Lemon Myrtle

This of course is probably the best known of all bush ingredients. It is a beautiful sub tropical tree. It has long tapering leaves and bunches of white flowers in autumn. The seeds, flowers and leaves are all used in the kitchen. Fresh, dried, whole, crushed or ground lemon myrtle has a complex blend of lemon and lime flavors with lemongrass and spice. It has an uplifting fresh and zesty aroma that combines well with most foods. The most common way to purchase lemon myrtle is ground. As the leaf dries the flavour is intensified and is easier to store and keep for longer periods. It is also an easy way to combine the flavour with almost any ingredient. The flavour is extracted in greater depth in some recipes if the lemon myrtle is soaked in hot water (or liquid) first, as this releases the essential oils. The leaves can be wrapped around chicken breasts or fish before baking, or used in Asian recipes instead of kaffir lime. They are also nice when folded into a hollandaise or mayonnaise or added to a bouquet garni.

Uses: lemon myrtle fish cakes, lemon myrtle panacotta with macadamia lace cookies, warm salad of braised tuna (lemon myrtle leaves) with lemon myrtle dressing and kipfler potatoes, lemon myrtle cheesecake with macadamia crust, lemon myrtle and chilli chicken.

Wikipedia: Lemon Myrtle

Aniseed Myrtle and Cinnamon Myrtle

These two trees in the myrtle family are also very versatile. Aniseed Myrtle has a lovely aniseed flavour as the name would suggest. It can be used in place of star anise and it gives wonderful flavour in both savoury and sweet dishes. Try it in biscotti, bread, biscuits and with chocolate. It goes very well with seafood and fennel. Cinnamon Myrtle (sometimes known as ironwood) is also easy to use. It goes well in curries and Moroccan dishes.

Uses: apple and cinnamon myrtle waffles, cinnamon myrtle and hazelnut biscotti, pear and hazelnut tart with cinnamon myrtle.

Wikipedia: Aniseed Myrtle and Cinnamon Myrtle