Tart Tatin

The thing about tart tatin is that it is made in a pan and put straight in the oven so you need to make sure your pan is oven proof, I bought a cast iron pan in Lidl for €25, make sure you keep an eye out for deals. That’s the main problem with tart tatin you could….. caramelise the apples a little and line a tart mould place the apples in and some puff pastry on top prick a few holes and cook it that way you could do individual ones and it would be a way around making them if you didn’t have an oven proof pan. Alternatively you can make mini individual ones using mini tart-let moulds with the apple on the bottom if it is not non stick you may need some parchment paper to help to take out the tart.

6 Medium Dessert Apples (Bramley)

1 Lemon – Juiced

113g Butter

227g Caster Sugar

255g Puff Pastry Trimmings

Method:

1. Peel, core and halve the apples, sprinkle with the lemon juice, set aside to chill.
2. Spread the butter evenly on the base of a sautuer, sprinkle the bottom of the pan with the sugar.
3. Arrange the apples rounded side down on the bottom of the pan, cook on top of range till just coloured then cover with a disk of puff paste.
4. Transfer to a hot oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, until the pastry is risen and golden.
5. As soon as the tart is cook, carefully turn it out on to a round serving dish, the pastry is now on the
6. Bottom with the apples on top, serve hot with vanilla ice cream

Lemon Curd

Lemons, zingy, sweet, sour they are a little bit of everything, very versatile; lemon tart, lemon and poppy seed muffins, lemon ice-cream, lemon meringue pie. For most of these recipes you need a curd then you add that curd into whatever dessert you want. Light and refreshing - definitely something to try out. when you have it pop into a jar and leave it in the fridge, if all of the ingredients are fresh I would leave it maximum of 10 days.

Here is an idea for a quick fix dessert: all you need is some egg whites and some store bought puff pastry and you have easy lemon meringue pie. Lemon curd can also be added to a tartlet to make mini lemon tarts.

Lemon Curd:

180g Lemon Juice

400g Icing Sugar

50g Butter

100g Egg

200g Egg Yolk

Method:

1.      Place all of the ingredients in a saucepan and cook until it bubbles

2.      Stirring continuously

3.      Allow to cool

Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding

This recipe is great for dinner parties as you can make a lot at one time, it is so indulgent and rich and yet it is surprisingly light with the banana and goes great with some butterscotch sauce and some vanilla ice -cream (homemade or store bought),  I was thought this recipe while on my summer placement, enjoy!

This should make 20-25 portions approx. and can last up to 10 days wrapped well and kept in the fridge, perfect for a party!

300ml Water
16g Bread Soda
333g (Dried) Dates
(you need to soak these ingredients overnight)

333g Bananas
250g Butter
500g Sugar
7 Eggs
500g Self-Raising Flour
3g Mixed Spice
3g Cinnamon
100g Yogurt

Method:


Prep Work:

1. Combine all of the dry ingredients.
2. It may be easier to pulse the date mix quickly just to break them down so you don't have large pieces of dates in the puddings.

1. Cream the butter and the bananas, then add the sugar.
2. Combine the yogurt and the dates. 
3. Add the yogurt mix to the banana/sugar mix.
4. Add the eggs to the mix.
5. Then add the dry ingredients.
6. Mix well and cook at 175/180 degrees or gas mark 4 for 30 mins. 
7. Check it's cooked by using a knife.

Once these are done turn out onto a wire tray and allow to cool. while they are cooking in the oven you can be making the Butterscotch Sauce, now this can be tricky but i'm going to try and explain it as best i can:

This should make about 1 litre, it may seem like a lot but you need some to seal the puddings and then for serving. This dish is such a comfort food dish its perfect for winter. The sauce will also keep in the fridge and can be served with some ice cream it will last up to 2 weeks in an airtight container.

220g Sugar (252g)

64ml Water (96ml)

*64g Glucose

400ml Cream

20g Butter

* i didn't have glucose at home when i made this recipe, if you do fantastic but if you don't im gonna try and explain how to do it and get the same/similar results.

Method:

1. Heat a saucepan on high heat, i have a gas cooker so its more of a direct heat and would give the best results electric stoves tend to remain at a set temperature. But everyone knows how to work in their own kitchen and knows how to use their appliances.
2. Add the sugar, water and glucose to a saucepan, (if you have no glucose add half as extra sugar and half the amount as extra water, i have the measurements above in brackets).
3. Bring this mix to the boil.
4. Cook to a caramel stage, do not stir. 
5. Allow the sugar to completely dissolve in the water.
6. The colour should be reddish-brown, if you go further than this you risk burning the sugar.
7. Once you have reached this stage add the cream, the sauce should slowly begin to thicken.
8. Then add the butter.
9. Allow to cool.
10. Keep stored in the fridge. 

Next Stage:

Keep some of the sauce on the heat and dip the puddings into the sauce the just lightly coat them then return to the tray to cool, this just helps to retain their flavour by sealing them. This also helps to prolong their shelf life, it also gives them a moist appearance. 

And that's it! i really hope you enjoy this recipe, its a winter and party favourite yes the sauce is rich but the pudding itself is so light. I would serve this with some good quality vanilla ice-cream i usually make my own as i love the rich home-made ice-cream flavour. 

Hob Nobs

I love Hob-Nobs they are a great biscuit for dipping, quite resilient. The portions of this mix depend on you whether you cut them big or small so i don't have a yield here. sorry.

450g Plain Flour
450g Butter
450g Castor Sugar
450g Porridge Oats
2 Tsp Baking Powder
4 Tsp Water
8 Tsp Golden Syrup
2 Tbsp Vanilla Essence

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees/ gas mark 3.
Cream the butter and sugar.
Add the flour, baking powder, oats.
Add the syrup and water.
Combine the mix well.
Bake for 5/8 minutes.
Allow to cool.

Enjoy!

Mango and Red Pepper Salsa

This recipe is perfect for a little starter of chips and dip or if your having people over and you dont want ot use the generic store bought salsa. I sometimes use this with Fajitas as the mango gives off a really nice sweet flavour and mixes well with the spices.

Mango and Red Pepper Salsa

1 Mango, Diced Small      

2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

1/2 Large Red Bell Pepper, Diced Small    

2 Tsp Honey

50g Diced Red Onion, Diced Small               

½ Red Pepper, Finely Chopped

Chopped Coriander          

Pinch Dried Chili Flakes

2 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice  

½ Garlic Clove, Sliced

1 Tsp Ground Cumin       

½ Lemon -Juiced

Pinch Sea Salt    

1 Tsp Fish Sauce

1/2 Tsp Tabasco Sauce    

2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil     

Method:    

1. Chop mango, red pepper, and red onion into pieces about 3/8 inch square, and combine in bowl.
2. Mix lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin, green Tabasco and salt in small bowl, whisk together, and mix into salsa.
3. Add chopped coriander and stir until combined.
4. Add the soy sauce, honey, fish sauce, lemon juice, garlic, chilli and red pepper into a small bowl and stir well.

Moloughney's Clontarf

I went to Moloughney's in Clontarf for a Sunday lunch and it was just brilliant. The presentation was great and they really don't skimp on the portion sizes. There was three of us for lunch with each having 2 courses, 2 soft drinks and 3 coffees coming to a total of €71 euro. If you haven't been to Moloughney's you have to, with the brick walls and dark wood it creates such a nice setting for the restaurant. 


I opted for the chicken with a honey glaze which was served with baby carrots, mashed potato and a roast potato, the chicken was so moist, and the sweet and sticky honey glaze was really nice, it wasn't just a typical roast chicken dinner. The carrots were a bit al-dente which was perfect and the mash was seasoned perfectly and was proper mash -no lumps!

For the dessert I had the lemon tart, something light and refreshing at the end of the meal, this was served with some creme chantilly (cream with vanilla pods and some icing sugar) and a raspberry coulis, the lemon tart was fresh and zingy and the coulis was sweet the flavours all worked really well together and the plate was presented well with clean lines.


Overall really enjoyable meal, having been there more for breakfasts having the dinner was a nice change, will definitely be returning to Moloughney's


http://www.moloughneys.ie/ 
3 Vernon Avenue  Clontarf, Dublin 3
01 8330002

Genoese Sponge

This is a great recipe for birthday cakes, different than the traditional sponge cake recipe. This makes 1 large cake.

Genoese Sponge

8 Eggs

226g Caster Sugar

255g Plain Flour

113g Melted Butter

Vanilla Flavoring If Required

Method:

1. Weigh all ingredients carefully; prepare tins or sponge rings, by brushing bases and sides with melted butter and dusting lightly with flour.
2. Sieve the flour into a dry clean bowl or sheet of grease-proof paper.
3. Melt the butter and allow to cool.
4. Place the eggs and sugar in a bowl, sit in a warm ban marie, beat the eggs and sugar until warm, whisk thoroughly until the mixture has increased in volume by at least three times carefully fold in the flour using a metal spoon, quickly follow this with the melted butter, make sure that all the flour has been incorporated and that no lumps have caught in the bottom of the bowl.
5. Transfer the sponge mixture to the prepared moulds, filling to three quarters from the top.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 177 for 30 – 35 minutes, when cooked remove from oven, allow to cool, store and use as required NB Chocolate sponge : proceed as for recipe above except replacing 113g of flour with 113g cocoa powder or drinking chocolate

You can then make it look well fancy by piping on a design onto the top of the cake but practice first on a plate because if you make a mistake you can't take it back, its just about confidence I kind of messed up on my design some of the lines are thick and others are thin, but it doesn't matter it adds character :)

What's For Dinner? - Chicken Parmigiana

I was so tempted to title the post "Anyone can cook!" as this is not my own recipe it's my sisters - so all the credit goes to her! She has had dish dish several times, especially in Australia - apparently is a staple on the menu over there. This serves 4

4 Chicken Fillets

4 Slices of White Bread - Bread-crumbed
Salt and Pepper
100g White Cheddar Cheese -Grated
1 Tin of Tomatoes
1 Pinch of Sugar
1 Tsp Fresh Basil
2 Eggs

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to to 190 degrees / gas mark 5
2. Place the chicken on a chopping board and put some cling film over it and using a wooden mallet or a rolling pin, flatten the chicken fillet slightly - don't beat it to a thin strip!
3. Beat the eggs into a bowl and then coat them int he breadcrumbs
4. It would be best to season the bread-crumbs with a little salt and pepper
5. Place a non stick pan on a high heat - NO OIL, and cook the chicken on both sides, til slightly firm
6. Then put on a roasting tray and put in the oven for 7 minutes
7. To make the sauce combine the tin of tomatoes with some salt and pepper and a bit of sugar, then add the fresh basil
8. After the 7 minutes add the sauce to the chicken and cook for a further 7 mins 
9. Then add the cheese and remove from the oven once the cheese is melted 
10. You can serve this with pasta or with a salad during the summer 

Beef Strognaoff

Beef Stroganoff, is one of those classic dishes but i have added some extra vegetables and a bit of spice to give a different flavour. I like my food with a bit of a spice, but if you don't you could always leave out the peppers and Tabasco. Serves 2

Beef Stroganoff

500g good quality beef (sirloin)

Mushrooms

1 white small-medium onion

½ red pepper

½ green pepper

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

500ml light cream

Dash of Tabasco 

Method:

1. Chop the meat up into dice size cubes and quickly fry on a hot pan until lightly browned then remove immediately
2. Then in the same pan soften the onion, mushrooms and peppers then add the mustard and seasoning if desired, then add the cream and reduce by half once the cream has been reduced  add the meat and cook until the meat is still soft to touch and then  serve immediately. 
3. This dish is best served with rice pilaff.

Sunday Brunch

I know today isn't Sunday but keep your plans open for a change. As last Sunday was mothers day (Sunday the 18th of March) my sister and I decided it would be nice to bring "the mother" out for a Sunday brunch in Howth, we went to the House which is just up the hill (towards the church on the same side of the street as centra).

It was kind of busy, I haven't been there before so I don't know if it was busy because it was mothers day or that's just how it is on a Sunday, anyway the service was great, anyone who knows me knows I love my coffee so we had that to start and it was fantastic!!, really good coffee not to strong not too weak - just right!

I was torn between the pancakes with either the crispy bacon and melon or with the fruits- so I decided neither, I had the chicken and apple sausages with mash and gravy, don't forget this is brunch by the time the food came it was almost half one and in my house on a Sunday that's the time the roast is out on the table.

The sausages were really nice I didn't really get a chicken flavour but the had this subtle sweetness which was really nice, the gravy tasted like it has caramelised onions in it but there were no onions just the sweet yet savoury flavour which was really nice, the mash was perfect no lumps - which is a pet hate if you can't mash potatoes properly there is something wrong!

We finished off the meal with some more coffee of course and with 5 people all having breakfast and tea/coffee it came to about 60 euro. So if your looking for a change, a treat some Sunday why not try the house?
http://www.thehouse-howth.ie