First thing's first...WHAT is Vegemite? For those of us that didn't grow up Down Under, this may be a valid question. Though we've tasted it ourselves, we had to do some research to truly discover the answer. Vegemite is an Australian food paste made from leftover brewers' yeast extract with various vegetable and spices added. It was developed in Melbourne (which just happens to be the hometown of this week's guest) in 1922.
Vegemite is a popular topping for sandwiches, toast and crackers as well as a filling for pastries in Australia. If you've ever tried the British, New Zealand or South African Marmite spread, you might have dabbled in a similar flavor family. All that being said, Vegemite is an extremely acquired taste, which made it a decent challenge for this week's featured ingredient. We were POSITIVE that our Aussie guest Ant Simpson would have all kinds of fond memories and snack tips for the malty spread, but, ALAS, he turned out to be one of the few Vegemite-averse Australian-born rebels.
Without any tips from Ant, it was up to us to make Vegemite (which seemed to us to be a required favorite of all Australians) at least palatable for those of us that didn't grow up with it. Many of my Australian friends have told me that the marketing ploy to sell Vegemite has been that it's "packed with B vitamins," which is really just a lucky side effect of eating yeast. We figured...let's stick to the ploy. What else has a lot of yeast? BREAD. And what else was going on this week in Los Angeles? THE ANNUAL BREAD FESTIVAL. More yeast please! We decided to make the most delicious grilled cheese sandwich we could imagine, with Vegemite as one of the main ingredients.
After brainstorming some flavor profiles, we decided to treat Vegemite like Beef Bullion. While you may gag at this yeast spread, we guarantee you will learn to love the way it improves the flavor of your cooking...it adds a bit of depth, complexity and savoriness that can be challenging and time consuming to build on your own. It's with this in mind that The Lady Marmalade was born! To create this indulgent and delectable outback sammy...
4 slices Texas Toast
6 tbsp Brie
3 oz Gouda, sliced
1/4 cup Parmesan, shredded
1/2 cup shelled pistachios, finely ground
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp mayo
2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp BBQ sauce
4 tbsp Orange Marmalade
1 tbsp Vegemite
1/2 lb braised short ribs
(makes two sandwiches).
1. Preheat skillet over medium heat and preheat oven at 350 degrees.
2. Spread mayo on each slice of Texas Toast.
3. Stir BBQ sauce, Orange Marmalade and Vegemite until well-combined. Pour over braised short ribs until fully coated and set aside.
4. Combine finely ground pistachios with parmesan and garlic. Set aside in a shallow dish.
5. Spread brie on one slice of bread for each sandwich.
6. Place coated ribs on top of brie spread.
7. Top ribs with sliced gouda and top with the remaining Texas Toast to close the sandwich.
8. Place both sides of sandwich in the parmesan/garlic/pistachio mixture to create a crust. Make sure the bread is evenly and heavily coated.
9. Melt butter in the skillet.
10. Use spatula to turn sandwich from side to side until cheese is melted.
11. When the cheese is melted and the outside is crispy and browned to your taste, place the sandwich in the oven for five minutes.
12. Remove from oven and cut in half (down the middle or diagonal...it's up to you. We won't judge.)
Enjoy your Aussie Grilled Cheese, mates :)