Neven Maguire’s Ham, Cheese and Egg Crêpes with Griddled Asparagus – perfect tea for lots of hungry children

Neven Maguire's Ham, Cheese and Egg Crêpes with Griddled Asparagus
Neven Maguire’s Ham, Cheese and Egg Crêpes with Griddled Asparagus
This is a perfect tea for lots of hungry children, but it would also be a good weekend late breakfast, depending on your mood. It’s the classic way that many crêpe stallholders cook crêpes to order late at night around the major tourist attractions in Paris. They are always very popular, often with long queues, and once you’ve tasted them it’s easy to understand why.

Ingredients

  • 24 asparagus spears
  • 8 eggs
  • 450 g swiss cheese, such as gruyère or emmental (thinly sliced)
  • 8 slices of cooked ham
  • 1 tblsp olive oil
  • Crêpes:
  • 100 g plain flour
  • 1 egg
  • 300 ml milk
  • sunflower oil (for frying)
  • sea salt
  • black pepper (freshly ground)

Method

  1. Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg and whisk well with a balloon whisk.
  2. Gradually beat in the milk, drawing in the flour from the sides to make a smooth batter. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, trim the asparagus spears and blanch in a pan of boiling water for 1–2 minutes, until almost tender but still with a slight bite.
  4. Drain and refresh under cold running water to prevent them from cooking any further and set aside until needed.
  5. Heat a little oil in an 18cm (7in) heavy-based pancake or frying pan. Pour in just enough batter to thinly coat the base of the pan.
  6. Cook over a moderately high heat for about 1 minute, until golden brown. Turn or toss the crêpe and break in an egg, then gently whisk to spread it evenly all over the crêpe.
  7. Season to taste.

https://www.rte.ie/lifestyle/recipes

Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell’s Christmas Mincemeat recipe passed down in Myrtle Allen’s family for generations #Ballymaloe

Here are three delicious options, the first is the classic Mincemeat recipe passed down in Myrtle Allen’s family for several generations. Of course, it contains suet so it’s moist and juicy and best eaten hot. The second, Emer Fitzgerald’s Mincemeat is vegetarian, it doesn’t include suet or butter and is also gluten free. The third, Brandy Mincemeat, does not include suet either, but does have butter.

Ingredients

  • 2 cooking apples, e.g. Bramley Seedling
  • 2 organic lemons
  • 450g (1lb) beef suet (see P.00)
  • pinch of salt
  • 110g (4oz) candied citrus peel (preferably homemade)
  • 2 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade
  • 225g (8oz) currants
  • 450g (1lb) sultanas
  • 900g (2lbs) Barbados sugar (moist, soft, dark-brown)
  • 62ml (2 1/2fl oz) Irish whiskey

Method

Makes 3.2 kilos approx. Makes 8-9 pots.

  1. Core and bake the whole apples in a moderate oven, 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4, for 30 minutes approx. Allow to cool. When they are soft, remove the skin and pips and mash the flesh into pulp.
  2. Grate the rind from the lemons on the finest part of a stainless steel grater and squeeze out the juice and stir into the pulp. Add the other ingredients one by one, and as they are added, mix everything thoroughly.
  3. Put into sterilized jars, cover and leave to mature for 2 weeks before using. This mincemeat will keep for a year in a cool, airy place.

A Simply Delicious Christmas with Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell is on RTÉ Player now. Recipe taken from ‘A Simply Delicious Christmas’ published by Gill Books.

Chocolate Meringue Cake: Rachel Allen #ballymaloe

Apricot Jam Breakfast Muffins with banana and honey @RTEfood #foodaware

apricot jam breakfast muffins

15m15 minutes ago

These Apricot Jam Breakfast Muffins can be prepared the night before and cooked to perfection in the morning –

Ingredients

  • 2 large free-range eggs
  • 150ml pot of natural low-fat yoghurt
  • 50ml rapeseed oil
  • 2 tblsp no added sugar apricot jam
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed
  • 4 tblsp clear honey
  • 1 tsp almond extract
  • 200g of wholemeal flour
  • 50g of porridge oats, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1 ½ teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tblsp mixed seeds
  • extra apricot jam
  • a handful of flaked almonds, for sprinkling

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with 12 large muffin cases.
  2. In a mixing jug, combine the eggs, yoghurt, rapeseed oil, Apricot Jam, banana, honey and almond extract.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the wholemeal flour, oats, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and mixed seeds.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine until you have a smooth batter. Don’t over mix as this will make your muffins tough.
  5. Divide the mix between the muffin cases and place about half a teaspoon of Apricot Jam on the top of each of the muffins. Sprinkle with the extra porridge oats and the flaked almonds.
  6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden. Check that they’re cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle of one of the muffins. They’re done if it comes away clean.
  7. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. These will keep for 3 days in a sealed container but they taste best on the day of baking.

Notes

Recipe courtesy of Folláin