Tag: recipes

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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/

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Spring lamb chops with salsa verde @rachelallencooks

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rachelallencooks
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Here’s a really quick and easy recipe for Spring lamb chops with mint salsa verde, just delicious at this time of the year.
Serves 4-6

For the mint salsa verde:
Makes 150ml

1 handful of parsley leaves
1 handful of mint leaves
grated zest and juice of 1 small lemon
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp capers, rinsed
50ml extra virgin olive oil
black pepper

lamb chops (2-3 per person)
1 – 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

First make the salsa verde, put the mint, parsley, lemon zest, garlic and capers into a food processor and whiz until it’s all finely chopped. Add the lemon juice and olive oil (add more oil if you want it a bit more runny). Check the seasoning – it might not need salt, as the capers can be quite salty.

Next cook the lamb chops, remove excess fat from the chops, but leave about ½ cm still on. Drizzle with olive oil and season with pepper. Place a frying pan or grill pan on a high heat. When it’s good and hot add the lamb chops and sprinkle with a little salt and more pepper. Cook for approximately 3 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate, cover and leave to rest in a warm oven for 5 minutes.
Serve with a good drizzling of the salsa verde.
#mint #salsaverde #springlamb
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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
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This grilled pineapple recipe is not only simple and refreshing, it’s downright delicious.

You don’t have to be a pastry wizard or a cookie connoisseur to wow your friends and family with a special dessert. In fact, you don’t even have to spend much time in the kitchen!
Our Grilled Pineapple with Lime and Mint, as sophisticated as it sounds, is incredibly simple to make. If you’ve never tried grilled pineapple, you’re in for a real treat. Top it with some fresh raspberries, lime zest and mint.
Notice what this dessert is missing: added sugar, white flour and other typical-dessert ingredients. We promise, you won’t miss them a bit.
Ingredients:
4 round slices fresh pineapple (½-inch thick)
20 fresh raspberries
Finely grated zest of 2 limes
16 leaves fresh mint, chopped
Directions: 
Heat the grill to medium-high. Grill the pineapple 3 to 5 minutes per side, until grill marks form.
Dividing evenly top each pineapple slice with raspberries, lime zest and mint.
Nutrition information:
Makes 4 servings
Per serving: 
34 calories
0 g total fat
0 g saturated fat
0 g protein
32.4 g carbohydrate
2 g dietary fiber
6 g sugar
0 g added sugar
0 mg cholesterol
1 mg sodium
Source: Developed by Sara Quessenberry for Cleveland Clinic Wellness