Category: Baking

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Chocolate Hazelnut Eclairs

Chocolate_Eclairs-5_hi_res

Ingredients:

  • For the choux pastry:
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • ½ cup of water
  • ¾ cup of plain flour, sifted
  • 3 large free range eggs
  • For the crème patisserie:
  • 6 large free range egg yolks
  • ⅔ cup of sugar
  • ⅓ cup of cornflour
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 vanilla pod
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • For the chocolate glaze:
  • ⅔ cup of good quality dark chocolate
  • ¼ cup of cream
  • ½ stick of Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • ½ cup of roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425˚F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the butter and water in a saucepan and bring to a steady boil until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and add the flour, beating with a wooden spoon until a dough comes together. Place back over the heat and beat the dough in the saucepan for about 40 seconds. Remove from the heat and set aside.
  2. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the eggs little at a time, beat thoroughly with a wooden spoon until the egg is completely incorporated after each addition. You are looking to have a consistency that will hold its shape when piped. It should be smooth, shiny and just about fall from the spoon. You might not use all the egg.
  3. Using a spatula, scoop the dough into a large piping bag fitted with a large round piping nozzle and pipe 10cm lines on the lined baking sheets, leaving about 4cm in between each line to allow for spreading. Brush each one with a little leftover beaten egg.
  4. Place in the oven, reducing the heat to 375˚F for approximately 25 minutes until they have risen and are golden and crisp. Transfer to a wire rack and use a sharp pointed knife to pierce three holes on the underside of the buns. Allow to cool completely before filling.
  5. For the crème pâtissière, split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds. Add this to a medium saucepan with the milk and place over a medium high heat. Bring to the boil and then turn off the heat. Scoop out the vanilla pod.
  6. While the milk is coming to the boil, place the sugar, cornflour and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until thick and pale.
  7. Pour the hot milk into the bowl, whisking quickly and continuously until it is smooth and incorporated. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and place over a medium heat beating continuously until it has thickened.
  8. Transfer the crème pâtissière to a cold bowl, create a flat surface with the back of a spatula and wipe the top with little butter (this will prevent a skin forming). Cover directly with cling film and allow to cool completely.
  • 9   For the chocolate glaze, melt the dark chocolate in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot water. When the chocolate has melted remove the bowl from the heat and gently stir through the cream. Fold in the butter until you have a shiny, spreadable chocolate glaze.
  • 10  To assemble the eclairs, fill a piping bag, fitted with a small round nozzle, with the crème pâtissière and pipe into the holes on the underside of the choux buns. Spread the chocolate glaze over the top of each eclair and sprinkle with the roasted hazelnuts. Serve straight away or the eclairs will keep for 1 or 2 days in the fridge.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT ECLAIRS

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Apricot and Almond Cake with Oranges & Caramel

apricot-and-almond-cake-with-oranges-in-caramel

Ingredients

  • 225g butter
  • 225g sugar
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 75g ground almonds
  • 100g plain flour
  • 100g dried apricots, chopped in the food processor
  • 3 Quality Assured large eggs, beaten

Oranges in caramel

  • 4 large oranges, peeled and sliced
  • 4 tablesp. sugar
  • 125ml water

To Cook

Set oven 180°C (350°F) Gas Mark 4.

Line a shallow 23cm cake tin with baking parchment.

Beat the butter and sugar together, until light and fluffy, add the lemon juice and ground almonds. Fold in the flour, apricots and eggs. Transfer the mixture to the lined cake tin, smooth the top and bake for approx. 35 mins., until firm to the touch.

 

Oranges in Caramel

Place the oranges in a flat dish, heat the sugar in a heavy pan, allow the sugar to brown add the water and boil until you have a caramel sauce. Pour it over the oranges. Serve with the cake.

 http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/recipes/desserts/pages/apricotandalmondcakewithorangescarmel.aspx
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Fresh Berry Pie Bars

Fresh_Berry_Pie_Bars__2_of_3_

Ingredients:

  • Crust & Topping:
  • • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • • 3/4 cup sugar
  • • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • • 6 ounces cold Kerrygold Unsalted Butter (cubed)
  • Filling:
  • • 2 cups fresh blueberries
  • • 2 cups fresh raspberries
  • • 2 eggs
  • • 2/3 cup sugar
  • • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • • ½ teaspoon salt
  • • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • • juice and zest of ½ lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Add flour, sugar, salt & cubed butter to bowl of a food processor and pulse until combined. Mixture will be very crumbly. Take 1 cup of mixture and set aside. Press remaining mixture into the bottom of your prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes.

While crust is baking, whisk eggs in a large bowl. Add in sugar, sour cream, flour, salt, lemon juice and zest. Whisk to combine. Gently fold in berries.

Remove crust from oven and spoon berry filling over hot crust. Sprinkle top of berry filling with reserved crust mixture. Bake for another 45 minutes -1 hour or until top is lightly browned.

Cool completely and refrigerate for 2 hours before serving. Cut into squares and serve.

FRESH BERRY PIE BARS

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Fresh Fruit Cookies

odl fruit cookies apr 16

Ingredients

300g/10oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour

150g/5oz Butter (room temperature)

150g/5oz Caster Sugar

1 Medium Egg (beaten)

Few Drops Vanilla Essence

 

Topping

250ml Carton Fresh Cream (whipped)

Fresh Fruit in Season

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Lightly grease large flat baking trays.
  2. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and creamy. Add the eggs and vanilla essence and mix well.
  3. Gradually add the flour and mix until dough is formed. Wrap and chill for an hour.
  4. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 3 – 4mm.Cut with large round cutters of choice. Dip the cutters into flour before each use.
  5. Arrange them on prepared tins/trays and bake in a central oven position for about 12 minutes or until firm and golden brown. Leave to cool for 10 minutes then transfer to wire tray to cool.
  6. When cold decorate with a layer of fresh cream and fruit of your choice!

Fresh Fruit Cookies

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Rustic Raspberry Tart with Kerrygold Butter Crust

Rustic_Raspberry_Thursday

Sweetened fresh raspberries make a wonderful filling, but the star of this dessert is the buttery, flaky crust baked with all-natural Kerrygold Butter. It holds the fruit and creates a delicate tart that begs to be placed next to a scoop of vanilla ice cream and enjoyed with loved ones after a delicious meal.

Ingredients:

  • Crust:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons cold Kerrygold Unsalted Butter, cut in ½-inch chunks
  • 1 large egg yolk (reserve white)
  • 3 to 5 teaspoons ice water
  • Filling:
  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Directions:

To make crust: Heat oven to 425° F. In food processor, whirl together flour and salt. Add butter to processor, pulsing just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk and water, 1 teaspoon at a time; process just until dough clumps together and begins to form a ball.

Set 2 pieces (each about 12-by-15 inches) plastic wrap on work surface. Lightly dust each with flour. Gather dough and press into a flat disk about 6 inches wide. Set disk in center of 1 piece of wrap. Set remaining plastic wrap, floured-side down on dough. With rolling pin, roll dough evenly into about an 11- to 12-inch round; occasionally turn round over, lift wrinkled plastic wrap, pull smooth and replace; continue rolling as needed.

To fill tart: Peel off top sheet of wrap and invert onto 2 X 15-inch baking sheet lined with cooking parchment. Remove remaining plastic wrap, Distribute berries in center of pastry, leaving about a 2-inch border. In small bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle 3 tablespoons mixture evenly over fruit. Gently fold edges of pastry over berries, pleating edges to fit; leave an opening of 4 to 6 inches wide in center. Brush pastry with reserved egg white from crust. Sprinkle pastry lightly with remaining sugar mixture.

Bake tart on the bottom rack of the 425° F oven until crust is golden on bottom and juices bubble, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool on pan at least 15 minutes. While still warm, with wide spatula loosen tart from pan especially where juices have leaked out. Transfer to serving platter and serve warm or cool. Cut in wedges. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired.

http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/rustic-raspberry-tart-with-kerrygold-butter-crust

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Kerrygold Irish Stove-Top Potatoes with Aged Cheddar

Irish_Stove-Top_Potatoes_with_Kerrygold_Aged_Cheddar_Cheese

Serves:  4

This is a variation on the traditional way of cooking potatoes in a cast-iron frying pan over an open fire. Choose firm-fleshed potatoes for this recipe such as Roosters or Maris Piper as they will keep their shape during cooking and don’t break up. Of course this recipe could also be baked in the oven if you’d prefer. They’re delicious on their own with just a salad or try serving simply with grilled fish or a steak.

Ingredients:

  • 1½lb potatoes
  • 2 tbsp (1oz) Kerrygold Salted Butter
  • 2 onions, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup (4oz) Kerrygold Aged Cheddar, grated
  • salt and freshly ground white pepper

Directions:

Peel the potatoes and slice thinly on a mandoline or with a very sharp knife.

Heat the butter in a heavy-based frying pan that is about 8in (20cm) in diameter and about 2in (5cm) deep. Remove from the heat and cover the bottom with a layer of the potatoes.

Add a layer of onions over the potatoes and another of grated cheese, seasoning generously as you go. Continue these layers, finishing with a layer of potatoes and a sprinkling of cheese.

Cover tightly with tin foil and cook over a very low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour until potatoes on top are just cooked through when pierced with a sharp knife.

Preheat the grill. Uncover the stoved potatoes and place straight under the grill to cook for 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Serve cut into slices, straight from the pan.

http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/irish-stove-top-potatoes-with-aged-cheddar

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St Patrick’s Potatoes

st-patricks-potatoes

 These are very rich so a little go a long way. And the trick to this dish is to cook them very slowly, so that the cream doesn’t curdle.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

  • 1kg medium-sized potatoes
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 100g well-flavoured farmhouse cheese
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 300ml milk
  • 300ml double cream

To Cook

Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 1, 140ºC (275ºF).  Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Overlap one-third of the slices over the base of a buttered 2.¼ litre shallow ovenproof dish and sprinkle with half the chopped garlic, one-third of the grated cheese and some salt and pepper. Repeat the layers once more, then finish with a final layer of neatly overlapped potatoes.

Warm the milk and cream together in a pan with a little more seasoning to taste. Pour over the potatoes and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake for approximately 1½ hours until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. Cover very loosely with a sheet of foil part-way through cooking after the top has become nicely golden.

http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/recipes/stpatricksday/pages/stpatrickspotatoes.aspx

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Raspberry, Almond & White Chocolate Tart

raspberry_almond_tart_6-266x266

Ingredients

  • 100g (4oz) Avonmore butter, at room temperature
  • 100g (4oz) icing sugar
  • 25g (1oz) plain flour
  • 100g (4oz) ground almonds
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
  • • large pinch ground cinnamon
  • • 300g Raspberries
  • • 2 oz White Chocolate Pieces
  • • 1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds

For the pastry:

  • 100g (4oz) butter, diced and chilled
  • 175g (6oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • pinch of salt
  • 50g (2oz) caster sugar
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 tbsp Water

To serve:

  • Raspberries
  • 250ml Avonmore Fresh Dessert Cream

Directions

  1. To make the pastry, place the butter, flour, salt and sugar in a kitchen mixer and blend briefly until mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
  2. Add the egg yolk and water and mix together again briefly until the soft dough has formed. Cover in clingfilm and chill for 1 hour.
  3. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F), Gas mark 5. To make the almond filling, using electric whisk, cream the butter and icing sugar together in a large bowl. Add the flour and almonds and gradually beat in the eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon. Beat for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Fold in the white chocolate pieces.
  4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface, line a 23cm (9in) fluted loose-bottomed flan tin with the pastry. Chill again for 15 minutes. Spread the almond filling in the pastry base and carefully arrange the raspberries on top, gently pressing them into the filling.
  5. Bake the tart for 25-30 minutes until the tart is cooked through and golden brown on top.
  6. Garnish with raspberries and serve with Avonmore Fresh Dessert Cream, which is already slightly sweetened & ready to pour

http://cookwithavonmore.ie/recipe/raspberry-almond-white-chocolate-tart/

 

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Flahavan’s Cranberry and Oat Bran Muffins

fla oat muff fb jan 16

Ingredients
  • 225g (8oz) plain flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 150g (5oz) caster sugar
  • 75g (3oz) Flahavan’s Oat Bran
  • 100g (4oz) cranberries
  • 25g (1oz) icing sugar
  • sifted Zest of an orange
  • 1 egg
  • Beaten 300ml (½ pint)of Milk
  • 50g (2oz) melted butter or sunflower oil
Method:
  1. Sift the flour into a bowl with the baking powder. Add the sugar and the oat bran and mix. Toss the cranberries into the icing sugar. Add to the bowl with orange zest and stir to mix.
  2. Place the egg, milk and melted butter or sunflower oil into another bowl and beat lightly. Stir into the dry ingredients. Just do this casually – there is no need to over mix.
  3. Line a muffin tin with baking cases. Spoon the mixture into the lined muffin tin.
  4. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 200°C /400°F / Gas Mark 6 for around 15 minutes – or until risen and golden.
Serve warm or cold. Quick Tip Oat Bran is also great as a coating for fish before frying.
 http://www.flahavans.ie/recipes/cranberry-and-oat-bran-muffins/40