Christmas Starters
Christmas dinner is for most of us the most important meal of the year but remarkably few people bother with a starter other than the obvious such as melon or smoked salmon.
Here are 5 fairly easy starters. All work with sparkling wine – Champagne if you can afford it (my current favourites are: Laurent Perrier Rosé, Pol Roger White Foil and Louis Roderer Non Vintage). Serve Cava, Aussie Sparkling or Prosecco if you are on a budget.
Scallops and Artichoke Hearts
First source a jar of artichoke hearts in oil from a good deli and some good scallops from a fish monger. Briefly fry the scallops (4-6 per person) in butter until carmelised on the outside but still uncooked in the centre. Arrange in the centre of a plate and surround with artichoke hearts.
Foie Gras
No better luxury starter. Buy a jar of foie gras entier from Mortons in Ranelagh, Terroirs in Donnybrook or your favourite high end deli. Spread on triangles of toast or brioche and devour.
Grilled Buttered Oysters
2-4 Oysters per person. Open the oysters and discard the top shell. Loosen each oyster in the shell and leave about 1 teaspoon of juice. On each oyster place one teaspoon of cream followed by one teaspoon of grated parmesan or cheddar. Drizzle with melted butter and grill for 3-5 minutes until sizzling.
Marinated Tuna Cubes
200g of Fresh Tuna, trimmed, cubed and marinated overnight (or as long as possible) in 50ml soy sauce, 20ml sake (or dry sherry or vodka), 20ml rice vinegar, half a teaspoon of minced ginger, juice of half a lime, squirt of wasabi paste. Toss the cubes in the marinade and leave in the fridge. Thread the cubes on wooden skewers and sprinkle with more soy sauce.
Smoked Salmon and Shallot Quiche (adapted from Sophie Grigson)
Pastry: (bought short crust can be used)
200g plain flour
100g butter
1 small egg.
Filling:
100g shallots, sliced
30g butter
3 medium egg yolks
225ml Crème Fraîche (1 tub)
1tbs chopped dill
Finely grated zest of 1 large or 2 small organic lemons
Salt and Pepper
100g Smoked Salmon cut in strips
Pastry: Whiz the flour and chilled butter in a food processor for 15 seconds and add the egg. Continue to blend for around 40 seconds until the pastry has formed a ball. Remove, wrap in cling film and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
Pre heat the oven to Gas 6, 200C. Line a greased 8 inch tart tin with the pastry, prick all over with a fork, cover with tinfoil and weight down with old beans or rice. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, remove the tinfoil and beans/rice and replace in the oven for a further 5 minutes to allow the pastry to dry. Allow to cool until lukewarm. Turn the oven down to Gas 4, 180C.
Gently sauté the shallots in the butter until soft and translucent. Beat the egg yolks with the crème fraîche, dill, zest and salt and pepper. Spread the shallots and smoked salmon around the pastry base, pour on the cream, egg, dill mixture and bake in the oven at Gas 4, 180C for around 35 minutes until the quiche has set. Serve hot or lukewarm as preferred.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The following appeared in Monday's Evening Herald and the dishes below were shown (and eaten!) on TV3's Midday show on Tuesday 9th Dec. 2008. The Herald Article can be viewed here:
http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/christmas/homemade-gifts-get-cookin-1567259.html
Nothing demonstrates love like a well chosen gift, and a gift you have made yourself with time and care, will demonstrate this far better than any amount of money in an envelope or a voucher from Argos.
A charity goat present from Bóthar is indeed a worthy gift to give, but is often a little bit of a let down for the recipient – something easily softened by a box of home made chocolate truffles.
The gifts suggested below are mostly inexpensive to make, but could never be called cheap. The bowls, jars and bottles are re-cycled from my garage or from charity shops, and the ribbons, cloth and crepe paper were found in the house or bought from Euro shops. If do not keep empty jars, ask your mum as I'll bet she does.
Chicken Liver Pâté
Pâté seems to evoke Christmas and this is a good solid flavoured one to be spread liberally on toasted crusty bread. Small ramekins of pâté covered with melted butter and decorated with some herbs make an atttractive present. The bowls in the picture were bought for small change in charity shops and in Dunnes Stores.
500g Chicken Livers, trimmed of any green or stringy bits
1 large shallot, finely chopped
100g Butter
2 tbs Brandy, Port (or both)
Pinch Allspice, Cinnamon or Mixed Spice
Salt and Pepper
Pink Peppercorns (for decoration)
Melt 50g of butter in a pan and cook the shallot until translucent. Add the livers and sauté until they have changed colour and are firm to the touch (ideally they should still be a little pink inside). Add to a food processor with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, the spices and the brandy/port. Blend until smooth and using a spatula scrape into ramekins. Once cool, melt some butter and pour over the pâté, add some herbs and pink peppercorns before the butter has set.
Country Pâté
This recipe also works as a large terrine. Star Anise can be found in ethnic shops and is well worth seeking out. The butchers on Moore St. are the easiest place to source pork belly and chicken livers.
300g Onions, finely chopped
500g Pork Steak (or Chicken thighs)
1kg Pork Belly, boned and skinned
500g Chicken Liver (trimmed of green and stringy bits)
4 large Eggs
2tbs Salt, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Allspice, Cinnamon (as much as you dare).
Heat Oven to 180 C. Fry the onions in a little butter until they are soft and add to a large mixing bowl. Cut the meat into chunks, removing any bones or hard fat from the belly (the soft fat is essential to the taste of the pâté). Blend the meat in batches in a food processor (or better still with a hand mincer) and use the eggs to assist in getting a smooth paste. Add the seasoning to a pestle and mortar and crush thoroughly (or omit the star anise and use extra allspice) and add to the bowl. Stir the pâté mix well and fry a teaspoon to check the seasoning. Spoon into earthenware bowls or dishes and cover with tinfoil. Place each in a large baking tray and fill with water so that the water comes half-way up the dishes. Bake in the oven for two hours at 180 C, checking the water levels occasionally. Once out of the oven place a weight on top of each dish (e.g. a tin of beans) and allow the pâté to cool. If the pâté has come away from the side of the dishes push with your fingers so that all gaps are filled. Melt some butter and pour over each dish and decorate with herbs and pepper corns. Wrapped in clingfilm this will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Chocolate Truffles
The finer the chocolate, the finer the taste of the truffles. Search in your cupboards and you are bound to find an old gift box which you can cover in gold paper, line with tissue paper and tie with a festive bow.
400g Chocolate (min 55% Cocoa)
225ml Cream
2 tbs of Brandy, Whiskey, Rum, Grand Marnier, Very Strong Coffee etc.
Cocoa Powder, Chocolate Sprinkles, Finely Chopped Nuts.
Place a glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water to make a bain marie. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl with the cream, brandy/whiskey and stir until the mix is completely smooth. Scrape into a clean chilled bowl to speed the cooling process and once cool, chill for at least an hour in the fridge. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into small balls and then roll in cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles or nuts. The truffles will keep fresh for at least a couple of weeks but it is doubtful they will last that long.
.
40 Day Olives
This recipe can be found in Kevin Gould's bonkers but excellent cookery book Loving and Cooking With Reckless Abandon. All olives are improved by this preservation method but you must use un-dyed olives with their stones intact. They are best after 40 days but taste pretty damn good after seven. Asian shops are a good bet if you want to save some money on olives. The better oil, the better result - Don Carlos or Aldi Extra Virgin both work well. Once the olives are eaten save the oil for salads or dips.
Quantity of Black and Green un-stoned Olives
1 lemon
1 bunch of Fresh Mint
Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Jam as many olives into a clean jar as will fit. Pour on boiling water and leave the olives to swell for 10 minutes. Pour off the water and push in some mint leaves and thin slices of lemon. Top with olive oil, seal and leave to sit in a cool place (not the fridge) for 40 days.
Lemonade
This lemonade (or lemon cordial) is very refreshing and a good alternative for designated drivers. When giving this as a present I bottle it in old Oil or Grolsch bottles. This is an old family recipe from an Aunt in Youghal and once opened will keep in the fridge for a couple of months.
3 Large Lemons, Juice and Rind
3 Pints of Water
3 lb Sugar
2 oz Citric Acid (buy or order from your local pharmacy)
Heat the water and sugar until dissolved. Grate in the zest from three lemons, then squeeze in the juice, followed by the citric acid. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Strain into sterilized bottles and store in a cool place. Dilute with sparkling or still water.
Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons are a crucial ingredient of Middle Eastern and North African Cookery. Any Claudia Roden cookery book will have lots of recipes. Use them chopped when marinating lamb – particularly for the Barbecue – use in Lamb Stews, Tagines, with Cous Cous, Bulgar Wheat and with fish. Roast some courgettes, peppers and root veg in the oven with olive oil and mix in a chopped preserved lemon to literally taste the Mediterranean. You need to preserve the lemons unopened for at least 30 days but they keep for a year or two once opened.
Lemons (small ones work best)
Crystallized Sea Salt (Sel de Guerande if you can find it)
Large Jam Jars
Unless you are using organic give each lemon a good scrub to remove the wax. Cut each lemon in four but not all the way through. Open out and sprinkle in lots of sea salt and push into a large sterilized jar.– feel free to cut some in half to help you fill gaps. After one week, top up the jar with lemon juice and leave for a further three weeks. After one month the skin should have softened considerably and there should be little acid taste.
Cranberry Sauce
The sharp tang of cranberry sauce will lift the flavour of bland turkey like no other condiment. Most commercial jars of Cranberry sauce taste like strawberry jam and thus miss the point. Feel free to scale this recipe up or down- the quantity below will fill 3-4 small jars.
700g Cranberries
100ml Water (or water and fresh squeezed Orange Juice)
150g Sugar (or more if you wish)
Dash of Port, Grand Marnier, Brandy or Kirsch (optional)
Dissolve the sugar in the water, add the cranberries and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop and soften. Stir in the alcohol and add more sugar if required. Spoon into sterilized jars.
Mango and Apricot Chutney
This fruity, sour-sweet chutney keeps for months and works as well with a toasted sandwich or boiled bacon as it does with Indian food. The chutney keeps for a couple of years so I recommend making a large quantity. The recipe below makes approx. 2.5 litres but feel free to halve the quantities.
3 Fresh Mangos, peeled and cut in chunks
500g Dried Apricots
1750g Cooking Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
300g Sultanas
10 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and mashed
100g Ginger, peeled and grated
1kg Sugar
900ml White Wine Vinegar
4tsp Salt
1 tsp Chilli Powder (or more if you like heat)
Combine all the ingredients in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium and cook vigorously for 60-90 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir more frequently as the apples melt and the chutney thickens. When a spoonful on a cool saucer will set easily, the chutney is cooked. Allow to cool a little, then spoon into sterilized jars.
http://www.herald.ie/lifestyle/christmas/homemade-gifts-get-cookin-1567259.html
Nothing demonstrates love like a well chosen gift, and a gift you have made yourself with time and care, will demonstrate this far better than any amount of money in an envelope or a voucher from Argos.
A charity goat present from Bóthar is indeed a worthy gift to give, but is often a little bit of a let down for the recipient – something easily softened by a box of home made chocolate truffles.
The gifts suggested below are mostly inexpensive to make, but could never be called cheap. The bowls, jars and bottles are re-cycled from my garage or from charity shops, and the ribbons, cloth and crepe paper were found in the house or bought from Euro shops. If do not keep empty jars, ask your mum as I'll bet she does.
Chicken Liver Pâté
Pâté seems to evoke Christmas and this is a good solid flavoured one to be spread liberally on toasted crusty bread. Small ramekins of pâté covered with melted butter and decorated with some herbs make an atttractive present. The bowls in the picture were bought for small change in charity shops and in Dunnes Stores.
500g Chicken Livers, trimmed of any green or stringy bits
1 large shallot, finely chopped
100g Butter
2 tbs Brandy, Port (or both)
Pinch Allspice, Cinnamon or Mixed Spice
Salt and Pepper
Pink Peppercorns (for decoration)
Melt 50g of butter in a pan and cook the shallot until translucent. Add the livers and sauté until they have changed colour and are firm to the touch (ideally they should still be a little pink inside). Add to a food processor with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper, the spices and the brandy/port. Blend until smooth and using a spatula scrape into ramekins. Once cool, melt some butter and pour over the pâté, add some herbs and pink peppercorns before the butter has set.
Country Pâté
This recipe also works as a large terrine. Star Anise can be found in ethnic shops and is well worth seeking out. The butchers on Moore St. are the easiest place to source pork belly and chicken livers.
300g Onions, finely chopped
500g Pork Steak (or Chicken thighs)
1kg Pork Belly, boned and skinned
500g Chicken Liver (trimmed of green and stringy bits)
4 large Eggs
2tbs Salt, Black Pepper, Star Anise, Allspice, Cinnamon (as much as you dare).
Heat Oven to 180 C. Fry the onions in a little butter until they are soft and add to a large mixing bowl. Cut the meat into chunks, removing any bones or hard fat from the belly (the soft fat is essential to the taste of the pâté). Blend the meat in batches in a food processor (or better still with a hand mincer) and use the eggs to assist in getting a smooth paste. Add the seasoning to a pestle and mortar and crush thoroughly (or omit the star anise and use extra allspice) and add to the bowl. Stir the pâté mix well and fry a teaspoon to check the seasoning. Spoon into earthenware bowls or dishes and cover with tinfoil. Place each in a large baking tray and fill with water so that the water comes half-way up the dishes. Bake in the oven for two hours at 180 C, checking the water levels occasionally. Once out of the oven place a weight on top of each dish (e.g. a tin of beans) and allow the pâté to cool. If the pâté has come away from the side of the dishes push with your fingers so that all gaps are filled. Melt some butter and pour over each dish and decorate with herbs and pepper corns. Wrapped in clingfilm this will keep for up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Chocolate Truffles
The finer the chocolate, the finer the taste of the truffles. Search in your cupboards and you are bound to find an old gift box which you can cover in gold paper, line with tissue paper and tie with a festive bow.
400g Chocolate (min 55% Cocoa)
225ml Cream
2 tbs of Brandy, Whiskey, Rum, Grand Marnier, Very Strong Coffee etc.
Cocoa Powder, Chocolate Sprinkles, Finely Chopped Nuts.
Place a glass bowl over a pot of gently simmering water to make a bain marie. Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the bowl with the cream, brandy/whiskey and stir until the mix is completely smooth. Scrape into a clean chilled bowl to speed the cooling process and once cool, chill for at least an hour in the fridge. Roll teaspoons of the mixture into small balls and then roll in cocoa powder or chocolate sprinkles or nuts. The truffles will keep fresh for at least a couple of weeks but it is doubtful they will last that long.
.
40 Day Olives
This recipe can be found in Kevin Gould's bonkers but excellent cookery book Loving and Cooking With Reckless Abandon. All olives are improved by this preservation method but you must use un-dyed olives with their stones intact. They are best after 40 days but taste pretty damn good after seven. Asian shops are a good bet if you want to save some money on olives. The better oil, the better result - Don Carlos or Aldi Extra Virgin both work well. Once the olives are eaten save the oil for salads or dips.
Quantity of Black and Green un-stoned Olives
1 lemon
1 bunch of Fresh Mint
Good Quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Jam as many olives into a clean jar as will fit. Pour on boiling water and leave the olives to swell for 10 minutes. Pour off the water and push in some mint leaves and thin slices of lemon. Top with olive oil, seal and leave to sit in a cool place (not the fridge) for 40 days.
Lemonade
This lemonade (or lemon cordial) is very refreshing and a good alternative for designated drivers. When giving this as a present I bottle it in old Oil or Grolsch bottles. This is an old family recipe from an Aunt in Youghal and once opened will keep in the fridge for a couple of months.
3 Large Lemons, Juice and Rind
3 Pints of Water
3 lb Sugar
2 oz Citric Acid (buy or order from your local pharmacy)
Heat the water and sugar until dissolved. Grate in the zest from three lemons, then squeeze in the juice, followed by the citric acid. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Strain into sterilized bottles and store in a cool place. Dilute with sparkling or still water.
Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons are a crucial ingredient of Middle Eastern and North African Cookery. Any Claudia Roden cookery book will have lots of recipes. Use them chopped when marinating lamb – particularly for the Barbecue – use in Lamb Stews, Tagines, with Cous Cous, Bulgar Wheat and with fish. Roast some courgettes, peppers and root veg in the oven with olive oil and mix in a chopped preserved lemon to literally taste the Mediterranean. You need to preserve the lemons unopened for at least 30 days but they keep for a year or two once opened.
Lemons (small ones work best)
Crystallized Sea Salt (Sel de Guerande if you can find it)
Large Jam Jars
Unless you are using organic give each lemon a good scrub to remove the wax. Cut each lemon in four but not all the way through. Open out and sprinkle in lots of sea salt and push into a large sterilized jar.– feel free to cut some in half to help you fill gaps. After one week, top up the jar with lemon juice and leave for a further three weeks. After one month the skin should have softened considerably and there should be little acid taste.
Cranberry Sauce
The sharp tang of cranberry sauce will lift the flavour of bland turkey like no other condiment. Most commercial jars of Cranberry sauce taste like strawberry jam and thus miss the point. Feel free to scale this recipe up or down- the quantity below will fill 3-4 small jars.
700g Cranberries
100ml Water (or water and fresh squeezed Orange Juice)
150g Sugar (or more if you wish)
Dash of Port, Grand Marnier, Brandy or Kirsch (optional)
Dissolve the sugar in the water, add the cranberries and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries pop and soften. Stir in the alcohol and add more sugar if required. Spoon into sterilized jars.
Mango and Apricot Chutney
This fruity, sour-sweet chutney keeps for months and works as well with a toasted sandwich or boiled bacon as it does with Indian food. The chutney keeps for a couple of years so I recommend making a large quantity. The recipe below makes approx. 2.5 litres but feel free to halve the quantities.
3 Fresh Mangos, peeled and cut in chunks
500g Dried Apricots
1750g Cooking Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
300g Sultanas
10 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and mashed
100g Ginger, peeled and grated
1kg Sugar
900ml White Wine Vinegar
4tsp Salt
1 tsp Chilli Powder (or more if you like heat)
Combine all the ingredients in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil. Turn heat to medium and cook vigorously for 60-90 minutes, stirring regularly. Stir more frequently as the apples melt and the chutney thickens. When a spoonful on a cool saucer will set easily, the chutney is cooked. Allow to cool a little, then spoon into sterilized jars.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Terenure - Goldwater Deli, Corner Bakery, Base Pizza
Goldwater our new deli on Terenure Rd. North from the same folk as the Corner Bakery a few doors up. expensive rice and pastas if you want them but also great value to be had from top notch veg - whatever takes his fancy from Romanesco, to fab rocket to big sweet knobly tomatoes to avocados for 60c each. it is not a fruit and veg shop but he likes to have a few unusual things. suppled from the same guys that supply chapter one (forget the name). cheese - sometimes fab value - last week I bought about 6 st. marcelin cheeses for a euro each. currently munching my way through a sandwich made with fab camembert for 2 euro. I needed vanilla and they had 2 good madascar ones for about 2.75 (later I saw them for 5.99 for 2 in Tesco). Cheese is coming direct from a supplier in Paris as irish wholesalers were far too expensive he told me. Not all is good as he had a comte recently which was great value but far too young. It wasnt unpleasant it just didnt taste like comte - having said that, I put some chilli jam on the roll I made from it and all was fine. I bought a big lump of parma ham for 20 euro (good price for the size) to use in my Lidl slicer, good chorizo and other meats. They have lots of unusual things also like chocolate sardines, quality unusual crisps and tortilla chips, lemonades and root beer and cherry cola etc.
Bread from their bakery is still excellent. they charge 1.95 for a v. good stick made from french stone ground flour - excellent crust and aeration etc.not paris prices (where you would pay 1.10 at most) but still affordable. This stick is now down to one euro for a week or two to encourage new customers. The new Craft Bakery in Rathmines opposite tesco looks good from the outside but 2.65 for a stick of bread is just too much in my view. Not been yet. it looks like a franchise but cant find info about them. design of the shop and log etc. looks far too professional to be a home grown industry. I promise to check them out soon.
Also in Terenure is a new wood fired pizza place run by two young guys called Base in the old bakery opposite Downeys. Takeaway only - open 3 weeks this weekend. Excellent pizza but not cheap - 13.65 for a c.13 inch margarita. I have had good chats with them as I was interested in the wood they use (Ash) and the size of the oven (huge) whcih they shipped in from Los Angeles. All in contrast with my little oven in the garden! (see attached pic).
The are very very busy at the weekends - quality will out and they are way better than Little Caesers and Marios (who have similar prices for takeaway) - both nearby on the same side as downeys at the corner. Our regular pizza place was Bellagio but they are doing a major refurbishment at the moment (a standard italian restaurant near the car park in terenure with fantastic pizzas - margharita for 7 euro, pizza vesuvio for 9 euro! - thin crispy base and good sauce. two levels better than the ones in cafe bar deli according to Grellan and I agree). Anyway I wish Base well but wont be going every week. they have a fab plan to bring in a (proper, highly qualified) baker once they close at 11.30 and then they would sell bread in the morning - making use of the space during the day. sounds like a great idea. 5 years ago when we moved to terenure there was virtually nowhere to buy decent food (the two over priced but good quality organic butchers apart).
Bread from their bakery is still excellent. they charge 1.95 for a v. good stick made from french stone ground flour - excellent crust and aeration etc.not paris prices (where you would pay 1.10 at most) but still affordable. This stick is now down to one euro for a week or two to encourage new customers. The new Craft Bakery in Rathmines opposite tesco looks good from the outside but 2.65 for a stick of bread is just too much in my view. Not been yet. it looks like a franchise but cant find info about them. design of the shop and log etc. looks far too professional to be a home grown industry. I promise to check them out soon.
Also in Terenure is a new wood fired pizza place run by two young guys called Base in the old bakery opposite Downeys. Takeaway only - open 3 weeks this weekend. Excellent pizza but not cheap - 13.65 for a c.13 inch margarita. I have had good chats with them as I was interested in the wood they use (Ash) and the size of the oven (huge) whcih they shipped in from Los Angeles. All in contrast with my little oven in the garden! (see attached pic).
The are very very busy at the weekends - quality will out and they are way better than Little Caesers and Marios (who have similar prices for takeaway) - both nearby on the same side as downeys at the corner. Our regular pizza place was Bellagio but they are doing a major refurbishment at the moment (a standard italian restaurant near the car park in terenure with fantastic pizzas - margharita for 7 euro, pizza vesuvio for 9 euro! - thin crispy base and good sauce. two levels better than the ones in cafe bar deli according to Grellan and I agree). Anyway I wish Base well but wont be going every week. they have a fab plan to bring in a (proper, highly qualified) baker once they close at 11.30 and then they would sell bread in the morning - making use of the space during the day. sounds like a great idea. 5 years ago when we moved to terenure there was virtually nowhere to buy decent food (the two over priced but good quality organic butchers apart).
shebeen chic
contrary to a couple of reports I have heard - 4 of us had a fab dinner in Sheebeen Chic on Sat. lovely staff (something the seem to be quite good at finding in that group) and a good buzzy atmosphere.
Two saucepans of plump mussels for 9 euro per saucepan. Mains - a solid irish stew - oddly served with mashed potatoes (rather undercutting the one pot tradition of the dish) but after initial confusion it was concluded this was a very good thing as mash swimming in good gravy/stew is always a good thing. My rib eye steak was ordered blue and came exactly that. I had expected a thin steak but it was a good inch thick and six inches long (23 euro) - given the thick steak, blue was a bit extreme - I like the contrast between caramalised outside and raw interior and it doesnt work quite as well with a thick steak. Tender beef with good flavours and fine crispy chips and tasty gravy - so despite a little more raw meat than i am used to this was some of the best steak and chips I have had in a long while.
Solid Confit de canard and falling off the bone pork hock for the two other mains. Next a bowl of ice cream - mint, chocolate, pistachio, vanilla. all good and all for me. we all had espressos and all were perfect. Ernie whalley (a coffee obsessive that roasts his own beans and has a professional coffee maker designed for a cafe in his house) reckons this is about as good a coffee available in the city at the moment. For wine we had an albarino (not so cheap at 27) and a good red from cotes de rousillion (I think - 4 excellent pints in the porterhouse did not help my concentration!). So a v. good meal for 40 euro per head including tip.
Good to see that jay bourke was eating there also with a six or seven friends and later I bumped into another friend who runs their ranelagh cafe bar deli branch who was out all glammed up for the night with her boyfriend. good sign to see staff choosing to eat there I thought.
Two saucepans of plump mussels for 9 euro per saucepan. Mains - a solid irish stew - oddly served with mashed potatoes (rather undercutting the one pot tradition of the dish) but after initial confusion it was concluded this was a very good thing as mash swimming in good gravy/stew is always a good thing. My rib eye steak was ordered blue and came exactly that. I had expected a thin steak but it was a good inch thick and six inches long (23 euro) - given the thick steak, blue was a bit extreme - I like the contrast between caramalised outside and raw interior and it doesnt work quite as well with a thick steak. Tender beef with good flavours and fine crispy chips and tasty gravy - so despite a little more raw meat than i am used to this was some of the best steak and chips I have had in a long while.
Solid Confit de canard and falling off the bone pork hock for the two other mains. Next a bowl of ice cream - mint, chocolate, pistachio, vanilla. all good and all for me. we all had espressos and all were perfect. Ernie whalley (a coffee obsessive that roasts his own beans and has a professional coffee maker designed for a cafe in his house) reckons this is about as good a coffee available in the city at the moment. For wine we had an albarino (not so cheap at 27) and a good red from cotes de rousillion (I think - 4 excellent pints in the porterhouse did not help my concentration!). So a v. good meal for 40 euro per head including tip.
Good to see that jay bourke was eating there also with a six or seven friends and later I bumped into another friend who runs their ranelagh cafe bar deli branch who was out all glammed up for the night with her boyfriend. good sign to see staff choosing to eat there I thought.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
One Pico, Dublin
old fashioned virtues abounded with pleasant efficient staff who managed to arrive just as you were running out of (tap) water to re-fill your glass. prices are fantastic for lunch - €19.95 for 3 large courses - 2 courses for €18.
First thing we were offered was bread - a choice of walnut, brown with seeds, apricot and curry, white, parmesan and raisen and hazelnut. All breads were warm and crusty with good aeration for the whites and proper nutty earthy brown with seeds. They offered bread when we sat and then returned to offer it with the starter so we sampled all six breads and the parmesan twice.
For our wine by the glass I ordered Languedoc Picpoul de Pinet for 6.50 which was light, crisp and fragrant - possibly a little light for the foie but perfect with the fish. C had a glass of Barbera d'Asti for 7.50 which was perfect with her ham and good enough with her fish.
For starter C ordered the ham hock terrine with mustard and tarragon mayonnaise which was very meaty and solid and wrapped in savoy cabbage. a good thick 12-15mm slice of very tasty terrine - not subtle but ham hock should never be subtle in my view - an added bonus was some lovely delicate girolles tasting of anise and of themselves. these are usually a chewy mushroom but he managed to get them delicate and almost melt in the mouth.
I ordered the Foie Gras parfait, pear and vanilla puree, brioche toast. 2 slices of perfect brioche, again a 12-15mm thick slice of parfait - half this size would have been more than generous. The parfait was perfectly smooth and light while also rich with lots of foie gras flavour. The pear puree and tiny cubes of pear were perfect - not too sweet but enough to counter the fat of the foie.
For main we both ordered fish - C had the hake, butter roasted spices, peking duck, puy lentils. the duck was little pieces of crispy duck dotted around the fish. Fish was still nice and flaky but with a perfectly crisp skin (which I ate most of) - wish I had a grill that good. the hake was light and the duck and sauce added asian touches but not in an intrusive way.
I ordered the Sea Bream, Black Bacon, Vermouth, Peas and Broad Beans. The bacon was very meaty and worked with the slight oiliness of the sea bream. The broad beans, peas and pea shoots worked well but perhaps the vermouth and fish stock sauce was a little heavy for the fish. still a very good dish however.
For dessert C had white chocolate mousse with blackberry doughnut - the white cohocolate mousse was light and tasted of good quality white chocolate and came with a perfect blackberry filled doughnut the size of a golf ball plus a blackberry sorbet with a blackcurrant sauce. C. never orders dessert and is fairly devoid of a sweet tooth but this was too tempting and she practically licked her plate.
I had a double espresso - lots of crema, properly made, with 6 truffles - all perfect. little white chocolate with pistaccio and dried fruit, coffee flavoured truffle, praline square, chocolate fondant truffle and a little shot glass of chocolate mousse.
We ordered one extra espresso for C, tipped 10 euro and got out for 67 euro. Best value lunch I have had since l'ecrivain used to have a 13.50 menu in around 1991!
Staff were smily, cleaned crumbs, folded napkins (when I went to the loo twice to write notes!), watched our water glasses, didnt try to sell us extra drinks, water or food, a very pleasant experience. Dining room was virtually full (just one empty table. Turlough O'Sullivan of IBEC was there with a colleague, Noel Whelan the political pundit and Ursula Halligan TV3's pol corr were having a casual lunch also - this was all I could recognise but some others there looked important too but no one was there for the pretension, simply for a top notch quality inexpensive lunch in a setting where you are well looked after.
First thing we were offered was bread - a choice of walnut, brown with seeds, apricot and curry, white, parmesan and raisen and hazelnut. All breads were warm and crusty with good aeration for the whites and proper nutty earthy brown with seeds. They offered bread when we sat and then returned to offer it with the starter so we sampled all six breads and the parmesan twice.
For our wine by the glass I ordered Languedoc Picpoul de Pinet for 6.50 which was light, crisp and fragrant - possibly a little light for the foie but perfect with the fish. C had a glass of Barbera d'Asti for 7.50 which was perfect with her ham and good enough with her fish.
For starter C ordered the ham hock terrine with mustard and tarragon mayonnaise which was very meaty and solid and wrapped in savoy cabbage. a good thick 12-15mm slice of very tasty terrine - not subtle but ham hock should never be subtle in my view - an added bonus was some lovely delicate girolles tasting of anise and of themselves. these are usually a chewy mushroom but he managed to get them delicate and almost melt in the mouth.
I ordered the Foie Gras parfait, pear and vanilla puree, brioche toast. 2 slices of perfect brioche, again a 12-15mm thick slice of parfait - half this size would have been more than generous. The parfait was perfectly smooth and light while also rich with lots of foie gras flavour. The pear puree and tiny cubes of pear were perfect - not too sweet but enough to counter the fat of the foie.
For main we both ordered fish - C had the hake, butter roasted spices, peking duck, puy lentils. the duck was little pieces of crispy duck dotted around the fish. Fish was still nice and flaky but with a perfectly crisp skin (which I ate most of) - wish I had a grill that good. the hake was light and the duck and sauce added asian touches but not in an intrusive way.
I ordered the Sea Bream, Black Bacon, Vermouth, Peas and Broad Beans. The bacon was very meaty and worked with the slight oiliness of the sea bream. The broad beans, peas and pea shoots worked well but perhaps the vermouth and fish stock sauce was a little heavy for the fish. still a very good dish however.
For dessert C had white chocolate mousse with blackberry doughnut - the white cohocolate mousse was light and tasted of good quality white chocolate and came with a perfect blackberry filled doughnut the size of a golf ball plus a blackberry sorbet with a blackcurrant sauce. C. never orders dessert and is fairly devoid of a sweet tooth but this was too tempting and she practically licked her plate.
I had a double espresso - lots of crema, properly made, with 6 truffles - all perfect. little white chocolate with pistaccio and dried fruit, coffee flavoured truffle, praline square, chocolate fondant truffle and a little shot glass of chocolate mousse.
We ordered one extra espresso for C, tipped 10 euro and got out for 67 euro. Best value lunch I have had since l'ecrivain used to have a 13.50 menu in around 1991!
Staff were smily, cleaned crumbs, folded napkins (when I went to the loo twice to write notes!), watched our water glasses, didnt try to sell us extra drinks, water or food, a very pleasant experience. Dining room was virtually full (just one empty table. Turlough O'Sullivan of IBEC was there with a colleague, Noel Whelan the political pundit and Ursula Halligan TV3's pol corr were having a casual lunch also - this was all I could recognise but some others there looked important too but no one was there for the pretension, simply for a top notch quality inexpensive lunch in a setting where you are well looked after.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Mandarin House, Parnell St, Dublin 1
Mandarin House, 179 Parnell Street, Dublin 1. 01-878 3146.
Three visits, all very good. Situated opposite the end of Moore Street right beside China House (still good but I prefer Mandarin).
white table cloths, patrons almost all chinese, relatively friendly but busy staff - busy but patient enough to explain as best they can what everything is.
Here is a list of dishes we ate when I went with a fellow food writer and another food adventurer friend:
cold:
husband and wife lung slices €8.50
Pickled four seasons €6 - with bean stick (what the waiter called it), cucumber, carrots and peanuts
hot:
Hot Spicy Pocket Wonder Two Ways
Razor Clamp (spicy garlic, fried chilli, black beans sauce) €13
Four Seasons Peas in Quick Wonder €10 (this is what I wrote down. I hope it is correct!)
Bean Curds in Home Made Style €7.50
Lamb Supreme Zian from North East China (zian is cumin) €10 -
Husband and Wife Lung Slices - according to the interweb this is usually a mixed offal plate nicely arranged in uniform slices - not sure what bit this was (not sure it was lung as there were no nodule bits) tasted a little like tender heart or tongue. finely balanced and a nice contrast in flavour to the salad and hot and spicy dishes.
Pickled Four Seasons was a salad with beansprouts, beans, carrot, cucumber all in thin slices and a sweet, savoury, vinegry sauce. very tasty and good for cooling contrast with the spicy elements.
Hot Spicy Pocket Wonder Two Style" - pork stomach and intestine slices in a szechuan sauce. sounds and looks a bit strange but tasted succulent, juicy and very fine - lots of szechuan and chilli pepper, fine light sweet and sour elements, light meaty sauce.
Razor clams (clamp was a mis-print) were piled very high and were also as tender as they should be with salty, hot sauce. Four seasons peas in Quick Wonder consisted of long green beans, chilli and shredded pork - aromatic and warming. Bean curds were chewy squares in a soy, rice vinegar, Chinesey sauce (you know the kind of thing). Lamb reeked of cumin in a very good way, filling the room and mouth with pungent aromatic meaty goodness.
On the other occasions I ate there I had tasty filling dan dan noodle soup - not complex but v. filling and loved by Grellan's friend jake who now pesters his parents to take him to chinese restaurants for noodle soup! Szechuan Prawns was a generous portion of crevettes in their shells cooked to just tender and full of juice with nice mouth numbing szechuan peppers and a light chilli sauce. Shredded pork dish was as you would expect - simple chinese sauce but properly done. even the chips (for the two boys) .were crispy and well cooked (from frozen).
Wine list is very basic so order tsing tao beer and lots of tea (tea blend changes weekly they told us)
Three visits, all very good. Situated opposite the end of Moore Street right beside China House (still good but I prefer Mandarin).
white table cloths, patrons almost all chinese, relatively friendly but busy staff - busy but patient enough to explain as best they can what everything is.
Here is a list of dishes we ate when I went with a fellow food writer and another food adventurer friend:
cold:
husband and wife lung slices €8.50
Pickled four seasons €6 - with bean stick (what the waiter called it), cucumber, carrots and peanuts
hot:
Hot Spicy Pocket Wonder Two Ways
Razor Clamp (spicy garlic, fried chilli, black beans sauce) €13
Four Seasons Peas in Quick Wonder €10 (this is what I wrote down. I hope it is correct!)
Bean Curds in Home Made Style €7.50
Lamb Supreme Zian from North East China (zian is cumin) €10 -
Husband and Wife Lung Slices - according to the interweb this is usually a mixed offal plate nicely arranged in uniform slices - not sure what bit this was (not sure it was lung as there were no nodule bits) tasted a little like tender heart or tongue. finely balanced and a nice contrast in flavour to the salad and hot and spicy dishes.
Pickled Four Seasons was a salad with beansprouts, beans, carrot, cucumber all in thin slices and a sweet, savoury, vinegry sauce. very tasty and good for cooling contrast with the spicy elements.
Hot Spicy Pocket Wonder Two Style" - pork stomach and intestine slices in a szechuan sauce. sounds and looks a bit strange but tasted succulent, juicy and very fine - lots of szechuan and chilli pepper, fine light sweet and sour elements, light meaty sauce.
Razor clams (clamp was a mis-print) were piled very high and were also as tender as they should be with salty, hot sauce. Four seasons peas in Quick Wonder consisted of long green beans, chilli and shredded pork - aromatic and warming. Bean curds were chewy squares in a soy, rice vinegar, Chinesey sauce (you know the kind of thing). Lamb reeked of cumin in a very good way, filling the room and mouth with pungent aromatic meaty goodness.
On the other occasions I ate there I had tasty filling dan dan noodle soup - not complex but v. filling and loved by Grellan's friend jake who now pesters his parents to take him to chinese restaurants for noodle soup! Szechuan Prawns was a generous portion of crevettes in their shells cooked to just tender and full of juice with nice mouth numbing szechuan peppers and a light chilli sauce. Shredded pork dish was as you would expect - simple chinese sauce but properly done. even the chips (for the two boys) .were crispy and well cooked (from frozen).
Wine list is very basic so order tsing tao beer and lots of tea (tea blend changes weekly they told us)
Harvey Nichols First Floor
Saturday Lunch in Harvey Nichols First Floor a couple of months back -
good buzzy atmosphere, families with adopted chinese babies for the mums, lacoste pullovers and thomas pink shirts for the dads, juicy couture for the girls and tommy hilfiger for the boys. but also a happy bunch of siblings clearly enjoying each others company - wish my family could go to lunch in such harmony.
Riletete of crab, gazpacho shot, tartar of avacado - good dish with all elements in harmony - tangy gazpacho, lemony avocado and soft crab for spreading. small dish but tasty.
cappuccino of butternut squash, pan fried scallop, curry alioi (sic). also good and tasty if a little meagre. possibly too much salty stock in the soup rather than the creamy sweetness I was hoping for.
HN Fish and Chips, pea puree and tartare sauce - chips (all 9 of them) were arranged in a criss cross fashion and (just barely) managed to be crisp. fairly certain these were cooked just once. Fish was fine - could have been better, crispier, bigger but could have been worse. strike that I enjoyed it, I have spent a lot of time on this dish at home so I always hope for perfection and not everyone is as obsessive as me.
Sirloin of Irish Angus beef, bourguignon garnish, fondant potato, red wine jus.- taste was good but I have had better beef. fondant potatoes were excellent. I got rather cross (in a seething way) when the waiter scoffed at my question - is this a sirloin steak or a roast of sirloin? (its not my fault they dont know how to write a menu). "A steak of course" was the response. I pointedly explained that the menu implied no such thing. Cue v. grumpy service for the first course, exacerbated by a very long delay in the arrival of our wine - we were half way through our first course. waiter did not like being reminded that we still had not received our wine (clearly he considered it no longer his problem as he had passed the order to the wine waiter). Me getting cross now. Then the maitre d' spots me (forget his name - bald head, very charming and good at his job). He recognises me from the launch of the restaurant and comes over to chat. he gets our wine in seconds and apologises profusely. me happier now. Grumpy waiter passes by and notices that I am known to his boss - cue overly friendly service for the remainder of the meal including little jokes - "can we order dessert?" - "NO! only joking of course you can!! - laughed?, I nearly did (apologies for cliched joke). I preferred him grumpy.
Dessert of raspberry cheesecake was fine. a bit lacking in flavour but I ate it all. cheese was in good condition but small portions. lots of those wheaty biscuits that overpower the flavour of the cheese.
So in conclusion this is a very good restaurant but I would like to tweak a few things including the size of the portions.
good buzzy atmosphere, families with adopted chinese babies for the mums, lacoste pullovers and thomas pink shirts for the dads, juicy couture for the girls and tommy hilfiger for the boys. but also a happy bunch of siblings clearly enjoying each others company - wish my family could go to lunch in such harmony.
Riletete of crab, gazpacho shot, tartar of avacado - good dish with all elements in harmony - tangy gazpacho, lemony avocado and soft crab for spreading. small dish but tasty.
cappuccino of butternut squash, pan fried scallop, curry alioi (sic). also good and tasty if a little meagre. possibly too much salty stock in the soup rather than the creamy sweetness I was hoping for.
HN Fish and Chips, pea puree and tartare sauce - chips (all 9 of them) were arranged in a criss cross fashion and (just barely) managed to be crisp. fairly certain these were cooked just once. Fish was fine - could have been better, crispier, bigger but could have been worse. strike that I enjoyed it, I have spent a lot of time on this dish at home so I always hope for perfection and not everyone is as obsessive as me.
Sirloin of Irish Angus beef, bourguignon garnish, fondant potato, red wine jus.- taste was good but I have had better beef. fondant potatoes were excellent. I got rather cross (in a seething way) when the waiter scoffed at my question - is this a sirloin steak or a roast of sirloin? (its not my fault they dont know how to write a menu). "A steak of course" was the response. I pointedly explained that the menu implied no such thing. Cue v. grumpy service for the first course, exacerbated by a very long delay in the arrival of our wine - we were half way through our first course. waiter did not like being reminded that we still had not received our wine (clearly he considered it no longer his problem as he had passed the order to the wine waiter). Me getting cross now. Then the maitre d' spots me (forget his name - bald head, very charming and good at his job). He recognises me from the launch of the restaurant and comes over to chat. he gets our wine in seconds and apologises profusely. me happier now. Grumpy waiter passes by and notices that I am known to his boss - cue overly friendly service for the remainder of the meal including little jokes - "can we order dessert?" - "NO! only joking of course you can!! - laughed?, I nearly did (apologies for cliched joke). I preferred him grumpy.
Dessert of raspberry cheesecake was fine. a bit lacking in flavour but I ate it all. cheese was in good condition but small portions. lots of those wheaty biscuits that overpower the flavour of the cheese.
So in conclusion this is a very good restaurant but I would like to tweak a few things including the size of the portions.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Classic Italian Wine Tasting
Notes from a recent wine tasting - one of the best I have ever been at...
We started with Ferrari Perle 2001 Methode Champenoise Italian sparkler from Trentino - traditionally considered Italy's best sparkling wine and it was a lovely creamy mouthful with yeasty characteristics - not quite krug but v. tasty nonetheless. Next up were two Fruili reds donated to us by Enrico Fantasia of Sheridans (interesting wine selection in Sheridans btw - check out the lovely wine bar and pub if you are in Galway). These wines are from a small family run winery -
Vignai da Duline Schioppettino - light, pinot like obscure Italian grape from the region. good flavours but a little shorter than we hoped.
Vignai da Duline Viburnum - earthier, largely merlot based wine. Soft and rich with subtle cherry tones.
Then the real deal began - Fontodi Reserva del Sorbo 2003 - from Eric's cellar but imported by Liberty so should be around. Ripe cherry, fine complex chianti - muscular lingering wine - sangiovese with balls.
To compare we had a well reputed Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the original Brunelo di Montalcino from Biondi Santi 2001 (both from my cellar - gifts from our Italian Student last year). Biondi Santi more or less made the reputation of the region but their wines have been a little eclipsed by the stars promoted by Parker and Wine Spectator. nevertheless the estate is back on form by most accounts and this had a lovely chocolate and fruitcake nose with deep colour, ripe tannins and a solid dense fruit structure and above all elegance. a keeper.
Romeo Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Reserva 2001 - the basic one is 40 euro in Berry Bros so this presumably costs much more. this was the favourite of most of us with an open attractive nose of ripe fruit - cherries, strawberries and plums - lingering intense but open fruit flavours on the palate - very drinkable.
At this stage the Pizzas had been collected from Bellagio in Terenure - simple italian thin pizzas with lots of organic rocket and italian sausages on top. - beats cheese and crackers anyday!!
Last flight was Gaja Barbaresco 2003, and Moscarello Monprivado Barolo 1998 and Luciano Sandrone Nebbiolo d'Alba (sadly corked but good fruit still evident). The Moscarello was lighter in texture than the earlier wines (as we would expect) - in musical terms a vibrato - light but very intense and lingering. Velvet and steel. The Gaja was a revelation with a beautiful candy floss and violets nose, sweet ripe fruit on the attack but elegant delicate fruit and soft tannins on the middle palate and lingering lingering floral and fruit notes on the finish. We have had Gajas at the club before and they have been nice but I dont remember them being this nice. maybe it was the pizza and the fact that we were just 6 people with all this wine in front of us but it seemed at this point we were drinking some of the finest wines known to humanity!! Finally we finished with a bottle of Vin Santo from Agricola San Giovanni - from Eric's cellar - a gift from some close friend's family estate. this was about ten levels better than any vin santo I have tasted before with lovely delicate honey and apricot notes and lingering floral tones. delicious stuff.
anyway you should have been there....
We started with Ferrari Perle 2001 Methode Champenoise Italian sparkler from Trentino - traditionally considered Italy's best sparkling wine and it was a lovely creamy mouthful with yeasty characteristics - not quite krug but v. tasty nonetheless. Next up were two Fruili reds donated to us by Enrico Fantasia of Sheridans (interesting wine selection in Sheridans btw - check out the lovely wine bar and pub if you are in Galway). These wines are from a small family run winery -
Vignai da Duline Schioppettino - light, pinot like obscure Italian grape from the region. good flavours but a little shorter than we hoped.
Vignai da Duline Viburnum - earthier, largely merlot based wine. Soft and rich with subtle cherry tones.
Then the real deal began - Fontodi Reserva del Sorbo 2003 - from Eric's cellar but imported by Liberty so should be around. Ripe cherry, fine complex chianti - muscular lingering wine - sangiovese with balls.
To compare we had a well reputed Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the original Brunelo di Montalcino from Biondi Santi 2001 (both from my cellar - gifts from our Italian Student last year). Biondi Santi more or less made the reputation of the region but their wines have been a little eclipsed by the stars promoted by Parker and Wine Spectator. nevertheless the estate is back on form by most accounts and this had a lovely chocolate and fruitcake nose with deep colour, ripe tannins and a solid dense fruit structure and above all elegance. a keeper.
Romeo Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Reserva 2001 - the basic one is 40 euro in Berry Bros so this presumably costs much more. this was the favourite of most of us with an open attractive nose of ripe fruit - cherries, strawberries and plums - lingering intense but open fruit flavours on the palate - very drinkable.
At this stage the Pizzas had been collected from Bellagio in Terenure - simple italian thin pizzas with lots of organic rocket and italian sausages on top. - beats cheese and crackers anyday!!
Last flight was Gaja Barbaresco 2003, and Moscarello Monprivado Barolo 1998 and Luciano Sandrone Nebbiolo d'Alba (sadly corked but good fruit still evident). The Moscarello was lighter in texture than the earlier wines (as we would expect) - in musical terms a vibrato - light but very intense and lingering. Velvet and steel. The Gaja was a revelation with a beautiful candy floss and violets nose, sweet ripe fruit on the attack but elegant delicate fruit and soft tannins on the middle palate and lingering lingering floral and fruit notes on the finish. We have had Gajas at the club before and they have been nice but I dont remember them being this nice. maybe it was the pizza and the fact that we were just 6 people with all this wine in front of us but it seemed at this point we were drinking some of the finest wines known to humanity!! Finally we finished with a bottle of Vin Santo from Agricola San Giovanni - from Eric's cellar - a gift from some close friend's family estate. this was about ten levels better than any vin santo I have tasted before with lovely delicate honey and apricot notes and lingering floral tones. delicious stuff.
anyway you should have been there....
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Elder Flower Cordial
keep meaning to put this recipe up given that the elder flowers are in bloom. I adapted it from my "aunt" (second cousin really) Beryl Jennings in County Cork. If you leave out the elder flowers you have her simple but excellent lemonade recipe.
3 pints of water
3 lemons (juice and rind)
3 pounds of sugar
2oz citric acid (order from your local chemist)
lots of elder flowers (the more the better)
heat the water in a big pot, add the sugar, next the lemon juice and rind, next the citric acid. while you wait for the sugar to melt and the water to come to a simmer remove as many stalks from the elder flowers as you can. the more stalks the more "stalky" the cordial will taste but it will still be pretty damn good. Once the water is close to a boil add all the elder flowers and turn off the heat. stir a few times and leave to cool - preferably overnight and even better for 48 hours. strain into bottles and store in a cool place. once you open a bottle it is best to keep it in the fridge.
Dilute as you would miwadi - particularly good with sparkling water. also add to crappy white wine for an interesting cocktail or add to rhubarb crumble and other seasonal desserts.
3 pints of water
3 lemons (juice and rind)
3 pounds of sugar
2oz citric acid (order from your local chemist)
lots of elder flowers (the more the better)
heat the water in a big pot, add the sugar, next the lemon juice and rind, next the citric acid. while you wait for the sugar to melt and the water to come to a simmer remove as many stalks from the elder flowers as you can. the more stalks the more "stalky" the cordial will taste but it will still be pretty damn good. Once the water is close to a boil add all the elder flowers and turn off the heat. stir a few times and leave to cool - preferably overnight and even better for 48 hours. strain into bottles and store in a cool place. once you open a bottle it is best to keep it in the fridge.
Dilute as you would miwadi - particularly good with sparkling water. also add to crappy white wine for an interesting cocktail or add to rhubarb crumble and other seasonal desserts.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Taste of Dublin Day 2
Day 2... first a word on the wine stalls. nothing that could be called exciting but you could while away an hour (and get pissed if you wanted) in the O'Briens Tent where you pay 10 euro to do a tour of about 20 of their suppliers. many of their winemakers are over so there are good conversations to be had - had a good chat with Mr. Ascheri about his fab hotel in Bra (where I stayed at the last slow food Salone). I like their nebbiola d'alba a lot and they are making a decent effort with their barolos at a fair price. their modern and v. cool hotel is above the winery and beside their agri tourismo restaurant so in theory you never have to leave. I digress. I confess that I havent done much of a survey of the wine stands as there are mostly commercial wines on show. there are a couple of no-name burgundy producer/negocients with stands and there are the usual promotional stands from wines of Bordeaux and wines of chile (and ourselves). berry bros have a couple of ok wines and Mitchells have some good producers but there are far too many crappy importers with big stands and no-name wines. Good beer is available from Premier beers (beside the wine australia stand) with a few trappists (chimay and la trappe) and others. Best to focus on the food.
so today i had a couple of Jaipur dishes (a fried chicken and a prawn dish) which were not earth shattering but suited the bottle of red chimay I blagged from premier beers on a swap for a couple of glasses of Lindemans sauvignon blanc.
Liked the lamb brochette from Venu a lot (v. similar to the dish served in the restaurant) - lamb was crispy on the outside and pink in the middle.
king scallop with black pudding and a pea foam (I think) from Bon Appetit was excellent. Black pudding and apple tart tatin on Lockes stand was far too sweet but I did eat it all up so I shouldnt complain too much.
Feta and spinach parcel from Silk Road Cafe was fine but no match for their falafal (see above).
Had some excellent murphys ice cream (from Dingle) and a good chat with the valrhona girls at the same stall - bad news is they are re-designing the Trinidad single estate Gran Couvo (my favourite chocolate) to bring it from the perfect 75g to 100g (presumably so they can charge more).
Scored some air dried connemara lamb from James McGeogh of Oughterard and some mossfield organic cheese from Ralph Haslam from Birr. both these products are amazing and should be sought out if you have never tried them. The air dried lamb is a world class product imo. Also the craft butchers today had excellent sausages and even better fresh blood pudding from Maguires of Ashbourne.
Should also say that the extra space really improves the event for the punters but there will be complaints from the stall holders as the extra space means less foot fall. Wouldn't like to be relying on selling enough to make a profit.
so today i had a couple of Jaipur dishes (a fried chicken and a prawn dish) which were not earth shattering but suited the bottle of red chimay I blagged from premier beers on a swap for a couple of glasses of Lindemans sauvignon blanc.
Liked the lamb brochette from Venu a lot (v. similar to the dish served in the restaurant) - lamb was crispy on the outside and pink in the middle.
king scallop with black pudding and a pea foam (I think) from Bon Appetit was excellent. Black pudding and apple tart tatin on Lockes stand was far too sweet but I did eat it all up so I shouldnt complain too much.
Feta and spinach parcel from Silk Road Cafe was fine but no match for their falafal (see above).
Had some excellent murphys ice cream (from Dingle) and a good chat with the valrhona girls at the same stall - bad news is they are re-designing the Trinidad single estate Gran Couvo (my favourite chocolate) to bring it from the perfect 75g to 100g (presumably so they can charge more).
Scored some air dried connemara lamb from James McGeogh of Oughterard and some mossfield organic cheese from Ralph Haslam from Birr. both these products are amazing and should be sought out if you have never tried them. The air dried lamb is a world class product imo. Also the craft butchers today had excellent sausages and even better fresh blood pudding from Maguires of Ashbourne.
Should also say that the extra space really improves the event for the punters but there will be complaints from the stall holders as the extra space means less foot fall. Wouldn't like to be relying on selling enough to make a profit.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Taste of Dublin 2008 first report
Taste of Dublin (see here) started today and it is bigger and mostly better than before. I was working at it today (Wine Australia stand) so here are some first impressions. No Thorntons this year but Chapter One will be there Sat. and Sun. and Bon Appetit are there all four days. Gordon Ramsey at Powerscourt makes his first appearance as do Lockes, Balzac, First Floor Harvey Nicks, Still at Dylan (hotel) and Alex (Conrad hotel).
This year the festival takes over the whole of the Iveagh Gardens giving lots of space and dispersing the crowds (unlike last year when everyone crowded into the small restaurant area leaving the other half empty). There seemed to be lots more wine and beer companies this year and the usual suspects at these events (boozeberries, hot irishman etc.).
So what can I recommend... Silk Road Cafe's Felafel in a wrap for six florins (1 florin = 1 euro), spicy tasty crispy felafal in a large wrap best taste of the day. Scampi at Venu is excellent, as is the slow cooked shoulder of lamb with beans at Bon Appetit. A little less successful was the Turkish Chicken at Silk Road Cafe - very lemony with rather dry rice and some lumps of tomato - not bad, just not as good as I thought it should be.
Disaster of the day has to be the 2 dishes I had at Gordon Ramsey at Powerscourt - foie gras yoghurt (just strange tasting) and awful scallop arancini (deep fried risotto balls) - dammned if I could find any trace of scallop other than perhaps a vague aroma. at least these last 2 were only 5 tokens each. Cellar Bar at the Merrion are back with their fish and chips and mushy peas (now an outrageous 8 florins but still a large queue given that they are quite tasty).
Weather was a little chilly today but there was a good atmosphere. Music is much improved from last year with wandering Classical quartets and Trios and good bands belting playing blues soul and Led Zeppelin covers.
Freebies to watch out for include bottles of tropicana, magnum ice creams, strawberries (from Superquinn I think), and one of my favourite tastes of the day - a large lump of roast duck with a generous amount of crispy skin from Silver Hill ducks. Also should mention the girls at barrys tea stand who gave me lots of peppermint tea. Avoid the starbucks coffee as usual (nasty nasty bitter and muddy - why cant they make decent cafetiere coffee - I learned to do this aged about 14??)
Caught some of Clodagh McKennas demo and she was charming and quite witty. She baked a whole gubbeen with rosemary and garlic (v. tasty) and rolled some aubergines around some St. Tola cheese. Gino D'Acampo (regular on ready steady cook apparantly) was also doing a demo and trying to charm the women with his italian accent (it sort of worked). food he cooked was so so.
Other points - Avoid the VIP tickets as apparantly all you get is a glass or two of champagne and a place to sit down away from all the restaurants and food outlets (why pay all that money to avoid the main reason for going there?).
This year the festival takes over the whole of the Iveagh Gardens giving lots of space and dispersing the crowds (unlike last year when everyone crowded into the small restaurant area leaving the other half empty). There seemed to be lots more wine and beer companies this year and the usual suspects at these events (boozeberries, hot irishman etc.).
So what can I recommend... Silk Road Cafe's Felafel in a wrap for six florins (1 florin = 1 euro), spicy tasty crispy felafal in a large wrap best taste of the day. Scampi at Venu is excellent, as is the slow cooked shoulder of lamb with beans at Bon Appetit. A little less successful was the Turkish Chicken at Silk Road Cafe - very lemony with rather dry rice and some lumps of tomato - not bad, just not as good as I thought it should be.
Disaster of the day has to be the 2 dishes I had at Gordon Ramsey at Powerscourt - foie gras yoghurt (just strange tasting) and awful scallop arancini (deep fried risotto balls) - dammned if I could find any trace of scallop other than perhaps a vague aroma. at least these last 2 were only 5 tokens each. Cellar Bar at the Merrion are back with their fish and chips and mushy peas (now an outrageous 8 florins but still a large queue given that they are quite tasty).
Weather was a little chilly today but there was a good atmosphere. Music is much improved from last year with wandering Classical quartets and Trios and good bands belting playing blues soul and Led Zeppelin covers.
Freebies to watch out for include bottles of tropicana, magnum ice creams, strawberries (from Superquinn I think), and one of my favourite tastes of the day - a large lump of roast duck with a generous amount of crispy skin from Silver Hill ducks. Also should mention the girls at barrys tea stand who gave me lots of peppermint tea. Avoid the starbucks coffee as usual (nasty nasty bitter and muddy - why cant they make decent cafetiere coffee - I learned to do this aged about 14??)
Caught some of Clodagh McKennas demo and she was charming and quite witty. She baked a whole gubbeen with rosemary and garlic (v. tasty) and rolled some aubergines around some St. Tola cheese. Gino D'Acampo (regular on ready steady cook apparantly) was also doing a demo and trying to charm the women with his italian accent (it sort of worked). food he cooked was so so.
Other points - Avoid the VIP tickets as apparantly all you get is a glass or two of champagne and a place to sit down away from all the restaurants and food outlets (why pay all that money to avoid the main reason for going there?).
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Sichuan Food
As you have noticed by now this is an occasional blog - apologies for the long gap between occasions I actually write it!
The sad news of the earthquake in Sichuan led me to re-read one of the finest food writers around - Fuschia Dunlop. Duunlop lived in Sichuan province and even studied at the main cookery school in Chengdu. Dunlop's two fine cook books on the food of Sichuan and Hunan provinces are a must for anyone with an interest in food but you should also read her wonderful evocative memoir "Sharks Fin and Sichuan Pepper - a Sweet Sour Memoir of Eating in China" (just search for her on Amazon or Google).
The book is not for the vegetarians among us given that she learns to eat like a native and take as much joy in eating civet cats as post pub rabbit heads (their equivalent of the doner kebab). The sadly departed chef David Gumbleton used to say that if you kill an animal for food you only pay that animal true respect if you eat every tiny bit of it. To simply take out the fillet and the back legs and leave the rest for the pigs is to miss the point entirely. Dave once (only half jokingly) admonished me for not using the ears of the rabbits my neighbour had shot for me!
What was interesting for me was that such sentiments would never even occur to the Chinese - they simply love eating everything and relish the grisly bits, the crunchy bits (like the cartilage between the joints of the chicken feet), and the slippery bits (such as fish maw and goose intestines). While we talk about animals and differentiate between pigs and pork, cows and beef, the Chinese simply talk about moving things - if it moves you can eat it!
So buy the book to learn about China and to pick up some tips. If you only cook one thing try the Dan Dan noodles recipe which is simply outstanding and utterly unrecognisable to anyone that has only eaten from their local chinese takeaway. Seek out preserved vegetables, changking vinegar and most of all Sichuan Pepper. Asia Market should supply what you need or try the chinese shop on rathmines road (opposite the Rathmines Inn).
Friday, March 7, 2008
Porterhouse Stout Festival 7th-24th March.
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The Porterhouse's annual stout festival runs from March 7th – 24th March with the usual favourites back on the menu. Most welcome is the return of the "world's first ever Chocolate Truffle Stout" plus of course the Oyster, Wrassler 4X and Plain Porter. The festival includes free stout tastings, live music and the usual cheery atmosphere.
The Chocolate Truffle Stout is a little stronger than a normal stout at 5% with the chocolate flavour coming from chocolate and chocolate truffle flavours added during the brewing process. It has a rich chocolate aroma and definite chocolate truffle flavour on the front palate, milder stout flavours coming through on the middle and a clean mild finish. This is sweeter than most stout drinkers are used to but is a very satisfying drink.
The Oyster stout is brewed with fresh oysters which adds a hint of the sea along and a refreshing tang of salt giving a clean fresh finish that begs to be drunk with a side order of gigas, natives or a plate of mussels. The Wrasslers 4X comes from a 1900 west Cork recipe and is a searing bitter and fresh beer that is not for the faint of heart. The Plain Porter has perhaps the simplest flavour but is none the worse for that - medium bodied, clean, and very refreshing.
We cant make wine in this country so its good to see the Porterhouse celebrating and promoting a beverage we are very good at making. The festival runs until the 24th of this month in all 5 Porterhouse pubs in Dublin and London. http://www.porterhousebrewco.com/
Pictured above are the charming Laura and Grainne from Today FM who I met at the launch.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Eat Food, Not too Much, Mostly Plants
Finally got around to writing again... long story but apologies to anyone that logged on. Quick word about Michael Pollan's new book "In Defense of Food"(click to view it on Amazon) which I finished this week. Pollan's previous book "The Omnivore's Dilemma " was a fascinating and bang up to date account of the dilemmas faced by those of us surrounded by the western diet - particularly those unfortunate enough to be poor and living in the US. While OD was concerned mostly with the way we eat and where the food comes from, the latest book is more of an idiots guide and probably more use to a US audience. The book is a counter argument to the nutritionist and food processors argument that nutrients are all we need not foods (handy for the industry as they can keep coming up with new products to match the latest fashionable nutrient (fibre is out, omega 3 is in).
US and European Health Authorities, nutritionists and dietitians are often far more concerned with what Pollan calls "nutritionism" than with food - a reductive focus on the chemicals and nutrients in a food at the expense of the actual whole food. Pollan demonstrates how study after to study shows that it is always healthier to eat actual food rather than processed "food-like substances", (no matter how many vitamins they have been engineered to contain).
The first two thirds of the book are a heart warming (to me) evisceration of the food industry and their willing allies the USFDA who have systematically destroyed the way we eat by demonising innocent traditional foods such as butter and potatoes (imagine Ireland without these two staples - doesn't bear thinking about!) while promoting pseudo-foods such as margerine - which apart from being vile tasting is over 2 times worse for you heart than butter (thanks to the trans fats).
The last part of the book which distills the current thinking on what is best to eat (actual foods, not too much, mostly plants) rather than what nutritionists tell us, was a little disappointing for me as it seemed so obvious - but then it is my business to know most of this stuff already. For example: that a glass of wine with a meal seems to help (tee-totalers die younger), small quantities of high quality food is far better for you even if that food is theoretically high in fat (as the French do), dont snack, eat at a table in company, dont buy any processed food no matter how fortified with vitamins it is (in fact the healthier the packet claims to be, the more suspicious of it you should be), eat more green plants (lettuce etc.) and less seeds (white rice, bread etc.).
Certainly buy this book but buy the Omnivore's Dilemma first.
P.S. - "In Defense of Food" is an expansion of a new york times article Pollan wrote a while ago and can be viewed on the new york times website here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?ex=1327640400&en=a18a7f35515014c7&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
US and European Health Authorities, nutritionists and dietitians are often far more concerned with what Pollan calls "nutritionism" than with food - a reductive focus on the chemicals and nutrients in a food at the expense of the actual whole food. Pollan demonstrates how study after to study shows that it is always healthier to eat actual food rather than processed "food-like substances", (no matter how many vitamins they have been engineered to contain).
The first two thirds of the book are a heart warming (to me) evisceration of the food industry and their willing allies the USFDA who have systematically destroyed the way we eat by demonising innocent traditional foods such as butter and potatoes (imagine Ireland without these two staples - doesn't bear thinking about!) while promoting pseudo-foods such as margerine - which apart from being vile tasting is over 2 times worse for you heart than butter (thanks to the trans fats).
The last part of the book which distills the current thinking on what is best to eat (actual foods, not too much, mostly plants) rather than what nutritionists tell us, was a little disappointing for me as it seemed so obvious - but then it is my business to know most of this stuff already. For example: that a glass of wine with a meal seems to help (tee-totalers die younger), small quantities of high quality food is far better for you even if that food is theoretically high in fat (as the French do), dont snack, eat at a table in company, dont buy any processed food no matter how fortified with vitamins it is (in fact the healthier the packet claims to be, the more suspicious of it you should be), eat more green plants (lettuce etc.) and less seeds (white rice, bread etc.).
Certainly buy this book but buy the Omnivore's Dilemma first.
P.S. - "In Defense of Food" is an expansion of a new york times article Pollan wrote a while ago and can be viewed on the new york times website here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?ex=1327640400&en=a18a7f35515014c7&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Michelin Awards Mint and ex Mint stars
Good coup for Mint in Ranelagh where former chef Oliver Dunne (now at Bon Appetit, Malahide) was awarded a star and where current chef Dylan Mcgrath was also awarded his first michelin star. McGrath's food is sophisticated, creative and stylish food but not for the unadventurous. You need to just go with what he is doing and accept that not everything will work every time. cities need restaurants like this that push boundaries and create excitement. Lunch is the best (and cheapest) way to experience the food. No need to recommend specific things as everything is worth trying.
Dunne's food is more classical in nature but also exciting and creative. God knows that side of the city needs a decent restaurant and finally they have it. The bistro downstairs is also worth trying. I am actually almost more pleased by this award as it was not predicted by the usual pundits and I suspect he could do with the boost given that the denizens of Malahide would generally rather go to the utterly abysmal Cruzzos to eat thick rashers and frozen tuna in in the hope they will spot ronan keating. Cruzzos is in a marina and filled with nautical paraphernalia as decoration, is only a mile or two from the biggest fishing port on the east coast (howth) yet the last time I was there the only fish on the menu were frozen and farmed (salmon, tuna and swordfish)... beggars belief. To be fair I took a gander at their current menu on their site just now and they have added sea bass (how innovative) and turbot to the a la carte. still wont encourage me to go back after my last meal there however.
A bib gourmand (good food at less expensive prices) was also awarded to Sha Roe Bistro in Clonegal in Carlow (of which I know nothing other than that the award is said to be deserved) and to the Winding Stair on the Quays in dublin which is definitely deserved.
Our other starred restaurants by the way are Guilbauds (2), Thorntons, L'Ecrivain and Chapter 1 (one each). The other bib gourmands are a mixed bunch with the Lime Tree in Kenmare, Fishy Fishy in Kinsale and Bang on Merrion Row being the best known. Oddly Maison des Gourmets gets into this list and while it is good I can think of others I would replace it with (Lockes and Alexis for example). If you want to see the full list the press release can be downloaded here:
http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/front/act_affich.jsp?news_id=22014&lang=EN&codeRubrique=43
Dunne's food is more classical in nature but also exciting and creative. God knows that side of the city needs a decent restaurant and finally they have it. The bistro downstairs is also worth trying. I am actually almost more pleased by this award as it was not predicted by the usual pundits and I suspect he could do with the boost given that the denizens of Malahide would generally rather go to the utterly abysmal Cruzzos to eat thick rashers and frozen tuna in in the hope they will spot ronan keating. Cruzzos is in a marina and filled with nautical paraphernalia as decoration, is only a mile or two from the biggest fishing port on the east coast (howth) yet the last time I was there the only fish on the menu were frozen and farmed (salmon, tuna and swordfish)... beggars belief. To be fair I took a gander at their current menu on their site just now and they have added sea bass (how innovative) and turbot to the a la carte. still wont encourage me to go back after my last meal there however.
A bib gourmand (good food at less expensive prices) was also awarded to Sha Roe Bistro in Clonegal in Carlow (of which I know nothing other than that the award is said to be deserved) and to the Winding Stair on the Quays in dublin which is definitely deserved.
Our other starred restaurants by the way are Guilbauds (2), Thorntons, L'Ecrivain and Chapter 1 (one each). The other bib gourmands are a mixed bunch with the Lime Tree in Kenmare, Fishy Fishy in Kinsale and Bang on Merrion Row being the best known. Oddly Maison des Gourmets gets into this list and while it is good I can think of others I would replace it with (Lockes and Alexis for example). If you want to see the full list the press release can be downloaded here:
http://www.michelin.co.uk/uk/front/act_affich.jsp?news_id=22014&lang=EN&codeRubrique=43
Friday, January 11, 2008
dim sum in dublin
Apologies for my absence over the past couple of weeks due to christmas and a vicious cold. In case you are unfamiliar with the term Dim Sum is the Chinese art of small dishes usually served in the early or middle part of the day with lots of green tea - tapas with tea if you like. Most dim sum restaurants only serve their dim sum menu until around 6pm or so.
I had dim sum in the New Millenium beside the Gaiety on South King Street recently and it was as good as always. The NM is the most hard core of the dim sum restaurants in the city and alongside the usual won tons and deep fried squid you will find fish maw (a fish's swim bladder), chicken feet dishes and a variety of offal including tripe. You dont have to try any of these outré dishes but seeing them on a menu is reassuring as you know the dim sum menu is not dumbing down for pussy westerners. I visited between christmas and new year and among the thirty or so full tables there were only two containing Irish people - another encouraging sign. Go for char siu cheung fun (gelatinous rice noodle rolled around roast pork), squid dishes , steamed pork buns, etc.
Others to try -
Imperial on Wicklow Street - the most conventional and westernised but still very good. Particularly good to try first so you can learn what you like and dont like as they have a large selection of fried dishes and spring rolls etc.
Good World on Sth Gt. Georges St. - similar to above but the last time I was there I felt it has slipped a bit. admittedly I havent been back in over 18 months so it might be worth trying again.
Ming Court Blanchardstown Shopping Centre (beside McDonalds and above the Xtravision). - sounds unlikely but this is the best in the city for my money with very friendly staff and fantastic steamed and fried dishes. The menu also has some more unusual dishes to try that will appeal to the western palate - e.g. fun quoi - a shrimp filled deep fried delight. well worth a pilgrimage.
I had dim sum in the New Millenium beside the Gaiety on South King Street recently and it was as good as always. The NM is the most hard core of the dim sum restaurants in the city and alongside the usual won tons and deep fried squid you will find fish maw (a fish's swim bladder), chicken feet dishes and a variety of offal including tripe. You dont have to try any of these outré dishes but seeing them on a menu is reassuring as you know the dim sum menu is not dumbing down for pussy westerners. I visited between christmas and new year and among the thirty or so full tables there were only two containing Irish people - another encouraging sign. Go for char siu cheung fun (gelatinous rice noodle rolled around roast pork), squid dishes , steamed pork buns, etc.
Others to try -
Imperial on Wicklow Street - the most conventional and westernised but still very good. Particularly good to try first so you can learn what you like and dont like as they have a large selection of fried dishes and spring rolls etc.
Good World on Sth Gt. Georges St. - similar to above but the last time I was there I felt it has slipped a bit. admittedly I havent been back in over 18 months so it might be worth trying again.
Ming Court Blanchardstown Shopping Centre (beside McDonalds and above the Xtravision). - sounds unlikely but this is the best in the city for my money with very friendly staff and fantastic steamed and fried dishes. The menu also has some more unusual dishes to try that will appeal to the western palate - e.g. fun quoi - a shrimp filled deep fried delight. well worth a pilgrimage.
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