The sauce that I was used to serve with the dish on the photo above, was based on the classic French sauce: the sauce vin blanc (white wine sauce). Auguste Escoffier, in the guide culinaire, describes three basic recipes for the sauce vin blanc. Here I will give you his directions for the white wine sauce as well as the one that I was used to make as a base for the seafood sauce that was used to accompany this fish dish.
First sauce vin blanc recipe:
1 litre sauce veloute made with fish sock. Continue reading »
Published February 21st, 2008
Risotto is something I shied away from for a long time; I’m not sure what was wrong with me, was it the horror stories about how easily it can go wrong? Was it the thoughts of eating a plate of rice on its own? Was it the texture? I don’t really know. While out in the – now reduced to ashes – Avoca shop in Bunratty a few months ago, I spotted a box of DeCecco Arborio rice and decided it was about time I grew up and tried cooking risotto. Continue reading »
Published February 21st, 2008
The veggie garden is looking a little sad at this stage in the year. Just a few scraggly kale plants, as-yet-unformed purple sprouting broccoli – but we still have some leeks, when we remember to cook them! Continue reading »
Published February 21st, 2008
Donnybrook Fair are running their annual wine sale at the moment, this gives 20% off any wine that they stock. From a quick rummaging through their shelves it appears that this sale is highly successful. Normally I have a hard time dealing with the prices on wine in DF and as a result don’t buy much wine their, despite them stocking some extremely desirable wines. Continue reading »
Published February 21st, 2008
One of the new projects for Recipe4Living in 2008 that we’re very excited about is the launch of our product review program. Our enthusiastic users signed up in the newsletter to become product testers and when we have products to review, we ship them off to them. It’s an easy way for us to reward our loyal subscribers with some fun, free stuff. Continue reading »
Published February 20th, 2008
SILVER SPRINGS ENCORE
An almost accidental return (my first booked restaurant, nearby, was closed unexpectedly) to Silversprings gave me the chance to try out the Watermarq restaurant again. Aside from some over-cooked vegetables, there was nothing to complain about and we paid about €93.00 for two starters, two mains, two desserts and a bottle of wine.
My starter was a Tomato and Mozzarella cheese salad. Nothing spectacular but certainly up to scratch. Continue reading »
Published February 20th, 2008
Can’t talk. Eating.
Adapted from How to be a Domestic Goddess.
SNICKERS AND PEANUT-BUTTER MUFFINS
250g plain flour
85g caster sugar
1 1/2 tbls baking powder
pinch of salt
few drops of vanilla extract
160g crunchy peanut butter
60g unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
175ml milk
5 x 65g Snickers (4 for the recipe, 1 for you)
handful of honey roasted peanuts, optional
Preheat the oven to 200 C. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases or with squares of parchment paper. Continue reading »
Published February 20th, 2008
I am sure that many of you have already guessed who the winner of the prize is and for those of you worried that it might be Scotland or Wales I am very happy to announce that the winner in my quest to find the world’s best food country is…..Italy! In all fairness how could it ever have been anywhere else, it was pretty much a no contest apart from their neighbours the French who only lost by a short head with their defeat having more to do with their arrogance than culinary matters. Continue reading »
Published February 20th, 2008
Bertrand Celce is the great mind behind one of the most fascinating wine blogs available at the moment (http://www.wineterroirs.com). It isn’t updated as frequently as most (you get a post a week at best) and it doesn’t just stick to what it’s titled to do (Wine Discovery, wine tasting and vineyards in France) but what it delivers is some of the most interesting and entertaining personal gastronomic and oenological experiences documented online today. Continue reading »
Published February 20th, 2008
A reader of this blog emailed me asking for a green tea ice cream recipe, so here it is! It’s a recipe that will be in the upcoming book, and it’s one I love.
In New York, where I grew up, Asian food was part of the staple diet. Whether Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, or Korean, the standard was high and the variety amazing. Some of the best meals I have ever eaten were Asian cooking, and my dessert of choice, when available, was green tea ice cream. Continue reading »
Published February 20th, 2008
It’s nearly a week late on this, but my tale of Valentine’s Day woe is worth the wait… well for a good laugh if nothing else. Planning a romantic evening, as some of you will know, with a six-week-old baby in tow is quite difficult. So we opted for the simple. Open bottle of bubbly kindly donated by Mrs S, order a takeaway and ask the Sky Plus box to show us the Bourne Ultimatum.The best-laid plans of mice and men… and all that. Continue reading »
Published February 20th, 2008
Over the weekend I decided to make some garlic crostini. Similar to bruschetta, it’s an Italian inspired appetizer that’s both simple and flavorful. And since I had some olive oil t use up, it was the perfect solution.
So, just like Maxine’s Snickerdoodles, we’re going to take it Step by Step. Continue reading »
Published February 19th, 2008
A debate has been raging in my own head for a couple of years now as to what is the best type of meat out there. There are as you would imagine three main contenders….lamb, pork and beef and even though there are plenty of other fantastic meats out there like game, poultry and venison they don’t have the range of possibilities that the big 3 have! Continue reading »
Published February 19th, 2008
I’d a busy weekend just gone. I’d to get my windscreen repaired on Saturday morning which meant spending three hours in town which wasn’t all bad as the weather was cold and dry; perfect for an amble around the Milk Market followed by breakfast and coffee with friends.
There was a real bustle about the market square with many of the stalls that had taken much deserved time off in January back on the scene along with some new-comers. Continue reading »
Published February 19th, 2008
I was on RTÉ Radio 1’s Mooney programme yesterday talking about baking and breadmaking – if you’re interested, you can listen here (I’m on after the 4pm news!) and here are some links to recipes that I either mentioned, or intended on mentioning, during the show. Continue reading »
Published February 19th, 2008
Royale café, London, Oscar Wilde’s favourite absinthe tasting place
“Absinthe has a wonderful color, green. A glass of absinthe is as poetical as anything in the world. What difference is there between a glass of absinthe and a sunset?”
Oscar Wilde
As Oscar Wilde many 19’s centuries authors, essayists and paintors have abused of the green liqueur: absinthe. They, even named it the “green fairy”. Continue reading »
Published February 19th, 2008
After 3/4 days tasting in Champagne or Burgundy the first place I head for in Paris is the Japanese quarter (near the Opera House). There’s nothing I enjoy more after a weekend/few days of too much wine and rich food than a nice, clean, simple & tasty meal. Continue reading »
Published February 19th, 2008
The weekend
was spent being a culture vulture in my home town, as the Unfringed Festival
has been on all over town and keeps going for another week. Lots of theatre is
on in lots of spaces, including an outdoor one I ventured to in the freeze of
Saturday night. Cars and performers combined to create a, well, a performance
piece. The weather didn’t help my appreciation of the moving installation but fair
play to all those involved. Continue reading »
Published February 18th, 2008
Dublin Corporation Fruit and Vegetable Market on St Michan’s Street in Smithfield
is a wonderful place to visit with around 30 stallholders selling
fruit and vegetables, flowers and plants. The wholesale market first opened in 1892 and the building is
one of Dublin’s least known architectural treasures. Some of the stalls have been run by families
for up to 5 generations. Derek Leonard’s great grandmother was one of the first to set up
stall in 1892 and he still carries on the family tradition. The sale of fish, meat and vegetables
in the area of the market has been carried on since medieval times when St Mary’s Abbey held fairs on the Green
(now the site of Green St Courthouse). Later there were markets around Green Street and St Mary’s Lane. Continue reading »
Published February 18th, 2008
2nd Place France
5th Place, South Africa 4th Place, Spain3rd Place, America
I don’t think there was ever a doubt that France would make it into this list but the fact that the strong favourite has been beaten into second place is a real turn up for the books.When you think of good food France is probably one of the first countries that springs to mind and if it were not for the quality of our winner France would certainly have taken home the honours! Continue reading »
Published February 18th, 2008
