Quartet of Fabulous Recipes from Ballymaloe Foods, celebrating 30 years in business!

Quartet of Fabulous Recipes from Ballymaloe Foods, celebrating 30 years in business!

Ballymaloe Foods has compiled some very special Christmas recipes for you to enjoy.

This has been a very special year for Ballymaloe Foods as they celebrated 30 years in business. 

Ballymaloe Foods was established by Yasmin Hyde, the daughter of Myrtle Allen 30 years this year. Myrtle established a country house hotel and restaurant at Ballymaloe in the 1960s and it was here she developed her now famous, Original Relish recipe. In 1990, Yasmin decided to start Ballymaloe Foods from her kitchen. 

Today the company has 33 staff and 18 products and exports into the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia and the US and its products include relishes, mayonnaise, pasta sauces and dressings. 

 

Christmas Recipes:

Sausage Roll Garland

Ingredients

-  For the sausage mix:

-  225g Lean pork, minced

-  225g Pork fat, minced

-  1 Clove garlic, crushed

-  2 Teaspoons thyme, marjoram, basil and rosemary, mixed and chopped

-  1 egg, beaten

-  1 ½ cups soft breadcrumbs

-  Salt and pepper to taste

-  For the pastry:

-  350g all butter puff pastry

-  Ballymaloe Original Relish

-  1 egg, beaten

-  A little milk

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

2. Combine all the ingredients for the sausages together and mix well. Fry a little of the mixture on a frying pan to check the seasoning, adjust if necessary.

3. On a floured work surface, if using homemade puff pastry: roll the pastry out into a big rectangle, a little thicker than a one euro coin. Roll the sausage mixture into a sausage shape with your hands and lay it lengthwise on one side of the rectangle.

4. Spread Ballymaloe Original Relish over the pastry, leaving the last ¼ free for sealing.  Roll the sausage and pastry into tube, pressing the seam together. Join both ends together forming a circle, pressing to seal tightly. 

5. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Mix the egg and milk and brush the pastry with the mixture. Using a sharp knife, score through the garland to within 1cm of the inside, at 2.5cm intervals.

6. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until puffed, golden and cooked through. Serve with more Ballymaloe Original Relish on the side.

 

Chicken and Camembert Crostini with Ballymaloe Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

-  Half a baguette, cut into 1/2 inch slices

-  A clove of garlic, cut in half

-  Some good quality extra virgin olive oil

-  A chicken breast

-  Salt and pepper

-  A round of camembert (Cooleeney make a delicious Irish camembert)

-  Ballymaloe Cranberry Sauce

Recipe:

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a frying pan, add some olive oil and fry the chicken breast on a medium heat until it is golden on the outside and cooked through. Slice the chicken breast into 1/2 inch slices and keep warm.

2. Grill the slices of bread until they are just golden on both sides. While they’re still hot, rub them gently with the cut side of the garlic and drizzle with good quality extra virgin olive oil.

3. Slice the Camembert into small wedges. On a serving plate arrange on the crostini, with a slice of chicken, camembert and a teaspoon of Ballymaloe Cranberry Sauce.

 

Loin of Bacon with Ballymaloe Ham Glaze

Ingredients

4-5lbs (1.8-2.25kg) streaky or loin of bacon, either smoked or unsmoked

whole cloves 20-30 approx.

Ballymaloe Ham Glaze

 

Method

1. Cover the bacon in cold water and bring slowly to the boil, if the bacon is very salty there will be a white froth on top of the water, in this case it is preferable to discard this water. It may be necessary to change the water several times depending on how salty the bacon is, finally cover with hot water and simmer until almost cooked, allow 25-30 minutes approx. to the lb. Remove the rind, cut the fat into a diamond pattern, and stud with cloves.

 

2. Spoon Ballymaloe Ham Glaze Spread all over the bacon. Bake in a fully preheated hot oven 250°C/475°F/Gas Mark 9 for 20-30 minutes approx. or until the top has caramelized – baste the bacon 3-4 times during this time.

 

3.Remove to a carving dish. Carve in thick slices lengthwise so each slice includes some of the eye of the loin and streaky bacon.

Bread and Butter Budding with Ballymaloe Cranberry and Prosecco Sauce

Ingredients

25g softened butter

100g white chocolate chopped/ broken into pieces

150ml cream

150ml milk

2 large eggs

1 oz cater sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 small jar Ballymaloe Cranberry and Prosecco sauce

7 thick slices of bread (use 9 slices if regular sliced pan)

1 tblsp sugar to sprinkle

 

Whiskey Cream

250 ml cream

25ml whiskey

 

Enamel dish (28cm) or similar oven proof dish.

Serves 4 (this recipe multiplies beautifully).

 

Method

1) In a medium saucepan gently warm (do not boil or simmer) the milk, cream, sugar and white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate dissolves then set aside.

2) In a separate bowl beat the eggs with the vanilla extract.

3) Combine the egg and chocolate cream mixture, stir well, then pass it through a nylon sieve to remove any lumps and place in a jug. Pour 100ml of the white chocolate mixture into a clean bowl, cover and refrigerate (this will become the white chocolate custard tomorrow).

4) Using a serrated knife cut off all of the crusts and use for breadcrumbs in stuffing.

5) Now butter each slice of bread all the way to the edges

6) Generously slather each slice of buttered bread with Ballymaloe Cranberry Sauce

7) Butter the serving dish then start to assemble by placing two slices of bread cranberry side facing down.

8) Place another layer of bread on top again cranberry side down

9) The remaining three slices- cut each slice in half to create 2 triangles, do the same with the remaining two slices. Take these triangles cranberry side facing down and overlap each one to cover the top layer fully.

10)  Take the remaining chocolate cream and egg mixture and pour it over the bread ensuring full coverage.

11)  Carefully sprinkle the sugar over the triangles then wrap and refrigerate for 24hrs.

12)  After 24 hrs… preheat your oven to 180* Conventional.

13)  Place a bain-marie in the oven half filled with hot water. (you can use a roasting tray for this).

14)  Remove the pudding from the fridge. Discard the foil and place CAREFULLY in the bain-marie and bake for 1 hr until deliciously golden brown and fully cooked.

15)  Just as the pudding is baked, put the remaining custard into a small saucepan and place on a gentle heat. Stirring continuously allow the custard to thicken slightly. This can take up to 10mins. Remove immediately from the heat and place into a warm jug to serve over the pudding.

16)  The whiskey cream- lightly whip the cream then fold in the whiskey. Jameson is delicious but it will work with whatever your favourite is. Don’t be shy with the measure- adjust according to your taste.

17)  Once the Ballymaloe Cranberry and white chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding is out of the oven, bring it straight to the table.

18)  On warm dessert plates serve each portion of delicious pudding with a great big dollop of whiskey cream and lashings of white chocolate custard. Enjoy every mouthful!

press release

Ellen’s Kitchen. A firm favourite with Cobh locals and visitors.

Ellen’s Kitchen. A firm favourite

 with Cobh locals and visitors.

It was a miserable wet day when we called to Ellen’s Kitchen in Cobh last week. Normally it’s sunny and you see the colourful café on the way in to the attractive town and you spot the customers through the large glass windows.

Looks like a friendly place from the outside. And it is; a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. Lots of chatting going on and I’m reminded of the song from Cheers: Where Everybody Knows Your Name. And sure enough, within minutes, we know our server’s name and she knows ours!

Ellen's is a trained chef with over 20 years culinary experience. Breakfast, lunch, and Weekend Brunch menus with an array of freshly made savouries, salads and home-baking daily are on offer here. And there’s always callers for their takeout service as well.

Lunch starts around the 12.30pm mark and the big blackboard menu was going up as we arrived. We had quite a choice including Homemade Beef-burger with Ballymaloe Relish; Pan-fried Tiger Prawns and chorizo salad; Sweet Chilli Chicken Goujons Wrap with Mozzarella; plus freshly made sambos and wraps; quiche, sausage rolls, more; and a big selection of cakes!

CL picked the Piri Piri chicken flatbread with Sriracha Mayo, Roasted peppers, rocket salad and a bunch of chunky fries. Quite a plateful, neatly presented, for 11 euro.

Meanwhile I was happily making my tasty way through The Ballycotton Smoked Salmon Frittata with two homemade salads, quite an enjoyable plateful, again priced at 11 euro. And I did give herself a hand by sharing her fries! 

Anyone for chocolate?

Nothing cutting edge here but you get dependable tasty food, and plenty of it, at a good price. Indeed we were pretty well close to full after those two platefuls and decided to share the dessert. Just as well as the Coffee Cake slice was quite a large one, quite a delicious one as well and went down nicely with large cups of the excellent Maher’s coffee.

Ellen’s has a large collection of cakes, many for takeout. And you can get more of these tasty treats via the NeighbourFood weekly service at nearby Cuskinny. And, as if she is isn’t busy enough, Ellen is also available for outside catering!

• I’ve often passed Ellen’s on the way in to Cobh and wondered about parking as you are not allowed park on that main road. Here’s the tip: drive past the cafe and take the next left, then take the next left again (on a one-way road) and soon you’ll be able to join the line at the “back” of Ellen’s and do take the first space available, otherwise you might find yourself circling again!

Ellen’s Kitchen 

Wharton's Corner, Rushbrooke, Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland P24 R997

Tel: 085 718 8469

Carole's Back with Crackpots Encore.

Carole's Back with Crackpots Encore. 

Hake

It’s a big bravo to Carole Norman on her return to the Kinsale restaurant scene. Three years ago, she closed the doors on the original Crackpots. But couldn’t stay away and you’ll find her now every weekend at Crackpots Encore in Cork Street. You’ll also find a warm welcome, good food based mostly in local produce and, if it’s a Friday evening, you’ll have the bonus of Billy Crosbie on the piano and a guest (or two, perhaps!). 

Platter

Carole has that hospitality gene in abundance and the trademark warm welcome had us settled even before we are seated and studying the menu. A menu with a twist. Instead of starters, you are offered Platters. Have one for yourself or order a bigger one for sharing. Great variety and good value too. And yes, you may also have soup, oysters perhaps, mussels too.

Those Platters include Spanish Tapas, Patés on Parade and a Seafood Platter with prawns, oysters, mussels, and smoked salmon included. Hard to resist the superb Taste of Ireland (Irish cheese and charcuterie, including spiced beef from the local butcher just up the street) and a helping of Ballymaloe Relish! 

The table tops are a decent size here but if you get one of those large platters, it makes for a tight squeeze. A delicious one though as we found out when we shared the Middle Eastern, a board loaded with Falafels, creamy Hummus, pomegranate tabouleh, roasted aubergine, artichoke hearts, olives, toasted pitta breads, stuffed vine-leaves.

Curry

There is a long wine list here, quite a few available by the glass as well. All kinds of spirits too and some gorgeous cocktails. I went for the local Black’s beer, always enjoy their superb ale.

Chef John Paul McCarthy comes into his own with the Plat du Jour, which features a short but ever-changing list of main courses with something guaranteed for fish lovers, meat eaters and something too for the vegan/vegetarian. You might find a Rib-eye steak, a pan-seared chicken supreme, a Monkfish red Thai curry, or a  mixed bean chilli, for example.

A classic

Our set of choices included a Baked fillet of Hake with teriyaki glaze on shredded Pak Choi, chilli and garlic and with basmati rice (or fries) and it was perfectly cooked, well presented and a terrific combination. We choose the rice and that also featured in another excellent dish: Chicken Massaman Curry, slow cooked in Thai spices and coconut milk and served with basmati rice and a green salad.

Other mains on offer on the night included Roasted Cauliflower cutlets, with a smoked tomato and red pepper sauce and olive tapenade and a Rib-eye with caramelised red onions, peppercorn sauce and hand-cut chips.

We had made an early start and as we were looking at the dessert menu, the punters were streaming in. It was Friday night and it was obvious that quite a few regulars had booked around this time, knowing that Billy Crosbie would soon be tinkling those ivories. He soon was and the lovely buzz increased. From Abba to Andy Williams, Beatles to Buble – Billy can play “almost” anything!!

We just had to be somewhere else later on but enjoyed our sample of Crackpots craic as we shared a dessert. Like some of Mr Crosbie’s numbers, this was a classic: Poached Pears in mulled red wine. And it was a terrific version. The list is short but also includes an excellent Irish cheese plate. If you’d like something small with your coffee, you can treat yourself to the local Koko chocolates. Pity we had to go. Next time we’ll give yourselves more time at Crackpots Encore.

Crackpots Encore 

3 Cork St, Kinsale, Co. Cork

tel: 087 649 1322

Friday Fuar Fliuch! Here’s the Fix! Bubbles. Burgers. Beers.

Friday Fuar Fliuch! Here’s the Fix! 

Bubbles. Burgers. Beers.

For burger lovers, Coqbull Cork seemed to be the place on Friday evening last. It was jammers, a great buzz, a lively racket really, music in there somewhere (I heard the odd thud, thud). 

They come in the front door. They come in the back door. And somehow they all get seated. 

No doubt, Friday is a busy evening here anyhow but the attendance and the atmosphere was enhanced by the Burger Festival (Jan 22nd to 28th). There was even a guy trying to demolish the six-burger record set earlier that day by Bandon man Colin Minihane who “who demolished 6 burgers, fries & a Coqshake in 10.32 mins yes that’s 10.32”.

One would be enough for me thanks! Coqbull provide the full experience here. You can have starters, desserts, craft beers (including their own lager), cocktails (or coqtails) and choose from a list of top gins.

Our starters were their tasty cool Nachos (with shredded beef added) and the Coqbull Wings with their Blas gold award winning Sticky Asian sauce, a delicious combination. We avoided the Hot Coq sauce though, too hot for chickens they said.

Sipping away at a glass of their lager (CL) and a can of the Metalman Wheat beer, we moved on to the main event. My choice was the most popular burger of the week, and likely to make it on to main menu sometime soon, the Bacon Bomb: double cheese, double beef bacon infused burger, caramelised onion & pickles wrapped in a potato bread bun...served with our FAT BASTARD WEDGES smothered in our new Coqbull secret seasoning. A mega feed for sure, great flavour, especially of the bacon, and that potato bread bun wasn't half-bad either.

CL’s choice was another festival favourite here, the Supreme Bull with blue cheese, bone marrow butter, portobello mushroom, truffle mayonnaise and rocket.

Another interesting one, especially on the Thursday when they had the Cork Whiskey Society in for a Scotch tasting, was The Sloppy Scot, made using the best of Haggis from Mc Carthy's of Kanturk, Beef, Ballymaloe Country Relish, rocket and a whiskey pepper sauce served with neeps and tatties. 

So that was the burger done. Earlier, we had the bubbles, as an aperitivo. Every Friday, L’Atitude 51 on Union Quay have a Friday Fizz between 4.00pm and 7.00pm, featuring a different fizz each time. Last Friday’s was La Jara Rosato Frizzante - a semi-sparkling wine made from red Raboso with a delicate pink colour and wonderfully fresh aromas of red apple and raspberry and juicy peach and pear flavours. It was every bit as delicious as they promised on Facebook, really good and good value too at €5.50 a glass. Watch out for future Fizz Fridays.

Indeed, if you like your bubbles, why not check out the Imperial Hotel too. In their Seventy Six Bar, they are offering a champagne flight, three Taittinger champagnes including a rosé, at a special price of fifteen euro.

After stuffing ourselves at Coqbull, we walked out into heavy rain, heavy enough to halt our planned walk to the beer festival at Franciscan Well. Instead we headed closer to home and, with the brolly up, made it to the new Bridge Bar in Bridge Street where the counter was full and there was live music from the O.C.D. trio. Food (charcuterie and cheese) also available here.

Great to see a long line-up of craft beers here, available on draft. We ended up comparing two ales, one from Yellow Belly, the other from Beavertown. Two excellent ales. The Wexford drink had attractive aromas and flavours and the expected hoppy finish. Beavertown is a London Brewery and their ale was possibly more focussed, a brewer’s beer maybe. Not much between them in any case. May have to go back for a replay.

Lager (left), Red Ale (right). But what's in the middle? The Bridge Bar.

May have to go back for a gin and tonic adventure too. That could take a while though. This is their long long list.

BLACKS OF KINSALE 7.25

BERTHAS REVENGE 6.50

MARTIN MILLERS 6.50

KINSALE GIN 6.70

BLACK WATER 6.10

MONKEY 47 10.10

QUINCE GIN 6.50

SHORTCROSS 6.80

BROCKMANS 6.80

GUNPOWDER 6.10

BEEFEATER 5.10

HENDRICKS 6.10

SIPSMITH 6.80

CORK DRY 4.80 

CAORUNN 7.00

BOMBAY 5.50

DINGLE 6.50

UNGAVA 6.50

JAWBOX 6.50

BLOOM 6.20

OPIHR 6.00