Harris Farms Markets share their secrets as they prepare to open in Clayfield
It’s December, which means Watermelon everything in Queensland! As Harris Farm Markets prepare to officially open in Clayfield on December 15 (and it’s a terrific full circle story), their flavour makers have released exactly what we all need right now – recipe for their famous Watermelon Cake and Spritz!
This is no ordinary Watermelon Cake – think Christmas fruit cake, but not as you know it. This masterpiece features white chocolate alongside the stars of Harris Farm Markets – fresh fruit straight from Queensland growers and watermelon from Burdekin and Bowen in North Queensland and Bundaberg.
And the Watermelon Spritz? Add Prosecco or not, this recipe celebrates Mother Nature’s flavours in the best possible way. Recipes over page.
IMAGERY:
The family-owned Harris Farm Markets will open not one, but two stores in Brisbane, beginning with Clayfield from December 15 before opening a flagship store at West Village in West End mid-next year.
Champions of truly seasonal product, Harris Farm Markets have operated for over 40 years, delivering goodness with the firm belief that Australian families should have access to the freshest and best available fruit and veg.
The two Brisbane stores will offer produce from more than 300 Queensland growers, creators and producers, including organic milk from Barambah, My Berries from Caboolture, Brisbane’s Roza’s Gourmet sauces, and organic chicken from Hobbs Family Farms Organic in Pittsworth. In addition, combined the two stores will employ over 200 staff, a welcome injection to the local economy.
Queensland is the first state for the NSW-based business to expand into, and there’s a reason: Queensland has a history with Harris Farm Markets. From December 15, Harris Farm Markets will open at the site of the current Clayfield Markets on Sandgate Road, home to an outstanding fruit and vegetable offering for 25 years, and run by much-loved locals, Carlo and Susan Lorenti. It’s this site that holds the history. “We are incredibly excited to be opening at this site because Harris Farm used to own it 30 years ago before selling it to Carlo and Susan. It’s a full-circle story and we are thrilled that Carlo and Susan are staying on as our managers, along with as many staff as possible,” said Harris Farm Markets co-CEO Tristan Harris. “The Clayfield store will be home to the best in fruit and vegetables, including a tomato shed, organic produce section and a leaderboard of Queensland strawberries and mangoes, as well as a gourmet grocery section of boutique local products, an extensive deli and offering of more than 200 cheeses, a bakery section with the best breads from sourdough to brioche, and a premium meat selection.”
Spread the Christmas cheer this year by supporting local producers at Harris Farms Market in Clayfield.
Harris Farms Markets – Clayfield: opening Tuesday December 15
823 Sandgate Rd, Clayfield
Open from December 15, 2020 – 7am to 10pm every day
HOW TO: Watermelon Cake
Queensland sunshine, laughter, and a fruity cake set to impress; what could be better?
What you’ll need:
® 1 Watermelon
® 1 Strawberry punnet
® 1/2 Blueberry punnet
® 1/2 Raspberry punnet
® 3 Yellow Peaches
® Handful of Cherries
Optional garnish:
® 125g White Chocolate
The Process:
® Melt the white chocolate over a double boiler. Once melted, spread it out with a spatula on to a flat baking tray lined with baking paper. Allow to cool completely before cutting out the star shapes with cookie cutters.
® Using a large knife, slice off the top and bottom of the watermelon so it sits flat on a chopping board. Slice the sides off evenly so it resembles a round cylinder shape and no white of the watermelon rind is showing. Keep any cut off scraps to make watermelon juice or place in the freezer for spritz at a later time.
® Slice the cylinder into 4cm wide discs, depending on the size of your watermelon you should end up with 3 or 4 discs.
® Lay the most level watermelon disc first onto a flat serving plate. Place 3 level pieces of the left-over watermelon skin roughly 2-3cm wide to allow for a 1cm gap when you lay the next disc on top. This also helps to ensure the cake is level.
® Place the 2nd disc on top and repeat the process.
® Slice the strawberries and peaches into slices. Stick the slices alternately in the gap between the watermelon discs poking outwards. Add blueberries in-between each slice.
® Cover the top of the cake with piled up whole strawberries, raspberries, cherries, more slices of peaches and a good handful of blueberries. Poke the white chocolate stars in-between the fruit.
®
HOW TO: Watermelon Spritz
Refreshing cocktails all day? Sign us up!
What you’ll need:
® 1/4 Watermelon
® 600ml Soda water, chilled
® 1/2 Bottle Prosecco, chilled
® Juice of 2 limes
® 1/3 Caster sugar
® 1/2 Cup boiling water
® Ice cubes
® Mint leaves to garnish
The Process:
® Slice up some of the watermelon into small triangles to be used as a garnish. These can be placed into the freezer ahead of time.
® Slice the remainder of the watermelon into rough cubes and place into a zip lock bag in the freezer for a few hours beforehand to chill.
® Depending on how sweet your watermelon is and if you have a sweet tooth, a sugar syrup may be needed. To make the syrup add the caster sugar and boiling water into a glass jug and stir to dissolve. Set aside to cool down completely.
® When you’re ready to serve the spritz, blend the partially frozen watermelon cubes in batches in a blender to create a slushy consistency.
® Pour the mixture into a large mixing jug or bowl along with the soda water, lime juice and cooled sugar syrup. Stir until well combined.
® Add a few ice cubes to glasses, fill half full of the watermelon juice and top the remainder up with chilled Prosecco.
® Garnish with a sprig of mint and a chilled sliced of watermelon on the side of the glass.
About Harris Farm Markets:
Harris Farm Markets is a family owned and operated business. For more than 40 years Harris Farm Markets has been delivering goodness to Australian families with the core value and belief that Australian families should have the freshest and best available to them. That is why Harris Farm Markets is home to over 2,700 employees across 22 stores who work to deliver goodness to the hundreds of thousands of retail, wholesale and online customers who walk through its doors every week.
