This Summer's Dessert Destinations. The Sweetest Things.

 This Summer's Dessert Destinations 

The Sweetest Things.

Pier 26 (now CUSH) Ballycotton: This flower enhanced Pavlova with fresh strawberries, blackberries, poached apricots and Chantilly Cream (and a bit of rhubarb too) was a beauty, just the ticket to finish off an excellent meal.

The finalé at Killarney's Malarkey. Toffee Apple crumble with smoked treacle ice-cream.
Might not be the best photo but a cracking dessert.

A classic at Crackpots Encore in Kinsale: Poached Pears in mulled red wine. And it was a terrific version.

 Apple and Berry Crumble wasn’t the bravest of picks but it turned out to be a gem, beautifully made and presented - at Tramore's Copper Hen.

Friendly Henry's in Ennis served us this lovely Pear Tart with caramelised walnuts and ice-cream. 

Jammy Dodger (coconut and raspberry compote) by Bobo at The Glucksman, UCC. You don't see these too often nowadays.

 Mocha Choca Indulgent Cake at the Garden Café Truck by the Ballymaloe Cookery School.
You could say they know how to bake around here. Quality guaranteed.

From The Oar Restaurant in Doolin: Passionfruit Soufflé with a Passionfruit sorbet.

 From the Springboard Restaurant in Cork's Kingsley Hotel comes this delicious Lemon meringue éclair (choux pastry éclair, lemon curd filling, Italian meringue, mango sorbet)

Festival Cork’s inaugural Dessert Festival!

Week of events planned across Cork for Festival Cork’s inaugural Dessert Festival!

Following on from the success of hugely popular Burger Festival and more recently the Whiskey Festival the team at Festival Cork are delighted to announce their latest event

“ Cork Dessert Festival” running from June 26th to July 2nd - a festival showcasing the finest confections that Cork has to offer.

Ernest Cantillon and Eimear McCarthy festival organisers made the announcement this week:

 “We are very fortunate to have an abundance of quality producers and food outlets in Cork. Following the huge success of our previous festivals and the overwhelming support from businesses and visitors alike it was an easy decision for us to launch our newest event Cork’s very own Dessert Festival”

Across the week a number of well known venues including Electric, Sober Lane and Cafe Velo will pull out all the stops to deliver tastings, workshops and events allowing businesses & producers to promote their dessert offerings in a fun and innovative manner.

“The festival promises to appeal to everyone from the  sweet toothed dessert enthusiast to the master confectioner.” Ernest said, “We hope to showcase some of the finest desserts and allow for a few surprises along the way.”

The Dessert Festival is the first of it’s kind in Cork and if the previous events hosted by Festival Cork are anything to go by it promises to be a real treat.

Stay connected with the festival through

Facebook @Festivalsincork,

Twitter: @Festival_Cork and

www.festivalcork.com

If you would like to get involved in the festival please email dessert@festivalcork.com  

Taste of the Week. CakeFace Pastry

Taste of the Week

CakeFace Pastry

It was love at first sight in a crowded Kilkenny cafe on a Saturday morning. I had eyes only for The Jaffa Orange, one of many sweet sensations created in the shop by CakeFace Pastry in Irishtown under the shadow of the cathedral. Couldn't wait to get her home and demolish that dark choc and orange mousse, with an orange centre on a crunchy base. Was that dark one my Taste of the Week?

Maybe. Because once Jaffa was over, I turned my attentions to the blonde, the Cherries Dark Forrest, a Luxurious White Choc Mousse and Kirsch mousse on a sour cherry jelly and chocolate sponge. Taste of the Week?

And there are many more Tastes of the Week where this delicious duo come from: Raspberry velveteen, Rhubarb Rose, Passionate Tart. Neither you nor I can lose here. Of course, you may eat your choice in the cafe and the coffee is good too. 

CakeFace Pastry 

16 Irishtown

Kilkenny City

The Topaques of Rutherglen. Intense. Luscious. Rich.

The Topaques of Rutherglen

Intense. Luscious. Rich.

Pfeiffer Rutherglen Topaque (Australia), 17.5%, €24.80 (50cl) Karwig Wines

Rutherglen fortified wine are internationally acclaimed for their intense luscious flavours and unsurpassed richness.

I wouldn't dream of disagreeing with this statement on the front label. These gorgeous wines though did have their problems and had to endure a name change when the Hungarians objected to the Australians using the Tokay name.

Sweet and silky, yet with a light feel to the texture, this golden vibrant Muscadelle is really quite superb. “This is 100% Muscadelle. No Botrytis here but it is well ripened. There is plenty of accumulated sugar but we don't lose the fruit,”  said Chris Pfeiffer when he introduced the wine here in Cork a few years ago.

James Halliday's Wine Atlas says these fortified wines are "absolutely unique; nowhere else in the world is an aged, fortified wine produced as this is from the Muscadelle grape." Grapes & Wines says the grape "reaches its apogee" in Rutherglen and is "less fleshy and syrupy" than Muscat.

Dessert wines are collectively known as stickies in Australia and you can see one of the reasons why on your glass: just note how long those legs take to slide down. But there is a beautiful lightness on the palate and finish. Silky and luscious yes, lovely aromas of honey and apricots too, yet the overall effect is a non-cloying sweetness. A delight and Very Highly Recommended.

The Rutherglen Topaques are classified under four descriptions which mark a progression in richness, complexity and intensity of flavour: Topaque, Classic Topaque, Grand Topaque, and Rare Topaque.

Never got to taste the Rare but, thanks to Chris Pfeiffer’s visit, did have the privilege a few years back of tasting the Grand. This expensive wine is not available in Ireland so I made the most of our taster, taking it tiny sip by tiny sip. It was twenty years old and had spent most of that time in barrel. Producer Chris said: “It is a very special occasion wine (like old Cognac). It is very complex and you don't need much.”

Might not be able to get the top ones here (the Rare is four years older than the Grand)  but the gorgeous Rutherglen Topaque, a delicious first step on the ladder, will do for now!

Pair with honeycomb ice cream, fruit based desserts, soft cheeses, chilled as an aperitif or as an after dinner drink with coffee. These suggestions came from a producer. We enjoyed it as aperitif and disgestif, also with St Tola Goats Cheese (Ash) and a Chocolate Biscuit Cake.