0539184995 - 040222402 - 0879608150 - info@phelimbyrne.ie

Lets relax with simple recipes and great food - don't forget the vino.....

 

Simple Homemade pancakes

4 oz flour

200ml milk

2 eggs

A pinch of salt

• Sieve the flour and salt together ( if you don’t have a sieve don’t worry its not the end of the world just mix the two together)
• Make a well in the flour and whisk in the eggs and milk slowly , bit by bit to form a nice smooth batter, no need to rest overnight however leave for an hour or so in the fridge for best results, makes nice thin crepes
• Enjoy with your favourite filling, mine is lemon, sugar and butter, traditional yet delish!

American style thick buttermilk pancakes

7oz  flour

300ml butter milk

2 eggs

A pinch of salt

1 tsp of caster sugar

• Make a well in the flour and whisk in the eggs and buttermilk slowly , bit by bit to form a nice smooth thick batter, no need to rest overnight however leave for an hour or so in the fridge for best results
• Preheat the pan with just a little oil over a medium to low heat
• Place dessert spoons of the mix onto the pan and allow to sizzle gently until the bottom is coloured and the top is almost dry and has air bubbles
• Turn over then either cook through slowly  or place in an oven or preferably under a salamander until light and fluffy, serve with maple syrup, cream and a little fruit and your in heaven!

 

Tuna, red pepper and mascarpone bruschetta

I wonder what recipe my visitors would like this week i pondor? Sitting at the table eating what remains of our valentines’ weekend  bruschetta dreaming of a glass of vino! May ill do a cake? No I thought thinking I was supposed to be concentrating on simple, less expensive real dishes for a while  and not getting lost in the chef fantasy that people eat prawns and steak every second day -  so they must want a new way to jazz up the lobster? Reality check! I never tasted a lobster or prawn until my first real kitchen job, so now that we are back to planet earth here’s firstly what I’m eating right now and in the coming weeks we’ll have a trip back to basics checking out a real fish pie, bursting with flavour and goodness stews, soups, casseroles and perhaps, the odd bread and butter pudding, omitting the orange and brandy this time!

 

Tuna, red pepper and mascarpone bruschetta

 

1 x 200g tin of tuna

1 red pepper, diced

2 spring onions, sliced

1 tbsp of parmesan

1 tub of mascarpone

Salt and pepper

3 x 8inch baguettes

 

• In a pan fry off the red pepper until soft and sweet
• Add the spring onion , season and remove from the heat
• Add the parmesan and mascarpone, mix well
• Now fold through the tuna and season to taste
• Cut the baguettes in half length ways and then into half again to form 4 inch long rectangles
• Place in a preheated oven at 190c or gas mark 6 for 5 minutes just to begin to crisp up
• Drizzle with a little olive oil
• Divide the mixture evenly along the tops of the baguettes, even if a little rustic
• Place in the oven at the same temperature for 7-8 minutes until hot through and starting to colour
• Remove from the oven and cool for 1-2 minutes before divulging, preferably with the vino!

 

Top tips:

 

1. If you don’t like tuna try a little cooked chicken instead
2. Ciabatta bread works really well also instead of baguette
3. You can make a ‘hot sandwich’ or bruschetta from almost any bread you feel is going off by crisping it up in the oven first

 

Anyone for cabbage....

Last weeks recipe with spaghetti, discussing memories of old and indeed our first food memories and things that stick with you through the years developed quite a stir in the kitchen as we all discussed our favourite foods from years back - fried cooked turnip in a pan after a few pork chops had been cooked beyond recognition, fried cabbage in the salty flavoursome fat from frying a few rashers or making our ‘French  toast’ as we believed at the time by frying the bread in all the fats, a real hearty stew or even my own mothers bolognaise full of crisp vegetables and flavour ‘the best ever’!

 

A discussion pursued of how often we had cabbage back then as apposed to how often now, what happened the humble cabbage – boiled until overcooked and then boiled for a little longer we reckoned!  In this article I have decided to simple cook our two main types of cabbage, firstly being the green Savoy cabbage we used to grow that is a simple yet sometimes understated vegetable and the second to be a quick stir-fry of the white cabbage with a little spice that would be ideal with a grilled piece of meat or fish for example.

 

Using Savoy cabbage in the first recipe we add a few flavours to liven up this wrinkly quite solid head of cabbage with its mixture of dark green and creamy white leaves once chopped and mixed together, on its own this veggie is often included in low fat and especially low calorie diet, it’s a fantastic source of vitamin C and quite versatile also, with some variety of cabbage invariably growing at any time of the year this makes for a recipe for success! To be a little more adventurous you can make delicious stuffed cabbage as our friends in middle Europe create with minced meats, cooked rice, pork ribs and dry spices and herbs.

 

The white cabbage / Chinese cabbage has a different texture and flavour also, commonly chopped and used as a main body for coleslaw it is brilliant for bulking up everything from Thai spring rolls and stir-fry’s to creating sauerkraut or even incredibly stuffing sweet struddle!

 

Savoy cabbage with roast hazelnut, chive and smoked bacon butter

 

.5 of a head of Savoy cabbage, sliced

2 smoked rashers, chopped

2 tbsp of hazelnuts roast and chopped

2 tbsp fresh chives

Salt and pepper to taste

2oz butter, melted

1 -2 tsp of vegetable oil

 

• Boil a large saucepan of salted water
• Plunge the cabbage into the water and cook for 3-4 minutes
• Whilst the cabbage is cooking add the vegetable oil to the pan
• Fry the chopped rasher over a high heat until crispy, stirring continually
• Add the hazelnuts , chives and butter to the pan also

 

• Now add the drained cabbage leaves which should be crisp and al dente
• Season to taste with salt if required and freshly cracked black pepper

 

 

Oriental fried white cabbage

 

.3 of a head of white cabbage

3 garlic cloves

2 slices of fresh ginger

2 red chillies, deseeded and diced

1 tbsp of soy sauce

2-3 tsp of sesame oil

1 dsrt spoon of sunflower oil

2 tbsp of chopped coriander or spring onion

100ml warm water

 

 

• Add the sunflower oil to a heated pan, wok or large base saucepan
• Add the cabbage and  progress to fry over a high heat stirring continually
• Add the warm water and allow to steam
• In a food processor blend the sesame oil, garlic, ginger and soy sauce
• After 3-4 minutes add the blended mix and allow the flavours to develop and the cabbage to soften a little yet we want it left crispy this time
• Add the coriander or spring onion
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Serve with a piece of grilled fish or meat , tasty!!

 

Creamy Chicken, Chorizo & Cauliflower Macaroni bake with a Cheese and Onion crust

 450 g macaroni

200gm white cheddar

1 head cauliflower florets

3 x chicken fillets – cooked and chopped

1x 250g tub mascarpone

 

For the crust:

2oz Bread crumbs

6oz Grated cheese

1 onion finely diced

Fresh herbs (optional)

 

For the white sauce

2oz butter

2 oz flour

2oz chorizo sausage chopped

1 pint of milk

Seasoning

 

 

 

• Boil the macaroni in plenty of salted water with a little oil
• Depending on the variety this pasta takes about 13 minutes until just al dente
  • Simmer 500ml béchamel sauce (see method below) with seasoning, 1 tub mascarpone and the chopped cooked chicken
  • Blanch & refresh cauliflower
  • Add the cheddar and carefully stir until melted
  • Add the spring onion finely chopped, cauliflower and season to taste
  • Add the pasta and place into an oven proof dish
  • Sprinkle with the crust mix of cheese, onion and herbs mixed together

 

 

White sauce

 

• Melt the butter in the saucepan and fry the chorizo until all the lovely paprika colours have infused the butter and the chorizo is crisp
• Add the flour and stir continually over a low heat to achieve a roux, be careful as it may stick at this stage
• Add the milk stirring continually about 75ml at a time
• Cook stirring frequently until the sauce is smooth and the taste of raw flour is gone
• Season and store

 

 

Now lets make christmas a little tastier, less stress and more fun..... I hope you enjoy these recipes.......... Phelim.

Phelim’s Christmas Menu 2010

• Phelim’s Mulled Wine
• Roast red pepper, feta and bacon potato cake with a beetroot hollandaise
• Potato, chorizo and thyme soup
• Baked egg’s in a crispy smoked ham cup with chive hollandaise, buttered toast
• Christmas Cheese Roulade with crunchy vegetables & toasted almonds
• Turkey Crown with a Sage & Lemon Butter
• Turkey, brocolli & almond pastry slice with a parmesan crust
• Christmas Pudding Filo roll Alaska with white chocolate custard
• Phelim’s Christmas Fruits and Brandy Parfait
• Christmas Sausage, Sage & onion stuffing
•  The Christmas Ham
•  Roast Duck with orange sauce

 

 

 

 

 

Phelim’s Mulled Wine

1 ½ bottles red wine

150ml ribena

¾ litre orange juice

100ml brandy

2 cinnamon sticks

1 -2 tsp mixed spice

8 cloves

2 oranges and 2 lemons roughly sliced

200ml fizzy orange

150g of brown sugar

• I throw everything into a saucepan and simmer gently for about half an hour, skim carefully
• leave to sit and infuse
• strain and serve
• make sure to taste the mulled wine, depending on the oranges , the juice and the wine it may require more sugar or more spice etc

 

Roast red pepper, feta and bacon potato cake

with a beetroot hollandaise

 

¾ lb cooked potato, mashed

2spring onions

2 red peppers, cooked and diced

3-4 smoked rashers, chopped and cooked

100g feta diced /crumbled

Chopped parsley to taste

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp of plain flour

2 egg yolks

Extra flour for dusting

 

2 egg yolks

120g butter, melted

15 ml white wine

15 ml white wine vinegar

2 baby beetroots, cooked and diced

Salt and pepper

Fresh herbs if desired

 

• Prepare the potato caked by mixing the ingredients together to form a nice cake like mixture
• With the aid of excess flour shape into little potato cakes about 2 inch’s thick
• Fry in hot oil to colour then place in a preheated hot oven to cook for 5-6 minutes

 

• Prepare the hollandaise as shown and detailed below

 

To serve:

Place the potato cake on the plate

Then a generous spoon of hollandaise sauce

Top with herbs

 

• You can store hollandaise in a warmed flask for about 1 ½ hours – savour!!!

 

For the hollandaise:

1. 1.     Boil a large pan of water, and then reduce to a simmer. Using a large balloon whisk, beat together the yolks and wine vinegar and wine in a heatproof bowl that fits snugly over the pan.
2. 2.     Beat vigorously until the mixture forms foam, but make sure that it doesn't get too hot. To prevent the sauce from overheating, take it on and off the heat while you whisk, scraping around the sides with a plastic spatula. The aim is to achieve a golden, airy foam (called a sabayon), which forms ribbons when the whisk is lifted.
3. 3.     Whisk in a small ladle of the warmed butter, a little at a time, and then return the bowl over a gentle heat to cook a little more. Remove from the heat again and whisk in another ladle of butter. Repeat until all the butter is incorporated and you have a texture as thick as mayonnaise. Finally, whisk in lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste plus a little warm water from the pan if the mixture is too thick.

 

Potato, chorizo and thyme soup

 

50g butter

1.5lb potatoes

2 ½ litres chicken stock

3 inch’s of chorizo

2 sprigs of thyme

1 onion sliced

2 garlic cloves

Salt and pepper

70ml cream or crème fraiche

100g butter

Chives and or spring onion to taste

 

• Melt the butter in a heavy based pan
• Sweat off the onion, garlic,chorizo and thyme
• Add the potatoes and stock
• Simmer for 30 minutes
• Blitz the soup and add the butter and fresh cream
• Season with salt and pepper to taste
• Pass through a sieve
• Correct the consistency as required 
• Add fresh chives or spring onions to serve

Baked egg’s in a crispy smoked ham cup with chive hollandaise, buttered toast

 

12 slices of Blackforrest ham

12 medium free range or organic egg’s

2 egg yolks

5oz butter, clarified

Fresh chives, 1 tbsp

20ml white wine and 20ml white wine vinegar

12 slices crisp buttered toast to finish

 

• Lightly brush a bun tin with a little of the melted butter which is removed from the pan
• Cut the slices of Blackforrest ham in half
• Place one in the tin and another over it at an angle and push down gently to line the mould
• Break and egg into each and a crack of black pepper
• Bake in the oven for about 8 minutes at 200c or until the egg white is just set however the egg yolk is still runny, ovens vary so keep an eye on it for the first time after 5 minutes, it may be longer or shorter
• Remove the little cups from the tins and place on a warm plate topped with a spoon of the chive hollandaise
• Serve at Christmas for breakfast

 

 

 

Christmas Sausage, Sage & onion stuffing

100g White breadcrumbs

50g Butter

50g diced onion

75g white pudding, finely chopped

6 good quality sausages, skins removed

Chopped parsley

1 tbsp fresh sage

Salt & pepper

• Cook the onion in  the butter without colouring
• Now add all the rest of the ingredients, mix extremely well in a mixing bowl and season
• Place in a loaf tin lined with buttered tin foil and bake in the oven for about 1 hour or until well cooked through and coloured on top
• A delicious stuffing with your meats at Christmas

 

Christmas Cheese Roulade with crunchy vegetables & toasted almonds

For the Roulade:-

Herby Cheese Roulade

Vegetable oil for greasing

50 gm butter

3 garlic cloves, crushed

50gm plain flour

300 ml milk

75 gm parmesan

4 medium eggs, separated

15gm parsley, chopped

 

For the filling:-

3.4 pint white sauce / béchamel

220g grated cheddar

1 head of broccoli, blanched

1 head cauliflower blanched

150g flaked almonds, toasted

Salt and pepper to taste

3 spring onions, finely sliced

 

• Melt the butter in a large pan,  add the garlic and fry for 1 min. 
• Add the flour, cook for 1 min stirring constantly and then gradually beat in the milk. 
• Bring to the boil, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thick and smooth. 
• Remove form the heat and stir in half the cheese, season and allow to cool slightly.
• Beat in the egg yolks and parsley. 
• Whisk the egg whites to stiff, but not dry peaks, then gently fold into the cheese sauce. 
• Pour into greased swiss roll  tin, tipping the tin so that the mixture fills all the corners. 
• Bake for 15 mins at 190c until risen and golden.
• When cooled turn out onto a sheet of greaseproof paper that has been sprinkled with an additional 100g grated parmesan which will add flavour and act as a coating
• For the filling mix the white sauce, broccoli, cauliflower, almonds, spring onion and cheese together -Season to taste
• Place the filling on the near side of the overturned roulade and roll up like a swiss roll as shown

Turkey Crown with a Sage & Lemon Butter

 

Today I’m cooking the turkey crown, you can treat a whole turkey the same or we prefer to ask the butcher to bone and roll the legs and leave the crown the way it is instead of boning and rolling the whole turkey, it’s up to you!

 

Seeing the demonstration today, you judge the cooking time by the weight of the turkey, for your notes I am giving you a sample if the turkey crown was 3 kg (not too big), remember if your stuffing the turkey to add the stuffing weight to the cooking time of the turkey also at the rate of 20 minutes per lb, this is one thing people forget

 

With this turkey we are putting a sage and lemon butter under its skin so the flavour will penetrate through the breast during the cooking time and you do not need to baste the bird during cooking, making it a little easier for you

Alternatively if you get a crown with no skin cut slits into the breast and pip the butter in there, cover with some bacon or smoked Blackforrest ham and proceed as per recipe

 

1 turkey crown 3kg in weight

¾ lb of sausage meat

5 oz breadcrumbs, fresh

2 tbsp of sage & parsley

1 onion, diced and cooked in butter until soft, cooled

Salt and pepper

 

2 carrots

3 celery sticks

2 parsnips

Melted butter

Salt and pepper

150ml white wine

 

4 oz soft butter

6-7 sage leaves

Jest of 1 lemon

Stage 1

• First of all you can wipe the turkey with disposable kitchen paper, don’t ever wash it!
• Mix the soft butter with the lemon jest and sage, season well
• Using your hands create a pocket under the skin of the turkey from the neck end and divide the butter under the breast as shown evenly, rubbing the butter over the breast using you hands on the outside of the skin, this will keep the meat moist

Stage 2

• Mix the sausage meat, herbs, breadcrumbs and onion to  a stuffing and season well
• Place this in under the skin in one piece at the neck end and pull the flap of skin over it to secure as shown

Stage 3

• place one long sheet of foil, shiny side up on a roasting tray
• place another on a tray going the opposite direction, don’t be afraid to make them a little longer than you think you need
• place the vegetables along the tray
• now place the turkey on top
• brush the turkey all over with the melted butter, generously, this is the only basting you need to do
• pour the wine over the top and season well with salt and pepper
• in sequence fold the foil over the foil over the turkey to have it completely covered
• this turkey can then be placed into an oven at 200c for 30 minutes then turned down for the rest of the cooking to 180c
• calculating the cooking time and stuffing and allowing 20 minutes over the roast should take 2 hours and 45 minutes
• therefore roast the turkey for 2 hours and 10 minutes
• Remove the foil and you will find a juicy almost cooked bird, yet there will be very little or no colour on the bird – that’s perfectly fine!!!!!
• If it was a whole turkey the legs and stuffing will have coloured a little but for the crown perhaps only the stuffing will have coloured a little
• Peel back the foil and expose the breast
• Place back into the oven for the last 40 minutes until nicely coloured and crisped up
• By this method the breast semi steams and shouldn’t dry out to much yet the skin is still juicy and flavoursome

 

The Ham

 

Cooking the ham for approx 25 minutes per lb and 25 over should give a perfect result

 

If possible when you buy the ham slice off a rasher and grill it, if it tastes very salty soak the ham over night, straining away the water and refreshing it before cooking

 

Today we are cooking Christmas dinner with a twist, how twisted it is to be really depends on your own taste, here im going to show you how to cook the ham in orange , the sweet taste that works with the ham, if you prefer use some water with pineapple juice to cook it in or even just water loaded with cloves, onions ,parsley and a few smoked ham pieces and leave to sit in the cooking liquor over night to develop flavour

 

I glaze the ham , first stud with cloves, then rub in some whole grain mustard, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with brown sugar and pop in the oven on the big day for about an hour or until caramelized, trim away access fat first to taste.

 

 

Roast Duck

 

Remember a duck looks a bit bigger than it really is! It has quite a big cavity, we have a duck per four people along with the other meats on Christmas day.

 

Clean the duck with some disposable kitchen paper and if required singe off any little feathery bits with a crème brulee burner.

 

In a hot pan fry the duck all around to give it colour and season well.

 

Fry off a mirepoix ( roughly cut carrot, celery, onion and garlic ) of vegetables and place in a roasting tin or casserole dish, I’m cooking the duck by this method to stop it drying out too much.

 

Place the duck on the mirepoix, season all over again , place some thyme in the cavity with half and orange and pour a glass or white wine over the duck ( or sherry or Madera). Cover and place in a preheated oven at 200c for about 45 minutes to cook

 

Remove the lid and any excess liquid , leaving a little and then return to the oven to brown up a little and get a bit crispy for another approx half hour, check the leg meat to see if the duck is fully cooked.

 

Reduce the cooking time if you require it pink through out, unlike the turkey some people like the duck under cooked

 

Remove and drain well.  Serve with a bit of berry compote on the side as if it were cranberry sauce and this saves the hassle of creating a fruity or orange sauce

 

If you like orange sauce here’s a simple recipe:

 

100ml gravy / jus

200ml orange juice

2 tbsp of caster sugar

Jest of 2 oranges, rough

Pinch of mixed spice as a seasoning

1 dsrt spoon of honey

• Place the sugar and orange jest in a saucepan and caramelize well over a medium to high heat ( just about burn it)
• Now add the orange juice carefully and allow to reduce to ¼
• Now add the jus or gravy ( not too strong a gravy) and reduce until thickened or by about 1/3
• Store in the pot or even easier in a flask until required for ease of service
• I present the whole duck on the table and let people tuck in!

 

 

 

 

Turkey, brocolli & almond pastry slice with a parmesan crust

380ml white sauce

1small onion diced

300g cooked turkey meat

½ head of broccoli, blanched

2 tbsp of flaked almonds

2 tbsp of mixed herbs fresh

3-4 tbsp of grated parmesan or more to taste

Salt and pepper

1 sheet pre made shop bought puff pastry

A little beaten egg

• Cut the pastry sheet into two rectangular sheets
• Brush all over with beaten egg
• Fold up the edges all around to double height
• Prick the centre of the pastry with a fork and bake almost fully for 20 minutes at 180c
• Meanwhile fry the onion in a little oil to soften
• Add the broccoli and white sauce and simmer stirring well
• Add the herbs , turkey or ham or both and stir well off the heat
• Season to taste
• Fill the pastry case with this mix and sprinkle with finely grated parmesan
•  Pop into the oven for about 10 -15 minutes to heat through
• Ideal presented at any party as you would a quiche but without the work, lovely on a buffet, simple for a dinner party or quite tasty for an evening meal
• This dish is also a great way of using up different left over meats like turkey, chicken or ham etc – simple!

 

 

Christmas Pudding Filo roll Alaska with white chocolate custard

450g Christmas pudding

3-4 slices sponge cake drizzled with brandy

4 sheets of filo pastry

2 oz butter melted

3oz demarera sugar

 

3 egg whites

5oz caster sugar

A drop of vanilla extract

 

70g white chocolate buttons

3 egg yolks

125ml cream

A drop of vanilla extract

3oz caster sugar

 

• Place two sheets of filo slightly over lapping on a work surface
• Brush with butter
• Place the other two sheets horizontally like a cross, brush with butter also
• Place the pudding in pieces up along the centre and top this with pieces of sponge
• Roll the pastry around the mixture to form a sealed log almost like a huge spring roll
• Brush with the remaining butter and sprinkle with brown sugar
• Place in the oven at 175c and bake until crisp of approx 16 -18 minutes
• Meanwhile create a meringue from the egg white, sugar and vanilla
• Spoon, spread or pipe this meringue mixture all over the filo pastry once cooled slightly and place back into the oven to colour nicely, dredge with icing sugar to serve
• To make the custard boil the cream and vanilla
• Whisk the egg and sugar in a bowl
• Pout the boiling cream mixture over the egg
• Add the chocolate buttons
• Stir over a bain marie of simmering water for about 10minutes or until thick and there is no remaining taste of egg
• Store in a flask until required

 

 

Phelim’s Christmas Fruits and Brandy Parfait

5 egg yolks

1 pint of cream

80ml hot water

1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of water

1 tsp mixed spice

1 cup of glazed fruits – mixed peel, soaked raisins, glace cherries and a little mince meat mix all mixed together – all chopped

200ml brandy

• Whisk the egg yolks and hot water together to form a thick pale mixture for 5-6 minutes
• **dangerous, adults only** boil the sugar and water until just starting to colour in a clear syrup
• Add the mixed spice for just the last 3-4 seconds
• Pour the boiling** sugar mix into the egg mixture whilst it is beating at full speed and continue to whisk until cooled, if not it will scramble
• Beat the cream until soft whipped, over whipping changes the flavour
• Fold one into the other
• Mix the fruits though and the brandy and mix well
• Pour into loaf tins that you have linned with a couple of sheets of cling film and then pop in the freezer
• No need to touch them they should be frozen the next day
• Serve with any dessert over the festive period, in the baked Alaska or on its own with some fruits
• Enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed this evening and picked up on some helpful hints and tips that will reduce the stress of preparing your Christmas meals this year, , if I can be of any assistance my contact details are below , many thanks for your support this evening

Phelim Byrne

Professional Catering Services & Cookery Academy

Wexford Enterprise Centre

Strandfield Business Park

Kerlogue

Wexford

087 960 8150

040222402

053 91 84995

info@phelimbyrne.ie

www.phelimbyrne.ie

' The Premier Professional Catering Service to Wexford and the South East'

 

 

From nut roasts, muffins and veggie burgers to curries , crusts and sauces – ‘nuts’ are an very important part of the vegetarian and vegan diet aswell as a great substitute or addition to any carnivore meal. As a great source of protein , some with antioxidant properties and in general rich in unsaturated fat these little gems are too often left to the bottom of the sweet bag or cupboard after a hard graft night out ‘trick or treating’.

 

Many ‘nuts’ aren’t even classed as nuts in our repertoire however they are used and taste simply superb eitherways, its all down to classification! The simple peanut, grown underground contrary to many beliefs is highly nutritious and is actually classed as a legume, great to roast with salt and crush then sprinkle over a massamam curry, of course ideal for satay sauce, even though I cheat and use peanut butter, or a simple snack with a few drinks.

 

Pistachio and almond are two more firm favourites with pistachio’s purchased by the kilo and used in everything from pistachio dressings, pasta sauces, crusts and dreamy icecream as well as almonds being ideal for the biscotti, ground for scones or to make almond paste or see if you can get your hands on almond milk – delicious!

 

This week we want to use up all those left over nuts after the Halloween festivities so simply ensure all the nuts are shelled completely , lightly roasted if you like for better flavour and remember these ideal snack biscuits will last in an airtight container if made correctly for weeks, this recipe I don’t use a scales just a regular teacup!  Enjoy!

 

Mixed  nut chocolate biscotti

 

1 cup of caster sugar

Fine jest of 1 orange

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1 cup plain flour

1 cup mixed nuts

1 tsp baking powder

3 eggs

 

• In a large bowl add the sugar and orange jest
• Using your finger tips rub the jest into the sugar to release the oils and fresh fragrant flavour
• Now pop ii nth cocoa powder, flour, nuts, baking powder and eggs
• Stir well until mixed but do not over mix
• Pour onto an oil tray with parchment in a piece approx 12 x 4 inchs
• Bake at 180c for 20 minutes or until just firm to the touch like a heavy sponge mix
• Remove and allow to cool
• Cut diagonally into approx 15 biscuits and place back on the tray individually
• Place back in th oven for 12-15 minutes and then remove
• Cool on a wire rack
• They will crisp up as they cool
• Store as appropriate and devour when desired

 

 

Back to school pasta bake!

 

300g pasta , cooked

450ml white sauce ( béchamel)

200g camembert

3 tbsp of chopped semidried tomatoes

200g chopped chestnut mushrooms

3-4 shallots, sliced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

2 chicken fillets, cooked and chopped

2 tbsp of parmesan grated

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp of chopped parsley

 

Topping:

125g fresh breadcrumbs

160g grated cheddar

2 tsp of chopped parsley

 

• Heat a saucepan and then add a little oil
• Cook the garlic & shallots over a medium to high heat until softened for 2-3 minutes
• Now add the mushrooms and parsley and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes
• If the pan goes dry add a little water not oil
• Add the white sauce with seasoning, chopped camembert, semidried tomatoes, chicken meat & parmesan, mix well and correct the seasoning to taste
• Mix through the pasta in a bowl and then place into a suitable sized oven dish
• Mix the topping of breadcrumbs, cheddar and parsley together and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta bake
• Place in a preheated oven at 190c for approx 20 -25 minutes until piping hot & gratinated

 

 

posted on 26th August 2010

Marinated Roast Pork fillet in Chilli and Ginger, Asian crunchy noodles, Chilli crème fraiche.

 

 

This pork recipe is also an ideal way of using up pork on a bbq, pork fillet is regularly on sale, cooks quickly and this recipe is absolutely gorgeous, Enjoy!

 

For the pork:

1 pork fillet, trimmed

3-4 thumb size slices fresh ginger

1 ½ red chillies

25g coriander leaf

30ml sunflower oil

1 tbsp of crème fraiche

2-3 tsp of honey

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

 

For the noodles:

150g freshly cooked egg noodles

50g shredded mange tout

2 tbsp of crushed toasted cashew nuts

2 tsp of toasted sesame seeds

2 shallots shredded

1 ½ red chillies shredded

2 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp of toasted sesame oil

 

For the crème fraiche:

3 tbsp of crème fraiche

2 red chillies

1 tbsp of coriander leaf

2 tsp of lime juice

Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

 

For the pork:

• Trim the pork fillet of excess sinue
• Whiz up the fresh ginger, chillies, coriander, oil, crème fraiche, honey & seasoning
• Rub this into the pork fillet, cover and leave in the fridge to marinade for at least one hour
• Heat a pan and add a little light oil to prevent it sticking
• Colour the pork until nicely browned on the pan
• Place in the oven on a tray at 190c for approx 16 -18 minutes or until cooked through
• Remove and allow to rest for 8-10 minutes covered
• Reheat in the oven for just a few minutes before carving

 

For the noodles:

• Add the oil to a saucepan with the garlic and chilli and allow to just sizzle
• Now add the shallot and mange tout and just warm up, do not cook
• Add the noodles, sesame seeds, cashew nuts and season to taste

 

For the crème fraiche:

• In a mini blender whiz up the crème fraiche, chillies, coriander and lime juice
• Season to taste and I like to serve it cold

To serve:

• Place a portion of noodles on a warm plate
• Place 3-4 slices of pork neatly on top
• Drizzle with a little chilled crème fraiche
• Garnish with some coriander leaves to serve

 

This fish pie recipe is so simple, in-fact the longest part of its preparation is boiling and mashing some potatoes , its a favourite recipe of mine due to its simplicity and fabulous flavour, if you wish top the pie with some puff or short crust pastry or even raw potatoes sliced really thinly however I find the mash to best the most successful, the seafood chowder mix is available from most supermarkets that have a fresh fish counter and also most fishmongers, its generally a mixture pre mixed and free of skin and bone of salmon, haddock , cod and smoked haddock / coley

The whole pie can be made the night before then placed in the fridge oven ready for the next day!

Its ideal as most people who don’t often cook or handle fish can be a little nervous with it at the beginning so here the ‘hard work’ of preparing the fish is already done and method is simply foolproof, Enjoy!

Phelim’s Simple Fish pie

 

2 lb seafood chowder mix

2 tubs of crème fraiche

1 heaped tsp of wholegrain mustard

Juice of half a lemon

Salt and pepper

Fresh herbs

3 dsrt spoons of cornflour

 

Mashed potato for topping

Salt and pepper

 

• In a bowl whisk the cornflour, crème fraiche, lemon juice , herbs, mustard and seasoning together
• Mix into the fish
• Place the fish in a suitable sized dish
• Mash the potatoes and season , add a little cream if there dry but not too much
• Pipe or spread the mash over the top of the fish
• Place in a preheated oven at 190c for about 40- 50  minutes or until cooked
• Enjoy!

 

 

www.phelimbyrne.ie – 053 91 84995

 

 

Home made Fresh Lemonade Punch

With Vodka and Raspberries -April 2010

1 cup caster sugar

1 cup water

Juice of 4-5 lemons

1.5 litres sparkling water

2 cups ice cubes

Vodka to taste

Fresh raspberries

 

• Make a simple syrup from the one cup of sugar and the one cup of water by boiling until it reach’s a syrup
• Allow to cool
• Add the juice of the lemons which should be around half a cup and then top up with the sparkling water
• To serve add vodka to your own taste , ice cubes and fresh raspberries to garnish

 you can adjust the bitterness / sweetness of the lemonade with lemonjuice or sugar syrup