Tag: Bluey

Bluey’s Pavlova

Posted December 19, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Pop Culture Corner / 0 Comments

Here she is! The pièce de résistance, the crown jewel, the recipe you’ve all been waiting for. . . pavlova! Of all the foods featured in BLUEY, this one seems to hold the most fascination for fans of the show. Maybe it’s because pavlova originated in Australia, or maybe because the animators’ cartoony rendition of it looks so inviting and whimsical. Either way, this dish definitely received the most votes from my kids when I was deciding what to make for my BLUEY menu. So let’s get started!

If you’re unfamiliar with pavlova (as I was), it’s a large baked meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit. The meringue has a thin, crunchy exterior and marshmallowy interior and should be white to off-white in color. I started with my go-to meringue recipe and the baking instructions from this Blackberry Cardamom Pavlova recipe from Adventures in Cooking. Then I tweaked it all as I refined the results. It took a LOT of experimentation (I lost count somewhere around 8 pavlovas), but I finally found the right combo of ingredients, bake temp/time, and cool time to get the right color and texture. I might play with it some more at a later date, but I’m happy with where it’s at right now.

I’ve got to say, eating pavlova is a truly magical experience. The outside has a delicate crunch, and the inside is soft and fluffy. Adding the whipped cream and fruit adds extra freshness and lightness, preventing the meringue from being too sweet. I love that pavlova has so many flavors and textures and that they all work together instead of competing with each other. I’m planning to make it again for my daughter’s Bluey-themed birthday party next month.

I’ll see you all for another recipe (and a new menu) in a couple weeks. Until then, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Bandit’s Spring Rolls

Posted December 5, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes, Pop Culture Corner / 0 Comments

When I decided to make a Bluey menu, I consulted my local experts on iconic Bluey food: my kids! They asked for several items (including the meat pie from “Tradies”), but the one my daughter advocated for most was spring rolls from the episode “Takeaway,” which is the first episode we ever watched.

In keeping with the show, I decided to make my spring rolls in the style of Chinese takeaway. Since we never see the filling inside Bandit’s spring rolls, I made a variation of this Chinese pork-filled spring roll recipe by Sugar Salt Magic, since we know Bandit likes his meat. You could also make these in the style of the Chiko roll, a popular spring roll-inspired snack unique to Australia.

Originally, I tried to make these with rice paper wrappers, but I had trouble getting them to brown nicely (even after brushing them with sugar water, a suggestion I found online). My grocery store had “eggless egg roll wrappers,” which sounds a lot like flour spring roll wrappers to me. That’s what I wound up going with, so I hope it’s true to what you’d find at an Australian Chinese takeaway restaurant.

In the end, I loved these, especially with sweet Thai chili sauce! They were so satisfying, and I loved the crispy exterior combined with the soft interior. This recipe makes twenty rolls—perfect for the legendary appetite of Bandit Heeler!

Sparky’s Meat Pies

Posted November 21, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

Today’s recipe is inspired by my all-time favorite BLUEY episode: Tradies! In this episode, some tradesmen (called “tradies” in Australia) come to Bluey’s house to install a fish pond in the backyard, and Bluey and Bingo spy on them. They learn that a tradie called Sparky loves meat pies, but someone called “me missus” (who they believe is his enemy) won’t let him eat them. So the girls leave a meat pie with a ketchup smiley face out for him as a surprise.

This recipe mostly comes from Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats. I made a few minor tweaks to the pie filling to suit my tastes and used my own pie crust recipe for the pie base. The original recipe calls for store bought, which is definitely a viable option (it’s certainly faster), but I decided to include a from-scratch crust option if you want to go that route.

These turned out amaaazing! The filling was rich and satisfying, and the pastry was flaky and delicious. My son especially loved these! However, these pies take quite a while to make, so if you’re planning on making these for a crowd (like for a Bluey-themed birthday party), I recommend making the filling a couple days ahead and chilling it. Then you can make the pastry, assemble, and bake the day before. These pies can be reheated in a 350°F oven for about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy! 🙂

Bluey’s Pumpkin Seeds and Bingo’s “Edna-damee” Beans

Posted November 7, 2024 by Alison's Wonderland Recipes in Book of the Month Recipes / 0 Comments

I have a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old, so of course Bluey is extremely popular at our house. If you’re a fan too, you’ve probably noticed there are lots of delicious foods in the show. I’ve been compiling a Bluey menu in the back of my mind for almost a year now, waiting until enough episodes came out that I could get a good sense of the most iconic Bluey foods. Now it’s time to bring them all to life! Let’s start with an appetizer.

Coming up with an appetizer was probably the hardest, since I wanted to stick with kid-friendly finger foods, like you would have a Bluey-themed kids’ party. I decided to do a combo recipe of two foods mentioned in the show: Bluey’s pumpkin seeds and Bingo’s edamame beans. Both foods are ones that the girls are reluctant to try at first but wind up enjoying.

In the episode “Granddad,” Bluey is unwilling to eat the pumpkin seeds her mom gives her as a snack until her granddad helps her realize how important it is to take care of your body, especially as you get older. In the episode, Bluey’s pumpkin seeds appear to be plain, but I decided to toast mine with honey, brown sugar, and sesame seeds—inspired by my favorite Sahale snack mix.

In the episode “Pavlova,” Bingo is reluctant to try edamame beans, the name of which both she and Bluey struggle to pronounce. The girls always call them something different, such as “eda-mommy” and “edna-damee.” Bluey and Bandit create a pretend French restaurant to try to encourage Bingo to try the beans, but despite all their efforts, she doesn’t try them until they get distracted and she can do it without pressure. Since my pumpkin seed recipe was sweet, I decided to take my edamame beans in a savory direction, toasting them with garlic and ginger.

These are both super quick and easy, perfect appetizers for a Bluey birthday party!