Week six of my world-famous every-nation cooking challenge united in matrimony the two countries most likely to be next to each other in an alphabetical list: Aruba and Australia. The main dish came from Aruba, and Australia supplied dessert.

I made keshi yena from Aruba — it’s a casserole that is traditionally cooked inside an Edam cheese rind, but I had a heck of a time finding Edam. Even my local cheese monger didn’t have any in stock, so I used Gouda instead. My wife and I liked it, but the salty/pickly taste didn’t fly with our kids.

I made Australia’s allegedly famous Lamingtons for dessert. They are cubes of cake rolled in chocolate icing and then coated in coconut (and optionally filled with whipped cream). They tasted exactly like Mounds bars, so just buying a pack of them would have saved me two hours of kitchen time.  Does Australia know this one simple trick?

Previous Entries

• Afghanistan: Kabuli Palau
• Albania: Tavë Kosi
• Algeria: Maaqouda
• Andorra: Cannelloni Andorrana
• Antigua: Antiguan Butter Bread
• Argentina: Empanadas Mendocinas
• Armenia: Lula Kebabs and Gata