Tuesday, November 30, 2010
I'm going to be a mum.... I am totally delighted, but the baby is making sure I have the stamina for when it's around. I'm being tested to the limits. Nausea and vomiting are not the best bedfellows for someone working with food! For a couple of weeks I couldn't cook at all. Thankfully I am now back to cooking and on the whole feel better, I just have the odd daily turn.
I assisted on Neven's latest series last month. It will be showing in the new year. We were generously treated to dinner in McNeans not once but twice and all I can say is it should be on everyones to do lists. The food is outstanding. It is very beautifully considered in it's cooking and its plating and top it off there is an element of fun. Combine this with excellent service and the experience is hard to beat.
Monday, October 4, 2010
More birthday cakes.
Nothing like a bit of fruit and cream to bring a touch of luxury.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
The ends of the earth.
My last job involved me travelling to a beautiful if inaccesible part of the world. I was working on a location shoot for another cookery programme, this time for a new chef on the block. The view from where I was chopping/cooking/baking was to die for. I realised the draw-back in living in such an untouched part of the world when I had to pick up grocery supplies and some props, a road trip would be a more accurate description than picking up some bits and pieces. The round trip which did involve almost two hours in the supermarket took 7 hours. I should have brought me a packed lunch. All saying that I'd be back in a flash, the beaches looked amazing, next time I'll organise a bit more time for relaxing.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Bangor, co. Down
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Canapes.
I had the pleasure of providing canapes for an event recently. It's an area of my business that brings me great joy. I think it's designing them in my head and then building them to meet my design, that gets my creativity flowing. It reminds me of my art college days, the design process was something I always loved.
A lovely friend took these shots for me.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Custard Creams.
For my last birthday one of my gifts was a lovely little cookie recipe book, since then I have had great fun testing out the recipes. As you can imagine this goes down with very well with my sweet-toothed other half. Many of the recipes are home-made versions of shop bought classics. I love playing around with them, there is great satisfaction from home making custard creams and chocolate digestives!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
BiBi's.
I went for lunch to BiBi's, a very cute little cafe deep in Dublin 8. As far as I know it's run by two sisters, one half of the venture is a clothes shop the other this cafe. The food is lovely I had a thai-style butternut squash soup and shared a carrot cake for afters. The food was good but I think my favourite thing was the crockery. It's beautiful hand thrown stoneware, even the water beakers are ceramic. I loved the style of the place, the cakes are displayed all higgle-de-pigglety on a counter top, the menu written up on a chalk board. The one thing I couldn't understand is the fact that the outside tables are very close to a line of wheelie bins. With such attention to other detail I found this amazing, I know I am anal about hygiene but in this case I would not be alone. I hope the bins find a new home soon.
Also on my radar was Murphy's Icecream parlour. I had the joy of having some of this icecream when I was down in Dingle a few years ago. They have come to Dublin, the shop is on Wicklow street. I cannot rate their ice cream highly enough. It was fantastic. I loved the flavours they have some really good unusual ones. Check out the burnt caramel, sea salt, brown bread and lots lots more. The staff are amazingly upbeat, offering samples of any of the flavours. I had to restrain myself consoling myself that I'll just have to have a return visit to sample more!
Monday, August 9, 2010
Birthday Cake.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Sushi making lesson.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Beans and Doughnuts!
I've had my eye on Mr Olivers doughnut recipe in his " Cook with Jamie, Cook Book." I made them last week and found them a little lacking in oomph. It got me remembering doughnuts my sister used to make back when we were small. I remember them being so delicious that we couldn't eat them fast enough, almost burning mouths in the rush. I must give credit to my mother who although had no memory of the delicacies herself sought out the recipe in a ancient copybook. I'm glad to report they were as delicious as I remembered and are also dead easy. I did take Jamie up on his idea to serve the doughnuts with a fruit compote to dip into to. I made a rhubarb one and mmm it was good.
MAIRE'S DOUGHNUTS.
8oz SR flour
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt
1oz butter
2oz golden syrup
5fl oz milk
1 egg
Maire's |
Jamie's |
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Sardinia.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Round 2 Macaron.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The fickleness of kids..
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Macarons
They look ok, not quite the shiny smooth finish I was hoping for, and they taste quite nice but what I loved about the lauderee one was it's intial crunch and then it's soft chewy centre, mine was all crunch so it's back to the drawing board with it. The salted caramel was wonderful though, and very easy. I'll post the recipe. Once I perfect the macarons I'll post that recipe too but work is needed before that happens.
Salted Caramel:
200g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod
200g cream
4g maldon sea salt
140g butter, chilled and cubed
Cook the sugar in a heavy bottomed pot, stirring all the time until you get an even caramel. Meanwhile bring the cream up to boiling point. Add the seeds from the vanilla pod to the caramel. Add the cream bit by bit as it will bubble up. Then add the salt. Stir to make sure the caramel is all dissolved. Cool the mixture to approximately 50 c. Blend the butter in gradually with a stick blender, until you get a smooth glossy paste. Cool, then store in the fridge until you need it. Spread on macarons to sandwich two together.
I think this has potential for many uses, it is really delicious. It should store in the fridge fine for a week or two, if it lasts that long of course!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Winding Stair
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
mmm Cakes.
These were some lovely chocolate, almond & amaretto tarts.
I'd been eyeing up the recipe in Allegra Mc Eveedy's book for ages, I made them and some portugese custard tarts, much to my surprise the custard tarts won the favourite prize though it was pretty unanimous that these ones were delicious too, just not quite as delicious. I'll root out the recipe for the portugese tarts and post it soon....
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Edible birthday gifts...
I've been working on some edible birthday present ideas.
I'm pretty happy with my results, I made mini cupcakes, filled them with lemon curd and topped them with proper vanilla buttercream made by beating egg whites in a bain-marie until cooked and then beating in butter. The result was worth the effort. I loved doing the lettering but I'm going to keep quiet on how I did it......
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Cookies.
I’ve been having a bit of fun playing around with some recipes for homemade versions of some classic “ shop bought “ biscuits. My favourites were the custard creams, the inclusion of custard powder lending the biscuits a lovely crispness. Although I do object to using hard vegetable fat, I’m going to try them with all butter.Unfortunately I have no photos of these but I think the jammie dodgers look great as do the iced gems. The high percentage of coloured royal icing of the latter isn’t so good to eat, though maybe age plays a part in my preference..
CUSTARD CREAMS.
175g plain flour
3 tblsp custard powder
1 tsp baking powder
60g unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
60g cookeen, cut into small cubes
3 tblsp icing sugar
1 lrge egg
1 tblsp milk
Pre-heat the oven to 190c.
Sieve the flour, custard powder and baking powder into a bowl, rub in the fats until it has the consistency of sand. ( I do this in a food processor ). Add the sugar and mix. In another bowl beat the egg and milk, pour this onto the flour, and mix well and form into a ball. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 30 mins. Roll out the dough to 3mm thick. Cut the dough into strips 3 cm and then across 4 cm to give rectangles. Bake for 15 mins. Leave to cool.
FILLING.
50g unsalted butter softened
1 tblsp custard powder
100g icing sugar
few drops hot water
Cream butter, sugar and custard powder together until light and fluffy. If the mixture seems stiff add water.
Sandwich 2 biscuits together.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
NY.
Another trip, I'm doing well at the moment, this time I had a few days in New York. This was my second trip there and this time I enjoyed it even more than my first. I had done a little research this time around and was rewarded by eating some fabulous meals. I feel truly inspired. There is a style and panache to the food scene over there that seems truly effortless that I love. I find it hard to describe, It’s part shabby chic part utilitarian, but it is a self-conscious style. It’s all about the details and I suppose that’s why it rocks my boat being an anal details person myself. I’ve taken a snap of the menu in one of my favourites, Marlow & Sons in Brooklyn and then a lucky fortune fish that each guest receives in The Mermaid CafĂ© in the East Village. The food combinations were simple but quite new to me for example I had lamb 3 ways, a chop, some braised shoulder and some merguez sausage so far not too wild but it was served with a lovely creamed polenta that just brought it all together in a lovely smooth silky way. Another I loved was skate with black butter and capers, also nothing new there but it then it was served with a roasted cauliflower puree which had the most lovely deep nutty flavour and colour. Divine.
Asides from eating we did take in a few NY sights. I made it to the Guggenheim, a building I’ve been inspired by for quite some time. The Art was good but the building for me was by far the star. The lines of the architecture with the smoothness of the finish and unusually shaped rooms are such a delight. Another favourite venue was the High Line. This is an elevated park, it’s a converted disused railway line. They are still extending the conversion so it has a bit of the feel of Gaudi’s sagrada famillia. The style of the park is very zen, lots of wild but not really wild grasses and plants, it has concrete walkways the slabs in shapes evoking the old railway lines, lots of clever benches and sun recliners. I recommend to anyone to go and have a look. It’s there or thereabouts W 14th street accessible by lift or steps from most of the cross streets. A few days is not even scratching the surface of the city. I do feel the familiar desire to spend longer possibly working for a time there but that is something I have done regularly in my past and now I think I’m happier here in my settledness as long as I can keep having forays into the distance. I imagine I’ll keep going back to visit for a long time yet. I don’t usually revisit places too often but this is different.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Skiing.
Just back from a week skiing in Austria.
I'm just past being a beginner. I've been once before but that was a bit of a disaster. My mission this time around was just to improve and I'm pleased to say I managed that. In fact I'm still not very elegant but I got over alot of fears and am happy enough to go off into the unknown as long as I don't have to do any black runs ! We were incredibly lucky with the weather, there were two stunningly sunny days and then a few with snow falling. I find snow so magical I loved it even though it was so so cold. My face was entirely numb for one of the days.
Not much to write about the food. Up on the mountain it's purely fuel. Back in the village, at least it wasn't all cheese.
Check out the lovely Aldi ski suit. It's a little beyond me but it attracted sizeable attention from the locals... Must be the pink trim making them blink excessively..
Friday, February 5, 2010
I love a proper bakery and there are so few around any more that I feel the need to alert people to the good ones. I just hate crap bread, we all know that fluffy, not-cooked properly stuff.
I have a few favourite haunts but always have room for a few more. I drove by this place last week and had time today to go and investigate a bit more closely. It's called the Corner bakery and it's in Terenure. It's a lovely little place lined with loaves of bread with character and lots of baked things. I bought two gnarly ( I mean that as a compliment ) bagettes, carried them home under my arm feeling very french. I devoured almost the whole of one of these beauties, the texture was dense and delightfully chewy, I'll definately be back for more.
The corner bakery is 17 Terenure Road North, D 6
INTRO
I’ve thought about blogging for some time now and have decided in 2010 it’s time to take the plunge, feet first…
Can seasoned bloggers please forgive the newbie for any unintentional guffs, faux pauxs or any abuses of the system. I’ll get the hang of it.
My hopes and dreams are that this will be an amusing commentary on food affairs , life in general and also an archive of my researchings….!
To give some background I am self-employed in the catering trade. My job has many facets, I cater for all occasions, I teach cookery lessons, I chef for cook books and cookery shows among other bits and pieces.There’s hardly ever a dull moment..although as a contractor the flip side of that is the constant angst of “where the next job is coming from” I’ve learnt, or more honestly am learning, to ride the waves and there is the thrill of potential job mana around every corner.. For example working on the TV shows this year was an unexpected delight and with a bit of luck I may do a few more.
I spend a good bit of my time trawling around our various food outlets for ingredients both exotic and familiar and hope I might be able to direct some foodies to sought after items.
When not cruising around the shops or on a job I’m often to be found testing recipes and ingredients, I nearly always have a back log of new cook books and clippings of things to try. At the moment top of the list is some Butterscotch cream pots from a blog I follow. Mmmm or as my sister would say Nnyummy. So I can filter through some recipes and offer some short cuts.