THE RETURN OF THE CHEF FACTOR

Chef Factor is back for 2011!

L-R: Sully, last year's winner Christine Crowley, Rachel Allen and Cully.

Colum O'Sullivan, of Cully & Sully, has been in touch with the news that the Chef Factor is to return this autumn.

"We’re proud to say that its return has been widely tipped as one of the hottest events in food to watch out for this year.  The prize is the same as last year- a place on January’s coveted 12 week Ballymaloe cookery course including accommodation, together worth over €12,000 euro and will include two weeks with myself and Cully to learn the ways of the food business. Lat year's winner Christine is doing really well now, running her own tearooms and everything!"

"Again we’re really trying to get across that Chef Factor is for anybody who wants to learn how to cook and develop their own career in food.  You don’t need to be a good cook to enter as the prize is professional training in one of the world’s leading cookery schools. We are simply looking for someone who really wants to win this once in a lifetime opportunity.  You can enter anything you like-from beans on toast  to a risotto, from steak to a cake!"

"We are also trying to remind entrants that Chef Factor is not all about online votes, as while three finalists will be determined by public vote, two wildcards will be handpicked by Cully and I to go through irrespective of votes and all finalists will be on an equal footing at the final. Everybody stands a great chance of winning the top prize!! Entrants are accepted from September 5th, 2011 and the winner is expected to be chosen in Ballymaloe on Saturday the 26th of November."

Entering is the same as last year- EASY PEASY!  All you have to do is upload a simple photo of a dish with the words “Cully & Sully” somewhere in the image and submit this to cheffactor.ie  along with a brief explanation of the dish and the reason why you deserve to win!

Mas de la Dame La Stèle Blanc 2010

Mas de la Dame La Stèle Blanc 2010, Vin de Pays des Alpilles, 13.5%, €9.20 at the vineyard.

“One day, the sea will recover the land and will stop at the Stèle (stone marker) of Mas de la Dame. So spoke Nostradamus.

The sea could well one day sweep up the flatlands of the Camargue and head for the historic farmhouse (mas) of la Dame. So I thought I’d help myself to some of their organic wine this summer during my hols in Provence.

This white is a blend of Rolle (80%) and Clairette. It has the colour of a well watered down whiskey and an aromatic nose. Dry and tasty, this classy fresh wine has a smooth and rounded mouthfeel with a mix of white fruit flavours spreading gently all over the palate, enough to allow a generous seepage into a lovely finish.

Aside from being mentioned in the predictions of Nostradamus, Mas de la Dame was painted by Van Gogh, and referred to by Simone de Beauvoir (famed 20th century French author-philosopher).

We had a lovely visit here in June and after tasting bought this white and some Stèle rouge 2006. They also do Olive Oil but we had already shopped for that at the nearby Castelas.

Unfortunately this fabulous wine is not available for sale in Ireland. But if you are in France, keep an eye out for it and grab some while you can. That Nostradamus fellow might just be correct!

STAR ANISE

Sunshine last Friday. And sunshine on a plate at Star Anise. Just love the Mediterranean twist here that brightens up the lunchtime menu.

As usual, I went for the special, almost always do. My mains was Chicken, wrapped in pancetta and served with beautiful juicy tomatoes (red and yellow), tasty spuds and a crispy salad, all for €12.00. An empty plate went back.

The other mains, also a special, was Grilled Sea Bass on a bed of lentils, with similar veg and salad (€14.95). Not quite as colourful as mine but just as tasty. I had a taste of course and it reminded me of a similar plate in Portugal.

Had started with a lovely bowlful (a big one) of Mushroom and thyme soup (€5.50). Didn't feel like a full dessert but Star Anise had the answer: a mini-dessert.  They’ve got a selection that costs €2.20 each, including Crème Brûlée and Panacotta.

Taking a break from the shopping or otherwise don't have time for a full leisurely lunch? Then this convenient Bridge Street venue can help out. For a tenner, yes just a tenner, you may have Soup, Sandwich and a Coffee. 

Tea and scone for €2.50 in Crosshaven

CAFE AT FORT CAMDEN

A couple of weeks back, I paid €5.15 for a cuppa and a scone in the city. Last Saturday, a quaility cup of tea and a delicious scone cost me just €2.50, at the cafe in Fort Camden. The Fort is a  terrific attraction and the cafe has a selection of cakes and scones

The cafe, now on the parade ground, may well move to a more scenic position, with a great view out over the harbour, towards Cobh and Fort Carlisle, next season. For a full review of the visit click here.

FOOD FESTIVAL IN MERRY MITCHELSTOWN

Pics from Mitchelstown Food Festival. Report to follow. Click on image to enlarge.

MITCHELSTOWN FOOD FESTIVAL

Got my Sunday dinner in Mitchelstown yesterday, at the very enjoyable Food Festival. Got a whole lot more besides. Just as well I had a boot load of shopping bags.

That dinner, for two, was very simple. A selection of sushi (€7.00) from award winners Pure Sushi to start with. Then Chicken Korma (€10.00) by Green Saffron. And we followed that by sharing one of a few cookies (€1.50 each) made by the Cookie Jar.

There was a great turnout in the Mitchelstown sun, also a crowd of pesky wasps who obviously know where the good things are. The kids were well catered for with a lively play-area and nice too to see the Bothar goats drawing the attention and hopefully a few bob for their good cause.

Went up and down between the stalls three or four times, purchasing as we went. Items such as Hummus (by O’Callaghan’s Deli), Fruit Compotes by Clotilde, cheeses (including an herbed St Brigid’s ) from the Cailini Cais and a lovely currant cake from one of the many home bake stalls all went into the bags.

Time then for a nice reviving cup of coffee (€1.80) from Drury and a sit down under the marquee. The official opening was called about 1.30pm just as a shower threatened. But the shower, the only one of the day, was mercifully shorter than the speeches which included encouraging words by Minster Simon Coveney and Supervalu chef Kevin Dundon.

Samples galore to taste. Horgan’s had a fine stand of their meats and cheeses. And their star was the award winning Honey Baked Ham on the Bone. Gorgeous, watch out for that coming up to Christmas, also their spiced beef.

Ballyhoura Apples saw a great demand for their lovely juices while newcomers 8 Degrees Brewing were handing out samples of their two ales: Howling Gale and Sunburnt Irish.

Must admit I didn't expect to see a wine stand there and certainly didn't expect to see the Wine of Kings available. The Tokaji 5-puttony Aszu 2000 was staring out at me from a display rack. Couldn’t resist and, after a tasting, bought a 50cl bottle for €22.99.

Listowel’s Wellness-Baking shared the stand with the Vivamus Wine Importer and a pack of their Gluten free, sugar free, low carbohydrate Muffin ready mix (€3.00) also found its way into one of our increasingly heavy bags.

Time to go home and sort out that dinner!

GARDEN OPERA AT BURREN HOUSE

From Vineyards Direct (www.fromvineyardsdirect.ie) are proud sponsors of these events:

“Charity events at Burren House with the London Garden Opera Company”
The events are on two days on 3^rd and 4^th Sept .

All proceeds are going to Marymount Hospice, Cork Simon and Local Schools.

These are the wines that will be available to buy, on 3^rd and 4^th September, at Burren House.  They will be available either by the bottle or by the glass:

Whites:
2009   Chateau Bauduc Blanc, Bordeaux      €15      €5 glass
2009   Saint-Véran “Merloix”, Burgundy        €15      €5 glass

Reds:
2009 Altos De Oliva Garnacha, Catalunya               €10      €4 Glass
2009 Barbera D’Alba: Cascina Chicco ‘Granera Alta’  €15      €5 glass
2007 Chateau Teyssier, St Emilion Grand Cru          €20     €5 glass



For a full programme please visit : the Burren House website website www.burrenhouse.net (Saturday 3^rd September full day, garden Opera and Picnic = tickets €69 Sunday 4^th September 7-9pm = € 35)

All in a good cause! So pass the word on!
For more information on any of these wines please visit: www.fromvineyardsdirect.ie
or phone Stuart, Dave or Gareth at: 01 8457645

KARWIG VISIT

KARWIG VISIT

Enjoyed yesterday’s visit to Karwig Wines. To the real shop in Carrigaline, that is.

If you visit the website, you’ll see that there is 20% off on an inviting selection of Rosés, a selection that includes tempters from the South of France, such as Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé . 


I was tempted by that (over a fiver off) but, having tasted a string of Provencal beauties this summer, I picked the Domaine Houchart Cotes de Provence. Marcus Gates was helping me make the choices at this point and he says that the rosés have been flying this summer and the offer will continue for quite a while yet.

He is delighted with them and also with my next choice: Chateau Haut Mirambet Entre-Deux-Mers 2010. The first one on my list was Kerpen Riesling Blauschiefer 2010. I had really enjoyed the 2009 version of this and Marcus reckons the current one is every bit as good, maybe better.

Had a chat then with Emilie Moore who was very proud of their Sardinian selection and now I’m looking forward to trying the Cannonau di Sardegna 2008 and also the Riserva 2007. The wines are produced by Sella and Mosca and the grape is 100% Cannonau.

Sorry not to see Joe and Betty around the place today and we all hope to see them both back in full action soon.

The 12 Mile Menu at Sage

SAGE’S LOCAL MENU

Midleton’s Sage Restaurant is one of the first in the country to come up with a local menu. It is known as the 12 Mile Menu and is available at lunchtime everyday (closed Mon) from 12-3pm in conjunction with their regular lunch menu.

You may see their August suppliers on the board at the restaurant and also on their newly revamped website.  The nature of this menu means that it changes daily and Kevin Aherne is always on the lookout for new suppliers in the vicinity.

Here are a few examples o f what you might find:

Slow-braised beef with bacon lardons & peas;

Roast shoulder of pork with apples & white turnip;

Buttered cabbage leaves stuffed with ham hock;

Local leaf salad with grilled courgette, roast beetroot & goats cheese.

I had recently tried their evening menu and was delighted with it as you can see from the review.  So I was quite confident as I headed down to East Cork today to try the 12 Mile menu. I wasn't at all disappointed.

I had missed Kevin’s tweeted recommendations but, by pure coincidence, picked them: the Onion and Leek Soup and the Braised Pork Shoulder with apples, white turnip and red cabbage. The creamy soup still retained a delicious onion tang and we each thoroughly enjoyed a substantial bowlful.

I was fully confident that I was on a winner with the pork as it is supplied to Sage by Martin Conroy of  @Woodside_Farm  a regular at Farmers markets, such as Midleton and Mahon (where I often call to see him).

There have been some standout meat dishes coming my way in recent months such as Springfort’s Braised Feather Blade of Beef and more recently Market Lane’s Blasket Lamb. Now I can add Sage’s Braised Pork Shoulder to the list.

It was so well cooked, a pleasure to eat. And that pleasure was enhanced by the tastiest white turnips ever. Not to mention the baked potato, well made apple sauce and perfect gravy. I also enjoyed the different twist to the taste given by the red cabbage though there was a slight disagreement from the other side of the table (a bit too sweet!).

Never thought I’d get so enthusiastic about white turnip but this just underlines the value of local produce. Mainly, it is fresh and then the Sage chefs know what they are doing.  There is that little bit extra to savour in each bite and that is what made the turnip, and everything else on the plate, stand out and give the taste buds a very pleasurable workout indeed.

TINDAL WINE COURSES

As you know Wine education in Ireland has slowed up considerably in recent months. Recently however I have seen an increase in interest again and am starting to fill a few classes which is great.

We would really appreciate it if you could feature our upcoming course dates in your relevant publications. If you need any more information please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We currently hold all our courses in the comfort of The Westbury Conference rooms but also hold courses nationwide when the numbers and demand arise.

We offer WSET Award Level 1, 2 and 3 in Wines and Spirits. Below find dates for Level 2 & 3. If people are interested in Level 1 we ask them to contact us directly as we tend to hold these courses in house for restaurants and hotels and are happy to give them some options to attend.

WSET Award Level 2: €430

Code	Format	Day	Date
WSETIL911	Day Course	Tuedays (3) 09:30 – 17:00	13th, 20th and 27th  September 11
WSETIL311	Day Course	Mondays (3) 9:30-17:00	14th,21st and 28th November 11

WSET Award Level 3: €700

CODES	FORMAT	DAYS	DATES
WSETAL1011	Day Course	Mondays (5) 09.30- 17:00	3rd,10th,17th, 24th Oct and 7th Nov 11
	Evening Course		Available by request.

Payment schemes are available on both courses with a deposit required and then weekly payments throughout the course.

We regularly update the courses on our facebook page (see below) and website www.tindalwine.com

Chardonnay winner from Curious Wines

Langmeil Eden Valley Chardonnay 2010 13%, Curious Wines €11.99, 4.5 stars

Not all plain sailing in South Australia (pic by Langmeil)

I liked this one from Curious Wines,  an excellent expression of this widely grown grape from a producer best known for its Shiraz. And it goes straight to my list of 2011 favourites.

Colour is a very pale straw and it has an inviting aromatic nose. With some of the mix spending a few months in French oak, this has a rounded user friendly mouthfeel. It is vibrant, fresh with a fruit tang and that is all carried into the decent finish.

Not too much more to say about it. Well worth the money as there is a 20 per cent discount on Australian wine for the month of August.

The Langmeil winery is based in the Barossa, adjacent to the Eden Valley, and here is some Technical Stuff from the vineyard:

2010 Eden Valley Chardonnay - Sourced from a small vineyard in the Eden Valley, this elegant wine is made from pristine, flavour ripe bunches, gently pressed and cool fermented. Most components remain un-oaked for freshness (70%) while some are finished in French oak (30%) for complexity as well as undergoing secondary malolactic fermentation to soften natural acidity. This wine exhibits fresh, full fruit flavours, fine structure and a dry finish.

FOLLÁIN: MO GRÁ MÓR

FOLLÁIN: MO GRÁ MÓR

August in a sunny field picking blackberries. Boys and girls all around. Loads of mature briars growing, lots of black berries. Bees and wasps whizzing. Jar in hands as we push into the briars. A big can standing on the margins, probably the same can that is used to bring the milk from the farmer every evening.

Just a little reverie. Brought on after tasting the magical Blackberry jam made by Folláin in West Cork. It is the real thing. Gorgeous. Just like homemade. The only problem is that it could lead to eating too much bread.

And then I move on to the Blackcurrant in the sample box. That reminded me of the fields of blackcurrants and the gangs of us picking them at Dring’s Farm. And also all the more exotic fruit  in the high walled garden.

Looking forward to eating more of the quality Folláin jams! Perhaps the strawberry will remind me of days at the Rathcooney Fruit Farm. The raspberry of visits to Carriganarra.

By the way, where have all the fruit farms gone? Are there any left in Cork? Well, at least we have Folláin and their marvellous range.

Folláin, the Irish for wholesome, was started close on thirty years ago by Peadar and Máirín O'Lionáird in Cuil Aodha. Didn't realise they have been around since 1983. But they have, and their products, widely available, have won many awards.

They have a smashing website at http://www.follain.ie. It is well worth a visit. It even contains a whole bunch of recipes with loads of ideas of how to use their jams, preserves and relishes.

FANTASTIC LAMB AT MARKET LANE

FANTASTIC LAMB AT MARKET LANE

Enjoyed some fantastic Blasket Lamb at Market Lane on Friday night. Our special: “Noisette of Blasket Lamb (on spinach) with feta and roast vegetable pie, chap potatoes and lamb jus.The lambs roam free, grazing on the diverse herbage of the sea soaked island. This diet of heather, herbs and grasses give the lamb its unique flavour.”

Free range is good but free range besides the sea is even better going by this experience. It was beautiful, tender and full of flavour.

It was probably the best lamb that I’ve tasted - ever. Much of credit here must go to the chefs at Market Lane. After all, you may have been give the best gem in the world but you unless you set it off well, the sparkle is wasted.

And what a setting on this plate. That feta and vegetable pie was gorgeous; the chap potatoes (which included some minced lamb) even more so. And the cost was a very reasonable €19.50.

I think you can be assured that whatever lamb this restaurant comes up with next – the Blasket is running out fast – will also be treated and served up well! And then there is so much more here on a very expansive menu. Something like 14 main courses, ranging from €12.96 to €24.49 (for fillet steak).

One that caught my eye for the lower amount was Slow cooked West Cork ham hock with creamy leeks, baked potato and broccoli. How about the Pan-fried hake fillet with broccoli, bok choi, bell peppers, sautéed potatoes and a walnut lime pesto for €16.28.

Enticing starters too. Sweet potato with Crozier blue cheese, spinach, dates and roasted pine nut oil for €7.63. I had started with a bowl of marinated olives and my dessert (all €6.00) was Layers of white and milk chocolate mousse with walnuts and Cointreau sponge. Wines range from €4.90 a glass to €29.50 a bottle and there is also a good selection of other drinks.

You could eat here for a month and not repeat yourself. And it is lovely lively place. The staff are all courteous and helpful and, on this occasion, all were very enthusiastic indeed about the lamb. And rightly so as it turned out. What a treat!

FROM TUSCANY WITH LOVE, SPAIN TOO!

Tuscany

It may be summer time but "The Boys" at www.fromvineyardsdirect.ie are always on the lookout and  and they have come up with two mouth watering surprises whilst you wait for the Burren House Wine Tasting list:

I.            A SUPER TOSCAN AT A PRICE DEFYING ALL COMPETITION:

Pietro Catelli’s Casa Catelli / Rosso Di Toscana IGT 2008

The grape varieties used to produce this wine are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sangiovese.

Bolgheri, because of its closeness to the sea, has a more temperate microclimate than in the Tuscan hills, meaning that Bordeaux grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot thrive.  From the 60s onwards innovative producers such the Antinori family experimented with these grapes, in this region, and the “Super Tuscans” were born:  red wines that do not adhere to the traditional blending laws.  Today Pietro Catelli follows this modern tradition! 

Casa Catelli / Rosso Di Toscana IGT 2008  

Appelation: IGT Toscana Alcohol: 13.5%

1-2 Cases €143.40 / €11.95 per bottle

3+ Cases €131.40 / €10.95 per bottle

II.           AND THE FRESHEST AND MOST SOPHISTICATED OF ALBARIñOS:

Castro Baroña Albariño / Rias Baixas 2010 

 A fine example of Spain's top white grape variety made by Castro Baroña in the heart of Salnés, probably the best region for producing the extremely fashionable Albariño grapes. Albariño produces some of Spain’s most elegant and expensive whites and this is one of the best we've tasted.  This is a delightfully fresh wine, best drunk over the next couple of years whilst it is young. It pairs beautifully with goats cheese, or, as the Galicians do, with Gambas Pil-Pil and other shellfish. It is also delicious just on its own

Tasting Notes: Pale lemon colour, aromas of peaches and tropical white fruit.  Full, expressive with lush fruit aromas bursting from the glass and nicely balanced acidity. 

1-2 Cases €155.40 / €12.95 per bottle

3+ Cases €150.00 / €12.50 per bottle