Such excitement here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School a few weeks ago…a Pop-Up Dinner. On every term, the students choose the theme and plan the entire event from start to finish. A brilliant learning experience for them and quite the eye-opener to understand just how much work goes into pulling off a big event from start to finish. The theme this time was NEW NOSTALGIA – CUMHA NUA, the proceeds go to several charities, including Acquired Brain Injury Ireland.
Weeks of fun, thought, planning, haggling and recipe testing go into the menu that reflects the beautiful seasonal produce from the farm, gardens and local area.
All kinds of hidden talents emerge. They have a free hand to plot and plan, set the scene, decorate the dining room, pick and arrange the flowers, make the cocktails…
The student’s spent days making cheery, bright paper chains and there were yards and yards of gorgeous bunting made by Pam’s Mum.
Others with floristry skills, picked the flowers, made stunning arrangements and arranged a river of beautiful blossoms along the centre of the long tables. They collected green moss from the stone boundary walls which they wrapped around moulded chicken wire. These beautiful ergonomically shaped sculptures were then paced running down the centre of the tables and decorated with flowers, herbs, strawberries and vegetables, all picked on the farm just hours before the dinner.
The work was carefully divided. Several greeted the guests and welcomed them to the gaily decorated galvanise Pavilion with a selection of cocktails.
Silly Goose – apricot cheong, fresh gooseberry juice, lemon verbena ice soda was designed to commemorate a recently hatched gosling who now careers around with the ducks and thinks it’s a duck…!
Blushing BASILMALOE Fizz – strawberry and basil syrup, pomegranate and lime kefir.
And finally CAVA BRUT NATURE, with the option to add apricot cheong or strawberry basil to the bubbles.
Another creative team wandered around with a tantalising selection of cânapés.
Broad Bean Filo Tartlet with Ricotta and Herb Mayo.
Smoked White Fish on Seed Crackers with Pickled New Season Beetroot.
Little Ballymaloe Irish Cheddar Cheese Croquettes were topped with Ballymaloe Tomato Relish, this traditional Ballymaloe cânapé is always a favourite despite they many other creative concoctions.
And finally, Beef Tartare on Homemade Crisps, Cured Egg Yolk and Truffle Oil.
The carefully designed menu was drawn and painstakingly watercoloured by hand.
For weeks, one of our avid breadmaking students experimented with Fougasse bread shaped like fish. She added caramelised onions to add to the homemade butter made from the cream of our little herd of Jersey cows.
Seaweed Focaccia made with dried seaweed from Shanagarry Strand was also served with toasted kombu oil, how exotic does that sound! One of the students designed bandana-style scarves that all the kitchen and front of house teams wore on their heads around their necks.
Guests were a mélange of proud parents and friends of the students from all over the globe and our local community, many of whom come to every Pop-Up Dinner.
Once settled at the long tables, guests tucked into the starter which was a 100 Acre Farm Salad, hand-picked seasonal organic greens, with St. Tola’s goat cheese, honey and bee pollen, the description speaks for itself.
To clear the palette, Elderflower Sorbet, fresh tasting and delicious before Roast Loin of Lamb stuffed with Walnut Parsley Pesto on Butter Bean Mash and there were Roast Aubergines and Charred Courgettes from the greenhouses.
The dessert was simply called Jam on Toast, a strawberry and gooseberry jam filled puff pastry sandwich with toasted brioche ice cream.
Guests were urged to leave space for the petits fours, beautifully served in the Garden Room after dinner.
As if that wasn’t enough, guests each left with a goodie bag of homemade butter and gooseberry jam!
So proud of our students who put such an effort and lots of fun into creating a seasonal feast that reflected the fresh produce from the farm, gardens and local area in mid-summer.
Thank you to the students for sharing the recipes.
100 Acre Farm Salad
Serves 1 as a starter salad
Ingredients
1 round of goat’s cheese (25-30g approx.)
1 nectarine
2 radishes
a selection of leaves of lettuce and salad leaves, watercress, tat soi…
½ carrot
a pinch of bee pollen
10g slivered almonds
1 nasturtium flower
Dressing
extra virgin olive oil
white balsamic vinegar
honey
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Segment the nectarines and quarter the radishes with the stems still on.
Rinse the greens but keeps the leaves whole.
Use a peeler to ribbon the carrots.
To make the dressing.
In a jar, mix the oil, vinegar, honey, sea salt and pepper and shake to mix, set aside.
To Serve
Create a bed of the greens on your serving plate, place the goat cheese and nectarines beside the leaves. Arrange the radish and carrot ribbons on top of the salad leaves. Drizzle the dressing over and top, sprinkle with bee pollen, slivered almonds and nasturtium flower. Serve immediately.
Roast Loin of Lamb Stuffed with Walnut and Parsley Pesto on Butter Bean Mash with Charred Courgette and Roast Aubergine
Serves 4 approx.
Ingredients
lamb loin, 8 chops
freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves of garlic
Walnut and Parsley Pesto
4 tsp walnuts
4 tsp hazelnuts
1 tin Ortiz anchovies (oil and fish)
10 sprigs of parsley, stem and leaves
handful of green carrot tops
3 cloves of garlic
extra virgin olive oil (to loosen the thick paste)
30g Parmesan
Butter Bean Mash (see recipe)
Charred Courgettes (see recipe)
Roast Aubergines (see recipe)
Garnish
fresh mint leaves
Method
Add all pesto ingredients except the Parmesan to a blender and blend to a loose mix with still some texture from the nuts. Fold in the Parmesan and taste. It should be quite punchy; the garlic flavour will mellow in cooking.
To prepare lamb loin, trim the outer fat layer to no more than ½cm. Lay fat side down on a board. Season with freshly ground black pepper then spread the pesto evenly over the meat. Begin rolling so the fat layer will be on the outside. Tie using a butchers knot in five or six positions along the roast and one going the full length of the roast.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.
Heat a rectangular grill pan over medium high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Transfer to a roasting tin/baking dish with the 3 cloves of garlic. The sides of the roasting tin/baking dish at least 2.5cm high and cook in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 140°C/Gas Mark 1 and continue to cook for a further 25-35 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 63-67°C using a meat thermometer.
Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving into 1cm rounds for serving. Transfer the pan juices to a jug to separate the fat (remove the fat from the top), reduce the jus in a pan to intensify the flavour adding a little chicken stock, keep the jus hot until ready to serve.
To Serve
Spoon some butter bean mash on the centre of the plate, top with the charred courgette, roast aubergine with tahini yoghurt and sliced lamb. Drizzle with the jus and garnish with some fresh mint leaves.
Butter Bean Mash
Serves 6
Ingredients
400g soaked butter beans (150g dried and soaked)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
hot water to loosen
Method
Soak the butter beans overnight. Remove the skins either before boiling or after. Boil in half water and half chicken stock until soft but not grainy. Drain and add to a food processor along with the olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whizz to a smooth runny purée adding hot water to loosen. Adjust the seasoning to taste – it should be well seasoned.
Charred Courgettes
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 small yellow/green courgette
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Preheat a grill-pan.
Preheat the oven to 150°C/Gas Mark 2
Cut the courgettes in half lengthways, toss in olive oil. Season with sea salt and freshly pepper then place cut side down on a hot grill-pan. Turn over halfway and finish cooking in the oven for 15-20 minutes. There should still be a little bite (al dente). Serve one courgette half per plate.
Roast Aubergine
1 slice per plate served with lamb (or 3 slices per plate for a vegetarian option)
Ingredients
1 aubergine
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Onion and Flaked Almond Topping
½ onion
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed
1 tsp coriander seeds, toasted and slightly crushed
1 tbsp flaked almonds
pinch of sea salt
To Serve
Tahini Yoghurt (see recipe)
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
lime zest
Method
Preheat the oven to 220°C/Gas Mark 7 (fan).
Cut the top and bottom off the aubergine. Then slice into 2cm thick rounds. Toss in 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp sea salt and 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper. Place on parchment lined baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes until dark golden brown.
While the aubergine is cooking, make the onion and flaked almond topping.
Cut the onion in half then into thin half-moon strips. Put 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in cast iron pan, allow to heat then add the onion, cooking over a medium heat for 8 minutes until soft and dark golden brown. Add the cumin/coriander seed mix, the almonds and a pinch of sea salt, cook for two minutes until the almonds get a golden colour.
To serve, place the aubergine on a plate, top with tahini yoghurt, the onion and almond mix and finally the pomegranate seeds and lime zest.
Tahini Yoghurt
Ingredients
200g yoghurt
2 tbsp tahini
juice of ½ lemon or lime
freshly ground black pepper
Method
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix together, adjust the seasoning to taste.