Mincemeat Flapjacks

Hampers are a great gift for foodies - you get all the wonderful goodies (at least if someone took care creating the hamper) that you wouldn't normally buy. And since it is Christmas, a jar of mincemeat surely will be part of the hamper. If you are like me, you will be tired of mince pies by mid December, so here is a lovely alternative to mince pies for using a jar of mincemeat (it is also worth making your own, so much better than the shop bought unless you get an artisan one). Flapjacks last about 2 weeks in an airtight container and are therefore wonderful gifts to either add to (you might have guessed it) a hamper or simply a little token when you are invited for a dinner party. By the way, if you are still looking for an awesome hamper, check out Flemings Restaurant, Longueville House, Nash 19 and Bradley's Off License as well as Urru in Bandon.

I am using here my own mincemeat that I make every year and I think it is awesome (obviously) and I haven't bought a jar (the last one I bought was simply yuk). If your mincemeat seems a bit chunky, mince it down more, maybe adding a tbsp of Cointreau (or orange juice if children will eat it) - very tasty and it will go further.  It took Mr T only 2 days to finish the whole batch of flapjacks - yes, they are that good.

Mincemeat Flapjacks

• 400g porridge oats (I use normal ones, but try a mix of jumbo and normal oats)
• 100g almond slivers
• 150g butter
• 3 tbsp honey (or golden syrup)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 400g mincemeat

Pre-heat the oven to 180C

Grease and line a 20 x 20cm square tin.

Mix the oats and almonds together in a bowl. Melt the butter, honey (or golden syrup) and oil in a pan over a medium heat. Pour onto the oats mix and stir until well combined.

Press half the mix into the tin,  using the back of a spoon to press it down firmly. Spread the mincemeat over the mix and top with the rest of the oat mix, again pressing down firmly with the back of the spoon. Bake in the oven for about 20 mins until golden brown.

Using a knife, mark squares and leave to cool for about 30 mins before cutting it into the marked squares.

You could also add shredded coconut, sesame seeds and other dried fruit like blueberries to the oat mix.

Enjoy xx

Mini Banana Cakes

The other day, my friend Sally asked me to bake some cakes for her cake sale at a local church. Of course I obliged. She was quite persuasive as she got loads of cakes, biscuits and cookies to sell for her pop up stall. One creation I liked were mini banana cakes by her Italian friend. They were topped with lovely caramel. We were busy so I couldn't ask her for the recipe of these small delights. 

So today, I saw the sorry look of my bananas in the fruit bowl and thought I give it a try - so here is my version of mini banana cakes, just that I iced them with simple white icing rather than making a caramel (call me lazy if you like). These little cakes are perfect for an afternoon tea (it's so in at the moment - check out The Pastry Fork for private tea parties) or for in between when you fancy something sweet. They are easy to make and last about 3 days (since we are using fresh banana, they won't last very long). The ginger gives the cakes a bit of a lift and warmth, perfect for the time of year. You will need a mini bundt tin/mold for these cakes. If you don't have one, you can use normal muffin tins (you should get 12 out of the mix).

Makes about 16 mini cakes

Mini Banana Cakes

• 300g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 115g soft light brown sugar
• 60g butter
• 2 tbsp honey
• 125ml milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 medium bananas, mashed

• oil/butter for greasing the cake tins

• 150g icing sugar
• warm water

Pre-heat the oven to 180C and brush the tin with melted butter or vegetable oil. 

Sieve the flour with the baking powder, brown sugar and ground ginger into a bowl. In a pan melt the butter and honey. Measure the milk into a jug and mix with the eggs. Combine everything with a wooden spoon, adding the mashed bananas, making sure that all flour is combined but not overworked.

Spoon the mixture in the prepared tin, not overfilling the cavities (just below the rim). Bake for about 20 mins (check with a needle, if it comes out clean it is done, otherwise return to oven for a further few minutes). 

Cool on a wired rack until cool. In the meantime, put the icing sugar into a bowl and add enough warm water to make the icing smooth and pourable (careful here as too much water will result in a skinny icing, so add little by little). Spoon over the cooled cakes and enjoy x

 

Killarney for Foodies

I have been to Killarney a few times but for some reason have never actually used it as a destination for good food - a mistake I rectified last week. A wonderful friend, Eithne O'Connor, invited me down to go to her favourite restaurant and I am not one to say no to find new restaurants... so I made my way to Killarney on a Thursday morning.

Having heard so much of Miss Courtney's Tearooms, I had to pay them a visit. Located int he town centre, the tearooms are easy to find and with their lovely front invite you come in. Miss Courtney is in fact Sandra Dunlea and she had the right idea in my eyes. I love tearooms - but they have to be old-fashioned. I love old china, tablecloths and loose tea.... all that is Miss Courtney's. Ok, let me gt the negative point out first: the staff is letting this lovely gem down. When I entered I was greeted by a sign, please wait to be seated. In a room full of empty tables still a bit of a no no for me. But I am obliging and waited. One waitress was right in front of me serving a table. The very young girl looked at me but no smile, no 'I'll be with you in a moment' and even when the guest at the table couldn't decide what to order, the girl ignored me. So, adventures as I am, I took matters into my own hands and walked right into the tearoom and chose a lovely spot in the rear at the window. And I was in heaven...... I sank into an old armchair that reminded me of my nan - fond memories I can ensure you. The menu is short and the pages of tea outweigh the  lunch menu. Each tea is explained with country of origin and what was special about them. No Barry's teabag in sight. Since I had a dinner coming up that night, I didn't want to eat too much so opted for the waffles - oh my god, they were enormous - the biggest waffles I have seen in ages. They came served with cream and maple syrup. The tea, I opted for Earl Grey, came in a silver pot, the milk in a china pourer and the sugar candy was picked up with an antic sugar lifter. Closing my eyes, I was set back to good old times - even the music was matching the atmosphere. Pure bliss. The walls are a light pink (no worries guys, it is just a hint), tablecloths on the tables, old black & white photographs and mirrors in lovely frames make this tearoom a place to relax and enjoy a 'proper' cup of tea. The array of cakes seems to be endless and the slices served are as big as your eyes will be when you have to make a choice. Only suggestion I would have, give the staff a nice uniform (I personally don't like to see sleeveless shirts in the food business) that mirrors the period of the tearooms and a bit of training will go a long way.

So, now to dinner....... Eithne told me a bit about Trevaud's before but for some reason, I didn't do any research on them. A big mistake. The restaurant is located in High Street and its yellow front just invites you in. I arrived at 8pm and the restaurant was buzzing - on a Thursday night a good sign for things to come. The menu is not over complicated and they name the food as it is - no dictionary needed. The service was personal and I had the feeling that I came to visit friends instead of a business. Eithne and I started chatting - the glass of Cava helped a lot - and we weren't pushed to order. The very attentive staff kept an eye on us and when we looked up to order, someone was there to take it.

The restaurant is run by brothers Paul & Mark Trevaud and the emphasis is on great food and great service - sounds simple but as other restaurants have proved, hard to achieve. Paul as front of house makes it look effortless while Mark in the kitchen puts his stamp on wonderful ingredients. The menu was so interesting that it was hard to choose.... Eithne opted for the slowcooked pork belly as a starter - a dish with moist pork, beautifully presented while I couldn't say no to the rustic tomato soup which came drizzled with pesto and scattered cheese over it. Rustic meant chunky and for once, I loved a soup that had bits in it. My mum would have said, it taste like a tomato should taste. For mains, we were in trouble - so many good sounding dishes... although the menu is not overcrowded, the choice is hard. Finally, Eithne went for the bakes hake that came with a curried beurre blanc - a nice hint of curry, hardly there went so well with the hake that you could believe they were married. I was not able to choose between the pumpkin lasagne and the forrest mushroom risotto.... so I was offered a combo.... I was in heaven. The pasta for the lasagne, I learned was made by the chef..... he could be Italian for all I know rather than being a hardcore Kerry Man. The lasagne was cooked perfectly, the sweetness of the pumpkin went so well with the tomato based sauce mingled with cream and mild cheese.... I was in heaven.... but hey, we still have the risotto...... these days, loads of people say they are using wild mushrooms and you wonder where the taste of mushrooms went on vacation - not here, the risotto was perfectly cooked, not too hard, not too soft and the mushrooms gave the rich, dark earthy flavour they are suppose to have.

Paul recommended a lovely bottle of white Rioja - a perfect suggestion as it was light enough not to interfere with the fish but strong enough to handle the mushrooms.

Desserts???? I don't know as we were both happily full and skipped the dessert in favour of a drink afterwards in the pub opposite to the restaurant. But here is the funny part - Paul Trevaud is a YouTube star with his own cooking channel - he even appeared on the Saturday Show once to talk about his 'hobby' to cook at the most crazy locations, may it be on top of a tree cooking a quail, or top of a snow-covered mountain in his t-shirt. I will definitely be back soon - this restaurant makes Killarney a destination for foodies - I am sure there are more but I think Trevaud's is unique.

I was in so deep conversation that I even forgot to buy Paul's book that was available in the restaurant. I was just wonderful to chat to Mark after the service about his love for good Irish produce and how he takes care of the ingredients to give his diners the best flavour of each. I think we bored the rest of the people still in the restaurant but if you get me started on Irish food and its producers, there is no stopping me. Thank you to Eithne for introducing me to this wonderful restaurant and to Paul & Mark for an amazing dinner experience.

Rose Petal Jam - Floral beauty in a jar

When I moved into the cottage almost 14 years ago, I found a few rose plants in the front of the house and was happy to see that these roses were full of fragrance. When my mum moved in with me, she loved the roses so much that we called them 'mums roses' and that what they are up to this day. One of my neighbours stopped by the other day and said 'your mum's roses smell beautiful again this year and what a pity that we can't preserve the fragrance'...... that got me thinking, how is rosewater being made..... and then, why not make jelly from it. Browsing through all my cookbooks I came across some ideas on how to make jelly from almost anything - so I simply used the method that I use for my lemon verbena jelly and it worked a treat.

One problem you have to look out for when making jelly is the pectin content of the fruit/flower/herb you are using and rose petals don't have any pectin. So adding a high pectin fruit is essential as well as using jam sugar rather than granulated or caster sugar. Some recipes will tell you to use granulated sugar - it won't set unless you add pectin to it. You can buy pectin in liquid form but also in powder form. It is not widely available (at least not in Cork) - the Organic Shop in the English Market has the powdered pectin while I got the liquid pectin from the Quay Coop shop in Cork.

When using extra pectin, follow the instructions. Some have to be added before the sugar while others are being added towards the end of the process. I am giving you here the powdered pectin version.

The result is simply beautiful - adding the lemon juice will intensify the colour and if using dark pink roses, the colour will be beautiful. A word about the roses - don't by the supermarket flowers, they are to 99% treated and can be nasty. If you have roses in your garden and you haven't sprayed them, use these. Otherwise ask your rose growing friends for some petals. Also, make sure that they are very fragrant - if they are not, the jelly will just be sweet and no flavour whatsoever will develop. I have made rosewater beforehand and used a few drops towards the end but if you don't have any, don't worry, the flavour will still be wonderful. Freshly baked scones go best with this jelly.


The recipe below makes about 1 jar of 250g

Rose Petal Jelly

• 6-8 heads of roses
• 300ml boiling water
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 pack of powdered pectin
• 300-400g jam sugar

Remove the petals from the heads, snipping of the white/yellowish part of the petals. Place them in a bowl and pour the boiling water over and leave to stand for 30 mins. 

Strain the liquid through a sieve, pressing the petals to get as much of the oil out as possible. You still should have about 300ml. Pour the liquid into a pan and add the lemon juice. Bring to the boil and sprinkle over the powdered pectin. Stir until dissolved. Add the jam sugar and stir until also dissolved. Bring back to the boil and boil rapidly for 1-2 mins. If using rosewater, add it now. 

Pour into sterilised jars and seal. 

Mr T called this elkelicious :-)

Opening the doors - Perry Street Market Cafe

Logo

We still have wonderful people around who are brave enough to stare recession straight in the face and say: I will start a business!!!!! Brian Drinan & Paul Coffey are two of these brave - or crazy - people who simply said, we need a new cafe in Cork City and true to their word, this morning, Monday 12th August, the doors opened to Cork's newest Café, Perry Street Market Café in said Perry Street (in case you wonder where it is - it is the side street of Larry Tompkins pub). A former furniture store that was cramped, dark and cluttered, Brian & Paul were able to awaken the building once more to its deserved glory. White washed walls with muted coloured timber railings and panels give the room its warmth while the large windows let natural light in. The table tops are reclaimed from a monastery in Midleton that add history to the mix as well. I love the marriage of old and new as it brings a wonderful feel to the room.

To make better use of the large room and to add a special flair to the cafe, pop up shops of Best of Buds flowers and Memento, Homeware & Gifts are included as well as a stall for fresh fruit and vegetables.

Beautiful display of fresh produce

The focus is on local producers and the menu is based on what is in season - a recipe that still works for me. The duo were smart enough to hire Pamela Kelly as their head chef. Pamela has been head chef in Nash19 for years and has made the move to Perry Street Market Café to bring her own flair to the place. Her cooking ethos is simple - take good ingredients and let them speak for themselves. There is no need for heavy sauces, 'floral' speak that no one understands - just great ingredients combined with great cooking.

Brian Drinan - service with a smile

Does Cork really need a new café?? Yes, I think it does. It caters for the 'day folks' - opening hours are Monday to Saturday 08:00 - 18:00 and Sunday 11:00 - 17:00. I really hope that they are getting a piano in for the Sunday sessions - brunch and jazz music go hand in hand for me. So I keep my fingers crossed that they add this to their Sunday Service. And for me, it is great to have a place to go on a Sunday morning in town and I am sure it will kick off soon when news go around of a place where you can get great food on a Sunday morning.

Staff having fun at work - always a great sign

The food for breakfast is as it should be. The full Irish - you can choose which items you like. Mushrooms on toast is a dish, I can recommend highly. A mix of wonderful mushrooms with a slight coating of cream and herbs - a delicious and almost decadent dish that makes you believe in mushroom fairies.

Beautiful mushrooms on toast

Here is to the great success that the team of Brian, Paul & Pamela deserve. I am sure, their hard work and passion will have its guests returning over and over again.

Freshly baked bread from Hassett's in Carrigaline

More delicious breads & cookies

Window display

Lunch Menu

Beautiful flower arrangement on the tables

Best of Buds flower display

Homeware & Gift Shop coming soon

It's the little details that are special

History & Modern touches

A little bit of Paradise in Oysterhaven - Walton Court

Janis & Christine welcoming with a big smile

Yesterday, Sunday, was a dreadful day. Rainy, cloudy and cold so I was not eager to get out but was considering staying in front of the fire instead with a stack of homemade biscuits. But instead, I remembered that Christine Girault took over a cafe in Oysterhaven. So, I faced the elements and made my way down there - driving through a traffic jam at Sarsfield Roundabout (they are building a new flyover.....) took ages to get through and I was already talking to myself that it was a bad idea to leave the warm house.

Beautiful display of cakes

When I came to Oysterhaven, I noticed that Christine never mentioned the name of the cafe so considering that Oysterhaven ain't that big, I turned into Walton Court hoping that I had the right one - and yeap, Christine was smiling from ear to ear.

The fire was roaring, the atmosphere of the cafe was homely, welcoming and warm. Delicious cakes were waiting for hungry tummies and I had the feeling of having returned home rather than entering a business. Christine introduced me to Janis Rafferty - one part of the power duo that runs Walton Court and I learned so much about Walton Court.

My lunch platter - delicious, fresh and wholesome

Janis and her lovely husband Paul have bought Walton court in 1996 - a total derelict building and made it to a bit of paradise in Oysterhaven (they even have people from Belgooley spending their summer holiday there). It took 5 years to restore the house to its former glory and to add the modern comfort without compromising the historic meaning of the building. Several self contained cottages are spread around the estate and bookings are already coming in for 2014. A small swimming pool in the courtyard just looks as it is has been there from the beginning and doesn't seem to be out of place. You can feel the love that Janis and Paul put into the estate and you can imagine yourself spending many happy hours there.

I planned to stay for a cup of tea and chat to Christine for a bit before heading back. I stayed for hours - that is the type of place where time seems to stand still and when you get out you realise you just spent 4 hours in the most relaxed place on earth.

The Courtyard Cafe is currently opened at the weekend from 11am to 5ish (I stayed til 6ish) and offers savoury dishes like hummus with homemade bread, salads, dips, soup of the day and platters. Cakes are displayed beautifully and the service comes with the biggest smile. The cafe will be opened full time at the start of the season - and I will be spending quite some time down there.

But the cafe and cottages are not the only thing that makes Walton Court worth a visit (although it would be) - the Pamper Room, run by Josie,

A roaring fire invites you to stay and relax

Leave reality behind when entering Walton Court

offers massages and beauty treatments and Janis is offering cookery classes as well as tapas nights and much much more.... 

Contact Janis on +353 (0)21 4770878 or email enquiry@waltoncourt.com for rates and more details. This is a place removed from the stress of our daily grinds - you will be transported into a little piece for paradise.

Apple & Rhubarb Muffins

Apples & rhubarb go together like sunshine and laughter, just perfect. We had some rhubarb in the garden the other day. What to make of it - I wasn't in the mood for another crumble. Searching through the pantry, I found some apples and of course apple & rhubarb crumble came to mind, I still wasn't not in the mood for crumble tho. I started to peel apples and rhubarb, threw all in a saucepan, added brown sugar and started to heat it up. Since I threw all together, the rhubarb started to fall apart and acted as a binder for the apple cubes, similar to the texture you have when buying a cherry pie in the states. The flavour was amazing so I wanted to use it. That's when I thought of muffins and this recipe was born. I may add that Mr T ate 4 in the first sitting :-)

Apple & Rhubarb Muffins (makes 12)

• 200g self raising flour, 
• 150g Unsalted butter, 
• 100g caster sugar, 
• 2 eggs, 
• 100ml milk, 
• 2 tsp vanilla essence, 
• 4 apples, 
• 4 large sticks of rhubarb, 
• 2 tbsp brown sugar,
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Peel and chop the apples and rhubarb. Place the fruit together with the sugar in a saucepan, and cook over a medium heat until the rhubarb starts falling apart. Add the cinnamon. Keep simmering until the apples have softened.

Pre-heat oven to 160c. In the meantime, melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally go prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Combine the milk and eggs and add together with the melted butter to the flour. With a wooden spoon stir until combined but don't overbeat.

Place some muffin paper cases into a 12 hole muffin tin. Spoon one tbsp of batter into each case.  Top with a tsp or 2  of the apple and rhubarb mixture followed by another tbsp of batter mix. Bake  for about 15-20 mins or until slightly browned and baked through.

Cookie of the Week

Cookies are always a great standby for dark evenings to have with your cup of tea. Every tea (and coffee) tastes so much better with a cookie or 2.

I love eating them warm, fresh from the oven - but cookies keep very well in an airtight tin (this is where the selection boxes come in handy). This cookie is soft in the middle and the chocolate chips give a nice bite.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 125g softened unsalted butter
• 90g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• few drops of vanilla essence
• 175g selfraising flour
• 100ml milk
• 100g chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 160C. 

Cream together the butter and sugar. Make sure that the mixture is fluffy and pale in colour. 

Add the egg, yolk, vanilla, flour, milk and half amount of chocolate chips. Mix it all very well together. Using a spoon place drops of the dough on a baking sheet, divide the remaining chips between the cookies and bake until lightly golden and baked. 

Enjoy

It's cookie time

These long and dark weekend afternoons in winter can be spent cosy in front of the fire, feet in woolly socks, a good book and a plate of cookies. The easiest cookie I could think of last weekend was shortbread biscuits. But I was in the mood for something a bit different and after looking through my larder, thought that lime was a great idea - vitamin C and all - very healthy indeed. These cookies are easy to make and keep in an airtight container for up to 4 days (they get a bit soggy after that). This is a white chocolate topping with lime zest sprinkled on top - you can use also orange or lemon for a change.

 

Lime shortbread

• 125g caster sugar
• 225g softened Unsalted butter
• 300g plain flour
• 50g rice flour
• Zest of one lime

Topping

• 200g white chocolate
• Zest of one lime

Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, making sure that all butter and sugar has been combined. The colour will change into a pale yellow. Sieve the flour and rice flour into the butter mix and, using a wooden spoon, combine the flour with the butter until all the flour is incorporated. It should resemble breadcrumbs. Add the  zest of one lime

Now bring the mixture together with your hands until the dough is smooth. Roll into 2 sausage shapes of about 20cm long ( shorter if you like bigger cookies - I personally like them smallish). Wrap the rolls tightly in cling film and leave in the fridge for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 160c and cover 2 baking sheets with baking paper. Using a sharp big knife, slice the dough rolls into 8mm thick slices and place them on the baking sheets, leaving gaps in between (if the oven is hot enough, the cookies shouldn't spread). Bake the cookies for about 12 mins or until just slightly darkened (you don't want browned biscuits).

Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly before moving the cookies onto a wired rack.

Over a Bain Marie, melt the white chocolate until smooth. Dip the cooled biscuits halfway into the chocolate and return to the wired rack. While the chocolate hasn't set, sprinkle each cookie with the zest of the second lime and leave to set.

Afternoon Tea - Forgotten Skill????

Sunday afternoon tea was a tradition in my house when I was a child. My mum was just finished with clearing the dinner table and did the washing up and the aroma of fresh baked cakes and biscuits would go through the house. Around 4 o'clock we all sat in the living room (eating was normally not allowed in the living room) and we got tea while my parents had coffee and we enjoyed the fresh baked goodies my mum made earlier. Sunday was always a family day until I turned about 16 and thought of myself too cool to be sitting with my parents and eating cake - how I miss that now. 

Of course, you could buy some cake and biscuits - and there is nothing wrong with that (but please try to get it from a local bakery/shop) but you might be surprised how easy it actually is to make your own afternoon tea goodies. In this series, I will give you recipe for lovely afternoon treats and hopefully that will inspire you to start your own tradition.

The other Saturday, Sally (a very close crazy friend of mine) and I decided that it is time to start that tradition again - so we divided the work (she did savoury and I did the sweet part) and it was a great get together with the girls without the alcohol. We chatted away and enjoyed all the treats. Sally did an amazing array of sandwiches with a menu. She named each sandwich (Italian Sun, French Kiss, German Forest etc). They were amazing and I will write about savoury options a bit later in this series. 

Here is a recipe for a Peanut Butter Tart - I saw a recipe in a magazine for a traybake and didn't like the look of it but still thought that it sounded good, so I went ahead and changed it around and this is what I came up with. It is very sweet but you can adjust the sugar amount in this. Also, I used individual tart forms which I thought were a bit big, but Mr T loved them as they were. Just one word of warning, this mixture will burn if you don't keep stirring - and I mean stirring.....

Peanut Butter Tarts

Peanut Butter Tarts

• Sweet shortcrust pastry
• 1 can condensed milk
• 200g crunchy peanut butter 
• 100g light brown sugar
• 100g plain (dark) chocolate
• 100g milk chocolate
• 50g white chocolate (optional)

Preheat the oven to 160C.

On a slightly floured surface, roll out the sweet pastry and line your individual tart tins (you can also do one big one but I think it is nicer to have small ones). Cover the pastry with baking paper and fill with baking beans or coins (1,2 and 5cent only - they are great as they distribute heat evenly) and blindbake for about 10 mins. Remove the baking beans and baking paper and return to the oven until the pastry is cooked and slightly browned. Leave to cool.

In a heavyset saucepan, add the condensed milk, peanut butter and sugar and put on a low/medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil - keep stirring, especially from the bottom as the mixture will burn. Boil rapidly - still stirring - for about 10 mins until the mixture turns slightly golden brown. Take off the heat and stir for a further 5 mins. Leave to cool for 10 mins.

Fill the pastry cases with the mixture and leave to set in the fridge for about 30-60 mins. 

Set a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl does not touch the water. Melt the dark and milk chocolate together. Pour over the tarts to cover the peanut butter mix. Leave to set. 

Melt the white chocolate in the same way as the dark chocolate and drizzle patterns over the set dark chocolate. Leave to set, then remove from the tins. 

Bon Appetit