Enjoying Great Coffees in 2012

MY BUSY CAFETIERE

It has been a bright start to 2012 on the coffee front with some brilliant stuff passing through the Cafetiere, including top cups from Sumatra, Guatemala and Ecuador.

The long established Dublin company Robert Roberts  are my regular supplier, via their Coffee Connoisseur Club, and I started the year with their Sumatra Wahana. The Wahana Estate sits between 1300 and 1500 metres above sea level, higher than Carrantuohill, and Roberts say it is ideal for this type of coffee.

You get a decent amount of technical info from Roberts including the fact that this is known as a “parchment” coffee. Part of the process is carried out with the green seed with the parchment shell attached. In any event, it is an excellent drink, bold and fruity. Gareth Scully recommended it with milk. I tried it but preferred it black, as always!

Fermoy roasters Badger and Dodo  have been making waves in the coffee world in recent months and you’ll find their products at some markets (including Douglas on Saturdays) and also in Curious Wines (Kinsale Road) and at Bradley’s in North Main Street,

I picked up a pack of their beans in Bradley’s and there was a tempting aroma in the kitchen as I ground down the Guatemala Finca La Perla. They source from quality single origin estates and the website is worth a visit, not just for the coffees but also for the equipment.

Must say, I was really impressed with the La Perla, a very clean cup with a delicate but satisfying mouthfeel. A tempting introduction to the range that I will explore further.

The high standard continued with the latest delivery from Robert Roberts: Ecuadorian Las Tolas, a light and sweet variety. Gareth Scully says that Ecuadorian coffees are not the most complex in the world “but they have that Central American classic cup taste profile – medium bodied with a hint of sweetness and a light floral background note”.

Must say I don’t pick of half the hints of this and notes of that that the coffee blenders talk about but I’ll also say that I am thoroughly enjoying this one. And looking forward to the next one.

Perhaps Badger and Dodo have a point that the equipment you use may help you appreciate more the finer points.

EPIC TWITTER FOODIE EVENT AT SPRINGFORT

 Reckon Bryan would prefer to be in the kitchen than on the mike. Insert top: last of the James Nicholson sponsored wines, the Quady - Elysium Black Muscat (California) and insert bottom: Course #4, the Raspberry Jam Sorbet.

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 #1: Ardsallagh Goat's Cheese, pear & walnut

#2: Dunmore East Scallop, blanquette of beans

 #3: Jack McCarthy's Black Pudding and Glazed Springfort Pork Belly, celeriac, Apple and Longueville House Cider.

 #5: Twelve Hour Feather Blade of Hereford Beef, swede, wild 3-cornered leek, truffle & beetroot.

 #6: Clonmore and Ardrahan cheese, Tomato Chutney

#7: Lemon Posset, shortbread biscuit

 #8: Bitter Chocolate Tart, caramel and pecan.

 Bryan with Springfort's Margaret (@springfort) and, left, Elaine O'Shea (@_theBBQ_team

Congrats to chef Bryan McCarthy and to all at Springfort Hall who staged a magnicient event, the third in the series of #MunsterFoodieTweetup. The nine course foodie event was epic, thanks largely to the skill of Bryan and his team in the kitchen. The beef and the black pudding were perhaps the highlights but all dishes were excellent. Some excellent wines also from the James Nicholson portfolio and I really enjoyed the Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc and the Domaine du Grapillon d'Or Gigondas, not neglecting the Beaujolais nor indeed the Muscat (pictured). Great too to see the produce of local producers being put to such good use by Bryan. It was a long night in the popular north Cork venue but no tales to tell. What happened in the Baltydaniel Bar stays in the Baltydaniel Bar!

Excellent Burger and Chips

 GOURMET BURGER BISTRO


Called to the Gourmet Burger Bistro  in Bridge Street over the weekend and enjoyed quite a late lunch. The lunch menu here extends to 5.00pm. The restaurant has a pleasant bright and white space inside with comfortable bistro style seating. Service is friendly and first class and the locally (for the most part) sourced food is very good indeed.

My starter was Portobello Mushrooms with blue cheese, honey & balsamic reduction (€4.95). Enjoyed this; mushrooms were nicely done while the cheese and sweet reduction played well off one another. The other starter didn’t disappoint either and CL polished off Crushed Baby Potatoes with manchego cheese, chorizo and sweet chilli mayo (6.95). 

Crushed Baby Potatoes

Both of us went for the same main course: the Organic Lamb Burger chargrilled, with tzatziki. All burgers are normally served in a Fresh Bap with Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Mayonnaise and Home Cut Fries. But you do have the option of swapping the bap for a salad or the chips for baby potatoes and CL took the salad.

Both of us were pleased. The meat is normally cooked to medium (they will of course cook to order) but medium suited us fine. The burgers came with a Greek flag, in honour of the tzatziki, I presume. This tangy cucumber dip flavoured with garlic added a fine piquancy to the meal; the bap was excellent also, much better than the buns you get elsewhere.

Organic Lamb Burger

They have a range of soft drinks, some beers on draught, more in bottle and a small selection of wines. Also the usual teas and coffees and, skipping dessert, we finished off with an Americano and a Macchiato at 2.40 each. No complaint at all. Indeed, quite the opposite and certainly a place to go for a change, maybe to bring the children. Or the grandchildren!

Gourmet Burger Bistro, 8 Bridge Street, Cork City

Opening hours

Tuesday to Saturday: 12pm to 10pm (last orders) & Sunday & Public Holidays - 2pm to 9pm (last orders) Now open Sundays!

Soup it up for GORTA

GORTA Soup for Life

Soup for Life encourages Irish cafes, restaurants and venues to get involved and use soup to help Gorta make hunger history. Taking place during National Soup Week (March 5 – 11), the idea is that participants donate €1 per bowl of soup sold to aGorta supported project in Uganda.

Speaking at the launch, Gorta CEO, Brian Hanratty said, “It is incredibly important that Irish people realize the impact that buying Irish has on this economy and it is with this in mind, that I welcome Love Irish Food and Gorta’s partnership on the Soup for Life campaign.”

Commenting on the announcement, Kieran Rumney of Love Irish Food said “We are absolutely thrilled to be part of this exciting campaign, which is supporting and celebrating Irish businesses and Irish brands. The food industry in Ireland, while in a challenging time, has always been at the top of its game and it is campaigns such as Soup for Life which reallybrings it to life.”

Hanratty concluded, “Ireland has a much acclaimed reputation when it comes to agri and food business and it is a model that can be replicated in many parts of Africa to encourage job creation and trade. Our work is primarily based on ensuring food security in some of Africa’s poorest communities and it is a great boost to have an organisation such as Love Irish Food behind us.”

The programme in Uganda which the campaign is supporting aims to alleviate hunger, especially among women and children. All money raised will go towards providing seeds and seedlings, rooster hens and training and planning on all aspects of nutrition and food security.

Over 200 restaurants have already signed up.  Check out http://www.soupforlife.ie/eat-out/

4-Star Axford Show at Fenn's Quay

Axford’s 4-Point Display At Fenn’s Quay

Amateur chef, and avid Rugby League fan (Leeds Rhinos), Paul Axford played a stormer in the Fenn’s Quay Chef du Jour Competition and his four star display puts him in a strong position against direct semi-final rival Sarah O’Riordan who gets her game-time in the Sheare’s Street venue next Wednesday (8.00pm). The winner will face Jeni Pim in the April final.

Axford got off to a flying start with his Amuse Bouche, a perfectly executed and tasty Beef Carpaccio in a horse radish bilini. Can we have more please was the response.

I was also more than pleased with the starter: Smoked Salmon and prawn crepe, fennel salad with oyster crème. An excellent combination, well balanced, well presented and well cooked. So far, so very good.

The main course was a pretty tough assignment; maybe not for a small group but certainly if you’re cooking for a large bunch of mainly strangers. It was Toulouse and pistachio stuffed chicken with pommes Boulanger and seasonal vegetables.

Some reservations were expressed about the chicken being on the dry side, not enough sauce, but I thought the cabbage provided the necessary moisture and polished it off.

The dessert, individual dishes of Raspberry Baked Alaska, was another winner. Melt in the mouth stuff! Lucie Axford was at my table and, though she had been “force fed “f our of these earlier in the week, had no bother polishing this one off. Neither did I.

Then I retired with fellow judges Margaret Smith and Evin O’Keeffe and we soon agreed on four stars. Head Chef Kate Lawlor made the presentation and now we all await another big night next Wednesday!

Amuse Bouche

Next he went for the buttered crab. With a long thin spoon, Shah scooped the baked flesh from the salted and peppered exoskeleton of the crab; when all the easy meat had been carved from the chest and eaten, he tore the limbs apart, and chewed on them, one a time, biting into the shell and chewing 'til it cracked open, before sucking at the warm white flesh. The waiters were prepared to carve out the flesh and bring it on a small plate, but Dharmen Shah did not want it that way. He wanted to feel he was eating a thing that had been breathing just an hour ago: wanted to feel, once again, the extraordinary good fortune of being one of those still alive. – Last Man in Tower by Aravind Adiga.

Brilliance of Burgundy at Ballymaloe

Brilliance of Burgundy at Ballymaloe

'Burgundy 2009 - A journey through the Villages of Burgundy' with a tutored tasting by Marinette Garnier, winemaker, Maison Jaffelin, at The Grain Store, Ballymaloe, Tuesday 13th March, 7.30pm €10

Marinette Garnier, born in the heart of Burgundy and, already at 25 years old, has a lot of experience working alongside some of the most famous names in Burgundy, including Domaine Comtes Lafon, Domaine Méo-Camuzet, and on completion of her diploma, at Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils. Marinette is now winemaker at Maison Jaffelin.

Wines for the tasting:

2009 Chablis
2009 Chablis 1er Cru
2009 Bourgogne Blanc
2009 Meursault

2009 Fleurie
2009 Bourgogne Rouge
2009 Pommard
2009 Nuit-St-George
2009 Gevrey-Chambertin

Winner of BBC MasterChef 2011 is Celtic Cook Off Guest

Winner of BBC MasterChef 2011 is Celtic Cook Off Guest of Honour
Tim Anderson will participate over two days in 2012 Celtic Cook Off in West Cork

The Celtic Cook Off in West Cork continues to build on the success of the inaugural event in September 2011 by attracting top chefs to take part in what is becoming one of the culinary events of the year.

The 2011 Celtic Cook Off was held as part of the A Taste of West Cork Festival that proved very popular with the paying public, the local food producers, Fáilte Ireland, the media and all the Chefs involved. The basis of the Celtic Cook Off was to create a fun and informative Cooking Show that showcases the best of West Cork produce cooked simply with each Chef’s own interpretation and ideas.

Tim Anderson, BBC MasterChef Winner 2011, is attending the September 2012 event as Guest of Honour. During two days he will meet local artisan food producers and have a chance to both sample and cook with their produce. He will also meet the competing chefs from the Celtic regions, including Sean Hill for Wales and Jack Stein for Cornwall, before acting as one of the six judges for the Celtic Cook Off itself along with Roy Brett from Scotland and Martin Shanahan from Ireland.

Tim Anderson was born in Wisconsin, USA and raised on a balanced diet of cheeseburgers, pizza, Danish pastries, and root beer. At age 18 he relocated to Los Angeles, where he quickly became a connoisseur of regional Japanese noodles, American craft beer, and tacos sold out of trucks.


Upon graduating from college, Tim moved to Japan to indulge in the country's many hot springs and diverse local foods – in particular the unexpectedly pork-intensive and indelicate dishes of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost island. It was there that Tim fell in love with a British woman, and so he once again displaced himself, this time to London, where he developed a love for British ale, cheese, curry, game, and seafood. Along the way, he has travelled to France, Mexico, Italy, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, Burma, and Denmark, accruing new and diverse culinary influences at every opportunity.

In 2011 he wove those influences into a colourful tapestry of flavour to win the hit BBC series MasterChef at age 26, making him the youngest champion ever. He currently works as a mercenary chef, food writer, and sommelier of beer.


Date of Celtic Cook Off: Wednesday 12 September 2012, 7.30 PM
Location/Venue: The West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland.

A Red that’s light and bright

A Red that’s light and bright

Chartron et Trebuchet, 2010 Macon AOC, 12.5% abv, €12.99 Curious Wines

Want to try something in red other than Cabernet Sauvignon, Rioja or Merlot, then why not have a look at this bright featherweight from the Macon?

It is an easy drinking fruity red with a little tannic kick, light and with a decent balance. If you don’t fancy the more full-on reds, this one, a blend of Pinot Noir and the Gamay grape (used extensively in Beaujolais), is a sound bet.

The general advice for this Macon, which is probably more of a spring and summer wine, is to drink it as young as possible. This is the kind of light red that easily fits with a salad and would be gorgeous with one that includes Ummera smoked chicken.

As Others See Us. Swedish Journalist Visits Cork.

First "met" Swedish writer Pelle Blohm on twitter, thanks to a Corkman, Mark O'Sullivan @markstkhlm, an ex Tramore Athletic player, who lives in Sweden and also Philip O'Connor, Swedish based Irish sports journalist @philipoconnor . Pelle is a regular visitor to Ireland, has been Grand Marshall at a Swedish Patrick's Day parade and owns an Irish wolfhound.


Pelle Blohm (@PBlohm on twitter): Freelance writer about football and culture and stuff in between. TV-expert-commentator in football. 


Pelle played professional football at a high level and had stints in places such as Derby and China as well as more local contracts at home and in Norway. In this You Tube clip you see him scoring against Torino in the 1992 UEFA Cup.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfXF5JewthY


Met Pelle at his B&B, @HandlebarsBandB  on the Lower Road, just after his arrival by train from Dublin and we headed off to Mahon Point Farmer's Market and Kinsale for a few hours. The ink was hardly dry on my short blog account of the day when I got a tweet from Mark saying an article by Pelle had appeared in his (Pelle's) local paper, the NA in Örebro, and told me "it was a good plug for Mahon Point Farmers Market and Kinsale".


See what you think. Must warn you though this is a Google translation, prone to error, though Mark says it is a pretty fair translation. I have added my own interpretations where there is doubt (in brackets).

CHIDED (BY) A CAB DRIVER DUBLIN

Talking football tends to be one of the best ways to break the ice

with the taxi drivers wherever you are in the world. It name drops a

name of a player or team and I usually talk to be running and the

atmosphere on top.

This early morning Dublin was not quite as usual. I jumped into a taxi

to take me to Heuston Station and by train to Cork. After a little

morning buzz about the weather chaffisen (the driver) asked:

- What do you do then?

sleepy as I was I took the easiest route.

- I work with football.

It (he) exploded in the front seat.

- Stupid, fucking, wankers those footballers. All they do is drinking,

gambling and whoring. Then went he with a long rant about working-class

boys who flooded with sick money that they do not have a clue how to

care for. 

Idiot British club owners and a crazy industry. Of course, I

was silent, sit well here and look out over empty dark streets, I

thought. After all, he had a point with his outburst. Although his

words breathed old Irish morality Catholicism. Thinking of adding a

diplomatic comment somewhere but just then we were there.

Down in Cork I met Billy Lyons. A man who through friends and the amazing network

Twitter gave away five hours of their (his) time to show me around Cork's

surroundings. A man who talked the strangest accent I've heard in

English. He almost sang out the words that fit together without

interruption. Each sentence ended and began, remained an enigma. Then I

was still warned of the singing Cork dialect. I took a chance with yes

and sometimes no other times. It worked pretty well. 

Pelle in Kinsale

Billy drove past the soccer fields on top of the round green hills (in Kinsale) and talked to (about) local football as he is passionate about, I saw the old Charles Fort from the 1800s, the beautiful summer town of Kinsale and the famous pub Bulman. 

Billy is a food writer took me to Mahon Point Farmers Market outside of town (Cork) where I walked around and greeted the vendors of local Cork Products. Tasted pâté, cheeses, bread and mushroom soup. Got a rant (explanation) about sushi with an Irish twist and juices and jams from the area. Fantastic day together with a very hospitable and proud Cork Nationals. 

Later on vincaféet (wine cafe?) L’Atitude 51 at the edge of the River Lee's southern channel, I read in the NA (his local paper) if someone wrote a nidlåt (anthem?) of Örebro. We are poor in Örebro on writing good songs about our city. Ireland is a master in this branch. 

Here are so many songs at any time of the country, towns and villages. Pride and love, joy and pain that is mediated through the music. We should call Örebro musicians to

write more songs such as Nikola Sarcevic and his song Hometown. 

They should be put online and on CD's, paid for by the municipality and

used to promote Örebro. Instead of Phil Lynott's tribute to Dublin.

Mats Ronander of Örebro. Or a variant of Luke Kelly's song about

Belfast. "The town I loved so well" in Örebro robes of Karin Wistrand.

End of Pelle's article.

You can see the original article, which was written in a McCurtain Street bar where, according to Pelle, the Wi-Fi was good and the coffee wasn't, here 

LAST SUPPER AT AUGUSTINE'S

Breads

Mushroom and Onion Soup

Carpaccio of Monkfish, blood orange fennel salad

Squid Ink Rissoto 

Chicken consomme over boudin blanc

Scallop, Terrine Foie Gras & Oxtail, apple puree

========

Then a palate cleansing shot of Lemon and Lime.

Pigeon Wellington, Warm Coleslaw, Celeriac Fondant

After the cheese, we enjoyed Chocolate Grenache and Raspberry Sorbet
+++++++++

Augustine's bowed out in style last Saturday night. The always popular venue was packed out for the last supper. Great company and, of course, great food. Photos didn't turn too badly so I think, on this occasion, I'll let Brendan Cashman's superb food do the talking and wish himself and Carol, and his staff, all the best for the future. I think we all left hoping that this was au revoir rather than farewell.

HAYFIELD IN HARMONY WITH SANTA SOFIA

HAYFIELD WINE SOCIETY WITH SANTA SOFIA

Well done to Sandra Biret-Crowley, sommelier at the Hayfield Manor Hotel, and her team who came up with yet another brilliant Wine Society Evening. This time, the wines from the Santa Sofia winery  (near Verona) were featured and you’d be hard pushed to find a better set from anywhere.

You’d be hard pushed too to find a better man to put the message across than Luciano Begnoni who beguiled one and all with his knowledge of the wines and “the way he told them”; not quite the queen’s English but very very engaging. His theme was a wine for every occasion.

First up, after a welcome glass of Prosecco (Bortolotti Spumanti), was the Pinot Grigio Garda DOC Le Caldera 2010, fruity and elegant, “a wine for every day”, according to Luciano. The reds though were to prove the stars of the show but, first let me tell you that the Whisky Cured Salmon, our first course, set a very high standard that was maintained for the enjoyable evening.

Now on to the House Smoked Magret Duck Breast, with duck liver and Foie Gras Parfait, orange dressing and Toasted Brioche. The team had decided that the Ripasso Valpolicella DOC Superiore 2008 would accompany this and it was a terrific choice.

This was a wine for every second day, according to Luciano, soft and easy to drink. “Aged in Slovenian barrels for 9 months, it is not so much spicy but very fruity.” Now we were on to the “once a week” wine: the Amarone della Valpolicella DOC Classico 2006.

“Cherry and vanilla,” according to Luciano. “And black pepper. It is complex and will have a long life. Now is only the beginning.” Just superb. And so too was the dish that accompanied it: Fillet of Irish beef, whole glazed cepes and confit of Shallot, scallion pencils, black truffle scented Potato puree, red wine jus.

Next up was the sweet one: Recioto della Valpolicella Classico 2007. Luciano: “This sweet wine is difficult to produce but it is well balanced, sweet beginnings, clear to the end. After 12 months in French oak, it has a nice complexity and hints of cherry, wonderful with chocolate.”

We found instant confirmation as the Hayfield served up Chocolate Marquise with Griottine Cherries, Honeycomb, Crystallised Pistachios and Cherry Cappuccino. “A great combination” as Luciano had forecast.

Still time for one more wine: Montegradella Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore 2008. Made from the same grapes as the Amarone but with an ABV of 13.5 as against the massive 15% of the Amarone. It was a perfect fit with the plate of Irish and continental cheeses.

Yours truly and Luciano (right)

Luciano was accompanied to the dinner by Donie O’Brien, Commercial Manager of the Erne Drinks Company that distributes the wines here. Donie, who spent 15 years with Heineken, was also in top form and indeed the two were quite a double act! A very likeable duo, let me add.

So thanks to Santa Sofia and their reps and to Paul and Ciara of the Hayfield along with Sandra, Orchids Sous Chef Stuart Bowes and Executive Chef Graeme Campbell for a superb evening in a lovely setting.

* At retail level, the Santa Sofia wines and other Erne wines, are available in The Dublin Wine Rooms at the IFSC (dublinwinerooms.com) and at their shop in Monkstown (enowine.ie). Both of these premises use Enomatic wine machines with 48 different wines on tasting everyday.

LUNCH STOP AT THE BULMAN

THE BULMAN

Enjoyed lunch at the Bulman yesterday. I was accompanied by Swedish journalist Pelle Blohm who was as surprised as me at the relatively high temperatures. But it still wasn't warm enough to sit outside.

We were on our way back to Charlesfort after strolling around Kinsale and seeing the sights. Pelle enjoyed the town and especially the old fort, the eerie ruins of the barracks and, of course, the views.

Time for lunch now, after all that walking. First though a drink was required and I suggested a bottle of Stonewell cider. Pelle usually finds cider too sweet but he certainly enjoyed this one, as indeed did I.

 I spotted an Ummera product on the menu and couldn’t resist having the Smoked Chicken with Pine Nuts and Cashel Blue cheese on a salad (10.50). Very enjoyable, terrific taste and texture variations in the dish, and a great choice, even if I say so myself.

The morning had started with food as well. Pelle, just off the train, was plunged into the activity at Mahon Point Farmers Market to meet some hard-working Irish people and taste some great food. Thanks to the traders who welcomed him with open arms, people such as Barrie Tyner, Gubbeen, Madeline of Sushi fame, Martin Conroy of Woodside and the folks at Ballyhoura Mountain Mushrooms.