A Taste of Uluru at Home: Recipes from the Red Centre

When it comes to unforgettable dining experiences, there’s no substitute for a spectacular four-course dinner under a sparkling Outback sky at Tali Wiru, starting the day with a hearty Outback breakfast as the sun rises, or indulging all your senses during a feast at Field of Light. But when your holiday booking is a little farther off in the future than you’d like, you can enjoy a little taste of Uluru in the comfort of your own home!

We’ve curated this recipe collection from our Executive Chefs and mixologists around Ayers Rock Resort so you can prepare a delicious, Red Centre-inspired feast right at home. Sure, the scenery might be a little different...but it might be just the taste you need to tide you over and satisfy your appetite for the Outback during your holiday countdown. Let’s get cooking.

This delectable appetiser is perfect to serve alongside a main meal, as a light meal, or anytime you’re craving a special snack. Hearty Turkish bread can be spread with garlic butter and dipped in hummus.

Ingredients

Chickpeas 300g
Confit garlic 70g
Tahini 37g
Olive oil 65ml
Salt 10g
Wattleseed 10g
Lemon juice 70ml

Garlic butter Ingredients

Butter, softened 1 cup
Minced garlic 1 Tbs
Grated Parmesan cheese ¼ cup
Garlic salt 1 Tbs
Italian seasoning 1 tsp
Ground black pepper 1/2 tsp
Ground paprika ¼ tsp
Turkish bread 1 loaf

First, prepare the garlic butter.

1. In a small bowl, combine softened butter, minced garlic and parmesan cheese.
2. Season with garlic salt, Italian seasoning, pepper and paprika.
3. Mix until smooth. Spread on Turkish bread. Tip: Place remainder of butter into greaseproof paper, roll into a log, twist ends of paper and store in the freezer.

Next, make the hummus.

1. Drain chickpeas from tin and place into a food processor with all hummus ingredients. Blitz together until required texture. Adjust seasoning if required.
2. Sprinkle wattleseeds on top of buttered Turkish bread and bake in the oven until desired crispness/colour. Once cooked, cut into 8 pieces and arrange on a plate. (If you’re having trouble locating wattleseeds, freshly ground coffee beans are a suggested substitute.)
3. Garnish with a sprinkle of fresh micro herbs.
4. Serve wattleseed hummus on the side.

A light and flavourful take on the classic dessert – or, go ahead and enjoy it before the meal!

Ingredients

Full cream milk 500ml
Thickened cream 1000ml
Caster sugar 210g
Egg yolk 300g
Lemon myrtle powder 10g
Raw sugar 100g

Method

1. Preheat oven at 90°C
2. Combine milk, cream and lemon myrtle in a pot
3. Bring to boil, remove from the heat and leave 10 minutes to infuse
4. Mix egg yolk and sugar together by mixing vigorously with a whisk
5. Add the milk mix to the sugar mix
6. Poor the crème brulee mixture to small ramekins
7. Cook at 90°C for 1 hour
8. Let it set in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight
9. Before serving sprinkle raw sugar and torch it until caramelised

Tip: The Crème Brulee is cooked when it has a jelly texture, which you can check by shaking the ramekin. If it is still liquid, cook it longer, but make sure not to overcook it.

An Australian twist on an Italian classic, arancini are delicious on their own or as a side dish.

Ingredients

Risotto rice 1kg
Wild mushroom (dried) 300g
Mushroom stock (made from soaking dried mushrooms) 325g
White wine 150ml
Fine diced brown onion 1ea
Warrigal greens 300g
Eggs 5ea
Thickened cream 125ml
Full milk 125ml
Plain flour 1cup
Bread crumb 1cup
Vegetable oil 25ml
Parmesan cheese (grated) 50g
Minced garlic 2Tbs
Bay leaf 1ea

Method

1. Soak dried mushroom in warm water until soft texture, strain and separate mushrooms and liquid (stock)
2. Roughly chop the mushrooms
3. Chop warrigal greens and sautéed in a hot pan with oil until al dente
4. Bring mushroom stock to simmer
5. Make the risotto:
   1. In a pot sauté the onions with oil until translucent – med-low heat
   2. Add garlic and cook out med-low heat (you don’t want to brown or burn the garlic)
   3. Add rice and sauté at low heat until the rice becomes slightly translucent
   4. Add the with wine and cook until reduced
   5. Add mushroom stock while gently mixing the rice
   6. Once all stock is absorbed season with salt and pepper
   7. Add the mushrooms and the warrigal greens
   8. Add parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste
   9. Cool down the rice
6. Once cold, shape the rice into golf ball sizes
7. Bread the rice by rolling it into flour, egg (whipped) and bread crumbs
8. Deep fry until golden brown colour

Tip: In Italy, arancini are usually served with a Napoli sauce and parmesan cheese. However, a nice aioli is perfectly fine.

Get into holiday mode with this tasty, refreshing cocktail, the perfect accompaniment to your meal or a lovely nightcap to wind down.

Ingredients and Bar Equipment:

Rocks Glass
Ice
Green Ant Gin 30ml
Sweet Vermouth 30ml
Bitter Orange 30ml
Orange
Knife & Chopping Board

Method

1. Fill glass with ice
2. Measure 30ml Green Ant Gin, 30ml Adelaide Hills Bitter Orange, and 30 ml Sweet Vermouth into rocks glass
3. Slice an orange to cut a wheel
4. Sip gently

Signature dining experiences at Ayers Rock Resort are the perfect way to start your day in the Outback, or indulge after a day of exploring. From Desert Awakenings (worth setting your alarm for!) to Field of Light and beyond, make sure to book one of our special dining experiences – we promise there’s nothing quite like them anywhere else, and they’re guaranteed to satisfy much more than your taste buds!