Taste of the Week. Ballylisk "The Triple Rose"

Taste of the Week

Ballylisk "The Triple Rose"

I came across this Ballylisk Triple Rose cheese, more or less by accident. It was part of a Christmas Feast pack that I bought Click & Collect from The Glass Curtain, an exciting top notch restaurant less than 5km away from me. There was also a big chunk of aged Ballinrostig Gouda. Quite a double.

This single herd, bloomy rind cheese is outstanding. Triple Rose is a triple cream brie (hence the name) which means that additional cream is added to the milk. Our Taste of the Week is full of flavour, highlighted by a tangy citrus-y note that make those taste buds sit up and take notice. There is also a Smoked version of the Triple Rose but I haven't tried that yet.

It won 2 stars at the Great Taste Awards in 2019 and Silver at the Blas na hEireann Irish Foods Awards in 2018. It's also got the thumbs up from two very good judges indeed, Brian owner/chef of the Glass Curtain and Johnny of Indie Fude (great food-store) in Comber and Belfast.

Ballylisk say: Ballylisk cheese is part of a food chain which begins and ends in Ballylisk. The grass is eaten by the cows. Their milk makes the cheese. There is much more we are going to do with that milk and its by–products.

Ballylisk of Armagh 

Fabulous Festive Feast from The Glass Curtain. "Deck The Halls" A Christmas Highlight

Fabulous Festive Feast from The Glass Curtain

"Deck The Halls" A Christmas Highlight.

Christmas bubbles!

When we picked up our "Deck The Halls" feast from the Glass Curtain just before Christmas, we knew we were onto a good thing. Just how good, we'd discover over the next few hours. It came in their own specially designed tote and they packed the very best into it, including a bottle of the excellent Piper Heidsieck champagne.

We didn't get around to everything on the first night and not everything is included in the photos here. One of our starters was a beautifully presented, in a jar, Duck Liver Paté topped with a mulled wine jelly. There were two cheeses also included: a small round of Ballylisk Triple Cream Brie and a hefty chunk of Aged Ballinrostig Gouda. There was even a Mulled Wine Spice Bag. 

The GC tote bag was designed "so all your savoury items complement each other and are a perfect selection to share around the table". All very true indeed. And there was little or no cooking required. The instructions were simple: Unpack your items and let come to room temperature, warm your buns, bake your cookies and pop your bubbles on ice. Even I could do that!

It was by far the best "take-out" of this strange year. Imagine how I feel now though, having just missed out on their New Year's Eve offering! The offer came through by email yesterday. I didn't see it immediately and when I tried to get through, I failed, and failed. When I did succeed in connecting, all I saw was the Sold Out sticker. Damn! Still glad I got that Christmas one though. And the good news is, that after a short and deserved break, Brian Murray and his team "will be thinking up some new and exciting menus to bring to you at home in the next couple of weeks".

Milk buns (with Chicken Schmaltz)

Venison and black truffle hand-raised Pie, (with pickled walnut relish).
From this hearty pie to light snacks (like the popcorn below)
The Glass Curtain came up trumps every single bite!

House cured salmon pastrami (and herbed Crème Fraiche)

Chocolate chip cookies (with Salted Caramel sauce)
and below Mince Pies

Popcorn: Caramel Crunch/white chocolate & Macadamia nuts/
dark chocolate & chilli.

for the cookies, just one of a series of
super relishes and sauces.

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