Eoin Cameron’s recipe lives on

The legendary and enthusiastic cook, whose funeral was on Wednesday, was asked in 2013 for permission to include one of his recipes in St Matthew’s parish cookbook Come to Our Table.

Retired Community Newspaper Group editor Kaye Hawley, who compiled and edited the book, said Eoin responded immediately to the request.

“He said ‘certainly, what’s mine is yours’,” Kaye said.

“And in his typical no-nonsense style, beneath his recipe for Lazy Person’s Strawberry Tart he wrote the explanation ‘Creme Patisserie is the show-off name for the custardy stuff you get in tarts…’ including instructions on how to make it.”

Kaye said on Cameron’s recent retirement from the ABC, a copy of the cookbook was sent to him, signed by parishioners who had submitted recipes and local business owners who had sponsored its publication.

“There were many beautiful messages to Eoin and his wife Wendy (the War Office) wishing them a long and happy retirement,” she said.

“Sadly, it wasn’t to be. But the people of St Matthew’s are happy to have had that connection with the ‘big man’.”

Former editor Kaye Hawley recalls her meeting with Cammo

I took him in two to three dozen eggs when my chooks first started laying – too small to sell at church, so knowing he was a great cook I gave him the eggs.

Among them were four blue eggs laid by araucana chooks, the only chicken to lay blue eggs.

Eoin had never heard of them but two days later he was a full bottle, telling everyone on radio all about these chooks, where they came from, how they came to be blue – etc etc. It was hilarious!

Lazy Person’s Strawberry Tart

Ingredients

1 shop-bought sweet shortcrust pastry case 1¼ cups milk 3 egg yolks ¼ cup white sugar 1/8 cup plain flour 2 tablespoons corn flour 1 tspn vanilla essence Method Follow instructions for a cold filling on the pastry case packet.

Whisk all the ingredients together really well over medium heat, whisking constantly until almost to the boil. Remove from heat, allow to cool then put in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours.

Spoon the crème into the cold pastry case and arrange two punnets of strawberries on the top. Brush with a little melted strawberry jam and chill.