10 July 2012

From my kitchen window I can see dozens of brightly coloured fishing boats. For the past 10 weeks these boats have barely moved from their moorings (due to bad weather) which means we have not had many fish to cook with at the school.  All that changed yesterday when I noticed a flurry of activity at the pier and today when I walked into the kitchen to find mountains of mackerel! Hurrah! So in addition to my planned menu of white yeast bread, steamed new potatoes, cinnamon and hazelnut meringues, and a cheeky individual hot chocolate souffle, I also got to fillet and grill two gorgeous mackerel. I say gorgeous because they actually are - glistening iridescent creatures which shimmer blue-green like opals. So pretty. So delicious. So damned difficult to fillet, but hey, you can't have everything.

Come with me on a photographic journey entitled 'Mackerel: from bay to plate'

 

OK, I think that's enough fish. On to my other dishes ... As a souffle, my souffle was an unmitigated disaster, but as a 'Plumpcious chocolate pot' is was divine - dense, firm and oozing chocolate in the centre .. everything a souffle should not be, but holy cow was it delicious! It was such a successful mistake that I am making it again this evening for dessert (Dinner is a buttered bread roll ...read on to understand why). I also made Ottolenghi cinnamon and hazelnut meringues - these 'diabetics' enemies' were so colossal they took 2.5 hours to cook (and they were still gooey in the centre). I will admit they were pretty, but they weren't for me - If I am going to eat that much sugar I would prefer it in chocolate form.

Decadence gone mad.

And now for the piece de resistance ... today I made the best bread I have ever made (sorry sourdough). A simple white yeast bread shaped into little balls which rose, snuggled up together and made a cluster of fluffy seeded rolls. The teacher broke off a roll and exclaimed 'A Perfect 10'. My 'loaf love' for these little puff balls is off the charts! For that reason, dinner this evening is a perfect fluffy roll smothered in butter (and a glass or two of wine). Delicious. 

Today we were taught how to cook: Gaspacho, Gaspacho popsicles, Gaspacho blanco (made with almonds and soggy bread), Tomato and basil soup, Fresh tomato juice, Agnolotti, Gnudi bianchi (balls of ricotta rolled in semolina flour), Braised pork shoulder, Glazed belly of pork, Roast Chinese belly of pork with five spice powder and Chinese greens, Roast pork with crackling and spiced aubergines, New roast potatoes with rosemary and thyme, Green bean tomato and mozzarella salad with anchovy caper and garlic dressing, French chocolate cake with crystallized violets, Hazelnut praline cake, Genoise sponge, Chocolate and raspberry mousse gateau, and Baguettes.

Now if you'll excuse me, it's bread time. 

9 July 2012

My day started at 7.30am with salad duty. Ok, ok ... so I hit the snooze button three times and didn't  get to school until 8.05am , but that's still earlier than usual, and I suffered for it by nearly falling asleep in this afternoon's demonstration (mind you, the steamy heat of the ovens doesn't help).

Today I was without a kitchen partner so I got to make whatever I wanted from Friday's demonstration.  So, I made Mild madras curry, beetroot and mustard seed raita, fresh mint chutney, poppodums and elderflower sorbet. For the Madras curry I got to de-bone and butterfly a leg of lamb, which I am unlikely to do again considering there are perfectly competent butchers in my neighbourhood, but now I can add that to my list of culinary tricks. The lamb was then cubed and slow cooked with freshly ground spices, sliced onions, chopped almonds and a rather large cup of double cream - health conscious curry munchers beware!

The beetroot raita was simply grated beetroot, toasted mustard seeds, yoghurt, salt and honey - all mixed to form a luscious fucsia pink gloop which complemented the curry beautifully. The mint chutney was made by throwing apples, onion, and mint into a magimix and hitting the 'on' button - a sound which is truly delightful after a weekend of excessive cider consumption (note to self - bring earmuffs on Mondays). The poppodums were fried and the sorbet was thrown into a sorbet machine and ignored until it came time to scoop it. Elderflower sorbet is fabulously fresh and summery and I enjoyed eating it as I sat and stared out the window at the gloomy overcast Irish sky. Where else in the world does the temperature soar to 16 degrees at the height of summer?

From the top - beetroot raita, mint chutney, chilli sauce,  poppodums and Madras curry.

I couldn't decide between the horizontal and vertical versions of this photo ... 

Elderflower sorbet with lime syrup and fresh elderflowers 

Today in demonstration we learned to cook: Beef Consomme, Ravioli with swiss chard and pancetta, Pan-grilled mackerel with parsley butter or green gooseberry sauce, Scotch eggs (retro fabulous), Barbequed lamb zucchini and broad bean salad, Feta watermelon pine nut and mint leaf salad, Sticky Asian pork herb and roasted peanut salad, Asian dressing, Almond tart with strawberries, Almond prune and Armagnac tart, Hot lemon souffle, Grand Marnier souffle, Hot chocolate souffle, Ottolenghi cinnamon and hazelnut meringues, Ottolenghi pistachio and rosewater meringues, Chocolate mint leaves, and Strawberries with lemon basil. 

At 6pm we had a lecture on olive oil. As a result it is now 8pm and I have just arrived home, starving and with an evening of homework ahead of me. Luckily I snuck home a bowl of curry and some naan bread. Ah, the joys of an enormous handbag... (I love that handbag almost as much as I love its owner - Ed).

The who's who of european olive oils

P.S. On Saturday afternoon I volunteered to help make pork dumplings for a charity food truck event. I couldn't resist including a photo ... and yes, they were as delicious as they were adorable.

P.P.S Today I sought professional advice regarding Chester the Cheese and I am happy to report that his current funky state is not a cause for concern. It turns out that some cheeses, like some people, are just stinkier than others.

6 July 2012

Compared to the madness which was yesterday, the mood in the kitchen this morning was positively serene. I made duck with onions and thyme (a fabulous dish that you bung in a casserole and leave to sort itself out in the oven) and sauteed potatoes (little cubes of spud tossed with olive oil and rosemary). This left me with enough spare time to whip up some coriander and parsley pesto and a rich tomato sauce which will shortly be coating some pasta for The Editor's dinner (tummy... rumbling... - Ed). Oh how I love a productive day in the kitchen! 

In today's demonstration we were taught how to cook: Melon sorbet with lime syrup, Elderflower sorbet, Mild madras curry with fresh spices, Hot chilli sauce,  Tamarind chutney with bananas*, Beetroot and mustard seed raita, Pomegranate and grape raita, Poori (deep-fried puffy bread), Naan bread, Chapatis, Wild rice butter bean and broad bean salad, Lassi, Pears poached in saffron syrup and Stuffed prunes with rosewater cream.

* This dish has the unfortunate honour of resembling something you would find in a stinky nappy.

'Nappy contents' at '12 o'clock' 

Pretty prunes - the perfect dessert for the elderly and irregular

Chester report - I think my cheese is an over-achiever. He has grown five times as much mould as his peers and is showing no signs of slowing down! Perhaps I should ask someone if this is normal? Hmmm...

Chester (left) seems to think ageing is a competition

5 July 2012

Today I had a mildly disastrous day in the kitchen - largely inspired by a general lack of sleep and a petit hangover (that's what you get when you drink nine small glasses of wine at a tasting). In retrospect, we probably should not have stopped at the pub on the way home, but my sisters-in-law were visiting so we thought we should show them around town.

Disaster No.1 - Brandy snap baskets. These pointless receptacles get their 'lacey' appearance from the lemon juice added to the biscuit batter. I made a batch, tested a biscuit, found it to be rather solid, added more lemon, tested another biscuit, no change, added more lemon juice and so on until I finally got to the SIXTH batch - by that stage they tasted solely of lemon, still weren't 'lacey', and I was starting to get more than a little cranky. But I made a dozen of them anyway, shaped them over an upturned cup and went and made myself a cup of coffee. The moral here? There is none. Brandy snaps are simply a pain in the bum. 

Disaster No.2 - Handmade mini chocolate cases. Do yourself a favour and buy some ready-made. I spent 10 minutes painting melted chocolate on the inside of a mini patty pan with the back of a teaspoon and for what? So they could all fall apart when I tried to peel off the paper. The solution here was simple - ask the teacher for some ready-made cases and then proceed to fill each one with raisins, banana, walnuts and rum. Of course I told my sisters-in-law that I made them all myself. 

Hair of the dog - rum and raisin chocolates

Handmade chocolate cases, or 'little bastards' as I prefer to call them

There is a current squid shortage in Ireland and it is having an adverse effect on me. I thought I was cooking salt and pepper squid today but because there was none I had to make crab mayonnaise instead. Squid are prepared in a matter of minutes. Crabs are prepared by teasing out each micro-particle of flesh with the back of a teaspoon (more teaspoon work! Why am I being punished?!) I also had to make my own mayonnaise (with my poor arm that was already exhausted from all the repetitive wine glass lifting I had to do last night). But the end result was actually worth the effort - a silky mixture of crab, mayonnaise, dill, pepper and lemon which I artfully placed back into its shell. Some may say the presentation was a little tacky, but let me just say that without the shell, the mixture looked suspiciously like a something the cat threw up. Mmm, tasty.  

River cafe caramel ice cream - a labour of love and my one true triumph today. This 15-egg-yolk, three-pints-of-cream heart-stopper took an hour to make, an hour to cool and then an hour to churn, but the result was epic. Luscious, velvety and cinder-toffee sweet. So heavenly that I was reluctant to scoop it into those unworthy little brandy baskets, but I did, because even though they tasted like citrus dishwashing liquid, they were pretty. And I did warn my guests not to eat them. River cafe, I salute you.

Dessert for The Editor and his sisters (Notice how I have used the colours of the Irish flag for extra brownie points)

Today my sisters-in-law and I learned how to cook: Seared or grilled tuna with chermoula, Seared tuna with piperonata and tapenade, Chargrilled swordfish with roast red pepper salsa, Tuna carpaccio with Asian dressing, Rick Stein's chermoula, Duck legs with onions and thyme leaves, Duck legs with white turnips, Duck leg roast with honey and rosemary, Confit de canard, Duck confit salad, Roast duck salad with lentils pomegranate and rocket leaves, Salad of organic leaves with parmesan and lemon juice, Jalousie, Tarte francaise, Strawberry tart, Plum tart, Apricot tart, and French wafers.

Over and out xx

4 July 2012

Not only did I have to drag myself out of bed this morning for an 8am (!!) wine exam, but I had to sit the exam in my chef's whites. The key word there is 'sit' ... an action which has become increasingly difficult to perform in what could politely be described as my "snug" checkered chef's trousers. In any event, I managed to finish the exam in 18 minutes (partly because I had studied a lot and partly so I could change before my seams burst). My new motto is 'less pastry, more pilates'.

Keeping up the health food theme - in this morning's demonstration we learned to cook: Banana nut brownies, Raspberry cheesecake brownies, Chocolate brownies, Peanut butter and white chocolate blondies, Filo triangles, Mushroom filos, Bisteeya (A Moroccan chicken filo pie covered in icing sugar which a friend of ours takes great joy in calling 'Chicken cake'), Crab filo with Thai dipping sauce, Spanakopita (not as good as mine, of course), Scrunchy apple tart, Filo waterlilies with summer fruits, Scallops mornay, Basic yeast bun dough, and Hot cross buns (so delicious you wish Easter was more than once a year).

This afternoon we had the pleasure of hearing from half a dozen of Ireland's finest farmhouse cheesemakers. We then went on a tour of Ballymaloe House where we got to sneak a peek at some guest rooms, the wine cellar, the kitchen, the dining room and finally the conservatory where we enjoyed afternoon tea (okay, my health kick lasted approximately 15 minutes). This evening we are attending a wine tasting with one of the top 10 winemakers in the world, Jean Trimbach from Alsace. The tasting will be followed by an 'All star Texas BBQ' to celebrate American independence day. Booze and BBQ ... my kind of evening. I promise the diet starts tomorrow. 

Yes please

3 July 2012

I'll keep this snappy - I have a major wine exam tomorrow at 8am and unfortunately cracking open a bottle of Prosecco does not constitute studying.

Today I made glazed loin of bacon with Cumberland sauce (sugar-crusted piggy drizzled with boozy citrusy sauce), Cauliflower salad with French dressing (which involved steaming the cauliflower, dipping each floret in dressing and then reassembling it ... yes, seriously), Peach Melba (peaches, raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream ... heaven) and caramel to go on my creme brulee from yesterday (there was certainly a crack when I bit into it, but I'm not sure that wasn't my tooth).  I have brought home a larger creme brulee to share with The Editor this evening which I will dust with sugar and put under the grill (sadly I left my blowtorch in Australia ... who would have thought that would come in handy?!) If only I had thought to bring home some bacon for a study snack ... oink. 

How adorable is the tiny jug?!

Give me a fork and leave me alone for half an hour ... 

Today we learned how to cook: Chargrilled squid with chilli and parsley oil, Squid with garlic butter, Thai squid salad, How to pan-grill a duck breast, Pan-grilled duck breast with kumquat compote, Duck breast with spiced lentils and caramelised apples, Duck breast with cabbage, Duck breast with five spice powder and mango sambal, Ragout of duck wings, Confit de canard, Rustic potatoes with Rosemary, Gujerati-style green beans, Puy lentil and walnut salad with pomegranate molasses, Passionfruit mousse with sugared strawberries, Chocolate cases filled with silky chocolate mousse, River cafe caramel ice-cream, Caramel ice-cream with caramel sauce and bananas, Brandy snap baskets, Chocolates with banana walnuts rum and raisins, Chocolates with grapes and kirsch, and Chocolates with raspberries. 

P.S. Happy birthday Yianni!!

2 July 2012

You may recall that on Friday evening I made a second batch of sourdough. Well, I am pleased to report it was a big improvement on the first batch - this one actually tasted of something! Hooray! The Editor and I performed the usual ritual* - cutting a still-hot slice and slathering it with butter. Yum. It also formed the perfect accompaniment to poached eggs on Saturday morning.  

*Note to self - I need to find some rituals that don't involve butter. 

Today I made rack of lamb, sauce soubise (onion and cream sauce) and started on creme brulee which will set in the fridge overnight and then be smothered in caramel tomorrow (I am counting down the minutes!). Meanwhile, here's my tip for preparing a rack of lamb:

1. Find a great organic butcher

2. Ask him/her to prepare your lamb for you

This is really the best way to do it, unless spending 20 minutes scraping bones with a tiny knife is your idea of fun (the scraping sound will haunt me for days). Once trimmed, the rack was rubbed with salt and pepper and cooked in the oven for 20 minutes. I served two pink chops with a little pot of onion sauce and some potato and mushroom gratin (I'll be honest, I 'borrowed' the gratin from another student for presentation purposes). 

It's pretty - but you would be too after half an hour of attention. 

I had some spare time whilst waiting for the lamb to cook so I also made a rye and caraway seed bread. It is quite simple to make and has a lovely texture. In fact, the Editor is eating a slice as I type. I cannot decide whether my new found love of bread-making is a good or bad thing (It's a fantastic thing, end of discussion - Ed) ... on the one hand I never have to buy bread again, on the other hand, my pants are getting tighter. Yikes. 

In today's demonstration we learned how to make various recipes you would find on a Sunday lunch buffet: Green pea soup with fresh mint cream, Pea and coriander soup, Glazed ham, Roast Kassler, Roast pork with crackling, Pickled Ox tongue, Tomato puree, cumberland sauce, Potato and spring onion salad, Egg mayonnaise, Oeufs mimosa (boiled eggs filled with shrimps and mayonnaise), Tomato and mint salad, Cucumber and fennel pickle, Cauliflower/Broccoli salad, French dressing, Onion Monegasque, Pickled carrots with coriander, Apple celery and walnut salad, Mushroom and caramelised onion salad, Wild mushroom salad, Courgette salad with olive oil and sea salt, Leek vinaigrette, Carrot and apple salad with honey vinegar dressing, Cabbage pineapple and onion salad, Vanilla ice-cream, Praline ice-cream, Ice-cream sundae, Peach Melba, Compote of poached pears with chocolate sauce, and Poires Belle Helene.