Wild Mushroom & Spinach Lasagne By Rozanne Stevens

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Ready Time 55 mins. Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 1 box lasagne sheets
  • 500g baby spinach leaves
  • Light olive oil
  • 500g selection of wild mushrooms
  • 1 onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 200g Avonmore Grated White Cheddar
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh nutmeg

Bechamel sauce:

  • 80g butter
  • 80g plain flour
  • 1 litre Avonmore Milk
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh nutmeg

Directions

  1. Clean the mushrooms by wiping with a damp cloth and slice up. Heat the oil till very hot and fry the mushrooms in batches till golden. Set aside.
  2. Heat a little more oil and gently fry the onion, garlic and thyme till soft.
  3. Wilt down the spinach by adding a handful at a time to the hot pan and stirring it in. The heat will wilt down the leaves, just be patient.
  4. Remove the thyme twigs. Mix with the cooked mushrooms, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  5. To make the white sauce, melt the butter in a pot. Stir in the flour and cook out for a minute. Gradually add the milk and whisk to remove any lumps. Boil for 2 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
  6. Grease a lasagne dish. Pour in enough white sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Place down a pasta layer. Spoon over half the spinach and mushrooms. Repeat, finishing with a layer of pasta.
  7. Cover the top layer very well with white sauce. Sprinkle over the cheese.
  8. Bake at 200°C for 30 to 40 minutes until golden and bubbling.

http://cookwithavonmore.ie/recipe/wild-mushroom-spinach-lasagne/

Odlums chocolate biscuit cake recipe


odlums_ireland
Who doesn’t love chocolate biscuit cake? This recipe is perfect to make a few days before Christmas Day to give you more time to enjoy the festivities.✨

You will need:
275g/10 oz Butter
150ml/¼pt Golden Syrup
225g/8oz Chocolate (good quality, at least 60% cocoa)
½ x 400g packet of Digestive Biscuits, roughly crushed
½ x 400g packet of Rich Tea Biscuits, roughly crushed
1 packet of Maltesers
125g/4oz Shamrock Walnuts, Brazil Nuts and/or Almonds (optional)
Add the biscuits, Maltesers and fruit and nuts, if used. Stir well.

Method:
✔️Line a 15cms/6″ round cake tin or a 2lb loaf tin with a double layer of greaseproof paper.
✔️Melt the butter, syrup and chocolate in a pan over a low heat. Stir to make sure all the ingredients are well mixed together.
✔️Add the biscuits, Maltesers, fruit and nuts, if used. Stir well.
✔️Transfer to the prepared tin. Level it on top and press down well to avoid air gaps. ✔️Allow to cool and harden. Wrap completely in greaseproof paper and store in a fridge.

#odlums #behindeverybake #chocolatebiscuitcake #christmasbaking

Rachel Allen’s lavender sponge cake with rhubarb curd

lavender-sponge-cake-with-rhubarb-curd

A lovely lavender flavoured cake with a hint of rhubarb from Rachel’s TV series “All Things Sweet” proudly sponsored by Connacht Gold.

Ingredients

For the lavender sponge

  • 6 eggs
  • 175 g (6 oz) caster or granulated sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 150 g (5 oz) plain flour
  • 2 tsp lavender buds, finely chopped (off the stems)
  • 125 g (4½ oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

For the rhubarb curd

  • 550 g (1 lb 3 oz) rhubarb, cut in to 1cm (½in) slices (weigh when sliced and trimmed)
  • 200 g (7 oz) caster or granulated sugar
  • 75g (3 oz) butter
  • 3 eggs, whisked
  • To decorate
  • icing sugar

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4. Line the base of three 18cm (7in) cake tins and butter the sides.
  2. To make the sponge, place the eggs, the sugar and the salt in the bowl and, using an electric whisk, beat for 5–8 minutes until tripled in volume, light and fluffy. Sift in the flour and fold into the light mousse-like mixture with the lavender and the melted butter, working quickly so that too much air does not escape.
  3. Divide the cake mixture into the three tins and place in the oven. Bake for 22–25 minutes until light golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Take out of the oven and let sit in the tin for a few minutes before taking out and cooling on a wire rack.
  4. Next, make the curd. Place the rhubarb and 50g (2oz) of the sugar in a saucepan on a medium heat, stirring every so often. Cook for about 5–6 minutes until the rhubarb has softened, broken up completely and the mixture has thickened to a pulp.
  5. Pour into a sieve sitting over a bowl and push the mixture through the sieve into the bowl, making sure to scrape the underside of the sieve to get every last bit.
  6. Next, place the butter in the cleaned saucepan on a low-medium heat and allow to melt. Take off the heat just while you add in the eggs, rest of the sugar and the rhubarb purée. Put back on a low heat and stir all the time for about 2–3 minutes until thickened. Take off the heat, tip into a bowl and allow to cool.
  7. When ready to assemble, place one cake (save the cake with the best-looking top for the top) upside down on a plate or cake stand. Place half of the curd on top and spread it out (I like to allow the curd to drip slightly over the edges). Put the next cake, right side up, on top, then cover with the second half of the curd, as before. Finally, top with the third (and best-looking) cake. Dust with icing sugar and decorate with some more lavender if you’d like.

http://www.connachtgold.ie/recipes/rachel-allen-lavenderspongecake/

Roast squash, chilli and coriander soup..@ndc.ie

 

Roast-Squash-Chilli-Coriander-Soup

Chef: Annie Bell.

Yields 6 Servings

This roast vegetable soup that is full of South American pizzazz would be nowhere without its finishing flourish of soured cream. As punchy as it is simple, there is no careful stirring or frying, instead the caramelisation takes place in the oven and the flavours concentrate in the process.

 

Ingredients checklist for soup
1.5–1.6kg butternut squash, skin and seeds discarded, and cut into chunks
2 large onions, peeled, halved and sliced
4 vine tomatoes, halved
1 medium–hot red chilli (5–7cm long)
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
900 ml chicken or vegetable stock
Ingredients checklist to serve
2 tbsp soured cream
coarsely chopped coriander
pickled piri-piri or jalapeño peppers (optional)
Instructions

1.Preheat the oven to 200˚C fan/220˚C/gas mark 6. Arrange the squash, onions and
tomatoes in a couple of large roasting pans so that they fit in a crowded single layer, adding the chilli to one. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of oil over each roasting pan and season with salt. Roast for 55 minutes, stirring halfway through.

2.Remove from the oven, and if any of the onion strands are particularly dark, discard these.

3.Scrape out the inside of the chilli, discarding the seeds if possible, and liquidise the vegetables with the stock in batches in a blender. Pass through a sieve into a saucepan.

4.Gently reheat and serve with a spoon of soured cream, some chopped coriander and pickled chilli if wished.

 

HIGH IN VIT A | SOURCE OF VIT C

Energy 248 Kcal | Fat 11.2g | Sat fat 3g | Carbs 28.2g | Sugar 17.3g | Protein 4.9g | Salt 0.8g

https://ndc.ie/recipe/roast-squash-chilli-and-coriander-soup/

Apple Parsnip Soup @KerrygoldUSA

Ingredients:
  • 4 ounces Kerrygold Unsalted Butter
  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 1 leek (white part only), halved lengthwise, washed and dried, cut into ¼ inch pieces
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 large (¾-pound) Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 parsnips (about ½-pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 2-inch pieces
  • 5 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups apple juice
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • ½ cup flat leaf parsley
  • Kosher salt and freshly black pepper
Directions:

Place a large saucepan on the stove over a medium heat. Add the butter, and when melted, add shallots, leeks and garlic and using a wooden spoon to occasionally stir. Cook until leeks are tender, about 7 minutes.

Add the potato, parsnips and apples and cook until just potatoes are starting to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the broth and apple juice; reduce stove temperature to a simmer. Cover the saucepan and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the parsley and using a blender, or an immersion blender, thoroughly purée the mixture.

Return the saucepan to the stove over a medium-low heat and stir in the milk. Heat the soup, stirring occasionally, until the soup is heated through and boils. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Tasted and perfected in the Sur La Table kitchen.

APPLE PARSNIP SOUP

 

Terrine of Vanilla Ice cream with Meringue & Blackberry Sauce @BordBia

terrine-of-vanilla-ice-cream-with-merringue-and-cranberry-sauce

This dessert is really timeless – meringue and ice cream have been part of country house cuisine for hundreds of years and it would not have been out of place at the finest tables in Ireland at any time since ice houses were introduced in the 17th century

Serves Makes two small terrines, each serving four.

Ingredients

  • 6 egg whites
  • 150g (6 oz) caster sugar
  • 150g (6 oz) icing sugar, sifted

Ice Cream

  • 500ml (scant pint) milk
  • 60g (2½ oz) granulated sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 60g (2½ oz) caster sugar
  • Gelatine – 2g leaf (1 level teasp.) granulated -soaked in a little cold water

Marinated Blackberries

  • 450g (1 lb) blackberries
  • 250g (9 oz) sugar
  • 125ml (5 fl oz) water

To Cook

First make the meringues:

Preheat a very cool oven, Gas Mark ½, 125°C (250°F). Butter and flour a large baking sheet. Whisk the egg whites until stiff, add the caster sugar slowly, whisking until completely dissolved, then lightly fold in the icing sugar. Pipe the mixture into small circular shapes and bake in the low oven for about 1½ hours to dry out without colouring. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Next make ice cream:

Heat the milk with the granulated sugar and split vanilla pod (scrape seeds into the milk). When just boiling, remove from the heat, cover and leave 10 minutes to infuse. Meanwhile beat the egg yolks with the caster sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture is creamy. Bring the milk infusion back to the boil, add to the yolk mixture, keep whisking and return to the rinsed saucepan. Cook over medium heat, whisking all the time, to thicken a little – be very careful not to overcook – then strain through a very fine sieve. Whisk softened gelatine into the mixture and allow to cool, whisking occasionally. When cold, churn the mixture in an ice cream maker until thick.

To marinate the blackberries:

Sort through the blackberries, removing any stems; wash and drain. Put sugar and water into a pan and heat to dissolve, then bring up to the boil. Allow to cool, then add the blackberries.

To assemble the terrine:

Line two small loaf tins, 18cm x 6.5cm (7″ x 2½”) with overlapping clingfilm. Break up the meringues and fill the bottom of each tin, add ice cream, then some of the marinated blackberries. Cover with another layer of ice cream, close with overlapping clingfilm and freeze.

Serving Suggestions

Liquidise the marinated blackberries and strain to make a sauce. Pour a little onto large dinner plates, slice the ice cream terrine and lay on top of the blackberry sauce.

http://www.bordbia.ie/consumer/recipes/fruit/pages/terrineoficecream.aspx

Pecan and Salted Caramel Butter Cookies

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Recipe by Sharon Hearne-Smith

Ingredients

  • 225g Avonmore Unsalted Butter, softened
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 300g plain flour
  • 125g cornflour
  • 100g pecans, finely chopped
  • 1tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2tbsp whole milk
  • 150g Avonmore Salted Butter, softened
  • 200g icing sugar
  • 100g caramel (from a can or jar)
  • 1/4 tsp roughlycrushed sea salt flakes
  • 1tsp vanilla extract

Directions

The melt in the mouth, buttery cookies can be enjoyed as they are. However, when combined with the sweet but salty caramel buttercream filling, there will be no going back for you!

Enjoy these as an afternoon treat with a tea or coffee, include them on a party table or make for a school bake sale

First, to make the cookie dough, beat the butter and icing sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add the flour, cornflour, pecans, cinnamon and milk and beat until well blended to give a smooth dough.

Divide the dough in half and roll each piece into a 25cm sausage shape. Wrap each one in a piece of parchment paper, twisting the ends to secure. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm. This can be made up to a few days in advance or longer if frozen.

Meanwhile make the salted caramel filling. Beat the butter and sugar in an electric mixer or processor until smooth. Add the caramel, salt and vanilla and beat until well combined. Spoon into a piping bag which has been snipped to a 1-2cm opening and refrigerate until needed.

When ready to cook the cookies, preheat the oven to 160C (fan 140C), 325F, Gas Mark 3.  Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper. Unroll the cookie logs, trim the ends and cut each one into 24 x 1cm wide slices, arranging them spaced apart on the tray as you go. Bake for 20 minutes until just firm to the touch and just beginning to catch colour.

Remove and leave to cool on a wire rack, arranging half of them underside up. Once cool, pipe about a tablespoon of the filling into the centre of each of the upturned cookies. Top each one with another cookie, pretty side up, pressing it down gently to allow the filling to ooze to the edge. If the filling is quite soft them pop them into the fridge for about 20-30 minutes until firm.

These will last for about 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

 

TIPS

Use walnuts, almonds or roasted hazelnuts instead of the pecans if preferred.

Try out different cookie flavours by replacing the cinnamon and pecans with dried cranberry and white chocolate chip or lemon zest and poppy seeds. In which case replace the caramel sauce in the filling with melted and cooled white chocolate or lemon curd respectively.

Make minature versions by simply rolling the dough into longer and thinner rolls.

If you only need 12 cookies at a time, then freeze one dough roll and make half of the filling with each bake.

    
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http://cookwithavonmore.ie/recipe/pecan-salted-caramel-butter-cookies/