Category: Food

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Rory O’Connell’s Tuscan Apple, Lemon & Almond Cake






Food on RTÉ

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Crisp on top and full of plump, juicy apples, this Tuscan tart is simply delicious.

By Rory O’Connell

Celebrity Chef

I am never quite sure if I should be calling this a cake or a tart but in any event, it is delicious and quite easy to make.

Ingredients

I am never quite sure if I should be calling this a cake or a tart but in any event, it is delicious and quite easy to make.

The origins of the recipe are from Tuscany in Italy but I like to use highly perfumed Irish dessert apples when in season. Look out for some lesser known but very delicious Irish dessert apples such as Irish Peach and Ardcairn Russet. 
 
Serves 8 
 

  • 10g butter melted for greasing the parchment paper 
  • 4 dessert apples 
  • Finely grated zest of 2 lemons 
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 250g caster sugar 
  • 2 eggs 
  • 150ml cream 
  • 110g butter melted and cooled 
  • 125g whole almonds, blanched, peeled and ground to a fine powder in a food processer or ground almonds 
  • 110g plain flour sieved 
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder sieved 
  •  100g of apricot jam 
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice, warmed and sieved 
  •  2 tablespoons of chopped sweet geranium leaves ( optional) 

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180c / 350 f / gas 4 
  2. Line a 28cm flan ring with a removable base with a disc of parchment paper. The paper should in one piece cover the base and sides of the tin and come up 1cm above the edge of the tin. Brush the paper with a little melted butter.
  3. Peel, core and quarter the apples and slice into c 3mm slices. Mix with the lemon zest. Whisk the vanilla, sugar, and eggs to a thick and light consistency similar to a batter. Whisk in the cream and cooled melted butter. Fold in the almonds, flour and baking powder. Add ¾ of the sliced apples, being careful not to break the apple slices.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared flan ring and gently smooth over the surface. Scatter the remaining apples over the surface and sprinkle with 1 dessertspoon of caster sugar.
  5. Place in the preheated oven and cook for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160c etc and cook for a further 40 minutes by which time the tart will feel gently set. It may be necessary to cover the tart during the cooking with a sheet of parchment paper if the tart is getting too dark.
  6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. While the tart is still warm, Paint the surfaced with the warm sieved apricot jam to achieve a glossy glaze and if using the chopped geranium, sprinkle on immediately after glazing the tart. 
  7.  Serve warm with softly whipped cream. 
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Cashel Blue Mini-Cheesecakes with a Pecan-Pepper Crust @KerrygoldUSA #farmhousecheese

mini-cheesecake

Ingredients:
  • Ingredients for crust
  • ¾ cup dry breadcrumbs
  • ½ cup pecan pieces
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons Kerrygold Unsalted Butter, melted
  • Large pinch salt
  • Filling Ingredients
  • 12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoon heavy cream
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup Kerrygold Cashel Blue Farmhouse Cheese, crumbled
Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 ° Fahrenheit

For Crust:

Place breadcrumbs, pecans, pepper and salt in food processor

Pulse until pecans are finely ground

Add butter and pulse a few times until mix begins to come together

Line mini cupcake tins with paper liners

Fill each cup with a teaspoon of crust mix

Press down hard with fingertips or water bottle cap to make a firm, flat layer

Chill tins and make the filling

For Filling:

Using a stand or a hand mixture, beat cream cheese and cream together until smooth  Note: Cream cheese must be room temperature or mixture will be lumpy

Add egg, beat until fully incorporated, add second egg, beating until fully incorporated

Once mixture is smooth, fold in crumbled Cashel Blue Farmhouse Cheese

Fill cups evenly with cheesecake batter, to about three-fourths full

Bake for 18-20 minutes