Margaret Fulton – My Three Favourite Recipes

Last week, we Aussies, lost an amazing chef, cookbook author and teacher, and national icon – Margaret Fulton.

Margaret opened up the world of good food, prepared at home, to generations of Australian women. She introduced us to cuisines from around the world, that completely changed our staple diet of meat and three veg.

My first cookbook was her original publication, The Margaret Fulton Cookbook, first published in 1968, which I still have, and use. My copy is well and truely battered now, and is held together with sturdy masking tape.

Here are three of my tried and tested favourite recipes from that book which should be in everyones repertoire.

FRENCH CREPES

Or in Margarets book it was Crepes Suzette – Oh how trendy that was back-in-the-day. Basic crepes are so versatile, using sweet or savoury fillings, and they freeze well too.

My French Crepes with Lemon Curd feature her recipe.

CHOUX PUFFS

This pastry, a so-called twice cooked pastry, is easy to make and is the basis of so many great dishes – Cream puffs, Eclairs, Profiteroles, Beignets and many others. I have literally made thousands of them during my catering days and all with this recipe.

Choux Pastry

• 1 cup (115g) plain flour
• 1 cup water
• 115g butter
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 large eggs

Sift the flour onto a square of greaseproof paper. In a medium sized saucepan add the butter, water, sugar and salt and bring to a rapid boil. Using the greaseproof paper, add the flour all at once into the boiling mixture. Cook, stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon over gentle heat until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan. This process dries the paste and cooks the flour. (I use a hand-held electric beater these days)

Remove from the heat, transfer to a bowl and cool to lukewarm. Beat in the eggs one at a time using an electric beater. If the paste is very stiff, beat in an extra egg until a pliable consistency is obtained. Beat the paste until well combined, shiny and smooth.F

For profiteroles: Use a piping bag to pipe small high rounds onto a greased oven tray, leaving space for spreading. Alternatively use a spoon to make well-shaped mounds of pastry on the tray.

Bake in a hot oven 200C for 20 minutes then reduce the temperature to 180C and bake until golden brown and crisp, about another 10 minutes longer.

CREME CARAMEL

This is one of my favourite desserts of all time. Margarets recipe uses half cream and half milk which suits my palate, rather than the traditional all-milk version. Make sure to get the caramel to a dark golden colour for the best flavour.

For the Creme Caramel:  

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup sugar

Put the water and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook quickly until golden brown. Pour into a 7 inch (or closest 20cm) mould or 6 individual moulds. Hold with a cloth and quickly rotate the mould until the caramel coats the base and sides.

For the custard:  

• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2.5cm piece vanilla pod or 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup sugar

Scald the cream and milk with the vanilla pod. Cool slightly. Beat the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar until well blended, then pour in the cooled milk gradually, stirring constantly. Strain through a fine sieve. Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-lined mould and set in a pan of hot water. Bake in a moderate to moderately slow oven 160C -180C for about 45 minutes, or until the custard is set and a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean. If baking individual moulds bake for about 25 minutes. Cool, then chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Unmould onto plates to serve.

Beat the whole eggs, egg yolks and sugar until well blended, then pour in the cooled milk gradually, stirring constantly. Strain through a fine sieve. Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-lined mould and set in a pan of hot water. Bake in a moderate to moderately slow oven 160C -180C for about 45 minutes, or until the custard is set and a knife inserted near the centre comes out clean. If baking individual moulds bake for about 25 minutes. Cool, then chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Unmould onto plates to serve.