CategorySaturday Letter

A couple of days in London is always fun, but this time I was actually commandeered by my publisher and “chained” to the desk by my long suffering editor in an attempt to finish my latest book, 30 Years of the Ballymaloe Cookery School. I’ve been trawling through write ups and notes and old photos to jog my memory – what a mission.

But despite the deadline the deal is, I must be allowed to eat so it’s an excuse to catch up on the humming London food scene.

I revisited some of my favourite haunts like Barafina, Fino and St John Bread and Wine off Brick Lane in Shoreditch. There I had a fantastic starter of rabbit offal on toast, not everyone’s idea of a good time but it was perfectly executed and completely delicious. The extra fun thing for me was when ex-student Jenny Swan popped out of the pastry kitchen with a pressie of some St John’s Bread and Wine signature dishes, featherlite madeleines, caraway seed cake and an Eccles cake. Same happened at Towpath at 42 De Beauvoir Crescent on Regents Canal where Abigail Baim-Lance who has just graduated from Ballymaloe Cookery School was starting her work experience. By the way if you haven’t been to Towpath, make time on your next trip. Lori Di Mori runs this totally charming café out of two stores on the edge of the canal. Much of the seating is outside, the food is simple and seasonal, walkers, joggers and cyclists are coming and going. Swans, dabchicks and house boats glide slowly by. All so chic and Zen like, definitely one of my favourites. There are several iconic dishes including olive oil cake which devotees traipse across town to enjoy with the stunningly good coffee.

Somehow, I managed to get an early table at the much talked about Restaurant Story on Tooley Street in Bermondsey. This is a ‘white hot’ new restaurant getting blistering reviews for Tom Sellers and his team’s edgy fun food. The hand dipped candles were made from beef fat which melted into a puddle into a holder to be dipped up with gorgeous crusty sour dough bread. You have a choice of 6 or 10 tiny delectable courses (and they were) plus a couple of playful amuse bouche and petit fours thrown in. Here Frank Guest another of my ‘babies’ popped out of the kitchen. Yet another, Dan Morgenthau was in Honey and Co a recently opened restaurant where Israeli husband and wife team Itamar and Sarit Packer have been causing a stir.

The Clove Club located in the refurbished Shoreditch Town Hall is another hot ticket. Isaac McHale’s no choice menu is worth making a detour for.

Other recent openings on the rapidly changing food scene as well as Restaurant Story – Grain Store, Koya Udon noodle restaurant and Bubbledogs in Charlotte Street which serves hot dogs and fizz. Hot dogs in every shape and form are definitely a trend.

The weekend I was over, virtually every restaurant reviewer was raving about Grain Store overlooking Granary Square. This is quite the departure for Bruno Loubet who was firmly on the Michelin star scene until he almost burnt out and headed to Oz for a few years. Grain Store is maybe the first new non vegetarian restaurant in London to bring vegetables, plants and grains into the dominant position on the plate. Vegetables are listed on the menu first in each dish with the meat or fish at the end.

The best food I ate was in Raw Duck on 5 Amhurst Road in Hackney, they serve the most delicious little plates.

 

Seared Carpaccio of Rabbit Loin

 

George Gossip, our game guru, introduced us to this recipe which he tells us he came across in Lindy Wildsmith’s book ‘Cured’. We all loved it.

 

Serves 4 as a starter

 

sunflower oil

1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

4 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed

4 rabbit loins, cut from 2 jointed rabbits

 

To Joint a Rabbit Loin

 

Use a filleting knife along the length of the spine, ease the loin away from the bone.  Slide the blade under the loin cutting it free from the bone.  Repeat on the other side and the other rabbit.

 

Mix the finely chopped parsley, salt and freshly crushed coriander seeds together.  Spread the seasoning out on a chopping board; roll the loins in it until completely and evenly coated.  Wrap individually in clingfilm and freeze for a couple of hours or overnight.

 

When ready to serve, heat a large frying pan over a high heat.  Add enough oil to cover the base of the pan and put the rabbit loins in the pan.   Cook on all sides until golden, but this will only take a minute or two, as they are very tender.

 

Cut the loins into 2cm (3/4 inch) thick slices and garnish with sprigs of chervil and wild garlic flowers or watercress and myrtle berries.

 

Rory O’Connell’s Beetroot with Raspberries, Honey and Mint

 

This salad can be served simply in its own as a light and refreshing starter or can have the addition of a few spoonfuls of thick natural yoghurt or ricotta

 

Serves 4

 

2 cooked beetroot, peeled and very thinly sliced by hand or on a mandolin

24 raspberries

16 small mint leaves

2 teaspoons of honey

Lemon juice

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oi

Maldon salt

Cracked black pepper

 

Divide the sliced beetroot between 4 white plates or spread over a large flat serving plate.

Cut half of the raspberries in half lengthways and the rest in cross section slices, and scatter over the beets. Season with salt and pepper. Dress the salads with a drizzle of honey, a squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle on the tiny mint leaves and serve immediately.

 

Addition of yoghurt, milk snow or labne

Addition of sorrel leaves

 

 

Eccles Cake

 

Makes 10

 

1/2 lb (225g) flaky pastry

 

4 ozs (110g) currants

4 ozs (110g) candied peel

1 teaspoon grated orange rind

1 1/2 ozs (45g) melted butter

2 ozs (50g) granulated sugar

 

extra granulated sugar for tops

 

Roll out the pastry to 3mm (1/8 inch) thickness and cut with 9cm (3 1/2 inch) round cutter.

 

Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the centre of each round, pinch the sides into the centre and turn over and roll out until the fruit is just coming through.  Brush with cold water dip the top in granulated sugar and slit with a knife 2 or 3 times.

 

Bake at 220°C/425ºF/Gas Mark 7 for 15 minutes.

 

Olive Oil Cake

 

This is not the Tow Path version but we have been enjoying this olive cake at Ballymaloe Cookery School.

 

Serves 8 – 10

 

165g (6oz) all purpose white flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

3 large free range organic eggs

225g (8oz) sugar

175ml (6fl oz) plain full fat yoghurt

3 lemons, the finely grated zest

175ml (6 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing the dish

 

23cm (9 inch) springform tin

 

Pre-heat the oven 170°C/325°F/ Mark 3. Lightly oil the base and sides of the tin.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a medium sized mixing bowl.

Preferably in a food mixer, whisk the eggs and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes or until the mixture is pale and voluminous.

Add the natural yoghurt and lemon zest, continue to whisk for a minute or two more. Add the extra virgin olive oil all at once and reduce speed to low. Gradually fold in the flour mixture mousse gently but thoroughly.

Pour the cake mixture into the oiled tin and put into the oven. Transfer to the centre of the preheated oven and cook until the cake is golden for about 40 minutes and a tester comes out clean when inserted into the centre. The edges should have shrunk away from the tin slightly.

Allow to cool in the tin for 5 – 10 minutes. Remove and transfer to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely.

Serve with a cup of coffee or with a blob of crème fraiche and some summer berries.

Rich Seed Cake

 

This recipe for Rich Seed Cake comes from Cookery Notes, 1943. I adore seed cake and can’t resist trying any new recipe I come across. This version has a distinct lemony flavour – quite delicious.

 

225g (8oz) butter

225g (8oz) caster sugar

350g (12oz) flour

4 eggs

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

grated rind of one lemon

1 teaspoon baking powder

 

20cm (8 inch) round cake tin, lined with silicone paper
Cream the butter and sugar then add the flour and beaten egg alternately, a little at a time. Beat well and add the caraway seeds, lemon rind, and lastly the baking powder. Put in the tin and bake in a moderately hot oven, 180ºC/350ºF/Gas Mark 4, for about 2 hours.

 

Hot Tips

 

Courses at Sonairte Eco Center and Gardens in Laytown Co Meath.

Learn how to make Cider with David Llewellyn (Local grower – juice, cider, vinegar and wine maker) www.llewellynsorchard.ie Take home 9 pints of cider.  Friday 20th Sept. 10am – 4pm €75 (with tea/coffee & scone)

Home Preserving – Traditional and Modern Methods with Hans Wieland of the Organic Centre, Co. Leitrim and TG4 ‘Garraí Glas’. Sat. 28th September 10am – 4pm €40 (with tea/coffee & scone) To book tel: 041 982 7572 Email: info@sonairte.ie – www.sonairte.ie

 

The tenth Taste of West Cork Food Festival will be launched at the Church Restaurant in Skibbereen on Tuesday 3^rd September at 7:30pm. The festival takes place from Friday 6^th to Sunday 16^th September. Over forty excellent West Cork artisan food producers (too numerous to list here) will participate this year. Don’t miss John Minihan’s exhibition of his portraits of West Cork food producers and artisan craft makers in Field’s coffee shop. This year the Belling Awards will be awarded nationally and are now known as the Belling West Cork National Artisan Food Awards. For a full list of events visit www.atasteofwestcork.com

 

Last time I was in New York a friend told me about Smorgasburg. It’s a Food Flea Market that pops up in Brooklyn at weekends. – every Saturday it’s in Williamsburg and Sunday on DUMBO Waterfront.

Mario Batali chef owner of Babbo, Casamona, Esca, Lupa  et al,  described it as “the single greatest thing I’ve ever seen gastronomically in New York City. The Woodstock of Eating, a gluttons paradise.” Food entrepreneurs racking their brains for an idea could do worse than to pop on a plane to New York with a notebook and a smart phone, and to do a bit of reconnaissance at Smorgasburg. It’s easy to get there, just jump on the subway and hop off at Bedford Avenue Station.

The variety is mind blowing and I don’t use that word lightly, over 80 stalls each selling their own great food speciality. Talk about thinking outside the box. The passion and entrepreneurial spirit is palpable. Everyone was so proud of their product and eager to have feedback and thrilled by a compliment.  Just shows if we provide a platform for young food entrepreneurs they’ll come up with ideas. It also helps to roll back the red tape and regulations. Let them get started, trial their products, the general public will soon give the answer. Do they love it, if so they will buy it again, if not, go back to the drawing board…

When I visited Smorgasburg on Saturday there were almost 90 stalls – There’s simply not enough room in this piece to mention all the great ideas. The enthusiasm was infectious.

There were picnic tables in the centre so one could relax and enjoy one delicious snack after another, only limited by ones appetite. So frustrating sooooo many delicious things to try, I ate for Ireland but there were countless temptations that I couldn’t manage to taste.

I loved Smogasburg for a myriad of reasons, not least the yummy food but also the buzz and opportunities it gave so many people to trial their product and follow their dream. The standard was astoundingly high. There’s no fear of America if this is a taste of what one area can serve, given encouragement, support and minimum interference.

Adobo Shack sells great hotdogs – America’s favourite fast food with an Asian twist. Big Bao had steamed Chinese pork buns to die for. Bite Me Cheesecakes – tiny version of the cheesecake – small and beautiful. Bombay Sandwich Company. Cemita’s Mexican Sandwiches and Tacos, sandwiches in every shape and form a ten layer Mexican sandwich.  Brooklyn Cured sold baps filled with their own cured meat. There was also a queue for Brooklyn Bangers, great sausages in hotdog buns. Lots of home cured meats and charcuterie like King County Jerky,  Porchetta –  America’s love affair with the pig and pork products is still evident. Crazy Legs; a great name for a stall that sold drumsticks with different flavours. Home Frite : Just great chunky French fries made from organic russet potatoes fried to perfection served with duck confit, Bacon and vermont cheddar cheese sauce or Canadian Style with curds and gravy.

In the US there is a huge homesteading revival, every pickling and curing and jam making class is oversubscribed and Korean food is now hot. McClure’s Pickles. Mrs Kim’s Kimchi and Rick’s Picks all long queues. Kimchi is ubiquitous in Korea but Mrs Kim’s  another innovative entrepreneur is introducing New Yorkers to Kimchi a semi fermented and spicy cabbage.

Rick Field was an out of work TV producer when he started his pickle company Ricks Picks in 2004. Nine years later he offers a whole range of pickles produced in season from locally grown vegetables, hand packed all natural pickles. He is now selling in many markets including Union Square.

The variety reflects the ethnic cultural mix that is America. Choncho Tacos NYC,  Lumpia Shack, Landhaus,  Parantha Alley. Noodles and ramen are many peoples favourite comfort food, Noodle Lane and Sun Noodle Ramen were both doing great. Sunday Gravy, Takumi Taco, Taste of  Ethiopa, WTR Dosa Days, Solber Pupusas, Lots of handmade artisan chocolates, great coffee, craft beers homemade sodas and milk shakes and slushes. Great coffee from Blue Bottle and Teas at Thurslea Café stall. We’ve been testing recipes from Linda Ziedrich’s book on Pickling  published by The Harvard Common Press,  these ones we enjoyed a lot.

Recipes taken from ‘The Joy of Pickling’ by Linda Ziedrich

Linda Ziedrich’s Cherry Relish

Makes 2 x 7fl oz jam jars

Sour cherries are traditional and best in cherry relish. If you can’t get sour cherries, use sweet ones instead.

1 x 3inch piece of cinnamon stick

½ teaspoon whole cloves

10 whole green cardamom pods

700g (1 ½ lbs) cherries pitted, preferably sour cherries

100g (4oz) sugar

150g (6oz) golden raisins

150g (6oz) honey

350ml (12floz) cider vinegar

Tie the spices in a spice bag or cheesecloth. In a heavy saucepan, simmer the remaining ingredients with the spice bag for about 1 hour, until the syrup has thickened slightly. Squeeze and remove the spice bag into two half-pint kilner jars or one pint jar, leaving a ¼ inch head space.  Close the jars with two-piece caps and process the jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.  Store the cooled jars in a cool, dry, dark place for at least 2 weeks before eating the relish.

Linda Ziedrich’s Hyderabadi Tomato Chutney

Makes 1 pint

Not really a pickle at all, since it contains no vinegar or citrus juice and should probably be frozen for long-term storage. But it is Linda’s favourite chutney, so I couldn’t leave it out. Traditionally served with Moghul dishes of lamb in yogurt sauce, the chutney is also delicious with roast potatoes.

12 garlic cloves

900g (2lb) peeled and chopped tomatoes

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

½ teaspoon ground dried hot pepper

2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon whole fenugreek seeds

4 small dried hot peppers, such as japonés or de árbol, caps removed

80ml (3floz and 1 teaspoon) vegetable oil

1 teaspoon diary salt

Mash 4 of the garlic cloves and combine them in a bowl with the tomatoes, ginger, and ground hot pepper. Set the bowl next to the stove. Measure the cumin, mustard seeds and fenugreek into a small bowl and put it and peppers next to the stove as well.

Heat the oil in a large wide stainless steel saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic cloves; Fry them, turning them once or twice, until they are golden brown. Add the cumin, mustard seeds, and fenugreek to the pan and let them sizzle for 2 seconds. Add the peppers and stir once, they will swell and darken. Add the tomato mixture carefully; it will splatter a bit at first. Cook the chutney, stirring almost constantly for 15 to 20 minutes, until it is quite thick. Stir in the salt. Spoon the chutney into small jars or plastic storage containers and close them tightly.

The chutney will keep well in the refrigerator for a week or more. For long term storage, freeze the containers.

Linda Ziedrich’s Rhubarb Chutney

Makes about 1.8 litres (3 pints)

Here’s chutney for those lucky enough to have an abundance of rhubarb.

450ml (16fl oz) cider vinegar

425 g (15oz) firmly packed light brown sugar

470g (1 ¾ lbs) rhubarb stems, sliced ½ inch thick

600g (1 1/4lb) chopped onions

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes

grated zest of 1 orange

1 x 4inch cinnamon stick

150g (5oz) golden raisins

½ teaspoon diary salt

In a nonreactive pot over a medium heat, heat the vinegar and sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chutney thickens.

Remove the cinnamon stick. Pack the chutney into sterilized pint Kilner jars and cover immediately. Store the cooled jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

 

Moroccan Pickled Beets

900g (2lbs) cups diced (about ¼ inch) cooked and peeled beets

1 garlic clove, crushed

225ml (8fl oz) wine vinegar

75g (8oz) tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds, toasted and crushed in a mortar

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Put the beets and garlic into a bowl. In a small nonreactive saucepan, bring the vinegar, sugar and cumin to a boil. Pour the hot liquid over the beets. Let the bowl stand at room temperature, turning the beets occasionally, for several hours. If you won’t be eating the beets the same day, store the bowl, covered in the refrigerator. The beets should keep well for at least 2 weeks.

Just before serving beets, toss them with the olive oil.

 

Hot Tips

Bunsen Burgers:- Tom Gleeson graduated from Ballymaloe Cookery School in 2009 he lived in New York for a year, trying all the street food and gathering ideas. He also gained valuable experience at La Bernadin restaurant in New York followed by a three month stage in Heston Blumenthal’s Fat Duck restaurant in Berkshire.  He opened The Bunsen Burger in Dublin just two months ago and by keeping the menu simple – hamburgers, cheese-burgers and fries – and the quality very high he aims to serve the best burgers in Dublin and from what I hear, he’s off to a flying start! They also serve milk shakes and craft beers; Dead Pony Club, Sierra Nevada, Brew Dog, and Punk IPA.  Find Bunsen Burger on 36 Wexford Street, Dublin 2 – www.bunsenburger.ie

London List

If you are over for the weekend don’t miss Brockley Market, it’s in Lewisham College car park on Saturday from 10am – 2pm and is the London equivalent of Smorgasburg  but with some fresh produce also. Seek out Moonsgreen salami and cured meats (moonsgreen.co.uk) and the Mark Hix boys do a crispy pollock fish finger in a hotdog bun with mushy peas and home-made tartare sauce – soo good. (Fishdogs.com)

Three or five times a year we invite guest chefs to the Ballymaloe Cookery School to teach a course and give us a taste of their food.

Everyone has their own style and quirky personality to keep us entertained. This was certainly the case with our most recent guest chef, Antony Worrall Thompson. Antony first taught at the cookery school in 1994 and has returned several times in intervening years, always bringing new ideas and in fact, he met his wife Jay at the Cookery School and they’ve been married since.

This time he chose some of his favourite Asian dishes and as ever introduced us to some new ingredients including coconut aminos which we tracked down at Well and Good Healthfood Shop in Midleton – if you can’t find it for the delicious Limey Beef Salad use soy sauce instead.

Antony has been through a bit of a tough time in the recent past and is still trying to make sense of why he walked out of his local supermarket without paying for several items including a packet of coleslaw. Antony says “It’s hard to understand why a guy with three restaurants and a larder full of food at home would do this – I’m still trying to figure it out” it’s been a very difficult for him and all his family.

When the press got hold of it, the shoplifting story reverberated around the world adding to the feeling of desolation; he totally understands the problem from the supermarket’s perspective as do we all. The reality is, that few of us get through life without doing something that given the benefit of hindsight we certainly would not have done.

Antony was welcomed back to the Ballymaloe Cookery School by many who attended his earlier courses and many new faces. We had an inspirational day and despite the trials and tribulations Antony has not lost his vim and vigour and his self-deprecating wit. Antony’s food has always been multi ethnic, delicious and accessible. We particularly loved the Prawn Lollipops and you’ll love the fresh taste of the Crab and Red Grapefruit Salad. The Limey Beef Salad was also fresh and delicious, perfect for summer meals, a fun nibble to serve with drinks or as a first course – if you don’t have sumac or saffron just leave them out, they’ll still taste delicious.

The Lemon Clotted Cream Mousse with Fresh Strawberry and Champagne Jelly was a wow even though we didn’t make it with Champagne, Prosecco or cava also great. Since Antony wrote his first book The Small & Beautiful Cook Book in 1984 he has gone on to publish a further 29 cookery books. His latest book The Essential Low Fat Cookbook was published by Kyle Books April 2011.

 

Antony Worrall Thompson’s Crab and Red Grapefruit/Pomelo Salad

 

Serves 4

 

2 red grapefruits or 1 pomelo, peeled and segmented

300g (10oz) cooked white crabmeat

1 handful of dill, rough chopped

1 handful of mint leaves, rough chopped

1 handful coriander leaves, rough chopped, stems finely chopped

2 banana or 3Asian shallots

1 large red chilli finely sliced

1 bird’s eye chilli, finely diced

2 tablespoon chopped salted peanuts

 

Dressing

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons caster sugar

2 tablespoons fish sauce

 

To make the dressing.

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved.

 

To assemble the salad. 

Combine all the ingredients, except the peanuts.   Pour over enough dressing to coat, spoon the salad into a bowl and sprinkle with peanuts.

 

Antony Worrall Thompson’s Prawn Lollipops with a Coriander Dip

Tiger Prawns with Popcorn and Sumac

 

Serves 4

 

3 teaspoons vegetable oil

85g (3 1/4oz) popcorn, savoury

1 tablespoon sumac

1 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

2 teaspoons snipped chives

1/2 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 teaspoon sea salt

24 large green tiger prawns, peeled and cleaned

 

limes to serve

 

Place popcorn in a food processor and blend to a coarse powder, combine with the sumac, herbs, garlic and 1 sea salt, process until just combined, transfer to a plate.

 

Pre-heat a griddle pan, thread each prawn lengthways onto a bamboo skewer, and then roll prawns in seasoned oil.   Grill prawns on their sticks for about 2 minutes or until cooked.

 

Roll hot prawns in garlic mayonnaise to coat generously then roll in popcorn mixture.   Serve immediately with the lime cheeks and Coriander Dip

 

For the Garlic Mayonnaise

 

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic

pinch of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon hot water

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

250ml (9fl oz) vegetable oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

 

Process egg yolks, mustard, garlic, saffron and vinegar in a food processor then add the vegetable oil, drip by drip to start then in a slow steady stream until thick and emulsified.   Add lemon juice and season.

 

Coriander Dipping Sauce

 

3 cloves garlic

2 large green chillies, seeded and roughly chopped

1 tablespoon palm sugar or liquid honey

4 tablespoons lime juice

3 teaspoons fish sauce

110g (4oz) roughly chopped coriander

 

Place all the ingredients in a blender with 3 tablespoons water and blend until combined.  Pour into a small serving bowl.

 

Antony Worrall Thompson’s Limey Beef

 

Serves 4-6

 

Dressing

juice and grated zest of 3 limes

2 tablespoons soft dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

stems from a small bunch coriander, rough chopped

2 teaspoons grated ginger

1 teaspoon soy sauce or coconut aminos

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Salad

1 small pointed cabbage, finely shredded

2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 mango (under-ripe) peeled, pitted and cut into matchsticks

1 tablespoon chopped mint

2 tablespoons Thai basil leaves

2 long red chillies, seeded and finely sliced

 

Beef

2 litres (3 1/2 pints) water

3 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos

2 crushed garlic cloves

1 stem of lemongrass, bruised

4 spring onions

175g (6oz) beef fillet tail, cut in julienne

 

Garnish

leaves from coriander bunch

1 tablespoon chopped peanuts

 

For the Dressing/Vinaigrette.

Blend all the ingredients in a liquidiser, cover and chill.

 

For the Salad.

Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover and chill.

 

For the Beef.

Place all the ingredients, except the beef, into a saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Drop a few slices of beef at a time into the poaching broth, cook for 20 seconds.  Remove and place immediately in the vinaigrette, repeat.

 

To Serve.

Add the beef and vinaigrette to the salad, fold to combine, garnish with coriander and peanuts.

 

Antony Worrall Thompson’s Lemon Clotted Cream Mousse with Fresh Strawberry and Champagne Jelly

 

Serves 6

 

finely grated zest and juice of 3 unwaxed lemons

finely grated zest and juice of 1 naval orange

300g (10oz) full fat soft cream cheese

1 x 397g (14oz) can condensed milk

225g (8oz) clotted cream

150g (5oz) lemon curd

 

To start make sure you have 250ml (9fl oz) of the juice – this is important.

 

With an electric whisk, beat the cream cheese, condensed milk and clotted cream together until thick and very creamy, whisk until light and moussey, about 5 minutes.

 

Add the lemon curd, juices and zests and whip for a few seconds only as the mixture will seize very quickly.

 

Champagne Jelly with Strawberries

 

750ml (1 bottle) of your favourite Champagne

150g (5oz) caster sugar

240ml (8 3/4fl oz) water

1 tablespoon rose water

2 tablespoons raspberry liqueur (optional)

6 leaves gelatine

325g (12oz) strawberries, quartered

 

For Serving

Jersey double cream

 

Put 4 tablespoons of Champagne, the sugar and water into a saucepan, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. (The sugar will dissolve before boiling but to get a really sparkling jelly, follow my instructions.) Remove from the heat and fold in the rose water and liqueur if using.

 

Meanwhile, soften your gelatine leaves in plenty of cold water until the leaves swell (bloom), then drain and squeeze out as much excess liquid as you can.

 

Stir the gelatine into the hot liquid along with the remaining Champagne.  Set aside.

 

Place 6 strawberry quarters in to 6 cold glass tumblers.  Pour over 3cm (2 1/4 inch) of the Champagne Jelly to cover the strawberries and place in the fridge to set.

 

Once set, completely spoon over the Lemon Clotted Cream Mousse leaving a little gap at the top, then scatter with the remaining strawberries

 

Note

Don’t forget to use vegetarian gelatine if you’re serving it to someone who is vegetarian!

 

Hot Tips

 

Midleton Farmers Market has several new stalls – you can now buy freshly roasted chicken from Annie’s Roasts. Local cake and cookie gurus Bite Size have also joined the other ace home-bakers. Woodside Farm pork products continue to grow but you have to be fast to snap up the new products. Check out the Ballymaloe Cookery School Organic Farm and Gardens stall for home-grown organic vegetables, including Violette, Slim Jim and Bianca aubergines, Oro and Atlas sweet peppers, lots of basil and free recipes to make pesto et al! www.midletonfarmersmarket.com

Rose Cottage fruit farmers now have several varieties of home-grown cherries, as well as loganberries, tayberries, several varieties of black currants, gooseberries – of-course the usual strawberries, raspberries. Ask for morello cherries to make a delicious cherry pie. Seek out Rose Cottage stall at Mahon Point Farmers Market every Thursday, and at Douglas and Midleton Markets every Saturday. www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com and www.douglasfarmersmarket.com

Irish Blueberries are in season again as are fraughans or wild bilberries. Seeking out Irish grown fruit makes such a difference to Irish jobs.

Sweetcorn – Vincent and Catherine O’Donovan’s roadside stall on the main Cork to Inishannon road (N71 to west Cork) sell juicy sweetcorn. Look out for their little yellow stall. If you would like to order some for the freezer ring Vincent on 087 248 6031.

Mizen Farmers Market in Schull – the brainchild of Walter Ryan Purcell and Todd McCarthy – is tucked in between the bookshop and the courtyard on the Main Street. It sells all local artisan food produce and fresh vegetables every day from 9:30am.

The Youghal Mackerel Festival runs from 30th August to 1st September to celebrate all things fishy but mainly mackerel. Participating restaurants in the town will be offering free fish tasters for the evening. The main food events will be held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons with the chefs of the town cooking a wide range of Mackerel dishes open-air on Barry’s Lane and offering samples to the general public. The theme is “new ways to cook Mackerel”. Local produce will be showcased with everything from locally produced honey to cheeses being available. Contact

Don’t we have to pinch ourselves now that weeks have passed and the sun is still shining, hope it is still beaming on all of us by the time you read this piece. It’s heaven to be able to eat outside every evening. Lily white bodies that haven’t been exposed to the Irish sun for over 10 years are beginning to glow and the local beaches resemble the Mediterranean, everyone having a jolly time, beach barbeques, picnics, sandcastles, ice-creams. There’s been a mass exodus from the kitchen and some Irish firms are reporting a 70% increase in absenteeism…the lure of the beach and the sun lounger is irresistible and it’s difficult to spend too much time over a hot stove. Having said that, seaside restaurants, cafés and pubs are doing a brilliant trade, a little compensation for the past few years of dismal weather. Spare a thought for the cooks and chefs who are still rustling the pots and pans over hot stoves, a special little word of thanks sent into the kitchen can help to compensate and maybe ease the envious thought of pals frolicking on the beach.

We’ve been having lots of fun making homemade ice-pops or popsicles as they are called in the US. We’re smack in the middle of the soft fruit season so we’ve been experimenting with different combinations, strawberry and blackcurrant, strawberry and lemon verbena, blackcurrant and rosemary, green gooseberry and elderflower…except these ones are not just flavour they are real fruit ice and everyone is blown away by the intensity of the flavour. We also love to add some fresh herbs, mint, lemon verbena, sweet geranium, peach and raspberry also make a super popsicle – experiment, have fun!

This week, a few recipes for Summer days and picnics in the countryside or on the beach.

 

 

Salmon or Sea Bass with Hoisin Sauce

 

Tuna would also be good in this recipe as well as chicken breasts or lamb chops.

This dish is also good cold, perfect for picnics.  Leftovers may be added to rice or couscous salads.  Hoisin Sauce is a sweet bean paste available in ethnic shops and many supermarkets.

 

Serves 4

 

4 x 4ozs (110g) salmon fillets, about 2.5cm (1 inch) thick

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Mix the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and pepper in a small bowl.   Pat fish (or chicken breasts) dry and coat with sauce.

 

Preheat the barbecue or pan-grill and cook fish for about 5 minutes each side.  You may also bake fish for 10-12 minutes in a preheated oven 220ºC/425°F/Gas Mark 7.

Serve with boiled potatoes and a good green salad.

 

Potato and Spring Onion Salad

 

The secret of a good potato salad is to use freshly cooked potatoes and then season and toss in French dressing while they are still warm. This simple trick makes a phenomenal difference to the flavour of the finished salad. I’ve had delicious results with both waxy (Pink Fir Apple or Sharpe’s Express) and floury (Golden Wonders) potatoes, though waxy are definitely easier to handle.

 

Serves 4–6

 

1.6kg (31⁄2lb) raw potatoes

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 tablespoons chopped chives or spring onions

3 tablespoons chopped parsley

150ml (1⁄4 pint) French Dressing

150ml (1⁄4 pint) homemade Mayonnaise, thinned with a little water

 

Boil the potatoes in their jackets in a large amount of well-salted water. Peel and dice the potatoes while they are still hot and put into a large, wide dish. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle immediately with the chives or spring onions and the parsley. Drizzle over the French dressing and mix well. Leave to cool and then add the mayonnaise. Taste and correct seasoning.

 

Spatchcock Chicken with Rosemary and Chilli Oil 

 

Serves 6 or more

 

1 organic chicken – weight 1.8 – 2.2kg (4-5lb)

 

Marinade

1 tablespoon rosemary, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Green Salad

Wedges of Avocado – (you will need 2-3 avocadoes)

Wedges of Cucumber

 

To spatchcock the chicken

 

First remove the wishbone from the neck end (keep for the stockpot).

Insert a heavy chopping knife into the cavity of the chicken from the back end to the neck. Press down sharply to cut through the backbone. Alternatively place the chicken breast side down on the chopping board, using poultry shears cut along the entire length of the backbone as close to the centre as possible.

Open the bird out as much as possible.

 

Mix the rosemary, garlic, pepper, chilli flakes, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.  Just before cooking, brush the chicken both inside and out with the marinade.  Put skin side up on the grill rack.  Sprinkle with Maldon sea salt.

 

Preheat the oven to 250C/475F/gas mark 9.

Lay the chicken, skin side up on a rack. Roast for 30-45 minutes over a roasting tin.

Spatchcocking enables the bird to cook much faster, there will be lots of crispy skin and its really easy to carve.  All poultry can be cooked in this way, vary the seasoning and spices to give Mexican, Moroccan or Asian flavours.

 

Alternatively barbeque until cooked through, 20cm (8-9 inches) from the coals, turning over half way through cooking – about 30 minutes.  Make sure the chicken is fully cooked through before serving.

 

Serve with a good green salad and wedges of avocado.

 

Raspberry Fool with Shortbread Biscuits

 

This is one of those recipes that somehow is much greater than the sum of its parts. Three simple ingredients produce a rich and luscious result.

When in season I use fresh raspberries, but this fool is also excellent made with frozen berries – I haven’t quite decided if it is actually better with the latter. Soft fruit becomes more bitter when frozen but the flavour of the berries seems to be accentuated when frozen ones are used. Any leftover fool can be frozen to make ice cream.

 

Serves 8-10

 

450g (1lb) raspberries, fresh or frozen

150–225g (6–8oz) caster sugar

600ml (1 pint) whipped cream

shortbread biscuits (see recipe)

 

Lay the raspberries in a single layer on a dish. Sprinkle on the sugar and allow to macerate for 1 hour. If you are using frozen berries this should be long enough for them to defrost.

 

Purée the fruit in a liquidiser or blender then pass through a nylon sieve to remove the seeds. Gently fold in the whipped cream – go lightly if you want to create a ‘swirly’ effect. The fool is now ready to be served or can be chilled for serving later. Serve with shortbread biscuits.

 

Shortbread Biscuits

Everyone should have this biscuit recipe written up inside a kitchen cupboard door, actually it’s really easy to remember – just 2,4,6…

 

Makes 25

 

6 ozs (175g) white flour or Spelt

4 ozs (110g) butter

2 ozs (50g) caster sugar

 

Put the flour and sugar into a bowl; rub in the butter as for shortcrust pastry. Gather the mixture together and knead lightly. Roll out to 1/4 inch (7mm) thick.  Cut into rounds with a 2 1/2 inch (6cm) cutter or into heart shapes.  Bake in a moderate oven 180°C/350ºF/regulo 4 to pale brown, 8-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the biscuits. Remove and cool on a rack.

 

Serve with fruit fools, compotes and ice creams.

 

Note: Watch these biscuits really carefully in the oven. Because of the high sugar content they burn easily. They should be a pale golden – darker will be more bitter.

However if they are too pale they will be undercooked and doughy.  Cool on a wire rack.

 

Blackcurrant Popsicles

 

We use all the summer fruits, raspberries, strawberries, blackcurrants with combinations like blackberry and sweet geranium, redcurrant and strawberry, peach and raspberry, raspberry and basil.   In Winter we make a variety of citrus pops including blood orange and tangerine.   They are loved not just by children but people of all ages, and I particularly enjoy serving them at the end of a dinner party.

 

Makes 2

 

450g (1lb) fresh blackcurrants

225-300ml (8-10flozs) stock syrup

 

Pour the syrup over the blackcurrants and bring to the boil, cook for 3-5 minutes until the blackcurrants burst.  Liquidise and sieve through a nylon sieve.  Allow to cool.  Add the syrup.  It needs to taste sweeter than you would like because the freezing dulls the sweetness.  Pour into popsicle moulds, cover, insert a stick and freeze until needed.  Best eaten within a few days.

 

Stock Syrup

 

Makes 825ml (28fl ozs)

 

450g (1lb) sugar

600ml (1 pint) water

 

To make the stock syrup: Dissolve the sugar in the water and bring to the boil.  Boil for 2 minutes then allow it to cool.  Store in the fridge until needed.

 

Rosemary Syrup

 

Add 1 – 2 sprigs of rosemary to the cold water and sugar and bring to the boil. Cool and use as above.

 

 

Homemade Lemonade

 

Serves 10-12

 

6 lemons

350ml (12fl oz) approx. syrup (see recipe for Stock Syrup)

1.4L (2 1/2 pint) approx. still water or better still sparkling water

 

Garnish

sprigs of fresh mint or lemon balm

 

Juice the lemons and mix with the stock syrup, add water to taste.  Add ice, garnish with sprigs of fresh mint or lemon balm and serve.

Hot Tips

Knockdrinna Cheese Courses – Two one day cheese making courses Saturday 31st August and Saturday September 28th 11am to 3pm. Enjoy a day of learning how to make cheese using equipment that most people already have in their kitchen – no need to go out and spend a fortune on equipment.  €80 Euro includes tea/coffee and lunch and a tour of the Knockdrinna cheese factory in Stoneyford, Co Kilkenny – email ailish@knockdrinna.com to book – www.knockdrinna.com

On the Pigs Back -  around the back of St Patricks Woollen Mills in Douglas – has expanded its dining area, it’s a super food shop, Isabelle Sheridan chooses the produce with a keen eye for quality – try the salamis, varieties of sea salt and some French cheeses in superb condition alongside a well-chosen Irish farmhouse cheese selection. I bought a St Félicien from the Rhône-Alpes region of France – www.onthepigsback.ie

Rory O’Connell’s new book Master It – How to Cook Today has garnered some rave reviews – he is teaching a two day practical cookery course based recipes from his book from Wednesday 4^th to Friday 6^th September at Ballymaloe Cookery School – www.cookingisfun.ie

We’ve just said goodbye to our Summer batch of 12 Week Certificate Course students and I’ve just been paid perhaps the best compliment I’ve got when one chap told me ‘I have learned so much and had so much fun I feel I owe you money!’

There were lots of tears and hugging as students not only from Ireland but from all over the world (11 nationalities) said goodbye to each other before they wing their way home to all four corners of the globe.

Quite something because this course is unquestionably a big ask in terms of time and money but fortunately it is now looked on as an investment because at the end of 12 very intensive full-on weeks, students go straight into jobs in restaurant kitchens all over the world.

This group were aged between 18 and 60, some starting out on their careers others changing careers, had an exciting variety of plans.

Dan Morgenthau was off to Honey and Co in London. John Molony from Dublin was looking forward to working with Yannick Van Aeken and Louise Bannon at Nede the ‘hot’ new restaurant in Dublin.

Prue Campbell from NSW Australia will spend two months at Cappezzanna with Jean Charles and Rosalind Carrini in Tuscany. Jill Holmquist was off to work in the Rose Bakery in Paris. Michelle Rehme was going home to work in the Flagstone Pantry in Santa Barbara. Jessica Stewart-Fraser was heading to Portugal to open a boutique and B&B in the Algarve. Bernie ter Braak from Lithuania was heading home to Vilnius to his café, restaurant and tapas bar.

Not everyone wanted to go straight into a restaurant kitchen several had plans to get a stall in a Farmers Market so they could sell their pickles and preserves home baking or choccies.

Several others had plans to teach kids to cook or get involved in their local community and share their skills. A couple of semi-retired people had just taken time out to learn how to cook so they could at last enjoy experimenting in the kitchen and entertain their friends and business colleagues with ease and panache.

Having spent three months in the midst of a farm and gardens, they all have itchy green fingers and are determined to get a chicken coop and a few hens the moment it’s practical. Meanwhile they’ll be foraging for wild food to spice up their menus, fishing for summer mackerel and maybe even smoking them in a biscuit tin over the gas ring in the kitchen – a more elaborate smoker comes next – a cookery course can be life changing!

 

How to Smoke Mackerel, Chicken Breast or Duck Breast in a Simple Biscuit Tin Smoker

 

This is a simple Heath Robinson way to smoke small items of food. It may be frowned upon by serious smokers, but it is great for beginners because it gives such quick results. The fish, duck or chicken can be smoked without having been brined, but even a short salting or brining will improve flavour – 15–20 minutes should do it. Leave to dry for approximately 30 minutes before smoking.

 

mackerel or duck breast or organic chicken breast

sawdust

1 shallow biscuit tin with tight-fitting lid

1 wire cake rack to fit inside

pure salt or 80 per cent brine

 

Place a sheet of tin foil in the base of the biscuit tin and sprinkle 3 or 4 tablespoons of sawdust over it. Lay the fish or meat on the wire rack skin-side upwards, and then cover the tin with the lid.

 

Place the tin on a gas jet or other heat source on a medium heat. The sawdust will start to smoulder and produce warm smoke that in turn both cooks and smokes the food. Reduce the heat to low. Mackerel will take about 8–10 minutes. Duck or chicken breast will take 20 –30 minutes, depending on the size. Leave to rest before eating warm or at room temperature.

 

Alternatively, you could buy a simple smoking box from a fishing store or hot-smoke in a tightly covered wok over a gas jet in your own kitchen.

 

Smoky Tomato Coulee

 

Pamela Nelson-Munson, a student from Ashland, Oregon gave me this recipe after one of our smoking demonstrations – it’s destined to become a must have sauce in our repertoire.

 

This is an all-round terrific sauce with endless possibilities, and totally vegan! Of course it has endless possibilities in its seasoning, but it’s surprising how much natural flavour comes out with just these simple ingredients.

 

As a starter, I love to serve this sparingly in a shallow bowl with 1 large or 2-3 small and very fresh butter-poached scallops. Enjoy!

 

5-6 Roma tomatoes, sliced in half, spoon out seeds

3-4 smashed cloves of garlic, unpeeled

1 fresh clove garlic

50ml (2fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

 

Lay the halved Roma tomatoes (cut side down on rack) in a stove top smoker (medium heat as you see the smoke begin) for 20-30 minutes or until hot all the way through and soft but not mushy (This may take shorter or longer in your smoker).  Add smashed garlic (also on rack) for last 15 minutes.

 

Slip the tomato out of their skins and put in food processor or blender with peeled smoked garlic, a fresh garlic clove, and any accumulated juices.

 

When puréed, with processor still running, add olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Store in fridge.

 

Madhulika’s Grandmother’s Pork Masala

 

Madhulika Sundaram from Chennai cooked this pork masala while she was with us and sweetly shared the recipe. We’ve made it several times since and remember her as we enjoy it.

 

Serves 6

 

1kg (2 1/4lb) x 2.5cm (1 inch) pork cubes from shoulder of pork

100g (3 1/2oz) sunflower oil

25g (1oz) brown mustard seeds

1 rounded tablespoon cumin seeds

500g (18oz) onion, finely chopped

1 level teaspoon turmeric powder

100g (3 1/2oz) ginger, peeled and finely diced

100g (3 1/2oz) garlic, finely chopped

6-10 red chillies, sliced into rings

350 – 475ml (12-16fl oz) water

salt

1 teaspoon soft brown sugar (optional)

 

Put the oil in a saucepan on a high heat, when it begins to bubble add the mustard seeds and cumin to it.  As soon as the mustard seeds pop, add the onions and cook until light brown.  Reduce the heat to medium and add the diced pork and the ginger, garlic, turmeric and chillies to the pan.  Stir well, cover and leave to cook on a medium heat for 15 minutes.

 

Add 350ml (12fl oz) water, season lightly with salt and stir.  Cover the pan and allow to cook gently for 40 minutes on a medium heat, stirring at regular intervals.  The water should be almost fully reduced at this stage.  Add half the sugar, stir well and add more if desired.

 

Serve in a warm bowl with rice and a fruit raita.

 

Note

• Reduce chillies if that amount is too terrifying.

 

Bernie ter Braak Lithuanian Honey Liqueur

 

Compiled and presented for your pleasure by Bernie Ter Braak.

 

Makes 4 – 6 pints.

 

2 tablespoon orange peel

1 tablespoon lemon peel

3 sticks cinnamon (break lightly)

4-5 pods of cardamom, lightly crushed

1 nutmeg, lightly crushed

3-5 cloves (leave whole)

1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed

3-4 allspice, lightly crushed

1 teaspoon black pepper, lightly crushed

1 teaspoon white pepper, lightly crushed

3-4 thin slices white ginger

3-4 thin slices red ginger (if available)

1 tbsp or 3 sticks of vanilla

a pinch of saffron (for colour)

3lbs (1.3kgs) honey

1.2 litres (2 pints) water of water

750ml (1 ½ pints) vodka

Put the water into a large pot.  Simmer the dry spices until fragrant.  Add the moist spices.  When blended, add the honey, simmer but do not boil.  When the honey is dissolved, remove the spices (strainer).  Remove from any flame source and add the alcohol.  Allow to cool and bottle in sterilized containers.

Some people drink this right away, but it is highly recommended that you let it age in the bottle in a dark, cool place, for at least 6 months.  The longer it ages, the better it gets.

Hot Tips

The members of OOOBY (Out of Our Own Backyard) Shanagarry have some wonderful fresh produce from their gardens for sale on the wall outside the Shanagarry Design Centre from 10:30am to 12:30pm every Saturday. They also sell their home-baking, jams and pickles.

Silver Darlings – Irish Atlantic pickled and marinated herring products made by a Finnish native Kirsti O’Kelly. Kirsti learned to pickle herring from her mother and both of her grandmothers. It is not cooked but the process of preserving the fish dissolves all the nasty herring bones leaving the flesh meaty but soft and easy to eat. The family recipes were passed on the generations and now Kirsti with her husband Eoin continue the tradition on Corbally Road in Limerick.  Silver Darlings products are available at farmers markets at the Real Olive Company stalls, Toonsbridge Café, the English Market in Cork, Mortons in Ranelagh, Cake Café, Dublin and Kai Galway – 086-0661132

 

The revival of interest in baking has enticed people into the kitchens who might never have been seduced by a pot of stew or even a tagine. The Great British Bake Off had the whole country in a frenzy, apparently 14 million people watched one of the episodes, the biggest viewing figures after the royal wedding. Rachel’s Bake and Cake TV series too had very impressive viewing numbers and the accompanying books have been reprinted many times.  Farmers markets too have provided an outlet for home bakers to sell their creations and create some extra income and employment.

This coincides with a greater appreciation of homemade cakes rather than the perfect professional looking confections that look stunning but rarely deliver on flavour. Somehow, people now feel more confident if something doesn’t look too slick.

Recently, Rachel and I had a fun afternoon at the Kinsale Arts Festival. We were invited to judge the Come Home for your Cake competition. We had the enviable task of tasting the 30 entries that Maggie Hogan and Ruth MacDonald had laid out in a square on four tables. It was a real ‘wow’ moment. Some cakes were simple, others elaborately iced and decorated like the two crinoline doll cakes embellished with fondant icing and glitter.

There were several versions of lemon drizzle cake in a variety of shapes and sizes, one delicious version included blueberries and had been cooked in a Swiss roll tin with lemon icing drizzled over the top.

There was also a variety of cheese cakes, several gluten free cakes and a Tarte Tatin. It was a tough chore to judge; the standard was fantastically good overall. After the judging, there was a question and answer session on baking and then we announced the prize winners. We decided the winner was an orange chiffon cake, Karen Ferguson from Bandon, who was anxious that we should know that the recipe was given to her by Lily Perrot, made the delicious, feather-like cake with a light orange icing.

She and the other winners kindly agreed that I could share their winning recipes with Irish Examiner readers.

Rachel and I decided to give another prize of lunch and afternoon demonstration at the Ballymaloe Cookery School for two people in the coeliac section. There were three delicious cakes, Chocolate and raspberry, Carrot cake and a Lemon drizzle. When we announced the winners, we discovered that the first two cakes were made by two sisters Grace (aged 10) and Cathy Hynes (aged 11). The rise in the number of coeliacs and those with wheat intolerance is extraordinary so people are always on the lookout for delicious recipes. My book on Healthy Gluten Free Food written in conjunction with Rosemary Kearney is published by Kyle Books and is now in its eighth printing. All the recipes are of course gluten free and also suitable for those with a wheat allergy.

Congratulations to all the bakers and special thanks for sharing. Such generosity of spirit is so important and it’s always a delight to hear stories of people who not only share their recipes but also pass on their skills.

 

Gluten Free Chocolate and Raspberry Cake

 

10 year old Grace Hynes made this cake based on the original recipe for Chocolate Fudge Cake in Rachel Allen’s book ‘Cake’. She substituted ground almonds for flour and used 5 instead of 6 eggs and 200g instead of 250g of chocolate. The result was a moist and memorable gluten free chocolate cake. She decorated the top with fresh raspberries.

 

Serves 10 – 12

 

200g (7oz) dark chocolate in drops or broken into pieces

225g (8oz) butter, plus extra for greasing

325g (11 ½ oz) caster sugar

5 eggs separated

275g (10 oz) ground almonds

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

 

225g (8oz) fresh raspberries

 

For the Icing

275g (10oz) icing sugar

100g (3 1/2 oz) cocoa powder

125g (4 ½ oz) butter

175g (6oz) caster sugar

 

25cm (10in) diameter spring-form or loose bottomed cake tin with 6cm (2 ½ in) sides.

 

Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF, Gas 3, then butter the sides of the cake tin and line the base with a disc of baking parchment. If you’re using a spring-form tin, make sure the base is upside down, so there’s no lip and the cake can slide off easily when cooked. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Leave until just melted, stirring occasionally, then set aside.

Either in a large bowl using a wooden spoon or in the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle beater, cream the butter until soft. Add the sugar and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well between each addition. Mix in the ground almonds and the melted chocolate, followed by the baking powder and vanilla extract.

Tip the egg whites into a separate bowl, add a pinch of salt and beat until stiff but still smooth in appearance – do not over beat. Fold the egg whites into the cake mixture and then pour the mixture into the prepared tin.

Bake for about 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean but moist. Leave in the tin for 20 minutes, then loosen the edges of the cake using a small, sharp knife and remove the sides of the tin before carefully transferring to a serving plate to cool down fully.

While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl. Place the butter, caster sugar and 100ml (3 ½fl oz) water in a saucepan and set over a medium heat. Stir all the ingredients together until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved, then pour into the dry ingredients and mix together well.

When the cake has cooled, pour over the icing, allowing it to drizzle down the sides.

Decorate with fresh raspberries.

 

Karen Ferguson’s Orange Chiffon Cake

Lilly Perrott shared this American favourite with Karen.

 

225g (8oz) white flour

350g (12oz) caster sugar

3 level teaspoons baking powder

1 level teaspoon salt

grated zest of 2 oranges

125ml (4fl oz) vegetable oil

7 egg yolks

50ml (2fl oz) orange juice, freshly squeezed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

225g (8oz) egg whites

½ teaspoon cream of tartar (Bextartar)

Orange Glaze

450 g (1lb) icing sugar

Grated zest of 2 oranges

Freshly squeezed orange juice

2 x 9inch Bundt tin (a circle with a hold in the centre)

Preheat oven to 325 F or 160 C or Gas 3. Sieve the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and add in the oil, egg yolks, orange zest, orange juice and vanilla extract. Beat vigorously with a spoon or in a food mixer at medium speed until smooth.

Measure egg whites and cream of tartar into spotlessly clean and dry large mixing bowl. Beat until very stiff. Pour egg yolk mixture over the beaten egg whites, and whisk, use a wire whisk and fold together very carefully, take your time!

Pour into the UNGREASED  9 inch Bundt tins and bake for 45 to 55 minutes. When fully cooked invert over bottle until cold. When cold, loosen sides of cake with a knife or very small spatula and release clip or if it does not have a clip bang cake tin on edge of worktop until it frees itself keep hand under tin when banging as it can fall out suddenly!

To make the icing, put the sieved icing sugar into a bowl, add the orange zest and enough juice to make a softish icing. Careful not to make it too runny or it will run straight off the cake.

Put the cakes on cake rack and allow icing to drip onto plate underneath, then scrape up the icing and cover the gaps. Move to the serving plate before icing is set.

 

Gluten Free Carrot Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Serves 10

 

350 g (12 ozs) carrots, peeled and grated

55 g (2 oz) pecan nuts finely chopped

5 large eggs

220 g (7 ozs) pale brown sugar

250 g (9 ozs) ground almonds

1 heaped teaspoon of baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground ginger

 

Cream Cheese Frosting

250 g (9 ozs) cream cheese, at room temperature

50 g (2 oz) butter

100 g (3½ ozs) icing sugar

zest and juice of half a lemon, or to taste

 

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4.

 

Grease two 20 cm (8 inch) cake tins or spring form pans

 

Put the grated carrot in a bowl, add the chopped pecan nuts. Whisk the eggs and add to the bowl with the brown sugar, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Mix well.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the tin before removing.

To make the frosting.

Cream the butter and cheese in a bowl. Add the sieved icing sugar, zest, freshly squeezed lemon juice and continue to beat for another few minutes, until pale and fluffy.

When the cakes are cool – sandwich together and ice with frosting. Decorate with pecans or tiny marzipan carrots.

 

Hottips 

Jacques and Eithne Barry have extended the much loved Jacques Restaurant out onto Oliver Plunkett Street with a Tapas Bar serving delicious bites – (021) 427 7387 – www.jacquesrestaurant.ie

The Carlingford Oyster Festival Thursday 8th to Monday 12th August Carlingford, County Louth – www.carlingford.ie

The first Ballymaloe Garden Festival is from 31^st Aug to 1^st Sep 2013 – some well-known speakers including Joy Larcom, Helen Dillon, Susan Turner, Alys Fowler, Brian Cross…will talk about garden design, seaside and urban gardening, restoration, composting, seed saving, unusual edibles, foraging and much more. Plant and food stalls and children’s education area. www.ballymaloe.ie for a program of events.

 

For vegetable gardeners this time of the year can be immensely frustrating as well as rewarding. At last the seeds and seedlings planted in Spring and early Summer have sprung forth and are ready to harvest and enjoy. Sometimes everything seems to come together and now it seems like there are almost not enough meal times to enjoy the fruits of all that weeding, digging and watering.

The gardens and greenhouses at the Ballymaloe Cookery School are a real joy at present, a tribute to the gardeners’ hard work; I want to freeze the images in my mind’s eye so I can conjure them up once again in the drearier months of the year.

Every meal at the moment is a celebration of nature’s bounty, when the vegetables and fruit are fresh it’s so easy to create the ‘wow’ factor, ‘faits simple’ as the French say, no need for bells and whistles and twiddles and bows.

Picking, harvesting and preparing the produce yourself really adds to the enjoyment of the meal. It takes time which may not always be possible but when you grow something yourself, it adds a whole other dimension to the food. It’s quite a different experience than just slitting the top of a packet. You handle it with so much more care and respect and certainly won’t boil ‘the hell out of it’ in the kitchen.

It’s been an amazing year for elderflower blossom and there are still some elderflowers around, so make elderflower syrup to lay down for poaching fruit – pears or apricots or drizzling over carrageen moss or panna cotta.

We planted a couple of apricot and peach trees in the greenhouse a couple of years ago, no fruit at first but this year there’s an abundant crop, I can hardly bear to cook them but I love to make at least one apricot tart in the Summer.

Enjoy this menu for this weekend.

 

Zucchini Fritters with Tsatziki

These little zucchini fritters are simply grated zucchini bound with a little egg and flour. They taste quintessentially Italian, especially if you add Parmigiano. Mature Coolea cheese is also packed with flavour. They make delicious picnic food and are perfect for a lunch box.

 

1.3 kgs (3lbs) small zucchini a mixture of green and yellow looks great

2 teaspoons salt

2 fresh eggs

salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

2 heaped tablespoons flour

½ cup finely grated Parmigiano or Mature Coolea

extra virgin olive oil for frying

 

Accompaniment

Tsatziki (see recipe below)

 

Grate the zucchini on a box grater. Sprinkle with salt; allow to drain in colander for about 20 minutes. Squeeze out all the moisture in a clean tea towel. Whisk the eggs in a bowl, add the scallions, flour and pepper then add the grated zucchini and cheese. Mix well.

Pour about ¼ in of extra virgin olive oil into a frying pan over a medium heat. Drop tablespoonfuls of the zucchini mixture into the pan and flatten them into approximately 2 inch rounds. Make three or four at a time, don’t overcrowd the pan. When golden on one side – 3 to 4 minutes – flip over and continue to cook on the other side. Watch them carefully, so they don’t overcook, drain on kitchen paper and serve with a bowl of tzatziki.

Tzatziki

 

Serves 8 – 10 depending on how it is served.

 

This Greek speciality is a delicious cucumber and yoghurt mixture and can be served as an accompanying salad or as a sauce to serve with grilled fish or meat.  Greek yoghurt is often made with sheep’s milk and is wonderfully thick and creamy.

 

1 crisp Irish cucumber, peeled and diced into 1/4-1/2 inch (1/2 – 1cm) dice approx.

salt and freshly ground pepper

1-2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 heaped tablespoon of freshly chopped mint

3/4 pint (450ml) Greek yoghurt or best quality natural yoghurt

4 tablespoons cream

 

Put the cucumber dice into a sieve and sprinkle with salt and allow to drain for about 30 minutes.  Dry the cucumber on kitchen paper, put into a bowl and mix with garlic, a dash of wine vinegar or lemon juice and the yoghurt and cream.  Stir in the mint and taste, it may need a little salt and freshly ground pepper, or even a pinch of sugar.

 

Roast Wild Salmon with Vietnamese Cucumbers

 

We’ve been so fortunate to get a few beautiful wild salmon from the Blackwater River, hurry the season is almost over.

 

Serves 6

 

a side of organic salmon (1.8kg/4lbs approximately)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

 

To Serve

mint, coriander and basil sprigs

lime wedges

Vietnamese Cucumbers (see recipe)

 

Bring the salmon to room temperature.

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

 

Put the fish on a baking sheet, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil over the salmon and rub it into the flesh.

 

Bake in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes, just until juices appear on the surface.  When probed with a fork at the thickest part, the salmon should be moist – cooked through, but barley.  Transfer the fish to a warmed platter, and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

 

To Serve

Arrange the mint, coriander, basil sprigs and lemon wedges around the salmon.  At the table, break the salmon into rough portions.  Pass the cucumbers around so each individual can spoon over the fish.

 

Vietnamese Cucumbers

 

This is also great with pan grilled mackerel should be lucky enough to catch or be given a present of some lovely fresh fish.

 

Serves 8-10

 

4 large cucumbers

salt and freshly ground black pepper

fish sauce (Nam pla)

2.5cm (1 inch) piece of ginger, peeled and cut into fine julienne

2 tablespoons palm sugar

Serrano or Jalapeno or fresh Thai chillies

2 or 3 limes

mint sprigs

basil sprigs

thinly sliced scallions or onion

 

Peel the cucumbers, cut them lengthwise in half, and remove the seeds with a spoon if they are large.  Slice the cucumbers into thickish half-moons and put them in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle lightly with fish sauce, then add the ginger and palm sugar.  Toss well, and let the cucumbers sit for 5 minutes or so.

 

Add a good spoonful of the chopped Serrano or Jalapeno chillies (seeds removed, if desired) or finely slivered Thai chillies.  Squeeze over the juice of 2 limes and toss again, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serving.

 

Just before serving add a fistful of roughly chopped mint and basil leaves.  Taste and adjust the seasoning with lime juice as well as salt and pepper.  Garnish with thinly sliced scallions cut at an angle.

 

Honey and Lavender Ice-Cream

 

Honey and lavender is a particularly delicious marriage of flavours. We make this richly scented ice cream when the lavender flowers are in bloom in early Summer.  Lavender is at its most aromatic just before the flowers burst open.  Serve it totally alone on chilled plates and savour every mouthful.

 

Serves 8-10

 

250ml (9floz) milk

450ml (16floz) cream

40 sprigs of fresh lavender or less of dried (use the blossom end only)

6 organic egg yolks

175ml (6floz/3/4 cup) pure Irish honey, we use our own apple blossom honey, although Provencal lavender honey would also be wonderful

 

Garnish

sprigs of lavender

 

Put the milk and cream into a heavy bottomed saucepan with the lavender sprigs, bring slowly to the boil and leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes. This will both flavour and perfume the cream deliciously.  Whisk the egg yolks, add a little of the lavender flavoured liquid and then mix the two together.  Cook over a low heat until the mixture barely thickens and lightly coats the back of a spoon (careful it doesn’t curdle).  Melt the honey gently, just to liquefy, whisk into the custard.  Strain out lavender heads.

 

Chill thoroughly and freeze, preferably in an ice-cream maker.

 

Serve garnished with sprigs of fresh or frozen lavender.

 

Rustic Apricot Tart

 

Serves 6-8

 

Pastry

8 ozs (225g) plain white flour

1 tablespoon castor sugar

4 ozs (110 g) butter, cut into 1/2 inch (1cm) dice

cold water or cream to mix

 

Filling

3-4 ozs (75-110g) sugar

1 tablespoon corn flour

1lb (450g) ripe apricots, stoned and cut into quarters

 

apricot glaze

 

caster sugar for sprinkling, about 1 tablespoon

 

 

1 x 9 inch (23cm) pie plate or tart tin.

 

First make the pastry, put the flour and sugar into a bowl, rub in the cold butter.  When the mixture looks like breadcrumbs, add just enough water or cream to bind.  Knead lightly to get the mixture to come together.  Cover with wax or silicone paper and rest in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

 

Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface into a 14 inch (35cm) round approximately. Sprinkle a little cornflour over the base leaving a 2 inch border around the edge. Transfer to a 23cm (9 inch) greased plate or baking sheet.

 

Just before filling the tart.

 

Arrange the apricot quarters skin side down in concentric circles until the entire centre is covered. Sprinkle with sugar and a squeeze of lemon juice.  Fold the overhanging edge to cover the outer portion of the filling, leaving a 6 inch opening of exposed fruit in the centre of the tart.  Brush the pastry with cream, sprinkle with a little sugar.

 

Bake the tart in a preheated oven 220°C/427°F/Gas Mark 7 for 8-10 minutes, lower the temperature to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 and bake for 30 to35 minutes longer or until the edges of the apricots are slightly caramelized. While still warm brush with a little apricot glaze.  Serve warm or at room temperature with softly whipped cream.

 

Peaches in Moscato di Asti

Serves 6 – 8

In Italy fresh fruit is usually served after dinner in some form or another. A favourite ritual is to slice a perfect peach into your glass of white wine, leave it to macerate for a few minutes, eat the peach slices with your fingers and then drink the wine.

6 perfect ripe peaches

300ml (10fl oz/1/2 pint) sweet Italian Moscato di Asti.

 

Put the peaches into a deep bowl, pour boiling water over them, leave for 20-30 seconds, drain and drop into iced water.  Pull off the peel, cut into 3 inch (5mm) slices. Cover with the Moscato di Asti. Chill in the refrigerator and allow to macerate for an hour.

Alternatively slice a ripe peach into a wine glass, cover with chilled Moscato di Asti and enjoy.

 

Hot Tips

 

Janey Mac’s is housed in one of Kinsale’s beautiful Georgian buildings on Main Street. They serve really good coffee, homemade lemonade and delicious sausage and black pudding rolls. Cakes and biscuits are baked every day – they bake little and often to ensure freshness. In the early evening there is a tapas and wine menu – www.janeymackinsale.com

 

The Stuffed Olive in Bantry has recently reopened in their new premises in Bridge Street. Favourites like Stuffed Olive brown soda bread, savoury scones, sausage rolls, just like they used to serve in the previous shop. Owner, Trish’s daughter Sarah Messom spent 6 weeks at the Akademie Deutsches Bäckerhandwerk in Weinheim in Germany learning all about German breads, sourdoughs and desserts. They aim to use ingredients with a West Cork focus. The meat is from butcher Paddy O’Donoghue’s farm, fresh eggs from John O’Connor, vegetables from Michael Moore, savoury scones made with Durrus and Gubbeen cheeses, honey and jams from local Bantry suppliers. Heavenly Cakes of Bandon and River Lane of Ballineen will also supply cakes… 02755883 –the stuffedolive@gmail.com

 

Guest Chef Antony Worrall Thompson will be back at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Monday 29^th July 2013 to teach a one day cookery course. We love his food and fun way of teaching. 9:30am to 5:00pm – €265.00 – phone 021 4646785 or www.cookingisfun.ie

In the US something very interesting is happening, it’s virtually a grass roots revolution. However, it’s not just in the US, in cities all over the world people seem to feel a deep need to produce food locally once again. It would seem to be an international phenomenon – an eerie almost primeval reaction as if deep down people sense that there may be a shortage of food before too long.

In fact, rooftop farming including backyard chickens and rooftop apiaries are now a major international urban trend. From Detroit to Tokyo, Rotterdam to Hong Kong, Montreal to Brooklyn, there are urban farming projects.

I first noticed the guerrilla garden movement on a visit to San Francisco about five years ago. Virtually every patch of waste ground or disused parking lot had been commandeered by eager gardeners who planted vegetables, herbs and salad leaves. Some shared their surplus with local shelters and sold the remainder from farm stands on the edge of the plot.

Since then I have visited numerous projects particularly in the US. From the Edible Schoolyard in Berkley and the City Slicker Community Farms in Oakland California, to a two acre farm in the centre of Austin, Texas. Some projects are one man bands, others community based.

Recently, I went to New York to check out the urban farming movement. For the first time I began to get idea of the sheer scale, there are over 700 urban farms and gardens across New York City alone.

Last year, I visited Brooklyn Grange a two acre rooftop farm on top of a five story building on Northern Boulevard, New York, established in May 2010.

On a recent trip, I looked at a couple of other models, a branch of Brooklyn Grange at the Navy Yard, 65,000 square feet of vegetable beds on the top of an eleven story building. This project provides a livelihood for four people, employment for a further ten people and 30 apprentices plus a refugee training program. They sell their fresh produce from a farm stand outside the building and also have a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and make lots of jams, pickles, hot sauces and herb teas from the surpluses and gluts from the farm.

Anastasia Cole Plakias showed me around and explained how nowadays there is growing support at government level for initiatives that are helping to change the food system plus deliver environmental benefits.

Hurricane Sandy really spooked New Yorkers particularly those in lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, some of whom were without power and water for over a week. So any initiative that contributes to storm water management (a buzz word) is welcomed and generously supported. Anastasia explained that the Navy Yard got a generous SARE (Sustainable Agriculture, Research and Education) grant from Mayor Bloomberg and Department of the Environmental Protection who see it as more efficient to invest in green roofs and infrastructure which creates jobs and has several extra benefits. Roof top farms and green roofs not only utilise space that would otherwise be empty and unused but they absorb rain and storm water run-off that would eventually end up polluting the East River.

They also absorb heat during the day and release it into the atmosphere at night plus decrease the heating and cooling needs of a building.

The Nave Yard Project also links up with GrowNYC on a composting program. Local residents collect their organic waste which when composted enriches the fertility of the soil, which is the biggest challenge for rooftop farms.

The Edible Schoolyard started by Alice Waters in Berkeley in California now has a branch in Brooklyn which partners with schools to build gardens and kitchen classrooms where children can engage in hands-on learning. They aim to provide students with the knowledge and skills and environment required to healthier choices and change the way they eat for life.

Top chefs are also frantically growing their own produce and linking in with local projects but there is a whole other article in that of which more anon. Meanwhile, those of you who have been growing will be enjoying the fruits of your labours. Here are a few ways I have been enjoying the bounty of our gardens and greenhouse and hedgerows over the past few weeks.

 

Elderflower Champagne

 

This magical recipe transforms perfectly ordinary ingredients into a delicious sparkling drink. The children make it religiously every year and then share the bubbly with their friends.

 

2 heads of elderflowers

560g (11/4lb) sugar

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

4.5L (8pints) water

1 lemon

 

Remove the peel from the lemon with a swivel top peeler.  Pick the elderflowers in full bloom.  Put into a bowl with the lemon peel, lemon juice, sugar, vinegar and cold water.  Leave for 24 hours, then strain into strong screw top bottles.  Lay them on their sides in a cool place.  After 2 weeks it should be sparkling and ready to drink.  Despite the sparkle this drink is non-alcoholic.

Top Tip:

The bottles need to be strong and well-sealed; otherwise the Elderflower champagne will pop its cork.

Radish, Broad Bean and Preserved Lemon Salad

 

This Ottolenghi inspired recipe makes a delicious little starter salad on its own or with some buffalo mozzarella and pitta bread as an accompaniment.

 

Serves 4

 

500g (1lb 2oz) shelled broad beans fresh or frozen

450g (16oz) large radishes

1/2 red onion

2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander

30g (1 1/4oz) preserved lemon, finely chopped (optional)

freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons plus zest of 1 lemon if preserved lemons are unavailable

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground roast cumin

 

salt and black pepper

2 fresh Toonsbridge buffalo mozzarella (optional)

 

4 fresh pitta breads

 

First cook the broad beans in boiling salted water (one teaspoon salt to a pint of water.) Simmer for 1 – 2 minutes, depending on size. Drain through a large colander and refresh in plenty of cold water. Slip the beans out of their skins by gently squeezing each one with your fingertips.

 

Cut each radish into 4 to 6 wedges depending on size. Mix with the broad beans, onion, fresh coriander leaves, diced preserved lemon or lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, extra virgin olive oil and cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and correct seasoning.

 

Serve soon on its own or with some buffalo mozzarella and some pitta bread as an accompaniment.

 

 

Double Lamb Chops with Sumac, Broad Beans, Melted Cherry Tomatoes and Coriander Flowers

 

Great with a green salad and some freekah.

 

Serves 8

 

8 double lamb chops with cutlet bones attached

2-3 tablespoons sumac

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

extra virgin olive oil

 

225g (8oz) Broad Beans (see recipes)

Melted Cherry Tomatoes (see recipe)

 

Garnish

fresh coriander flowers if available

a pinch of sumac

extra virgin olive oil

 

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450ºF/Gas Mark 8,

 

Score the fat of the chops.  Sprinkle each one with sumac rubbing it well into the fat and flesh.  Season with Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Transfer to a roasting tin.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Roast for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and allow to rest.

 

Meanwhile cook the broad beans (see recipe). Just before serving make the melted cherry tomatoes (see recipe).

 

To Serve

Pop a double lamb chop on each hot plate.  Spoon some warm cherry tomatoes around the edge.  Sprinkle with broad beans and coriander flowers if available.  Alternatively use some shredded mint leaves. Sprinkle with a pinch of sumac and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Broad Beans

Freshness is vitally important with broad beans, both flavour and texture change within hours of picking. A little summer savoury added to the cooking water enormously enhances the flavour.

 

Serves 6

 

675g (1 1/2lbs) young broad beans, out of the pods

2-3 sprigs of summer savoury (optional)

15g (1/2oz) butter

salt and freshly ground pepper

 

Bring 600ml (1 pint) of water to the boil in a medium saucepan and add 1 teaspoon salt and the summer savoury if using. Add the broad beans, bring back to the boil and cook for 2 -5 minutes depending on size and freshness.  When cooked, taste and drain quickly tossing in a little melted butter and lots of freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.
Note: If the broad beans are larger cook as above then drain and refresh under the cold tap until cool enough to handle.  Pop each bean out of its shell then toss in hot melted butter or extra virgin olive oil. Season and serve immediately.

 

 

Melted Cherry Tomatoes with Mint

 

Serves 8 people

 

40 ripe red firm sweet cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or more of butter

3-4 tablespoons fresh mint

1-2 tablespoons freshly chopped rosemary

salt, pepper and sugar

 

Scald the tomatoes for 10 seconds and peel carefully. Just before serving, heat the butter until it bubbles in a frying pan large enough to take all the tomatoes in a single layer. Toss in the tomatoes and roll gently over a medium heat until just warmed through. Sprinkle with the herbs and salt, pepper and sugar. Turn into a hot vegetable dish and serve at once.

 

Note: Great care must be taken when cooking the tomatoes; otherwise they will disintegrate into a mush.

 

Green Gooseberry Tartlets

 

JR Ryall who is head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House recently showed us how to make these delicious green gooseberry tarts. His pastry recipe is also amazing but you could use puff pastry instead.

 

Makes 36 tartlets approximately

 

1 quantity cold cream pastry (see recipe)

450g (1lb) green gooseberries (topped and tailed)

caster sugar

 

Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5.

 

Using plenty of flour roll the cold pastry to a thickness of 2mm (1/8 inch). Cut the pastry with a 7.5cm (3 inch) round cutter and use the disks of pastry to line a standard flat based bun tray.

 

Cut the gooseberries in half and arrange 6-7 halves on each disk of pastry. Place a rounded teaspoon of caster sugar on top of the fruit in each tartlet. Bake the tartlets for 15-20 minutes or until the sugar begins to caramelise and the pastry is a golden brown colour. Remove the tartlets from the bun tray while still hot – use a palette knife for this – and place on parchment paper which has been sprinkled with caster sugar.

 

These tartlets are best served warm.

 

Variations

Open Apple Tartlets: Replace the gooseberries with thinly sliced eating apple.

Open Rhubarb Tartlets: Replace the gooseberries with thinly sliced pink rhubarb.

 

Cream Pastry

 

This pastry keeps in the fridge for up to 6 days.

 

110g (4oz) cold salted butter

110g (4oz) plain flour

150ml (5fl oz) cold cream
Sieve the flour into the bowl of an electric food mixer. Cut the butter into small cubes and rub into the flour using the paddle attachment until the mixture forms a coarse texture (slow speed and then a little faster).  (DO NOT over mix, if you do the mixture will form a shortbread like ball! Pour the cold cream into the coarse mixture and mix on a low speed until a smooth pastry forms. Wrap the pastry in parchment paper and chill overnight.

Always roll cream pastry straight from the fridge. If the pastry comes to room temperature it will be too soft to handle!

 

 

Rory O’Connell’s Strawberries with Lemon Basil

 

Serve these little flavour bombs at the end of a meal and watch the reaction – a gem of a recipe.

 

fresh strawberries

fresh lemon basil leaves

 

Just before serving, insert one lemon basil leaf carefully into the slit on the top side of a beautiful fresh strawberry.  Repeat with the others.  Serve immediately – a sensational combination of flavours.

 

Hottips

Artisan Cider – In 2005, Daniel Emerson was busy in Marketing and Communications when his father-in-law a viticulturist from the Loire Valley gave him an apple press, he hasn’t looked back since! Daniel and his wife Géraldine produce Stonewell Cider in Nohoval, Kinsale with apples sourced from orchards in Carlow, Kilkenny and Waterford. They use traditional handmade methods and only use fresh apple juice – no concentrate here – to make their cider, devotees can really taste the difference. Telephone: +353 (0)86 869 1148 – for stockists visit – www.stonewellcider.com

A Long Table Dinner at Ballymaloe Cookery School  – Tickets have just gone on sale for this year’s Long Table Dinner hosted by Darina Allen in the greenhouse in the midst of the tomatoes and scarlet runner beans on Tuesday, 30th July 2013 (it’s been a sell out for the past 2 years).  Rory O’Connell will create the menu – a celebration of the produce of the organic farm and gardens and local area with fish and shellfish from nearby Ballycotton. Dinner is €120 per person Advanced booking essential – proceeds go to East Cork Slow Food Educational Project. Telephone: (021) 4646 785/www.cookingisfun.ie 

Darina and Rachel Allen cook together at the Grainstore, Ballymaloe House. A sell out when they performed their magic earlier this year, Darina and Rachel return with their entertaining cookery demonstration on Thursday 25th July at 8:00pm Tickets €25.00 – to book phone 021 4652531 or thegrainstore@ballymaloe.com

Everybody loves a good barbeque, learn how to make really delicious sauces and marinades and a whole range of unusual recipes which demonstrate the unexpected thrills of the charcoal grill, including chicken paillarde with tomato and basil salsa, butterflied leg of lamb with fresh spices, barbecued salmon with hoisin sauce, Indonesian chicken satay and souvalakia kebabs – Barbeque Course – Saturday 20^th July 9:30am to 5:00pm at the Ballymaloe Cookery School – phone 021 4646785 or www.cookingisfun.ie to book.

I can’t believe I’m queuing in the rain with another hundred plus people to buy a ‘cronut’ at Dominique Ansel bakery in Spring Street in New York. This cronut which has been sending New Yorkers into a frenzy is a hybrid of a deep-fried croissant and doughnut.

It is 7. 35am and its pelting rain. Beside me there is a Japanese lady from Boston and a chap from UBS who has just come off a night shift, the line now stretches all along Sullivan Street, and it’s made up of mostly young people, hipster types – “They’ll be onto something new next week – that’s New York for you, everyone’s looking out for the next big thing,” says the cool lycra clad girl in a baseball hat beside me. She ‘in wine’ and has run from the other side of Central Park but her work doesn’t start till 11.30.  At the edge of the side walk a white van from the Avon Foundation for Women, emblazoned with “God’s Love We Deliver” is collecting food parcels to deliver to the needy. The irony is not lost on us, here are we standing in line for extra calories we don’t need!

The sleepy guy beside me tells me he’s a student doing an MBA in business and he’s only doing this because he’s in the ‘dog house’ with his girlfriend, he’s hoping to get two cronuts as a surprise for her, I don’t like to ask why. Some people are playing on their phones others are swapping “how crazy am I” stories. Some enterprising dudes have been queuing in line since 6am to buy the allocated two ‘cronuts’ per person, then they plan to sell them for 20 dollars each to supplement their welfare, it’s mad.

Dominique Ansel has trademarked the cronut, the demand is insane and so the challenge of copying it and coming up with a new name is exercising bakers all over New York and beyond. There are already some knock offs called ‘doissants’ and ‘croughnuts.’

A TV camera has just passed along and there’s a second, they are wanting to try to understand what the heck all the fuss is about, obviously a grey haired lady stands out from all the cool young things so they want to know why I’m there, when they hear I come from Ireland they are even more incredulous and want to know what flavour I’m queuing for, I didn’t even know there were different flavours!
At 8am the line starts to move around the corner, the door of the bakery on Spring Street has obviously opened, and then it moves ever so slowly. It’s still pouring rain and everyone in the queue has bonded and are having convivial chats. It’s now 8.15am and we are around the corner on to Spring Street. By now, passers-by going to work are bemused as they survey the long line. It’s after 8:30am we’re up to the door, they let in about 15 people at a time and then we queue along the counter. There are lots of other options, little boxes of madeleine’s are cooked to order, burnished canelles are being turned out of their copper moulds, a woman baker is dipping long slim éclairs in coffee fondant icing, six or seven people are serving behind the counter and they haven’t taken a breath since 8am. At 9.20am the queue outside finishes but people are still coming in in dribs and drabs so the queue at the counter never ends, it’s now quarter to 11 and there are still people in line, and of course disappointed because the ‘cronuts’ have been sold out since just before 9am but there are still lots of other beautiful patisserie to choose from.

I’ve been sitting at a little table by the window watching the action for several hours now; I ate my precious ‘cronut’ with a cup of coffee, it turned out to be a deep fried doughnut shaped ring tender yet light and crunchy, with a circle of lemon maple icing. It was definitely good but certainly on the sweet side, the DKA (Dominique’s Kouign Amann) is also delicious.

When I met Dominique he was so kind and gracious despite the queue of food writers and TV crews wanting a piece of him. The baker who has suddenly found himself the hottest thing on the Big Apple food scene seems shy and slightly shell shocked by all the attention. When he was 18 he landed a job at Fauchon in Paris, where he spent eight years and then went on to open all the bakeries for Fauchon around the world.

He caught the attention of Daniel Boulud who invited him to New York. While he was pastry chef at Daniel they were awarded three Michelin stars and four stars in the New York Times.

Just a year and half ago he started his own bakery on a small budget, in a tiny premises on Spring Street, and even painted the walls himself. When I enquired how the cronut came about, it was almost accidental – apparently he had been experimenting with various versions and when they got an A from their Health Inspector, he made this confection and celebrated with his staff. They loved it and thought it should be the new fun summer item. Someone posted a photo online, and it had 140,000 ‘likes’ within 24 hours – whoaaa!

It’s all happening for Dominique Ansel at present, he was recently presented with a James Beard award, well deserved.

 

Zucchini with Capers, Crumbled Pecorino, Toasted Almonds and Mint

 

Serves 4

 

young zucchini, 2 green and 2 gold 2 x 2 (if available) slice one type lengthwise 5mm (1/4 inch) thick and the other into rounds of a similar thickness

35 – 50g (1 1/2 – 2oz) crumbled Pecorino

1 dessertspoon of tiny capers

1 tablespoon almonds, unpeeled, sliced lengthwise and toasted

fresh mint sprigs

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Slice the zucchini lengthwise and into rounds. Put into a wide bowl, add a few tiny capers, some fresh mint sprigs and crumbled Pecorino.  Whisk the extra virgin olive oil with the freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Drizzle over the salad, toss and taste, correct seasoning and serve.

 

Razor Clams with Pickled Cucumber and Mustard Seeds

 

Serves 6

 

18 razor clams or less if they are very large

 

Cucumber and Mustard Seed Pickle (see recipe)

 

chervil sprigs or micro greens and wild garlic flowers

 

 

Cucumber and Mustard Seed Pickle

 

For this recipe I like to dice the cucumber very fine and put it into the pickle.

 

Serves 18

 

3 1/2 lbs (1.6kg) cucumbers, thinly sliced

1lb (450g) onions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon salt

 

Pickle

10oz (285g) sugar

1 1/2 oz (45g) mustard seed

1 teaspoon turmeric

a pinch mace

1 pint (600ml) white wine vinegar

 

First make the pickle.

 

Put the thinly sliced onion and the cucumbers into a bowl, add the salt, and mix well.  Put all the ingredients for the pickle into a saucepan.  Bring to the boil for 2 minutes.  Pour over the cucumbers and onions.  Stir well, allow to get cold.  Fill into sterilized jars.  Cover and seal.

 

Heat the grill pan. Wash the razor clams, put onto the hot grill cook for 3 – 4 minutes, depending on size, as soon as they open and change from transparent to opaque – remove and cool.  Fill a small pasta bowl with crushed ice – lay 3 razor clam shells on top, slice the razor clams into thin slices across the grain. Toss in some of the pickle juice.

 

Fill onto each shell with a little pickle on top and some tiny micro greens or sprigs of chervil and wild garlic flowers.

 

Franny’s Fava Beans and Pecorino

 

This is a classic take on the Ligurian salsa maro, which is made of crushed fava beans, mint, Pecorino and a little bit of garlic and a squeeze of lemon to brighten to the whole thing up. A mortar and pestle works beautifully here – you get a nice variation of texture, with some bigger pieces and smaller bits as well.

 

Serves 4

 

1 fat garlic clove, thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon of pure salt, plus a large pinch

900g (2lb) peeled fava beans (see Andrew’s note below)

12 mint leaves, torn

4 teaspoons coarsely grated Pecorino Romano

2 ½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

freshly cracked black pepper

1/8 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

8 x 1cm (½ inch) thick slices Italian long bread

 

In a mortar, combine the garlic and a pinch of salt and pound together briefly with the pestle to break up the garlic. Add the fava beans and mint and pound until the mixture has a spreadable consistency. Stir in the Pecorino Romano and olive oil. Season with the ¼ teaspoon salt, pepper to taste and the lemon juice.

 

Preheat the grill. Drizzle one side of the break slices with olive oil. Toast, oiled side up, until golden and crisp, 1 – 2 minutes. Spread the hot toasts with the fava mixture. Drizzle with more olive oil and serve.

 

Top tip:  If you want to use the food processor for this, go ahead but be careful to pulse the favas to get different sizes.

 

Andrew’s Note: To prepare fava beans, shell about 1 pound of them in the pod. Cook in 1.8l (3 pints) boiling water seasoned with ¼ cup kosher salt until tender, 1 – 2 minutes, depending on size. Drain and immediately plunge the favas into 850ml (1½ pints 2floz) of ice water seasoned with 2 tablespoons salt. Drain the beans; they should now slip easily from their skins.

 

Franny’s Melon in Lovage Syrup

 

Lovage is one of our favourite herbs. It’s fresh and a little grassy, but with a pronounced sweetness. Fleshy, fragrant melons at the peak of their season need very little help – it’s hard to improve upon their ambrosial qualities. But a dash of lovage syrup does just that, adding a layer on wild celery flavour. If you can find them, buy an assortment of different melons and let them ripen on the counter until they are intensely aromatic. Sliced, tossed with the syrup and chilled, then arranged on a platter, they make a gorgeous, unusual dessert that comes together in minutes.

 

Serves 4

 

About 445g (1 ¼lb) ripe summer melon (preferably a mix of varieties and colours) rind removed, seeded and sliced ¼ inch thick.

225ml (8floz) lovage syrup (see recipe)

2 tablespoons thinly sliced mint leaves

In a large bowl, toss the melon with the lovage syrup. Marinate, refrigerated for at least 3 hours, and up to 36 hours.

Toss the marinated melon with the mint leaves. Divide among four plates and serve immediately.

 

Franny’s Lovage Syrup

 

Makes 300ml (10fl oz)

 

225ml (8fl oz) sugar

225ml (8fl oz) water

25g (1oz) lovage leaves

 

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Turn off the heat, add the lovage leaves, and allow to infuse for 3 hours.

Strain the syrup; discard the lovage.  Store in the fridge, in a tightly sealed jar, for up to 3 months.

 

Hottips

Budding bakers everywhere are invited to submit entries for the Come Home for your Cake competition on Sunday 7th July at the Kinsale Arts Festival. The cakes will be judged by Darina and Rachel Allen. Join them both for afternoon tea at The Mill at 4pm. Email submissions@kinsaleartsfestival.com with the subject ‘Cake’ to register your interest. Visit www.kinsaleartsfestival.com for competition criteria.

 

Cookery Book of the Week

Franny’s in Brooklyn, New York is one of my favourite restaurants in the world, delicious food so beautiful in its simplicity, incredible pizzas, pasta, nothing eccentric or exotic here just lovely spanking fresh ingredients carefully and thoughtfully cooked and now at last there’s the book, Franny’s – Simple Seasonal – Italian was recently published by Artisan Books by Andrew Feinberg, Francine Stephens and Melissa Clark

 

The four day Carlingford Oyster Festival is on 8th to 11th August in
Carlingford, County Louth – www.carlingford.ie

 

Date for your diary

The Irish Craft Beer Festival returns to RDS, Dublin from 7-9th September 2012. A celebration of Irish craft brewing, live music and artisan food stalls.

 

 

I’ve just spent a few days in New York on a reconnaissance trip to check out what’s happening on the food scene over there. As ever the answer is a lot. New Yorkers are always in search of the next big thing and the newest cult ingredient. Really big trends don’t emerge that often but one of the strongest I’ve seen in years is chefs embracing cooking over fire, or as they say over there ‘live fire’. It seems to be part of this enduring interest in hunter gatherer stuff and wild and foraged foods, not only on restaurant menus, but also at home, on the tables of the keen young food people.

Stalls at the Union Square Farmers Market are offering an ever expanding range of greens and wild foods, lots of nettles, garlic scapes, orache, lamb’s quarters, chickweed, miners lettuce, purslane… There was also a Finnish bread stall and an Ethiopian stall that sold a beautiful fermented flat bread called injera made from teff flour, which is also gluten free. The demand for ‘free from’ food continues to grow exponentially.

Do you have any food allergies? – is a standard question in all restaurants nowadays.

Many chefs have started herb and vegetable gardens, could be just a few boxes on a balcony or in a backyard or on window sills or just outside the restaurant on the pavements, like at the Spotted Pig, where there’s an eclectic collection of herbs and flowers and even a peach tree and some raspberries. Owner, chef April Bloomfield is still looking out for a farm upstate New York, I went out to West Chester and to Hudson and Catskills to see what is happening. The gentrification of the town and explosion of investment in land and farming is mind-blowing.

At Stone Barns, home of Dan Barber’s Blue Hill restaurant, there are extensive gardens, greenhouses, orchards, free-range hens and chickens, pigs in the woods… They now have an educational centre with regular school visits and corporate on-farm events. I loved the idea of a Tisane garden with a collection of aromatic herbs just to make fresh herb teas.

In New York the hottest thing was a cronut, a hybrid of a croissant and a doughnut with icing on top. It’s such a hot item that hundreds of people are prepared to stand in line for hours to buy them (check out next week’s column to read what all the fuss is about)

Several bakeries were also doing a sweet buttery pastry with croissant dough based on the kouign amann a Brittany speciality. Irresistible, flaky Morning Glory buns are also being snapped up, they were originally made at Tartine in San Francisco to use up the end of the croissant dough.

There are tons of good restaurants. I had a delicious meal at I Sodi on Christopher Street, a sister restaurant of Buvette, on Grove Street, which I love. One of the highlights was spaghetti cacio e pepe made with Garofalo pasta, lots of black pepper and pecorino, followed by dry aged strip steak with arugula and sea salt. All the best beef at the top restaurants seemed to be coming from Pat LaFrieda, a butcher and wholesaler who dry ages his Black Angus beef for 7 – 8 weeks and mixes the beef cuts for the signature burgers in different establishments, like at Minetta Tavern where I had a burger. They use LaFrieda’s freshly minced Black Angus beef which has been hung for 42 days. The popularity of burger is enduring and one can easily pay in excess of US$20 for a burger in New York.

April Bloomfield’s burger with shoestring fries at the Spotted Pig on 134 W 11^th Street is certainly one of the most delicious, I also enjoyed her devilled eggs, chicken liver toasts and lemon ricotta pancake with candied almonds.

Brooklyn aka hipster central and Harlem is where all the creative young people are setting up at present. Cafés, restaurants, coffee shops, butchers, kitchen shops, rooftop gardens and plus its home to Heritage Radio.

Smorgasburg is a Saturday food market of young start-ups on the DUMBO waterfront by the Tobacco Warehouse beside Brooklyn Bridge Park. This is not to be missed. The variety of foods made by these young entrepreneurs is nothing short of awesome, 75 stalls and delicious to a man.

Pickles and hot sauces are still huge. The legendary Mast chocolate is on 111 N 3rd Street, they start by conching the cocoa beans and then make chocolate bars that are truly memorable.

V for Vegan is all over menus as is tartare of beef, salmon and tuna. There is a particularly delicious version at Rizzoli in Mulberry Street. Uncle Boons on Spring Street owned by Per Se veterans Matt Danzer and Ann Redding is turning out authentic tasting Thai food that has New Yorkers in a frenzy at present.

Heritage beans, heirloom grains and chillies are popping up all over the place. I particularly remember delicious white bean puree at Romans in Brooklyn, another name to add to your New York list.

Here are some of the recipes that people queue around the corner for at the Spotted Pig in New York.

 

April Bloomfield’s Devilled Eggs

 

Devilled eggs, so 1980s, are having a real revival. Here is a recipe for the ones I enjoyed at the Spotted Pig, (taken from April’s book ‘A Girl and her Pig’ published by Canongate Books )

“I like my devilled eggs cold, cold, cold. They’re so refreshing that way. The key to the recipe is chilling the whites as well as the yolk mixture and making your own mayonnaise, which is much easier than you might think.”

 

makes 12 devilled eggs

6 large eggs, at room temperature

3 tablespoons homemade Mayonnaise, slightly chilled

1 tablespoon champagne vinegar

1 tablespoon crème fráiche

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Maldon or another flaky sea salt

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives

1 tablespoon finely chopped chervil

Cayenne or paprika

Extra virgin olive oil (optional) for drizzling

 

Fill a medium pot at least halfway with water and bring to the boil over high heat.

Use a slotted spoon to gently put the eggs in the water, and cook them for 10 minutes (set a timer). Drain the eggs and put them in a big bowl of ice water until they’re fully cool. Lightly tap each egg against the counter to crack the shell all over, then peel them and pat them dry. Halve them lengthwise with a sharp knife. Press the yolks through a sieve into a small food processor. Add the mayonnaise, vinegar, crème fráiche, and mustard and process until smooth, scraping down the sides as necessary. Have a taste and season with salt. For really pretty eggs, feed the mix into an icing bag (alternatively, you can jerry-rig one with a large resealable plastic bag; snip off a corner before piping). Pop it into the fridge for 30 minutes. Put the egg whites on a plate, cover with Clingfilm, and put them in the fridge as well. Pat the whites dry with a tea towel and pipe an equal amount of the yolk mixture into each white. Top each one off with a sprinkle of the chives and chervil and a dusting of cayenne or paprika. If you like, add a sprinkle of sea salt and a drizzle of olive oil and serve.

 

April Bloomfield’s Chopped Chicken Liver on Toast

 

“A staple at the Spotted Pig, this creamy, still slightly chunky mash of lovely, iron-y livers on toast makes a fine snack, but it’s substantial enough to hold you over while you wait for a friend or a table.  Just the thing, too, with a glass of wine. The liver mixture is a touch sweet from the port and the browned garlic and shallots, with a whisper of acidity from the Madeira. Best of all, it takes just a moment to make. Be sure you get a nice colour on the livers when you cook them. (I like them slightly pink on the inside for this dish; anyone who doesn’t can cook them a bit longer.) Be sure to take in the aroma as they cook – toasty browning liver is one of my favourite smells.”

makes 4 toasts

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

40g (1 ½ oz) finely chopped shallots

1 large garlic clove, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons dry Madeira

2 tablespoons ruby port

225g (8oz) chicken livers, trimmed and separated into lobes

Maldon or another flaky sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

A small handful of small, delicate flat-leaf parsley sprigs

4 thick slices crusty bread, or 2 large slices, cut in half

Pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a large sauté pan and set it over high heat.

When it’s hot, turn the heat down to medium and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until they’re golden brown, about a minute. Add the Madeira and port to the pan and give it a good shake, then scrape the mixture into a small bowl and set aside. Rinse the pan and wipe it out well with kitchen paper, then set it over high heat and add one tablespoon of the olive oil. When the oil just begins to smoke, pat the livers dry and add them to the pan. Cook until the undersides are golden brown, 1½ minutes or so. Carefully turn them over and sprinkle on about 1 teaspoon salt, then give the pan a little shake. Cook the livers just until they feel bouncy, like little balloons, about 30 seconds more. You want them slightly pink inside, not rare. Turn off the heat and add the shallot mixture, liquid and all, to the pan.

 

Randal’s Buttermilk Ice Cream

 

Serves 6 – 8

1 pint (16floz) of double cream
225g (8oz) sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
three inch strip of lemon peel
1/2 a vanilla bean split
8 free range egg yolks
1 pint (16floz) of buttermilk

In a high sided saucepan combine the double cream and 175g (6oz) of sugar, salt, lemon peel, and vanilla bean steep over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

In bowl of a standing mixer beat egg yolks and remaining (50g) 2oz of sugar.
Very slowly combine the two; by slowly adding the hot cream into the eggs whisking constantly taking care to not curdle the egg yolks.
Once the two are combined return to the saucepan and simmer over low heat until  thick.
Strain the mixture and beat in the buttermilk. Chill completely and then freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

 

Hot Tips

 

Learn how to propagate fruit trees on Saturday 20th July 1pm to 4pm at Irish Seed Savers in Scarriff, Co Clare. Participants will learn how to bud their own trees and take them home. After-care and maintenance of budded trees will also be covered. Phone 061921866 – www.irishseedsavers.ie

 

Home Preserving – Traditional and Modern Methods at The Organic Centre in Rossinver, Co Leitrim with Hans Wieland on 6th July 2013 – €75.00. Learn about how to store and preserve the abundance of summer produce. Hans will demonstrate traditional and modern methods of storing, drying, lactic acid fermentation, sterilising and freezing. There will also be hands on session on sauerkraut making, pickling and preserving fruit without sugar.  www.theorganiccentre.ie

 

Ever wanted to learn the hidden secrets of a professional kitchen? Well now is your chance, J P McMahon owner of Aniar, the Michelin starred restaurant in Galway – with a mission to support local food producers and foragers – is running a series of six week courses Understanding Food – the next one starts on 12^th August, 2013. There are also one day workshops on such topics as ‘The Whole Loaf’, ‘The Whole Hog’ ‘The Whole Lamb’ ‘The Whole Fish’…see www.aniarrestaurant.ie