Eating porridge in the morning is one of the most perfect ways to set your body up for the rest of the day. It is high in complex carbohydrates and provides the body with slow releasing energy. In the last few years porridge has slowly become one of the hottest super foods, and understandably so, the oats have so many health benefits that they are often linked to long and healthy lifestyles.
Here are just a few benefits of porridge, it can help dieting, prevents childhood obesity, helps concentration, heals the skin, improves sex life, and can even beat depression!
I'm going to write a bit about my thoughts on milk and the whole dairy industry issue, but for now let me just recommend that you make your porridge with water and if you can't avoid milk, at least try goats, or soya.
Apple and Cinnamon Porridge
1 Cup of porridge oats
2 and a half cups of water
1 Large apple grated
A good sprinkling of Cinnamon powder
A quick drizzle of honey
I know some of you may be thinking this is hardly rocket science, but porridge can get a bit boring to eat so, I always try and experiment a little to make it that bit more interesting. You can do this in the microwave or on a stove.
Microwave: Combine the oats and water and place in microwave for about 4 minutes or until you get the desired consistency. Then add the grated apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, drizzle the honey and serve straight away.
Pot: Combine the water and the oats int he pot and place over heat, stir continuously usually takes about ten mins to get the right consistency, Then add the grated apple, sprinkle with cinnamon, drizzle the honey and serve straight away.
A pretty simple and easy breakie with an interesting texture from the apple.
It's true that there is no better smell wafting around the house than baked bread but I have to challenge that. These cinnamon and raisin bagels will definitely give the traditional sliced pan a run for its money, toasted with a little butter there is nothing that compares.
If you haven't made bagels before it's pretty similar to making a normal bread except just before they go in the oven you pop them in a little boiling water for a few minutes. The finished product has a wonderfully chewy texture with a great crispy crust.
I have a few variations on the traditional bagel recipe to post, but would love to hear your suggestions, what are your favourite types of bagels? Multiseed, Poppyseed, cheese? Let me know!
Cinnamon and Raisin Breakfast Bagels I first tried these bagels in America and have been hooked ever since. The flavours are perfect for a cosy late morning breakfast. Bagels are really easy to make and if you can master bread you can definitely give them a go.
Makes 12 Bagels. 500g of strong white flour. 350ml of lukewarm water. 1 sachet of active dried yeast. 3 tablespoons of sugar. 1 tablespoon of cinnamon powder. 2 teaspoons of salt. 125g of raisins. 1 beaten egg.
Soak the raisins in a bowl of boiling water for 30 minutes. Place the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center with the back of a spoon. Pour the water, yeast and sugar into the well and allow to sit for 6-8 minutes or until it becomes thick and frothy. Add the cinnamon and salt and using a spoon slowly incorporate the flour into the yeast and water mix until you form a dough. Turn the dough out on to a floured surface and knead in the raisins. Continue kneading for 4-5 minutes until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Grease the mixing bowl, place the dough in and cover with a damp cloth. Leave in a warm place for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down and turnout onto a floured surface. With your hands shape the dough into a long sausage shape and cut into 12 bagel shaped pieces. Poke your finger through the middle and with your fingers form the bagel shape. Place on greaseproof paper and set aside for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to Gas 5/375oF/190oC. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, lower the heat to simmer and drop 4 bagels in at a time. Cook the bagels for approximately 1 minute either side, turning with a slotted spoon. Drain the bagels and place on a floured baking sheet. Brush with a little beaten egg and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until they are golden. Enjoy toasted with a little butter!
During my visit to Sweden a few weeks ago, I got the opportunity to visit a Swedish bakery! As it so happened it turned out to be the same bakery which supplied the desserts for the restaurant I used to work at when I lived in Sweden.
They weren't just any desserts mind you, these were delivered in their own metal case, which had shelves built inside, and each cake or roll was placed on individual gold paper plates. Princess Torte and Budapest Rulle were on our menu daily and on rare quiet days, leftovers eventually made their way back to the kitchen at the end of service, much to my delight!
I absolutely getting to visit places like this, where you get to see what goes on "backstage", it gives you a better feel for a place and means you are left with better knowledge about how the products are produced. Apparently when I was much younger, we used to regularly go to a Chinese restaurant where I felt free to walk in and out of the kitchens, watching the chefs as they prepared dishes for the customers.
As you can imagine, I don't think this would ever be the case nowadays, but I love that I have distinct memories of sitting on the kitchen counter watching the food being prepared with the waitress's while my parents sat outside. They still claim there was no neglect involved! It's experiences like this which I guess formed my love for seeing the process rather than the product.
When we arrived at the bakery we were given lovely white coats to wear and headed straight through to the main work area. The first thing that struck me was the size of everything, all the appliances were at least twice the size of regular home kitchen appliances, as if we had stepped in to a giants kitchen. Unfortunately no giants appeared throughout the whole time we were there. A boy can still dream can't he?!
There was about five bakers busy at work making variations of Kanelbulle (cinnamon buns). There was a sort of cake being made by making a ring with the dough and then snipping at it with a scissors to make an amazing pattern the whole way around. On the other side of the counter chopped apples were being added to make a cinnamon apple pie.
I was shown how the dough was prepared by a giant machine and then carried to the work surface wrapped around a giant rolling pin. The dough is then stretched the entire length of a massive board and then spread with cinnamon butter. The dough is then rolled into a swirl and chopped into cinnamon buns!
We visited on a Friday so the staff had the fridges packed full of cakes and breads. This was my favourite part and I had to stop myself running my finger along the icing of the cakes and tasting them! When I grow up I want to be a baker boy! :)
Check out the recipe for Swedish Cinnamon Buns here!
After a few days in Sweden I'm back on Irish soil this week before I head off to Paris today. It's nice to be back, the more I travel the more I enjoy coming home; I'm not sure if it's because I don't like to leave my kitchen for too long or because it's that time of year where your house really becomes your home. As always I left Sweden with lots of Scandinavian inspiration, the shops are always so packed with amazing displays but the most interesting items I left with weren't from an expensive shop; they came from a 1950s basement. People with an interest in food photography will know that props can really make a photo and give it a certain style. Since the summer I've been on the hunt for retro kitchen items, rustic table spreads, old doors and pieces of wood to create the pretty scenes that make my food photos what they are. I hit the jackpot when I walked into Sofie's grandmother's basement - an Aladdin's cave packed with an amazing collection of 1950's style kitchen equipment and a fantastic selection of retro cookbooks, complete with old style imagery. After I'd scooped up enough potential props as my baggage restrictions would allow, I spent hours trawling through old Swedish cookbooks (I have enough Swedish to get me by and surprise, surprise, my food vocabulary is top notch!).
I found some really fantastic recipes for gingerbread cookies, gooey chocolate cake, Saffron bread and, of course, all the aspic jellies and gaudy plastic food images that were all the rage back when. The major find of the day was a beautiful old book in which Sofie's grandmother had written her favourite recipes into. It's in these books, handed down through the generations, that you find out what home cooking is really all about. If you have time this weekend, pull out the family cookbook and delve into the recipes which are closest to your heart. Why not start writing one yourself?
Between all the retro diving and cookbook reading, we did manage to stop for a warm hot chocolate and the famous Kanelbulle at Saluhallen, a cook's paradise not unlike the English Market in Cork, which is well worth a visit for a foodie in Gothenburg.
Swedish Cinnamon Buns Swedish cinnamon buns, or Kanelbulle, were the first thing I learned to bake when I stayed in Sweden. Pearl sugar is sprinkled on top to give it that distinctive finishing touch, but if you can’t get your hands on any, simply sprinkle a little Demerara sugar to finish.
Makes about 40 Buns 400ml/14fl oz milk 110g/4oz butter 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast 110g/4oz sugar 750g/11⁄2lbs cream flour 1⁄2 teaspoon of salt 4 tablespoons of Pearl sugar 1 egg beaten
For the filling: 110g/4oz butter 90g/31⁄2oz sugar 2 tablespoons of cinnamon
Melt the butter in a large pot gently on a low heat and then add the milk. When the mixture is lukewarm, remove from the heat and add the two sachets of dried yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly incorporate the flour one cup at a time; be patient, as the mixture will eventually come together and you won’t be left with a sticky mess forever! You may need to add less or more of the flour to get the right consistency. When the dough has taken shape and is no longer sticky, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about three minutes. Leave the dough to rise in the bowl covered with a damp cloth for 45 minutes. Try and find somewhere warm, as the yeast will do its job a lot quicker. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Gently melt the butter in a sauce-pan and add the cinnamon and sugar, making a thick spreadable mixture. When the dough has risen, cut it in half and roll it into a rectangle about 5mm thick, and then spread the filling all over. Then, from the long side, roll the dough so you get a snail effect and slice into approximately 15–20 pieces. Place the slices in paper wrappers face up and coat with the beaten egg. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough. Sprinkle the buns with pearl sugar. Bake the rolls in the oven at 220°C/425°F/Gas Mark 7 for about 5–10 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Enjoy!
So things are all set for the big day tomorrow, I spoke to the lovely Faye at Market Kitchen yesterday and she talked me through each step of the filming process. Apparently all the members of the audience will be given a little sample of what I'm cooking, so no pressure like! It's my first on air experience, so there are a few butterflies, but I have done a bit of cooking to camera so I guess it's more excitement than anything else. The really good news is that Faye said I was allowed to take pics over there, so expect lots of them up here!
There are some days when recipes just float around my head after reading something or seeing something on tv, in most cases they go as quickly as they come, but sometimes, when I am organised, I write them into a little notebook I have with me at all times. I have had this recipe in my mind since last summer, probably because of my love of Swedish Cinnamon Buns, I guess it just stuck, so as you can imagine I have been dying to finally make it.
Pink Berry and Almond Swirly Buns
This recipe is a fresh take on the Swedish Cinnamon Buns which have been so popular on the blog and in the book! Inspired by Leila Lindholm (my current hero!) who uses blueberries in the filling, I decided it would be great way to use up the last of my leftover frozen berries. This recipe makes a lot of buns, but they freeze really well in ziplock bags and can reheated straight in the oven.
Makes about 40 buns 400ml/14fl oz milk 110g/4oz butter 2 x 7g sachets of dried yeast 110g/4oz sugar 750g/1½lbs flour ½ teaspoon of salt 1 egg, beaten A handful of flaked almonds
For the filling: 200g of butter, at room temperature 150g of sugar 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 450g of mixed frozen berries 2 tablespoons of icing sugar
Melt the butter in a large pot gently on a low heat and then add the milk. When the mixture is lukewarm, remove from the heat and add the two sachets of dried yeast, sugar and salt. Slowly incorporate the flour one cup at a time; be patient, as the mixture will eventually come together and you won’t be left with a sticky mess forever! You may need to add less or more of the flour to get the right consistency. When the dough has taken shape and is no longer sticky, turn out onto a floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes. Leave the dough to rise in the bowl covered with a damp cloth for 45 minutes. Try and find somewhere warm, as the yeast will do its job a lot quicker. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. In a small bowl beat the butter with cinnamon and sugar until you get a light and creamy consistency. In another bowl combine the berries and icing sugar. You may have to zap the berries in the microwave to defrost them first. When the dough has risen, cut it in half and roll it into a rectangle about 5mm thick, and then spread half the creamy butter filling all over. Top with half the berry mixture and spread evenly over the dough. Then, from the long side, roll the dough so you get a snail effect and slice into approximately 15–20 pieces. Repeat the process with the second half of the dough. Place the slices in paper wrappers face up and bake the rolls in the oven at 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4 for about 10–15 minutes or until they are a light brown colour. Remove from the oven brush with a little beaten egg and sprinkle with flaked almonds. Place back in the oven for another 5-6 minutes or until the buns are golden brown and the almonds are toasted. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack, if you can wait that long!
These are possibly the most tasty little buns I've ever had! I first sampled them homemade at a Swedish friend's house, and was intrigued by the very foreign shape, yet familiar Christmas flavors. When I moved to Sweden last year, I quickly found out they were standard fair for everyday life and were similar to what the croissant does for the french and what the scone does for the English. All in all they were pretty bog standard! However, I was given a Swedish cookbook recently which had the recipe so I had to try recreating them, it's not really your standard fairy cake mixture, but the effort was worth it, even if just to put a smile on my homesick girlfriend!
Generally if you stick to the recipe you can't really go wrong, the only variation I made to the recipe was rolling the dough a bit more thinly to get more rolls, but that is entirely up to yourself!
If you don't have pearl sugar, which I didn't the first time I made them, you can substitute it with a sprinkling out dark brown sugar.
Swedish Cinnamon Buns Makes about 40 Buns
2 Cups of whole milk
4oz butter
2 packs of dried yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
5-6 cups of flour
For the filling:
4oz butter
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of cinnamon
1 egg beaten
Melt the butter in a large bowl gently on a low heat and then add the milk .
When the mixture is lukewarm add the two sachets of active dry yeast, making sure it is really mixed through.
Stir in the sugar and the salt.
Slowly incorporate the flour in one cup at a time, try not to loose it, as the mixture will eventually come together, and you won't be left with a sticky mess forever!
When the dough has taken shape and is no longer sticky, turn out onto a floured surface and need for about 3 minutes.
Leave the dough to rise in the bowl covered with a damp cloth for 45 mins. Try and find somewhere warm as the yeast will do it's job a lot quicker.
While the dough is rising , prepare the filling. Gently melt the butter and add the cinnamon and sugar, making a thick spreadable mixture.
When the dough has risen, cut it in half and roll it into a rectangle about 5mm thick, and then spread the filling all over.
Then roll the dough so you get a snail effect, and slice into approx 15-20 pieces. Place the slices in those cute little paper wrappers face up and coat with the beaten egg.
Then sprinkle your little babies with some pearl sugar, or brown sugar if you can't get some.
Bake the rolls in the oven at 250 degrees Celsius for about 5 mins or until the turn golden brown!
Enjoy! Perfect with some afternoon tea, a wild night in with the lads, or even a sneaky one to yourself! The choice is yours!
I am still playing catch up with all the photos from the last few weeks, so you will have to excuse me if my timeline is slightly skewed! We were in Sweden to celebrate Sofie's grandad's 80th and on the day of his birthday, we all rented snow mobiles and went on a guided snow mobile safari through an amazing snow covered forest. We drove to this little cabin in the woods which had a blazing fire going and we were given sticks to cook hot dogs on!
I had made a chocolate fudge birthday cake and after everyone had had a slice and we had sung happy birthday in both English and Swedish we were ushered into a changing room to get ready for an outdoor hot bath. Everyone sat in a massive indoor sauna to get really hot and then when I was adequately cooked I was sent out to tip toe across the freezing wooden floor to jump into a massive wooden bath filled with water at 42 degrees! Not being used to any of this my weak Irish body was ready for a serious lie down after but when were done, I was hoisting myself back up on the snow mobile for the journey back!
One of Sweden's big things in my experience is that they love their dairy products, and cheese is served at breakfast on a daily basis, so it can get a little heavy going. Plus I'm more a porridge with honey and cinnamon type of guy when it comes to breakfast, so I did bake these little muffins to keep myself going. They went down well with the Swedes too! :)
Big Boy Apple Breakfast Muffins I made these lovely muffins when we were in Sweden skiing. They are like a whole breakfast in one muffin, with everything you could need, porridge oats, raisins, apple and yoghurt oh my! To make the cool paper cases in the photos, cut squares of parchment paper, wrap them around a tumbler glass and tie them tightly with some kitchen string. Then simply remove the glass and your left with really cool homemade paper cases!
Makes 12-16 muffins 3 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of ground ginger 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon 150g of flour 150g of rolled oats 4 eggs 125ml of natural yoghurt 240g of honey 4 apples, cored, peeled and chopped in small chunks 110g of raisins A few slices of apple and a sprinkle of brown sugar to top the muffins
Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas Mark 5. Place baking cases on a baking tray. Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl and stir through the rolled oats. Mix the natural yoghurt and honey in a large measuring jug until combined. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in a large steel bowl and the yolks in with the yoghurt and honey. Make a well in to the oats and flour bowl and pour the yoghurt, honey and egg mix and raisin and apple chunks in. Using a wooden spoon mix gently until everything is combined. Using a whisk, beat the egg whites until soft white peaks form, then gently tip this in to the muffin mix and fold through gently until it is evenly incorporated. Spoon heaped tablespoons of the mix into the paper cases and place a slice of apple and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. Place in the oven to bake for around 25 minutes.
We have guests staying with us in our new place this week and one of my favourite things that happens when people stay over is that breakfast time becomes a bit more of an occasion. While most mornings are spent rushing around desperately trying to shove a piece of toast into your gob while you struggle to put on your shoes, the beauty of guests means there is a bit more pressure to entertain in the morning. I don't mean firing up the hob and pulling out a full Irish brekkie, as tempting as that is, I'm talking about being a little more creative. This week we had blueberry pancakes (batter easily thrown together the night before and popped in the fridge), fruit salad and these delicious and highly addictive Caramel Apple Granola Pots. At this time of year, with its dark, miserable mornings there is even more reason to go all out and make a big deal of your first meal of the day. I find the key to making sure you eat well in the morning is a little bit of preparation just before you go to bed; decide what you want to eat and lay out the ingredients you need, so you can switch to autopilot in the AM! These little granola pots will make the perfect little weekend breakfast so get cooking!
Caramel Apple Granola Pots I admit that this is quite a sweet breakfast but it is quite filling with the addition of granola. You can buy premade granola or else toast some rolled oats with some honey, cinnamon, and raisins in the oven until golden. It will store quite nicely in an airtight jar for use throughout the week so I often make a double batch.
Serves 4 For the caramel apples: 75g of butter 5 tablespoons of golden syrup 3 golden delicious apples, peeled and cored 1 tablespoon of caster sugar 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
To serve: Handful of Granola per person 2 tablespoons of Vanilla yoghurt per person
In a small sauce pan bring the butter and golden syrup to the boil. Allow to simmer and bubble for approximately 4-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Set aside. Chop the apples into chunky slices. Melt a knob of butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the apples slices. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and caster sugar, toss to combine. Fry the apples, tossing every now and then until you get a nice golden colour on all sides and they have become soft (About 3-4 minutes either side). When the apples are ready, add them to the butter and golden syrup sauce and stir gently to combine. Layer the caramel apples with granola and yoghurt in small glasses and serve straight away.
I do have to apologise for having two mince pie related posts within the last few days but today is the day for posting our "Great Big Pie Bake Off" recipes and I baked these fab mini pies over the weekend!
I managed to book some time with my little cousin Maisie who has become very busy since the release of the book- she features in the dessert section with her fab cupcakes! She is also playing the angel in the Howth church nativity play so as you can imagine her schedule is fairly hectic for a 9 year old! :)
You can check out more details about "The Great Big Pie Bake Off" over here. Make sure to check out everyone else's fab Christmas themed pies! Plus keep checking back there, we'll be announcing the next pie theme very soon!
Mini Mince Pies
Mince pies are a traditionally British festive sweet pastry which are very delicious. They are pretty popular here in Ireland but I'm not sure if they are seen in many other countries across the world, maybe you can tell me! The "mince meat" consists of apples, raisins, sultanas, currants, mixed peel and a mix of Christmas spices, so as you can see there is no real meat involved! Makes 20 mini mince pies 170g flour 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 100g cold butter, cut into small chunks 1 tablespoon of caster sugar 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons of water 420g jar of mince meat 1 egg fluted circular cookie cutter star cookie cutter
Place the flour and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in using your finger tips until you have a rough breadcrumb like mixture. Don't worry it will come together! Add the sugar and the egg yolk and mix through with a spoon. Add the water slowly until a dough comes together. Form a ball with your hands, cover in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas Mark 5. Roll the pastry dough out to about half a centimetre in thickness and cut out 20 circles and 20 stars. You may need to gather the scraps and re roll the pastry to get enough cases. Oil a mini muffin tray and fill with the pastry circles. Fill each mini pie with the mincemeat and top with the pastry stars. Whisk the egg and brush each mini pie with it. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown. Serve straight away or save some for Santa, word has it there his favourite snack!
All this week I will be out and about promoting the book, and this morning I am on Limerick's Live95FM. They asked me to pick out my favourite breakfast recipe from the book for their breakfast show so I had to go with my all time favourtie breakfast muffins! But these aren't any regular light and empty muffins, these babies packed full of chunky oats, bursting blueberries and bananas to keep you on the move!
Blueberry and Banana Breakfast Muffins
Healthy muffins are perfect for a quick breakfast on the go. These blueberry and banana muffins are packed with healthy ingredients, which will keep you going for any busy morning. I normally make them the night before I have them and grab one or two just before I leave the house.
Makes 12 muffins 125g/4½oz blueberries 2 bananas, mashed 125g/4½oz plain flour 75g/3oz wholemeal flour 200g/7oz rolled oats 75g/3oz brown sugar 250ml/8½fl oz milk 2 large eggs, separated 3 tablespoons of sunflower oil 3 teaspoons of baking powder 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 1 teaspoon of salt
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, rolled oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and sugar. Create a well in the dry ingredients and add the banana, egg yolks, milk and oil. Mix everything gently until a wet batter forms. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold the egg whites and blueberries into the muffin batter until everything is mixed evenly. Divide the muffin mix into individual paper cases and place in an oven for 25 minutes at 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. The muffins should be fine to eat for 4–5 days and can easily be frozen in zip lock bags.
It's quickly becoming an annual tradition that early on a Saturday morning at the start of autumn just before the leaves fall from the trees, we take my little cousin out blackberry picking. It doesn't take too much persuading really, because at the end of our trek around the local hedgerows and fields, she always knows we'll end up cooking a whole batch of sweets and treats. Last year we spent a bumper day of cooking, which included, Blackberry Coulis, Blackberry Mess and the most amazing blackberry cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting! AMAZING!
This year it was just a big batch of blackberry jam and these really easy blackberry crumb slices. Blackberries are most certainly not the most pretty of fruits our Irish countryside has to offer, especially when compared to our most prized summer berry the seductive and far more grown up, glamourous, strawberry. No the blackberry is a bit more like your rough and ready cousin who doesn’t bother with the latest trends and insists on wearing wooly jumpers! But despite all this, blackberries are by far the most accessible and economical of all the fruits our countryside has to offer, with bramble bushes along most road sides literally teeming with the bulging black fruit. So if you have the time this weekend, grab a few extra hands, pull out an old basket or a bucket and get picking! I got some good advice to bring an umbrella with a hook on the end to pull down the branches- the big ones are always at the top!
Blackberry Crumb Slices I think these blackberry crumb slices match the fruit perfectly! They are most definitely and bit more rustic looking than most cake slices, but are full of warm sponge and juicy flavours. Both the cake mix and the crumb topping are extremely easy to make and great for baking with kids!
Makes 24 delicious slices 115g butter, at room temperature 175g caster sugar 1 large free range egg 280g self raising flour 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 125ml milk 300g of fresh blackberries (you could use frozen if you’re stuck)
For the sweet crumb topping 115g caster sugar 85g plain flour zest of 1 lemon 75g of butter
Preheat the oven to 190oC/Gas Mark 5. Grease a rectangular baking tin and line it with parchment paper. If you’re stuck for parchment paper you could probably get away with greasing the tin and flouring it instead. Using a hand mixer, in a bowl beat together the sugar and butter until pale. Add in the egg whisking to incorporate the mixture little by little. Using a wooden spoon fold in the flour, cinnamon and milk. Mix gently until you have a sticky dough like mixture. Spread evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking tin, this requires patience as the dough can be sticky, but bear with it you’ll get there! Then arrange the blackberries on top. Set aside while you prepare the sweet crumb topping. Add all the ingredients for the sweet crumb topping to a bowl and rub the dry ingredients into the butter with your fingertips as you would with pastry. Keep mixing until you have a mixture that resembles rough breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the blackberries in the baking tray and place in the oven on the middle rack for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing into 24 pieces.
The blog and book got a great mention in today's Irish Independent LoveFood magazine. This recipe was used and I have been saving it especially until the piece was published! So here to get you in the Christmas spirit, is my Christmas Mince Pie Star Slices!
Christmas Mince Pie Star Slices
These mince pie slices are a wonderful alternative to the traditional mince pie. Use your own mince meat recipe here if you have one, if not most supermarkets stock handy jars of the stuff!
Serves 4-6 For the pastry: 170g flour 1 teaspoon of cinnamon 100g cold butter, cut into small chunks 1 tablespoon of caster sugar 1 egg yolk 2 tablespoons of water
For the filling: 420g jar of mince meat 1 large cooking apple, peeled and cored A sprinkle of brown sugar
Place the flour and cinnamon in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub in using your finger tips until you have a rough breadcrumb like mixture. Don't worry it will come together! Add the sugar and the egg yolk and mix through with a spoon. Add the water slowly until a dough comes together. Form a ball with your hands, cover in cling film and place in the fridge to chill for at least 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200oC/Gas Mark 6. Chop the apple into small rough slices and combine in a bowl with the mince meat. Roll the pastry dough out to about half a centimetre in thickness and line a fluted tart tin with it. Make sure to cut out little stars from the pastry to decorate with later! Prick the base with a fork and fill with baking paper and ceramic baking beans. Place in the oven and blind bake for 10 minutes, remove the paper and beans and bake for a further 5 minutes. Fill the pastry base with the apple and mincemeat mixture and top with the pastry stars and a sprinkle of brown sugar. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the pastry turns golden brown. Serve cut into slices with a drizzle of cream!
This was the piece I wrote for my feature in the Irish Independent Weekend Magazine, about the fantastic cookclub I attended recently:
Bright and bubbly Sadhbh McCarthy hosted one of her regular dinner parties as part of her cook club with a celebration of some of her favourite recipes for pals, Brid, Fiona, Karen, Peter and Colm. Sadhbh who works as a European policy advisor, chose her menu which was a hearty mix of cultures, based around a refreshing and aromatic starter of Vietnamese beef and noodle soup, Beef Pho. A dish which she fell in love with on a trip travelling from Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai and was determined to recreate it when she came home. The soup caused a friendly heated debate as some of the more apprehensive guests were unsure about the addition of red chilli. However the debate quickly dissipated when Sadhbh helped by Peter, presented a glowing platter of hot sizzling Thai Fish Cakes straight from the pan. Originally a Rick Stein recipe, Sadhbh adapted it using her own blend of curry paste and spoke encouragingly about being flexible when cooking Asian dishes as long as you keep the base flavours.
All the ingredients used for the recipes were sourced from the indoor Honest2Goodness farmers market in Glasnevin, run by Sadhbh’s friend Brid Carter. The pair met through a combined love of good food and Brid provided the secret ingredient for a wonderfully tender pork belly and added an extra zing to the dish by using her own blend of 5 spice powder sourced from the market.
Dessert was provided by Sadhbh’s son Jamie, who is training to become a chef in DIT, he made a mouth-watering cheesecake topped with summer berries adapted from a Bill Granger recipe which was accompanied by a smooth berry coulis which cut through the creaminess to add another dimension to the dish. It was a unanimous decision around the table that the addition of Moonshine Organic Cream Cheese from artisan producers Gerry and Mary Kelly in Mullingar set the standard when it came to adding an extra creaminess to the dessert.
Wines were carefully selected by trained sommelier and wine obsessive Colm Carter who works alongside Brid at the market every Saturday. He chose Domaine de l'Amandine Cotes du Rhone 2007 for the starter, a Vina Marro, Crianza 2006 Rioja Doca for the rich pork belly and a fruity Oddero Moscato d'Asti 2007 to go with the cheesecake.
I hadn't intended on interrupting by staying the whole evening, but Sadhbh and her friends fully welcomed me with a glass of wine and in a true case of Irish hospitality I found myself polishing off dessert with a full belly! Sadhbh summed up the fantastic evening by sharing her ethos on her cook club which was to “Cook with love and a desire to share and enjoy the experience”.
Pho Bo – Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (from Annabel Jackson’s Street Café Vietnam)
For the broth 1.7 litres beef stock or canned beef consommé 115g piece fresh ginger, peeled and smashed 2 sticks cinnamon bark ½ teaspoon coriander seeds 3 pieces star anise 1 teaspoon each caster sugar, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 teaspoons nuoc mam (Vietnamese equivalent of nam pla (fish sauce)
To serve: Hoi sin sauce and chilli sauce 2 limes, cut in half 2 fresh red chillies, thinly sliced Bunch of fresh ngo gai (if available) – this is a Vietnamese herb Bunch of fresh Thai Basil
To make the broth: bring the stock to boiling point. Add the ginger, cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds and star anise. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the sugar, salt, pepper and fish sauce. Strain the broth and return to the pan. Keep hot over a low heat. Bring a pan of water to the boil, and warn through fresh noodles or cook rice sticks until al dente. Drain and divide among individual bowls. Add a handful of blanched beansprouts and some shallots and coriander to each bowl and top with the beef (still raw). Ladle the hot broth over the food in the bowl (this will cook the beef slightly). At the table, each diner can add hoi sin, chilli sauce, lime juice, fresh chilli ngo gai and basil leaves to taste. - I will be posting the rest of the delicious recipes from the dinner party this week!
We have a visitor staying with us at the moment, and he eats a lot, no wait, A HELL OF A LOT! After a big dinner of chicken and rice, the other night, he ate two big bowls of Special K, a Banana, and a bag of popcorn. I wouldn't mind, and apologies for being crude, but what worries me is that the amount of toilet paper were going through does not reflect the amount of food being eaten. As you can imagine I am a little worried about his well being, so I decided that healthy longlasting breakfast, full of fibre would do the trick and perhaps keep him running a little more regular.
I do hope, I haven't put you off the recipe completely, because it's a darn good one, a healthy twist on classic American pancakes. Don't get put off by the use of oat flour, just whizz up some oats in a blender it takes seconds and is much healthier than the refined white stuff. I got the recipe from Stella's Kitchen Blog which gives lots of different options- we used goats milk out of personal choice- so adapt it whatever you want just make sure the balance between your wet and dry ingredients stay the same.
Oatmeal Pancakes
1 cup fat free milk (or water, or goats milk) 3/4 cup oatmeal (uncooked, quick or regular oats)
3/4 cup oatmeal flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
4 large whites
1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
For baking recipe's like this I like to be able to attack it systematically, I'm not sure why. So First of all, heat your milk in a saucepan until warm and set aside. Blend your oatmeal flour and mix with the rest of the oatmeal, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a seperate bowl whisk your egg whites until they reach a stiff consistancy.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients in one bowl and mix until blended. Then add the egg whites and fold into the mixture. To cook simply add a full ladel of the mix to a warm pan and it takes just less than a minute each side or until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup, fresh fruit, or whatever takes your fancy!
Happy Pancake Tuesday! I hope you have your batter ready! If not find the recipe in the post below. This caramel apple sauce is perfect for pancakes and ideal to jazz up pancake Tuesday. I'm in Stockholm and away from the kitchen this week so have a few pancakes on me.
Caramel Apple Sauce I originally made this to go with pancakes but it works so well as part of other desserts like waffles, ice cream, and even my American style oaty pancakes!
75g of butter. 5 tablespoons of golden syrup. 3 golden delicious apples, peeled and cored. 1 tablespoon of caster sugar. 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder.
In a small sauce pan bring the butter and golden syrup to the boil. Allow to simmer and bubble for approximately 4-5 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Set aside. Chop the apples into chunky slices. Melt a knob of butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat and add the apples slices. Sprinkle over the cinnamon and caster sugar, toss to combine. Fry the apples, tossing every now and then until you get a nice golden colour on all sides and they have become soft (About 3-4 minutes either side). When the apples are ready, add them to the butter and golden syrup sauce and stir gently to combine. Serve the sauce with homemade pancakes and some sneaky vanilla ice cream!
This post is coming live from Sweden! I arrived last night after an extremely long day, but it was worth it. We landed in pretty heavy snow conditions which got so bad after we landed and they were forced to close the airport today, so I got in just in time! It's absolutely bloody freezing here, -7 degrees celsius, I can't feel my toes, plus you would quite easily be able to spot that I am not from here. The Swedes are all elegantly wrapped up in proper winter gear whereas I look like I've fallen into a bargain rail at TK Maxx and have ended up wearing the only oddest mismatching warm clothes I have, but I'm still cold!
I'm definitely in need of some White Hot Chocolate. I made this tasty drink for Maisy when we were baking last weekend and it's the perfect festive drink! Enjoy! :)
Yummy White Hot Chocolate!
This is a perfect little Christmas pick me up to keep you warm during all the baking and decorating you'll be doing in the next few days! If you want a really frothy mixture, pop the warm mix into an empty milk carton, pop on the lid and give it a good hard shake! Serves 2 150g white chocolate 500ml milk 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
In a saucepan, gently melt the chocolate in the milk, make sure to keep whisking until the chocolate is completely melted. Bring the mix to a gentle simmer and whisk in the vanilla extract and the cinnamon until combined. Serve in big mugs and slurp down straight away!
Apologies for the delay in this post, I am still try to get over all the excitement. The launch of the cook book took place on Wednesday evening and it really got a great turnout, I was so thrilled! So now it's official the book is finally launched! I have to say a huge thank you to everyone who came along on the night, it was so lovely to meet regular readers of the blog, and of course all my fellow Twits who attended too!
With the help my lovely aunt, we provided the nibbles, inspired by recipes in the book. We had Lemon and Poppyseed Cupcakes, Swedish Cinnamon Buns, and Roast Vegetables and Feta Crostini!
Niamh Hatton from Mercier Press spoke briefly about the book and the other books they had coming up in the next few months, she was followed by Eoin Purcell who commissioned the book way back at the start of 2008 and spoke about working on the book! Normally I prefer to speak off the cuff at these sort of events but there was so many people I had to thank, that I knew I had to write it all down! Thanks to everyone who turned up, hope you like the pics taken by the lovely Aoife Nathan!
Grand Marnier: blended cognacs with orange essence
Speaking of tradition, it's as good as written law around here that when there are fresh, local strawberries on hand there must also be strawberry shortcake. So, we had back to back shortcake. The second time 'round though I needed it to be an easily transported dessert to bring to a party. Cake form seemed like the perfect way to go, all assembled and easy to head out with. Playing on the orange tones of my first orange-rosemary shortcake, I incorporated some Grand Marnier to lend a sweet citrus flavor to the whipped cream. Also, instead of a plain vanilla bean cake, I made a rustic cornmeal cake to add pleasant texture and sweetness from the fresh milled corn.
Cornmeal cake with Grand Marnier vegan whipped cream and fresh berries
One note though, as pretty as it is to have the green tops on the strawberries topping this cake, it's a total suckers move and I implore you to resist it! I can't tell you how many ways in which I should have known better, but the beauty of the berries with the tops still on conspired to drag me down as I opted, thoughtlessly, for aesthetics over eating. A choice that meant I later had to sit, shamefaced, as my friends picked berries out of the mess of whipped cream to remove the tops, which of course they couldn't enjoyably eat. Sigh.
Strawberry rhubarb pie with cornmeal pâte sucrée
I tried to make it up to them though with my favorite pie, strawberry rhubarb. Following the thought about cornmeal and strawberries, which worked so well in the cornmeal shortcake, I made a tender pâte sucrée with cornmeal and coconut oil instead of margarine or oil. The coconut was a very mild flavor influence on the end result and worked surprisingly well in the crust which was wonderfully flaky, light and tenderly sweet against the tart fruit filling.
Fresh strawberry jam filled rambutan mochi with Thai basil sauce and strawberry powder
Last year I served my strawberry rhubarb pie with basil ice cream, but this year my basil is not incredibly bountiful. My lemon verbena could swallow up the yard, but the basil is sort of a no-go. It's sad. There is enough to work smaller projects with though, so I made a dessert that caught my eye in Johnny Iuzzini's Dessert FourPlay a couple months ago. In the original version, Iuzzini fills strawberry mochi with strawberry rhubarb compote and serves it with basil fluid gel. I took some liberties to make the dessert a little faster to assemble and different in flavor, pairing my fresh strawberry jam filling with a freeze-dried rambutan mochi (reasoning that if I find an affinity between strawberries and lychees, rambutans would work as well) and serving it with Thai basil sauce. My mochi technique could use some work (I blame the leakage on my imperfect motor control with a hand still swollen from carpal tunnel release surgery) but overall, I adored this light little dessert and its intriguing Southeast Asian flavors.
Chocolate spiced baby banana pudding with strawberries
A more straightforward, classic pairing between strawberries and chocolate was something I noticed had fallen by the wayside this season. I guess I've been taking my chocolate pretty straight these days and have been in a particular rut with the super dry, dark and lovely 84% Theo single origin bar from Ghana. So good. But I digress. Feeling that these amazing strawberries could make chocolate even more magical, I whipped up a very random pudding of organic baby bananas, dark chocolate, anise, chilies, cinnamon, nutmeg and espresso salt, sweetened with date syrup and topped with fresh berries. It was meant as a quick treat of no consequence but was so good, I'm pledged to make it again and actually write down every element of the recipe since several friends have proclaimed it's one of the best things ever, period.
Breakfast with berries and nibs
After finally getting my strawberry and chocolate fix, I realized that I'd sort of been enjoying the two together all along in my breakfast bowl. Homemade cocoa nib granola with fresh berries isn't quite chocolate dipped strawberries, but it's more than satisfying at seven am.
Almond crust mini tarts with fresh fruit, nibs and lemon verbena
Thinking about how nicely nibs complemented strawberries, I sprinkled a few Taza chocolate covered nibs into my mini tarts. They provided a nice bittersweet crunch against the fruit and buttery almond crust.
Almond strawberry cheesecake
Almonds are a natural complement to strawberries. Their rich sweetness and lightly bitter edge are perfect against tart berry notes. And there's a reason why strawberry cheesecake is so popular; sweet tangy cheese has its richness both cut slightly and complemented by each bite of berry. So, an almond crusted and amaretto spiked cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries glazed with hot strawberry syrup and sprinkled with almond slices seemed like just the thing.
Whole wheat English muffin with farmer's cheese and strawberry rhubarb jam
I've had a lot of semi-successful vegan cheese-ish substances around lately as I've been experimenting to find one that really suits me. None of them are perfect, but with a good amount of fiddling, they've all turned into tasty additions to desserts and ice cream bases. The mixture that I turned into cheesecake was also spun off into a nice mellow farmer's cheese that went wonderfully with fresh strawberry rhubarb jam (again from the Joy of Jams, but with much less sugar than called for).
bagels fresh out of the oven
In fact, I made several jams from the new book: plain strawberry, strawberry rhubarb and strawberry kiwi. With such deliciously fresh tasting jams are hanging around the house, it seemed pretty much obvious that I needed to make a delicious delivery mechanism for them. So when King Aurthur flour had a free-shipping deal, I refilled my stock of organic high gluten flour and made a batch of bagels from the Bread Baker's Apprentice, some coated into sesame seeds and some streaked with pasilla chili powder and topped with chili lime Hawaiian sea salt.
Brunch at Dara's with everyone's delicious contributions: homemade bagels and jam, fennel seitan, chicory in tahini garlic sauce, roasted potatoes, beet orzo and melon with mint
Toasted and spread equally with fresh made jam and strawberry cream cheese, these were a delicious promise that the joy of strawberries in season can last as long as the jars of jam do, even if we've only got another week or two to enjoy them fresh.
As I think I mentioned before I am a HUGE fan of Asian cuisine, so I thought I would write a post about the essential ingredients for your very own Asian pantry.
I have been having a terrible time recently when it comes to cooking Asian inspired dishes because my girlfriend is extremely allergic to soya and nuts. Soya is a staple part of Asian cuisine and in many recipe's hard to avoid. However not one to be beaten I have been adapting some of my favourite dishes without the addition of soya, so I will include some of these here in the future with soya as an option.
On to the reason were here, in the ever shrinking world getting your hands on international ingredients has become ever so easy! I would normally have said just pop down to your local Chinese supermarket as this is what I would do in Dublin, but I was living in the north of Ireland for a couple of months recently and asked where the nearest Chinese supermarket was and the answer to which was laughter. There is a great little shop in Dublin that I visit regularly to stock up and it's nuzzled in the back of a building of Georges St. So if you ever get a chance to visit, do!
You can purchase lots of these ingredients in supermarket's now but I like the having the options of more than one brand to choose from.
Soy Sauce- A fermented sauce made from soy bean, roasted grain, water, and salt. I was a bit of an addict before my recent situation arose, as it really adds a salty sweet taste to dishes.
Chilli Flakes- Made from crushing dried chilli peppers, give a nice spice when added to dishes.
Rice Wine Vinegar- A much milder vinegar than the western variety, can be used in most dishes and sauces.
Fish Sauce- A sauce brownish in colour and salty in taste. Is often substituted for salt in dishes. It is more common in Thai cooking but I use it all the time.
Sesame Oil- Used mainly as a flavour rather than a regular cooking oil as it burns very quickly- has a very distinct nutty flavour.
Ginger- An aromatic root of the ginger plant, has a strong fresh flavour. Can be used in stir Fry's soups and marinades.
Oyster Sauce- It's name alone tends to put people off, but this sauce doesn't have a strong fishy taste due to the fact the oysters are boiled. It's a very rich sauce with a strong savoury flavour.
Lemon Grass- Another strong aromatic flavour here. This herb gives a distinct lemon smell and taste. It can be used in soups and chopped finely into stir fry's.
Chinese 5 Spice powder- A seasoning which combines sweet sour bitter savoury and salty all in one. It consists of cinnamon, star anise, ginger, cassia, and cloves.
Noodles- I always aim to keep a wide selection of noodles in my press, these include different varieties of Egg noodles, Rice noodles and Wheat Noodles. My best advice on this one is to experiment, it's the only way of finding your own taste.
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