ArchiveMay 2017

We’re sitting on the bouncy grass on the cliffs above Ballyandreen Strand   watching the waves crashing onto the rocks below. It’s a beautiful day, the sea pinks and mallow are in full bloom.  It has become a tradition to have a breakfast picnic on the Monday after the Litfest with some of the speakers whose flights leave late in the afternoon. Rashers and eggs cooked in the open air, soda bread and jam, freshly squeezed orange juice and lots of coffee – it’s what memories are made of.

Lovely Claudia Roden is with us, at 81 years of age, she’s still super sprightly and still writing and cooking and game for everything that’s going on. Last night when I left the throbbing music and dance scene in the Big Shed at Ballymaloe, she was still there enchanted by the energy and excitement.

Earlier in the day she had been foraging on the seashore with Alys Fowler and given a talk on My Favourite Ingredients in the Cookery School.  Everywhere she turned someone wanted a photo, for many at the Litfest, meeting and having the opportunity to chat to Claudia was a highlight of the weekend and there were many many highlights at Litfest 2017.  Ben Reade and Sashana Souza Zanella from Edinburgh Food Studio spent 3 days cooking for Saturday night dinner, it was a triumph.  Robin Gill  from The Dairy in London also cooked a memorable Pop Up lunch at Ballymaloe on Saturday, Margot Henderson from Rochelle Canteen worked her magic on Sunday lunch. Jason Fahey and his team cooked the delicious food for the Natural Wine dinner at Ballymaloe House with the legendary Isabelle Legeron.

There were many inspirational and thought provoking events in the Grain Store on the theme of Our Responsibility.   Vytenis Andriukaitis, EU Commissioner of Health and Food Safety spoke passionately about food waste. He was born in a Gulag in Siberia and he still remembers what it was like to be hungry, so feels food waste is totally immoral. He referred to the consequences to the Irish Famine and asked each and everyone of us in the audience to help tackle this challenging problem. The EU are drafting guidelines to facilitate food donations in the EU where approximately 88 tons of food are wasted every year with associated costs estimated at €143 billion.

We too fervently hope that he and his colleagues in the EU will work with us to remove the root cause of much of the problem – the scandalous waste of perfectly good produce because of EU regulations on size and uniformity and sell by dates in the retail trade.  He also spoke about ‘the need to fight against the supermarketization of our lives’.

Joanna Blythman, an investigative journalist and broadcaster and a thorn in the flesh of the processed food industry and supermarkets tweeted ‘the man is singing my song’……..In her presentation Joanna  urged us to base our diet on whole unprocessed foods that we cook ourselves. Her talks brought people from far and wide and urged us to be wary and aware of the dangers of  heavily processed food and not to allow ourselves to be misled by labelling.

Professor Ted Dinan’s talk on Diet Stress and Mental Health also had huge impact as did young agrarian leader, Severine von Tscharner-Fleming, from the Greenhorn Movement in New York who spoke on The Farmer’s Life.

Asylum seeker, Ellie Kisyombe’s talk was also deeply moving .

The Great Grocers panel which  included  Peter Ward from Country Choice, Ruth Healy from Urru,  from London, Leila McAllister from Leila’s,  Sally Clarke from Clarkes and Sally Butcher from Persepolis  …… also made a huge impact and got us thinking about the need to support independent shops.

All weekend, the Drinks Theatre was crammed with people who came from far and wide to see Colm McCan’s line up which included Isabelle Legeron who spoke about natural wines, Mary Dowey did a talk and tasting on superb champagne and sparkling wines, Kristen Jensen led a panel of Irish craft brewers…..there were artisan gins and our own Ger Buckley, cooper from Irish Distillers.

For me one of the frustrations of the Litfest is not been able to get to every single event. Rachel and I spent most of my time at the Ballymaloe Cooking School hosting inspirational chefs  – Sunil Ghai from Pickle in Dublin,  Clare Lattin and Tom Hill from Duck Soup in London, Monika Linton from Brindisa, Jacob Kennedy from Boca di Lupo, Sumayya Usmani  house cook, from Pakistan and Charlotte Pike past student who were doing cooking demonstrations. Others wandered around the Big Shed,  organic farm and Ballymaloe walled gardens and learned how to sow seed with GIY and so here is a sample of some of the exquisite food that was cooked.

 

Hot Tips

Cookery Demonstration  to raise funds for Aaron McMahon’s brain tumour treatment. Join Debbie Shaw at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Thursday June 8^th, 7pm who will teach a Middle Eastern Summer Feast. Tickets must be pre purchased and available from Debbie 086 389 3768 or at the Ballymaloe Cookery School Farm Shop, 021 4646785

 

Limerick’s International Food Truck Festival runs from June 1^st – 5^th 2017 in the People’s Park.  Don’t miss this fun event, the weekend will see Limerick going large on food trucks when the European Food Truck Association will bring 60 food trucks from 14 countries to the city’s People’s Park. www.Limerick.ie/foodtruckfestival

 

 Clare Lattin and Tom Hill’s Gnudi with Watercress and Goat’s Curd

These great little ricotta dumplings – not to be confused with gnocchi, which are made using wheat flour and potatoes – are simple to make and take just a few minutes to cook. We can’t recommend making gnudi enough because everyone always loves it. We’ve chosen one of our favourite ways to serve gnudi here. If you are having a few friends over, make gnudi!

Serves 4

For the gnudi:
500g (18oz) ricotta
1 egg yolk
30g (1 1/4oz) ‘00’ flour
30g (1 1/4oz) grated Parmesan
zest of 1 lemon
2kg (4 1/2lbs) semolina flour, for dusting
salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Combine the ricotta, egg yolk, ‘00’ flour and Parmesan together in a bowl, then add the lemon zest and salt and pepper and mix again.

In a large, deep, non-reactive baking tray or plastic container spread out a layer of semolina flour, about 5mm thick.

Roll the gnudi mixture into 10 balls and then place on the semolina flour in a single layer, making sure they do not touch each other.

Once you’ve used up all the mixture completely cover the gnudi with the remaining semolina flour and chill into the fridge for 24 hours. After 24 hours the semolina will have formed a crust on the gnudi – this helps the dumplings hold their shape.

When you’re ready to cook the gnudi bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, dust off the excess semolina flour (any excess semolina flour can be kept in the fridge and used again) and boil for 3 minutes, reserving some of the cooking water.

To Serve:
80g (3 1/4oz) butter
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
large bunch of watercress, thick stalks removed
160g (5 1/4oz) goats’ curd or a good-quality cottage cheese, preferably unpasteurised
zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the butter and olive oil together in a large pan until the butter begins to foam. Add the watercress and couple a small ladles of the gnudi cooking water and stir gently. As soon as the watercress starts to wilt, add the goats’ curd or cottage cheese and give it another stir (you may need to add a little more of the gnudi water to thin the sauce slightly).

 

Drain the gnudi and add to the sauce. Give everything a gentle stir, being careful not to break the gnudi. Divide the gnudi and sauce between four bowls and finish each bowl with a grating of lemon zest, a good drizzle of olive oil and a few twists of black pepper.

Clare Lattin and Tom Hill from Duck Soup (LitFest 2017)

 

 Sumayya Usmani’s Lahori Fish

In Chickpea Batter and Ajwain Seeds

 

Summer holidays spent with my cousins in Lahore were always a food adventure. This is a city that never stops eating, and one of the most authentic street meals from Lahore’s foodie hot spot is this lightly battered chickpea flour fish. The trick to a crispy coating is dipping the fish in rice water (that’s the starchy water that’s drained off after boiling rice) instead of tap water. An alternative is to mix a teaspoon of cornflour in tap water for a similar effect.

Preparation 20 minutes/Cooking 10–15 minutes

Serves 4–6

 

4–6 haddock fillets

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

100g (3 1/2oz/generous 1 cup) gram flour

2 tablespoons rice flour

1 teaspoon dry-roasted cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)

1/2 teaspoon red chilli flakes (or more if you like)

100ml (3 1/2fl oz/scant 1/2 cup) rice water (made by boiling 1 tablespoon of rice in 120ml/4fl oz/1/2 cup water, straining and reserving the water, or 100ml (3 1/2fl oz/ scant 1/2 cup) water mixed with 1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch)

50ml (2fl oz/scant 1/4 cup) corn oil

 

Rub the fish with the lemon juice, turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mix the gram flour, rice flour, cumin, ajwain, red chilli flakes and remaining salt together in a bowl. Pour the rice water into another bowl. Dip the fish into the dry gram flour mix, then in the rice water and repeat again. Continue until all the pieces of fish are covered.

 

Heat the oil in shallow frying pan over a medium heat and fry the fish for 4–5 minutes on each side until cooked through with a crisp coating. Serve hot with lemon slices.

Kitchen Secret

To get a really crisp coating, begin by patting the fish dry with kitchen paper to remove all the non-starchy moisture before dipping into the starch water. If your fish is a little smelly, rub some white vinegar on the fish then rinse under cold running water and pat dry with kitchen paper before coating.

 

Sumayya Usmani’s Karhai Ginger Chicken

 On the days I was greeted with the hot citrus tang of fresh ginger from my grandmother’s garden as it was sliced artfully into julienne pieces, I knew I was getting Pakistani-style ginger chicken for supper. This is a dish that is found in every restaurant and home in Pakistan and is simple and quick to make, with bursts of raw ginger added at the end for a fresh finish. Serve with a daal and rice – and you can substitute chicken with boneless duck or turkey for a fuller flavour.

 

Preparation 10 minutes/Cooking 25–30 minutes

Serves 4

 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon each of garlic purée and

grated ginger

200g (7oz) chicken breast cut into

5cm (2 inch) chunks

2 large tomatoes, finely chopped

1 tablespoons tomato purée

2 tablespoons plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

salt, to taste

1 tablespoons unsalted butter

 

Garnish

5cm (2 inch) piece ginger, peeled and cut into julienne

handful of coriander (cilantro) leaves, chopped

2 green chillies, finely chopped

10 mint leaves, chopped

 

Heat the oil in wok-style pan over a medium heat. When hot, add the cumin and allow to splutter for 30 seconds. Add the garlic purée and grated ginger and fry for a further 30 seconds, or until the raw smell of garlic disappears.

Add the chicken to the pan and fry until it is sealed all over. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5–7 minutes until softened, then add the tomato purée and the yogurt and cook for 8–10 minutes, or until the oil starts to separate. Add the red chilli powder, black pepper, turmeric and salt and cook for a further 5–7 minutes until the chicken is done. Add the butter before turning off the heat and letting the butter melt.

 Before serving, add the julienned ginger, coriander, green chillies and mint, and stir through.

 

Jacob Kennedy’s Courgette Carpaccio with Parmesan and Anchovy

Spring and early summer, joy sprouts from the soil in leafy greens and a bounty of vegetables. Younger courgettes (where the seedy core is still embryonic) are delicious barely cooked, or boiled until tender and drenched in olive oil – but really sing raw. I like to use the Romano variety – firm, dry, sweet and mild, with a beautiful ridged form that makes stars when sliced. These are the best, for everything, but any courgette will make for a nice dish, particularly the paler skinned varieties.

Serves 4 as a starter

600g (1 1/4lb) youngish courgettes

8 fillets salted anchovy

4 tablespoons very finely diced parmesan

a few whole flat-leaf parsley leaves

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Slice the courgettes across into very thin roundels. Arrange flat on a plate like a carpaccio. Chop the anchovy fillets coarsely or slice them lengthways into thin strips and lay on top of the courgettes. Season with salt and a little pepper. Scatter with the parmesan and parsley, and drizzle with oil. Serve straight away.

Jacob Kenedy, Bocca di Lupo (LitFest 2017)

 

Clare Lattin and Tom Hill’s Puff Pastry Strawberry Galette

 A galette doesn’t rely as much on the consistency of oven heat as a tart, where you want the heat to be perfectly even all over. Here the pastry needs to be perfect, as does the quality of fruit you are using.

We’ve made galettes with just about every fruit going, from pears and strawberries to plums and rhubarb, so do experiment with whatever fruits you have going and see what happens.

Serves 8–12

For the pastry:

375g (13oz) plain flour
50g (2oz) cornflour
200g (7oz) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) dice
100g (3 1/2oz) caster sugar
60g (2 1/2oz) crème fraîche
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
beaten egg, to glaze

First make the pastry. Tip the flour and cornflour into a food processor and add the diced butter. Pulse until you have a coarse crumb texture – you want to have small clumps of butter visible through the flour.

Add the remaining pastry ingredients (except the beaten egg) and pulse briefly to combine, adding a dash of cold water if needed to bring it together into a dough. Don’t overwork the dough as you don’t want all the butter fully combined. Tip out on to a work surface, pat into a ball and wrap in cling film. Chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile make the filling. Quarter your apples and remove the core. Use a mandoline slicer to thinly slice the apples and put into a mixing bowl. Add the sugar, lemon juice, prunes and hazelnuts and give it a good mix with your hands. Leave to macerate at room temperature until needed.

Once your pastry is chilled preheat the oven to 180°C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4.

For the filling:

1kg (2 1/4lb) strawberries

100g (3 1/2oz) caster sugar

a splash of rose water

handful of crushed pistachios

crème fraiche to serve

 

Lay a large sheet of parchment paper on to a work surface and dust with flour. Place the pastry on to the parchment and with a floured rolling pin, roll the pastry out to a circle approximately 35–40cm (14-16 inches) in diameter and 3mm (1/8 inch) thick. The pastry will be quite soft so take care.

Tip the filling along with the juices on to the pastry and spread out, leaving a 5cm border all around. Fold the border over the fruit filling – this process doesn’t need to be too neat and if the pastry tears just pinch it back together. Remember this is rustic galette; it wouldn’t sit right in a French patisserie, but that’s the point. Once you’ve folded in the edges, brush them with beaten egg and sprinkle with a little brown sugar. Slide the galette, still on the parchment paper, on to a baking tray and bake in the oven for 30–35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is cooked. Serve hot with crème fraîche or ice cream.

Clare Lattin and Tom Hill from Duck Soup (LitFest 2017)

 

 

It’s crazily busy at Litfest HQ – the fifth Ballymaloe Litfest is underway. This year we’ve changed the emphasis somewhat so the proper title is A Food and Drinks Literacy Festival at Ballymaloe.

We’ve continued to build on the previous years events which have by now been written about from New York to Sydney, Los Angeles to Capetown with well over 35 nationalities attending. They return to their own countries to spread the word of what’s happening on the Irish food scene and the fun and thought provoking events they attended at the Litfest. Sommelier Colm McCan has managed to assemble yet another world class line up in the Drinks Theatre. Isabelle Legeron M W, a London based wine writer and global crusader for the natural wine movement is coming along as well as many other luminaries from the spirit, craft beer and cider world. Garrett Fitzgerald and James Boland will discuss their book The Brother Hubbard Cookbook. David Puttnam will be in conversation with John McKenna ‘Living, Working and Eating in West Cork’, Trish Deseine, Irish food writer and cookbook author will give her perspective on Irish food culture – also unmissable.

Brian McGinn Ex producer of Netflix and series Chefs Table will be in conversation with David Prior International Editor of Conde Nast Traveller, they’ll both be keeping their eyes open for stories. The festival takes place at Ballymaloe House, Ballymaloe Cookery School, The Grain Store and the Big Shed. This year the humming Big Shed at the heart of the festival will once again be brimming with good things to eat and drink from some of Ireland’s finest artisan producers. There will be the sound of music ranging from the gentle during daylight hours to the more energetic when the sun goes down. Some of the weekend’s many free Fringe events will take place here and the Family Corner will ensure that festival goers of all ages will be kept happy and amused.

So what am I looking forward to at the Ballymaloe Cookery School?

At last we’ve managed to tempt Clare Lattin and Tom Hill over from their restaurants in London’s Soho and Shoreditch to share some of their recipes. Readers of this column will know that Raw Duck and Duck Soup as two of my favourite London restaurants. Monika Linton from Brindisa who wrote the book I’ve been waiting for on Spanish food will teach a class on Saturday morning.

Then there’s Jacob Kennedy from Bocca di Lupo, back by ‘popular demand’ as is the beautiful and gracious Claudia Roden who will speak on both Saturday and Sunday.

Generous as always, Sunil Ghai from Pickle in Dublin will share the secret to many of the dishes that have made Pickle award winning new restaurant so renowned.

But you may not yet have heard of Sumayya Usmani who’s really making waves with her Pakastani food. This is award winning author’s first appearance in Ireland – don’t miss….

Charlotte Pike (former Ballymaloe Cookery School student) has already built up quite a following with her Fermented book but this time she will focus on her recently published book, Smoked and show us how to have fun at home, hot and cold smoking all manner of delicious foods.

Christian Puglisi of Relae, Manfred’s and Baest in Copenhagen can’t stay away. After his last trip to Ballymaloe he was so inspired by the farm, gardens and ethos that Mrs Allen had created that he is setting up the Farm of Ideas Project – he’ll tell us all about it on Sunday afternoon in The Carrigaun Room.
The Grain Store will host the symposium – a series of short talks and presentations on the theme – Our Responsibility.

The BBC Radio 4 food program, Sheila Dillon and Dan Saladino are coming over from London to record from the Litfest.

Want to go foraging on the seashore with Alys Fowler, garden correspondent of the Guardian? Or watch another of my food heroes, Margot Henderson of Rochelle Canteen will talk on the Joy of Cooking in the Grain Store on Saturday afternoon.
The pretty Garden Tent nestled alongside the scented rosemary bed is now an established and exciting venue over the weekend and will have a full programme of free events to which all are welcome. John Bowman from RTE will be back with his Questions and Answers as will Jim Carroll with his banter series.

There simply isn’t nearly enough space to mention all of the 64 speakers or events so go and check it out on litfest.ie.

Some events are already booked out but there are still lots of opportunities, so come along it’s still not too late to book. Maybe our biggest coup of all is Vytenis Andriukaitis who will speak in the Grain Store on Sunday ‘To Eat is a Political Statement’ and then there’s the Great Grocers and Joanna Blythman speaking on Nutrition – Really? and our own Professor Ted Dinan on Diet, Stress and Mental Health and even a session on Food from Space by astrophysicist Niall Smith – sure where would you get it!
And believe me all of the above is just a taste. Check it out, see you there and speaking of taste here’s what to come.

Hot Tips
Clare Lattin and Tom Hill’s Duck Soup cookery demonstration, handful of places remaining for at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday May 20th. Bookings through www.litfest.ie

Meet the Author, Rebecca Sullivan who will discuss her new book The Art of the Natural Home on Saturday May 20th. Further information on www.litfest.ie

Slow Food Galway is hosting an event on Sunday May 21st 2017.
Curing, Pickling, Smoking fresh vegetables, fish and meat at Cáit Curran Síol Centre in Moycullen, Galway.
Phone Trish 086 635 9920 or Kate 087 931 2333 for more information. www.slowfoodireland.com

Clare Lattin and Tom Hill’s Courgettes, Broad Beans, Peas, Tahini Yoghurt, Pomegranate and Dill

Serves 4

800 g courgettes
Extra virgin olive oil
500 g peas in the pod
500 g broad beans in the pod
1 pomegranate
Juice of 1 lemon
250 g tahini yoghurt, see recipe
Handfuls of dill fronds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cut each courgette into three on the diagonal; if you can do this on alternate angles you will get a more interesting shape which helps add texture to the dish.

Place a large frying pan over a medium –high heat until hot. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and add your courgettes, frying them until they are golden brown on all sides. Season, with salt as you go. Once cooked, remove from the pan and set to one side.

Bring a large pan of well salted water to the boil while you pod the peas and broad beans. Once podded add to the water and blanch for just one minute and drain. Plunge straight into a bowl of iced water to stop them cooking further.

Remove the seeds from the pomegranate by cutting it in half and then holding over a bowl, cut side down on your spread palm. Hit the back of the pomegranate with a wooden spoon or rolling pin so that the seeds drop out into the bowl. If you have trouble try turning the half inside out and gently coaxing the remaining seeds out with your fingers.

Drain the peas and broad beans well and add to a bowl with the courgettes. Dress with the lemon juice and some olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

It’s now time to assemble the ingredients. Spoon the tahini yoghurt into the middle of a large plate and then use the back of your spoon to gently spread it out. Don’t go for a thin, even circle – you want some texture. Spoon your vegetables over the yoghurt, making sure that you don’t cover it completely – you want them to sort of look like they’re bobbing in a tahini pond. Tear over your dill, being sure to keep the fronds intact, and finally spoon over the pomegranate seeds – you want to try to spoon little groups into any gaps rather than just have a sprinkling of seeds here and there. Finish with a bit more lemon juice and a good helping of extra virgin olive oil.

Clare Lattin and Tom Hill’s Tahini Yoghurt

An absolute staple ‘go to’ accompaniment at the restaurant. We add toasted nigella and coriander seeds, garlic and olive oil to our tahini yoghurt. It works really well with a whole array of roast vegetables.

Serves 4-6

1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
Juice of ½ lemon
50g tahini paste
500 g thick Greek yoghurt
1 garlic clove, minced
50 ml extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt

Light crush the coriander seeds with a pestle and mortar and toast with the nigella seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes.

Whisk the lemon juice and tahini paste together in a large bowl; it will go quite thick but that’s fine. When the seeds are toasted, add to the bowl along with all the other ingredients.

Whisk together until everything is combined. Decant into a jar or a covered bowl and keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.

The Wisdom of Simple Cooking Ducksoup Cookbook by Clare Lattin and Tom Hill

Clare Lattin and Tom Hill’s Crispy Lamb, Labneh, Mint, Red Onion and Pomegranate

Serves 4

1 whole lamb breast, about 2 kg, cut in half
500 ml lamb stock
1 pomegranate
Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
Small handful of mint leaves
Small handful of flat leaf parsley
1 red onion, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
160 g labneh
Chargrilled flatbread or toasted sourdough bread, to serve
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 160C/gas mark 6. Season the lamb breast with salt and pepper and put into a large roasting tray. Pour over the lamb stock, cover tightly with foil and cook in the oven for 2-3 hours, or until the meat easily comes away from the bone.

Once cooked remove the lamb breasts from the stock and allow to cool. Keep the lamb stock as you can use it another day – simply pour into small tubs and freeze.

While the lamb cools, remove the seeds from the pomegranate by cutting it in half and then holding over a bowl, cut side down on your spread palm. Hit the back of the pomegranate with a wooden spoon or rolling pin so that the seeds drop out into the bowl. If you have trouble try turning the half inside out and gently coaxing the remaining seeds out with your fingers.

Once the lamb breast is cool enough to handle remove all the meat from the bones in large chunks and set aside. Heat a frying pan over a medium high heat and add a generous glug of oil. Add the chilli flakes and then fry the lamb until nice and crisp, giving it a pinch of salt as it cooks.

When the lamb is crisp transfer to a large bowl. Tear in the mint and parsley and add the sliced onion. Squeeze in the lemon juice, add another good splash of olive oil and half the pomegranate seeds and season with salt and pepper.

Toss everything together with your hands and gently coax the salad out of the bowl with your fingers onto individual plates. Spoon a dollop of labneh on to a third of the plate, and finish by scattering the entire dish with pomegranate seeds. Serve with chargrilled flatbread or toasted sourdough.

The Wisdom of Simple Cooking Ducksoup Cookbook by Clare Lattin and Tom Hill

Jacob Kennedy’s Tomato and Purslane Salad

Serves 4 as a starter or side

500 g delicious tomatoes
½ small red onion
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar (optional)
3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
100 g picked purslane leaves and tips

Quarter the tomatoes and slice the red onion very thinly across the grain. Macerate these with the vinegar, oil and plenty of salt and pepper for 5 minutes, then toss in the leaves and serve with a crust of bread on hand to mop the bowl afterwards.

Bocca Cookbook by Jacob Kennedy

Jacob Kennedy’s Orecchiette with ‘Nduja

Even a small amount of ‘nduja is enough to make for extremely spicy pasta, but the heat is tempered, slightly by the cream.

Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main

200 g semolina or 260 g bought fresh orecchiette or 200 g dried (but only if you must)

1 red onion, halved and sliced with the grain
120 g cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
50 g ‘nduja or 100 g if shop bought and not quite so strong
50 ml white wine
80 ml double cream
50 g rocket, very roughly chopped
Freshly grated pecorino romano, to served

First make a semolina pasta dough with the semolina flour and 80 ml of water. It should be firm but malleable. Knead well; let it rest for at least 20 minutes, then make the orecchiette.

Roll the dough into a sausage (it may help to do this in a few batches) 1 cm wide. Cut across to make 1 cm dumplings. Take a knife and make the orecchiette one by one. With the flat of the knife at 30° to the table, use a smearing action (away from your body) to press the dumpling out, using the rounded end of the knife blade. It should stretch, flatten and curl around the blade, becoming thinner in the middle than at the edges, one of which will be slightly stuck to the blade of the knife. Put your index finger gently against the centre of the little curl of pasta over your fingertip and simultaneously detach it from the blade. It should now look like a little ear, with a slightly thick rim (the lobe), and a rough texture on the thinner centre, from where the knife pulled against the dough. A lot of words for very small pasta, these take some practice before they come right, but after are as easy as pie. Leave them spread out on a wooden or floured surface until you’re ready to cook – they’re best left for half an hour or so, to become a little leathery.

Next fry the onion and tomatoes in the oil over a high heat for 3 minutes, until softened and slightly browned. Crumble in the ‘nduja and fry for 30 seconds, then add the wine and a small ladleful of water. Let it bubble for a few moments, then add the cream.

Allow the sauce to cook until the cream has reddened, and thickened if it looked watery. To cook the orecchiette, bring a pan of salted water to the boil, drop in the pasta and cook for 4-5 minutes. Add the drained pasta (still a little wet) and the rocket to the sauce, cook until the rocket is wilted and the pasta coated in the sauce. Serve with grated pecorino on top.

Bocca Cookbook by Jacob Kennedy

Shabbo Khala’s Cauliflower Pakoras with spiced moong daal batter

In Pakistan, a mother’s closest friends are like maternal aunts and are called ‘Khala’. Every Khala has her secret recipes – this one is my Shabbo Khala’s. As a child I would excitedly anticipate meals at her house, hoping to get some of these thinly sliced cauliflower florets in spicy lentil batter.

Preparation 25 minutes + 3–8 hours soaking | Cooking 10 minutes | Serves 6–8
150g/5oz/1½ cups moong daal
2 tbsp water
½ tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp chaat masala
1 tbsp chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves
150–200ml/5–7 fl oz/2⁄3–scant 1 cup vegetable oil
½ cauliflower, cut into florets then florets sliced thinly vertically

To make the batter, soak the lentils in a bowl of water for at least 3 hours, or overnight, then drain and put them into a food processor or blender. Blend with the measured water until it is a smooth thick batter. Stir in all the spices, salt and chopped coriander.

Heat the oil in a wok-style pan over a medium heat. When the oil is smoking hot, reduce the heat to low.

Dip the slices of cauliflower into the batter (forming a thin coating of batter on the
cauliflower) and deep-fry in the oil for 2 minutes, or until golden brown. Move the pakora around as they cook to allow them to cook evenly. Remove the pakoras with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Serve immediately.
Summers Under The Tamarind Tree by Sumayya Usmani
Photography by Joanna Yee

Chicken salan on-the-bone chicken curry

Salan means a liquid-based stew, and the closest description in English would be a thin curry. An everyday staple, chicken salan is classically made using chicken on the bone alongside onion, ginger and garlic with tomatoes and a simple combination of spice. Feel free to experiment with different spice combinations to make this dish your own. It’s best served with an accompaniment of daal, rice and a vegetable dish.

Preparation 15 minutes | Cooking 45–55 minutes | Serves 4–6
3–4 tbsp corn oil
2 red onions, roughly chopped
1-cm/½-inch piece ginger, peeled
and grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
400g/14oz can chopped tomatoes or 5 tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp tomato purée (optional)
salt, to taste
1 tsp red chilli powder (reduce if required)
¼ ground turmeric
1 kg/2¼ lb chicken with bones (ask butcher to cut a whole skinned chicken into 16 pieces with bone or use about 500g/1lb 2oz deboned thighs or chicken breast pieces (2.5–5cm/1–2 inches large)
100ml/3½ fl oz/½ cup water plus 5–8 tbsp

For the ground spices
1 tsp cumin seeds
3–4 green cardamom pods
1 bay leaf
1 tsp coriander (cilantro) seeds

To garnish
handful of tender fresh coriander
(cilantro) with stems, chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped
For the ground spices, grind all the spices together then set aside. Heat the oil in a
heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the onions and cook for 8–10 minutes until golden. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for 30 seconds or so until the raw smell disappears. Add the ground spices, reserving a teaspoon of the spices to garnish. Now cook for about 10–15 minutes until everything is caramelised. The onions will start to darken, and the garlic and ginger will also begin to caramelise. This is what you need for an intensely coloured base.

Add the tomatoes, tomato purée, salt, chilli and turmeric then turn the heat to medium
and bhuno (stir-fry) this mixture. If the tomatoes start to splutter a lot reduce the heat
slightly. Cook for about 20 minutes until you are left with a thick, rich sauce.

Turn off the heat, let the tomato mixture cool, then blitz in a blender until smooth.

Add 5–8 tablespoons water to make sure it is not too thick – it should be the consistency of a thick jam. Return to the pan, add the chicken pieces and 50ml/2 fl oz/scant ¼ cup of the water and increase the heat to medium-high. Bhuno (stir-fry) the chicken until you start to see the oil separating from the sauce, about 15 minutes of vigorous stirring.

Reduce the heat to low, add about another 50ml/2 fl oz/scant ¼ cup water, cover and
cook until the oil floats on top of the curry sauce and the chicken is cooked through.

Garnish with chopped coriander, chillies and a sprinkling of the spice blend. Serve with basmati rice, chapati and a salad such as crispy chapati kachumber salad.

Summers under The Tamarind Tree by Sumayya Usmani
Photography by Joanna Yee

Today was such a joyous day, after more than three months we were allowed to let our flock of hens out of their houses. They have been confined for over three months on the instruction of the Department of Agriculture along with all poultry in these islands because of the threat of Avian flu in Europe. We’ve been feeding them indoors, bringing them up the end of greenhouse crops – kale, bolted lettuce and salad greens but it’s not the same as being able to romp around and range freely in the sunlight.

You can’t imagine the excitement when we opened the popper in the door of the Palais des Poulets. At first, they were bewildered and then they made a dash for freedom and skipped out into the sunlight to range freely on the grass that is so so important to their wellbeing.

It was a joy to watch them scratching enthusiastically for worms and grubs and jumping into the compost skip to forage for scraps – no need for a brown bin here, the hens eat the vegetable scraps and then we have beautiful eggs a few days later and furthermore the hen manure and straw bedding is added to the compost heap. A brilliant activator which when it eventually breaks down into humus is added to the soil to increase the fertility to grow more wholesome fresh vegetables and herbs – a beautiful virtuous triangle and no waste.
See video link
I love poultry and encourage anyone who will listen to consider getting a little flock of hens, four or five in a little chicken coop in your garden would provide an adequate egg supply for most households. The coop can be moved around your lawn every few days, the hens do the mowing and their droppings will fertilise your grass so its win win all the way. Kids of all ages love hens, they are friendly and entertaining plus children get to learn a little more about how their food is produced, recycling and the value of compost. They will love collecting the freshly laid eggs and enjoy boiled eggs with ‘soldiers’ – an almost forgotten flavour.
Where to find hens and what to buy? For free range production try to find heritage breeds. Here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School we have about 600 hens in several flocks. We buy day old chicks from Willie Johnston in Armagh (www.johnstonspoultry.com and O Leary Poultry in Macroom (0879697939) who hatch organic chicks. These traditional breeds are hardier for outdoor production. Occasionally a hen hatches out a little clutch of chicks – we had some just in time for Easter to the delight of the grandchildren and their friends.

Always buy from a reputable source and make sure they have been vaccinated.
The arucanas lay bluey green eggs, the Sussex or Leghorn white, Rhode Island red and the Marans dark brown – all are beautiful in their own way. Eggs are a perfect a rich source of protein. They contain vitamin B2, B12, Vitamin D, selenium, iodine, a powerhouse of disease busting nutrients. Two eggs provide a simple nourishing fulfilling supper enough for most people with a salad and some good bread. Excellent value for money.

If you have a little surplus your friends will gladly accept them or you can sell them at your local country or Farmers Market.
From the cooks point of view they are immensely versatile not just as an ingredient but as an emulsifier in sauces like Hollandaise and Béarnaise but also a binder and enrichment in cakes and pastries.
I did a column about eggs for Easter but one could easily write a whole book on eggs and many have so here are a few more ways to enjoy your beautiful fresh eggs.

Hot Tips
Skibbereen or Bantry Farmers Market often have live hens, ducks, geese and guinea fowl for sale. Alternatively contact O’ Leary Poultry at Skibbereen Market on 087 9697939 or Meynhaus at Bantry’s market 087 2208061.

GIY HQ Courses, Classes and Events
Check out the course schedule at the GIY HQ in Waterford……Beginners Guide to Growing, Soil Fertility, Managing Pests and Disease, Kids Club and Gardening lessons….www.giy.ie. Tel: 051 584422

Litfest 2017
The excitement is building here at Litfest HQ – watch out for is Sumayya Usmani, a native of Pakistan, a writer and cookery teacher based in Glasgow. She specialises in the cuisine of Pakistan and travels regularly to her homeland. Her debut book Summers Under the Tamarind Tree won the Best First Cookbook category in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. Sumayya will give a cookery demonstration at the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Sunday May 21st at 10.00am. Don’t miss this rare opportunity. www.litfest.ie

Support Cór Cois Farraige’s annual charity concert in aid of Time for Tilara on Sunday May 14th at the Garryvoe Hotel, 8pm. Tickets are €10.00 available at local outlets in East Cork and at the door. clairewhelan2@eircom.net

Parmesan Custards with Anchovy Toasts

Serves 8

250ml (9fl ozs/generous 1 cup) cream
250ml (9 fl ozs/generous 1 cup) milk
4 organic eggs
100g (3 1/2 ozs) finely grated Parmesan or Coolea Cheese
salt, freshly ground pepper and a good pinch of cayenne
melted butter

Anchovy Butter
6 anchovy fillets
25g (1ozs/1/4 stick) unsalted butter

4 slices of good quality white yeast bread

8 deep ovenproof pots or ramekins (75ml/3fl ozs) (we use shot glasses)
bain-marie

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300°F/Gas Mark 2.

Whisk the cream and milk with the egg yolks and the finely grated cheese. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch of cayenne. Whisk again. Brush the inside of the pots with melted butter. Divide the mixture between the pots.

Fill a bain-marie with hot water, put the pots into the bain-marie, the water should come about 2/3 way up the sides. Cover the tops with a sheet of silicone paper. Depending on the depth of the ramekin, bake for 30-45 minutes in the preheated oven or until the mixture has just set. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Meanwhile, make the anchovy butter.
Mash the anchovies finely with a fork, add the butter and mix well.

Just before serving, toast the bread quickly on both sides. Spread the anchovy butter sparingly on 2 slices of bread and make into sandwiches with the other slices. Press down to seal, trim off the crusts. Cut each in half crosswise and then cut into thin fingers. Put a pot or ramekin on a plate. Arrange a little trellis of anchovy toasts on the side, add a teaspoon. Serve immediately.

Variation:- Wild Garlic Custards
Serves 8

3 tablespoons wild garlic, finely chopped

Add to the custard just before pouring into the ramekins, serve with a few fingers of plain toast.

Leek Flamiche

There are many variations on this theme, some have no cheese, others no bacon. Similar leek tarts and pies are made in Belgium, France and many parts of the UK, including Wales and Cornwall. One can use the filling to make into a gorgeous pie with pastry underneath and on top, or just on top. Either way it is delicious.
No need to re-cook cooked ham
Serves 6-8

A pre-baked 22.5cm tart shell made with
225g shortcrust pastry – made with
175g flour
75g butter
1 egg yolk and a little water

450g white part of leeks, sliced in 1cm thick rings
50g butter
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 eggs or 1 large egg and one egg yolk
300ml single cream
100g rindless streaky raw bacon or ham cut into lardons
75g Gruyère, grated

22.5cm tart tin with removable base.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over a gentle heat. When it foams, add the sliced leeks. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, toss, cover and cook gently until soft and tender but not coloured, about 8-10 minutes. Drain if necessary and allow to cool. Cut the bacon or bacon or ham into 5mm lardons. Heat a little extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add bacon and cook for 5-6 minutes or until slightly golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile whisk the eggs and cream together, stir in the cooled leeks and ham or bacon and most of the cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
Spoon into the pre-baked tart shell, (It will be full to the top). Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top and bake in the pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes or until just set in the centre and golden on top.
Serve warm.

Coconut and Apricot Fingers

Makes 24

110g (4oz) butter
110g (4oz) caster sugar
1 organic egg
flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

275 g (10 oz) apricot jam

Coconut topping
1 organic egg
75g (3oz) coconut
110g (4oz) caster sugar

1 large Swiss roll tin 25 x 38cm (10 x 15in)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas mark 4. Cream the butter, add the caster sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract. Beat well and then stir in the flour. Brush the tin with melted butter. Spread the mixture over the base, then spread the apricot jam evenly over the base. Whisk the egg, then fold in the caster sugar and desiccated coconut.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes. Cool. Cut into fingers.

Awards are two a penny nowadays but it really has to be said, that some are scarcely credible, depending as they do on the number of people you can get to vote for you, by fair means or foul – not a particularly popular thing to say but sadly pretty close to the mark.
There are however, a few exceptions – Awards that really are worth winning. Amongst those are the Irish Food Writers Guild Awards established in 1990. These were one of the first of the kind in the country and remain unique. No one can enter their own company or their product into the awards and so they are unaware that they have been nominated or shortlisted. The Guild is the sole nominating and decision making body and as Georgina Campbell, president of the guild explained, the decisions are arrived at by a PR system and it’s “all incredibly correct”.

Products must be made with Irish produce or the main ingredient must be manufactured in Ireland. The announcement of the 2017 winners was made at a celebratory lunch at Patrick Guilbaud, two star Michelin restaurant in Dublin where head chef Guillaume Lebrun wove the winners products into a special menu with great panache.

This year’s IFWG awards went to a series of artisan producers . In no particular order The Friendly Farmer – Ronan Byrne from Galway who has been producing high quality chickens since 2007 when he identified a strong local demand from chefs and mothers desperate for tasty chicken. He produces 115 Hubbard chickens a week on a grass based system and has developed an onsite abattoir. He also rears, free range pigs, beef, cattle, turkeys, geese and ducks in season. How wonderful would it be to have a Friendly Farmer in every parish in Ireland? He sells direct to his customers through a farm shop in Moycullen and another in Galway. http://thefriendlyfarmer.blogspot.ie/

Smoked Duck from Anthony Cresswell at Ummera Smokehouse near Timoleague won another well-deserved award. A second generation smoker, Anthony is also famous for the quality of this smoked salmon, dry cured bacon, chicken and recently developed picanha a Brazilian style cut of meat. Anthony chooses his raw materials carefully, he favours Silver Hill duck from? for its tenderness, delicate flavour and its generous layer of fat that keeps the hot smoked duck moist – the result, a delicious versatile product, ready to use, that is the combined creation of two exemplary Irish producers.
www.ummera.com

A third award went to Cuinneóg Irish farmhouse country butter and natural buttermilk from Co Mayo. Tom and Sheila Butler started to make this traditional butter in their family kitchen in 2009 and have since won numerous awards. Cuinneóg means ‘churn’ and once again this artisan produce is being made by the next generation – Breda who inherited the skills from her parents. www.cuinneog.com

Another award for Cork, the county that has produced so many superb artisan producers. This time it went to an artisan beverage, Bertha’s Revenge – a highly original craft gin made at Ballyvolane House by old friends, Justin Green and Anthony Jackson.
Bertha’s Revenge is distilled with whey alcohol sourced from the local Carbery dairy plant and the milk of dairy from cows milk produced by Co Cork dairy farmers. The spirit is distilled three times with specially chosen botanicals including coriander, bitter orange, cardamom, cumin and clove as well as some locally foraged plants like alexander seeds, elderflower and sweet woodruff. This truly Irish gin continues the field to fork tradition that has long been at the heart of Ballyvolane House, a former dairy farm turned award winning country house hotel. www.ballyvolanehouse.ie
Mag Kerwin of Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Co Kilkenny is quite a force of nature and she won an IFWG award for her notable contribution to the Irish food and deservedly so. She is a tireless innovator and continues to add to her Eat Trout range of product and to promote Irish food in general. www.goatsbridgetrout.ie
The (brilliant) Little Milk Company were also awarded but more about them in another column. www.littlemilkcompany.ie

Hot Tips

Bake your own Bread and Bring it Home
There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly baked bread wafting out of your OWN oven – one of life’s simple pleasures and it’s sooo easy. On this half day course, a combination of demonstration and hands-on session, you’ll learn how to make several different bread recipes from traditional white and brown soda and multi seed to a really simple brown and white yeast bread technique and super quick scones. After a short demonstration, it’s into the kitchen for a hands-on session to bake your chosen loaves to bring home to share proudly with your family and friends. Friday May 12th2017, www.cookingisfun.ie

East Cork Slow Food Event
Lady Balfour founder of the Soil Association once said “the health of soil, plant, animal and man is one and indivisible”. David Beecher will give a talk on soil, life beneath our feet on Thursday May 11th, 7pm at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Tickets €6/€8. Phone 021 4646785 or www.slowfoodireland.com for further information

Litfest 2017 is ramping up now and Litfest HQ is in its fifth year. The theme for this year’s Litfest is ‘Local Hero, Global Hero’. Join us for two days of foraging walks, lunches; pop up guest chef dinners, panel discussions, free fringe activities and cookery demonstrations. Check out Sunil Ghai’s cookery demonstration at the BCS on Saturday May 20th at 9.30am. Sunil is the leading Indian chef in Ireland, winning an impressive array of awards including FOOD&WINE Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2009. He is currently at the helm of his own Venture at Pickle Restaurant Eating house & Bar on Camden Street in Dublin. Sunil’s food philosophy is inspired by the rich culinary traditions of his homeland, Gwalior in Central India using the very best local, fresh ingredients and the world’s finest spices. For Sunil “each plate is a journey, a delight for the eye and the palette.”

Wrappies – have you discovered these environmentally friendly food wrappers. They do the same as clingfilm except you can wash, dry and reuse them and they’re altogether pretty. They are made from cotton dipped in beeswax tree resin and jojoba oil. So you can feel like you’re saving the planet during day to day tasks like making packed lunches and putting things in the fridge. After use just wash in cool water with some soft soap (not detergent) rinse and hang up to dry. Available from Madeline McKeever, tel: 028 381 84and the Skibbereen Farmers Market.

Salad of Ummera Smoked Silver Hill Duck Breast with Beetroot and Horseradish

Serves 4

4 cooked beetroots cut into small cubes
olive oil
Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Ummera Smoked Silver Hill Duck Breasts, thinly sliced
2 ripe pears, cored and thinly sliced
prepared horseradish sauce, to serve
pistachios, to garnish
micro herbs, to garnish

Dress the cooked cubed beetroot in a little olive oil and Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, place the beetroot on a cold plate and add a few dots of olive oil and vinegar. Neatly arrange the thinly sliced smoked duck and pears on top. Finish with a small quenelle of horseradish sauce and garnish with a few halved pistachios, micro herbs and a little coarsely ground black pepper.

Recipe created for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards 2017 by executive chef Guillaume Lebrun of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2.

Goatsbridge Cold Smoked Trout with Bertha’s Revenge Gin and Tonic Foam and Pickled Ginger

Serves 8

For the tomato jelly
3 leaves of gelatine
500g ripe plum tomatoes
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of caster sugar
dash of Tabasco sauce

For the gin and tonic foam
2 leaves of gelatine
400ml tonic water
0.5g agar agar
100ml Bertha’s Revenge Irish Milk Gin

To assemble
1 large piece of Goatsbridge Cold Smoked Trout, cut into bite-sized pieces
pickled ginger, cut into bite-sized pieces

To make the tomato jelly, soak the leaves of gelatine in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes. Blend the tomatoes in a food processor, then pass through a fine muslin cloth. Season the tomato water with salt, pepper, sugar and Tabasco sauce. Gently warm the tomato water, then add the hydrated gelatine. Leave to set.

To make the gin and tonic foam, soak the leaves of gelatine in a bowl of cold water for about 5 minutes. Boil the tonic water briefly with the agar agar. Remove from the heat and add the hydrated gelatine and the gin. Leave to cool, then place in a cream siphon charged with one carbon dioxide canister.

To assemble, place 1 tablespoon of the tomato jelly in a small cup or shot glass. Add one or two small pieces of smoked trout, then one small piece of pickled ginger. Finish with the gin and tonic foam and serve straight away.

Recipe created for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards 2017 by executive chef Guillaume Lebrun of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2.

Friendly Farmer’s Pasture-Reared Chicken with Lemon Viennoise and Sweet Potato Purée

Serves 4

1 x Friendly Farmer pasture-reared whole small chicken

For the sweet potato purée
rock salt
6 sweet potatoes
100g butter, diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the lemon viennoise
500g fresh white breadcrumbs
400g butter, diced
70g grated Parmesan
2 egg yolks
zest of 3 lemons
pinch of saffron powder

To serve
wilted pak choi
roast red pepper
roast chicken jus

Preheat the oven to 230°C.

Pour a thick layer of rock salt in a baking tray. Scrub the unpeeled sweet potatoes well, then pat them dry and nestle them into the bed of salt. Cover the tray with foil and roast in the oven for about 1 hour, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, split them open and scoop the flesh into a Thermomix or food processor along with the butter and salt and pepper to taste. Blend to a smooth purée and keep warm.

Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.

To make the lemon viennoise, simply mix all the ingredients together in a food processor.

Remove the legs and wishbone from the chicken so that you’re left with just the crown. Stuff the lemon viennoise under the skin, then place the chicken on a large baking tray. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until completely cooked through. Set aside to rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

Serve the carved chicken on top of a spoonful of sweet potato purée. Finish with wilted pak choi and a few small strips of roast red pepper and drizzle with roast chicken jus.

Recipe created for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards 2017 by executive chef Guillaume Lebrun of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2.

Cuinneog Buttermilk Ice Cream with Pear and White Chocolate Café au Lait

Serves 12

For the ice cream
2 litres Cuinneog Buttermilk
450g egg yolks
360g caster sugar
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out

For the pear sorbet
1kg pear purée
360g caster sugar
10ml Poire Williams
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out
100g white chocolate, melted

For the marinated pears
2 ripe pears
100ml freshly brewed espresso, cooled

To serve
chocolate biscuits, crushed

To make the ice cream, bring the milk to the boil in a large saucepan, then immediately remove from the heat. Mix the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla seeds together in a large heatproof bowl. Pour over the scalded milk and whisk to combine. Allow to cool, then churn in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze.

To make the pear sorbet, place the pear purée and all sugar in a large saucepan and bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and add the Poire Williams and vanilla seeds. Allow to cool, then churn most of it (save a little for decorating the finished dish) in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions and freeze.

When the sorbet has frozen solid, break the chocolate into pieces and place in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Scoop the sorbet into 20g balls and dip them in the melted white chocolate, then place back in the freezer until needed.

Peel and core the pears and use a Parisienne scoop to make balls. Pour the cooled espresso in a bowl and add the pears. Allow to marinate for at least a few hours or overnight.

Serve a quenelle of ice cream on a spoonful of crushed chocolate biscuits with balls of the pear sorbet, marinated pears and dots of the remaining pear purée alongside.

Recipe created for the Irish Food Writers’ Guild Food Awards 2017 by executive chef Guillaume Lebrun of Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Upper Merrion Street, Dublin 2.