What do you eat for breakfast?

“Toasted muesli, Greek yoghurt, honey and milk and sliced fruit.”

Tom, Queensland, Australia

Tropical toasted museli

Driving around Queensland, I was delighted to find farmstands everywhere. Ripe, fragrant tropical fruits were abundant; mangoes, papaya, bananas, pineapples, not to mention fruits I'd never encountered before, such as sapote and lucuma. I even met a pair of hitchhikers who had spent the previous six months climbing palms and selling coconuts to tourists at the Daintree National Park.

Muesli, originally a Swiss invention, has taken on a life of it's own in Australia. It is immensely popular with fruit and yoghurt, and is also sometimes sold at bakeries, pressed into a "slice." Here, we infuse it with the sunny flavours of Queensland. I imagine this would be especially delicious with yoghurt and passionfruit pulp!

2 cups plain oats

1/2 cup banana chips, broken up

1/4 cup dried papaya, cut into bite sized pieces

1/4 cup dried pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup desiccated coconut

2/3 cup dry roasted macadamias, coarsely chopped

2/3 cup pineapple juice

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

2 teaspoons honey

A large pinch of salt

1.   Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).

2.   Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3.   On a baking sheet, spread the mixture so it makes one even layer.

4.   Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Allow the museli to cool, and then transfer to a nice jar or container. 

What sort of things do you eat in the summer?

"Summer berries and summer fruits! Raspberries, strawberries, mangoes and other stone fruits. I love a nice crispy skinned duck breast served with a salad of spinach leaves, basil, strawberries and nectarines dressed with a caramalised balsamic vinegar."

Kate, Perth, Australia

Summer salad with seared halloumi

Here's my (vegetarian!) take on a lovely idea. 

This dish can easily be made ahead, but I would wait to combine the ingredients until serving.

If you do choose to serve this with duck, omit the cheese. 

1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tsp lemon juice, plus extra for cheese

1 1/2 cup baby spinach leaves

1 cup baby rocket

1 cup basil leaves

1 cup strawberries, sliced

1 nectarine, sliced

1 tbsp sweet butter

1 tsp vegetable or canola oil

4 oz halloumi cheese, sliced and quartered

1 cup dry roasted macadamias, chopped

1.   In a small pan, cook 1/4 cup balsamic and sugar over medium heat, until it has reduced and become sweet and a bit syrupy.

2.   Whisk reduced balsamic with olive oil, lemon, and uncooked vinegar until emulsified.  Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3.   In another small pan, melt butter with oil. Add cheese and cook on both sides, until pieces have formed a beautiful golden crust. Transfer to a paper plate and squeeze over lemon juice.

4.   Toss greens together with the fruit. Top with fried cheese and chopped macadamias.

5.   Dress and serve.