Category: Food

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






Food on RTÉ

@RTEfood
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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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Flahavan’s Cinnamon & Almond Porridge


Flahavans
1 h  ·

Brrrr… It’s cold out there! Warm up with this Cinnamon & Almond Porridge and take an extra couple of minutes this morning to enjoy a comforting bowl of creamy oaty goodness. Add texture with the chopped almonds and a touch of sweetness with the honey and cinnamon. What more could you ask for?
Serves 6 |Takes 25 minutes
Ingredients:
30g Flahavan’s Oats
150mls whole milk
1⁄2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. chopped almonds
1⁄2 tsp. honey
Method:
Stir 30g of Flahavan’s Porridge Oats into 150mls of milk.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes stirring continuously.
Top with chopped almonds, honey and cinnamon.
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Neven Maguire’s Pan-fried Hake with Lemon and Herb Butter Sauce @BordBia @macneanhouse

pan-fried-hake-with-lemon-and-herb-butter-sauce2

 Of course this recipe is great with just parsley but experiment with a combination of soft fragrant herbs sauce as parsley, chives, tarragon or chervil depending on what’s available.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 4 x 175g hake fillets, skin on and boned
  • 1 tablesp. olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 50g butter
  • ½ lemon, pips removed
  • 1 tablesp. chopped mixed herbs (parsley, chives and tarragon)

To Cook

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and add the seasoned hake fillets, skin side down. Cook for a couple of minutes until the skin is just beginning to crisp, then add little knobs of butter to the pan around each hake fillet and cook for another couple of minutes until the skin is crisp.

Turn the hake fillets over and cook for another 3-4 minutes until cooked through. This will depend on the thickness of the fillets. Transfer to warmed plates while you make the sauce.

Add the rest of the butter to the frying pan and allow it to gently melt over a moderate heat. When it has melted, add a squeeze of lemon juice and the herbs, swirling to combine. Season to taste. Spoon this sauce over the hake fillets and serve with steamed broccoli and some sautéed new potatoes.

Serving Suggestions

Steamed broccoli and sauté new potatoes

Tips

Above all be careful not to overcook the fish.  To check, gently prod the thickest part of the fish with a small knife.  If it is cooked, the flesh will look opaque and the flakes will separate easily.  If it isn’t done yet, it will still have the translucent look for raw fish.

Other fish you could use: Whiting, haddock or trout fillets

Nutritional Analysis per Serving

Protein: 39g 

Carbohydrates: 52g 

Fat: 26g 

Iron: 2.4mg 

Energy: 644kcal