Like cashews, macadamias have a high fat content, making for a decadent treat. Macadamias are used whole, crushed, or ground, and the oil extracted from macadamias is also popular.
Like many nuts, macadamias are delicious coated in chocolate. As a snack, people also commonly eat them raw, salted, roasted, and honey roasted.
Macadamias are also often featured whole in baking, such as in white chocolate and macadamia cookies, in shortbread, in muffins, or in slices (think caramel macadamia slice).
Macadamia are great in pie crusts for sweet pies, and used in tarts and ice-cream. They also make great nut butters that can be used in baking or as a spread.
In savoury dishes, macadamias are nice sprinkled on salads, mixed with cooked vegetables, and used as savoury crust coatings and stuffing for meat.
Macadamia Zucchini:
6 medium sized black zucchini – grated
6 tablespoons butter, 1/2 cup macadamia nuts - halved brown nuts in moderate oven 1800C till golden
Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
When ready to serve meal, melt butter in a large frying pan and simply toss in zucchini. As soon as they are steaming, stir through the macadamia nuts and serve with a pinch of salt and a good grinding of fresh black pepper. Do not grate zucchini too early as they contain an incredible amount of water. Serves 6.
Macadamia Green Salad
200 gm of lettuce or other salad greens such as spinach, rocket, and beetroot leaves.
1 cup of chopped Macadamia pieces (approx. 2 to 5cm diameter).
30 ml or more of macadamia oil.
Toss all of the ingredients together, and serve.
White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
In a large bowl cream together 125g butter, ¾ cup brown sugar. Add 1 egg and 1tsp vanilla essence and continue to beat until thoroughly combined. Gently mix in 2 cups of self-raising flour until just mixed and then add 1C coarsely chopped macadamias and 1C coarsely chopped white chocolate.
Place spoonsful of dough onto a prepared baking tray and press down on them a little with a fork to flatten. Cook for approximately 15 minutes until golden brown.
This is an extract from the Growing& Knowin Nuts ebook by John Mason -click for details