Gumleaf oil offers a very unique flavour that can be used in a variety of dishes. There are a lot of varieties available for different uses so it’s important to look for the edible food grade type. It has a strong aromatic eucalyptus smell with flavour notes of menthol, citrus, and pine. It essentially tastes like it smells.
It’s commonly added to hollandaise sauce to pour over steak or over freshly cooked asparagus, or to finish off eggs Benedict. It also works well in ice-cream or custard based desserts such as a crème caramel or brûlée. Other flavours Gumleaf Oil match well with are honey, garlic, herbs, and smoked salmon, and can simply be brushed over meats and seafood.
The strength of Gumleaf Oil can be extremely overpowering and unpredictable therefore it must be used very carefully and the strength should be increased 1-2 drops at a time.
My favourite way to use Gumleaf Oil is to make a salsa verde. Otherwise translated to a ‘green sauce’, a salsa verde is similar to a thin pesto-style sauce. Using it this way makes a great addition to meat dishes and it can be drizzled around the side giving the option to incorporate it into the dish without overpowering anything else. Being a green sauce it also gives the impression that it could have actually been made from gum leaves.
GRILLED BARRAMUNDI ON LEEK & POTATO FONDUE WITH GUMLEAF SALSA VERDE & CRISP SWEET POTATO CHIPS (SERVES 4)
Gumleaf Salsa Verde
This is a very simple recipe that can be modified to suit your own preferences. It can also be made without the gumleaf oil and used as a dressing over cooked lamb or other types of fish. It’s best made the day before as this gives the flavours time to combine with each other resulting in a more rounded, or balanced, taste.
You can use whatever herbs you have available as long as there’s at least 3 types, even spinach and/or rocket leaves can be used, and be careful using any dominating herbs like rosemary.
The gumleaf oil can be added with a toothpick by dipping it into the bottle then shaking it into the mixture. You just want a hint of the eucalyptus flavour to come through to compliment the other flavours in the sauce, not overpower them entirely.
½ cup parsley leaves
½ cup basil leaves
½ cup mint leaves
½ cup coriander leaves
2-4 drops of Gumleaf Oil
Juice from ½ lemon
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
60-80ml olive oil
1. Remove any fibrous stems from herbs and rinse under cold water. Shake well then pat dry with paper towel. Place into a food processor and puree for 30 seconds.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and puree to a smooth consistency. It can be left a little course for a different effect and texture if desired.
3. Stir in some extra olive oil or a few drops of hot water to thin down if it’s too thick.
4. Check taste and adjust with more gumleaf oil and salt if required.
Potato and Leek Fondue
2 large leeks
1 onion, sliced
2 potatoes
250ml (1 cup) cream
1/3 gram saffron
Salt
Pepper
1. Bring a pot of salted water to the boil.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut into small squares around 1cm squared then add to the boiling water.
3. Cook for about 5 minutes so the potato is slightly hard on the inside when bitten into.
4. Strain and rinse under cold water to stop them cooking any further.
5. Trim leeks of both ends keeping the white part. Cut in half lengthways and slice thinly on a 45 degree angle. Sometimes the leek will have a solid piece through the centre. This can be discarded as well.
6. Cook onion in a large pot until soft with little colour.
7. Add leek and 1 Tablespoon of salt and cook for about half an hour until leek becomes soft. The salt will draw out the moisture of the leek helping it to cook.
8. Mix saffron with 1 Tablespoon of hot water and sit for 2 minutes then add to the leek.
9. Add cream and cook on a low temperature for 10-15 minutes. The cream will reduce down and thicken up.
10. Add the cooked potato and stir in, being careful not to break up the potato too much and finish with salt and pepper to taste.
Sweet Potato Chips
1. Peel the skin off the sweet potato and discard. Continue to peel the sweet potato into long shavings.
2. Heat a pot of oil to 180ºC. This can be tested by placing a cube of bread into the oil and it should turn golden brown within 10 seconds.
3. Carefully place the sweet potato shavings into the oil without overloading as it will bubble up quite aggressively for the first couple of seconds. Stir to separate the shavings and cook for about 2-3 minutes without letting the chips getting too dark. Remove from oil and place onto paper towel.
4. The chips will crisp up while cooling and will also continue to cook for the first minute after removing so it is essential not to over-cook in the oil.
Barramundi
4 x Barramundi Fillets approximately 200g each. Salmon also works well.
Season each side of the barramundi fillets with a sprinkle of salt then cook by sealing both sides in a hot pan. If the fillet is thick it can be finished off in the oven at 180ºC until it starts to fall apart.
If using salmon, lightly sprinkle the skin with salt and grill in a hot pan until crispy. Flip over and cook to around Medium. If cooked any further the salmon will quickly dry out.
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