Tag: Co Cork

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






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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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Gillian Hegarty’s Home-made Pasta by Rachel Allen

 wild-garlic-pasta_0

Makes approx. ¾lb (350g) fresh pasta, feeds approximately 3-4.

You will need:

300g (10oz) ’00’ flour

25g (1oz) semolina flour and extra for dusting

A good pinch of salt

1 whole egg and 3 large egg yolks

1 dessertspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon cold water

Sift the ’00’ flour, 25g (1oz) of the semolina flour and the pinch of salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour, break in one whole egg and two egg yolks into the centre, together with the extra-virgin olive oil and the cold water and mix everything together.

When the dough is at a crumbly stage (before you form it into a ball) check to see if there is enough moisture in it. If there is not, add the remaining egg yolk and maybe even an extra egg white. It is difficult to be exact with the quantity of liquid, as it depends on the size of the eggs and the brand of flour.

Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until it is really smooth and silky, see my Tip, above left. Wrap it well in cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes before rolling. Divide the dough into three pieces – keep two covered in cling film while you roll the other piece into a length that is 1-2mm (about 1/8in) thick. As a guide, you shouldn’t be able to read the lettering on a matchbox through the pasta. If the pasta is rolled too thinly it will be too sloppy and won’t be strong enough to hold the sauce.

Using a knife or pizza wheel, cut into ¼in (5mm) strips for noodles or tagliatelle. Pappardelle are the widest of the noodles, they should be cut to a width of 15mm (about »in) with a crimped-edge cutter. Toss the cut pasta in the extra semolina flour and then place them on a tray that is also sprinkled generously with semolina flour. Repeat with the remaining pasta dough.

The pasta is best if the strips are allowed to dry out for at least an hour in the fridge or cool place.

It can be kept for up to three days in the fridge.

http://www.rachelallen.com/post/gillian-hegartys-home-made-pasta

 

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Darina Allen’s Sea Spinach Soup

 

darina allen sea spinach soup

Sea Spinach Soup

Sea spinach is at its sweetest and most delicious at present…. I absolutely love it and really want you to know about it so if you live near a rocky strand, look out for it – the shiny green leaves are unmistakable. It is, in fact, the ancestor to most cultivated varieties of beet, from beetroot to spinach beet. It can be cooked exactly like garden spinach and used in the same way, for example, try serving it in Middle Eastern style with raisins and pine kernels and a touch of cinnamon. Not surprisingly, because sea spinach is washed by the tides, it is full of iodine, minerals and other trace elements and it has an addictive salty tang. Sea spinach is tougher and slightly stronger in flavour than garden spinach, so it takes a little longer to cook.

The trick with these green soups is not to add the greens until the last minute, otherwise they will overcook and the soup will lose its fresh taste and bright green colour.

50g (2oz/1/2 stick) butter

110g (4oz/1 cup) onion, chopped

150g (5oz/1 cup) potatoes, chopped

600ml (1 pint/2 1/2 cups) homemade chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

425-600ml (3/4-1 pint/2 – 2 1/2 cups) creamy milk (1/4 cream and 3/4 milk)

salt and freshly ground pepper

225-350g (8-12oz/3 cups) sea spinach, destalked and chopped

Freshly ground nutmeg

‍

Garnish

2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) whipped cream (optional

Freshly chopped parsley

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. When it foams add the onions and potatoes and turn them until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Add the boiling stock and milk, bring back to the boil and simmer until the potatoes and onions are fully cooked. Add the sea spinach and boil with the lid off for about 3-5 minutes, until the sea spinach is tender. Do not overcook or the soup will lose its fresh green colour.

Liquidise and taste and add some freshly grated nutmeg.  Serve in warm bowls garnished with a blob of whipped cream and some chopped parsley

Ballymaloe Cookery
@BallymaloeCS