Cheese Bread - Make it - Eat it - Love it

I think it is no secret anymore that I love bread - not the gooey stuff you buy in the supermarket but the real bread. We are lucky in Cork that we have some amazing breadmakers - Arbutus Bread in Cork City & The Firehouse Bakery on Heir Island. For years, these 2 amazing bakeries have spread the word of real bread and Patrick of Firehouse Bakery has even started the Real Bread Revolution. Declan Ryan of Arbutus Bread has brought his love for bread to Cork after studying the craft in France & US. There is nothing this man doesn't know about bread. So, let's join the bread movement and start to make our own bread. The bread here is so easy, it's almost embarrassing how good it tastes. You just bung everything together and pop it in the oven. No kneading - no proofing and your bread is ready in 40 mins. 

If you still don't want to make your own bread (and it would be a pity if you don't), you can buy Arbutus Bread in Bradley's in North Main Street and On The Pigs Back in the English Market. The Firehouse Bakery bread is available from the Island and parts of West Cork. They are running wonderful breadmaking classes throughout the year - give Patrick or Laura a call on  085 1561984

Happy Baking and welcome to the Real Bread Revolution.... 

Cheesy bread

• 200g whole meal flour
• 200g plain flour
• 1 tsp bread soda
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 25 g melted butter
• 300ml warm milk
• 150-175g cheddar, grated
• 4tbsp mix of pumpkin & sunflower seeds

Heat oven to 170C

Sift the flours, soda and cream of tartar into a large bowl. Add the salt & sugar. Mix well. Add the melted butter to the milk (milk has to be warmed otherwise the butter will solidify again) and pour into the flour mix. Using a wooden spoon, stir until well combined. Add most of the grated cheddar and most of the seeds and combine well.

Line a loaf tin with baking paper and pour the dough in, smoothing the top. Tap the tin on a flat surface to remove any hollows. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese and seeds on top and bake in the oven for 40 mins and until golden brown and baked through.

Bread & Butter Pudding - Indulgence in Bread

Having brought back so much bread from the Firehouse bread making course, I decided to use the brioche to make a wonderful indulgent bread & butter pudding for dessert - especially because Mr T loves his desserts.

Many cooks get the pudding wrong as they don't butter the slices of bread properly or use only milk. I love to use cream instead (or a mix of both) to make the dessert richer. Vanilla essence or cinnamon give a lovely dimension and succulent sultanas give a bit of a bite. To make it even more special, soak the sultanas in a bit of whiskey. Make sure that the milk/cream soaks nicely into the bread to avoid dry bits - you want the pudding to be rich and moist with a crusty top.

It takes a bit to bake as the egg and cream has to set but the good thing is that it does it all by itself in the oven and you can just sit down and read the latest blog post of Bia Sásta

Indulgence in Bread

Bread & Butter Pudding

• 1 small loaf of stale brioche
• Unsalted butter
• Sultanas
• 4 eggs
• 350ml cream (you might need more depending on the size of the bread loaf)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 150g Demerara sugar

Preheat your oven to 180C.

Slice the bread, removing the crust. Butter the slices with the butter and arrange in a baking dish. Sprinkle a layer of sultanas over the slices and top with another layer of buttered bread slices and sprinkle over more sultanas. Continue with the rest of the bread slices.

Mix the cream and eggs with the sugar and vanilla sugar and whisk well. Pour the mix over the bread slices, making sure that the cram gets nicely soaked up by the bread. Sprinkle over some sugar and place in the oven and bake for 30-40 mins until golden browned.

Firehouse Bread - A Piece of Heaven

I really really want one of those

It is not very often that I am impressed with a cookery/baking course but wow - what a day I had recently at Firehouse Bread Bakery in Heir Island. A beautiful spot in the depth of West Cork - 27 people are living on Heir Island and you are happy about the low number as that is the charm of this heavenly place.

The ferry arrived bang on time at 10 o'clock on Cunnamore Pier - it was a frosty but calm morning and the view from Cunnamore made the almost 2 hour trip worth the while. No sound other than what nature intended and I enjoyed the peace for the few moments until the ferry arrived.

I was joined by a mother/son/girlfriend team and together we boarded the ferry. The short trip (about 5-7 minutes) took us to Heir (or Hare) Island where Laura waited already with her jeep to pick us up. It was as if we all had been friends for years and just met again. The short spin took us to the Firehouse Bakery with views over the bay. We were greeted by warm tea, homemade mince pies and wonderful shortbread biscuits. We were chatting away until Patrick Ryan joined us and took us out to the clay oven that gave the name to the bakery. A beautiful constructed outdoor oven, wood fired and perfectly crafted by Hendrik Lepel who runs regular workshops on how to build a clay oven. Wood blocks were burning away and you almost forgot the chill on the air.

Back inside, we were shown into the workroom and our stations. I was introduced to my new friend, Sourdough (mine had died previously and I was happy to see a future for my sourdough plans). Patrick is not only a damn talented baker but also a natural teacher - generous with his knowledge, easy to follow his instructions and always there to help when one of us struggled. After we made out sourdough bread - we left it to rise and got on with our other tasks. Patrick had a few recipes laid out upside down and we had to choose one recipe each (so that we could cover several different recipes) and I ended up with Brioche. This is normally thought of as a sweet bread but I learned now that this is actually not the case (unless you buy the industrial prepared ones). Brioche is meant to be rich and indulgent - either way, it was the first time that I tried my hands on Brioche. Again, the instructions were easy to follow and the result was a beautiful rich, almost flaky bread. I will make mini Brioches for my Christmas Party on Saturday. It will go perfectly with my liver pate. From the rest of the dough, I made cinnamon rolls with mincemeat.  The others were making Baguettes, Flower Pot Breads and Focaccia.

After all that kneading, we worked up an appetite and Laura served us a wonderful lunch with sourdough bread that was slightly toasted, crisp bread, beetroot dip, hummus - again, it felt as longtime friends were sitting together.

The View

After the break, it went back onto the work stations were we tried our hands on soda bread. I am making my own soda bread for years, sometimes mixing in fruit and sometimes herbs - but Patrick showed us how many versions you can make with this one dough. Again, we had to pick a recipe out of a pack and I ended up with apple & cider bread, while the others were doing a beetroot, tomato & feta muffins and walnut & honey loaf.

In the middle of all that - we returned to our sourdough bread and knocked it back and placed it on the lovely proofing baskets that creates the wonderful patterns on the bread (and I finally got 2 for myself). We left it to proof again and turned our attention to cakes....

Fresh bread & mulled Cider

I am a very good baker but I am not really bothered about cakes but Patrick had some tricks up his sleeve for us. I got the recipe for Chocolate & Guinness Cakes which I spooned into mini muffin tins. The batter was silky and rich and turned out amazing muffins which I then topped with a cream cheese toppings to make it look like mini pints of Guinness - guess I will make these also for the Christmas Party.

The kitchen was a hive of activity with us four bringing our goods to the ovens and Laura preparing dinner for us - bliss for any serious cook or baker.

Finally we brought our sourdough out to the clay oven and marked them with the razor - for us to recognise our bread when it came out again. These type of clay ovens were very common in earlier times where a village would have one of these ovens and every family would bring their bread to be baked and everyone was responsible to maintain the oven and keep the heat going. I can see this tradition being revived by Patrick & Laura and that the people of Heir Island are bringing their loaves to the Firehouse Bakery.

Lovely dinner - perfect ending to a prefect day

After all that baking and cleaning up, we worked up quite an appetite and sat down at the dinner table were Laura served up a scrumptious dinner. Hearty vegetable soup, chickpeas & bacon, red cabbage slow, roast and of course our own bread - I could have stayed so much longer and I wasn't the only one. It felt like home or at least at home with close friends. But the ferry was waiting for us and it meant to say goodbye. We were all given a goodie bag with a dough scraper and a razor cutter, recipes and some reading material. I bought the book which Patrick signed for me and I persuaded him to sell me also 2 of the proofing baskets and a portion of his sourdough (which got fed straight away when I got home).

The Team

Firehouse Bakery is also a B & B and I am planning to take Mr T for a relaxed weekend away during spring. Heir Island has no shop or pub and you would have time to just relax and enjoy life - while being surrounded by the smells of homebaked bread. A piece of Heaven on Earth.

Breadmaking courses run throughout the year and I can only recommend the course. Even if you think you are a good baker, I bet Patrick will still be able to teach you a trick or two.
All recipes are structured for use in a home kitchen - and they work

Gift Ideas for Foodies

It is this time of the year again - what to buy your loved ones and friends for Christmas? You don't want to buy some 'rubbish' that no one needs or want but you also don't want to break the bank. My gift guide below will make it easier to get the perfect gift for your foodie friend - and let's face it, we all have one of those (in my case, it's actually me). All gifts below are made in Ireland (apart from the cookbooks). What ever you decide to buy this year, try to make it Irish. For each € spend on Irish Goods, jobs are saved.

A Breadmaking Course at Firehouse Bakery

Patrick and Laura of Firehouse Bakery

This is a gift that every aspiring breadmaker will love. The Firehouse Bakery is located on the idyllic Heir Island and is run by Patrick Ryan and Laura Moore. Patrick has been on TV and has published his first book this year. What makes Firehouse Bakery so special is not only the location in one of the most beautiful spots in West Cork but the fact that they are using a wood fired clay oven which produces the most amazing breads. Day Courses run throughout the year and costs around €110 which include the following

• Return ferry to Heir Island
• Full day hands on baking experience
• Bake your very own hand made bread in a wood fired clay oven
• Lunch with wine, with Roaringwater Bay serving as the back drop
• An artisan baker's goodie bag to take home
• And as much freshly baked bread as you can carry 

I was lucky enough to win a course with Firehouse Bakery and can't wait to get my hands into the flour.

Smorgasboard Game

A game from foodies for foodies - a fun new game for foodies created by Irish husband & wife entrepreneurs, Richard Kelly & Maggie Leonar. Players take on the guise of aspiring chefs as they work their way around the board in search of gastronomic success. The object of the game is to be the first team of chefs to graduate from Rick’s Culinary Academy! This game would be the perfect after dinner entertainment.

Subscription for Food Magazines

Food & Wine

Easy Food Magazine

We have some wonderful food magazines in Ireland - Food & Wine and Easy Food to name just two. Why not give a subscription this Christmas? Irish publishers are struggling these days and any sold subscription can make a big difference and your friend can learn and improve their cooking skills in the process - win win for everyone.  Which one you are going for is absolutely up to you but keep in mind what your friend likes. Food & Wine is for the serious foodie - great recipes, reader events and the latest news on top notch restaurants makes this a great read. Easy Food is a great magazine for all who want to take up cooking or want to improve their skills and try new ideas. A year's subscription for Food & Wine cost you €41.80 while Easy Food is €30 per year.

Slowfood Membership

It is no secret that I am a big fan of Slowfood - I try to live by the motto, clean food, honest food and think globally - act locally. Slowfood Ireland has been founded by Darina Allen after a meeting with Slowfood founder Carlo Petrini. Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world. Becoming a member of Slowfood supports the organisation in supporting and promoting the Slow Life. Membership for a year is €50 - a new initiative for Youth has just been introduced where young people can join for €12. Each convivium is holding events throughout the year - so there is the social aspect of it as well. You can find out more about Slowfood here 

Cookbooks

I personally love cookbooks - you could even call me a collector. I have learned so much from my cookbooks without having ever followed a recipe. I believe that each household should have at least one cookbook in the house. And there is only one book I can honestly recommend for beginners and 'pros' alike = Miss Delia Smiths Complete Cookery Course. I have the first edition of this book at home and it has never ever let me down if I had to look for something. It has been recently re-published. If you are a beginner - stick to the recipe and I promise you it will work. Her recipes are based on simple facts, no gimmicks, no frills. If your child is leaving home for the first time to live on his/her own, if you just got married without having ever had to cook, if you want to ensure your mother-in-law that you are able to look after her precious son - this is your book. I mean, if even Marco Pierre White isn't giving out about Delia - she must be good. 

In the next few days, I will add more ideas but I hope that the suggestions above make it easier for you to find the perfect gift this Christmas.

Soups - Cookery Course

Last night was the third night of our cookery class - cook a complete dinner and we covered a second starter option. For some reason, I always offer 2 starters - you can use the soup of course as stand alone starter - or even have it for lunch, it is delicious either way ... 

Soups are an excellent second starter. They can be prepared in advanced and then just re-heated before serving. When making soups, try to use the best quality you can afford – it makes all the difference.

I like to serve bread with soups – but remember, you don’t want to fill your guests too much. Soda bread is a good choice for bread, especially when made with white flour and I like to use a mix of Cream of Tartar and Bread Soda – which gives the bread a lighter texture. But of course, any bread can be used.

The mushroom soup we are making here gets its full flavour from the use of dried porcini mushrooms. I also use chestnut mushrooms as they have a deeper flavour than ordinary mushrooms but it also works perfectly with the common mushrooms. Or why not use a mixture of wild mushrooms?

The courgette soup is fresh and easier to make than some people think. When preparing the soup in advance, make sure not to bring it to a boil again but just heat it through.

The amount of cream in the soups is entirely to taste. If you don’t like to add cream to your soups but still like them ‘creamy’ cook a potato with your vegetables and puree it together. It will have the same consistency.

To serve a soup – you can use the usual soup bowl but also larger cups – as the portions will be smaller than a soup for lunch. I like to give each guest their own butter in a little dish. It looks nice and you don’t have people reaching across the table to use butter. I even go so far that I am using a little stamp to decorate the top of the butter. Remember, it’s the small touches that make a dinner special.  

Mushroom Soup

Mushroom Soup

• 750g mushrooms (cleaned)
• 1 large onion - chopped
• 2 sticks of celery – chopped
• 1 leek - chopped
• garlic
• A handful of thyme
• 500 – 750 ml of chicken or vegetable stock
• 20g dried mushrooms
• Olive oil
• Knob of butter
• Salt and pepper

Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water (cover the mushrooms). Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan and sautee the chopped onions and leek until translucent but not browned. Add the garlic and fry until soft – add the mushrooms & celery and sautee over a low heat until all softened.

Add the stock, soaked mushrooms including the soaking liquid. Add the thyme and season to taste. Let cool down a bit and pour the soup into a food processor or liquidiser. Process until smooth. Return to a clean pan, add cream and serve.

Wine: A light Pinot Grigio

Courgette & Orange Soup

Courgette & Orange Soup

• 4 medium sized courgettes (roughly chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• Garlic (minced)
• 2 small leeks (sliced)
• 2 sticks celery (chopped)
• 700ml vegetable or chicken stock
• 50g butter
• 250ml cream
• Juice of 2 oranges
• Fresh coriander or parsley (optional)

Heat a large saucepan with the butter and gently sauté the onion and garlic until it has softened but not coloured. Add the leeks and celery and continue to sweat off for a few more minutes. Add the courgettes. Cook on a low heat taking care not to colour the vegetables.

Slowly add the stock and allow this to come to a gentle boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat and gently simmer until the vegetables have softened.

Add the cream and juice and blitz the soup either in a food processor or liquidiser. Season to taste (if the soup is too thick, add more stock or cream).

Just before serving, add the coriander or parsley and ladle into soup bowls.

Wine: A nice Chablis will compliment this soup nicely

Soda Bread

• 400g plain white flour
• 1 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• Up to 500ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper.

In a large bowl sieve the flour, soda and cream of tartar. Add the salt and pour in the buttermilk. With your hands or a wooden spoon, mix until well combined. The mixture will be too wet to knead so just pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin.

Bake for about 20 mins or until it sounds hollow when knocked on the bottom. Leave to cool on a wire rack.