Best Steak. Best Game. 2017

Best Steak 2018

Sligo steak

Cork butcher, Tom Durcan, turned up more than once in the the steak stakes in 2017, benefitting from the decision of the Globe to go local (after the takeover by Clayton) and by the return of the Oyster Tavern (a few yards from Tom's stall in the English Market). Best sauce was the Jameson at the Embassy in Sligo. The list is in no particular order.

Darwin's, Dublin. ..with an excellent Barolo jus

Embassy, Sligo... with Jameson Whiskey sauce

The Globe, at the Cork City Clayton Hotel... with a trio of sauces

The Cornstore, Cork... always good for steak!

The Oyster Tavern, Cork..outstanding flavour from the Durcan steak

The Ivory Tower, Cork, with a Peruvian touch

The Commons Inn, Cork ... Irish Hereford beef steaks are aged 35 days

Sage, Midleton, County Cork. Superb beef from Charlie Terry.

The Maestro at Radisson Blu, Little Island, Co. Cork. Outstanding fries & Portobello mushroom

Murrisk Pie

Best Game Dishes

The Tavern at Murrisk, Westport

Blairs Inn, Cloghroe, Co. Cork

Barnabrow, East Cork

Meals with a Difference 2017

Meals with a Difference 2017

Night of the Long Table
400 dine out on Cork's South Mall

Bayview Fish Special

Holy Smoke

Café Paradiso

Market Lane (Blasket Island lamb)

SpitJack (Cheese & Fortifieds)

Barnabrow's Gourmet Evening

JP McMahon at Greene's

Sage

Al Fresco in F-EAST Cork Superb Sage Meal

Al Fresco in F-EAST Cork

Superb Sage Meal

A sharing plate of one of our four starters, Ballycotton Smoked Salmon

Kevin Aherne has some serious form when it comes to an outdoor feast. He has even one or two on board a small boat. Tuesday's outdoor event though was in the much more stable, much more comfortable courtyard at Sage, his Midleton restaurant famous for the #12 mile menu!

Of course, the food would be local and Kevin emphasised the importance of provenance as we sat down to eat at the Long Table. As soon as the starters arrived, the oysters, the salmon, the mackerel, the mussels, we were on a roll and total strangers began to chat and enjoy the occasion and the food. 

It reminded me, to a degree, of the supper that often followed a day's threshing back in the day. But we wouldn't have had wine in those days, mostly bottles of stout and other beers. And, of course, it would have been in an open barn or in the farmyard, not under a heated canopy.

The other starters: oyster, mackerel and mussels

No doubt the forty or so of us gathered for this event, the second of FEAST, the newly rebranded food festival in East Cork, were soon in good form, especially after a glass or two of the lovely organic Cava, the Alta Allela, from a family vineyard close to Barcelona. The La Source blend of Vermentino and Chardonnay, another organic wine, was a delight and it accompanied our starters and the Le Caveau import from the Languedoc was an excellent match indeed.

Kevin, Réidin and their team were now busy, working hard to assemble the food for the mains. But there wasn't a problem (not that we noticed!) and soon the large group were tucking into the local duck and beef with the various sauces and side dishes. An amazing display of just how good local produce is once in the proper hands. Again that velvety wine from Portugal was just the job.

Just like the starters, there were four items for dessert, all delicious. Perhaps the highlight though, certainly for those around me, was the Bó Rua mature cheddar from just out the road. Then again was it the Wilkies 64% chocolate delice served as the memorable feast came to a sweet and appropriate conclusion.

Still time to enjoy a visit to FEAST. This Thursday evening, Ballymaloe is the venue for a Seasonal Cocktail and Feast. Tomorrow, take a trip to Rostellan for chocolate, cheese, shellfish, wines, prosecco, teas and hot chocolate in a historic courtyard. Saturday is the main event with demos and stalls all over Midleton. Highlight may well be the restaurant tent with 11 local restaurants serving small dishes for a fiver (max.) and a long table outside. On Sunday, it will be wind-down time in Sage with a #12 mile BBQ in the Courtyard.

Last Tuesday’s FEAST Menu in Sage:

Local man Kevin.

On arrival: Cava Alta Alella, a Brut Nature (biodynamic)

To Start: Ballycotton hot oysters, breadcrumbs, aged cheddar.

Ballycotton smoked salmon.

Pickled and charred Ballycotton mackerel.

Ballycotton mussels and Jameson cream.

La Source, Pays D’Oc 2016 (Vermentino/Chardonnay.

To Savour: East Ferry roast Aylesbury duck, spiced plum sauce.

Beef sirloin (James Walsh, Buckstown), béarnaise.

Pickled beet salad (Joe Burns, Killeagh)

Cauliflower gratin (Joe Burns, Killeagh)

Last of new the new potatoes with gremolata (Staffords, Roche's Point).

Beyra, Douro 2015; Alfrocheiro/Jaen/Tempranillo/Touriga Nacional

To Finish:  Toasted mallow and lemon verbena posset, wild strawberries.

Wilkies 64% organic chocolate delice.

Soft Ardsallagh goats cheese, elderberries.

Bo Rua cheddar, Terry’s honey crackers.

Highbank Orchard organic proper dessert cider.

Posset

See other posts from FEAST 2017

Rostellan Chocolate Hosts FEAST

Ferrit & Lee. The Perfect Serve.

FEAST on the street. The main event.

FEAST Launch. Amazing Week Coming Soon

FEAST Launch

Amazing Week Coming Soon

Cork County Mayor, Declan Hurley, was in the Malthouse of the Midleton Distillery last Tuesday to help launch FEAST, the East Cork Food and Drink Festival. The Mayor, well used to the Taste of West Cork Festival, encouraged those involved in FEAST to keep it local.

Kevin Aherne spoke on behalf of FEAST and he too stressed that provenance had to be a key factor in the festival. Not too much point in a local food festival unless the local food and drink is at the heart of it.

This is the first time that the former Midleton festival has been marketed as FEAST and the hope is to spread it even further in the East Cork area in the future. And to do that, even more sponsorship will be necessary. 

For now, the committee are grateful for the help coming from Irish Distillers, Cork County Council, Secad, Red FM, Taste Cork, Ireland’s Ancient East, Jim Crowley, Midleton Park Hotel, Market Green, Ballymaloe Relish, East Cork Journal, Pallas, Sage, Cully & Sully and Wiser Recycling.

The cooperative spirit behind the venture was well illustrated on the menu for the evening and we enjoyed a lovely four course meal in the Malthouse. The Farmgate produced the starter, a delicious combination of Ballycotton Seafood smoked salmon, crushed mint potato salad, caper and citrus dressing.

No shortage of wine as the evening progressed to the Ferrit and Lee main course: Beef feather blade marinated with Jameson, fondant potato, celeriac purée, roast onion, baby carrots and thyme jus. Perfect.

Conversation left and right at this stage, live music too, as dessert appeared, courtesy of Sage: Sixty four per cent Midleton chocolate delice, brittle, butterscotch. Say no more!

And on then to the Malthouse cheese board: Ballinrostig Gouda, Bo Rua Cheddar, and Ballymaloe Chutney. And we finished as we had started. With whiskey. On arrival, there was the perfect Jameson serve with ginger ale and lime. And the finalé was a glass of Black Barrel, one of my favourites from Jameson, so called because the barrels are well charred!

Thanks to Irish Distillers, John Wall, Frank Murphy, Village Greengrocer and Wilkies Chocolate, who also had an input in the meal.

Time for the taxis then and to look forward to the big week that begins on Monday, September 4th. You can see the daily highlights here http://www.corkbilly.com/2017/08/feast-in-east-midleton-festival-expands.html, lots of evening meals.

But the closing Saturday, beginning in Midleton at 11.00am is a big day and is indeed billed as the major event. The main street will be packed with stalls and, this year, you’ll have a long table to sit down, relax and eat some of the goodies on sale. No doubt there’ll be tasty bites too from the restaurant tent and the farmers market. And the children will have their own area with music shows, puppets and amusements.

And the FEAST demo marquee has a long list of demos including one with Justin Greene on Bertha’s Revenge Gin, a sourdough demo by top baker Patrick Ryan, a seafood masterclass by Ciaran Scully, an invite to her kitchen by Lilly Higgins and then a East v West cook-off between Kevin Aherne and Marin Shanahan (Fishy Fishy).

If you still have any energy left, then get yourself into the courtyard in Sage on Sunday for a #12 mile BBQ with music, fun and a “BBQ that Midleton has never seen before”.

September sunshine on the menu. (Sage photo)

FEAST in the East. Midleton Festival Expands.

FEAST in the East.

Midleton Festival Expands.

Rory O'Connell

I've been dipping into the FEAST website to see what's in store for visitors to East Cork in early September......

FEAST, the expanded East Cork Food and Drink Festival 2017, is building on a strong foundation laid by the 14 years experience of the Midleton Festival. Events will run from 4th to 10th September with the family favourite, the Street Festival, on Saturday 9th September.

Bayview Terrace

Before the big day on the Saturday, there are quite a few restaurant highlights, beginning at the Bayview Hotel on Monday the 4th, where you are invited to “immerse yourself in the tastes, scents, sights and sounds of our Wild Atlantic Bounty... Be astounded by the creative, conjuring of Ciarán and his team over a Five-Course Tasting Menu... Drink it all in from the cliffside-splendour that is the Bayview at Ballycotton overlooking Ballycotton Bay and Harbour.”

The evening begins at 6pm with drinks on the spectacularly situated terrace, “followed by Ciarán’s imaginative and poetic Five-Course Seafood Celebration Menu and accompanying wines at 6.45pm.”

Demos galore

On the Tuesday, award-winning Chef Kevin Aherne invites you to join him in his SAGE Courtyard for a unique and memorable culinary event. Kevin will conjure up a Feast inspired by bygone eras and serve it in a traditional long table setting. Think roast pig, stuffed game birds, whole fish cooked on an open fire, ales, traditional cider, rounds of cheese, pies and tarts. Guests will dine outside under the heated canopy.

Ferrit & Lee

On the Wednesday, you may enjoy A Taste of East Cork in the Ferrit & Lee Restaurant, Distillery Walk, Midleton. To celebrate FEAST (East Cork Food and Drink Festival), they are hosting an event to showcase some of the fine produce East Cork has to offer. “We will be serving a 5 course tasting menu including two glasses of wine. There are only 40 seats available so booking early is advisable!”

Next up, on the Thursday, is a visit to Ballymaloe. The evening will begin at 7pm with Cocktails in the Walled Garden with Andy Ferreira (2017's World Class Irish Mixologist of the Year 2017 and representing Ireland in the World Class Global Final in Mexico). Andy will be using herbs foraged in the garden at Ballymaloe House. 

Dinner will be served at 8pm in the Long Dining Room in the house and the 3 course 'Seasonal Supper' menu will be written and prepared by Rory O'Connell, Ballymaloe Cookery School co-founder and teacher, author, TV personality and former Head Chef at Ballymaloe House.

On the Friday, why not head to Rostellan for the Chocolate, Cheese & Shellfish at Rostellan Chocolate. “We are showcasing our local food producers featuring Ballinrostig Homestead cheeses and local shellfish supplier Michael Barrett (The Lobsterman). We will be matching their produce with our wines and prosecco and we will also provide our coffees teas and Rostellan Hot Chocolate in our historic Courtyard. The event, which is not ticketed, is from 5pm to 8pm on Friday 8th Sept with live music so come early to avoid disappointment!”

Grow It Yourself (GIY). Advice, demos by the Courthouse in Midleton

And then comes Saturday, the Major Event; all over Midleton town there are events and demos galore:  Cooking Demos; Gin Demo; Grow Your Own Demo  (outside the courthouse);  The Long Table;  the Restaurant Tent. 

The usual Farmers Market will be on and look out for help and info from the folks of GIY. There is a Kids Area with Music Shows and Puppet Shows, Amusements of course. And you’ll also come across a Vintage Fair. A massive day, packed with food and fun.                               

For details on the Saturday and all the events during the week, click on the FEAST website here 

Sage. New Superlatives Please!

Sage. New Superlatives Please!

Ravioli

Mackerl

Think I’d need a stack of superlatives to describe a recent dinner at Sage on Midleton, the home of the 12 mile menu. I could easily go over the top as Kevin Aherne’s kitchen is easily ahead of many around the country. But I’ll try and not bore you, just to say here at the start that the place, in a courtyard just off Midleton’s main street, has never ever disappointed.

Sage and its junior sister, the Greenroom, cater for a variety of tastes and budgets and the recent addition - the semi-open courtyard itself -  is a lively food and drink venue and was indeed booked out on the night we visited. Sage too was full by the eight o’clock mark so the advise is to book ahead.

Then you can relax. Everything will be fine: the fresh local food, the very friendly efficient service, the drink (much of the wine is organic) and the beer is craft and local as you'd expect. You can spot the crew cooking in the kitchen as you sit back in a lovely simple room, one of whose walls honours the many suppliers from within that 12 mile radius.

We, subsidised by the last of the gift vouchers from Christmas, were on the A la Carte but I spotted much of the same menu on the Early Evening offering (three courses for thirty euro!). Breads were delivered to the table as we studied the menu. We also thought about the drink and, with steak in mind, I settled on the regular stout from O’Hara’s. Regular but excellent, a bottle for 6.00. Soon we were nibbling on the amuse bouche of Apple rings  and Ardsallagh Goats cheese.

Hake

Great choice of starters, and mine was magnificent: Mackerel, oyster mushroom and samphire (10.00). It was a great combination, the warm soft flesh of the mackerel, full of flavour, perfectly complemented by the supple mushroom, the peppery crunch of the radish and the salty bite of the samphire.

Hard to guess sometimes what you are going to get on your plate when you read the brief description, as CL did: Beef cheek ravioli, horseradish, parsnip (9.00). Well, the beef was contained in one big plate-filling ravioli and the parsnip was a crisp. But it all worked so well together, another delicious interesting starter. I'm sure the other four on the list would have been of the same standard, each perhaps with a little surprise.

Beef

So, surprised and happy, we moved on to the mains. No big ambush for me: Beef Fillet (Charlie Terry), horseradish, shallots and spinach (30.00). I've long maintained that if a chef looks after the little things, that he will also come up trumps with the big items. In this case, for example, the shallots were outstanding, sweet and good and the spinach was fresh and tasty. The fillet? Add any meaty superlative you wish. As good as you’ll get and better than most.

And was the other side of the table jealous? No, not a bit of it. She loves her hake and that affair was enhanced by Sage’s: Hake, pasta, mussels, chorizo, samphire (24.00). A lot on the plate but another winning combination, well cooked, well presented and well served.

Sweet

It is strawberry time in Ireland so we both finished with a Strawberry and Marshmallow Posset (8.00). The two glass bowls were well stripped, as indeed were all the previous plates, when the servers came to take them away. We like good food and there’s no shortage of that in Sage. Very Highly Recommended!

Munster Wine & Dine in Midleton. Outstanding Trip To Sage and Irish Distillers

Munster Wine & Dine in Midleton. Outstanding Trip To Sage and Irish Distillers

The big one!

 Last week’s Munster Wine & Dine mid-week trip to Midleton was packed with highlights, both at Irish Distillers and later at Sage Restaurant.

There was a generous welcome from the team at the Distillery. For me, the tutored tasting by Brian Ledwidge was the outstanding part, as we got to sample three of the very best produced here.

Cooper's corner. Tools & staves

We started with the Redbreast 12, a single pot still whiskey. The single by the way refers to a single distillery, not a single pot. Pick up your glass - no need to swish it around as you would with wine - just give it a gentle turn and that will allow the aromas rise. The Redbreast has been matured in Oloroso casks and so it is quite aromatic, reminiscent of a Christmas cake being taken out of the oven, according to Brian.

In the mouth, there is a significant “creaminess (from the unmalted barley), fruit (from the cask), and spice (from the pot still), a nice balance of all three”. Brian also told us about the latest Redbreast which has been raised in Lustau casks.

The cottage

 Power’s were one of the three companies that merged to form Irish Distillers in the mid 60s and their line was represented here by John’s Lane Release. John’s Lane (in Dublin) was where the original would have been produced. 

It is nicely spiced from the still. Raised in US (mainly) and Spanish casks, Brian pointed out the vanilla on the nose, also a light apricot.Twelve years (at least) of maturation is rewarded with outstanding flavour and complexity, vanilla, chocolate, caramel, spices, all there together in a long long finish.

Peter: "the next guy that contradicts the guide......"

 And then we were on to an outstanding premium whiskey, the Midleton Very Rare, made from whiskey that has been matured in US casks only. The casks (no more then 250) to be used are hand-picked by Master Distiller Brian Nation and are between 12 and 22 years old. The resulting blend is nicely balanced with “50 to 60 per cent of the flavour coming from the wood”. Unlike the previous two, this is a blended whiskey.

Micro

This truly magnificent and much celebrated whiskey is amazingly smooth (after that long maturation), light of fruit, with hints of sweetness and spice, an absolutely outstanding mouthful.

There was an earlier tasting also, this coming as we toured the massive warehouse complex, with Daniel as our guide. You have to know your way around here - they build a new one every two months! And these are huge; each warehouse holds 16,800 casks. And the overall “population” is no less than 1.4 million casks. All needed, with more than five million cases of Jameson alone being sold annually.

The old millwheel still turning

New!

 Hard to take in those kind of numbers. The going got a whole lot easier though when Daniel invited Beverly, a MWD member, to open a bourbon cask. She extracted the bung like a veteran and we all enjoyed the whiskey that had been inside since 1991. Still time for another sample, this from a 2001 Sherry cask (much bigger) and probably destined for a Redbreast bottle, another lovely sip.

On arrival at Midleton, we were welcomed by Kevin O'Gorman, Master of Maturation (one of the four 'Midleton Masters', and responsible for all of the whiskey once it goes into barrel) and Carol Quinn, Archivist at Midleton Distillery. Kevin told us how Midleton have been making whiskey here since 1825. He’s excited by much that is going on now in Irish whiskey. “So many new things going on. I love the innovation.”

The Jameson Perfect Serve

 We would see some of that right here on our first walkabout, through the old distillery, the history explained in a lively manner by our guide Peter Corr (also a member of the Munster Wine & Dine, so there was some gentle slagging going on).

The old buildings, which have seen duty as a flour mill and as a military barracks, were vacated for the “new” distillery in 1975. They are full of history and memorabilia, enough to explain the production process to newbies!

And its not all old. Irish Distillers now have their very own micro-distillery here, three sparkling new copper stills all ready for action. And no doubt, the firm’s distillers - there are eight of them - will be taking full advantage of the possibility of making new and exciting spirits, something that couldn't happen in the huge new distillery with its massive stills always busy.

Three of the best

 After Peter’s tour, which also included the cooperage, we made our first visit to the Whiskey Academy where we met Brian, David McCabe and Maura Coffey and had our first drink of the afternoon, a very welcome Jameson Sour Old fashioned. The bitters by the way are a new product: Jameson Sloe Berry Bitters (foraged in the west of Ireland).

And it was the Academy that also saw our last drink of the informative tour, the Jameson Perfect Serve. Brian told us that Jameson was well known for “its mixability and is also very popular when mixed with Ginger Ale”.

Add caption

His recipe, more or less, is to use a tumbler with loads of ice. Add a standard measure of Jameson, lime ( “a nice big piece squeezed in”), and top it all up with chilled Ginger Ale. Cheers! 

Roast beets

 After that, it was time to take the short walk out the lane and up the main street and then another warm welcome from chef/owner Kevin Aherne and his team at Sage. We had ordered a meal based on his famous #12 Mile Menu and it was absolutely top notch.

After an lovely amuse bouche and a sampling of his tasty potato bread, we had a choice of starters:

Salt Baked beets, candied outs, apples;

Smoked scallop, wild hedgehog mushroom, sea beet;

Beef filet carpaccio, black onion aioli, purple potato, celeriac.

I enjoyed my scallop dish, soft and delicious in a lovely "broth". And I also managed a sample of the beets, a lovely mix of textures and flavours.

Cod

The fish course had two options:

Butter poached cod, barley, broccoli, smoked cheese;

John Dory, gnocchi, shiitake, mushroom butter.

The John Dory was another soft and delicate dish but thoroughly delicious while the Cod was so well matched with the barley and the broccoli. The fish, in each case, looked invitingly fresh, top class.

Two main courses to pick from:

Pork shoulder, swede, pear;

Beef fillet, cheek, bone marrow, lovage.

The pork was from Woodside Farm, so I wasn't going to ignore that. And I wasn't disappointed. It was superb, full of flavour. And there was only praise too from CL who enjoyed the fillet, also full of flavour. Two quite perfect dishes really, each well accompanied.

White chocolate

Something sweet to finish:

Apple parfait, apple arlette, and spiced bread;

White chocolate cheesecake, blackberry;

Bo Rua Farmhouse cheddar, chutney, nuts.

I know the Bo Rua is lovely but my sweet tooth demanded the chocolate, soft, sweet and soon gone. And much the same could be said by CL about her Apple combination.

* The next Munster Wine & Dine event is a distillery tour (Bertha's Revenge) and lunch at Ballyvolane House - details here.

Taste of the Week. Bó Rua Farm Cheese

Taste of the Week

Bó Rua Farm Cheese

In Ballynoe, in a corner of North East Cork, you’ll find Bó Rua Farm where Norma and Tom Dinneen make excellent cheese. I first came across the cheese - it came on the market early this year - in Sage where chef Kevin Aherne has it on his 12 Mile Menu. If it’s good enough for Kevin, it’s good enough for me.

But I must admit I forgot about it for a few weeks until I met Tom at the Cork Kerry Food Forum in the City Hall. Had a few samples there and bought a wedge or two of this handmade and handsome cheese with great quality and flavour and already a winner at the CÁIS Awards.

One of the secrets is that the milk comes from their Montbéliere cows, also known as red cows (hence the Bó Rua). The breed is known for the exceptional quality of the milk, a quality enhanced by the rich local grass.

It is basically a cheddar style cheese, semi-hard. They make a natural version and then two flavoured varieties, Cumin Seeds and Tomato with Oregano, Basil and Garlic. The Tomato and Herb was the one I enjoyed at leisure at home and is Taste of the Week.

Careful nurturing of the cheese is needed during maturation, with regular turning and grading. It takes a minimum of six months for the cheese to mature, before it can be sent out for customers to enjoy. The rind is inedible, so remove before eating the cheese.

Bó Rua Farm

Ballyknock, Ballynoe, Fermoy, Co. Cork, Ireland. P51HYH6.

Tel: +353 (0) 86 8385547

Email: info@boruafarm.ie

Twitter: @boruafarm

Web: http://boruafarm.ie