From
"Neither here nor there" by Bill Bryson
".....I was so hungry that I would have eaten almost anything, even a plate of my grandmother's famous creamed ham and diced carrots, the only dish in history to have been inspired by vomit."
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
THREE WINNING WINES
Colour: light gold, bright, micro bubbles
Nose: Citrus rind.
Palate: Full fruity tropical smooth waxy mouthfeel yet well balanced. The Hunter is famous for Semillon and this is a fantastic example where the patient aging in the bottle has paid off in a big way. No wonder that it comes with a bunch of gold medals! You may read much more about this prize-winning wine here.
Colour: Ruby red
Nose: Intense, mainly cherry
Palate: Rich and fruity, warm, hints of spice. With the tannins doing their job, it is an engaging mouthfeel plus it has a long lingering finish. Quite a hefty drink from the heel of Italy and recommended on Twitter by Tom Doorley.
Colour: Medium dark-red
Nose: Aromatic, ripe red/black fruits
Palate: Fruity and juicy, spicy and warm, yet pleasantly dry. It is supple with a comforting mouthfeel and finish.
Decanter recently awarded this its international trophy for a Red Blend at less than 10 UK pounds "Deliciously good value. Fantastic." They said. And the judges were also impressed by its freshness.
Tongue in cheek, I'm glad to say the judges agreed with me. Now, I'll get the tongue out of the way to make room for another mouthful of delicious Tagus Creek.
Icon of French winemaking coming to Ballymaloe
Colm McCan, sommelier at Ballymaloe, has been in touch to tell me they "are very much looking forward to Samuel Guibert's first visit to Ballymaloe".
Icon of French winemaking coming to Ballymaloe
Legend of the Languedoc, young French winemaker, Samuel Guibert, of Mas de Daumas Gassac, will present the story of this great Wine Estate at a wine tasting at Ballymaloe on Friday 21st October, 7pm, with a selection of their wonderful wines, from a Sparkling Rosé, several different White Wines, and several different Red Wines. As a finale, the informal tasting will include a vertical tasting of the Grand Cru Mas de Daumas Gassac red, a unique opportunity to taste multiple vintages of this iconic wine.
Described by Gault & Millau as “a Lafite in the Languedoc”, “the only Grand Cru of the Midi” by Hugh Johnson and “Exceptional” by Robert Parker, Mas de Daumas Gassac have been the benchmark for Languedoc wines for over 30 years.
Tutored wine tasting with Samuel Guibert, Friday 21st October, 7pm, at The Grain Store, Ballymaloe - tickets €15, are available in advance, and on the night at the door, and advance booking is advised from either colm@ballymaloe.ie or The Grain Store at Ballymaloe 021 4651511, or 083 3631468
The tutored wine tasting will then be followed by a separate wine dinner, with Samuel Guibert, in Ballymaloe House, at 8.30pm, served with a selection of the Daumas Gassac wines including the Mas de Daumas Gassac red. Wine dinner €85, including dinner and wines; advance booking essential, telephone 021 4652531 or colm@ballymaloe.ie
In association with well known Munster wine merchants, Gary Gubbins of ‘Red Nose Wines’ and Mike & Matt Kane of ‘Curious Wines’, who are co-hosting this special wine event with Ballymaloe
Ballymaloe House
Shanagarry
Co Cork
Shanagarry
Co Cork
Tel: 00353 21 4652531
Fax:00353 (0)21 4652021
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
EAT YOUR WAY UP THE WEST COAST!
 |
| Click on image to enlarge |
The Atlantic Way through its
Food Pillar is promoting the richness and variety of artisan food in the
Atlantic Way Region, all along the west coast.
This coming weekend, a series of events named "Féasta
Bia" will include bespoke food trails, tasting sessions, enjoying local
produce in restaurants and in local farmers' markets as well as food workshops
for kids.
Some relevant links:
· Féasta Bia on facebook
TOO MANY RABBITS TO COUNT
Rabbit recipes, that is! Dylan McGrath's rabbit recipe grabbed the attention in a previous round of Masterchef on RTE. We've got easier ones here, possibly harder ones as well. Check for yourself.
|
|
Rabbit stifado
“This easy recipe will be definitely used
again time and again.”
~ CheffieMonster |
COOKING WITH ELVIS
CORK ARTS THEATRE
The outstanding Bruiser Theatre Company have a sizzling treat for us.
Cooking With Elvis Directed by Lisa May
Cooking with Elvis is an explosively funny shock to the system and definitely not for the prudish! A tragic farce about domestic turmoil, sex, loss, regret...and cooking!
First performed in 1999, winning accolades from audiences and critics alike at the Edinburgh Festival, writer Lee Hall (of Billy Elliot fame), gives the script a wicked, darkly comic feel, combining pathos and humour, making this thoughtful romp hotter than an Elvis hip swivel! Perfect theatrical fare for dark autumn nights!
Cooking With Elvis
Mon. 17th Oct
Tues. 18th Oct
Tickets €15/ €12 or 2 for €25
Bookings: 021 4505624
***************Strictly over 18s only***************
CHEESE AND BEER FEST EVENTS
Great to report progress in the Bord Bia led Cheese and Beer Fest events for the end of the month. Quite a few events locally as you can see from the approved list below
 |
| Click on chart to enlarge
Farmhouse Cheese and Craft Beer
Pairing Advice
Sitting |
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
CLASSY DECAF FROM CAFE de CUBA
CLASSY DECAF FROM CAFÉ de CUBA
Their Decaf is not the most muscular of coffees you’ll come across but that may be its strength. It is very user friendly in the mouth as the palate is covered by the smooth, almost chocolate, liquid. But it is not overly sweet as the acidity helps provide a good balance and there is quite a pleasant lingering finish.
Hard to believe that this is a Decaf. By the way, I drank it without milk, without sugar, comme d’habitude.
The other pack in the sample was their Really Good Organic Coffee, all the way from small farms in Peru. This too is easy drinking, with hints of chocolate and vanilla, is smooth and well balanced and a welcome cuppa at any time of the day.
Aside from these two, Café de Cuba imports quite a range of coffees from Cuba itself, exotic names such as Montecristo and Serrano among them. Check out the fascinating site here and find out about the coffee plantation that is an UNESCO World Heritage Site and the Santiago blend that was launched in Harrods a few years back.
Café de Cuba are also the exclusive distributors of Cha Teas in the UL and Ireland and you can see our recent review of a selection of these here.
Chocolate Week
Newest chocolate recipes | ||
 |
It’s Chocolate Week, no better time to try our newest choccy recipes from home cooks like you. grubdaily says his Choc raspberry brownies are ‘truly indulgent’, so what are you waiting for? Find more new recipes to the right, and our entire Chocolate collection for more inspiration!
What’s your best chocolate recipe? | |
Saturday, October 8, 2011
A GOOD EXAMPLE FROM CURIOUS WINES
WOODSTOCK MCLAREN VALE, SEMILLON SAUVIGNON BLANC, 2010, 11%, €15.99, CURIOUS WINES
Following a well trodden path, the winemakers have done a good job here, balancing the fruity qualities of the Semillon (96%) with the refreshing traits of the Sauvignon Blanc. They are quite happy to put their names to this well rounded effort, quite a good example of the popular blend.
The names are Scott Collett and Ben Glaetzer and they are writ large on the label. And that would no doubt please Milos, a former Dordogne host of mine. I met the ex Guinness employee in his Sarlat home last year and the Serbian ex-pat maintained that it was more important to have the winemaker’s name on the label, even to the exclusion of the grape. “Sometimes we used eight or nine varietals around here. How would you fit all those on the label?”
This Woodstock is a Pale Honey in colour with a moderately aromatic nose (white fruits prominent). On the palate, it has a smooth and fruity intro with a zesty citrus like follow-on. It boasts a nice balance of flavour and acidity and has a lingering finish. And it is pretty low in alcohol!
Friday, October 7, 2011
CUINNEOG CELEBRATE 21ST BIRTHDAY
TAOISEACH HELPS
CUINNEOG CELEBRATE 21ST BIRTHDAY
Taoiseach Enda Kenny led
the congratulations for Cuinneog Ltd., Balla, Co. Mayo, who are celebrating
twenty one years in business. The birthday party took place at Rua, Castlebar
and included celebration of their two gold stars presented at the 2011 Great
Taste Awards earlier this year. Cuinneog also launched their new branding and
packaging which will make the butter and buttermilk more visible on supermarket
shelves countrywide. Cuinneog’s award winning products are Cuinneog Irish
Farmhouse Country Butter and Cuinneog Buttermilk.
The Taoiseach a
particular fan of Cuinneog Buttermilk and took the opportunity to toast
the celebrations with a glass full of creamy buttermilk. He said, “It really is
the taste that makes the difference. I was at the State Banquet for Queen
Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in May and had the pleasure of seeing Cuinneog
products there. You can’t get on a stage like that without having excellence as
a hallmark”.
The Taoiseach also spoke
about the importance of small business to the economy, saying, “Despite our
economic difficulties, we must look at every new job we create as being a step
in the right direction. It is SMEs and micro enterprises which are the areas of
real growth for this country. That’s businesses like Cuinneog”.
Speaking at the event,
Seamus Mulligan, Business Development Manager, Cuinneog said, “All of us at Cuinneog would like to thank our many thousands
of customers for their loyal support as well as all the stores that stock our
products. We are also very grateful to our skilled and dedicated staff and
quality suppliers. We could not have reached this business milestone of 21
years without them.”
21 years in business
Tom and Sheila Butler set
up Cuinneog Ltd. in 1990 in Shraheens, Balla. They drew on their family history
of butter production, using traditional recipes and methods. Today, although
the business has expanded and changed, they remain loyal to the traditional
processes. The production
cycle takes four days and Cuinneog is the only company producing fermented
butter in Ireland. Cuinneog is a valuable employer in the Shraheens area.
New branding
To celebrate their 21 years in business, Cuinneog
have launched new packaging. Both Cuinneog Butter and Cuinneog Buttermilk now
come in attractive burnt orange packaging bearing the slogan ‘Cuinneog ... for
the flavour’. The instantly recognisable Great Taste Award logo is also
featured.
Cuinneog products came to the attention of the
nation during Queen Elizabeth II’s visit last May when both Cuinneog Butter and
Cuinneog Buttermilk were used during the State Banquet.
Both Cuinneog butter and
buttermilk are widely used in the restaurant and catering trade. Cuinneog
Buttermilk comes in a 4 litre catering pack and Cuinneog Butter is supplied in
a convenient cylindrical form, suitable for slicing into portion sizes in
restaurants and hotels.
Cuinneog products are
available in all major retail groups including Tesco, Dunnes Stores,
Superquinn/Musgraves, Supervalu, Costcutters, Euro Spar and independent stores.
Artisan shops throughout the country carry Cuinneog products. Cuinneog products
are also available in the UK.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)