Overview
Aussies are usually hard-pressed persuading overseas visitors to sample anything more than a smidgen of our beloved Vegemite. But that's far from the case with Heston Blumenthal and Dinner by Heston group executive chef Ashley Palmer-Watts, two Brits who are so taken by the iconic yeasty spread that they've made it the star of their latest ambitious dessert, a dinky di-ce cream which will launch this Australia Day.
Dinner by Heston's 15-month-old Melbourne outpost has seen the chef duo spending significant time on Australian soil and, with both fascinated by the cult product, a Vegemite dessert was always on the cards. "I had never really eaten Vegemite until I came to Australia," explains Palmer-Watts. "Heston was intrigued by the flavour immediately and pretty insistent for some time that we explore a dessert dish based on the spread."
Blumenthal and Palmer-Watts have been in development mode these past six months, exploring the spread's unique (and polarising) flavours and translating them into a sweet concoction that's both worthy of the Dinner by Heston menu and respectful of Vegemite's long heritage. And it seems they've hit the nail on the head, the dessert already passing muster with the brand's Category Manager, Tania Trapla. "To have their innovative take on our famous Australian spread was truly remarkable," she says. "They've managed to take Vegemite to another dimension."
While the dessert's being dubbed 'Vegemite Ice Cream', it's not exactly what it sounds like, instead featuring a riot of textures and tastes — teaming sourdough crumble base, verjuice curd, and barley chocolate ganache, with the ice cream element perched right in the middle. There'll even be a drizzle of decadent caramel sauce, poured from a Vegemite jar at the table. Now that's 'Modern Australian' cuisine.
The dish will be unveiled as part of Palmer-Watts' special Australia Day lunch on January 26, alongside a raft of other innovative, Australian-inspired bites and cocktails.
Read our review of Dinner by Heston.