuse to your own taste in boiling water or tea. I love a tiny amount added to my freshly brewed, super-strong coffee as it brings out the flavor of the coffee itself and adds those heady aromatics of citral to complement the coffee. It's also good in hot chocolate. Try Lemon Myrtle tea with ginger juice, black or green tea, rooibos or other herbals and even chill and gas it with a soda stream to make your own soft drinks. (Add sugar or fruit juice and sweeten it to taste). I tend to make a strong infusion to use as a health-giving tea and a weaker one as a soft drink which I drink a lot, ice cold and bubbly. As a lemon spice, Lemon myrtle sprinkle is best used as a finishing seasoning. By this I mean add it to hot or just-cooked food before serving and the essential oils are driven out by the warmth to reach your tastebuds. So if you bake chicken or fish, add a sprinkle of Lemon myrtle sprinkle as it comes out of the oven and it'll be full-flavored by the time it gets to the table.

As a flavouring, say, in custards or any soft cheeses, clotted cream, yoghurt or other dairy product you can just add it to taste or infuse the flavor out by infusing some Lemon myrtle sprinkle in warmed milk and add this as a concentrate. You can obviously make this as strong as you like and by leaving it stand for up to 10 minutes, out comes the essential oils and up goes the flavor.

You can replace the milk with sugar syrup (say, 500ml water and 500g sugar dissolved by heating the stirred mixture slowly) and use this over stewed fruits, ice cream (or to make your own ice cream), thicken it with agar agar or gelatine to make a soft jelly or add lemon juice and turn it into a lemon spread with the pectin.

Suggested recipes using Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle

Coconut and Lemon Myrtle brul�e

Ricotta figs and macadamia nuts

Rainforest lime and macadamia nut pudding

Seafood laksa with wild limes and lemon myrtle linguini

Ingredients: lemon myrtle, aniseed myrtle, lemon aspen juice, wild lime puree, rice flour, icing sugar, lemon myrtle oil, aniseed myrtle oil

Wattleseed Extract 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:24:44 +1000

Wattleseed Extract is a highly versatile and nutritious flavouring for sauces, bavarois, creme brulee, ice cream, pavlova, crumbs or as a coffee substitute.

To make a Wattleccino� is simple with Wattleseed extract - just dilute a tablespoonful of extract with a quarter cup of hot water and top up with frothed milk). Also try Wattleseed extract as a flavouring for beer, cream or red wine sauces, in marinades and dessert sauces.

Approximate usage rate is from 2-3%, depending on the flavour of other ingredients and whether the watttle is enhancing or competing with these other tastes.

Wattleseed 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 10:23:46 +1000

Wattleseed was first developed by Vic Cherikoff in the early 1980s and we have the best of the best as our flagship product.

Wattleseed is a highly versatile and nutritious roasted grain (Acacia seeds) with an amazing coffee, chocolate, hazelnut flavour.

Spicemaster notes for Wattleseed:

COLOR - toasted chocolate brown grounds, milled to perfection for cooking or use in espresso, drip filter or plunger coffee equipment. Also available as a dark brown water-based liquid

AROMA - toasted roasted notes with coffee, chocolate hazelnut characters

PALATE - chocolate short palate with coffee notes less the bitterness and a nutty finish similar to hazelnuts (filberts)

Wattleseeds from around 100 species of Acacia have been used as foods by Australian Aborigines for at least 6,000 years. This matches the first cultivation of wheat on the fertile deltas at the mouths of the Nile in Egypt; the Euphrates in Mesopotamia (now Iraq); and the Indus in India.

Add Wattleseed to bread or muffin mixes, pasta, white chocolate and chocolate fillings, biscuits and beverages. Also use as a flavoring for red wine sauces, in marinades and dessert sauces or any application where the Wattleseed gets boiled or moist cooked. This softens the grounds and releases the flavor.

If the use is just a cold blending then use our Wattleseed extract which is a concentrated water based extract.

Australian Menu Planning Guide

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 09:52:05 +1000

Menu Planning is an important and timely task every chef has to undertake. So to help easy the task, Australia celebrity chefs and native food experts, Vic Cherikoff and Benjamin Christie have written the Australian Menu Planning Guide. Vic Cherikoff is an evangelist for an authentic Australian cuisine, an ombudsman for Australian chefs, an advocate for creating a globally recognizable food style and a godfather to the commercialisation of dozens of indigenous Australian ingredients. Benjamin Christie is a young Australian chef with a rapidly growing international reputation as a television presenter, cookbook author, culinary educator and chef consultant.

The new look Australian Menu Planning Guide provides 48 pages of dishes and concepts for restaurants, hotels, conference, function and venue caterers who are interested in discovering ways to integrate Australian ingredients. The Australian Menu Planning Guide can be considered a foundation for establishing Australian set menus, buffets, breakfast menus and a la carte dishes.

Hundreds of chefs around the world now use Australian native ingredients on their menus everyday. Thousands of dishes have been created featuring them and probably millions of diners now recognize that an original, unmistakable, Australian cuisine is emerging from this concerted effort.

Apart from regular menus, you could develop a series of Australian menus offering including breakfast, morning tea, lunch dinner and cocktail party all with the unique flavours of Australia. Australian ingredients such as Lemon Myrtle, Wattleseed, Alpine Pepper, Yakajirri and Paperbark together with Australian game meats such as kangaroo and emu which have really become popular on menus also.

Topics included in the latest version of the Australian Menu Planning Guide are;

Breakfast
Freshly squeezed juice cocktails, Blended Smoothies, Sparkling Wines, Cereals, Cold Buffet Breakfast, Breakfast Sausages, Live Breakfast Stations, Cold Plated Breakfast, Hot Plated Breakfast, Breakfast Crepes, Breakfast Bakery

Coffee Shop & Room Service
Cookies and Biscuits, Friands, Sweet Muffins, Savoury Muffins, Caf� meals / Room Service, Gourmet Wood fired pizzas, Australian Gourmet Meat Pies

Buffet
Bread Selection, Buffet Soups, Buffet Salads, Antipasto, Hot Buffet Dishes, Wet Dishes, BBQ Dishes, Carvery and Roasts, Buffet Condiments, Potato & Farinaceous Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes, Live Pasta Station, Buffet Desserts

Canap�s
Cold Canap�s, Hot Canap�s, Canap� Oysters, Soup Canap�s, Hot Fork Styled Dishes, Antipasto, Live Cooking / Carving Stations

Alacarte
Amuse Bouche, Soups, Cold Appetizers, Hot Appetizers, Vegetarian Appetizers, Oysters, Sorbets, Main Courses � Seafood, Main Courses - Meat, Poultry & Game, Vegetarian Main Courses, Desserts, Australian Cheeses, Ice-creams, Gelato, Chocolate Truffles

This is the third edition of the Australian Menu Planning Guide. When you order the Australian Menu Planning Guide, you�ll receive regular updates and special offers for 12 months. So when we publish a new version, you�ll receive an update within days via email. The Australian Menu Planning Guide comes as a PDF and requires Adobe Acrobat to be installed to be read. This is handy for chefs that travel who don�t want to carry around large and bulky cookbooks.

The Australian Menu Planning Guide is also included in our Chefs Hamper which is includes a wide range of Australian native ingredients and allows chefs to experiment and plan menus.

So join the elite group of creative chefs, chefs who are pioneers in their own exploration of the newest concept in food anywhere in the world.

Herbal-Active Natural Food Rinse

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 19:27:20 +1000

Naturally sanitize your food using a mix of natural culinary herb extracts.

We ship this product as a concentrate with the essential oil components bound onto Acacia gum. The pouch of what are simply natural flavours comes ready to be made up to 2 litres (66 fl oz) with warm (tepid) water to make a dipping solution for fruits, vegetables, salad greens, fresh herbs, sprouts and any meats and seafood.

To use Herbal-Active� Natural Food Rinse, all that's needed is to wet the surface of these foods with the solution and its powerful antimicrobial action will kill yeasts, bacteria, moulds and fungi in seconds. Amazingly, it is harmless to human cells and we consume the ingredients every time we use herbs and spices to flavour our food.

The reason this works is the way in which we combine the extracts and the exact proportion of each component.

Simple to use and very cost-effective, Herbal-Active� Natural Food Rinse will safeguard you and your family against food poisoning and will also extend the life of fresh produce washed in it. This will save way more than the cost of the Rinse in that you will reduce the amount of food you throw away because of rotting.

The 2 litres of solution that our pack will make should last an average family around 4 to 6 weeks.

Herbal-Active 1kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:59:39 +1000

See this page of our shop for the background information on Herbal-Active.

Our bulk pack is more for smaller manufacturers of foods, beverages and cosmetics.

Our Acacia gum formulation is recommended for most applications wherever some water content exists.

Wild rosella confit - 2kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:23:19 +1000

Wild rosella flowers are actually modified leaves or calyces for the botanists. However, as a chef, what you need know is that the acid flowers in this fruit confit are sugar-cured using sequential additions of different sugars until we are happy with the super-rich crimson syrup; the firm texture of the flowers; and the perfect balance of acid crispness and sweetness.

Use the rosella confit syrup by the dash into dessert sauces or to brighten up a plum, raspberry, strawberry or cherry sauce. Scoop a spoonful of the rosella confit flowers and some syrup onto yoghurt or ice cream or just garnish a dessert plate. Coarsely chop the wild rosella fruit confit as a garnish for meats, poultry (better than cranberry sauce with turkey) or a simple salad. Great with cheese or as something different, try dropping some of the fruit along with a dash of the syrup into a sparkling white wine or champagne.

And how about a wild rosella vodkatini? They make great mixer cocktails or even non-alcoholic mocktails.

Recent studies have shown that wild rosella flowers are super fruits when it comes to the antioxidants they contain. The levels eclipse the usual antioxidant fruits like blueberries, cherries and cranberries This means that not only are they absolutely delicious, they are good for you too.

Riberry confit - 2kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:22:43 +1000

This Australian rainforest fruit confit has an amazingly aromatic, cinnamon and clove flavour and is great as a garnish for almost any dessert or served with ice cream or yoghurt on its own or with other fruits (bananas, mango, stone fruits). Try riberry fruit confit with a good Australian soft cheese, some baked ricotta or a classic Australian cheese plate. There's nothing as impactful as a chocolate mousse with riberry confit either in the middle or as a garnish.

Even though they are preserved with a sugaring process and are obviously sweetened, they are also good in salads and stir-fries or over meat. Try them to a mushroom risotto. Remember, you can always reduce the sweetness by adding a little top quality, red wine vinegar.

Add some riberry fruit confit and a dash of the syrup to a salsa made with some sweet corn kernels, diced bell peppers and Spanish onion and some chopped chilli to taste. Use the riberry fruit confit syrup in mineral water or add some to a wheat beer. Try them in a little reduced balsamic vinegar or add a few berries to a quality beef jus. Ideal in a rich beef sauce scented with Alpine pepper.

If you're not yet drooling in anticipation at all these ideas, just add a few riberries and a splash of the riberry fruit confit syrup to a chilled glass of champagne or a Riberry Vodkatini while you contemplate your menu.

Rainforest lime confit - 2kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:21:22 +1000

We wild harvest plum sized, rainforest limes from private forests in sub-tropical Queensland and snap freeze them at their peak ripeness. The Rainforest limes get sliced and begin a three sugar curing process over 4-6 weeks until the natural organic acids in the juice are perfectly matched and balanced with sweetness. You have to taste the result - it's the best lime product you'll ever try!

We include the sugar syrup with the fruit as this is sweetened juice only, no water added. Add a splash to iced mineral water (and try adding a dash of vodka or white rum for a cocktail). Try our Rainforest lime fruit confit as a dessert garnish, particularly with a classic lime tart. Simply chop the slices and use about a half a teaspoonful per serve. Garnish iced cakes with our Rainforest lime fruit confit slices or top freshly baked biscuits or friands with some chopped lime confit.

The drained and chopped fruit slices are also delicious in stir-fries and salads or with cheese. Alternatively, finely chop the Rainforest lime fruit confit slices, add a dash of white wine vinegar and some chopped coriander leaf (cilantro). Use this as a garnish on slow-cooked lamb shanks or top your favorite steak, some chicken or fish fillet.

Quandong confit - 2kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:15:57 +1000

Quandong is a word from the Wiradjuri Aboriginal clan for the native peach but Aborigines never had access to sugar to make a quandong confit. However, there are a few Aboriginal chefs and a whole lot of other chefs who prefer our product now.

The quandong fruit is only similar to peaches (or apricots) in that it has a stoney seed and a subtle peach-apricot flavour. The plant is more closely related to the sandalwood. Nevertheless, the fruit is highly prized by gourmands who know the taste and recognise that the preserved quandong fruit confit is vastly superior to the commonly sold, dried quandong.

Our harvesters visit the quandong trees many times over the fruiting season and only hand pick the best, fully ripe fruits each time. Over the ensuing 3-4 weeks, these get snap frozen at their peak and cut in half and de-seeded.

We then grade them and only use premium fruits in our superb Quandong confit: We use a special blend of sugars and slowly and painstakingly nurse them over a 6 week period adding sufficient sugar to cure the brilliant brick red fruits to confit stage. We then pasteurize the fruits and add Herbal-Active to safeguard the sugars from fermentation. And when you open a bag of Quandong confit, you'll be impressed at the richness and appeal of this wild fruit and appreciate the care which went into every batch.

Because this is an expensive fruit, you should think of how to feature it in your recipes rather than mixing it in so much that it disappears. I like to finely slice the quandong halves and use these as a garnish over sweet or savoury dishes including kroo steaks, seared tuna, Asian noodles, lamb shanks or finish a meal with ice cream or tarts topped with Quandong confit and drizzled with some of the syrup. Try some with cheese or a cold meat selection.

Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle Oil 200mls (5 x strength)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:15:09 +1000

This infused oil is powered by essential oils from lemon myrtle, anise myrtle and rainforest lime oil. It is prepared as an extra strength formulation to introduce minimum quantity for maximum impact.

Ideal for chocolate making, fine desserts, adding a top note to sweet or savory sauces and dressings and even adding the characteristic lemon, lime, lemongrass notes to seasonings, stuffing, pre-dust and coatings.

Use at around 0.1% or 1ml per litre of product.

Blue Gum Smoke Oil 150ml

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:14:33 +1000

Bluegum smoke oil is a naturally derived flavour designed to add that special taste of Australia to grilled meats, roasted vegetables and any dish where a subtle hint of the Australian BBQ can enhance, tempt and tantalize.

Bluegum smoke oil is a complementary product to Paperbark smoke oil and while paperbark has a full smoke taste, just like baking food wrapped in paperbark, Bluegum smoke oil is more reminiscent of an old-fashioned backyard BBQ with a grill over a Eucalyptus twig fire. By comparison to BBQ briquettes or the harsher wood smokes of mesquite or hickory commonly used in American cuisine, it has a more subtle impact yet is clean and distinctive.

Try Bluegum smoke oil in dressings and mayonnaise or simply use it as a splash over prepared pasta or pesto, cooked vegetables and grilled meats, poultry and seafood. It is best used in cooking as a finishing splash rather than a marinating oil. Add other Australian seasonings, herbs and spices for more complexity. Even test out some Bluegum smoked ice cream or other dairy desserts.

Paperbark Smoke Oil 150ml

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:14:00 +1000

Paperbark smoke oil is a delicious flavour oil used in the same ways as truffle oil only even more versatile. It is ideal for any meat, fish, shellfish, vegetable (try it over roasted sweet corn on the cob), eggs, rice, mash, condiment, dressing in fact, any dish that a subtle hint of smoke can enhance.

Try a seeded mustard made interestingly smoked with just a dash of Paperbark smoke oil. Whisk some in to your favorite sauce. It even works in a basic custard or how about some paperbark smoked ice cream?

The smoke is infused into canola oil (GMO free) which makes it cholesterol free and because it is used sparingly, the added oil hardly matters if you are concerned about dietary fat.

Available in a 150ml spouted bag and easily shipped globally.

For more information and recipes, visit our product glossary pages on www.cherikoff.net, look at our article on Paperbark smoke oil or go to Benjamin Christie's website and search for paperbark smoke oil.

Paperbark Roll - 10 rolls

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:13:08 +1000

Paperbark is a natural material can be used as a food wrap to impart a delicate smokey flavour to chicken, pork, veal, poultry, kumara, oysters, fish, scallops ... the list goes on.

Paperbark is biodegradable and unlike similar functional materials (aluminium foil) it is not plastic coated (potentially carcinogenic) nor made of highly reactive aluminium metal (potentially contributing to Alzheimer�s disease).

Simply unroll the Paperbark Roll and see what layers can be thinned from the sheets. It is a natural material and the number and thickness of sheets which can be peeled off will vary. To use the Paperbark, wrap the food in an appropriately thinned piece and bake it in an oven, a dry heavy pan or on a hotplate over medium heat. It imparts a delicate smokey flavour which works best with white meats (fish steaks, chicken) and starchy vegetables which are slowly cooked in the paperbark so that the smoke created when the natural oils in the bark are combusted and absorbed into the fats in the food.

Of course you can also use paperbark for its visual appeal and bake fish in its own juices and without added oils or fat; although we'd recommend our paperbark smoke oil for these more delicate, fast-cooking items. Our paperbark smoke oil adds the flavour really simply - brush on the smoke oil once the food is cooked. See the information specific to the paperbark smoke oil for more details.

PLEASE NOTE: We cannot ship paperbark to the USA. Instead, use our Paperbark Smoke Oil.

Please note that in order to obtain our wholesale price on this product, we sell the Paperbark rolls in packs of 10. Each roll typically thins out to an area of 300mm width and pieces totaling around a meter. If you wish to purchase less than 10 rolls, please get the single roll price of $4.80 each.

Gumleaf Oil 200ml

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 18:05:29 +1000

A very Australian flavour oil which is often used in combination with honey. However, other complementary flavours include other aromatic ingredients eg garlic, caramel, smoke, many herbs, ginger, to name a few.

The important point in using Gumleaf oil is that tasting it several times in a row will deaden your taste for the oil and while it may appear to be lightly flavoured, for anyone tasting it for the first time, it will be over-powering.

Taste-test carefully using other foods to cleanse the palate eg bread.

Good for flavouring ice cream and other dairy desserts, add to dressings and emulsion sauces, use diluted as a brush-on flavouring over meats and seafood.

Sweet Lemon aspen chilli sauce (150g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 16:00:26 +1000

The lemon aspen gives this sweet chilli sauce its unique and delicious citrus and subtle menthol twist. It has quite a tingle as the chilli is not shy either.

Use this just as you would a less interesting, ordinary sweet chilli sauce but try it in new ways. How about a drizzle over a mescalin salad or with poached eggs? It really is the ideal all-purpose sauce and suits any meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables and more. Whenever you need that something to serve, our Sweet Lemon aspen chilli sauce will fill the need extremely well.

I think that like me, you'll find this your best all purpose condiment.

Ingredients: white vinegar, sugar, lemon aspen juice, chicken stock powder, corn starch, xanthan gum, chilli crushed flake

Davidson plum syrup (150g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:58:23 +1000

Davidson plums are super sour and brilliant crimson on colour. We balance the sourness with just enough sweetness to reveal the true character of this dramatic fruit.

The organic acids which make the juice so tart are still very much present making this syrup ideal as a garnish and finishing sauce for ice cream, baked desserts, chocolate in its many forms and fruit salads.

However, this syrup can also suit many savoury applications. Add some wasabi or ginger, garlic or freshly cut and mashed herbs such as coriander (cilantro) or basil and even a little red wine vinegar and the uses expand.

Lemon Myrtle Oil 25ml

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:31:39 +1000

An intense flavour of lemon, lime and lemongrass characteristic of the lemon myrtle we use with its high citral content.

Use in chocolate making and dairy desserts eg bavarois, anglaise, whipped cream etc. Add as a finishing flavour to sauces or cold blended condiments and dressings.

Lemon myrtle oil can easily be blended into mayonnaise and other emulsion sauces or just sparingly brush over cooked fish, seafood, chicken or vegetables.

Use at 0.5% or a teaspoonful per litre in dressings, sauces etc.

Suggested recipes using Lemon Myrtle Oil

Tasmanian salmon with soy Alpine Pepper dressing

Paperbark Roll

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:22:01 +1000

Paperbark is a natural material can be used as a food wrap to impart a delicate smokey flavour to chicken, pork, veal, poultry, kumara, oysters, fish, scallops ... the list goes on. Paperbark is biodegradable and unlike similar functional materials it is not plastic coated (potentially carcinogenic) nor made of aluminium (potentially contributing to Alzheimer�s disease).

Simply unroll the Paperbark Roll, then wrap the food in an appropriately thinned piece of paperbark and bake it in an oven, a dry heavy pan or on a hotplate over medium heat. It imparts a delicate smokey flavour which works best with white meats and starchy vegetables which are slowly cooked in the paperbark so that the smoke created when the natural oils in the bark are combusted and absorbed into the fats in the food.

Of course you can also use paperbark for its visual appeal and bake fish in its own juices and without added oils or fat; although we'd recommend our paperbark smoke oil for these more delicate, fast-cooking items. Our paperbark smoke oil adds the flavour really simply - brush on the smoke oil once the food is cooked. See the information specific to the paperbark smoke oil for more details.

PLEASE NOTE: We cannot ship paperbark to the USA. Instead, use our Paperbark Smoke Oil.

Suggested recipes using Paperbark Roll

Braised veal shank with native mint drizzled pink eye potatoes

Paperbark smoked barramundi

Three cheese corn fritters with a paperbark smoked beetroot jam

Paperbark smoked duck with Illawarra plum sauce

Paperbark Smoke Oil 150ml

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:10:39 +1000

Paperbark smoke oil is a delicious flavour oil used in the same ways as truffle oil only even more versatile. It is ideal for any meat, fish, shellfish, vegetable (try it over roasted sweet corn on the cob), eggs, rice, mash, condiment, dressing in fact, any dish that a subtle hint of smoke can enhance. Try a seeded mustard made interestingly smoked with just a dash of paperbark smoke oil. Whisk some in to your favorite sauce. It even works in a basic custard or how about some paperbark smoked ice cream?

The smoke is infused into a canola oil (GMO free) which makes it cholesterol free and because it is used sparingly, the added oil hardly matters if you are concerned about dietary fat.

Available in a 150ml spouted bag and easily shipped globally.

For more information, visit the product glossary pages on www.cherikoff.net, look at our article on Paperbark smoke oil or go to Benjamin Christie's website and search for paperbark smoke oil.

Suggested recipes using Paperbark Smoke Oil

Feta cheese marinated with Paperbark Smoke Oil

Marinated mushrooms with Paperbark Smoke Oil

Mashed Potato with Paperbark Smoke Oil

Bluegum Smoke Oil 150ml

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 15:09:55 +1000

Bluegum smoke oil is a naturally derived flavour designed to add that special taste of Australia to grilled meats, roasted vegetables and any dish where a subtle hint of the Australian BBQ can enhance, tempt and tantalize.

Bluegum smoke oil is a complementary product to Paperbark smoke oil and while paperbark has a full smoke taste, just like baking food wrapped in paperbark, Bluegum smoke oil is more reminiscent of a backyard BBQ. It has a more subtle impact yet is clean and distinctive and quite unlike the harsher wood smokes of mesquite or hickory commonly used in American cuisine.

Try Bluegum smoke oil in dressings and mayonnaise or simply use it as a splash over prepared pasta or pesto, cooked vegetables and grilled meats, poultry and seafood. It is best used in cooking as a finishing splash rather than a marinating oil. Add other Australian seasonings, herbs and spices for more complexity. Even test out some Bluegum smoked ice cream or other dairy desserts.

Rainforest Lime sauce base (150g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:48:00 +1000

Rainforest lime splash has an intense wild lime flavour with a hint of wanjasan soy. It is bright yellow in colour (wild limes are yellow, not green) and makes a delightful sauce or glaze when grilling or pan-frying any red or white meat.

This is not a sauce as it comes as it needs meat juices or vegetable stock to complete the sauce. To use the Rainforest lime sauce base, add 10 to 25% stock or jus from chicken, fish, seafood or vegetables and heat to thicken. Add chilli, wasabi or ginger for variety or just leave it as it is.

Rainforest lime sauce base resists burning with medium heat so as a simple recipe and to provide an idea as to how to use it try this:

Firstly, brown chicken thigh fillets (or use breast strips but dust them in arrowroot or corn flour first to keep them juicy). The browning is best done in a pan or on a BBQ Hot Sheet so that the juices can be retained.

Once the chicken is browned and nearly done, add the Rainforest lime sauce base as a generous drizzle over the chicken. Finish the meat to doneness and remove from the pan or Hot Sheet.

Deglaze the pan with water or white wine to lift all the flavours and continue heating to reduce the sauce to a coating consistency. Pour over the chicken and serve with some Lemon myrtle sprinkle seasoned rice and stir-fried vegetables.

Fruit balsamic (150g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:07:49 +1000

Fruit balsamic is our authentic Australian equivalent to reduced, aged balsamic vinegar (only I think it far more complex and interesting).

It has a base of wild rosella for the fruitiness which is enhanced and amplified with some aniseed myrtle. We then add those Maillard products for the addictive roasted, toasty notes using Wattleseed extract and soy and inject a little sweetness with mirin (Japanese rice wine) and palm sugar. Lastly, some pungency and aromatics are all essential and alpine pepper and paperbark smoke fulfil this role/

So how do you use it? Drizzle some on a plate and place cold meats and cheeses or a chicken and mescalin salad or some smoked seafood. Use as a pasta drizzle as a highlight or over some roasted chicken or twice-cooked duck. Use it over eggs, add to mayonnaise, try it on fish or add a dash to meat sauces.

Ingredients: mirin, white vinegar, rosella, palm sugar, soy sauce, smoke oil, wattleseed extract, alpine pepper, aniseed

Bush Tomato Chutney (250g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 13:06:49 +1000

Now in a 250g or 8.8oz glass jar for your convenience.

Bush tomato chutney is one of our most popular products with chefs in restaurants and catering on the airlines using it as it comes or making a version of my recipe for what I call 'Bushetta'.

This is toasted slices of a French stick either spread with Alpine pepper butter or better still, made with Alpine pepper bread. Then the Bush tomato chutney is prepared by mixing equal quantities of the chutney with finely chopped tomato. I leave the skin on for texture but remove the seeds and juice unless using heirloom tomatoes as available in the US. To flavour the mixture I add torn fresh basil and a generous sprinkle of Yakajirri - a new product about to be added to our store next week. Top the bread slices with the mix and serve with antipasto.

The Bush tomato chutney can also be blended to a sauce, added to mayonnaise, hollandaise or a bloody Mary. Turn it into a salsa by added steamed or BBQd sweet corn kernels, some Spanish onion and yellow bell peppers (capsicum).

Suggested recipes using Bush Tomato Chutney

Lamb Loin with English spinach semi dried tomatoes and bush tomato chutney

Japanese pumpkin frittata served with bush tomato chutney

Paella with shellfish and lemon aspen fruits

Mountain Pepper BBQ Sauce (150g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:51:36 +1000

Our Mountain pepper BBQ sauce is the same recipe as the product we launched in the USA called Kakadu Wildfire Pepper sauce. We have merely packaged it in soft, food grade spouted pouches to reduce the freight cost and reisk of breakages for on-line orders.

Mountain Pepper BBQ Sauce is the definitive Australian sauce for steaks, sausages (snags), kebabs, chops, ribs, roasts and mince - in all its forms.

But that's not all. It also works as a marinade for red or white meats, a drizzle over cooked vegetables, it's great over fried potato chips and on gourmet pizzas (along with some sour cream), perfect with pumpkin soup and interesting as a flavour for various dips and spreads eg baba ganoush, hummous, avocado etc. You can also add Mountain Pepper BBQ sauce to emulsion sauces and dressings eg hollandaise, bearnaise, mayo and simple cream reductions.

Another complementary flavor is coconut cream or use our Coconut Skews�.

Suggested recipes using Mountain Pepper BBQ sauce

Aussie burger and chips

Ingredients: water, malt vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, tamarind, smoke oil, dates, modified corn starch, brown sugar, canola oil, mountain pepper (5%), guar, xantham, salt, cayenne, cracked pepper, ground black pepper, garlic granules, onion powder

Lemon Aspen Syrup (150g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:37:41 +1000

Lemon Aspen Syrup is exciting as it can best be compared to a brand new citrus and we all know how popular and versatile ordinary lemon can be.

The citrus flavour in our syrup is complemented with the menthol/eucalypt top notes characteristic of lemon aspen. This makes our product far more interesting than conventional citrus. So. How is it used? The obvious and simplest use is as a pour-over syrup for pancakes, desserts, ice cream and pastries. However, the syrup also complements poultry, pork and seafood, red meats and shellfish as a substitute for honey glazed dishes.

Now comes the fun part. Take a volume of lemon aspen syrup and add white wine vinegar (up to 25% or the volume of syrup) to taste. What is needed is enough vinegar to balance the sweetness of the syrup to give a sweet and just sour note. The vinegar should not be tasted as an acid sharpness but only a hint of tartness. Once at this stage, add other aromatics or pungents, for example, Alpine pepper, Lemon myrtle sprinkle, Fruit spice, ginger juice, a tiny dash of tamari or soy, chilli, wasabi, coriander (cilantro), basil or other herbs. I haven�t tried curry spices or Wattleseed extract with this but they would probably give a great result too.

Use this mix over anything savoury from meats, stir fry to green salads.

Ingredients: lemon aspen juice, water, sugar, colflo, keltrol (xantham)

Illawarra Plum Sauce (150g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:36:08 +1000

The deep purple colour of Illawarra plum sauce comes from anthocyanins which are antioxidants and therefore highly beneficial to your health so not only do Illawarra plum products taste great but they are good for you too.

The flavour of Vic Cherikoff's Illawarra plum sauce is plum-like but with the characteristic resinous pine flavour of the fruits of this coastal rainforest tree (also known as the brown pine plum). To enhance and develop this flavour component, a terrific garnish for any dish finished with Illawarra plum sauce is toasted pine nuts.

Other ingredients which complement the sauce's flavour profile include chilli, ginger, dark plums, plum wine or spirits, Fruit spice and Alpine pepper. Coconut cream or sour cream can add to the visual presentation impact and also add the enhancing effect of creaminess to the sauce.

The 'traditional' use of Illawarra plum sauce is with lamb but it goes equally well with beef, game, poultry, pork, egg dishes and vegetables.

Interestingly, the Australian native food industry is only a few decades old and already we have our swag of charletans making money from the uninformed. So watch out for supermarket sauces alleging to be Illawarra plum sauce but clear in colour. Don't be fooled.

Suggested recipes using Illawarra Plum Sauce

Baked Illawarra plum cheesecake

Paperbark smoked duck with Illawarra plum sauce

Ingredients: Illawarra plums, plum pulp, sultanas, soy sauce, vinegar (malt), brown sugar, colflo, onion powder, salt, ascorbic acid, cloves, chilli powder, oregano, cracked pepper, guar, xantham, bay leaves

Fruit Confit Range - Quandong, Rosella, Limes, Riberry

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:18:13 +1100

See each individual fruit confit for a complete description but get the set as a standard pantry item for refrigerator or freezer storage and to have some on hand when you need it. For that easy addition to an otherwise ordinary dish, reach for one of our Fruit confit products and add that special Wow! Factor. Any one of them will transform an ordinary salad, sauce, meat or vegetable dish, pasta, rice or other carbohydrate into something spectacular. And they really make any dessert complete. try them on your breakfast cereal too as they contain huge amounts of anti-oxidants and could be thought of as 'super-foods'.

It's also good to know that a little of any of the fruit confit products you have on hand will go a long way because of the strength of flavour and the meticulous care we take to make an exceptional fruit confit collection with just the right sweetness in the syrup yet still plenty of the original character of the particular fruit.

Rosella confit - sugar-cured wild rosella flowers (250g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:17:01 +1100

Wild rosella flowers are actually modified leaves or calyces for the botanists. However, as a foodie, all you need know is that the acid flowers in this fruit confit are sugar-cured using sequential additions of different sugars until we are happy with the super-rich crimson syrup, the firm texture of the flowers and the perfect balance of acid crispness and sweetness.

Use the rosella confit syrup by the dash into dessert sauces or to brighten up a plum, raspberry, strawberry or cherry sauce. Scoop a spoonful of the rosella confit flowers and some syrup onto yoghurt or ice cream or just garnish a dessert plate. Coarsely chop the wild rosella fruit confit as a garnish for meats, poultry (better than cranberry sauce with turkey) or a simple salad. Great with cheese or as something different, try dropping some of the fruit along with a dash of the syrup into a sparkling white wine or champagne.

And how about a wild rosella vodkatini? They make great mixer cocktails or even non-alcoholic mocktails.

Recent studies have shown that wild rosella flowers are super fruits when it comes to the antioxidants they contain. The levels eclipse the usual antioxidant fruits like blueberries, cherries and cranberries This means that not only are they absolutely delicious, they are good for you too.

Suggested recipes using Rosella Confit

Wild rosella and wasabi dressing

Polenta and Lemon Aspen cake with sugar bag and Wild Rosella Cream

Alpine peppered pineapple with wild fruit yoghurt

Chocolate mousse tart with gumleaf cream and wild rosella flowers

Ingredients: Rosella flowers, sucrose, glucose, fructose, Herbal-Active

Riberry confit - sugar-cured fruits (250g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:15:16 +1100

New pack size - now in 250g (8.3oz) glass jars.

This Australian rainforest fruit confit has an amazingly aromatic, cinnamon and clove flavour and is great as a garnish for almost any dessert or served with ice cream or yoghurt on its own or with other fruits (bananas, mango, stone fruits). Try riberry fruit confit with a good Australian soft cheese, some baked ricotta or a classic Australian cheese plate.

Even though they are preserved with a sugaring process and are obviously sweetened, they are also good in salads and stir-fries or over meat. Try them in a mushroom risotto. Remember, you can always reduce the sweetness by adding a little top quality, red wine vinegar. Add some riberry fruit confit and a dash of the syrup to a salsa made with some sweet corn kernels, diced bell peppers and Spanish onion and some chopped chilli to taste. Use the riberry fruit confit syrup in mineral water or add some to a wheat beer. Try them in a little reduced balsamic vinegar or add a few berries to a quality beef jus. Ideal in a rich beef and Alpine pepper sauce.

If you're not yet drooling in anticipation at all these ideas, just add a few riberries and a splash of the riberry fruit confit syrup to a chilled glass of champagne or a Riberry Vodkatini while you contemplate your menu.

Suggested recipes using Riberry Confit

Wattleseed crocodile with riberry confit

Wattleseed pancakes with riberry confit

Riberry and Blue Cheese Damper

Ingredients: Riberry Fruit, sugar, potassium sorbate

Rainforest lime confit (250g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:14:19 +1100

New pack size - now in 250g (8.3oz) glass jars.

We wild harvest plum sized, rainforest limes from private forests in sub-tropical Queensland and snap freeze them at their peak ripeness. The Rainforest limes get sliced and begin a three sugar curing process over 4-6 weeks until the natural organic acids in the juice are perfectly matched and balanced with sweetness. You have to taste the result - it's the best lime product you'll ever try!

We include the sugar syrup with the fruit as this is sweetened juice only, no water added. Add a splash to iced mineral water (and try adding a dash of vodka or white rum for a cocktail). Try our Rainforest lime fruit confit as a dessert garnish, particularly with a classic lime tart. Simply chop the slices and use about a half a teaspoonful per serve. Garnish iced cakes with our Rainforest lime fruit confit slices or top freshly baked biscuits or friands with some chopped lime confit.

The drained and chopped fruit slices are also delicious in stir-fries and salads or with cheese. Alternatively, finely chop the Rainforest lime fruit confit slices, add a dash of white wine vinegar and some chopped coriander leaf (cilantro). Use this as a garnish on slow-cooked lamb shanks or top your favorite steak, some chicken or fish fillet.

Suggested recipes using Rainforest Lime Confit

Paperbark smoked barramundi

Soused sea perch fillets

Seafood laksa with wild limes and lemon myrtle linguini

Ingredients: Rainforest Limes, sugar, potassium sorbate

Quandong confit - sugar-cured quandong halves (250g)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 21:13:28 +1100

Now in a 250g (8.3oz) glass jar.

Quandong is a word from the Wiradjuri Aboriginal clan for the native peach but Aborigines never had access to sugar to make a quandong confit. However, there are a few Aboriginal chefs who use our product now. The quandong fruit is only similar to peaches (and apricots) in that it has a stoney seed and a subtle peach-apricot flavour. The plant is more closely related to the sandalwood. Nevertheless, the fruit is highly prized by gourmands who know the taste and recognise that the preserved quandong fruit confit is vastly superior to the commonly sold dried quandong.

Our harvesters visit the quandong trees many times over their fruiting season and only hand pick the best, fully ripe fruits each time. Over the ensuing 3-4 weeks, these get cut in half, de-seeded and snap frozen at their peak.

We then grade them and only use premium fruits in our superb Quandong fruit confit: We use a special blend of sugars and slowly and painstakingly nurse them over a 6 week period adding sufficient sugar to cure the brilliant brick red fruits to confit stage. We then balance the pH with fruit acid as a natural preservative and add a hint of essential oils from two particular native food plants to safeguard the sugars from fermentation. And when you open a jar or sachet of Cherikoff Quandong fruit confit, you'll be impressed at the richness and appeal of this wild fruit and appreciate the care which went into every jarful.

Because this is an expensive fruit, you should think of how to feature it in your recipes rather than mixing it in so much that it disappears. I like to finely slice the quandong halves and use these as a garnish over sweet or savoury dishes including marla (kangaroo) steaks, seared tuna, Asian noodles, lamb shanks or finish a meal with ice cream or tarts topped with quandong confit and drizzled with quandong fruit confit syrup.

Suggested recipes using Quandong Confit

Wattleseed and walnut bread and butter pudding with stewed fruits

Ingredients:Dry Quandong, caster sugar, water, Herbal Active

Thai Basil Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:59:33 +1100

Another of our popular flavours (it surprised us but how often can you buy fresh Thai basil?)

Good with chicken or beef and this Skew pairs well with our Hot Chilli Skew as well. Try Skewing a whole steak or whole fish and roasting.

Wild Pepper Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:57:53 +1100

This is NOT a hot pepper as you can easily get that from freshly ground black pepper (look around for the ubiquitous waiter with the huge grinder).

It was developed for the fresh green pepper taste of unripened pepper corms and is a delicious flavour for steak, poultry and fish.

Spanish Rosemary Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:53:54 +1100

Obviously a perfect match for lamb and this can be a roasted leg, a rack or even lamb sausages - any way you like your lamb.

Remember to keep the Skews near the surface of the meat for maximum flavour activation during cooking.

Rainforest Lime Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:50:19 +1100

This is one of our more delicate flavours and it is well suited to chicken and seafood. For Thai style dishes, use a Rainforest Lime Skew together with a Coconut and Chilli Skew in a whole baked chicken or fish.

Australian Smoke Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:43:26 +1100

We have chefs giving us glowing reports on our Paperbark Smoke Skew saying that this is the best way to get a subtle smoke flavour into food without cooking it twice and drying it out.

Try our Paperbark Smoke Skew with chicken, fish, prawns, calamari, scallops, turkey and vegetables. The delicate smokiness is delicious. It works with beef and lamb but is far more pronounced with white meats.

Chicken or seafood sausages on these Skews are really good.

Coconut Crush Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:42:32 +1100

Use this Skew with white meat or beef for a delicious coconut flavour. How simple is that and you get flavour without the saturated fat in coconut cream?

This Skew pairs well with our Hot Chilli Skew or Rainforest Lime Skew for a Pacific Rim style flavour.

Crushed Garlic Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 16:24:13 +1100

Our Crushed Garlic Skew delivers a strong garlic hit as a clean, fresh garlic flavour.

This Skew goes with any meat or seafood and even vegetables are made interesting Skew'd onto this variant. This is the ideal Skew for roasting a leg of lamb, a whole fish or rolled beef roast but remember to position the Skew about 10mm (1/2") from the surface of the meat and allow 1 Skew per 350g (3/4lb) of meat.

Hot Chilli Skews

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 15:13:22 +1100

By far and away our most popular flavour and impressively hot. If you prefer a lighter chilli flavour then remove the Skew part-way through the cooking but give it a go first. As with all of our Skews, the flavour is clean and appealing.

Hot Chilli Skews are the true all-rounder and work with all meats, seafood and vegetables. They make any sausage interesting and even try them with meatballs (simmer them in tomato sauce or roast them on the grill or BBQ).

Outback Smoke Splash (250ml)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:39:21 +1100

A delicate infusion of macadamia nut oil, olive and camellia leaf oils in a blend with subtle notes of Blue gum and Paperbark smoke.

The flavour of this Splash can be lost over an Outback Barbie. It needs a clear palate and simple foods. Try adding a generous Splash to some quality mayonnaise for a salad dressing. Make a hollandaise using the Splash or simply drizzle some straight up over poached eggs. Serve with bread and dukkah or over steamed vegetables.

High Country Zinger Splash (250ml)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:39:01 +1100

From the pristine wild southern alpine ranges I blend my Mountain Pepper with Wasabi and the zing of Chili. It's bound to set new heights for your taste buds.

This would have to be my favorite Splash. It plays with your senses. There's the chili heat up first with the zing on the tongue and lips. About 30 seconds later the wasabi exerts its mustardy tingle and a good minute or more needs to pass before the warmth of the mountain pepper reaches the back of your throat and palate.

High Country Zinger is perfect for beef. It matches the impact of a great red wine and perhaps the best dish for this Splash is simply a well cooked, medium rare steak drizzled with a generous splash and served with a full-bodied shiraz, cab sav, merlot blend.

Daintree Drizzle Splash (250ml)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:35:47 +1100

Australia is not really known for its rainforests but prompt often enough and most people would have heard of the Daintree. It is a place of natural mystery with giant trees, lianas and dense undergrowth, where food is in abundance, if you know what to look for and just where to look. Some of the aromatic herbs used in this Splash come from our Australian rainforests.

You'll find this a really moreish infused oil Splash. I use it to marinate fetta, bocconccini and labne cheeses, char-grilled vegetables and it's really made for lamb. Splash some over cutlets or a lamb roast or before you bake the lamb, stab the meat with a knife and drizzle the Splash into the cuts. You can stuff in some garlic slices too if you want.

But if you do nothing else with this Splash, marinate some diced fetta cubes which you first soak in water to drop the salt level, dry and stack in a jar. Top up with Daintree drizzle and store in the fridge for a few days and up to a month or more. I use the fetta in salads, over pasta or as a stuffing for pork I pocket and pan fry. Try some.

Coolangatta Chili Splash (250ml)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 08:35:29 +1100

Coolangatta means 'Beautiful place' referring to the location on the Queensland coast where mountains meet the blue Pacific.

This infused oil Splash features the delicious aromatic notes of our Rainforest lemon myrtle combined with a sweet coconut flavour and a warming hint of chili. I think Coolangatta should mean 'Beautiful taste'.

Splash this infused oil over salads, vegetables, chicken, seafood and beef for that tropical taste of Capricornia. Try dipping a chunk of Turkish bread into some Coolangatta Splash. It's great with dukkah too. Use this splash as a finishing touch to cooked foods and let the warmth of the dish bring out the aromatics in the oil.

I use an oil blend in all my Splashes: macadamia nut oil, Australian grown olive oil and camellia leaf oil. This blend is really healthy and can stand a little heat without smoking and forming those nasty trans fats.

Premium Authentic Australian Gourmet Gift Package

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:08:55 +1100

Our Premium Authentic Australian Wild Food Gourmet Gift Package has been designed to make it easy to explore the majority of the uniquely Australian flavors available from the Vic Cherikoff online store.

You�ll soon impress your friends and family by using the ingredients in package in everyday cooking at dinner parties.

Apart from the Australian ingredients included in the package is a copy of the Dining Downunder Cookbook from the TV series hosted by Australian Celebrity Chefs, Vic Cherikoff and Benjamin Christie. The cookbook boasts over 90 recipes and includes detailed instructions on how to use all the ingredients in the package.

The Premium Authentic Australian Gourmet Gift Package features;

Alpine Pepper - 30g
Bush Tomato Chutney 250g
Dining Downunder Cookbook
Fruit Spice - 30g
Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle - 30g
Mountain Pepper Sauce 150g
Paperbark Smoke Oil - 150g
Quandong Confit - 250g
Rainforest Lime Confit - 250g
Rainforest Rub - 40g
Red Desert Dust - 40g
Riberry Confit - 250g
Wattleseed - 100g
Wildfire Spice - 40g
Yakajirri Bush Tomato - 40g

Platinum Authentic Australian package

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:08:40 +1100

Our platinum authentic Australian Package is the ultimate package for creative chefs, cooks and foodies who are passionate about great flavours and in experiencing the real taste of Australia.

The Australian Menu Planning Guide includes a 12 month subscription to updates as we develop them.

The Platinum Authentic Australian Package features;

Alpine Pepper - 30g
Australian Menu Planning Guide ebook
Bush Tomato Chutney - 250g
Dining Downunder Cookbook
Australia Smoke Bar-B Skews
Fruit Spice - 30g
Illawarra Plum Sauce - 150g
Lemon Aspen Syrup - 150g
Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle - 30g
Mountain Pepper Sauce - 150g
Paperbark Smoke Oil - 150g
Quandong Confit � 250g
Rainforest Lime Splash - 150g
Rainforest Lime Confit � 250g
Rainforest Rub - 40g
Red Desert Dust - 40g
Riberry Confit � 250g
Wattleseed Extract - 200ml
Wattleseed Ground - 100g
Wildfire Spice - 40g

NB. Not pictured in the above image is the ebook on Australian Menu Planning and Australian Smoke Bar-B Skews.

Pepperberry (30g sachet)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:50:22 +1100

Pepperberries are the Australian equivalent to chillies; hot, impactful, versatile and extremely good for you.

Add a sprinkle to sauces, salads, even over fruits (strawberry and pepperberry ice cream is terrific) for an interesting zing. Use too much and it has been described as being like a pepper grenade going off in your mouth. Used well, there is nothing better with a good steak and a rich red wine jus or over the usually flavourless chicken we seem to get these days. Try it on fish or for the best salt and pepper squid you'll ever try.

Store it in the freezer to retail heat and antioxidant capacity (pepperberrries are a good source of the anti-inflammatory, polygodial which also occurs in folk medicines of other countries and which were used to treat arthritis and to help other functional ingredients get absorbed through the skin.

However, as a culinary spice, a little goes a long way and the fact that it is good for you should encourage a generous sprinkle over most dishes.

Available in 30g sachets for retail.

Mintbush Marinade

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 21:42:08 +1100

Flavour � strong savoury taste that is closer to peppermint than garden mint in flavour and with a lemony long palate from the lemon myrtle we add Colour and Appearance � a fine, free-flowing, dark green herb mix Typical uses � sauces, pesto, butter, bread, vinegars. Helpful hints � suggested use rate is around 0.1-0.2% (1-2g/1kg). Storage and Packaging Size � store cool and dark (preferably chilled), 30g retail sachets and a 160g shaker jar for food service This is the ultimate marinating mix to transform fetta, boconccini, labni and other cheeses which improve in oil from pedestrian to sensational. It can be used over any soft ripened cheese too and Charles Sturt University uses our mix in their excellent cheeses (available through Australian supermarkets). Another Australian herb mix which enhances tomatoes and is really good with Mediterranean inspired dishes. Try segments of bell peppers (capsicums) with chunky slices of tomato, crushed garlic pieces and macadamia, cottonseed or olive oil drizzled over. Roast until the tomatoes are soft and the peppers are just charred, remove from the oven and sprinkle generously with Mintbush Marinade. Serve with some Alpine pepper bread and your favourite chilled white wine.

Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:16:37 +1000

Lemon myrtle sprinkle is deliciously aromatic and an extremely versatile, all native ingredient, herbal and fruit mix which can be used in an extremely wide range of dishes, including an exceptional herbal tea.

COLOR - bright green herb with pale yellow flecks of citrus

AROMA - early sweet lemon, lime and lemongrass oil bouquet with a citrus middle nose

PALATE - robust lemon flavour-scent complemented with a mild acid citrus back palate and faint anise and green tea late notes

Lemon myrtle sprinkle could be considered even more lemony than lemon myrtle because of its unique formulation. It is a blend of the best quality lemon myrtle leaf; wild, rainforest lime pulp and lemon aspen pulp (specially dried in the dark and milled at sub-zero temperatures) which provide a hint of acid; and I have worked in more lemon myrtle using encapsulated, lemon myrtle essential oil. Finally, there's some aniseed myrtle which is a good source of trans-anethole. Trans-anethole is a phyto-estrogen and immune system stimulant. This results in a mix which is probably closer to 125% as lemony as lemon myrtle leaf alone and with a more rounded flavour as well.

But back to the lemon myrtle in Lemon myrtle sprinkle. This 'herb' comes from a tall rainforest tree (up to 30m) and once was only found in SE Queensland, from Brisbane to Cairns but is now widely planted in coastal New South Wales and some even in South Australia, Victoria as well as our coldest State, Tasmania. The growth rate is highest in warmer climates but leaf quality can vary with plant nutrition, watering regimes, the weather, time of day and harvest cycles. The Lemon myrtle leaves are now more-often machine harvested for the food, cosmetic, fragrance and cut flower industries. Some growers still pick by hand, particularly for cottage industry products such as oils and vinegars where a whole leaf may be added as a garnish. Generally, though, larger scale manufacturers look to our distilled essential oil which we provide solubilised or encapsulated for functionality and ease of use.

Lemon myrtle sprinkle can be used in an unlimited number of ways: As a herb tea, just infuse to your own taste in boiling water or tea. I love a tiny amount added to my freshly brewed coffee as it brings out the flavor of the coffee itself and adds those heady aromatics of citral to complement the coffee roasted notes. It's also good in hot chocolate. Try Lemon Myrtle tea with ginger juice, black or green tea, rooibos or other herbals and even chill and gas it with a soda stream to make your own soft drinks. (Add sugar or fruit juice and sweeten it to taste). I tend to make a strong infusion to use as a health-giving tea and a weaker one as a soft drink which I drink a lot, ice cold and bubbly. As a lemon seasoning, Lemon myrtle sprinkle is best used as a finishing flavouring. By this I mean add it to hot or just-cooked food before serving and the essential oils are driven out by the warmth to reach your tastebuds. So if you bake chicken or fish, add a sprinkle of Lemon myrtle sprinkle as it comes out of the oven and it'll be full-flavored by the time it gets to the table. Added to a buttery fish sauce or chicken stock and there's nothing better.

As a flavouring, say, in custards or any soft cheeses, clotted cream, yoghurt or other dairy product you can just add it to taste or infuse the flavor out by infusing some Lemon myrtle sprinkle in warmed milk and add this as a concentrate. You can obviously make this as strong as you like and by leaving it stand for up to 10 minutes, out comes the essential oils and up goes the flavor.

You can replace the milk with sugar syrup (say, 500ml water and 500g sugar dissolved by heating the stirred mixture slowly) and use this over stewed fruits, ice cream (or to make your own ice cream), thicken it with agar agar or gelatine to make a soft jelly or add lemon juice and turn it into a lemon spread with the pectin.

Suggested recipes using Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle

Coconut and Lemon Myrtle brul�e

Ricotta figs and macadamia nuts

Rainforest lime and macadamia nut pudding

Seafood laksa with wild limes and lemon myrtle linguini

Ingredients: lemon myrtle, aniseed myrtle, lemon aspen juice, wild lime puree, rice flour, icing sugar, lemon myrtle oil, aniseed myrtle oil

Fruit Spice (sachet)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:12:07 +1000

Fruit Spice

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 14:11:20 +1000

Alpine Pepper

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:26:43 +1000

Alpine pepper is a carefully considered formulation of the peppery leaves and fruits of a high country wild pepper bush found in the mountains of Tasmania. The firey leaves get draped in snow in the winter and blasted by Antarctic winds kissing the icy valleys where this tough plant grows.

COLOR - olive and pastel green herb pieces with dark purple flecks of fruits of the spices; sumac and pepperberries

AROMA - woody peppery note with a hint of fruit

PALATE - herbaceous short palate with conventional pepper zing then exhibiting an increasing burn with rich berry and a hint of green tea

You may think that you have tried all the varieties of pepper already but here is a totally new one. Sure. There's black, grey and white pepper as well as green, pink and red pepper which all come from the same plant (a climber, originally from India). You may have even tried betel pepper, Indian long or Javan long peppers or the rough-leaved pepper - all are different species of the same genus, Piper.

However, here in Australia, we have a totally new type of pepper which is more closely related to the source of aspirin or oil of Wintergreen than to the tropical true pepper vine. We call it mountain pepper and it's actually a herb although the berries we call pepperberries are also used - sparingly. I say this because chewing on a few pepperberries is like having a grenade go off in your mouth.

I also include a specially prepared, encapsulated extract of the leaves which imparts that instant zing of bushy heat. There's some forest anise, which not only ideally complements the taste but adds to some serious functionality in that the combination is super-strongly anti-microbial so that there is some preservative action when using Alpine pepper as a marinade. Finally, I have added some of the tangy, Turkish sumac for its fruitiness to enhance the pepperberries and some conventional Piper corns in their black and white forms are added for those familiar pepper notes.

You'll grab for the Alpine pepper as most cooks would for a peppermill. It can easily and deliciously substitute for ordinary pepper on meats, seafood, soups, vegetables, eggs and cheese dishes. Use it to taste and you'll discover that Wow! factor you want in your food.

Alpine pepper can also be used in far more ways than just as a seasoning over cooked dishes. Use it as a dry marinade on meats or add it to breads, batter and pastry as a herb mix. It makes the best salt and pepper squid you'll ever try.

Now here's something I discovered by accident - Try sprinkling Alpine pepper over raw or cooked fruit or mix it into ice cream (particularly strawberry flavoured), yoghurt, cream cheese or custards. Alternatively, generously season peeled and sliced bananas with Alpine pepper and pan-fry them in butter and a dash of your favorite oil (olive, macadamia, avocado, walnut, pumpkin seed, whatever) until they just brown and soften. Serve with ice cream and a small cup of strong coffee.

By the way, I store my Alpine pepper on the door of my freezer. It keeps the aromatics fresh and is always at hand so it won't go the way of less valued spices which get buried and lost or just forgotten in the pantry.

Suggested recipes using Alpine Pepper

Alpine peppered venison on rainforest herb linguini

Tasmanian salmon with soy Alpine Pepper dressing

Wine drenched lamb with Alpine Pepper mash

Alpine peppered pineapple with wild fruit yoghurt

Ingredients: mountain pepper, sumac, pepperberry, black pepper, aniseed myrtle, white pepper, encapsulated pepper

YieldPlus�

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 10:17:06 +1000

YieldPlus� is a water-scavenging food fibre mixed with Herbal-Active� for its antimicrobial action. Added to any product where a lowered water activity is needed, it is listed as dextrose, food fibre, natural flavours.

It has a wide range of applications in non-yeasted baked products (pancakes, crumpets, donuts, bagels, flatbreads, muffins, cakes etc); dressings, pesto, spreads etc; and in meat products eg sausages, burgers, hams, other processed meat products.

Typical use is between 1 and 4% with the higher amounts used is sausages where the binding action is desirable. At 1.3% usage for muffins, for example, 8% additional water is also included extending mix yields and improving returns.

Email for an application list and specification sheet.

Wildfire Spice (sachet)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:23:56 +1000

This is our all-purpose spice mix which includes a bit of zing from mountain pepper combined with a herb finish from the blend of lemon aspen, lemon myrtle and aniseed myrtle. It also includes a few conventional herbs and spices to round out the flavour and make it a highly versatile seasoning. For a few ideas of use and more information on the mix visit our page on Wildfire spice.

Wildfire Spice is gently spicy but is a complex flavoring and ideal for barbequing, grilling and baking.

COLOUR - coarse, multi-ingredient, multi-coloured herb, spice and salt flecks

AROMA - complex, mixed spice nose tending to Mediterranean but with a wild woody Australian character and suggestion of pizza

PALATE - full chicken and spice mid-palate with pepper and mild chilli heat followed by complex herbaceous citrus aromatics and toasted seeds

Use it as a dry marinade or rub over seafood, meats, eggs or vegetables.

Try a heaped teaspoonful per 500g (about a pound) of dough or batter when baking bread or for pizza bases, crepes or savoury pancakes.

Use Wildfire Spice in burgers, meatloaf or other savoury mince meat or sprinkle some liberally over your next stir-fry, salad, pasta or pizza.

You can also add a sprinkle and infuse the flavour into red wine or mushroom sauces for steaks and chops; add some to warmed olive oil for that tasty dipping oil with some fresh bread or make salad dressings with oil and vinegar and Wildfire Spice to taste.

See what I mean about all-purpose?

I also like mixing some into sour cream and topping baked potatoes or seasoning kumara chips or slices baked in the oven. It turns boring vegetables like cauliflower and kale into gourmet treats (OK, so you still need a nob of butter as well).

Get some seed mix such as linseeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and maybe some finely chopped almonds and add a generous amount of Wildfire Spice to make a delicious dukkah or spiced seed mix. As an alternative, dry roast the seeds and while they are still hot, add a splash of soy sauce and then mix this into some Wildfire spice. These mixtures can be used as a sprinkle for olive oil soaked bread or as a crusting over meats and seafood for frying, broiling or grilling.

The more you use my Wildfire Spice mix the more favorite applications you'll find. I can promise you that!

Suggested recipes using Wildfire Spice

Braised chicken in a sweet corn and polenta broth

Kangaroo striploin tartlet with sweet potato and bush tomato jus

Aussie burger and chips

Pork braise with bunya nut and Australian rice grass

Japanese pumpkin frittata served with bush tomato chutney

Wildfire Spice

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:18:24 +1000

This is our all-purpose spice mix which includes a bit of zing from mountain pepper combined with a herb finish from the blend of lemon aspen, lemon myrtle and aniseed myrtle. It also includes a few conventional herbs and spices to round out the flavour and make it a highly versatile seasoning. For a few ideas of use and more information on the mix visit our page on Wildfire spice.

Wildfire Spice is gently spicy but is a complex flavoring and ideal for barbequing, grilling and baking.

COLOUR - coarse, multi-ingredient, multi-coloured herb, spice and salt flecks

AROMA - complex, mixed spice nose tending to Mediterranean but with a wild woody Australian character and suggestion of pizza

PALATE - full chicken and spice mid-palate with pepper and mild chilli heat followed by complex herbaceous citrus aromatics and toasted seeds

Use it as a dry marinade or rub over seafood, meats, eggs or vegetables.

Try a heaped teaspoonful per 500g (about a pound) of dough or batter when baking bread or for pizza bases, crepes or savoury pancakes.

Use Wildfire Spice in burgers, meatloaf or other savoury mince meat or sprinkle some liberally over your next stir-fry, salad, pasta or pizza.

You can also add a sprinkle and infuse the flavour into red wine or mushroom sauces for steaks and chops; add some to warmed olive oil for that tasty dipping oil with some fresh bread or make salad dressings with oil and vinegar and Wildfire Spice to taste.

See what I mean about all-purpose?

I also like mixing some into sour cream and topping baked potatoes or seasoning kumara chips or slices baked in the oven. It turns boring vegetables like cauliflower and kale into gourmet treats (OK, so you still need a nob of butter as well).

Get some seed mix such as linseeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds and maybe some finely chopped almonds and add a generous amount of Wildfire Spice to make a delicious dukkah or spiced seed mix. As an alternative, dry roast the seeds and while they are still hot, add a splash of soy sauce and then mix this into some Wildfire spice. These mixtures can be used as a sprinkle for olive oil soaked bread or as a crusting over meats and seafood for frying, broiling or grilling.

The more you use my Wildfire Spice mix the more favorite applications you'll find. I can promise you that!

Suggested recipes using Wildfire Spice

Braised chicken in a sweet corn and polenta broth

Kangaroo striploin tartlet with sweet potato and bush tomato jus

Aussie burger and chips

Pork braise with bunya nut and Australian rice grass

Japanese pumpkin frittata served with bush tomato chutney

Rainforest Lime Sauce Base (2kg)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:16:43 +1000

Rainforest lime splash has an intense wild lime flavour with a hint of wanjassan soy. It is bright yellow in colour (wild limes are yellow, not green) and makes a delightful sauce or glaze when grilling or pan-frying any red or white meat.

This is not a finished sauce as it comes as it needs meat juices or vegetable stock to complete the sauce. To use the Rainforest lime sauce base, add 10 to 25% stock or jus from chicken, fish, seafood or vegetables and heat to thicken. Add chilli, wasabi or ginger for variety.

Rainforest lime sauce base resists burning with medium heat so as a simple recipe and to provide an idea as to how to use it try this:

Firstly, brown chicken thigh fillets (or use breast strips but dust them in arrowroot or corn flour first to keep them juicy). The browning is best done in a pan or on a BBQ Hot Sheet so that the juices can be retained. Once the chicken is browned and nearly done, add the Rainforest lime sauce base as a generous drizzle over the chicken. Finish the meat to doneness and remove from the pan or Hot Sheet.

Deglaze the juices with water or white wine to lift all the flavours and continue heating to reduce the sauce to a coating consistency. Pour over the chicken and serve with some Lemon myrtle sprinkle seasoned rice and stir-fried vegetables.

Mountain Pepper BBQ Sauce (2kg)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:16:31 +1000

Mountain Pepper BBQ Sauce is the definitive Australian sauce for steaks, sausages (snags), kebabs, chops, ribs, roasts and mince - in all its forms.

But that's not all. It also works as a marinade for red or white meats, a drizzle over cooked vegetables, it's great over fried potato chips and on gourmet pizzas (along with some sour cream), perfect with pumpkin soup and interesting as a flavour for various dips and spreads eg baba ganoush, hummous, avocado etc. You can also add Mountain Pepper BBQ sauce to emulsion sauces and dressings eg hollandaise, bearnaise, mayo and simple cream reductions.

Lemon Aspen Syrup (2kg)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:16:19 +1000

Lemon Aspen Syrup is exciting as it can best be compared to a brand new citrus and we all know how popular and versatile ordinary lemon can be.

The citrus flavour in our syrup is complemented with the menthol/eucalypt top notes characteristic of lemon aspen. This makes our product far more interesting than conventional citrus. So. How is it used? The obvious and simplest use is as a pour-over syrup for pancakes, desserts, ice cream and pastries. However, the syrup also complements poultry, pork and seafood, red meats and shellfish as a substitute for honey glazed dishes.

Take a volume of lemon aspen syrup and add white wine vinegar (up to 25% or the volume of syrup) to taste. What is needed is enough vinegar to balance the sweetness of the syrup to give a sweet and just sour note. The vinegar should not be tasted as an acid sharpness but only a hint of tartness. Once at this stage, add other aromatics or pungents, for example, Alpine pepper, Lemon myrtle sprinkle, Fruit spice, ginger juice, a tiny dash of tamari or soy, chilli, wasabi, coriander (cilantro), basil or other herbs. I haven�t tried curry spices or Wattleseed extract with this but they would probably give a great result too.

Use this mix over anything savoury from meats, stir fry to green salads.

Illawarra Plum Sauce (2kg)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:16:06 +1000

Illawarra Plum Sauce should be a deep purple colour. The intense colour comes from anthocyanins which are antioxidants and therefore highly beneficial to your health so not only do Illawarra plum products taste great but they are good for you too.

The flavour of Vic Cherikoff's Illawarra plum sauce is plum-like but with the characteristic resinous pine flavour of the fruits of this coastal rainforest tree (also known as the brown pine plum). To enhance and develop this flavour component, a terrific garnish for any dish finished with Illawarra plum sauce is toasted pine nuts.

Other ingredients which complement the sauce's flavour profile include chilli, ginger, dark plums, plum wine or spirits, Fruit spice and Alpine pepper. Coconut cream or sour cream can add to the visual presentation impact and also add the enhancing effect of creaminess to the sauce.

The 'traditional' use of Illawarra plum sauce is with lamb but it goes equally well with beef, game, poultry, pork, egg dishes and vegetables.

Interestingly, the Australian native food industry is only a few decades old and already we have our swag of charletans making money from the uninformed. So watch out for supermarket sauces alleging to be Illawarra plum sauce but clear in colour. Don't be fooled.

Davidson plum syrup 2kg

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:15:54 +1000

Davidson plums are extremely tart but made into a syrup which still retains some of its sour kick, Davidson plums are fantastic.

Try it as a dessert garnish over ice cream, paired with egg custard (anglaise), over pastries or with cut fruit and this delicate pinkish red syrup really adds that all-important flavor characteristic. So many cooks neglect the sour taste but Davidson plum syrup can help subtly and deliciously.

This syrup will also hold its own in savory dishes and a touch of white vinegar prepares it for added chilli, herbs (coriander, basil, Lemon myrtle sprinkle, Forest anise or Fruit spice), wasabi or soy (just a hint, naturally).

Bush Tomato Chutney (2kg)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:15:41 +1000

Now in a 2kg bag for your convenience.

Bush tomato chutney is one of our most popular products with chefs in restaurants and catering on the airlines using it as it comes or making a version of my recipe for what I call 'Bushetta'.

This is toasted slices of a French stick either spread with Alpine pepper butter or better still, made with Alpine pepper bread. Then the Bush tomato chutney is prepared by mixing equal quantities of the chutney with finely chopped tomato. I leave the skin on for texture but remove the seeds and juice unless using heirloom tomatoes as available in the US. To flavour the mixture I add torn fresh basil and a generous sprinkle of Yakajirri. Top the bread slices with the mix and serve with antipasto.

The Bush tomato chutney can also be blended to a sauce, added to mayonnaise, hollandaise or a bloody Mary. Turn it into a salsa by adding steamed or BBQd sweet corn kernels, some Spanish onion and yellow bell peppers (capsicum).

Wylde Thyme Mix 140g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:13:38 +1000

Flavor � similar to a combination of tarragon, thyme and rosemary

Color and Appearance � a fine, free-flowing, light green powder

Typical uses � soups, stuffings, herb bread, quiches, omelettes and vegetable seasonings

Helpful hints � Suggested use rate is around 0.5% (5g/1kg) as for traditional thyme.

Storage � store cool and dark or refrigerate

Packaging - 160g shaker jar

Wylde thyme is an aromatic seasoning blend of herbs and spices which suit Middle Eastern, North African and Mediterranean dishes beautifully. Even some traditional English fare gets an edge with our Wylde thyme; maybe added to the Yorkshire pudding served with aa good roast beef.

Wylde thyme makes a perfect pizza sprinkle but can be used in as wide a number of applications as ordinary thyme or tarragon.

Use as a rub on lamb or veal, chicken or turkey. Great with game meats too. Try it over baked potatoes or other vegetables. Good on eggs or in pasta sauces.

Mintbush Marinade 160g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:12:45 +1000

Flavour � strong savoury taste that is closer to peppermint than garden mint in flavour and with a lemony long palate from the lemon myrtle we add

Colour and Appearance � a fine, free-flowing, dark green herb mix

Typical uses � sauces, pesto, butter, bread, vinegars

Helpful hints � suggested use rate is around 0.1-0.2% (1-2g/1kg)

Storage Size � store cool and dark (preferably chilled)

Packaging - 160g shaker jar

This is Australia's answer to rosemary for lamb. Mintbush marinade is moreish, delicious and while the tastes are different there's a similarity to the aromatics which really suits comfort food or rich gourmet dishes. Try some Mintbush marinade mixed in with our Rainforest lime confit adding a little white wine vinegar to cut the sweetness and serve with lamb shanks.

Mintbush marinade is also the ultimate marinating mix to transform fetta, boconccini, labni and other cheeses which improve in oil from pedestrian to sensational. It can be used over any soft ripened cheese too.

Mintbush marinade is another Australian herb mix which enhances tomatoes and is really good with Mediterranean inspired dishes.

Try segments of bell peppers (capsicums) with chunky slices of tomato, crushed garlic pieces and macadamia, cottonseed or olive oil drizzled over. Roast until the tomatoes are soft and the peppers are just charred, remove from the oven and sprinkle generously with Mintbush Marinade. Serve with some Alpine pepper bread and your favourite chilled white wine.

Forest Anise 160g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Wed, 19 May 2010 09:12:05 +1000

Flavour � Subtle Pernod-like aniseed flavour with a sweet aftertaste.

Colour and Appearance � A fine light green powder which can still provide texture in biscuits and cakes.

Typical uses � Use with white meats as a sprinkle, mixed in stuffing or part of a stock seasoning. Add to desserts (eg. ice cream), cream cheese or bread.

Helpful hints � Extremely versatile flavouring. Oils are volatile and can dissipate with heat so best added as a post-preparation seasoning or cold-formulated. Use at around 0.5% (5g/kg) addition.

Storage � Cool and dark

Packaging � 160g PET shaker jars

Many chefs find this a difficult herb to use and as there are many people who just don�t like aniseed as a flavour (often from abusing Ouzo, Pernod or Arrak in their younger days) it can be a highly polarising ingredient.

Its best use is probably in ice cream. Other applications include; as a backnote flavour in seasonings and sauces; as a natural flavour enhancer for tomatoes and eggplant (aubergine) and for mushrooms. Use in the bakery in breads, pancakes, muffins, custard fillings. Exceptional flavor as a liqueur and good in chocolates.

Herbal-Active - 30g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:51:39 +1000

Save money on the food you buy and avoid getting sick from contaminated food. This little sachet contains enough to make up 3 liters (nearly 100fl oz) of solution and considering that you'll only need about 300ml (10fl oz) per weekly shop, it will go a long way. Can you afford not to spend less than $1 per shop (maybe $200 of fresh food) to not only make it last longer and stay healthier to eat but to ensure your own and your family's health and safety from food poisoning?

Herbal-Active is made from naturally derived extracts of Australian food plants. Like hops in beer, this mixture is considered a flavor (and is labeled as such on products in which it is used). However, it is antimicrobial against a wide range of organisms and this makes it a functional food to keep your food safe to eat and save you some money as well. So how is it used?

I make up a solution of 2 teaspoonfuls of Herbal-Active in a liter of water. The disperses easily and completely and gives the water a pale green tinge and a clean aroma. I keep this in a bottle at room temperature and it lasts for many months although I use it before then.

What I do on returning home with the shopping is to pour a few hundred ml into a convenient bowl. Then I simply dip any fruits I have bought such as berries, cherries, oranges and kiwifruit. Melons, any cut fruits, even fresh pineapple which I might quickly peel and cut will get dipped. It's just a quick immersion, ensure the stalk area is well wet and place the fruit onto a paper towel to drip dry. There is no need to rinse. Store your dipped fruit, which is now bacteria and mold-free as normal. You'll find it lasts days, sometimes weeks longer but try to eat it in the shortest time possible since the nutrients in fruits start to fall as soon as the fruit is picked.

Next, in this water (occasionally I strain out the fruit bits like strawberry seeds and re-cycle the solution, pouring it back into my bowl) I dip vegetables like cucumbers, zucchini, cut pumpkin and any vegetables which get mould on them readily. I find that these vegetables no longer spoil in the crisper of my fridge so I know I'm saving dollars.

Then come the meats. I dip seafood (prawns, scallops, seafood marinara mix, fish fillets) followed by red meat and lastly chicken, dipping each to thoroughly wet the surface and any folds or flaps of the meat. I do it in this order since I know that any chicken you buy has a high count of Salmonella while the other protein is less likely to have high microbial loads.

In any case, none of the food gets rinsed - there's absolutely no need - after all, Herbal-Active is made from herbs and spice extracts and is totally safe itself. In fact, it is even an antioxidant and so any solution I consume can only be good for me.

If you are only interested in the money savings Herbal-Active delivers from extending the shelf life of the food you buy, try it. You'll also get piece of mind knowing that your food is safer to eat after dipping it than not.

Cosmetics

For use as an ingredient in skin care products, use the powdered form for aqueous formulations. Add the Herbal-Active at 1% of the final weight to the minor components and dissolve with a minimum of water. Add the remaining water to make up to the final weight.

For emulsion creams, ask for our olive oil based Herbal-Active in the comment line when going through the checkout. It is the same price per gram.

Wattleseed Ground 50g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:54:46 +1000

Wattleseed is also available in 100g as well as a 200ml extract see Wattleseed 100g or Wattleseed Extract

Wattleseed is a highly versatile and nutritious roasted grain (Acacia seeds) with an amazing coffee, chocolate, hazelnut flavour.

Spicemaster notes for Wattleseed:

COLOR - toasted chocolate brown grounds, milled to perfection for cooking or use in espresso, drip filter or plunger coffee equipment. Also available as a dark brown water-based liquid

AROMA - toasted roasted notes with coffee, chocolate hazelnut characters

PALATE - chocolate short palate with coffee notes less the bitterness and a nutty finish similar to hazelnuts (filberts)

Wattleseeds from around 100 species of Acacia have been used as foods by Australian Aborigines for at least 6,000 years. This matches the first cultivation of wheat on the fertile deltas at the mouths of the Nile in Egypt; the Euphrates in Mesopotamia (now Iraq); and the Indus in India.

However, while the move to cultivation began a trend of reliance on an ever-decreasing number of food species, Australian Aborigines maintained a completely different relationship with the Land. They saw themselves as part of the ecosystem and did not attempt to conquer it. They were care-takers of their country and employed land management methods to maintain ecological bio-diversity in Australia and the long-term health of the land. Maybe there is a lesson here for modern societies everywhere.

Add wattleseed to bread or muffin mixes, pasta, white chocolate and chocolate fillings, biscuits and beverages. Also use as a flavouring for red wine sauces, in marinades and dessert sauces or any application where the wattleseed get boiled or moist cooked. This softens the grounds and releases the flavour.

If the use is just a cold blending then use our Wattleseed extract which is a concentrated water based extract (see the entry on the specific item for more information).

Approximate usage rate is from 2-3%, depending on the flavour of other ingredients and whether the watttle is enhancing or competing with these other tastes."

Wattleseed Ground 200g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:54:32 +1000

Wattleseed Ground 100g

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:54:17 +1000

Wattleseed is also available in 200g as well as a 200ml extract see Wattleseed 200g or Wattleseed Extract

Wattleseed is a highly versatile and nutritious roasted grain (Acacia seeds) with an amazing coffee, chocolate, hazelnut flavour.

Spicemaster notes for Wattleseed:

COLOR - toasted chocolate brown grounds, milled to perfection for cooking or use in espresso, drip filter or plunger coffee equipment. Also available as a dark brown water-based liquid

AROMA - toasted roasted notes with coffee, chocolate hazelnut characters

PALATE - chocolate short palate with coffee notes less the bitterness and a nutty finish similar to hazelnuts (filberts)

Wattleseeds from around 100 species of Acacia have been used as foods by Australian Aborigines for at least 6,000 years. This matches the first cultivation of wheat on the fertile deltas at the mouths of the Nile in Egypt; the Euphrates in Mesopotamia (now Iraq); and the Indus in India.

However, while the move to cultivation began a trend of reliance on an ever-decreasing number of food species, Australian Aborigines maintained a completely different relationship with the Land. They saw themselves as part of the ecosystem and did not attempt to conquer it. They were care-takers of their country and employed land management methods to maintain ecological bio-diversity in Australia and the long-term health of the land. Maybe there is a lesson here for modern societies everywhere.

Add wattleseed to bread or muffin mixes, pasta, white chocolate and chocolate fillings, biscuits and beverages. Also use as a flavouring for red wine sauces, in marinades and dessert sauces or any application where the wattleseed get boiled or moist cooked. This softens the grounds and releases the flavour.

If the use is just a cold blending then use our Wattleseed extract which is a concentrated water based extract (see the entry on the specific item for more information).

Approximate usage rate is from 2-3%, depending on the flavour of other ingredients and whether the watttle is enhancing or competing with these other tastes.

Wattleseed Extract 200ml

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:53:55 +1000

Ground Wattleseed is also available in 100g or 200g sizes. See Wattleseed 100g or Wattleseed 200g

Wattleseed Extract is a highly versatile and nutritious flavouring for sauces, bavarois, creme brulee, ice cream, pavlova, crumbs or as a coffee substitute.

To make a Wattleccino� is simple with Wattleseed extract - just dilute a tablespoonful of extract with a quarter cup of hot water and top up with frothed milk). Also try Wattleseed extract as a flavouring for beer, cream or red wine sauces, in marinades and dessert sauces.

Approximate usage rate is from 2-3%, depending on the flavour of other ingredients and whether the watttle is enhancing or competing with these other tastes.

Yakajirri (bush tomato) (sachet)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:46:05 +1000

Yakajirri has all but replaced akudjura (ground bush tomato) in use due to the attention we paid in developing an easy to use form of bush tomato. Many chefs have trouble using pure akudjura because of the bitterness often expressed when it is heated even a little. Rather than struggling to balance out this unwanted flavour, we have added the perfect amount of salt and peppery heat, garlic undertones and tomato notes needed to strongly enhance the akudjura while adding to its versatility in use. See the Cherikoff website for recipes, ideas and other information.

Wylde Thyme Mix

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:45:49 +1000

Flavour � similar to a combination of tarragon, thyme and rosemary Colour and Appearance � a fine, free-flowing, light green powder Typical uses � soups, stuffings, herb bread, quiches, omelettes and vegetable seasonings Helpful hints � Suggested use rate is around 0.5% (5g/1kg) as for traditional thyme. Storage and *Packaging � store cool and dark or refrigerate, 100g PET jar and 160g Food Service shaker jar Wylde thyme is a seasoning blend of herbs and spices which enhance the thyme characteristics of the mix. This is the all-purpose pizza sprinkle but can be used in as wide a number of applications as ordinary thyme or tarragon. Use as a rub on lamb or veal, chicken or turkey. Great with game meats too. Try it over baked potatoes or other vegetables. Good on eggs or into pasta sauces.

Red Desert Dust (sachet)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:44:58 +1000

OK. So it's not really dust but our Red Desert Dust is a seasoning with a gutsy, aromatic mix of conventional and native Australian ingredients and ideal as a finishing flavor over meats, potatoes, eggs or cheeses such as baked ricotta. Try a simple grilled cheese on toast sprinkled with Red Desert Dust and taste the added dimensions of flavors from the native Australian ingredients.

COLOR - Central Australian red sand colour with green, purple-black and bright red flecks and pale tan sesame seeds

AROMA - spicy, peppery primaries with roasted chicken notes and a herb finish

PALATE - initial sweet and salt, followed by a full chicken and pepper mid-palate with complex spice and toasted seed

Put it on salmon, white or red meats and bake to doneness then blacken the spice mix under the grill or broiler. This lessens the herb notes but brings out the peppery zing and smokey spice flavors.

There are a few herb inclusions in Red Desert Dust which work as flavor enhancers for tomato dishes such as gumbo, stews or your favorite pasta sauce so add some early in the cooking and let the ingredients combine and meld to a richness you won't forget.

Red Desert Dust can also be used as a dry rub or marinade, adding complexity to meats. Alternatively, mix some into butter or your favorite substitute and melt over cooked meats allowing the warmth to heighten the impact of the ingredients.

Another use is as a general flavoring in dressings, mayonnaise or oil and whisking will help infuse the flavors or warming works, either way, as appropriate. Try adding Red Desert Dust to pancake batter for an interesting savoury crepe which can be filled with tinned tuna, salmon, roast chicken strips etc and moisten with snow pea sprouts or some enoki mushrooms for a simple snack or entre�e.

One easy nibbly I often make is to slice Lebanese flat bread into segments, drizzle them generously with olive oil (Australian, of course) and sprinkle on the Red Desert Dust (or try my other seasoning mixes for variety). I might add a little extra salt to some. Lay the segments out on a baking tray and place into an oven at 100�C (212�F) to dry to crispness. It only takes about 5 minutes. Serve with an Australian riesling or unwooded chardonnay or an ice cold beer.

Red Desert Dust

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:44:46 +1000

OK. So it's not really dust but our Red Desert Dust is a seasoning with a gutsy, aromatic mix of conventional and native Australian ingredients and ideal as a finishing flavor over meats, potatoes, eggs or cheeses such as baked ricotta. Try a simple grilled cheese on toast sprinkled with Red Desert Dust and taste the added dimensions of flavors from the native Australian ingredients.

COLOR - Central Australian red sand colour with green, purple-black and bright red flecks and pale tan sesame seeds

AROMA - spicy, peppery primaries with roasted chicken notes and a herb finish

PALATE - initial sweet and salt, followed by a full chicken and pepper mid-palate with complex spice and toasted seed

Put it on salmon, white or red meats and bake to doneness then blacken the spice mix under the grill or broiler. This lessens the herb notes but brings out the peppery zing and smokey spice flavors.

There are a few herb inclusions in Red Desert Dust which work as flavor enhancers for tomato dishes such as gumbo, stews or your favorite pasta sauce so add some early in the cooking and let the ingredients combine and meld to a richness you won't forget.

Red Desert Dust can also be used as a dry rub or marinade, adding complexity to meats. Alternatively, mix some into butter or your favorite substitute and melt over cooked meats allowing the warmth to heighten the impact of the ingredients.

Another use is as a general flavoring in dressings, mayonnaise or oil and whisking will help infuse the flavors or warming works, either way, as appropriate. Try adding Red Desert Dust to pancake batter for an interesting savoury crepe which can be filled with tinned tuna, salmon, roast chicken strips etc and moisten with snow pea sprouts or some enoki mushrooms for a simple snack or entre�e.

One easy nibbly I often make is to slice Lebanese flat bread into segments, drizzle them generously with olive oil (Australian, of course) and sprinkle on the Red Desert Dust (or try my other seasoning mixes for variety). I might add a little extra salt to some. Lay the segments out on a baking tray and place into an oven at 100�C (212�F) to dry to crispness. It only takes about 5 minutes. Serve with an Australian riesling or unwooded chardonnay or an ice cold beer.

Rainforest Rub (sachet)

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:44:28 +1000

We Aussies love chilli so this herb and spice mix has a bit to add those special tingles for your tongue. It's not too hot but formulated to give that Wow! factor and the flavor blends well with the lemon myrtle, lemon aspen and pepperberry as the native Australian mix.

COLOR - pale yellow mix with bright red chilli fines, sesame seeds and green herb flecks

AROMA - spicy, roasted chicken nose with a sweet lemon, lime and lemongrass oil bouquet

PALATE - full chicken and spice mid-palate with pepper and chilli heat followed by complex herbaceous citrus aromatics and toasted seed

I have used a chicken flavored, vegetarian base for this rub since it is a flavor which goes with a wide range of other foods. However, if you are at all concerned, please note that this is a fully vegetarian seasoning and a great example of the molecular basis of taste where the similarity of the plant protein extract to chicken protein results in the same taste to our brains.

One of my favorite uses for Rainforest Rub is on potato chips. I mean the thin slivers of the humble potato, deep fried and unhealthy. You might call them crisps. I dust them with Rainforest Rub and the lemony chicken and chilli makes one of the most morish snacks I know. You might want to try it on the thicker, softer wedges and fries (they apparently can't be called French anymore since S11 made this not politically correct), on corn, sweet potato or taro chips or pop corn as well.

Not surprisingly, Rainforest Rub is great over chicken to intensify the flavor of what must be the world's most popular bird. Use it as a general seasoning in and over practically any dish, including roasted, grilled, broiled, barbecued, stir-fried or braised poultry, pork or seafood, vegetables, veal or game. Season stews, stocks, soups and sauces and like all of my mixes, you can add it to breads and batters for a savoury twist to these.

As a way to carry the seasoning on foods such as yabbies, crays, lobster, octopus, calamari, prawns or shrimp, mix it with breadcrumbs or a fine polenta. You can even add some grated cheese such as a cheddar or parmesan. I have also found a site with a whole bunch of chicken recipes. You could easily put an Australian twist to the easy, delicious ideas you'll find there.

Rainforest Rub

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:44:12 +1000

We Aussies love chilli so this herb and spice mix has a bit to add those special tingles for your tongue. It's not too hot but formulated to give that Wow! factor and the flavor blends well with the lemon myrtle, lemon aspen and pepperberry as the native Australian mix.

COLOR - pale yellow mix with bright red chilli fines, sesame seeds and green herb flecks

AROMA - spicy, roasted chicken nose with a sweet lemon, lime and lemongrass oil bouquet

PALATE - full chicken and spice mid-palate with pepper and chilli heat followed by complex herbaceous citrus aromatics and toasted seed

I have used a chicken flavored, vegetarian base for this rub since it is a flavor which goes with a wide range of other foods. However, if you are at all concerned, please note that this is a fully vegetarian seasoning and a great example of the molecular basis of taste where the similarity of the plant protein extract to chicken protein results in the same taste to our brains.

One of my favorite uses for Rainforest Rub is on potato chips. I mean the thin slivers of the humble potato, deep fried and unhealthy. You might call them crisps. I dust them with Rainforest Rub and the lemony chicken and chilli makes one of the most morish snacks I know. You might want to try it on the thicker, softer wedges and fries (they apparently can't be called French anymore since S11 made this not politically correct), on corn, sweet potato or taro chips or pop corn as well.

Not surprisingly, Rainforest Rub is great over chicken to intensify the flavor of what must be the world's most popular bird. Use it as a general seasoning in and over practically any dish, including roasted, grilled, broiled, barbecued, stir-fried or braised poultry, pork or seafood, vegetables, veal or game. Season stews, stocks, soups and sauces and like all of my mixes, you can add it to breads and batters for a savoury twist to these.

As a way to carry the seasoning on foods such as yabbies, crays, lobster, octopus, calamari, prawns or shrimp, mix it with breadcrumbs or a fine polenta. You can even add some grated cheese such as a cheddar or parmesan. I have also found a site with a whole bunch of chicken recipes. You could easily put an Australian twist to the easy, delicious ideas you'll find there.

Australian Herbs, Spices & Seasonings - 6 canisters

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:37:07 +1000

Six Australian herb and spice seasonings. Pack includes one each of;

* Alpine Pepper - 30g
* Oz Lemon - 30g
* Fruit Spice - 30g
* Wildfire Spice - 40g
* Red Desert Dust - 40g
* Rainforest Rub - 40g

All seasonings are packed for long life and peak freshness in our attractive, reusable, refillable stainless steel canisters. Note the trick in opening and closing the canister lids. Use your thumb to pop the lid up and off and then to re-seat the o-ring in the lid, twist it back into place to close the canister after use.

We recommend storing the opened canisters in your refrigerator or freezer where the contents can remain fresh for up to 3 years - but you'll use them long before that.

Australian Herbs, Spices & Seasonings - 6 sachet refills

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:36:34 +1000

Six Australian herb and spice seasonings to refill your Australian Herbs, Spices and Seasonings Canisters. Each pack includes one each of

* Alpine Pepper - 30g
* Oz Lemon - 30g
* Fruit Spice - 30g
* Wildfire Spice - 40g
* Red Desert Dust - 40g
* Rainforest Rub - 40g

All packed in stand up, resealable pouches.

Please note that the individual packs are available at US$6.20 or A$8.20 each.

We recommend storing the sachets in your refrigerator or freezer or transfer the contents to your canister set and that will protect the herbs from spoilage by light.

Vic Cherikoff Hot Sheet with Spice Kit

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:32:01 +1000

This package includes the Vic Cherikoff Down Under BBQ Hot Sheet as well as six Australian herb and spice seasonings consisting of Alpine Pepper, Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle, Fruit Spice, Wildfire Spice, Red Desert Dust and Rainforest Rub for that real Australian flavor.

The Vic Cherikoff Down Under BBQ Hot Sheet makes BBQ cooking sheer bliss. It's a great tool for public BBQs where you just don't know what's been on there last. Just crank the heat to medium and drop a Hot Sheet onto the plate. Instantly sanitized and ready to cook.

The thing I most like is that I never have to scrape and brush the hot plate on my BBQ ever again. It can go rusty between uses since all I do is cover it with my Vic Cherikoff Down Under BBQ Hot Sheet, turn the heat to medium and I�m ready to cook.

Even if you have a stainless steel hot plate, my Hot Sheet will mean you'll never have to spend ages cleaning up after using it. And besides, it increases the versatility of your BBQ immensely.

I can just throw on meats or vegetables without adding oil and they brown as they cook just as they would in a pan. And like a pan, I can pick up those delicious juices which typically get left on the hot plate (and then burn to form those unhealthy trans-fats). The Vic Cherikoff Down Under BBQ Hot Sheet lets me make my finishing sauce right on the BBQ. By pouring on some wine or cream, stock or even a little water, the juices can be lifted and the sauce reduced to intensify the flavors. Use a fish slice or egg flip to scoop up the thickened sauce taking care not to cut the material (it�s pretty tough but it�s not a cutting board) and the result is super special. You couldn�t do this on an ordinary hot plate unless you like the metallic taste of iron.

Use the Vic Cherikoff Down Under Hot Sheet to cook pancakes, eggs, whole fish and a whole lot more.

I guess it�s stating the obvious but the Vic Cherikoff Down Under BBQ Hot Sheets also let you cook fat free and non-stick. Anyway, check out the DVD for details on all of this. I promise you that once you try it, you�ll be a convert. This is a really smart cooking aid and probably the most exciting thing in BBQing since the gas bottle.

If you want a great gift at Xmas or anytime of year why not pair up a BBQ Hot Sheet with one of our canister sets of spices? What a terrific present for anyone who loves to BBQ with some of the best flavors on the planet.

Authentic Australian Gourmet Gift Package

Vic Cherikoff Food Services — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 17:07:02 +1000

Treat someone special (or simply yourself!) to a little luxury with our delicious Australian Wild Food Gourmet Gift Package. The Australian Wild Food Gourmet Gift Package offers a wide variety of authentic Australian foods and flavours to include in your cooking.

Now make delicious soups, appetizers, entr�e�s and deserts with Australian herbs, spices, sauces, fruit confit and infused oils. Try using the Australian ingredients like Alpine Pepper in your marinades when barbequing or try the Fruit Spice in your next tray of muffins. The ideas are endless.

The Australian Wild Food Gourmet Gift Package features ;

Alpine Pepper - 30g
Bush Tomato Chutney - 250g
Fruit Spice - 30g
Mountain Pepper Sauce - 150g
Lemon Myrtle Sprinkle - 30g
Paperbark Smoke Oil - 150ml
Rainforest Rub - 40g
Red Desert Dust - 40g
Rainforest Lime Confit � 250g
Wattleseed - 100g
Wildfire Spice - 40g

Ideal for corporate gift, birthday or simply for someone who enjoys cooking and learning about the unique flavors of Australia.

Looking for recipes? Why not add the Dining Downunder Cookbook to your order.