Remembering Margaret Fulton

Last week, we Aussies lost an amazing chef, cookbook author, 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 truly battered now, held together with sturdy masking tape.

Here are three of my tried and tested favorite recipes from that book, which should be in everyone’s repertoire.

French Crepes

In Margaret’s book, it was Crepes Suzette – oh how trendy that was back in the day. Basic crepes are so versatile, using sweet or savory fillings, and they freeze well too.

My French Crepes with Lemon Curd feature her recipe.

Choux Puffs

This twice-cooked pastry is easy to make and forms the basis of many great dishes – cream puffs, eclairs, profiteroles, beignets, and more. I’ve made thousands of them during my catering days, 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. Add the flour all at once into the boiling mixture. Cook, stirring vigorously, 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. Continue beating until the paste is well combined, shiny, and smooth.

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

Creme Caramel

This is one of my favorite desserts of all time. Margaret’s recipe uses half cream and half milk, which suits my palate better than the traditional all-milk version. Make sure to caramelize to a dark golden color for the best flavor.

For the 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 a boil and cook quickly until golden brown. Pour into a 7-inch (or closest 20cm) mold or 6 individual molds. Hold with a cloth and quickly rotate the mold 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 gradually pour in the cooled milk, stirring constantly. Strain through a fine sieve. Pour the custard mixture into the caramel-lined mold and set in a pan of hot water. Bake in a moderately slow oven (160°C - 180°C) for about 45 minutes, or until the custard is set and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. For individual molds, bake for about 25 minutes. Cool, then chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight. Unmold onto plates to serve.