I would imagine balsamic vinegar is a household staple these days. I use it a lot in the summer when at least twice a week salad will be on the menu as an accompaniment to something else. But recently I was disheartened to find out that I’d never actually tried balsamic vinegar in my life. That’s the real balsamic vinegar I’m talking about.  Continue reading »

Langmeil Eden
Valley Chardonnay 2010 13%, Curious Wines €11.99, 4.5 stars

Not all plain sailing in South Australia (pic by Langmeil)

I liked this one from Curious Wines,  an excellent expression of this widely
grown grape from a producer best known for its Shiraz. And it goes straight to my list of 2011 favourites.

Colour is a very pale straw and it has an inviting aromatic
nose.  Continue reading »

These offerings are all good for you. From couscous and wheat pockets to wholesome cookies and healthy chocolate alternatives, these products are all terrific choices for anyone who is trying to eat healthy without sacrificing taste! Read on to see what products you should be trying to get your brain thinking and your body moving!  Continue reading »

My beans are coming in. This time I tried French yellow & green bush beans vs last year’s pole beans since I have corn growing as well. But I think my fig tree is blocking the sun too much so they’re not big and bushy like I had envisioned they’d be but they are producing, which I’m thrilled about.  Continue reading »

Autumn is quietly beginning to knock. The wasps have grown fat and exhausted trying to harvest the fruit of my dad’s plum tree, but they’ve barely made a dent.
Dad is eager to offload the plums on random passersby, as he reckons it’s a matter of weeks, if not days, before this year’s unusually generous crop shrivels. Next stop: blackberries.  Continue reading »

I’d never heard of Peggy Porschen before her book landed in my letterbox. But I was instantly smitten by how pretty it was and very much taken by its title.
‘Peggy’s Favourite Cakes and Cookies… how to make every occasion special’ – doesn’t that sound like the perfect book for an enthusiastic baker like me?

  
I flipped to the back of the book to find out more about Peggy and was impressed by her credentials.  Continue reading »

Laurenz or Lenz Moser isn’t just The Grüner Guy, though anyone who has met on this shores will be forgiven for thinking so. On his regular visits, his trousers match the colour of his purple trimmed Charming Grüner Veltliner. Like the wine, he is himself charming.
While he is arguably the best foreign ambassador his native Austrian grape, Grüner Veltliner, he is responsible for far more than the seductive white which has been gaining ground and fans over the last 4-5 years.  Continue reading »

Last weekend was the start of my Big Birthday Celebrations… this is going to continue for 6 weeks by the way, so brace yourselves!   Dinner at Wilde The Restaurant was included as part of the package we had booked at The Westbury, so we all arrived downstairs looking like goddesses and tottered our way into the Marble Bar for a pre-dinner cocktail (also part of the package).  The cocktail menu.  Continue reading »

FOLLÁIN: MO GRÁ MÓR

August in a sunny field picking blackberries. Boys and girls all around.
Loads of mature briars growing, lots of black berries. Bees and wasps whizzing. Jar
in hands as we push into the briars. A big can standing on the margins,
probably the same can that is used to bring the milk from the farmer every
evening.

Just a little reverie. Brought on after tasting the magical Blackberry jam made
by Folláin in West Cork. It is the real thing. Gorgeous.  Continue reading »

Aunt Irma’s Mole Paste

It is always wonderful to be back home, even if it is for a few weeks only. The weather is always sunny, you can see and smell the heat of the day from the moment you open your eyes in the morning, the house is filled with all my relatives and friends and mam’s kitchen and her lovely and talented hands are always at my disposal, granting every single culinary wish and craving I have. A case of the prodigal daughter is back.  Continue reading »

A.  Continue reading »

22 crepe pancakes layered with a lemon curd mousse, topped with a final pancake with a sucre brûlée finish and bluberries.
I don’t enjoy baking, but once a month I am obliged to contribute to a bake-off in work. I don’t know what it is about baking that turns me off. Perhaps it’s the precison required and the strictness of the recipes. I know I have issues with being told what to do and this somehow morphs into difficulties with following recipes.  Continue reading »

<img src="http://www.anygivenfood.com/assets/meatcounter.jpg" alt="Butcher Shop by nep on Flickr (Creative Commons)" title="Butcher Shop by nep on Flickr (Creative Commons)” width=”470″ height=”300″ class=”size-full wp-image-1148″ />
Butcher Shop by nep on Flickr (Creative Commons)

A mail landed in my inbox over the weekend from Zara Flynn who, along with her father, is putting together a brand new cookbook – The Butcher and Us – and is looking for recipe submissions of Irish people’s favourite recipes.  Continue reading »

22 crepe pancakes layered with a lemon curd mousse, topped with a final pancake with a sucre brûlée finish and bluberries.
I don’t enjoy baking, but once a month I am obliged to contribute to a bake-off in work. I don’t know what it is about baking that turns me off. Perhaps it’s the precison required and the strictness of the recipes. I know I have issues with being told what to do and this somehow morphs into difficulties with following recipes.  Continue reading »

Votes are now open for the Irish Internet Association’s (IIA) Dot ie Net Visionary Awards 2011 to be held in Dublin next month. And I was delighted to find out that we have been shortlisted for ‘The Best Use of Social Media’ category.
There are only four shortlisted for each of the fourteen categories, so everyone on the shortlist has a pretty good chance of taking the gong home.  Continue reading »

You may have heard about the rant Anthony Bourdain went on regarding the various hosts featured on the Food Network. He criticized the influence and even the personalities of everyone from Guy Fieri to Rachael Ray. His comments may be warranted to some despite the fact that they were unprovoked (though he has apparently been repeatedly asked who he thinks the ‘worse chefs’ are). Read more to see how he saved the ‘best’ for last- for Paula Deen herself.  Continue reading »

Recently I reserved The Goat Street Café, Dingle for a private function. Having had the pleasure of dining here before I knew that, under normal restaurant circumstances, the food is pretty good. I approached the chef/proprietor, Ed, about making the reservation and he was really helpful. He offered us an excellent menu – two courses for €20.00, three for €24.00 and €5.00 supplement for a steak option.  Continue reading »

At the moment life is sitting quite happily in limbo, as we fall between the seasons of late Summer and early Autumn.  There is still warmth in the air, yet I’m beginning to be drawn back to the more heavy and slow cooked dishes.  While it can easily be argued that Ireland got a fairly awful Summer this year, I haven’t been left short on Summer produce.  My tomatoes, while slightly late are starting to turn a rich red and my proud pumpkin patch which has long been developing a personality of its own, now sits watching our living room overlooking slightly ominously, ready to engulf the house with ever expanding tendrils, the moment we turn our backs.  While everything is in full bloom and plants are still growing, said pumpkin patch is a great reminder that, it won’t be more that a month or two, before I will be cutting the stalks of what I hope will be heavy orange fruits, reminding me further of the fact that the days are getting shorter and colder.  Continue reading »

The Method
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Whisk together the yeast, water and honey and allow to stand for a few minutes until frothy, then stir through the olive oil.

Make a well in the flour and pour in the wet mix. Using your fingertips, slowly bring the flour in from the sides and continue to mix until a rough dough forms.

Turn out the dough on to a floured work surface and knead for about five minutes.  Continue reading »

Congratulations to Susan Bampton of London on winning 600g of Kinvara Organic Smoked Salmon in our recent wine suggestion competition.
Susan’s recommendation of  Greywacke Marlborough Wild Sauvignon 2009 was selected as the best suggestion of wine to complement Kinvara Organic Smoked Salmon.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in the competition and stay tuned for other offers and competitions throughout the year.  Continue reading »