[Event] Taste of China Cooking Demonstration

Did you know that Dublin is twinned with Beijing? Well I didn't, or not at least until I visited the Dublin Chinese New Year website.  This festival of Sino-Irish culture is now six years old, and the 2013 festival was the biggest to date. One of the final events in the schedule was a Taste of China cookery demonstration hosted by Julie O'Neill of Shananigans Blog and Kevin Hui of China Sichuan restaurant in Sandyford. Given that the demonstrated dishes would come from a Sichaun restaurant, I was sold. I clicked through the online ticket office faster than I would get through a plate of Chinese green beans.

The only major obstacle was that the demonstration kicked off at 12pm on Sunday. At that time, I'm normally surfacing from my Saturday cocktail induced stupor. Still though, the lure of Chinese food was strong, and Sunday morning found me rather uncharacteristically bounding up the stairs to the Cooks Academy on South William Street. This was my first time at this venue, and I was very impressed by the bright and airy workspaces. A welcoming glass of prosecco definitely helped ease me into the mood.

Julie kicked off the event with an introduction to Chinese cooking (a massive subject in its own right) and a overview of her trip to China to visit her son and daughter-in-law. We laughed at her stories and we all felt the warmth of her welcoming Chinese in-laws. It served to remind us that meals bring and bind families together, especially in China where food is truly embedded in everyday life. For me, Chinese food, particularly Hunan or Sichuan, is soul food. No other cuisine makes me feel so content and satisfied. Considering I grew up with bacon and cabbage, this is some realisation. 

The interior of the Cooks Academy

Our first dish was fish fragrant pork shreds. The name is a little misleading as there is no fish in this dish but instead the name refers to the ingredients. As Sichuan province is landlocked with fish in limited supply, the aromatics typically used to flavour fish are instead used with other ingredients, hence the name. A key component of this dish is a picked red pepper sauce, which takes 3 weeks to mature in the fridge. (I've already got a bowl sitting in my fridge, tightly sealed to prevent the aromas from leaking out.) Thankfully, the team had provided us with pre-made sauce and we followed the instructions to produce an incredibly fragrant dish with lots of garlic, ginger and tender pork. I really can't wait to crack out my own version of the 3 week sauce and cook it myself at home. If you're not inclined to wait that long, some Sichuan chili bean paste can be used instead. 

Fish fragrant pork

Our second dish of the day were waltip dumplings filled with a chicken & prawn mixture. We watched as Ricky & Andrew got to work making the stiff but simple pastry, followed by the filling. The real fun came in watching Rick deftly portion and roll out the dumpling pastry with deft, practiced motions. A quick dab of filling and then the dumpling was sealed up with some serious pleating action. Cooking is a family activity in China, and children are often set to making the dumplings from a young age. 

Watching Ricky seal up dumplings

Then it was our turn. First thing that we learned was the importance of keeping the pastry short and dry. Our effort was a little too soft but we decided to go ahead and use it anyway. I attempted to roll the wrappers in the same inwards rolling manner as demonstrated by Ricky, but I found it faster and easier to switch to a regular rolling technique. Once I had my little pastry circles ready, it was time to add a little dab of filling and start to crimp the dumplings. I started out using a simplified pleating technique, making sure to put an attractive bend in the dumplings. The challenge was consistency, but I eventually produced four reasonably identical versions. My efforts at the more complicated crimping technique were definitely not as successful! The dumplings were poached in hot water for about 5 minutes, before being fried in a hot pan until one side was golden and crispy.

Top: pastry ready to go. Bottom: prawn and chicken filling

Top: my dumpling efforts. Bottom: Ricky's  pro dumpling

My poached and fried dumplings

The demonstration was scheduled to run for four hours, and I genuinely did not notice the time disappear. It was wonderful to get a chance to cook these dishes myself, with guidance from Ricky, Andrew and Kevin. The session has inspired me to pull out my selection of Chinese cookbooks and produce more dishes at home. There are many Asian supermarkets around the country now, including the Asia Market on Drury Street making many Chinese ingredients easily purchasable. Julie provides a list of basic Chinese ingredients and equipment on her blog, making it even easier to try some Chinese cooking at home. 

[Event] Mediterranean Magic at the Tannery Cookery School

A lot of my friends and family call me a lucky person. You may call me a jammy git, but over the years, I have won a fair amount of competitions and prizes, including many books, tickets to U2, and a top prize of an IBM laptop. (A huge prize for a poor postgraduate student). I don't have any secret to my success though - other than the fact that I enter competitions. It takes a second to pop your name in the draw and you could very well win. It's amazing the amount of people who will say that they have no luck, but how can you win if you don't enter?

Twitter has been a great mechanism for winning competitions. Until recently, my top Twitter prize was a 2 night stay at the lovely Sheen Falls Lodge, but that was all changed when Máire Flynn of The Tannery Restaurant, Townhouse & Cookery School rang. It turned out that I was one of three lucky Twitter winners who had won places on the Mediterranean Magic course. Máire had been struck by a string of last-minute cancellations, and generously offered the places via a Twitter raffle. 

We were a little late arriving at the Cookery School on the Saturday morning, which meant that we were able to sit with a cup of coffee in the kitchen, while Paul Flynn and the other attendees picked supplies from the garden. The kitchen in the school is an amazing bright space, which used to be a convent music room. Our particular class was going to be a demonstration class, but hands-on practical classes also on offer for the more dedicated students. 

The demonstration counter 

A wider view of the bright and airy room (#spotflynny to the side)

Watching Paul work was an educating experience. I'm no slouch at multitasking in the kitchen, but Mr Flynn is a whole different level. This shouldn't come as any great surprise, given his long experience in the cheffing game. He chatted and entertained as he chopped, diced and whisked his way through the dishes. We spent the morning watching him make the dishes for our lunch, including a fabulously fresh gazpacho, a vibrant Tuscan bread salad and a warming Moroccan chicken. Dessert was a wonderful Orange Almond Cake doused in a spiced orange syrup. 

Gazpacho

Moroccan Chicken

Panzanilla - Tuscan Bread Salad

Orange Almond Cake

As the dishes were completed, Paul and his lovely assistant piled them on the kitchen worktop and we then helped ourselves before taking a seat in the calm and serene dining room. Generous glasses of wine, and a common love of tasty food ensured that there was plenty of chat over lunch. We were treated to a visit from Twitter royalty in the form of Paul's wife and business partner Máire, along with their two angelic little girls. The Tannery is a real family business. 

Lunchtime in the elegant dining room

After lunch, we were more than a little sleepy, but Paul seemed to have gained in energy over lunch and he launched into Round Two of cooking. He churned out aubergine rolls with red pepper sauce, a comforting ham, cheese and potato cake, all finished off with an exotic and spiced fruit salad. Of course, we had to sample all this before we could depart! We rolled out of the Tannery holding our recipe booklets, hugely inspired by Paul's attitude to flavours and freshness. 

Aubergine Rolls

Spiced fruit salad

Ham, Cheese and Potato Cake

If you are interested in taking a course with Paul at the Tannery Cookery School, then you can check out the website below for more information on upcoming courses. If you want to make a weekend of it, it's also possible to combine a cookery class with a stay in the lovely Tannery B&B, as well as enjoying a meal in their famous restaurant. Or perhaps, given the proximity of the Christmas season, a trip to the Tannery Cookery School might make the perfect gift. 

The Tannery Cookery School, 10 Quay Street, Dungarvan, Co Waterford
Tel: +353 (0)58 45420
URL: www.tannery.ie/cookery-school
Twitter: @TanneryDungarva @paulflynnchef

Apple Crumble Cake

A while back, I posted my recipe for Apple & Oatmeal biscuits. When buying the apples to make those cookies, I ended up purchasing a large bag of Granny Smith's, so even after making the cookies, I still had apples coming out my backside. Therefore I decided to make an apple crumble cake. This a bit of a mixed bag, a bit like a crumble but with a light sponge-like base. The addition of a little cinnamon to the crumble gives it a little lift.You can pile it up with apples, resulting in a juicy, moist cake that goes lovely with a dollop of cream or scoop of ice-cream. (The photo below shows a slice of cake with the delicious vanilla ice-cream from Green & Blacks.)

For the sponge base

60g butter

100g caster sugar

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence

140g plain flour

1 teaspsoon baking powder

pinch of salt

80ml milk

3 Granny Smith apples

For the crumble

70g plain flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

40g butter, chilled and diced

70g soft light brown sugar

Pre-heat your oven to 170 degrees Celsius, then grease and flour a 20cm springform cake tin.

Start by making the crumble topping. Sif the flour and cinnamon together, then, using your fingertips, rub in the butter until you reach the famous "breadcrumb" stage. Mix in the sugar and set aside.

The next step is to make the sponge. Cream together the butter and sugar until plae in colour and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla essence and mix well, making sure that all ingredients are incorporated. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and add half this mixture to the butter and sugar along with half the milk. Mix well and then repeat with the other half. Once everything is well mixed, pour the batter into the prepared cake tin.

Peel, core and slice the apples and arrange them in circles on top of the batter. Be generous here, as the more apple you use, the moister and juicier the resulting cake will be. Finally, sprinkle the crumble topping on the apple slices, making sure to form an even layer.

Bake for about 35-45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown, and skewer comes out clean from the middle of the cake. Set aside to cool in the tin and then remove. Serve with some ice-cream while still gently warm, or else perhaps some custard or cream.

[Recipe] Chocolate & Cranberry Blondies

Chocolate & Cranberry Blondies

I wanted to make something sweet, and thanks to inspiration from the Fuzzy Times blog, I chose to make Blondies. These are chewy, fudgy biscuits, which are infinitely adaptable. Based on the contents of my cupboard, I ended up making mine with Terry's Chocolate Orange and dried cranberries. One of the major bonuses of this recipe is that it can be all done in a single bowl - so minimal washing up required.

Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius and well grease an 8"x8" baking tin.

• 100g butter
• 220g light brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• pinch of salt
• 140g plain flour, sifted
• 1 cup of ingredients (chopped nuts, chocolate chunks, fruit etc)

Melt the butter (I melted mine in the bowl, over a pan of boiling water), then mix very well with the sugar until smoothly combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla essence. Mix in the flour and salt, followed by your choice of flavoursome ingredients. Pour into the tin, smooth and bake in the over for 20 - 25 minutes until set. Don't let the mixture overcook - you want the middle to stay gooey. Leave to cool in the tin and turn out on a wire rack.

This cookbook is based on the ancient philosophy of Ayurveda - which breaks everything down into 5 elements: ether, air, fire, wind and water. Every person has a unique body type (either Vata, Pitta or Kapha) and by eating correctly for your body type, it is claimed that you can reduce stress, improve your health and sleep patterns. 

The book begins with an introduction and a questionnaire to identify your body type. I found it hard to identify myself as one of the three Ayurvedic body types described in Anjum's introductory text, but I did like the message that she is trying to send. In our western world, with busy deadlines and days, it is all too easy to forget to examine the food that we use to fuel our bodies.

Overall, it's a nice addition to my kitchen shelf as most of the recipes are light and healthy, made from fresh ingredients. I have no doubt that such food would make anyone feel healthier, fitter and slimmer if eaten regularly, but I don't see anything too dramatically different in this cookbook.

Roasted Red Pepper and Ham Risotto

Here's some roasted red pepper and smoked ham risotto which I cooked this evening. Filling and tasty, I just loved this risotto.

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

One of my favourite blogs, CheapEats.ie, recently featured a pumpkin cheesecake recipe in the run up to Halloween. My curiosity was well and truly piqued, so off I went to purchase a pumpkin and some cream cheese.

I roasted the pumpkin in chunks in the oven and then blitzed it quickly using my handheld blender. I made the cheesecake according to the recipe, with the sole addition of a 1/2 teaspoon of natural vanilla essence. I baked it for about 1 hour until the middle had started to firm, then I turned off the oven, opened the door, and left it to sit and cool for a while.

It's an absolutely delicious cheesecake and really benefits from sitting in the fridge for at least a day. I'd use a little less cinnamon powder the next time, as I feel that it does overpower the pumpkin flavour slightly but still.... there's nothing quite like a good cheesecake.

Supper for a Song - Tamasin Day-Lewis

Supper for a Song is billed as being for the clever cook in the cost-concious kitchen. Tamasin Day-Lewis is a well-regarded food writer with an eclectic style, and while this cookbook represents her style, I don't believe that it lives up to its billing as a count-the-cost and spare-the-energy cookbook.

To fully take advantage of a lot of the recipes would mean having a well-stocked larder or cupboard, and while this is an admirable way to be, I can't see a lot of cost-concious cooks fitting into this category.

I received this book as the evenings start to darken and I am immediately tempted by a lot of the receipes which promise warmth and filling on cold winter evenings. However, I did find the layout of the book to be distracting with a mixtures of savouries and starters, rather than more clearly defined sections.

It is a beautiful cookbook with an exciting and interesting mix of recipes and tips. I just feel that it is completely missold by the strapline on the cover.

How to cook snails...

From today's Irish Times, where Tom Doorley presents a hilarious extract from Monica Sheridan's book Monica's Kitchen.

Eton Mess

It's practically summertime, and that means that strawberries are now beginning to appear regularly in the shops. I adore strawberries, I could live on a diet of strawberries. I had my first taste of strawberries and cream (a la Wimbledon) when I was about 14 at the Lota annual charity summer fete. Ever since then, it's been an addiction.

I love them with cream, with balsamic vinegar, on their own, and especially when served in an Eton Mess. I made one the other night to celebrate the first punnet of summer strawberries. It's so simple to make but so delicious.

I make mine by taking some whipped cream, and crumbling meringues into the cream. Slice some strawberries and layer them in a bowl with the meringue cream mix. Enjoy.

Basil and Walnut Pesto

I bought a bag of basil leaves recently, only to discover another bag sitting at the bottom of the fridge when I got home. I'd completely forgotten about it. It was practically full but only slightly wilted, but I hated the idea of letting it go to waste.

I then realised that I also had some leftover walnuts in the cupboard from when I made gluten-free chocolate brownies, so I decided to try making some pesto with the basil and walnuts.

I threw the basil leaves, walnuts, parmesan cheese and some olive oil into the blender and blitzed away. I found that the pesto needed more cheese than normal, probably due to the strong nature of the walnuts, but it turned out delicious.

I poured it into a container and poured a thin layer of oil on top to keep it covered until it's needed.

Creme Patissiere

I love french patisserie and I never cease to be amazed at the level of sophistication that the French bring to the world of desserts. A few weeks ago I had strawberries in the fridge and the desire grew strong within me for a Tarte aux Fraises (most probably inspired by my recent visit to the excellent Chez Max).

The tarte didn't turn out too great as I put too much liquid into my pate sucree (sweet pastry), but the creme patissiere turned out amazing. I used Gordon Ramsay's recipe from his book Just Desserts. People tend to forget that Gordon Ramsay is a very classically trained French chef and this book of dessert recipes is quite inspiring (and technical too).


Here's the recipe (makes about 650 ml). It makes a great filling for eclairs and pastries and is the base for classic hot sweet souffles.

350ml whole milk
150ml double cream
75g caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, split, seeds extracted
1 large free-range egg
3 large free-range egg yolks
40g cornflour

Put the milk and cream in a heavy-based saucepan along with 1 tblsp of the sugar, the vanilla seeds (you can also use natural vanilla extract) and the empty pod. Slowly bring to the boil.

In the meantime, beat the egg, egg yolks and sugar until pale and creamy. Sift a third of the cornflour into the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Repeat two more times with the rest of the cornflour.

When the milk is on the point of boiling, slowly pour a third onto the egg mixture while beating continuously. Gradually pour in the rest of the milk, whisking all the time. Take out the vanilla pod.

Return the milk and egg mixture to the heat. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking all the time, until thick and smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and cool until needed.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Brownies

I had a craving to do some baking while sitting at work today, so I decided to make a batch of chocolate brownies. I had some dark Moser Roth chocolate (from Aldi) in the cupboard at home, along with ground almonds, so I knew that I'd have no problems making them.

I particularly like this Moser Roth chocolate. Thanks to Aldi, it's great value and there is a fantastic orange and almond variety that I'm becoming very partial to. I'd recommend getting chocolate with a high cocoa content as there is enough sugar already in this recipe.

75g dark chocolate
100g butter
200g castor sugar
75g ground almonds
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp baking powder (gluten-free variety)
1-2 tsp vanilla essence
pinch of salt
coarsely chopped walnuts

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over some hot water. Cream the butter and sugar together and gradually incorporate the beaten eggs. While beating, slowly add the melted chocolate and vanilla essence. Mix in the almonds, salt, baking powder and walnuts. Pour into a lined and greased baking tin and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30-35 minutes. Leave to cool in the tin and turn out when still a little warm.