Wild Hibiscus Cooking Recipes

Wild Hibiscus Champagne Jellies

The perfect, simple, very adult and absolutely gorgeous desert for your next dinner party! Your guests will never know how simple this is & you will seem like an Iron Chef!

1 jar Wild Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup
1 2/3 cups sparkling wine (the half empty bottle of bubbly left in the fridge is a great use for this recipe)
½ cup water
5 gelatin leaves or 3 teaspoons gelatin powder
Whipped cream, dark chocolate curls & maraschino cherries for garnishing

Add sparkling wine to a mixing bowl
Pour ½ cup of the Hibiscus syrup (no flowers) into the wine.
In a small saucepan over low heat, warm water & dissolve gelatin. Do not boil
Pour into the wine through a sieve & mix through
Place a Wild Hibiscus Flower into 6-7 champagne flutes or fancy glasses & 2/3 fill with the jelly mix.
Refrigerate overnight to set (the flowers will set in all sorts of crazy positions)
Top with a whipped cream swirl, maraschino cherry (preferably with stems) & curled dark chocolate.
Tip: Curl dark chocolate by warming slightly & using a potato peeler, Enjoy!
Tip: Canned whipped cream will do fine such as dairy whip etc.

Australian Beef with Red Wine Hibiscus Syrup Glaze, Hazelnut Honey Asparagus

A recipe kindly submitted by Sally James, renowned Aussie chef now living & working in the USA.

Season beef fillet with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a heavy based pan and add beef. Cook for 2-4 minutes each side, depending on thickness, or until an internal temperature of 125-130F for medium rare. Remove from pan, cover with foil and set aside.

Pour ½ cup Shiraz and ¼ cup syrup from the Wild Hibiscus Flowers into the same pan the meat was cooked in. Simmer until mixture thickens to a thin sauce consistency, about 6-8 minutes.

While the sauce is cooking, sauté asparagus in a little olive oil for 1-2 minutes then add 2-3 tablespoons hazelnuts in honey. Stir until honey is softened then serve onto platter.

Slice meat and arrange over the asparagus, then drizzle with the red wine Hibiscus glaze.

Wild Hibiscus Pavlova Supreme

This Pavlova recipe is from the company founder Lee Etherington's family. It dates back generations and is the quintessential Australian dessert served after a Sunday roast. Pavlova recipe courtesy of lee's Mum, Sue Etherington, Wild Hibiscus Supreme topping courtesy of lee, he couldn't help himself...

4 eggs whites
8 ounces of castor sugar
1 teaspoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon corn flour
1 teapoon of vanilla essence
pinch of cream of tartar

Beat eggs whites until stiff
then add 3/4 of sugar gradually.
Add vinegar and one teaspoon of vanilla essence to the last ¼ of sugar.
Add teaspoon of cornflour and pinch cream of tartar, mix together while beating.

Prepare an 8 inch round pan, well greased.
Then apply mixture to pan - building up the sides.

Pre-heat oven at 375 F.
Add pavlova - cook for 3 minutes only.
Reduce heat to 250 F
Leave for 1 hour.

Leave inside oven and remove once oven is cold.
Okay to leave in oven overnight.

To Top: Fold 2-3 tablespoons of the Wild Hibiscus Syrup through 1 cup mascarpone or crème fraiche. Don't overmix or you will lose the swirl effect. Spoon mixture onto pavlova, sprinkle with macadamia chips and drizzle with a little more of the syrup. Crown with a Wild Hibiscus Flowers and spoonfuls of fresh passionfruit pulp (According to tradition these should be picked from the back verandah(porch) passionfruit vine).