MARIE-CLAIRE DIGBYtakes us through the world of food
One way not to lose a recipe
Cafe Rua on New Antrim Street, and Rua deli on Spencer Street, both in Castlebar, Co Mayo, are treasure troves of goodies for food lovers. The festive stock at Rua is cleverly chosen and includes gift packs from the smart London chocolate shop Rococo, Italian pannetone with liqueur-soaked cherries, classic cook books as well as new releases, and a Cook’s Notebook for saving recipe clippings. The Cook’s Notebook would be a great stocking filler, and if you telephone 094-9286072 (9am-6pm), they will post it to you (€9.95, plus €2 pp). The McMahon family, who run both businesses, have also bought most of the crop of olive oil produced by Fionnuala McKenna (originally from Castlebar), on her farm in southern Italy.
Women chefs get top marks
Women dominated the recent Euro-toques Young Chef 2010 competition, claiming three of the five places in the final and securing the top award, which went to Mary Ryan (24). Ryan is pictured above with Geraldine and Adrian Noonan and executive chef Seamus Commons, all from Knockranny House Hotel in Westport, where she now works. She graduated with distinction from Limerick IT, and won a scholarship to Johnson Wales University in Rhode Island. She was mentored for this competition by Seamus Commons.
Irish lamb – rack, kidneys and sweetbreads – was the ingredient chosen for the culinary skills test round of the competition. Ryan’s rack of hill lamb, wild mushroom and sweetbread tortellini, kidney sausage, lovage dauphine, turnip fondant, kale and fennel seed jus was voted the best dish by a panel of chefs including Neil McFadden, Neven Maguire, Guillaume Le Brun, Marc Aman and guest chef Brett Graham from The Ledbury in London. The finalists also had to cook a five-course lunch at Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, prior to the announcement of the result.
Ryan wins an expenses-paid stage at The Ledbury, which has two Michelin stars, as well as a stage at Chocolaterie de l’Opera in Paris and a four-day study visit at the Grégoire-Ferrandi Culinary School in Paris. The other finalists: Margaret Roche (The Cellar at the Merrion); Pauli Vanttila (Gregan’s Castle); Keelan Higgs (Chapter One) and Una Donohoe (The Egg at Avoca, Rathcoole), will also travel to Paris for the study visit.
Win Christmas dinner for eight, or a Bord Bia hamper
Shopping for the mountains of ingredients for Christmas dinner can be almost as much of an ordeal as actually cooking it. Christmas Made Easy (christmasmadeeasy.ie) is a delivery service that bring everything you need for a complete seasonal feast right to your door. Chefs Neil and Hazel McFadden (right) cater for from two to 12 people and their deliveries come with detailed instructions and a time-plan. To be in with a chance of winning their five-course Sage menu for eight people, answer the following question: What are the ingredients in Christmas Made Easy’s award winning Wild Cranberry Sauce?
You can also be in with a chance of winning one of two Bord Bia Quality Mark hampers containing turkey, ham, vegetables and sauces, by answering this question: What is the traditional Irish Christmas feast? Surf and Turf, Turkey and Ham, or Pork and Apple Sauce?
Email your answers to christmascomp@irishtimes.com, with either Christmas Made Easy or Bord Bia in the subject line. Don’t forget to include your full name, address and telephone number. Entries close next Monday at 5pm.
Pies for the supermarkets
Sarah Manning of Manning’s Bakery in Coolock, supplies ready-to-bake mince pies to the Tesco supermarket chain. It’s a family business, established by her father 54 years ago, which takes pride in using no preservatives in its pies. The larger, star-topped pies make attractive individual desserts (€1.50 for two) and the mincemeat filling, made in Armagh, isn’t too sweet.
Another Irish firm that has been baking around the clock to keep Tesco supplied with seasonal treats is Seery’s of Carlow, which will supply 60,000 Christmas puddings to the chain. Seery’s started baking puddings back in February to keep up with demand, and its Tesco Finest pudding (from €3.99) is a boozy treat that contains Irish whiskey, stout from a microbrewery in Carlow and Irish Cream liqueur.
Gluten-free puddings
Arun Kapil of Green Saffron spices in Midleton, Co Cork has devised a recipe for a gluten-free Christmas pudding. “We exchange the flour and breadcrumb mix for a blend of rice flour, buckwheat, tapioca starch and potato starch,” he says. He is also making delicious, suet-free mincemeat. “We caramelise local Ballyhoura eating apples in organic dark muscavado sugar, add the dried fruit, then grate in my parents-in-law’s windfall Bramleys, from their orchard in Garryvoe.” The mixture is cooked in Irish cider and as a luxurious finishing touch, toasted Valencian almonds, orange and lemon zest, and a slug of Calvados are added. It’s only available from O’Farrells Butchers in Midleton and Sheridans Cheesemongers. For stockists of the puddings, see greensaffron.com.
