What wonderful weather we enjoyed over Easter. And we are into the long-weekend time of year and let’s hope that the May bank holiday is as good. It is nice to have the choice to eat outdoors or indoors.
The salad of Bellingham blue is a tasty salad for a sunny day. Peter and Anita Thomas began making Bellingham Blue from their own herd in Mansfieldstown, Co Louth in 2000 and it has won many prestigious international awards. It is handmade and takes time to make but the results show. Two other cheeses you might try are Cashel and Crozier, though if you like a good strong taste you will prefer the Bellingham.
Roasted duck breast is a welcome meal any time of the year and the plums and honey add great sweetness. There is a lot of good duck easily available today. Silver Hill is a good example. For as long as I can remember Ken Moffat who is only a few miles from the restaurant in Blacklion has supplied me with Thornhill duck. In my opinion it is the best duck in the country, but I might be biased.
Happy cooking,
Neven.
Salad of Bellingham blue, watercress and walnuts
Serves four
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 chicory heads, leaves separated
50g (2oz) watercress
1 firm ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
8 shelled walnuts, roughly chopped
250g (9oz) Bellingham Blue, roughly crumbled
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, mustard and olive oil in a small bowl, adding a little water if the dressing becomes too thick.2 Toss the chicory and watercress together and arrange on plates, then season to taste. Scatter over the pear, walnuts and Bellingham blue. Drizzle the dressing on top and serve at once.Thornhill honey-roasted duck breast with plums
Serves six
For the mash:
1kg (2 1/4lb) large Rooster potatoes
rock salt, for cooking
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) milk
50g (2oz) butter, diced
For the plums:
3 large ripe plums
butter, for greasing
1 tbsp honey
juice of 1 small orange
For the duck:
6 x 175g (6oz) Peking duck breasts, well trimmed
2 tbsp honey
4 fresh thyme sprigs, extra to garnish
For the jus:
200ml (7fl oz) white wine
400ml (14fl oz) beef or veal stock
40g (1 1/2oz) butter, chilled and diced
steamed fine green beans, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark six). For the mash, bake the potatoes on a bed of rock salt for about one hour until tender, then cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh. Mash until smooth. Heat the milk and beat into the mashed potatoes until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm. 2 To roast the plums, cut the plums in half and remove the stones, then place in a buttered roasting tin, cut side up. Drizzle over the honey and orange juice and roast for 20-25 minutes until cooked through and lightly charred, basting half way through.3 Lightly score the skin of each duck breast into a diamond pattern with the tip of a sharp knife, taking care not to cut through to the meat. Season with salt.4 Heat a large heavy-based ovenproof frying pan (you may need two depending on their size) until it is quite hot. Add the duck breasts, skin side down, lower the heat to medium and cook for about three to four minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden brown.5 Turn the breasts over and drizzle a little honey over each one, then tuck around the thyme sprigs. Place them in the oven and roast for another five minutes, or a little longer if you don’t like your duck too pink. 6 Pour away all of the excess fat from the pan. Add the honey and leave it to bubble away, turning the duck breasts occasionally for one to two minutes, until they are nicely glazed. Remove the glazed duck breasts from the pan on to a warm plate and leave to rest in a warm place.7 To make the jus return the pan that you’ve cooked the duck in to the heat. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the stock and reduce by half. Whisk in the butter and season to taste. 8 Spoon some of the white wine jus onto each warmed plate and arrange the fine green beans on top. Carve the duck breasts into slices and place on the beans. Put a turned out ramekin of creamy mash alongside each one with a roasted plum. Garnish with thyme sprigs to serve.
What wonderful weather we enjoyed over Easter. And we are into the long-weekend time of year and let’s hope that the May bank holiday is as good. It is nice to have the choice to eat outdoors or indoors.
The salad of Bellingham blue is a tasty salad for a sunny day. Peter and Anita Thomas began making Bellingham Blue from their own herd in Mansfieldstown, Co Louth in 2000 and it has won many prestigious international awards. It is handmade and takes time to make but the results show. Two other cheeses you might try are Cashel and Crozier, though if you like a good strong taste you will prefer the Bellingham.
Roasted duck breast is a welcome meal any time of the year and the plums and honey add great sweetness. There is a lot of good duck easily available today. Silver Hill is a good example. For as long as I can remember Ken Moffat who is only a few miles from the restaurant in Blacklion has supplied me with Thornhill duck. In my opinion it is the best duck in the country, but I might be biased.
Happy cooking,
Neven.
Salad of Bellingham blue, watercress and walnuts
Serves four
1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 chicory heads, leaves separated
50g (2oz) watercress
1 firm ripe pear, cored and thinly sliced
8 shelled walnuts, roughly chopped
250g (9oz) Bellingham Blue, roughly crumbled
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 To make the dressing, whisk the vinegar, mustard and olive oil in a small bowl, adding a little water if the dressing becomes too thick.2 Toss the chicory and watercress together and arrange on plates, then season to taste. Scatter over the pear, walnuts and Bellingham blue. Drizzle the dressing on top and serve at once.Thornhill honey-roasted duck breast with plums
Serves six
For the mash:
1kg (2 1/4lb) large Rooster potatoes
rock salt, for cooking
100ml (3 1/2fl oz) milk
50g (2oz) butter, diced
For the plums:
3 large ripe plums
butter, for greasing
1 tbsp honey
juice of 1 small orange
For the duck:
6 x 175g (6oz) Peking duck breasts, well trimmed
2 tbsp honey
4 fresh thyme sprigs, extra to garnish
For the jus:
200ml (7fl oz) white wine
400ml (14fl oz) beef or veal stock
40g (1 1/2oz) butter, chilled and diced
steamed fine green beans, to serve
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark six). For the mash, bake the potatoes on a bed of rock salt for about one hour until tender, then cut the potatoes in half and scoop out the flesh. Mash until smooth. Heat the milk and beat into the mashed potatoes until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm. 2 To roast the plums, cut the plums in half and remove the stones, then place in a buttered roasting tin, cut side up. Drizzle over the honey and orange juice and roast for 20-25 minutes until cooked through and lightly charred, basting half way through.3 Lightly score the skin of each duck breast into a diamond pattern with the tip of a sharp knife, taking care not to cut through to the meat. Season with salt.4 Heat a large heavy-based ovenproof frying pan (you may need two depending on their size) until it is quite hot. Add the duck breasts, skin side down, lower the heat to medium and cook for about three to four minutes, until the skin is crisp and golden brown.5 Turn the breasts over and drizzle a little honey over each one, then tuck around the thyme sprigs. Place them in the oven and roast for another five minutes, or a little longer if you don’t like your duck too pink. 6 Pour away all of the excess fat from the pan. Add the honey and leave it to bubble away, turning the duck breasts occasionally for one to two minutes, until they are nicely glazed. Remove the glazed duck breasts from the pan on to a warm plate and leave to rest in a warm place.7 To make the jus return the pan that you’ve cooked the duck in to the heat. Pour in the wine and bring to the boil, scraping the bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add the stock and reduce by half. Whisk in the butter and season to taste. 8 Spoon some of the white wine jus onto each warmed plate and arrange the fine green beans on top. Carve the duck breasts into slices and place on the beans. Put a turned out ramekin of creamy mash alongside each one with a roasted plum. Garnish with thyme sprigs to serve. 
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