To warm your soul on these winter evenings (Irish Cream - not to get sued but a well know company )

So with one thing and another I've been neglecting this blog (bold me) but I just couldn't resist sharing this very simple, but very seasonal recipe with whoever reads this thing. 

I don't know if many people remember, but back in the day, it was very popular to have mass in your house, ''the stations''. When I was about 6 or 7 the tradition was still going strong in our village and it was the turn of my Granny to host. 

Now..for those of you who have experienced the stations..it was a BIG deal to have it in your house. It wasn't good enough to have a plate of ham and cheese sandwiches and a cuppa. Hell no. You had to pain the house. Anything less and you'd be the talk of your neighbours for months after, and again at the following station. 
Anyway, there isn't much I remember about the actually mass at the house, or the food (shock horror) that was served, but what I do remember is me and my cousins, sitting in the back kitchen discussing the merits of the holy wine. This lead to a discussion amongst the older cousins about the taste of different alcohol and it was decided that Baileys was the nicest tasting of all of them. This may have been due to the fact that it was all girls and still relatively young. 
It was years later till I tasted Baileys, but I would have had to concur with my cousins back in my granny's kitchen. There is something heart warming about a glass of Baileys at this time of year, especially for those of us who would find staight whiskey too much. To make you own,

you will need:

300g caramel (dulch de lech)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tbsp coffee granules dissolved in 1tbsp boiling water
300ml brandy or whiskey (I used whiskey)
285ml single cream 


1) In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients bar the cream, until smooth.

2) add the cream and mix again, till combined.

3) the Drink will keep for 2-4 weeks in the fridge

Nice to give as a gift at Christmas or to drink yourself in front of a roaring fire after a days' shopping :-)

The Dubliners, unexpected babies, fleadhs and Tayto (oh and a recipe for crips)

 During my youth we frequented pubs quite often. Before you think my parents were dragging me along so they could go on the lash I should point out that this was usually at the weekends in early to late summer. Culminating in late August. Why were we going to the pub? To listen to Irish music. 

My parents were big into the trad scene in the early 70s when the lived in Dublin and would often go of a Sunday to hear the Dubliners play in a small cramped watering hole before the work week would take off again. 

When they moved back to Mayo and got married they continued to follow the scene, going to session in Foxford, Pontoon, Ballina, Westport...basically anywhere musicians appeared. 

When I came along (somewhat unexpectedly as I was so kindly informed) they decided to try and make a musician of me. I started to learn the tin whistle at age 4, the keyboard at age 7 and the flute at about 10. They failed miserable. Even though I have a sack of medals from féiseanna and fleadhs, I'm not musical. I wish I were. I love music. But can't read it. And don't have an ear for it. 

Part of this musical induction was to attend fleadhs across the county and country. For those of you not familar, fleadhs are basically music festivals with music in pubs and on the street and competitions for musicians in all types of instruments from under8 to over 18. I still love going to fleadhs, the craic is great and if you want to experience something truly Irish then I would suggest going to one during the summer months. You can find details of various fleadh's on comhaltas.ie 

What has this got to do with food I hear you ask? Well..when I was younger I wasn't so fond of the pub. Even with the music. The reason for this was I HATED the smoke. See, this was in the day when every second person in a pub was blowing pewtrid smelly smog into the atmosphere. It hurt my eyes and made me cough. And I hated coming home and smelling of it.

 So to keep my quiet for a bit, and as a Sunday treat, I would be bought a bottle of coke and a bag of Tayto cheese and onion crisps. Then I would sit on  my stool and listen to the music, the smell of smoke temporarily replaced by the pungnant smell of oniony goodness. If you've never had Tayto it's really hard to describe what they taste like. 

They're not really normal cheese or onion tasting. It's like a intense hit of flavour that reminds me of the Araomat seasoning. And they make your breath stink. SO bad. But, there's nothing like a bag of Tayto. None of your fancy smancy handcut, exotic flavoured ''potato chips..good old Tayto will see you through the bad and good times. 
In fact..they are so loved in here that they've opened a theme park based on them. A potato theme park in Ireland. Obviously.

Crisps are the universal snack of choice for parties, and as I am planning a weekend of partying I decided to experiment on making my own. I wouldn't dream of trying to imitate the ''unique'' flavour of Tayto..no mere mortal could, but aren't crisps in essence just really thinly sliced, fried potatoes..so off I went.

You will need:
4 cups of vegetable oil
1 head of garlic, unpeeled and slightly crushed
4 large sprigs of rosemary 
4 small or 3 large potoates (thinly sliced using either a mandolin or sharp knife)
salt

1.pour the oil into a large pan. Toss in the garlic and rosemary and heat up until a thermometer reaches 180c.

2.Remove the garlic and rosemary carfully with a long spoon.
3.carefully place some of the potatoes into the oil. Stir occasionally until golden brown and crispy

 Place on a paper lined tray and sprinkle with salt. Continue until all the potatoes have been fried.

EAT! (or store for a few days in an airtight container :-)

It's Chirstmas cake time :D

I mentioned previously that one of my first baking memories is helping my granny make her Christmas cake in her big green baking bowl. Usually me and one or two of my cousins would gather around her small kitchen table and help weight out the ingredients (on an old fashioned scales which I could never get the hang of..I was never so happy when we got a digital scales!). It was usually of a dark winter Sunday afternoon, with the fire roaring in the sitting room and the radio playing very early Christmas carols. It's a memory I do cherish (however corny that sounds). 

We'd also be around a few weeks after when she would ice the cake in preparation for the big day. Her cake was always amazing and I don't think it ever lasted much longer than January 6th. 

So when she asked me this year to make the cake (my aunt has been making it the last few years but with my cousin getting married in January (excitement) she's busy with  preparations and making Wedding cakes)

(me and my cousins)

I was delighted. 

And so freaking nervous. I did not want to screw it up. I would have the authority on cake in the parish judging me..and with 80 odd years of expereince, she's one tough cookie to impress. 

I was entrusted with her recipe book (which contained some hand written recipes that I need to try out for brack and dundee cake) and off I went.

The recipe is uber simple, it's an all-in-one method so no faffing around with soaking and loads of different bowls. She had been making this particular Christmas cake from the early 1990s and I think that it might become my own regular recipe too!

This recipe makes an 8'' cake.

You will need:

375g currants

250g sultanas

150g raisins

90g glacé cherries, quartered

90g almonds, blanced and chopped

90g mixed cut peel

grated rind of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons brandy or whiskey (or spiced rum_

250g plain flour

1 1/4 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

65g ground almounds

200g Stork margarine (softened at room temperatures)

255g dark brown sugar

5 large eggs

grated rind of 1 orange

1. Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 1 / 140C

2. Line the sides of the tin with a double thickness of greaseproof paper and the base.

3. Place all the fruit, alcohol and spices and rind in a bowl and mix.

4. Cream all the other ingredients to make the cake base. Mix in the fruit mixture until well combined. 

5 Place the mixture in the prepared tin and smooth the top with the back of a wet tablespoon.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 3 and a half to four hours. Check at intervals after 3 hours.

7. Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean, without crumbs the cake  is ready. 

8. Allow to cool in the tin, poke a few holes in the cake with the skewer.

9. Turn out, remove papers, wrap in double greaseproof paper then in foil. 

10. Store in a cool dry place.

11. Every few weeks, open the cake up and pour two tablespoons of alcohol into the wholes that you poked. 

To decorate:

You can brush with melted apricot jam and cover with a thin layer of marzipan. Then cover with Royal Icing . If , like me, you're not that fond of marzipan, you can leave it out, but don't ice until very near the day.

Some Spanish tapas dishes - chorizo and chickpeas and smoky chicken skewers.

So I figured I'd take a break from the auld Christmas foods and switch back to more everyday fare for today. Everyday, but still yummy. And in case you're disappointed in the break from Christmas cooking, I'll sweeten the bargin and offer you two recipes! There! arn't I such a nice person? (yes is the answer to the question). 
While I was having nervous palpitations yesterday as the pudding was boiling, I got a harried phone call from my mother asking for me to come up with something for dinner. She was toying with the idea of getting a Chinese take away..but I wasn't so keen. They have there place, but the sodium just isn't worth it. A takeaway once in a blue moon is good enough for me. So..come up with something quick and easy that wouldn't distract from the all important pudding. 
During the summer, I was in Spain for a friends wedding. It was my first time  on the Spanish mainland and I was looking forward to the food. All I had to go on properly was the magnificent Keith Floyd and his 'Floyd on Spain' series which made the Spanish food look truly amazing. FYI if you've never seen Floyd, look him up on YouTube..an absolute legend and one of the best TV cooks I've ever seen.

The food, was, as I had suspected, fantastic. And really good value. Even ''expensive'' restaurants were resonable and I had fell in love by the time I left. (not literally you understand..just metaphorically). I also developed a greater appreciation for Spanish cheeses, which, up to this point I had kind of ignored in favour their French counterparts. 

 There are no Spanish restaurants in the town I'm from and tapas is still only really spreading west of the Shannon. It's getting there..slowly but surely. While we're on the subject, if anyone knows why green olives aren't as nice here as they are in Spain could you let me know? Black olives taste roughly the same, but green olives are actually so much nicer in Spain than here. It's bemusing. 
Anyway, once I got back from Spain I took with gusto to cooking Spanish food. Particularly tapas dishes and I really liked that way of eating. It can be time consuming if you're making lots of different dishes but is definitely worth the effort. 

These two dishes however are not time consuming and taste gorgeous. Exactly what was called for after a stressful day for the whole household (ok...I probably shouldn't get so worried about a pudding but there was a hell of a lot of fruit and alcohol in there..I wasn't about to let them go to waste).

The first dish is a simple mixture of chorizo and chickpeas.

you will need;
1tbsp olive oil
125g sliced chorizo
50ml medium dry sherry (I used maderia)
400g chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a medium high heat , then add the sliced chorizo.

2.Fry for 10 minutes until crisp then pour in the alcohol and bubble until the chorizo has a sticky, sweet glaze.
3.Add the chickpeas along with another splash of alcohol.

4. Simmer for 5 mins and season with salt and pepper and serve. 

The second dish, is a simple chicken skewer with a delicious smoky marinade and complements the previous dish perfectly.

you will need:
3 large chicken fillets, cubed
2tbsp olive oil
1tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp sweet smoked paprika
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1tsp red wine vinegar

to serve: Aioli (Garlic mayonnaise)

1.You will need about 6 or 7 sekwers. If they are wooden ones, soak in water for about 10 minutes. 

2. Put all the marinade ingredents into a large bowl, add the chicken and toss. You can do this a day in advance. 
3.Thread the chicken onto the sekwers. Pour some olive oil onto a griddle pan. Get the pan hot. Grill about 4-5 minutes on each side. 

4. Serve with the chickpeas and aioli. 

Pudding (not black or white)

I always consider the term ''pudding'' English. The English have pudding after their dinner. Usually in sponge form..or with syrup..boiled..stodgy. That's not being derogatory .Everyone loves a bit of stodge now and then. But the term ''pudding'' to describe dessert hadn't really become common in Ireland until the last few years. To me ''pudding'' is one of two things. Either the blood pudding eaten at breakfast time (of the black or white variety ) or Christmas pudding.

As I write this I'm sitting at the kitchen table, dog asleep at my feet, leaves falling off the trees in gusts of winter wind outside, and the Christmas pudding boiling away on the stove.
 And I'm nervous. See..I've made the pudding for years now..but I've never done the final stage of boiling it. I kinda tended to get bored and ran out of the kitchen to avoid the clean up (I can be messy by my mother's standards in the kitchen). Anway, this year I'm in charge of boiling it too. And I'm not letting my eyes off it.
I was never the biggest fan of Christmas pudding. After a big, long dinner and day of indulgence, a heavy, fruit ladden, boiled pudding didn't really appeal to me. 
The Christmas pudding has its origins in medieval England and is otherwise known as plum pudding.There is no (and has never been ) plums in it however, its just a pre-Victorian term for raisins. It, like much Christmas baking is completed weeks (or months in advance) Because there is so much alcohol in it, it can age for a long time.

The custom of the pudding has links to the religious nature of Christmas in that it was originally meant to be made with 13 ingredients to represent Christ and the 12 apostles and that every family member should stir it east to west, to mirror the journey made by the Wise men. 

But this changed last year. I can across a recipe in a weekend newspaper supplement and decided to switch recipe and give it a go. And am I glad. Yes, it has lots of fruit, alcohol and a basic pudding base..but It's light and not stodgy in the slightest..don't believe me? I went for seconds. That, my friends, was unprecedented  And at 2 pts, it's small enough not to be left with loads of left over uneaten pudding, because it really isn't the same after it's been boiled again.  (If you do have any left over make a basic vanilla ice cream (or melt a shop bought version) and stir in the left over pudding, re-freeze and voilá! decadent Christmas ice cream). This recipe was devised by Catherine Fulvio of Ballyknocken House.

You will need:
 for steeping:
100g raisins
100g sultanas
75g currants
75g mixed peel
4tbsp dried apricot, finely chopped
1tsp candied ginger, finely chopped
65ml Guinness
65ml Orange Liqueur or brandy
75g dark brown sugar

for the pudding:
45g caster sugar
30g flaked almonds
75g fresh white breadcrumbs
50g plain flour
1tbsp cocoa powder
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 orange, zest and juice
75ml freshly squeezed orange juice
1 egg, beaten
75g suet

1. Combine all of the steeping ingredients listed about, cover and leave in a cool dark place for at least 3 days.

2. To complete the pudding -  mix the sugar, almonds, breadcrumbs, flour, cocoa and spices together in a large bowl. Stir in the steeped fruit.

NOTE: to flake almonds, if you don't want to buy (the more expensive) already flaked almonds you can flake whole almonds. Place the almond in a saucepan of hot water and bring to the boil for about 5-10 mins. Drain, place on kitchen paper and rub together. Pop off the skins and chop up with a knife. 

3. Add the orange juice and zest, then stir in the beaten egg. Finally, gently mix in the suet. 
4. Spoon the mixture into a two-pint pudding bowl, then cover the bowl tightly with a lid of baking parchment secured with kitchen string (this can be a two person job, I got my dad to tie the knots while I held the paper in place)

5. Place the bowl in a suacepan of hot water. (reaching just to the top of the lid of the pudding).
6. Cover and simmer very gently for four hours. Keep topping up the water as required. 

7. Allow to cool and store in a cool, dry place. On Christmas day, reheat the pudding by steaming it again for up to two hours. 
8. Turn out the pudding and if you want to pour some brandy over and set alight for a (sometimes) spectacular end to Christmas dinner.

Mincepies...There is no cow in them ok? (well..kinda)

They (whoever they are ) should probably come up with a new name for mincemeat. Or at least a way in the spelling to distinguish them. I know a few people that thought that mince pies were actually filled with a mixture similar to that found in shepherds pie. Trying to convince them otherwise was harder than you might imagine. 
I love mincepies. They are the one Christmas treat that I don't mind over indulging in. Because, come on, lets face it, like American eggnog, you're not going to get them all year round. I mean, you could. But they're just some of the rare foods that have remained seasonal. 

I know a lot of people don't like rasins, sultanas or currents but it's one food dislike I've never been able to understand. I just don't get it. Nothing stands out to me as being particularly nasty about the taste or texture. But hey..if you don't like them, then more for me :D
In my family, we'd usually make our mince pies in the week leading up to Christmas.The smell of sweet pasty and mixed spice would waft through the house, getting into every nook and cranny and signalling the imminent arrival of Santa. 
Mincemeat has been made at this time of the year for centuries. Recipes survive from the 15th century, where of course, it was only for the wealthy who could afford the expensive fruit and spices. 

The mince pie was even once a poltical symbol, being banned by Oliver Cromwell's Puritan government in England (and by extension, Ireland). In fact, I think I saw an episode of QI which stated that that particular law was never fully repealed. So mince pies are still illegal?. 

Up to the 1800s many mincemeat recipes contained actual minced beef but since then tastes have changed. The only small bit of cowi-ness that remains is the suet. (Though I usually use vegetable suet)
Anyway, enough of the history lesson. The recipe I'm going to give for the mincemeat makes 24 pies - double, half or quadruple depending on how many you wish to make. I will be putting up other recipes which use mincemeat so don't worry about having leftovers (like you would)

You will need:
55g flaked almonds
110g candied peel
1 medium Bramley apple - peeled, cored and finely chopped
200g suet
55g glacé cherries
25g cystallised ginger, chopped
225g each seedless raisins, currants and sultanas
175g light brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mixed spice
grated zest and juice 1/2 lemon
grated zest and juice 1/2 orange
150ml brandy

1. Sterlise 4 x 400ml jars with lids by preheating the oven to 180c/gas 4. Wash the jars and lids in hot soapy water, then rinse - DON'T dry with a tea towel. Put them on a baking sheet and leave in the oven for a least 10 mins. Remove and allow to cool compeltely before filling.

2. Put all the mincemeat ingredients (Except for the citrus juices and alcohol) in a large mixing bowl and combine well.

3. mix the lemon and orange juice in a jug, add the brandy, then pour ovre the mincemeat ingredients.
4. stir well, then pack tightly into the prepared jars, top with waxed discs, then seal and store in a cool place for a  minimum of 2 weeks. 

Check out my recipe for sweet pastry on the apple pie blog, to make pies, make the pastry, use a pastry cutter to make out rounds and fill into a bun tin. fill each case with about a teaspoon and a bit of mincemeat and cover with a pastry lid. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle lightly with sugar and prick with a fork. Put into the oven for approx 20 mins at gas4, until golden brown.

To serve: warm. Dust with icing sugar and serve with whipped vanilla cream or icecream

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

Ok ok ok..I won't finish that sentence. I'll be the first to admit that I hate seeing Christmas ads on the TV in early September, and if the bizarre techno remix of silent night I heard in Dunnes is anything to go by, I'd commit some heinous crime if I were forced to be full of Christmas cheer months in advance.

 It just doesn't feel right to be celebrating something weeks ahead of the actually day. I mean, we don't get legless weeks ahead in anticipation of St.Patricks day...ok..well, maybe that's a bad example, but you get my meaning. Hell, I remember when I was yonger my Dad's mother not putting up her Christmas tree till Christmas Eve. And there was something very special about that. It was a busy day, preparing for the feast, but topped off with the family calling around, helping to put up the tree and decorations.

 Even still, we as a family ususally don't put the tree up until the 16th or 18th. I know it sounds late but for me, it makes Christmas more special. I mean, due to certian circumstances last year we put the tree up the first week in Decemeber, and if truth be told, I couldn't wait to get rid of it on the first of January. All that feckin hoovering of pine needles got in the way of all the atin and drinkin. 

BUT there is a caveat to this early Christmas cheer. Christmas Baking. There are no two ways about it, if you want to make your own Christmas cake, pudding, mincemeat or edible gifts, you HAVE to start at least 6 weeks in advnace. So, over the next few weeks, I'll post some Christmas cooking recipes that I love and make year in, year out (and some newer ones that are getting a test run this year). DISCLAIMER: if you're related to me, maybe don't read on...you'll probably be getting some of these over the coming weeks as presents :P
Tradition would have that you make your Chrismas cake and pudding on Stir about Sunday (The last Sunday before the beginning of advent) but, for certain cakes, it's best to begin a few weeks prior to this. 

I'll post my Christmas cake recipe(s) in the next few days..but today's recipe is a continental Christmas favourite inspired by my recent trip to France (which invovled much cheese, wine, bread and foie gras). 
I had never been to France at this time of year and it was interesting to see all the shops and supermarkets putting out their Christmas stock, same as at home (for some reason i thought it would be considerably different..though they had no selection boxes..I think there could be a market there).

Anyway, like most of the continent, fruit cake as a christmas cake isn't that common, but fruit bread is. And all over the shops were Panettone.

 Now, I know it's a traditional Italian sweet enriched bread but it's become popular all over the world. I was first given a panettone as a gift and I loved it..kinda like a less dense brack. And perfect for making bread and butter pudding. The French equivolent would have to be the Alsatian Kuglehof. If you fancy giivng it a try you'll find it stocked in Lidl for sure and I'm sure in other large retailers. 

Anyway..I though mini panettone would be a perfect gift to include in this year's christmas hampers. Mini, becuase once opened it'll be easily eaten (about the size of a muffin) and therefore wouldn't go stale. 

You will need:
2 eggs plus one egg yolk
1tsp vanilla extract
500g plain flour
2 x7 g dried fast action yeast
100g caster sugar
200ml warm milk
200g soft butter
140g dried mixed fruit
100g mixed candied peel
milk for brushing
1- tbsp flaked almonds

1.Beat the eggs and yolk with the vanilla.

2.In a large bowl mix the flour, yeast, sugar and 1/2 tsp salt. 

3.add the warm milk and egg mixture, then beat to a soft, sticky dough (if you want use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment - otherwise you'll have a sore arm and will take forever)

4.Cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place to double in size (about an hour)

5.Drop muffin cases into a muffin tin.
6. Blend the  butter, fruit and peel into the dough, with your hands. 

7.Cut into 10 pieces and place in each tin. 

8.Cover again and leave to rise well.
9.Heat the oven to 190C/gas 5.
10.Gently brush the panettone with milk, scatter over the almonds and bake for 25-30 mins until golden brown.

11. eat within 3 days or freeze for 6 weeks (perfect to make in advance to give as gifts )