This week is a very busy week with our Chef’s Table. We will be having one three nights this week. I always enjoy these evenings. We have groups from a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 20 and we host in the cookery school.
When we invested in this building, which adjoins the restaurant, we planned so that it could have multiple uses. This was a business decision as I could not bear to see it idle too often. I am from Cavan!
Over the years, as well as being a cookery school, we have had great fun broadcasting a radio show from here, with Marty Whelan using it as the location for his radio programme on Lyric recently. We have also shot plenty of videos here. Last year, we shot some of the cookery school for my show Christmas Specials, along with the beautiful No 1 Pery Square in Limerick.
The other main use is for our Chef’s Table where I cook in front of our guests with Claire Beasley, the same chef who often joins me on demos. It is a great space and it takes a short amount of time to change it from one purpose to another.
People often ask me what exactly a Chef’s Table is. Well the guests essentially eat together in their own private dining room. As we are so close to the restaurant people often have a drink there beforehand, or in the lovely outside area, which guests particularly enjoy. It is covered in parts so is used by people all year round.
Groups are often celebrating a birthday or some family occasion and they sit down at 7.30pm for a nine-course menu with choices. Sometimes people come over to ask me questions as we are cooking and I am always happy to chat. Most are just happy to enjoy the meal and that is what it is all about.
I serve each of the courses and give a brief description of what they are eating. We can match wines with courses, or people can choose whatever they want. At the end I have a book for everyone and am happy to sign it with a message.
Three in a week is as much as we have ever done but I know I will enjoy every minute of it. It has turned out to be a great way to use the cookery school area and one that we were not sure would take off when we planned and built it. It just goes to show you have to try some things to see if they will work.
Fancy brunch?
Today we have two recipes that are ideal for brunch, a late breakfast, or for lunch.
For puff pastry I always recommend Roll It, made with butter by Mairead Finnegan in Kells, Co Meath. It give real lightness and flavour to the tart. Butter is the key. For dry cured rashers look out for O’Neills Dry Cure Bacon Company from Enniscorthy.
We use their bacon in the restaurant and it is excellent. I only recently came across tomato kasundi made by Filligan’s of Donegal and I love it. There is great depth of taste in this chutney and it is slightly spicy. Delicious.
The chilli in this recipe is optional. Indeed chilli is nearly always optional and to suit your taste. Some chillis are too hot and they overpower flavour so be careful and look out for one that suits you. Sriracha is worth a try. To finish off this tart you could crumble some black and white pudding over it.
The ham and cheddar muffins is a gem of a recipe that I used for a Simply Better video a while ago and thought it was a good one to share with you. Again it is ideal almost any time of the day and you can make it ahead and freeze it. Do get good ham – that is important. You may have leftover ham that was baked or boiled over a weekend and you could shred that in. Good cheddar cheese really makes it.
Enjoy.
Whiskey bacon egg and tomato tart
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
1 packet all butter frozen puff pastry,
thawed and fridge cold
150g Italian Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana
2 tbsp tomato kasundi spiced Italian chutney
10 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
4 corn-fed eggs
2tbsp hot chilli sauce
1 pack whiskey smoked dry
cured Irish back rashers
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan (400°F). Roll out the puff pastry to a large rectangle measuring 24cm X 32cm and place on a parchment lined baking tray.
2. Cut a 5cm border around the edge of the pastry to allow the edges to puff up and rise when baking. Spread the
tomato kasundi chutney over the centre of the pastry then tear the mozzarella and scatter half of the cheese on top.
3. Lay the rashers across the centre of
the pastry, folding them slightly to allow for little pockets to catch the eggs,
sprinkle over the strips of sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Crack the eggs onto the tart, top with the remaining torn mozzarella and drizzle over some hot chilli sauce.
Transfer the tray to the oven and cook for 20–25 minutes until golden and the eggs are just cooked.
5. Serve immediately with the remaining chilli sauce, and enjoy.
Irish ham and cheddar breakfast muffins
Irish ham and cheddar breakfast muffins.
Photographer: Philip Doyle.
Food styling: Janine Kennedy.
Ingredients: Makes 12
320g self-raising flour
140g tomato relish, plus extra to serve
2 packs thinly carved honey and
clove ham, shredded
75g baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 pack chives, finely chopped
150g vintage cheddar, grated
100ml Italian extra virgin olive oil
250ml milk
2 free-range corn-fed large eggs
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan (350°F). Place the flour, relish, ham, spinach, chives, cheddar, oil, milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix until just combined.
2. Divide the mixture between 12 muffin tins lined with paper cases and cook for 25-30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
3. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve with the extra tomato relish.
This week is a very busy week with our Chef’s Table. We will be having one three nights this week. I always enjoy these evenings. We have groups from a minimum of 12 to a maximum of 20 and we host in the cookery school.
When we invested in this building, which adjoins the restaurant, we planned so that it could have multiple uses. This was a business decision as I could not bear to see it idle too often. I am from Cavan!
Over the years, as well as being a cookery school, we have had great fun broadcasting a radio show from here, with Marty Whelan using it as the location for his radio programme on Lyric recently. We have also shot plenty of videos here. Last year, we shot some of the cookery school for my show Christmas Specials, along with the beautiful No 1 Pery Square in Limerick.
The other main use is for our Chef’s Table where I cook in front of our guests with Claire Beasley, the same chef who often joins me on demos. It is a great space and it takes a short amount of time to change it from one purpose to another.
People often ask me what exactly a Chef’s Table is. Well the guests essentially eat together in their own private dining room. As we are so close to the restaurant people often have a drink there beforehand, or in the lovely outside area, which guests particularly enjoy. It is covered in parts so is used by people all year round.
Groups are often celebrating a birthday or some family occasion and they sit down at 7.30pm for a nine-course menu with choices. Sometimes people come over to ask me questions as we are cooking and I am always happy to chat. Most are just happy to enjoy the meal and that is what it is all about.
I serve each of the courses and give a brief description of what they are eating. We can match wines with courses, or people can choose whatever they want. At the end I have a book for everyone and am happy to sign it with a message.
Three in a week is as much as we have ever done but I know I will enjoy every minute of it. It has turned out to be a great way to use the cookery school area and one that we were not sure would take off when we planned and built it. It just goes to show you have to try some things to see if they will work.
Fancy brunch?
Today we have two recipes that are ideal for brunch, a late breakfast, or for lunch.
For puff pastry I always recommend Roll It, made with butter by Mairead Finnegan in Kells, Co Meath. It give real lightness and flavour to the tart. Butter is the key. For dry cured rashers look out for O’Neills Dry Cure Bacon Company from Enniscorthy.
We use their bacon in the restaurant and it is excellent. I only recently came across tomato kasundi made by Filligan’s of Donegal and I love it. There is great depth of taste in this chutney and it is slightly spicy. Delicious.
The chilli in this recipe is optional. Indeed chilli is nearly always optional and to suit your taste. Some chillis are too hot and they overpower flavour so be careful and look out for one that suits you. Sriracha is worth a try. To finish off this tart you could crumble some black and white pudding over it.
The ham and cheddar muffins is a gem of a recipe that I used for a Simply Better video a while ago and thought it was a good one to share with you. Again it is ideal almost any time of the day and you can make it ahead and freeze it. Do get good ham – that is important. You may have leftover ham that was baked or boiled over a weekend and you could shred that in. Good cheddar cheese really makes it.
Enjoy.
Whiskey bacon egg and tomato tart
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
1 packet all butter frozen puff pastry,
thawed and fridge cold
150g Italian Mozzarella Di Bufala Campana
2 tbsp tomato kasundi spiced Italian chutney
10 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
4 corn-fed eggs
2tbsp hot chilli sauce
1 pack whiskey smoked dry
cured Irish back rashers
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan (400°F). Roll out the puff pastry to a large rectangle measuring 24cm X 32cm and place on a parchment lined baking tray.
2. Cut a 5cm border around the edge of the pastry to allow the edges to puff up and rise when baking. Spread the
tomato kasundi chutney over the centre of the pastry then tear the mozzarella and scatter half of the cheese on top.
3. Lay the rashers across the centre of
the pastry, folding them slightly to allow for little pockets to catch the eggs,
sprinkle over the strips of sun-dried tomatoes.
4. Crack the eggs onto the tart, top with the remaining torn mozzarella and drizzle over some hot chilli sauce.
Transfer the tray to the oven and cook for 20–25 minutes until golden and the eggs are just cooked.
5. Serve immediately with the remaining chilli sauce, and enjoy.
Irish ham and cheddar breakfast muffins
Irish ham and cheddar breakfast muffins.
Photographer: Philip Doyle.
Food styling: Janine Kennedy.
Ingredients: Makes 12
320g self-raising flour
140g tomato relish, plus extra to serve
2 packs thinly carved honey and
clove ham, shredded
75g baby spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 pack chives, finely chopped
150g vintage cheddar, grated
100ml Italian extra virgin olive oil
250ml milk
2 free-range corn-fed large eggs
Sea salt & cracked black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C Fan (350°F). Place the flour, relish, ham, spinach, chives, cheddar, oil, milk, eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl and mix until just combined.
2. Divide the mixture between 12 muffin tins lined with paper cases and cook for 25-30 minutes or until cooked when tested with a skewer.
3. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve with the extra tomato relish.
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