Darina Allen’s Carrot and Mint Soup

Carrot-Mint-Soup-(Carrot-Lovage-Soup)-(Carrot,-Chive

Carrot and Mint Soup

Most people will have carrots, onions and potatoes in their pantry – I’m using the first little shoots of fresh mint to flavour my batch of carrot soup today.

 

This soup may be served either hot or cold, don’t hesitate to put in a good pinch of sugar, it brings up the flavour.

560g(1 1/4lb/3 cups) carrots, preferably organic, chopped

45g(1 1/2oz/scant 1/2 stick) butter

110g(4oz) onion, chopped

150g(5oz) potatoes, chopped

salt,freshly ground pepper and sugar

sprig of spearmint

1.2litres (2 pints/5 cups) homemade light chicken or vegetable stock

62ml(2 1/2fl oz/generous 1/4 cup) creamy milk, (optional)

3 teaspoons freshly chopped spearmint

Garnish

a little lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche

sprigs of spearmint

Melt the butter and when it foams add the chopped vegetables, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sugar. Add a sprig of mint, cover with a butter paper (to retain the steam) and a tight fitting lid.Leave to sweat gently on a low heat for about 10 minutes approx.Remove the lid, add the boiling stock and cook until the vegetables are soft. Pour into the liquidiser, add 3 teaspoons of freshly chopped mint and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Adda little creamy milk if necessary.

Garnish with a swirl of lightly whipped cream or crème frâiche and a sprig of fresh mint.

Variation

Carrot and Lovage Soup

Substitute lovage for mint in the above recipe.

Carrot,Garlic Chive Flowers and Seeds

Add finely chopped garlic chives instead of mint in the master recipe. Garnish with a swirl of lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche,garlic chive flowers and seeds.  Society garlic flowers are also great.

.@nevenmaguire Rustic Pear and Hazelnut Tarts @BordBia

These tarts are absolutely perfect for a relaxed Sunday lunch. They can be made in the morning and left covered with cling film in the fridge. Pop them into the oven before sitting down to the main course and they will be in about half an hour.

Serves 4

Cooking time:

Preparation time:

Ingredients

  • 5 firm ripe pears
  • Juice of ½ lemon
  • 1 tbsp plain flour
  • 1 heaped tbsp light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 50g skinned hazelnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten, to glaze
  • Icing sugar, to dust
  • Crème fraîche, to serve
  • Honey, to serve

For the Pastry

  • 225g (8oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
  • pinch of fine salt
  • 150g (5oz) butter, chilled and diced
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten

To Cook

To make the pastry, place the flour in a large bowl with the salt and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, then bring the pastry together with the egg (it may also need 1 tablespoon of cold water if it’s a little dry). Wrap the pastry in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes (or overnight is fine).

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas mark 4). Line 2 large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.

Peel, core and slice the pears and put them in a bowl. Toss them in the lemon juice, then toss with the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.

On a lightly floured board, cut the pastry into 4 even-sized pieces. Roll each piece of pastry out to a rough circle about 15cm (6in) in diameter and no more than 5mm (¼in) thick. Carefully transfer to the lined baking sheets. Arrange the pears in the middle of each one and scatter the hazelnuts on top, leaving a 2.5cm (1in) border. Using the sides of the baking paper to help lift the pastry, fold the sides up and over the pears. Brush with the beaten egg and bake for 30–40 minutes, until the tarts are cooked through and golden.

Serving Suggestions

Dust with icing sugar and arrange on plates. Add dollops of crème fraîche and a drizzle of honey to each one to serve.

 

Flahavan’s creamy oats topped with banana, berries & natural honey☘️❤️


Flahavans
4 h  ·

Like many across the country and further afield, we’re celebrating our Irishness this week and what could be more Irish than a creamy bowl of our home-grown and locally-sourced oats? ☘️ Start your week off on the right foot and fuel up with a delicious breakfast of warm oats topped with banana, honey and delicious berries! Let us know in the comments below how you’re enjoying your oats today and check out our stories for the recipe! #FlahavansOats #IrelandsOatExperts

Flahavan’s Oaty White Chocolate Cheesecake Tart☘️

This dessert is oat of this world!

Serves 10|Takes 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

For the base
1 & 2/3 cups of Flahavan’s Rolled Oats
1 cup of toasted hazelnuts
1/2 cup of butter, plus extra for greasing the tin
1/3 cup of soft brown sugar
1 tbsp honey

For the cheesecake topping
1 & 1/3 cups of good quality white chocolate, broken into pieces
1 & 1/4 cups of sour cream
1 cup of cream cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice

To decorate
2 tbsp Flahavan’s Rolled Oats
2 tbsp hazelnuts, roughly halved
3 tbsp soft brown sugar
½ tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup of berries of your choice – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, redcurrants or blackberries
1 ripe fig
A few thinly sliced grapes

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 320°F. Grease a 9-inch, round, straight sided tart tin with removable base and line the base with a circle of baking parchment.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter, honey and sugar for the cheesecake base over a low heat stirring until combined. Leave to cool a little.

Meanwhile, place the hazelnuts in a food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Mix the Flahavan’s Oats with the hazelnuts and stir in the melted butter mixture until fully combined. Press the mixture into the prepared tin using the back of a spoon and push evenly up the sides to form the crust.

Place the cheesecake base in the oven for 15 mins. Once baked, remove from the oven and smooth over the mixture again with the back of a spoon pushing the mixture up the sides again if it has slipped down.
Place the tin in the fridge to cool completely (this should take around 30 minutes).

When the base is cool, make the cheesecake filling by melting the chocolate in a heat proof bowl set over a pan of hot water (making sure the base of the pan does not sit in the water). Once melted, leave to cool for 10 minutes – the chocolate should be liquid but not too hot.

In a mixing bowl whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and cream cheese until fully combined. Next, add in the melted chocolate and whisk.

Pour the filling over the cooled base and, using a small spatula, spread it into a smooth, even layer. Place the cheesecake in the fridge for around 6 hours, until completely set.

To decorate, start by toasting the remaining Flahavan’s Oats and hazelnuts in a small frying pan over a medium heat, moving them around the pan for approximately 3 minutes, until completely toasted and golden brown. Stir in the sugar and lemon juice, and cook for around 1 minute until fully melted and combined. Tip onto a plate and leave to cool.
Remove the tart from the tin by gently heating the edges to release it – you can do this with a cloth soaked in a little hot water – and slide the tart onto a serving plate. Gather together the berries, figs and toasted Oats and arrange as you please. Slice into wedges to serve, and enjoy

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http://www.flahavans.com