Confidence in the Kitchen by Emmylou MacCarthy
Emmylou MacCarthy’s contagious positive energy and passion for multicultural food is brought to life in her book Confidence in the Kitchen.
Photography: Mark Roper
Emmylou MacCarthy’s childhood was spent cooking beside her Vietnamese immigrant mother. Photo - Mark Roper.
Vietnamese salad with nuoc mam cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) from Confidence in the Kitchen by Emmylou MacCarthy. Photo - Mark Roper.
Melbourne-based Emmylou MacCarthy wears many hats — executive producer, presenter, fashion designer, social media powerhouse, mother, and most recently, cookbook author. Emmylou’s new book Confidence in the Kitchen is really more than a cookbook, think of it as your survival guide at home and beyond, with valuable life hacks and even lipstick lessons for those who need it!
Emmylou’s passion for food and community was developed from a ripe age. Born and raised in Perth, Australia, she’s the daughter of a Vietnamese immigrant mother and African father. Along with her four siblings, Emmylou embraced a multicultural childhood where she spent many hours alongside her mum Phuon, learning both modern and traditional techniques.
Emmylou’s confidence and positive energy can be found in every page of the book – her love for simple yet impressive meals are designed to be shared with those you love. Recipes in the book include Duck bao buns with pork crackling, Asian slaw, Vietnamese salad with nuoc mam cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce) and our favourite, Chaja Mess filled with dulce de leche, which she shares the recipe for below.
Crumbed parsnip chips from Confidence in the Kitchen by Emmylou MacCarthy. Photo - Mark Roper.
Duck bao buns with pork crackling and Asian slaw from Confidence in the Kitchen by Emmylou MacCarthy. Photo - Mark Roper.
“I cannot express how grateful I am... I wouldn’t be able to spend my life living out my passions if it wasn’t for my community.”
Party pizza from Confidence in the Kitchen by Emmylou MacCarthy. Photo - Mark Roper.
Jaffle apple pies with salted caramel sauce from Confidence in the Kitchen by Emmylou MacCarthy. Photo - Mark Roper.
“The Emmylou ethos is to live life with confidence, because confidence is contagious.”
CHAJA MESS
Confidence in the kitchen means using store-bought ingredients with pride. There’s no shame in using a supermarket sponge! I’m going to show you how to turn simple ingredients into a delicious dessert that’s both homely and heartfelt. This recipe is inspired by a traditional Uruguayan cake. I’ve deconstructed it so your guests can dig around their dish to find the hidden jewels of meringue and dulce de leche. I love the fresh hit of mango, the saltiness of the peanuts and that beautiful whipped cream tying it all together.
Serves 10 - 12
INGREDIENTS
300 ml thickened cream, lightly whipped
2 store-bought sponge cakes, broken into large pieces (see tip)
400 g can dulce de leech
200g salted roasted peanuts, chopped
2x 400g cans mango cheeks or slices (or use the cheeks from 2 large mangoes when in season)
4 large meringues (store bought are fine)
freeze-dried raspberry powder, to serve (optional; see tip)
METHOD
We are going to be constructing this dessert a bit like an Eton mess.You’ll need a large wooden board to assemble it on and a nice big serving spoon.
Scoop up a heap of fluffy whipped cream and dollop it on your servingboard. Place a few more dollops on the board, then get the back ofyour spoon and spread the cream out with some big firm whacks! Savethe rest of the cream for later on.
Arrange the pieces of sponge on top of the cream, then dollop on spoonfuls of dulce de leche, creating little caramel pockets. Scatter over the peanuts for some salt and crunch, then delicately lay the mango cheeks over the top. Top with dollops of the remaining cream, then crumble the meringues over to add some beautiful sweet crunch. For
a lovely finishing touch, you can sprinkle a little freeze-dried raspberrypowder over the top.
Take to the table and serve. This is one of those desserts that will be remembered and recreated for years to come!
TIP | I often bake some of the sponge pieces in a 180°C oven for 10–15 minutes to give them a golden colour and a bit
of firmness.
When assembling this dessert, I find it looks better if you break the sponge into large portions instead of crumbling it into little pieces on the plate.
Freeze-dried raspberry powder is available from gourmet food stores and some health food stores.
Confidence in the Kitchen by Emmylou MacCarthy, Published by Plum, RRP $39.99 is available where all good books are sold and also online.