Prawn, Pea and Asparagus Risotto

Risotto is my favourite dish of all time. 

I wish my body would allow me to eat this everyday of the week. 

It is pure comfort in a bowl. 

Carbohydrate heaven. 

Once you master the basic elements of the risotto they are so many combinations of flavours that you can experiment with. 

Ingredients: 

50g butter

1 teasp. olive oil 

1 onion 

1 garlic clove 

200g risotto rice (arborio) 

1 glass of dry white wine (chardonnay) 

Salt and pepper

500-600ml hot chicken stock 

Fresh prawns (10-12) 

50g frozen peas 

Asparagus stalks (8) 

50g butter 

75g parmesan cheese 

Method: 

Place the chicken stock in a pot and allow to simmer gently.

Finely dice the onion and garlic. Melt the butter in a pot with a little olive oil. 

Sweat the onion on a low heat and cover with a lid. Allow the onion and garlic to soften but not colour for 5-6minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Watch carefully to avoid burning.  

Add in the arborio rice and allow it to coat in the onions. Cook on a medium heat for 1-2minutes. 

Pour in the glass of white wine and allow the rice to bubble and absorb the wine. Ladle in the hot chicken stock and allow to absorb while continually stirring. Continue adding stock every few minutes until the rice is almost tender (12-15minutes of cooking). 

Boil a separate pot of water and add salt. Cook the asparagus for 4-5minutes until tender. Toss in the prawns and peas and cook until the prawns change colour (1-2mins). 

Taste the rice to ensure it still has a little bite. Add in the 50g butter and allow to melt in. 

Add in half of the parmesan cheese. Check and correct seasoning. 

Spoon the risotto into warmed bowls with the asparagus stalks on top. 

Finish with some more parmesan cheese on top. 

Serve immediately. 

Homemade Tagliatelle in a spicy sausage & pea sauce

Homemade Pasta - a labour of love.

Once you've tried making homemade pasta you will seriously consider making it more often, or least for a special occasion. 

Pasta machines are now available nationwide with LIDL, homestore and more, Debehams carrying a range for a fraction of their once high cost. I got my Jamie Oliver pasta machine in Debenhams for €25 and it is a kitchen essential for me. 

This wholesome dish makes plenty for four adults. It is a light spicy sauce that works well for a fancy midweek supper or is very handy for a tasty work lunchbox. 

The pasta speaks volumes in this dish. 

Ingredients; 

200g 00 flour 

1 egg 

3 egg yolks 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon olive oil 

50g semolina 

1 tbsp. Oil 

20g butter

1 onion 

2 garlic cloves 

15 cherry tomatoes 

2 sausages (remove skins)  

50g frozen peas 

1 glass of white wine 

1 tbsp. tabasco 

1/2 teasp. paprika 

1 tbsp. tomato puree 

Salt & pepper 

Parmesan cheese to garnish 

Method: 

In a food processor blitz together the 00 flour, olive oil, salt, 1 egg and 3 egg yolks to form a smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for at least 10minutes. 

Finely dice the onion and garlic. 

Remove the sausage skin and leave the meat to one side. Half the cherry tomatoes. 

Heat the oil and butter in a pan and gently sweat the onion and garlic together. 

Add in the sausage meat and cook through. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, paprika, tabasco and white wine and cook to a simmer. Add in the peas and reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Season the sauce to taste. 

Bring a large pot of water to the boil with 5 pints of water and 1 teaspoon salt. 

Using the pasta machine, roll out 1/2 of the dough first on each setting (1-7) 3 times on each setting, until smooth. Continue to roll the pasta through the machine until thin and smooth. Toss a little semolina onto the flat sheet of pasta before running though the tagliatelle cutter. 

Toss the cut pasta tagliatelle into the semolina and leave to one-side to dry out a little before cooking.

Continue till all the pasta is cut. 

Once the water is boiling add the pasta and cook until al dente (2-3minutes). 

Transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce and toss to coat in the sauce. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of pasta water to help with the sauce. 

Serve in warmed bowls with plenty of grated parmesan on top. 

Beautiful simple food at its best. 

Lamb Tacos with Tomato & Pineapple salsa and Lemon yoghurt

So how lucky I am to have won a jammy Weber BBQ with TodayFm and Bord Bia for simply dishing up this - Winner winner Lamb Taco Recipe! 

Way back in August this Summer I heard of a competition on TodayFm with Anton Savage along with Bord Bia where they were looking for people to submit their favourite lamb dishes. 

Naturally I jumped at this opportunity as I have so many recipes using lamb from my time in Ballymaloe. 

I must admit previous to Ballymaloe I rarely ever ate lamb. I didn't appreciate the flavour or understand exactly how versatile a meat it can be. I also previously thought it was just a meat used at Easter and cooked for a Sunday roast. 

This recipe uses leg of lamb to make the most tender, moist, sweet and juicy tacos that will pack a serious punch. Making the tacos is optional but I really enjoyed making them from scratch. I've experimented since and introduced tomato puree and rosemary into them to add an extra kick of flavour. 

Hope you enjoy this recipe and if you try them out do let me! 

Ingredients:
Lamb marinade:
500g boneless leg of lamb
1 lime (juiced)
1 green chilli
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Tacos:
450g plain flour
1 dessertspoon salt
75g butter
225ml warm water (body temp)

Salsa:
3 ripe tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1/2 red chilli
1 avocado
1 small pineapple
2 tbsp. fresh coriander
2 limes
salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar to taste

Yoghurt dressing:
100ml plain greek yoghurt
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
salt & freshly ground pepper

Garnish:
Spring onions,
Radishes
Lime wedges


Method: 
Combine the finely chopped green chilli, garlic and coriander, lime juice, oil, salt and pepper and cumin in a large resealable bag. Add the lamb pieces and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 1hr or ideally overnight.

Tacos: 
Sieve the flour and salt together in a bowl and rub in the butter. Add in the warm water slowly to make a sticky dough. Knead the dough on a floured board until it is smooth and no longer sticky. Keep the dough covered with a warm damp cloth.
Take approx. 25g pieces of the dough at a time and knead, folding it back on itself to trap in air. Make a ball and flatten it. Place the flattened ball on a floured board and roll it out with a floured rolling pin until very thin.
Roll into 6-7 inch rounds.
Heat a frying pan until nearly smoking hot and slap a tortilla straight onto the pan, cook for 30-45seconds on one side and turn over and cook for a further 30-45seconds. Cover with a warm tea towel and keep in a low oven (less than 60ºC) to keep them warm.

Salsa:
Roast the garlic clove in a dry frying pan until the skin is darkened. Remove the garlic clove and crush using sea salt to a paste. Peel the tomatoes by scoring the bottom of them with a X and then placing them in boiling water for 1minute and plunging them into ice cold water.
Peel off skin and slice them into chunky pieces for the salsa.
Mix in the garlic paste with the tomatoes, squeeze in juice of 1 lime, roughly chopped coriander and finely chopped red chilli. Peel and dice the pineapple into small cube seized pieces. Slice the avocado just before serving and add to the salsa. Season to taste and mix up.

Lemon yoghurt: finely grate one lemon and juice of 1/2 a lemon and mix into the greek yoghurt. Season to taste.

Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil. Remove the meat from the marinade and fry in batches over a high heat until cooked.
Assemble tacos by placing hot lamb onto the warm taco, cover with some fresh salsa and drizzle with the lemon yoghurt dressing.
Scatter finely chopped onions and radishes over and serve alongside some lime wedges.

The Weber BBQ - Thank you TodayFm and Bord Bia! 

Roast Butternut Squash Soup

I love soups. There are so many different options to choose from. The most beautiful soups are made quickly and with minimal ingredients.
In Ballymaloe I learnt a formula for making soups, 1, 1, 3, 5.
1 part onion, 1 part potato, 3 parts your vegetables of choice and 5 times the amount in stock.

One of the key parts to make a successful soup is the first stage of 'sweating' the potato and onion base. The technique involves softening the potato and onion with butter and oil, covered with a little greaseproof paper and over a medium heat. Season well with salt and pepper. Cook gently for 5-10minutes until they soften but do not colour.

Ingredients:
50g butter
110g onions (peeled and diced)
140g potatoes (peeled and diced)
Maldon sea salt and black pepper
thumb size piece of ginger
1 large butternut squash
3 garlic cloves
700-800ml chicken stock
Creamy milk

Pumpkin seeds & fresh coriander to garnish


Method:
Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Peel and dice the butternut squash and place on a roasting dish with the garlic cloves. Roast in the oven until tender (20-25mins).

Melt the butter in a heavy based saucepan and allow to melt. Add the onions and potatoes, season well and toss in the butter. Cover with a little greaseproof paper and cook gently for 5-10minutes to allow it to soften.

Finely grate the ginger and add into the potatoes and onions. Once the butternut squash is tender add to the saucepan. Increase the heat and add in the stock. Allow to come to a gentle boil and cook until all the vegetables are tender. Puree the ingredients to achieve a smooth and silky consistency.
Return the soup to a simmer and add a little creamy milk.
Taste and correct the seasoning.
Serve in warmed bowls with some pumpkin seeds sprinkled on top and garnish with fresh coriander leaves.
 

Indian Buttered Chicken

This rich, creamy dish was my first introduction to Indian food. 

Love at first bite. 

Hearty, warming and delicious for the evenings that are fast looming. 

Perfect for a weekend treat. 

Ingredients: 

Chicken Marinade: 

3 large chicken breasts 

2 tbsp lemon juice 

1 tbsp garam masala 

5cm piece of ginger 

2 garlic cloves 

Sauce:

2 tbsp olive oil 

2 large onions 

2 garlic cloves 

2 tbsp garam masala 

1 tbsp coriander seed 

1 teasp. cumin 

1 teasp. chilli powder 

1 teasp. turmeric

1 tin of chopped tomatoes 

220ml coconut milk 

1 lemon

50g butter

Salt & pepper 

Coriander & lemon rind to garnish 

Preparation: Combine all the marinade ingredients (lemon juice, garlic cloves, ginger and garam masala) together with the chicken in a zip lock bag. 

*I only let mine marinate for about 30minutes at room temp. but it is better if you have time to marinade over night. 

Peel and thinly slice the onions into half rings. 

Heat the olive oil and gently fry the onions for 5-6minutes. Do not let them brown. 

In a pestle and mortar grind down the coriander seeds to a fine powder. 

Once the onions have softened, add in the finely chopped garlic, ground coriander, garam masala, cumin, chilli powder and turmeric. Cook for 1-2minutes to allow flavours to develop. 

Add in the tomatoes and let them to come to a gentle simmer. 

Pour in the coconut milk. 

Blend the tomato sauce using a hand held blender to get a smooth sauce. 

Add in the lemon juice and season to taste. 

Turn down the heat to a gentle simmer and add in the marinated chicken. 

*Make sure the sauce does not boil while you are cooking the chicken as it will cause the meat to toughen.*

Add in the butter and coriander. 

Garnish with a little lemon rind on top to add extra freshness to the dish. 

Serve with some basmati rice, poppadoms and cucumber raita for a loving comfort food dish. 

 

Mushroom & Thyme Leaf Soup

You can easily tell I had a lot of fun styling this soup. It's all in the little details. A few sprigs of thyme leaves, dash of olive oil and a few sauteed mushrooms in a pretty bowl and you're ready.   

This is one of the fastest tastiest soups which can really impress people and also most importantly pack a punch with bursting flavours from the roasted mushrooms. 

Ingredients: 

400g mushrooms (I used a mixture of chestnut and field) 

Thyme leaves 

2 onions 

50g butter 

1 small potato 

700ml hot chicken stock 

Salt and cracked black pepper 

Virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180℃. 

Quarter the mushrooms and scatter on a roasting tray. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter the leaves of thyme on top. 

Finely slice the onions. Melt the butter in a pot on a low heat and add the onions. Season and cover them with a layer of parchment paper. Leave them to sweat on a gently low heat with the lid on for 5-8minutes until the onions are soft but not coloured. Peel and slice the potato into cubes. Add into the soft onions and increase the heat. Add in most of the roasted mushrooms leaving some for decoration. Make 700ml of hot chicken stock and add to the pot. Cook until potato is tender - no more than 5 minutes. Season to taste. 

Important point to note when making soup - The quicker a soup is made the better it tastes! (Darina Allen, 2015) 

Blitz the soup and return to the pot to simply reheat. 

Serve in warmed bowls and decorate with a few of the leftover roasted mushrooms, thyme leaves and a little dash of good virgin olive oil. 

So simple and tasty. 

Enjoy. 

Half way point - I'll drink to that!

Time to raise a glass of vino to Week 7. 

I am over halfway through the Ballymaloe 12 week certificate course.

I keep putting off writing this post as I literally do not know where to begin updating this and the time is flying by so quickly. I seriously admire the bloggers that I followed before coming to Ballymaloe who were able to juggle their workload here and blog daily. Spill the Beans and French Foodie I am in awe. Also where did you get the wifi connection to blog like this? Like seriously?

Now that I am over halfway I am increasingly aware of the ever so slight anxious feeling I have about facing into 'real life' after Ballymaloe.
Life where there isn't abundant fresh herbs, salad leaves and organic fresh vegetables a plenty.
Life without freshly baked loaves of bread, wholesome soup, generous mains and exquisite puddings on a daily basis.
Life without daily homemade lemonade.
Life without freshly laid eggs from the 600 hens here.
Life without daily fresh scones with cream and homemade raspberry jam.
Life without hanging out my balcony window for a ridiculous amount of time trying to get wifi/phone reception.
Life without daily duties.
Life without filing every night!
Life where I'm not looking forward to starting my Ballymaloe adventure.
Life without Wine Wednesday!!!!!!!!


Darina is actively seeking our immediate employment by continually questioning and nugging us about who has found jobs! No pressure eh?


Anyways back to the update...


We had our School Tour Day which was a lot of fun. We travelled throughout Cork to visit the Mahon Point Food Market, Gubbeen Cheese and Chorizo factory, Ummera Smokehouse and Jameson Distillery. It was a great day and good to get out of the school for a while and visit our producers and sample some delights.
I almost forgot to mention that we all got a free bottle of Jameson Whiskey after our tour and food and whiskey tasting! Jameson were incredible hosts and an example of how the big guys know how to do things right.


We also had our Midterm Herb, Salad and Technique exam on Friday.
I spent most of last week eating herbs left, right and centre and tasting and sketching salad leaves to help me remember them. Not my usual study but such a great way to get us all to know the herbs and salad leaves. I was delighted with myself when I was able to recognise the salad leaves mibuna, mizuna, tatsoi and lollo rosso in my salad at the weekend in Dublin which I was delighted with. I honestly would never really have cared about this before and would have assumed it was a good old bag of rocket leaves! This course continually forces you to really open your eyes to our food around us and I wonder if I will ever really look or think about food the same way again.

Other BIG updates include we have our Ballymaloe Charity Dinner on Week 10 for the public, family and friends and I was ecstatic to discover that I was made Head Chef for the event. I am honoured to take on this big role and so excited to get stuck in and gain some invaluable experience for the future. More updates on this to come!


We had 'Cake Day' where we got to see the competitive side in a lot of people (probably mainly myself). It was a great laugh and the cakes really were incredible!

My Chocolate Spooky Inspired Halloween Cake 

We also had a Big Breakfast Morning where I won the best breakfast from my kitchen only I didn't take a picture as I devoured it so quickly! Typical me.
Pretty delighted to win and hey if all else fails I can make a decent Full Irish Brekkie in the future!


I included a picture of my starter dish that I made last week which was my Ardsallagh Goat's cheese croquettes with rocket leaves, roast peppers and tapenade oil. I was delighted with how it looked and tasted!

I can't even begin to explain the level of detail that is covered in the afternoon lectures.
I really cannot stress enough how you really get your bang for your buck here.

My brain not to mind my folders are continually creating sub dividers and categories for all this new information I am learning on a daily basis. From filleting fish, making fresh pasta, baking bread, curing meat and creating classic timeless desserts every day brings a whole new assortment to the collection.

Furthermore we are learning about wine! I was so ignorant before this to the world of wine. I love that I know so much more now about pairing wine with food, what courses to accompany with and the regions and grape varieties. Wine Wednesday is my favourite day of the week!

An example of a night filing 2 days of notes. Organised chaos. 

Some days I laugh at myself as I come out from my mornings cooking as I look like someone leaving the battlefield both physically and mentally.

With all this new information and learning it is important here that I recognise especially to anyone considering doing the course in the future that sometimes this course can be very overwhelming! I'm 26 (relatively young & energetic) I love food and filing and everything about this course and I can find it really challenging some days.
All that being said there are those special moments during demo in the afternoon that I almost want to pinch myself I'm so happy about being here and how much I love it.
These episodes also often occur when watching Rachel. I'm a big fan of Rachel. That's putting it lightly. She's effortless and no words can begin to explain how great and natural she is at teaching.

Rachel's beautiful profiteroles during demo one afternoon. 

Burger day with Rory - He is such a Pro! 

My homemade fresh noodle pasta. Tasted so good! 

Finally my Almond, coconut and cardamon cake. It's so pretty. I am so delighted with how it turned out.  I had a bit of help from Lughan even though it may look like a Pam inspired Cake! 

Today was one of those days where I am so happy to be here and I am loving every second of this once in a lifetime experience! 

That is as much information as my brain can process tonight. If anyone has any questions about the course or would like to ask me anything drop me a comment below. 

Thanks for reading 

Tracy 

X 

A little Taste of Ballymaloe so far...

The Shell House and gardens

My humble home - The Coach House 

Ballymaloe Greenhouse and gardens 

Some of the many vegetables growing in the gardens 

My own personal Dove who hangs by my window all day 

My filleting skills on Cod 

I made it.


I am also a startling quarter of the way through Ballymaloe Cookery School and in major disbelief!
I might mention here that I not ready to enter the real world yet no matter many times Darina mentions to us about writing your CV and contacting restaurants and chefs now!!!

The time is actually flying here however you don't always feel that way in the afternoon's demonstrations!

I am living in a Ballymaloe bubble completely sheltered away from the rest of the world surrounded by 600 hens, Jersey cows, constant supplies of fresh organic food, farming and lots of foodies.

I might start by saying....

You get your Bang for your Buck in Ballymaloe. 

It is important for anyone considering doing this course in the future to know this. You will not regret it nor will you be startled at the cost once you start the course.
It may have taken me a little while this year to save for the course but my god is it worth every penny saved.

I am learning so much and I have to say I was a little surprised (being a home ec teacher and all) of how much I have to learn and how there is one way and the 'Ballymaloe Way' to do things.
I'm converted now.


The day's can be long and they are tiring. You start in the kitchens just after 8am to set up for cookery and to collect ingredients and you begin cooking at 9am. You cook a number of dishes (3-4) and sometimes a duty dish like make butter, lemonade, bread during the mornings cooking from 9 - 12.30. I might stress here you are lucky if you finish at 12.30, most times you enter the dining room shattered at 1!
Lectures begin at 1.45 sharp and go on till after 5 most days where Darina, Rory or Pam demonstrate anything from 10-15 dishes which you then prepare the following day in the kitchen.
Wednesday's are the only day you do not cook in the kitchen and these days are completely focused around lectures. I like to call it Wine Wednesday. We have Colm McCan Ballymaloe Sommelier come in and teach us all about wine and I must admit this is turning out to be surprisingly one of my favourite parts of the course. It is so interesting and I am learning so much about wine! Cue change of career path may be happening...


There are so many extracurricular activities to take part in too in the evenings like cheesemaking, organic gardening classes, butchery classes, working in Ballymaloe House, milking cows and working with the Ballymaloe food market stall on Saturdays in Midleton to name but a few.

Your evenings can also be very easily dedicated to filing. (My God I am in heaven)
You need to get on top of this ASAP. The filing is insane. Prepare yourself!
You also prepare your order of work each evening for the next day in the kitchen to help you sequence your cooking and help you be as organised and prepared as possible.


Anyways this is just a quick update at the end of Week 3 here in Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Will update and post more next week,

Hope you enjoy,

Tracy

I Made it to the final 3!!!!!!

Okay so I do not know where to start!
I got such great news last week that I made it to the final 3 contestants in the Cono Sur Blogger Competition which I am so overwhelmed and delighted with! Life is a little bit of a roller coaster at the minute!
Thank you so much to everyone who voted for me.

I am also in disbelief about the fact that I am in WEEK THREE here in Ballymaloe Cookery school!! The time is flying and I haven't posted one photo yet on the blog! My instagram has most of them and I will do up a blog post this week once I'm back in Dublin with good internet!

Again I just want to say - Thank you again so much to everyone who voted for me in this amazing competition!

Fingers crossed for Friday to see which lucky person gets to go to Paris!


Tracy X

Teriyaki Chicken with Sticky Jasmine Rice

This dish is absolutely stunning! It is so tasty and packed with beautiful aromatic fresh flavours.
It is also very easy to make.
The meat literally melts in your mouth after being baked in the oven for 3 hours.

Seriously if you want to try something different for your dinner that is inexpensive - you have to try this dish!

I cooked this in a deep Le Creuset Casserole dish which allowed the juices to stay sealed and keep the sauce especially since it is in the oven for 3 hours. If you don't have a casserole dish with a tight fitted lid make sure and cover well with tin foil and check the meat every 45 minutes to ensure the sauce does not dry up.

This dish serves 3 - 4 people comfortably.

Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts
2 onions
2 cloves of garlic
3cm piece of ginger
1 red chilli
Juice of one lime
100ml sticky boyne valley honey
100ml soya sauce
60ml rice wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon of corn flour
additional cold water

2 spring onions thinly sliced
200g jasmine rice
400ml hot boiling water
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
Chopped coriander


Preheat the oven to 180℃. Place the chicken breasts into a deep casserole dish. Season with black pepper. Thinly slice the onions, garlic, red chilli and ginger and leave to one side in a bowl. Whisk in the liquid ingredients and mix together. Pour this mixture on top of the chicken breasts, cover tightly and bake in the oven for 3 - 3 1/2 hours.

After this time remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and shred the chicken using two forks.
Boil the rice in hot water for 10-12 minutes until all the water is completely absorbed.

Transfer the sauce into a pot and bring slowly to the boil. In a separate bowl whisk the tablespoon of cornflour with about 50 ml of cold water until dissolved. Pour this into the sauce mixture and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat and pour the sauce over the shredded chicken. Toss to combine together.

In a dry hot frying pan gently toast the sesame seeds for 2-3minutes.

Assemble the teriyaki chicken on top of some sticky jasmine rice. Sprinkle some finely sliced spring onions and the toasted sesame seeds on top.

Garnish with some chopped fresh coriander.

and Voila.

Absolutely Beautiful!

No Bake Energy Bites - Back to School Snacks!♥️

It's that time of year again - Back to School Time - except not for me this year... Ballymaloe is fast approaching! Only 3 weeks until the BIG move to Cork.  

As you see I had a lot of fun photographing these! Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that I am not back to school like everybody else and I have all this free time on my hands! 

My photography skills are slowly improving day by day! 

So this post is all about preparing a healthy tasty snack that you might enjoy in a back to school lunch box for kids or yourself or as a mid morning snack to help keep you going till lunch. 

These are so easy to make and can be made as healthy as you like or as cheeky as you like! 

I've made these now a few times and you can experiment as much as you want till you find the flavours you like and what works well together.

The batch photographed above include the following recipe:
This batch made me about 18 mini bites.

Ingredients: 
175g Flahavan's Oats
2 tablespoons of chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons of maple syrup
1 tablespoon of goji berries
1 tablespoon of dried cranberries
1 tablespoon of dark chocolate chips

-Stir all the ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Cover with some cling film and leave to chill in the fridge for half an hour.
-Once chilled, roll into bite size balls and store in an air-tight container in the fridge.


Additional ingredients to use in alternative bites: 
Any nut butter - cashew, almond
Nutella
Chia seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, poppy seeds, pumpkin seeds
Pistachio nuts, Cashew nuts, walnuts, almonds,  pecans
Dates, dried sultanas, raisins,
Cacao nibs
White chocolate chips & Toasted Coconut (must try this one soon)

So I hope you like the recipe and give them a try - keep tweaking them till you find your favourite combination and let me know if you made them in the comment box below!

Cono Sur Food Blogger Competition - Go on Throw me a Vote!

This has been a crazy week! Great news for Pound of Butter - I'm still in disbelief that I have been lucky enough to be shortlisted to the final 13 people in the ConoSur Food Blogger competition in Ireland!

The competition is very simple - you have to create a recipe (main course dish) that teams well with any Cono Sur Single Vineyard Wines.
My chosen recipe is 'Risotto with wild mushroom and Pancetta' and I teamed this dish with Cono Sur Sauvignon Blanc.
Risotto is one of my all time favourite dishes to prepare.

I have included the recipe below taken from the ConoSur Website.

Now onto the really important stuff - the prize for this competition is pretty UNBELIEVABLE and it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity!
Starting from last week people are able to vote for their own country's favourite recipe one vote per person and email address. Then on September 15th (Day 2 of Ballymaloe Cookery School for me) the top three recipes from Ireland will be shortlisted and go on to Round Two!!

Renowned Chef Christopher Carpentier will then prepare each Semi-Finalist's dish and select one finalist from each participating country. From this 5 finalists will be sent to none other the beautiful Paris (did I mention my sister lives in Paris?) Here each finalist will prepare their dish to a panel of judges. The overall winner will be sent on a trip for two to Chile to visit the Cono Sur Vineyards and discover it's beautiful home country!


So if you think I'm worthy and you'd like to see me go a little further you can vote in the competion through the following link:  

http://bloggercompetition.conosur.com/index.php/vote

Thank you for your support in advance and thanks for stopping by!

Onwards & Upwards!

Will keep you all posted!

Tracy X

Nutella Cheesecake Brownies

I'm a little late this year with World Nutella Day 5th February (I learnt this fact only today!) ... however I shall make up for it now!

This post brings you Gooey rich Nutella filled brownies that are incredibly moist and so INDULGENT! I have been dying to make these for so long now and I eventually got around to it this weekend when I knew they could be shared among friends and not lingering in the fridge! I cheated with the brownie layer and actually just crushed up some chocolate cream Oreo biscuits with melted butter which actually works really well in adding extra texture.
I made the whole thing using a food processor which is so handy and saves on the old wash up! You do not have to have a food processor to make these though it can all be done in a mixer or by hand too.

This recipe makes 12 large bars.

Ingredients:
Biscuit layer:
300g oreo biscuits
50g melted butter

Cheesecake layer
400g full fat cream cheese
100g caster sugar
2 large free range eggs
3 tablespoons of Nutella
60ml double cream
10-12 raspberries

Method
Preheat the oven to 180℃. Line a deep tin (8x10") with greaseproof paper.
Blitz the oreo biscuits including the filling in the food processor until like coarse breadcrumbs. Alternatively you can also bash them in a freezer bag with a wooden spoon. Melt the butter and add into the crushed biscuits and blitz again until moist. Press this buttery biscuit mixture into the tin and flatten with a spatula. Bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes until set and leave to chill after.
*Leave the oven on as the cheesecake will be baked.

Wash the food processor and add in all the cream cheese, caster sugar, 2 eggs and 3/4 of the double cream mixture and blitz until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix together until smooth. Pour 3/4 of this mixture on top of the cooled biscuit base. Spread into an even layer.

Using the other 1/4 of the cheesecake mixture add in the 3 tablespoons of nutella and the other 1/4 of the double cream into the food processor and blitz again until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix till you have a smooth chocolate mixture. Using a large tablespoon dot this mixture on top of the cream cheese filling. Using a skewer or a knife swirl the chocolate mixture into the cream mixture to make a swirl design.
Finally add in the raspberries in sections.
Bake the mixture in the hot oven for 35-40 minutes until they still have a slight wobble.
The bars will puff up in the oven but will sink slightly as they cool down.
Make sure you allow them to cool fully at room temperature before slicing and tasting.
These brownies will last easily in the fridge in a container for up to 5 days.

Wholesome Cottage Pie

Warm comforting cottage pie. This is one of my favourite ultimate comfort food dishes to have when you need a little love and nourishment. I grew up eating this dish for dinner. It's a classic and to me it never gets old. 

Ingredients    

-400g lean mince beef mince

-1 tablespoon of olive oil  

-1 onion (finely chopped) 

-2 garlic cloves 

-1 carrot (grated)

-2 sticks of celery (finely chopped) 

-75g frozen peas 

-1 beef stock cube (dissolved in 800ml boiling water) 

-2 tablespoons of tomato puree 

-2 tablespoons of worchester sauce 

-salt and pepper 

-5-6 large rooster potatoes 

-50g butter (melted)

-25ml milk 

-75g grated cheddar cheese 

Method 

Peel the potatoes and add them to a pot of cold water with a little salt and bring to the boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes until tender. When cooked strain the water and mash. Add in the melted butter and milk and mix till smooth and lightly creamy. Season with some salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a deep dish and when hot cook the mince first until brown. Add in the finely chopped onion and garlic and saute until soft. Stir in the grated carrot and finely chopped celery and mix together. Add the tomato puree and worchester sauce until combined. Add the frozen peas and finally pour in the beef stock, cover and leave to simmer for 10 minutes until slightly reduced.  

Preheat the oven to 180℃. Transfer the mince mixture to a deep casserole dish. Cover with the creamy mashed potatoes and finish with zig-zag fork lines. Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes and then add in the grated cheese to the top and return to the oven and bake for a further 5-10 minutes until the top is golden and crispy.  

Serve straight away!

Toblerone Cheesecake with Almond Brittle

Happy Hump Day!

I've held off for a while posting this recipe.

I made this dessert back in February for family when we received as a gift the infamous size of your head duty free Toblerone bar. Now this gigantic toblerone bar must have been sitting in my fridge for days hours before I decided what to make with it.
Being Summer time and all and with large numbers of people passing through the airport I thought this would be a good time to share my favourite Toblerone recipe. Afterall who doesn't love a good old Toblerone bar from the airport? (Mine's the white chocolate one!)

This combination of crunchy chewy biscuit base, smooth chocolate cream cheese and salty honey roasted almonds make this dessert a little bit special and indulgent and not bikini friendly.
 
It is a simple no bake cheesecake recipe that I promise you will leave you wanting to make it again and again and rushing to the airport as Toblerone is actually difficult to find in your local supermarkets!



Ingredients: 
Honey Roasted Almonds
-300g Almonds (whole with their skins on)
-50g light brown muscovado sugar
-1 tablespoon of sunflower oil
-3 tablespoons of honey
-2 tablespoons of water
-1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

Biscuit layer
-200g chocolate digestive biscuits
-75g butter (melted)

Cream cheese layer
-500g cream cheese (full-fat)
-50g caster sugar
-300g double cream
-300g toblerone melted

Topping
-75g melted toblerone




Method:
Start by preparing the honey roasted almonds. Preheat the oven to 180℃ and line a large flat oven tray with baking paper. Spread the almonds in a single layer and bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes until lightly browned. While the almonds are roasting, mix together the sea salt and sugar in a bowl and leave to one side. In a pot melt together the sunflower oil, honey and water and let it come to bubble. Once bubbling, add in the hot almonds and mix to coat them. Stir until the liquid has evaporated and the nuts are shiny and golden. Remove from the pot and add to a large bowl pouring over the sugar/salt mixture and stir to coat the almonds. Once coated in sugar/salt mixture remove them and place back on the baking tray in a single layer breaking up the clusters and leave them to cool. Once cool store in a lunchbox until serving and decorating.

Base: Crush the biscuits in a sandwich bag with a rolling pin. Melt the butter in pot and pour into the biscuits. Press this biscuit mixture into the base of the cheesecake tin and leave to rest in the fridge.

Cream cheese layer: Melt the toblerone chocolate in a heatproof bowl over barely simmering water for 10-12 minutes until smooth. (Do not let the water touch the bottom of the bowl as it will split the chocolate).
Beat together the cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer until combined.
In a separate bowl, beat the cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold the cream into the cream cheese and finally stir in the cooled melted toblerone chocolate. Spread the chocolate mixture over the set biscuit base and place in the fridge ideally overnight to allow it to fully set.

The next day just before serving the cheesecake - melt 75g toblerone chocolate again in the heatproof bowl and drizzle this along the top of the cheesecake using a fork.
Chop up the sugared almonds roughly and dollop a heap in the centre of the cheesecake and along the edges of the cheesecake.
And Voila!

Hope you enjoy!

Carlingford - WildWood Cafe review

This is my first review.

It is inspired by my visit to Carlingford to my good pal Naomi. Amongst many foodie outlets we enjoyed this weekend she took me to visit her friend Joanna who just opened the doors to 'Wildwood Cafe' run by her and her husband - Joanna and Shane. They've only recently opened their doors (June 2015) and the excitement and energy in the place was surreal.
Their cafe embodies modern new age designs and ideas with cool life/foodie quotes, images and interesting quirky decor all set amongst the most spectacular breathtaking location looking down on Carlingford Lough and village.

Now I could go on all day about the decor of this place but it is important that I mention the humble healthy hearty food on offer - after all this is why we were here!

I absolutely love trying out new food and new food places and Wildwood Cafe could could be one of my top ever favourite food discoveries.
Wildwood Cafe is designed around the philosophy of healthy wholesome food that is freshly prepared whilst providing optimal taste and nutrition. It is similar to the idea of 'Happy Pear' in Greystones however it is not strictly vegetarian as there are meat dishes on the menu such as the Chef's signature dish 'Thai Green Curry'. I was sorry to not have ordered this also.
Joanna makes you feel very welcome and delighted to have you in her cafe which is nice to experience. She takes time to explain the menu and get to know her customers while her husband Shane runs the kitchen. With the help of Joanna, I order and enjoyed a colourful plate full of Falafel, hummus, tzatziki, roast vegetables, zingy beetroot and ginger slaw and green salad all served with toasted warm flat breads fresh off the griddle pan. This was a plate of heaven for me as I love picking at small pieces of food and mixing them together. It was so fresh and bursting full of flavour.
My friend Naomi had the gorgeous Zesty Bean Burger with salads and homemade wedges.
I've included the pictures of our food below which give you an idea.

All in all this foodie experience was well worth the visit and I shall be back very soon to sample the rest of the varied menu.

Meeting these people inspired me and allowed me to recognise the energy, determination, passion and love that goes into a place like Wildwood Cafe.

*Website B&B and Cafe - http://carlingfordbandbviewpoint.com/cafe-carlingford-wild-wood/

*Wildwood Cafe facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wildwood-Caf%C3%A9/413777612162403?sk=info&tab=overview