Nutrition key to sound health
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.
Ice Cream
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
Recipe by Sharon Hearne-Smith
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.
http://cookwithavonmore.ie/recipe/pecan-salted-caramel-butter-cookies/
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
Foodaware 