Blackout Pizza

So what do you do when the electricity goes out and you have about 2 kilso of pizza dough and all the cheese and toppings ready?

Well last night in Terenure at around 8pm as our Italian student was heating the oven to cook his lovingly prepared pizzas (they took all afternoon), we looked out at the pouring rain and thought we were glad to be indoors about to be fed our dinner. His host family and two friends from his english course were sitting waiting in anticipation (the dough seemed to take forever to rise). The wine was open and hunger was beginning to bite, and then the lights went out.

A quick look on the street made it clear that every house in the area had no lights either.

Unlike the other houses on our road however I have a clay and straw built oven in the back garden. built a couple of years ago by a French builder friend. It is really more of a bread oven than a pizza oven but it can do pizzas in small batches. It also can be heated with about 3 logs chopped into small pieces so it is very inexpensive to run (far cheaper than cooking pizza in a conventional oven).

The outside is covered in lime plastering to protect from the rain but given it is made from all natural materials I usually keep it covered. You see in the pics that I had an umbrella over it and a piece of polystyrene to deflect the rain that was pouring down in torrents from our damaged gutter. It is never fun cooking outside in the pouring rain but it is made much worse by the constant splashing of water from a leaky gutter!

Anyway I had to begin cooking as soon as it got any heat or we would have all starved with the hunger so there were a few charred edges but all in all it worked well. Everyone was fed and I just sat down to eat my own pizza, enjoying my triumph over adversity and the romantic atmosphere created by the candles, when the lights came back on!

I used the extra heat and the remaining pizza dough to cook some foccacia as the oven cooled and I am munching a piece as I write this.

Mushroom Season

Mushroom season is upon us again. The dry weather in August and much of early Sept. did not produce much in my usual spots except the odd shaggy ink cap. This week I found lots of ink caps (shaggy and non - the latter avoided as who wants to eat wild mushrooms without a glass of wine)

This beauty pictured is 600g of pure giant puffball and will be fried in steaks. An inch thick steak fried on the pan will shrink down by half but taste delicious on buttered toast (rub the toast with garlic first for extra zing). Sadly they are nearing the end of their season I reckon so search for them while you can.

Lots of growth of (poisonous) yellow stainers - these little buggers look just like field mushrooms or horse mushrooms but smell of ink and piss and make many people sick (not willing to see if I am one of those that is unaffected). Lots of russulas around but no edible ones and also spotted a mass of cortinarius limonius (or similar) - similar to what nearly did for the author of the Horse Whisperer and his family (see here).

Parasols are also out but in very small numbers. Off to Wicklow and Carlow this weekend to see what else I can find.

Crepe Suzette

Crêpe Suzette is a dessert from the grand old days of French cooking before nouvelle cuisine and diets came along and ruined things.

It is a perfect pre-Lenten indulgence but works just as well in the middle of summer.

Serve with a muscat based dessert wine such as Moscatel de Setubal from Portugal which has a distinct orange rind flavour. Brown Bros. Orange Flor Muscat will also work well (and will be easier to find) and failing that you should be able to find a Muscat de Beauces de Venise.

In its simplest form Crêpe Suzette is pancakes flamed with Grand Marnier (or Cointreau or Curaçao) but the version below is richer and more satisfying.

The pancakes can be made ahead of time and warmed in the pan at the last moment.

Crêpe Batter (makes 8-10)
Break an egg into a jug, add 175ml milk and whisk vigorously. Grate in the rind of a Satsuma and next squeeze in the juice. Gradually add 175g flour, whisking the batter all the time, until it is the consistency of thick cream. Finish with a splash of Grand Marnier.

The batter will improve if left to settle for an hour or so, but if you want to use it immediately it is said to be best to mix the batter more gently using a hand whisk rather than an electric beater.

To make the crêpes heat a frying pan until it is very hot, add a small knob of butter the size of the tip of your finger and roll it around the pan. Pour or spoon on enough crêpe batter to just cover the base of the pan. After 20-30 seconds the edges should start to curl and you will be able to flip the crêpe (use a spatula unless you are a proficient crêpe tosser).

Keep the pan on a medium-high heat and add a tiny knob of butter between each crêpe, stacking them on a plate as you go.

Orange Butter
Beat 50g softened butter with 50g of sugar, the juice and rind of a Satsuma, and a tsp of Grand Marnier.

Spread a little orange butter on each crêpe and fold it into 4. Melt 25g butter in the pan and arrange the crêpe in a circle.

To Serve:
Warm a generous splash of Grand Marnier and a similar amount of Brandy in a small saucepan. Bring the crêpe pan to the table, pour on the alcohol and flame in front of your guests. Serve with Vanilla ice cream or softened vanilla ice cream, laced with more Grand Marnier and orange rind.

Most Beautiful Vegetable

Surely a contender for most beautiful vegetable. bought this kohlrabi from Udo Lange from his farm stall on Brighton Sq. in Ternure.

Kohlrabi is a brassica and related to the cabbage.and turnip. It tastes of mild sweet turnip and is quite tender. I simply sautéed it in a little butter and olive oil, a splash of white wine and then covered it for five minutes. I then used it as a base for a risotto with left over pork belly and a mix of chicken and pork stock (from the freezer). I finished the dish with white wine, lemon balm and orgegano.

Summer Poaching

Summer is approaching rapidly and begs for lighter, simpler flavours. Even if it rains throughout June, July and August we are still unlikely to be in the mood for a rich stew or other winter warming fare.

In summer we eat salads, new potatoes with butter, strawberries and cream – simple flavours that are easy to prepare. Summer also seems the right time of year for poaching fish.

To poach a fish you first need to make a Court-Bouillon, a stock that is mainly used for fish and shellfish but also for chicken and white offal such as sweetbreads.

The stock is used from cold, so must be prepared up to one hour before you plan to cook the fish. Placing fish into a hot court-bouillon causes the flesh to shrink and increases cooking time. Allowing the stock to cool also improves its flavour.

Firm fleshed fish such as salmon, trout or ray work best but any fish that will not fall apart can be poached.

Once used, the court-bouillon should not be discarded but strained and poured into a (hot) sterile jar and kept in the fridge for making soup or poaching more fish.

Ingredients are flexible but a court-bouillon generally contains salted water, white wine, lemon juice, bay leaf and pepper corns. Feel free to add celery, carrots, onions or garlic and replace the wine with cider or the lemon juice with wine vinegar.

Court-bouillon
Ingredients: 1.5ltr Water, 2tsp Sea Salt, ½ Chopped Onion, 2-3 slices of lemon, 1 bay leaf, some parsley stalks, 3 peppercorns.

Bring all the ingredients, except the peppercorns, to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, add the peppercorns, and remove from the heat to allow to cool.

Ray with Noisette Butter
Place two ray wings in cold court-bouillon, bring to a boil and simmer for 5-7 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.

Remove with a slotted spoon to a serving dish and sprinkle with a squeeze of lemon juice and 1tbs of finely chopped parsley.

For Noisette Butter, heat 75g of butter in a small pan. The butter will foam and after 1-2 minutes at medium heat it will begin to colour and emit a nutty aroma. Once it reaches this stage pour over the fish and serve.

Mangos mangos mangos

Delicious Fresh Indian Kesar mangos are back in the Asian shops after the disruption of the volcanic ash.

Kesar (the varitey) are from Gujarat in north western India and have an incredible heady aroma and are as sweet as you could imagine. Along with Alphonso they are said to be some of India's best mangos.

I bought these in Shop Easi on Clanbrassil St. near Leonards Corner for 14.99 (12 in a box).

If all you know of mangos is the hard red green variety in supermarkets you simply have not lived.

mango tart tatin recipe from last July here made with the Anwar Ratol variety from Pakistan (similar to Kesar but perhaps not as sweet) - http://atedrank.blogspot.com/2009/07/mangos.html

Eggs

Easter is a festival of spring and re-birth as much as a religious holiday, and all over the world the humble egg is venerated as part of the celebrations. In my house eggs are celebrated virtually every day.

Eggs for breakfast are an every day thing so for weekend treats try mixing some smoked salmon into your scrambled eggs, cook eggs in a ramekin in a pan of simmering water and decorate them with tarragon or try the ultimate eggs recipe below.

Eggs Benedict
Ham or Bacon on a Toasted Muffin, topped with a Poached Egg and Hollandaise sauce.

This wonderful American breakfast is a true celebration of the egg. Ham is more common but I prefer bacon and I use Hovis muffins.

The Bacon or Ham: Use thick cut ham or fry some dry-cured back rashers (e.g. Rudds, JJ Youngs).

Poach the Eggs – bring 1ltr of water to a boil, add 1tbs vinegar. Break an egg into a cup and slide into the boiling water, simmer for 3 min. or longer if you dislike runny eggs. Remove, trim and repeat.

Hollandaise Sauce
The classic sauce for egg (and fish) dishes.

Place a saucepan of hot water on a low heat with a glass bowl on top. Separate 2-3 eggs and cut 100g of chilled butter into cubes.

Reduce 1tbs white wine vinegar in a pan until a teaspoon remains; add to the bowl along with the egg yolks and 3 cubes of butter and whisk vigorously with a fork until melted. Add the remaining butter a few cubes at a time, whisking until incorporated.

Adjust the flavour with salt, pepper and lemon juice. To lighten the sauce, add a little water or cream. The sauce should be just warm – too hot and the eggs will curdle.

Eggs Royale replaces the bacon with smoked salmon. Eggs Florentine replaces the ham/bacon with spinach.