One of the events that heralds the end of autumn is always the the Samhain Festival of Food & Culture in Kells, Co Meath. It was a great gathering of food producers, chefs and people who love food. I always enjoy these events as I meet so many people and come across new producers from all over the country.
As part of my cooking demo, I did three dishes: chicken satay skewers which are always a lovely weekend treat, cajun salmon with a red pepper dressing which is a very tasty way to increase those important Omega-3s in your diet and for dessert, it was a lemon curd crumble. This is a lovely, zingy twist on a crumble and I’ll be sure to share the recipe soon. I was guided through my demo by food journalist, Ali Dunworth, who is always great to work with.
Afterwards I did a book signing. It’s lovely to meet readers who have a genuine interest in food and cooking. These conversations always inspire my upcoming recipes.
I even did an interview for PBS television in America. It was for an independent Irish TV company and it is great to see Irish food making a splash all over the world. We get so many visitors from America and a good few make their way to MacNean House & Restaurant. We are always happy to see them.
So now that autumn has moved into winter, and the Christmas lights are up, it’s time to talk about our annual festive celebration of food. I’m back to my annual mantra about Christmas. Our preparations are well underway, as thinking ahead saves a lot of time.
Christmas is not a time for stressing out. It is a time for relaxing and enjoying friends and family. So it is well worth making it it as easy on yourself as possible. Today’s two recipes are worth keeping in mind. Try them out now and you may well come back to them over the Christmas period.
These cinnamon swirl mince pies are easier to make and quicker than traditional mince pies. They are best made fresh and served immediately out of the oven. I made them for my Christmas special television show last week. They went down well, particularly with our cameraman, Billy Keady – a man who knows his mince pies. He texted me at the weekend to say that he had made them at home, so they must have passed the test.
It would never be difficult to get a crew for the Christmas programmes. But I will be sticking with Billy and with Ray de Brún and Andy Smith because, as well as being so good, they are great fun and we really enjoy making those programmes. They are like a good recipe – tried and tested. And I must say a big thank you to Brian Walsh from RTÉ who came down to see us in Limerick. Brian has been responsible for commissioning my programmes from day one. He is taking retirement from RTÉ and all of us wish him the very best.
Family farm
For good mincemeat, I always recommend Foods of Athenry, a family business with Siobhán and Paul Lawless at the helm. They transformed their family farm into a bakery some 20 years ago and have been a great success. And as you know, for puff pastry, look no further than Mairéad Finnegan at Roll It.
I was delighted to bump into her at the Samhain Festival and we had a good catch up. Roll It is easy to find in most supermarkets. I love the ground cinnamon in this recipe. It always goes well with apples and it is great on cupcakes.
This leftover Christmas strudel does just what it says in the tin. I throw in everything but the kitchen sink! This is a relatively new recipe for me but I’m delighted with how well it turned out.
Keep an eye out for the Christmas programmes in December on RTÉ
Cinnamon swirl mince pies
Ingredients: Makes 12
Plain flour, for dusting
1 pack puff pastry, thawed and fridge cold
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
25g butter
180g mincemeat
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk
For the vanilla frost dip:
50g butter, at room temperature
100g cream cheese
75g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp double cream
Pinch of sea salt
Method
1. Preheat to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry into a 30 x 50cm rectangle. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the pastry. Then roll up tightly lengthways to create a long log. Cut into 24x2cm thick rounds, then lightly roll 12 into 6cm circles so that you have discs large enough to fit the holes of a mini muffin tin.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave and use to brush the holes of the muffin tin generously with it. Put the pastry discs into the holes of the tin, pressing them into the bases and up the sides. Divide the mincemeat between the cases – about 15g in each one is about right, then brush with the beaten egg mixture.
3. Gently press the rest of the pastry rolls into a 4cm cinnamon swirl, securing the ‘tail’ of each one with a little of the egg mixture. Sit them on top of the filled bases and gently press down to secure.
Chill for 30 minutes, then brush the tops with the rest of the egg mixture and bake for 25 minutes until crisp and golden.
4. Meanwhile, make the vanilla frost dip. Put the butter and cream cheese in a bowl and whisk using a handheld blender for 1-2 minutes until smooth and well combined. Sift in the icing sugar and add the vanilla and cream with the salt and whisk again for another few minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Serve the cinnamon swirl mince pies warm or at room temperature with the vanilla frost dip in small bowls alongside.
Leftover Christmas strudel
Neven Maguire's Leftover Christmas Strudel. \ Janine Kennedy
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
1 pack puff pastry, thawed
Plain flour, for dusting
400g leftover Christmas goodies,
such as Christmas Pudding, cake,
chocolate, mincemeat (use a selection or just one depending on what is leftover)
1 Bramley apple
1 pear
2 oat and ginger cookies
1 tbsp honey
1 free range corn fed egg,
beaten with 1 tbsp milk
1 carton Irish-made vanilla bean custard
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Roll out the pastry to a 30 x 40cm rectangle on a lightly floured work surface. Put on a large parchment lined baking sheet and chill until needed.
2. Finely chop the apple and pears leaving the cores behind and put in a large bowl.
3. Break up all the Christmas goodies and ginger cookies into small pieces and add those. Drizzle over the honey and stir with a spatula until evenly combined.
4. Remove the pastry from the fridge and put the filling down the middle. Bring the sides up and tuck in the top and bottom, trimming down any excess pastry at the ends as you do it. Then carefully turn the strudel over on the parchment lined baking sheet. Using a small sharp knife, make light cuts in the pastry, then brush with the beaten egg mixture and bake for 40 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
5. Carve into slices and arrange on plates with a dollop of the custard to serve.
One of the events that heralds the end of autumn is always the the Samhain Festival of Food & Culture in Kells, Co Meath. It was a great gathering of food producers, chefs and people who love food. I always enjoy these events as I meet so many people and come across new producers from all over the country.
As part of my cooking demo, I did three dishes: chicken satay skewers which are always a lovely weekend treat, cajun salmon with a red pepper dressing which is a very tasty way to increase those important Omega-3s in your diet and for dessert, it was a lemon curd crumble. This is a lovely, zingy twist on a crumble and I’ll be sure to share the recipe soon. I was guided through my demo by food journalist, Ali Dunworth, who is always great to work with.
Afterwards I did a book signing. It’s lovely to meet readers who have a genuine interest in food and cooking. These conversations always inspire my upcoming recipes.
I even did an interview for PBS television in America. It was for an independent Irish TV company and it is great to see Irish food making a splash all over the world. We get so many visitors from America and a good few make their way to MacNean House & Restaurant. We are always happy to see them.
So now that autumn has moved into winter, and the Christmas lights are up, it’s time to talk about our annual festive celebration of food. I’m back to my annual mantra about Christmas. Our preparations are well underway, as thinking ahead saves a lot of time.
Christmas is not a time for stressing out. It is a time for relaxing and enjoying friends and family. So it is well worth making it it as easy on yourself as possible. Today’s two recipes are worth keeping in mind. Try them out now and you may well come back to them over the Christmas period.
These cinnamon swirl mince pies are easier to make and quicker than traditional mince pies. They are best made fresh and served immediately out of the oven. I made them for my Christmas special television show last week. They went down well, particularly with our cameraman, Billy Keady – a man who knows his mince pies. He texted me at the weekend to say that he had made them at home, so they must have passed the test.
It would never be difficult to get a crew for the Christmas programmes. But I will be sticking with Billy and with Ray de Brún and Andy Smith because, as well as being so good, they are great fun and we really enjoy making those programmes. They are like a good recipe – tried and tested. And I must say a big thank you to Brian Walsh from RTÉ who came down to see us in Limerick. Brian has been responsible for commissioning my programmes from day one. He is taking retirement from RTÉ and all of us wish him the very best.
Family farm
For good mincemeat, I always recommend Foods of Athenry, a family business with Siobhán and Paul Lawless at the helm. They transformed their family farm into a bakery some 20 years ago and have been a great success. And as you know, for puff pastry, look no further than Mairéad Finnegan at Roll It.
I was delighted to bump into her at the Samhain Festival and we had a good catch up. Roll It is easy to find in most supermarkets. I love the ground cinnamon in this recipe. It always goes well with apples and it is great on cupcakes.
This leftover Christmas strudel does just what it says in the tin. I throw in everything but the kitchen sink! This is a relatively new recipe for me but I’m delighted with how well it turned out.
Keep an eye out for the Christmas programmes in December on RTÉ
Cinnamon swirl mince pies
Ingredients: Makes 12
Plain flour, for dusting
1 pack puff pastry, thawed and fridge cold
3 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
25g butter
180g mincemeat
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp milk
For the vanilla frost dip:
50g butter, at room temperature
100g cream cheese
75g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp double cream
Pinch of sea salt
Method
1. Preheat to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry into a 30 x 50cm rectangle. Combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the pastry. Then roll up tightly lengthways to create a long log. Cut into 24x2cm thick rounds, then lightly roll 12 into 6cm circles so that you have discs large enough to fit the holes of a mini muffin tin.
2. Melt the butter in a small pan or in the microwave and use to brush the holes of the muffin tin generously with it. Put the pastry discs into the holes of the tin, pressing them into the bases and up the sides. Divide the mincemeat between the cases – about 15g in each one is about right, then brush with the beaten egg mixture.
3. Gently press the rest of the pastry rolls into a 4cm cinnamon swirl, securing the ‘tail’ of each one with a little of the egg mixture. Sit them on top of the filled bases and gently press down to secure.
Chill for 30 minutes, then brush the tops with the rest of the egg mixture and bake for 25 minutes until crisp and golden.
4. Meanwhile, make the vanilla frost dip. Put the butter and cream cheese in a bowl and whisk using a handheld blender for 1-2 minutes until smooth and well combined. Sift in the icing sugar and add the vanilla and cream with the salt and whisk again for another few minutes until light and fluffy.
5. Serve the cinnamon swirl mince pies warm or at room temperature with the vanilla frost dip in small bowls alongside.
Leftover Christmas strudel
Neven Maguire's Leftover Christmas Strudel. \ Janine Kennedy
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
1 pack puff pastry, thawed
Plain flour, for dusting
400g leftover Christmas goodies,
such as Christmas Pudding, cake,
chocolate, mincemeat (use a selection or just one depending on what is leftover)
1 Bramley apple
1 pear
2 oat and ginger cookies
1 tbsp honey
1 free range corn fed egg,
beaten with 1 tbsp milk
1 carton Irish-made vanilla bean custard
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Roll out the pastry to a 30 x 40cm rectangle on a lightly floured work surface. Put on a large parchment lined baking sheet and chill until needed.
2. Finely chop the apple and pears leaving the cores behind and put in a large bowl.
3. Break up all the Christmas goodies and ginger cookies into small pieces and add those. Drizzle over the honey and stir with a spatula until evenly combined.
4. Remove the pastry from the fridge and put the filling down the middle. Bring the sides up and tuck in the top and bottom, trimming down any excess pastry at the ends as you do it. Then carefully turn the strudel over on the parchment lined baking sheet. Using a small sharp knife, make light cuts in the pastry, then brush with the beaten egg mixture and bake for 40 minutes until cooked through and golden brown.
5. Carve into slices and arrange on plates with a dollop of the custard to serve.
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