Yesterday we roadtested some recipes from Karen Martini’s latest cookbook, New Kitchen, in a bid to find the best one. Six of our staff selected recipes and we were thrilled (terrified) when Karen came in to select her favourite. Here are the results of the cook-off…

Danielle Mirabella made Kale and spinach gnudi with burnt butter (pg. 178) and Homemade ricotta (pg. 28):

I’m a huge cheese lover – frankly, who isn’t? – but I’ve always been a little daunted by the idea of making it myself at home. Yet, when I read Karen’s recipe for ricotta, it seemed so straightforward that I wondered why I’ve never attempted it before. Because when Karen says, “It’s really a very simple process”, I believe her; Karen’s recipes never fail, ever. The end result was super easy and oh so satisfying.

Having kicked that goal, I was able to use my own homemade ricotta to make the gnudi. If you follow the steps you can’t go wrong with this recipe either. The kale gives a nice bite to the texture of the gnudi, while adding lemon to the burnt butter sauce is a winning combination that brings the whole dish together.

Judges’ comments: So flavoursome, so cheesy and loved the crispy, buttery sage.

Jan Lockwood made Sisterly banana bread (pg. 60):

I’d never previously eaten banana bread (what can I say, I’m from the UK where bananas don’t ripen) so this recipe intrigued me. As an added bonus, I already had the ingredients at home except for one, the bananas. I bought these several days in advance of making the dish so they’d be super ripe. I made good use of my food processor which meant I didn’t have to do any hard work at all. The only (very minor) road bump I hit was when I tested the cake with a wooden skewer at the recommended 30-minute mark and it came out wet. I tested it every few minutes as I didn’t want to risk overcooking it and in the end, my oven extended the cooking time by a good twenty minutes.

Karen’s recommendation is to serve the banana bread with Miso maple butter if you’re not eating on the day but I didn’t prepare that. Fortunately, the cake was still springy, moist and tasty the next day without this addition. This is a really lovely recipe, perfect for using overripe bananas and with ingredients most people would have to hand. I also thought the sliced banana on the top was a nice touch as it made the cake look truly homemade

Judges’ comments: Moist and springy and the banana slices on top were scrumptious.

Joe Rubbo made Vietnamese-style steak tartare (pg. 200):

I chose this dish because I knew I could prepare it in the staff kitchen on the day. The only thing I prepped at home was the rice, which I toasted and ground while I was drinking my coffee in the morning. The rest of the ingredients I gathered from around Carlton before I started work. I bought the fillet across the road from Readings Carlton at Donati’s Fine Meats (still the best butcher in Melbourne). The herbs and aromatics came the wonderful little grocer a few doors down. There are quite a few ingredients in this one, but once I had them laid out on the bench in front of me it didn’t take longer than twenty minutes to pull it together.

It’s called a Vietnamese Tartare, but this dish draws inspiration from around Asia. The addition of roasted ground rice, chilli and fish sauce to the raw meat brings to mind Thai Larb salad, which I’ve always loved. And the way Karen, rather brilliantly, suggests mounding the seasoned meat into iceberg lettuce cups before eating is reminiscent of the Chinese San Choy Bow. Whatever its roots, this dish really packs a lot of flavour. The fish sauce – standing in for the anchovies of the traditional tartare – gently seasons the beef. The lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves make it lovely and aromatic. There’s a slight heat from the chilli and the lime segments, nestled jewel-like in amongst the sweet meat, are little bursts of flavour. This would be delicious with a cold beer on a hot summer afternoon.

Judges’ comments: Divinely fresh with little bursts of flavours in each bite.

Bronte Coates made Super seed loaf (pg. 94):

This is one of those uber-healthy dishes that probably make you healthier just by being in your presence. It’s a densely packed loaf of chia seeds, pepita seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, fennel seeds and more. There’s coconut flour, quinoa and even psyllium husk in here too (I still don’t actually know what that last thing is if I’m being completely honest…) AND, it’s surprisingly tasty.

While I love making bread, it’s not something I have a particular talent for and it was very satisfying to succeed at making this simple loaf. It’s also a very impressive dish to produce at a bring-a-plate type gathering as it would suit a lot of people with different meal requirements. I’ll definitely be making it again – especially as I now have all the ingredients.

Judges’ comments: Great texture and would go really well with lots of different spreads.

Chris Gordon made Hummus and Lemon & poppy seed biscuits:

Yes, it’s true. I made the decision of what I was cooking for today’s lunch based on two reasons and neither of them have anything to do with taste or ambition. The first was transport (I’m on a bike) and the second was ease (I didn’t want to spend time in shops seeking ingredients that I may not have at home). So, hummus and biscuits it was!

I make hummus all the time, but I don’t normally serve it that way that Karen recommends. I intend to from now on though. Frying chickpeas to sprinkle on top is a dream: it’s easy to do, smells fantastic and looks great. They are very moreish so please make sure you keep some aside to snack on. I also liked that Karen’s hummus recipe was not oily – she uses cold water instead and this worked a treat.

The biscuits actually do take some time. This is not your average bake-and-run cookie. Rather, this is the type of gem you give as a gift filling up a sweet bickies jar with a ribbon of red tied around the top. I can guarantee that they taste delicious (butter and sugar will do that) and are worth the time taken.

Judges’ comments: Both these dishes were perfect specimens, and we loved the lemony kick of the biscuits.

Stella Charls made Roasted beetroot & pumpkin salad with goat’s curd and seed crackers (pg. 112) and Flaxseed crackers (pg. 78):

Karen suggests that this recipe, “presents beautifully and is an easy way to make a good impression if you’re asked to bring a plate”. This sounded pretty good to me, and she was right – this salad was so simple to prepare. Just roast some vegetables and place them artfully on a plate, dollop some yummy curd over the top (I used Persian fetta) and dress lightly. No expensive or hard-to-find ingredients, just colourful and tasty food that’s easy to share.

However there is a slight catch – Karen also suggests making your own flaxseed crackers, and crumbling these into the salad. While she says that roasted walnuts or almonds work well as a substitute, I felt up to the challenge. I even learnt a lot about seeds in the process. (Did you know that flaxseeds and linseeds are the same thing? How about pumpkin seeds and pepitas?) The crackers were time consuming insofar as some ingredients needed to be soaked overnight, and then baked at a low temperature for at least 3 hours, but the end result was worth it. Apparently Karen first tried a similar version at Brae and asked Dan Hunter for his recipe as a starting point, an anecdote that I think makes these crackers particularly impressive!

Judges’ comments: Gorgeous presentation and the crackers were particularly moreish.

And the winner is…

Vietnamese-style steak tartare and Kale and spinach gnudi with burnt butter!