Over the years I have never really mastered the art of making perfectly formed scones in terms of their size and shape. Luckily though, despite their imperfections they have been beautiful and delicious on the inside (just like ourselves!). Now, I no longer beat myself up about not being able to make the ‘perfect’ scone , instead I take comfort in the fact that there are rarely any left just 24 hours after coming out of the oven! Continue reading
Author Archives: Niav Halpin
Chocolate (cheat’s) birthday cake!
My daughter Aoife turned 18 recently (so how did that happen?) – she was celebrating with some of her friends and I was tasked with making the cake. I was all set to make a fancy cake with lots of butter, eggs, dark chocolate, soured cream etc and then decorate it. I was stressing about it in the office that week at work when one of the girls in the office questioned why I was going to such trouble for a bunch of teenagers and why not use a cake mix out of a packet instead! Horror of horrors to the ears of someone who makes a point of making everything from scratch however the more I thought about it the more I thought that perhaps this was actually a brilliant idea. Continue reading
Fresh Lemon Posset
Time was at a premium last weekend so I was looking for a tasty quick dessert to have for dinner on Sunday. This Lemon Posset fitted the bill perfectly, quick and easy to make with a light creamy delicious fresh lemon flavour. This recipe is adapted slightly from one that was part of a wonderful 3-day course I did in The Tannery Cookery School in Dungarvan last Summer.
Serves 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Chilling Time: 4-6 hours in fridge
Ingredients
500ml cream
140g caster sugar
¼ vanilla pod
Zest and juice of 2 lemons (preferably unwaxed*)
Method
- Put the cream, sugar and vanilla pod into a saucepan and bring to a simmer
- Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk well.
- Bring the mixture back to a simmer for 20 seconds while stirring constantly.
- BEWARE : DO NOT LET THE MIXTURE BOIL OR IT WON”T SET !
- Take off the heat and pour into glasses or little cups.
- Cool and put into a fridge for 4-6 hours to set.
*It is relatively easy to remove the wax coating from a citrus fruit. Put the fruit in a colander and pour over water from a recently boiled kettle or rinse the fruit under a hot running tap. Scrub the fruit all over with a stiff brush, such as a vegetable brush, under a cool running tap but try not to use a brush or scrubbing sponge that you use for dishes as this could cause some soap residue to get on to the fruit. Rinse the fruit thoroughly with cold water and leave to dry, or dry with paper towels.
The wonders of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Apple Cider Vinegar is pretty incredible stuff. Commonly used in salad dressings, sauces, marinades, chutneys and preservatives, it also has remarkable medicinal properties. What I’m talking about here is raw, unfiltered, unpasteurised vinegar which contains the ‘mother‘. Don’t ask me to explain what the ‘mother’ is, all I know is that this is the real good stuff which is explained as strands of proteins, enzymes and friendly bacteria that give the product a murky, cobweb-like appearance. This gives the vinegar its anti-bacterial, antiseptic, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. It means that any ailment that can be traced from bacteria, a virus or a fungus can be treated with the help of apple cider vinegar. The main reason this works is that apple cider vinegar, as acidic as it tastes, actually helps to alkalize your body (most of us are more acidic). A body that’s more alkaline may be more effective at fighting off viruses that cause colds and the flu. There is tons of information on the internet about this amazing stuff so why not ‘google’ it for yourself when you have a few minutes to spare.
Up to now I have been buying Bragg’s, made in the U.S. and widely available in Ireland in many supermarkets and health food shops and inexpensive at approx €5. However, I was excited to discover recently this wonderful Irish Apple Cider Vinegar from The Apple Farm of Tipperary (don’t you just love the bottle) which I bought in The Ballymore Inn* in Ballymore Eustace for approx. €10.
* a great spot for lunch or dinner plus they also sell a range of Irish food produce like this Apple Cider Vinegar.
I have used ACV to help relieve head colds, sore throats, urinary tract infections and I now take two teaspoons in a glass of water as a supplement at night time. If drinking apple cider vinegar straight up is too much for you (especially if your stomach is upset from the cold or flu) dilute it with a bit of warm water and some honey.
Cold Remedy
Drink a tablespoon or two of ACV (in a glass of water) at the first onset of a cold or the flu.
Urinary Tract Infection(UTI) (cystitis)
This is something I suffer from on a regular basis so I speak from (painful) experience! Apple Cider Vinegar can be useful in preventing the bacteria that cause UTIs from multiplying or growing. If you feel the a UTI coming on you can use apple cider vinegar to help relieve the symptoms.
1. Add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of water. You can also add lemon juice and sweeten with honey. Mix well.
2. Drink this at least twice a day for a few days.
Note: It is important to catch a bladder infection early. Although the incidence is low, if left untreated a bladder infection can travel up into the kidneys. So, if you are still having symptoms after a couple of days of treatment with raw apple cider vinegar, go to your doctor for medical help
Apple Cider Vinegar Salad Dressing Recipe
Mix 3 parts olive oil to one part vinegar. Add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, and a splash of balsamic vinegar for a sweet taste if you like. Mix well and drizzle over your salad.
Using Apple Cider Vinegar Once You’re Already Sick
If you waited too long and are in the throes of a cold or the flu, keep drinking the vinegar anyway. It’ll help your body fight off the germs, give you some energy, and help improve your digestion.
Salmon & Asparagus Terrine
Impress your friends with this beautiful and delicious terrine, perfect as a starter or for a light lunch with a glass of wine. What’s more you can make it in advance so it’s hassle-free, just have it chilling in the fridge until you are ready. This is a Mary Berry recipe, she is one person I so admire and whose recipes I totally trust i.e. they always work! I made this for a dinner party recently and it went down a treat. Continue reading
Feta Stuffed Butternut Squash
It’s all about green, white and gold today given the day that is in it, it feels like the right thing to do and an appropriate way to show support for our ‘boys in green’ as they play France in the Euros. This dish is another one to put on your list for your meat-free dinner day. It is easy to make as well as healthy, wholesome and really tasty as it contains a great combination of flavours. Many of the ingredients are ones that you can have in your store cupboard. Butternut Squash for example has a great shelf life – this particular one was in my vegetable drawer for at least a month! Feta cheese is also something you can have in your fridge as it has a long shelf life once unopened. To use the rest of a packet of feta you could make this Green Pea & Feta Cheese Omelette the next day. The other ingredients i.e. onions, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes in oil would always be staples in my kitchen with the only ingredient that I might need to buy being the fresh mint.
Serves 2
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 40/50 minutes
Ingredients
1 small butternut squash
½ – 1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, peeled & finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled & finely chopped
80g / 3oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained & roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds
100g / 4oz feta cheese, lightly crumbled
2 tablespoons of fresh mint, roughly chopped
Preheat oven to 200°C / 400° F / Gas 6
- Prepare the butternut squash by cutting it in half lengthways and scooping out the seeds with a spoon
- Place the squash on a non-stick baking tray (or a tray lined with baking paper)
- Roast in the oven for approx 30 minutes or until the butternut is soft, cooked through and has a slightly coloured surface (a larger squash will take longer to cook)
- While the squash is in the oven heat the oil in a pan and add the onions.
- Sweat over a low heat for 4-5 minutes until they are soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for a further 5 minutes
- In a bowl, mix the sun-dried tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, crumbled feta, mint, cooked onions and garlic together.
- Remove the butternut squash from the oven when cooked and scoop out some of the flesh to make space for the filing. (Keep the flesh for another dish). Fill the squash with the stuffing mixture, then return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and serve with some green veg.
PS – this reheats very well so you can enjoy it the next day as well !
Gluten Free Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
I have been dying to share this recipe with you and to urge you to give it a try – it’s delicious, moist, gooey, chocolatey flavour will beat many brownies and because it doesn’t contain any flour, it is super light. When I made this recently it disappeared so quickly I couldn’t believe it – it was voted right up there along with the Oreo Brownies from a previous post. This is saying quite something. Did I mention also how quick and easy it is to make? So what are you waiting for?!
The recipe was one published by Domini Kemp in her weekly section in the Irish Times Magazine and because she said it was voted one of her most popular recipes I decided that I needed to check it out. I was not disappointed, I guarantee you won’t be either, enjoy.
Serves 8
Preparation time : 15 mins
Cooking time : 30 minutes
Ingredients
50g / 2oz cocoa powder
150g / 5oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
50ml / 2fl oz boiling water
150ml / ¼ pint olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200g / 7oz soft brown sugar
3 eggs
150g / 5oz ground almonds
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
Pinch salt
Equipment : 22inch spring-form tin
Method
- Line the tin with parchment paper
- Turn oven on to 170° C / 325° F
- Mix / blitz cocoa powder and dark chocolate in a food processor into little shards of chocolate
- Add the boiling water and blitz again
- Add the olive oil and vanilla extract
- In a separate (large) bowl, beat the sugar and eggs with a beater until nice and thick – for at least 5 minutes
- Add the chocolate mixture to it and beat until well mixed in
- Fold in the dry ingredients (ground almonds, bicarb of soda and salt)
- Pour into the tin and bake for 30 minutes
Je suis en vacances!
Yes, holidays have finally arrived. After the months of pretty much only swimming, eating, working and sleeping, myself and Mr HforT have headed off to the South of France for 10 days. Wi-fi has been a bit patchy hence the late post. The weather here has not been as good as it has been at home in Ireland though so we have been spending time otherwise spent sitting in the sun checking out the French patisseries. Mr HforT is renowned for his sweet tooth so this is his kind of heaven. They sure know how to make cakes and pastries here, I don’t know how the French are not fat, it defies belief. There are 4 patisseries serving cakes and pastries like the ones in the picture within 100yards of our apartment in Antibes and there are queues every morning in them all with people buying bread and / or cakes. The ones in the picture are the mini-pastries which are €1.20 each! Mini lemon tarts, lemon meringue pies, opera cakes, millefeuille, éclairs, fruit tarts, custard & raspberry tarts etc. Then they also sell all the same ones in the bigger / normal size for around €3 so if you really like one you can indulge big-time. I don’t normally eat much in the way of sweet things (dark chocolate excluded) as I prefer savoury, but these just cannot be resisted. They have just got to be tried. I cannot imagine why anyone here would bake at home when you can buy such exquisite sweet treats so readily. No wonder all the best pastry chefs train in France. I won’t be posting a recipe for any of these any time soon but I do have a fabulous recipe coming next for a gluten-free Chocolate Olive Oil cake which is worth waiting for. Bon vacances!
Bacon & Asparagus Frittata
You know when you come home, hungry (in my case usually ‘hangry’!) and need food fast, well instead of dialling your local takeaway this is the perfect answer and will be on your table even faster. Tasty, quick, healthy and satisfying. I made this one with asparagus, bacon pieces and finished it with some rocket but once you have eggs in stock you can just use whatever ingredients you have e.g. chorizo, cheddar, parma ham, sausage etc etc. It is a great way to use up leftovers too.
Make sure you use a non-stick pan – I always keep one purely for omelettes, pancakes etc. Otherwise you may be scraping your dinner out of the pan!
Serves 2
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
250g or 1 bundle of asparagus tips
75g of bacon pieces
4 large eggs
50g parmesan cheese, grated
2 tbsp chopped chives
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Cook the asparagus in a pan of simmering salted water or steam over boiling water
- Remove after 5 mins (they need to be tender and still bright green)
- Drain, run under a cold tap and cut into pieces (approx. 1 inch)
- Heat the frying pan and cook the bacon pieces for 3 to 4 minutes (no additional oil may be needed)
- Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, add the asparagus, parmesan and chives, stirring well.
- Season with salt & pepper
- Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook gently for 3 minutes, drawing back the edges with a wooden spatula and tipping the runny egg over the edge to help it set.
- Cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes and then place under a pre-heated grill, cooking for 2 minutes or until the top is set and lightly golden.
- Remove and serve. Enjoy!
Spinach & Ricotta Polpetti
This is a really easy, comforting and tasty vegetarian dish – I adore the combination of ricotta and spinach in just about anything particularly in filled pasta like tortellini or cannelloni. Plus you get a whopping portion of all that iron (so essential for all us women) and nutritional goodness in the spinach particularly when you use frozen spinach. The average bag of fresh spinach weighs approx. 180g and there is 400g of frozen spinach in this dish so you get the picture. This is good for you! Don’t be tempted to leave out the nutmeg, it really does add something special to the overall flavour of the dish. Continue reading
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