New Foodie Recipe Videos from Glenisk

Glenisk Takes the Starring Role

In New Forkful Food Recipe Videos

Glenisk have made it very easy for me. They probably know I'm a little lazy so they sent a sample of a beautiful Orange and Cardamon Granola to try with their versatile range of yoghurts.

Ireland’s award winning organic dairy have collaborated with Forkful TV to create a series of delicious video recipes featuring the full Glenisk range in starring roles, demonstrating the versatility of the Yogurts, Milks, Cream and Crème Fraiche directly on your tablet, laptop or smartphone! And here you'll find out how to make the granola yourself, step by easy step. I might even be tempted to make my own!

The beautifully shot videos are available to view here (this is the YouTube Link ) and will provide both novice and veteran foodies with tips and ideas for a variety of dining occasions; from lazy weekend brunch with friends, and family sit-down meals, to handy lunch options and some sinfully sweet suggestions for desert!

The Forkful videos are the latest additions to Glenisk’s growing selection of recipe suggestions and videos, all available to watch and experiment with on the recipe section.The full Glenisk range is free from artificial or GM ingredients, synthetic chemicals and additives, so are good for nature, and good for you, and are available across retail stores nationwide.

Stay up to date and be in with a chance to win prizes by checking them out on their Facebook page  www.facebook.com/GleniskOrganic or follow www.twitter.com/Glenisk.

Full range of Glenisk recipe videos include:

Breakfast

Orange and Cardamom Granola

Savoury Pancakes

Creme fraîche baked eggs

Lunch/Dinner

Cornbread with chilli con carne

Leftover roast chicken sandwich

Creme fraîche mussels

Dessert

Salted caramel sauce

Rice pudding with vanilla rhubarb

Lemon Cake

Other

Creme Fraîche trio

·  Lime crème fraîche with smoked salmon

·  Lemon Zest crème fraîche frosting

·  Herb and mustard crème fraîche with crudites

Electric Start to Beery Good Night

Electric Start to Beery Good Night
Fish Bar Specials

Mackerel, Bisque and Plaice

You’ve got to hand it to the team at Electric. They got a great idea when deciding to turn the upstairs outside deck into an indoor fish bar. It’s one thing getting the spark but another thing altogether to turn it into a working reality. But that’s just what has happened here. It makes for a lovely visit every single time and I certainly enjoyed my hour or two here last Friday evening.

The menu keeps changing but the cooking and presentation is always good, often excellent, and you just got to love the informal service, smiles, chats and effortlessly efficiency. We sipped a gorgeous José Pariente Reuda Verdejo (used to be the house wine at El Bulli’s) as we studied the specials list.

We each started with a bowl of Lobster Bisque, served with rouille croutons. The bisque was of excellent quality, full of flavours and quite warming on a rather cool evening. By the way, the Fish Bar, despite all those riverside windows, is obviously well insulated (as you’d expect from the Electric team!) and was comfortably warm on the night.

Next we had three dishes to share, each at nine euro. Two were from the specials list: Steamed Mussels (with beer, chilli and lemongrass) and Tandoori marinated plaice fillets (with cucumber, tomato and mint raita). The third, from the regular list, was: Smoked Mackerel and Cherry Tomato Gratin (with Hegarty’s Cheddar, scallions, panko crumb).

Mussels are mussels, some will say, but this was a different treatment. Not that different but the sauce was enough to give a lovely little spicy lift, so much so that it was finished off with the spoon provided! There was some suggestion that the mackerel dish was a little on the salty side but it didn’t bother me as I loved both the textures and the flavours.

There was agreement about the Tandoori plaice fillets, all happy with this delicate and delicious plateful. The mild spice enhanced the fish and indeed, the raita, though excellent, was hardly needed.

At the counter of the Rising Sons

So it was a couple of happy punters that stepped out onto the Mall on the way to checking out some craft beer. First stop was the busy Rising Sons Brewpub on the Coal Quay. I’m afraid to say the average age jumped a fair bit when we entered the big lively space. We got a seat at the counter and ordered a tasting tray each, three small glasses of different beers for four euro.

They have a huge range of craft beers, and others, on draught, but I was interested in their own brews. The three that I got, from the six they produce a few feet away, were their seasonal Porter, the Steeple Hemp amber ale and the Mi Daza stout. The lady serving us gave us lots of helpful information on the beers.

Must say that I'm a fan of the Mi Daza which I’ve tasted in its various forms over the last year or two. Basically, it is a creamy old style Cork stout, “brewed with a traditional rich roasted flavour and hints of dark chocolate, imparted by a four malt extract and thrice hopped, leading to a unique taste and drinking experience”. One to stick with.

The just released seasonal Porter was our first sip and it went down well. It is somewhat lighter in body and flavour compared to the stout but a very pleasant drink indeed. The Steeple Hemp amber ale more or less ambushed the palate with the first sup. “Lots of hops” the lady said and she was right. It’s got a big body too and should be great with food. By the way, the palate soon got used to the hops.

Must go back soon and try their other beers, especially that Handsum IPA. Wonder does it live up to its name?

The Brewery Mezzanine at the Cotton Ball

Lots of good ale around nowadays and one of my favourites is the Kerry Lane Pale Ale available on draught at the Cotton Ball, our final halt of the evening. Started off here with their seasonal, the Indian Summer, which has enjoyed a long run this year. But I finished with the Kerry Lane and the pint just confirmed my already high opinion.

Actually, wouldn't it be great to see a tasting of the Kerry Lane, the Handsum and the Franciscan Well’s Chieftain in the one place? Are they all on tap in any one pub?

Amuse Bouche

..Bryce is genuinely happy: everything he does from sailing boats to eating a bourride - which now arrives in deep earthenware bowls - makes him happy. The bourride is fiercely red with tomatoes and in this unctuous redness two small local rock fish are half submerged along with some mussels and langoustines; crab limbs break the surface. ….. Jean-Loup says there is some turbot in the depths. He speaks conspiratorially: turbot is reserved for the best customers, he seems to be suggesting.

from Other People’s Money by Justin Cartwright

Rising Tide’s Special for Fish

Rising Tide’s Special for Fish

Bream

The Rising Tide’s menu caters for most tastes but, if your taste is for fish, your luck is in at this picturesquely situated Glounthaune venue. You can have your steak, your corn fed chicken, your pasta but do check out the blackboard as the chefs here take a great pride in their specials and more than likely, these will be fish and appropriately so, considering the harbourside location of Sandra Murphy’s bar cum restaurant, a long established favourite for both locals and visitors.

We, both of us with a big grá for fish, were in luck when we called in midweek as the board featured two tempting fish specials, one for each of us! Not that there was any shortage of fish on the general menu. We could have had fish and chips two ways,  and there was also hake, cod and a fish pie, not to mention the regular mussels and oysters dishes.

I went for the Pan-fried King scallops with char-grilled aubergine and fresh salsa. Don't think I’ve ever had the scallop-aubergine combination before but it was a fantastic tasty mix, an appealing pairing by the Rising Tide chefs and so well presented.

Scallops, aubergine

I don't think I really needed anything else with it but there was no shortage on the sides with, between the two of us, salad, vegetables, and french fries all available. CL’s main dish was another well executed gem: Grilled sea-bream fillets set on a basil and goats cheese risotto. The risotto was lovely on its own and also a superb match with the well cooked fish. Big compliments to Head Chef Craig Guiney.

Quite an enticing list of starters here too, including Chowder, Crab, Goat’s Cheese, and Prawns, all sourced locally, as are the ingredients for the main dishes.  

After enjoying the breads and dips, I tucked into my opening dish. This was a delicate delicious starter: Lemongrass and Honey Chicken, cooked in a parma ham cream sauce in a savoury tartlet. CL got a bit more than she bargained for with two big discs of Jack McCarthy Wild Boar Black Pudding. Served with cider apple and seasonal leaves, this was a flavoursome reminder as to why McCarthy’s black pudding is regarded as the best in the country.

Black pudding and, top: Chicken starter (right) and dessert (Lemon & Figs)

By the time the main courses were polished off, a debate started on the desserts and the final agreement was to share the Lemon and Fig Posset and this, so velvety and so smooth, proved to be another little beauty from the Rising Tide kitchen.

Being a full bar, there is a great variety of drinks here. I enjoyed my pint of Rebel Red from the Franciscan Well while CL was very happy with a glass of Santa Sofia Pinot Grigio, billed, rather truthfully,  as “much richer and full bodied than your average Pinot Grigio”.

The Rising Tide

• Glounthaune Village,
• Cork

  Phone	(021) 435 3233
  Email	sandra@therisingtide.ie
  Website	http://www.therisingtide.ie

Reds to Remember

Reds to Remember

A Margaux chateau this summer.

Marques de Riscal Gran Reserva 2001 (150th anniversary edition), 14%, €49.99 Bradley’s, North Main Street, Cork.

This was produced to mark the 150th anniversary of Riscal and is rather special, a good choice for a special occasion of your own! It is the normal Rioja blend of Tempranillo (mainly), Graciano and Mazuelo, but from vines older than 30 years. The picking was by hand. Two and a half years in American oak was followed by three years bottle aging.

Dark cherry in colour, it has a complex nose: herbs, oaky fragrances, spicy. It is rounded, at this stage, well balanced with a viscous mouthfeel, no shortage of power or backbone, intense black fruits, supple and with a long silky finish. Superb. I’m sure you'll think of a special occasion. Very Highly Recommended.

By the way, I had a special occasion myself! Normally, I'll be sticking to my usual (flexible!) price range on this site, usually between €12.00 and €22.00.

Domaine de Maucaillou Margaux 2009, 12.5%, €12.00 in Margaux June 2014.

Moved on to this just as I was finishing the Riscal. What a pleasant surprise and a pleasant reminder that price is not always the best indicator of wine quality. This is a beautiful Bordeaux from a good year. Thought it was one of the more expensive of the Margaux that I bought there this summer and, on checking, was surprised to see it was the cheapest.

This is a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, has spent 12 months in barriques and is produced in a 2.3 hectare vineyard. Confusingly, there is a Chateau Maucaillou not too far away in Moulis.

Colour is a deep ruby, healthy and bright, and it has a rather delicate fruity nose. On the palate, it has power and attractiveness in equal measures, a big wine indeed from a very small domaine, and a very nice finish as well. Check out your local wine merchant for Margaux. This one, if you come across it, home or away, is Very Highly Recommended.

Aresti Trisquel 2012 Syrah (Chile), 14%, €17.99 Supervalu.

This dark dark red has an intriguing nose: blackcurrants, spices, vanilla, caramel, smoke even. The Syrah (rather than Shiraz) suggests a nod towards the European style and it is indeed close to the more restrained Old World style. Quite complex on the palate, juicy, spicy, darkly fruity and a long pleasing finish. Quite a lot going on in this really stunning wine. Very Highly Recommended.

Moulin de Gassac Albaran 2011, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah Old Vines, 13.5%, €14.49 Curious Wines online.

On the lookout for value? Then you could do worse that check out the Curious Wines website as they give genuine discounts throughout the year. I saved three euro on this one a few weeks back. This is an excellent red for the price, great fruit and flavour, a highly recommended easy drinker from this innovative and well established Herault (Languedoc) vineyard.

Kilkenny Dinner, in Cork

Kilkenny Dinner, in Cork

Goatsbridge smoked trout

Zwartbles lamb chops were the highlight of a weekend dinner here in Cork. Other Kilkenny products to feature were Goatsbridge Smoked Trout and Knockdrinna Cream cheese with a pesto topping.

The lamp chops (gigot) were a present from Suzanna at her Zwartbles farm near Bennettsbridge when a group of bloggers visited recently. Not alone did she provide the meat but she also came up with the other main ingredients, Catillac pears and Newtown Wonder Apples. And she didn’t to stop there as she also gave us the recipe.

Carrots, butternut squash, red onions and more were added to the old Creuset and the stew was ready about five or six hours later. Suzanna is a slow cook advocate! It was well worth the wait. The pears and apples mixed so well with the gorgeous lamb while the other ingredients all added to the delightful flavours. A superb main course, a rare treat indeed, polished off appropriately, with a glass of Riscal Gran Reserva 2001 (the 150th anniversary edition).

Zwartbles lamb

Eat Trout is the marketing slogan - you’ll notice it on their packaging - for the marvellous Goatsbridge Trout Farm in Thomastown, Kilkenny. It is now appearing on their Canned Smoked Trout. We opened up the tin and added a fairly simple salad, leaves and some potato. Great flavours from the smoked finish, and pleasing texture too.

And the cream cheese from Knockdrinna, also Thomastown, is also a new product, The cheese is also excellent on crackers (try Carrigaline or Sheridan’s). That pesto topping is a terrific idea. We served this as a simple bruschetta, tomatoes and the cheese on a slice of toasted Arbutus sourdough (had to get at least one Cork product in!).

To tell you the truth, I don't particularly like the points scoring that goes on between the different counties (e.g. that Tipp food is better than Kerry food). We have some magnificent producers, some large, many small, spread across the country. Just go out and support them. Wherever you find them. 

Cream cheese, with pesto, from Knockdrinna

 The Zwartbles flock is not very large, so the availability of the meat is very limited. You may have to start a flock yourself! Goatsbridge and Knockdrinna products are widely available. Check the websites.

see also

Bloggers On Thomastown Tour

Kilkenny on Parade. A Festival to Savour.

Kilkenny's Night of a Thousand Feasts.

Zuni. Zuni. Zuni. So Good, I Named it Thrice!

Top Posts Past 12 Months (to end Oct 2014)

Top Posts Past 12 Months (to end Oct 2014)

This month's listing is again dominated by the newer restaurants. Still big interest in wine posts, including the page on the top wines for 2014.

Music at Mahon Point Farmers Market

1 Cork's Coqbull On An Early Charge

2 Happy Gaggle of Wine Geese

3 The Square Table - Great Addition to Blarney

4 Aroi. Asian Street Food in Cork City

5 Huguenot. New French Bistro

6 Happy New Beer at The Cotton Ball

7 Electric. Easy to book. Hard to leave.

8 Dining in Style at Pier 26

9 Pride of Ireland Awards 2013/14

10 Top Wines (so far!) 2014

Zuni. Zuni. Zuni. So Good, I Named it Thrice!

Zuni. Zuni. Zuni.

So Good, I Named it Thrice!

Roast cod in Kilkenny

Zuni restaurant is good, easy to find. So good, so easy, it can be hard to get a table. Especially on the Saturday of the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival. But I did book a few days in advance. And very glad that I did.

So out of the dark and into the buzz of the bar. And that buzz is even more concentrated in the large restaurant, the space expertly broken up into little rectangles by some moderately high dividers. There’s no stopping the noise in this packed area. But it’s a happy noise, people enjoying themselves.  Hardly even noticed the open kitchen, where Maria Rafferty heads the team, as we were walked to our table.

It is busy in there and packed outfront but the service is warm, friendly, efficient and on the ball. I was going to say pro-active but I think, in Kilkenny, on the ball is better! And a last word on the buzz. There is something about the acoustics here that, despite the noises, you can still comfortably converse in a normal voice.

Down to business now and a look at the menu. Salmon Rillettes and Slow Cooked Oxtail are on the promising starter list. On the well balanced mains list, there is Roast Monkfish, Pork Belly and Scallops and a risotto featuring Pumpkin.

Good variety too in the wine list, many by the glass. CL starts, and finishes, with the 2012 Huia Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough at €7.95 a glass. I open with a Bordeaux style 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserva Legado De Martino from Chile at €8.25 a glass and finish with a 2012 Cotes du Rhone Chaume Arnaud at €8.50. Very happy with the wines and especially with the finalé, a wee drop of Port, Warre’s LBV 2002 (€6.85).

Venison on top. Bottom: trout (left) and duck.

Both starters were excellent. CL absolutely enjoyed her Goatsbridge Smoked Trout Bon Bons, fennel purée, and trout roe vinaigrette. I went for the duck and it was terrific, well cooked, well presented, a terrific mix of textures and flavours. The description: Pan Fried confit duck, plum sauce, pickled carrot, and pickled cucumber, and coriander.

On then to the mains with much anticipation. I just couldn't resist the venison. Pink they said and pink I got, a great big hearty dish begging to be put away on an Autumn night; an extra hour in this day, so no hurry. The venison came with parsnip gratin, pumpkin purée, port wine jus (more alcohol!), spiced pear and pear gel. What’s not to like here?

CL, the fish specialist, was in her element with the Cod Fillet, cauliflower gratin (beautiful), cauliflower purée, and almond gremolata. What a fantastic combination, again well cooked, well presented. And well appreciated!

Desserts tempted. We hummed and hawed before settling for a liquid one, that delicious LBV. Suitably fortified, we headed off into the night, admiring the reflection of the Castle as we strolled back to our lovely friendly base at Rosquil House.

Zuni Restaurant/Bar and Hotel

26 Patrick Street, Kilkenny.

Phone	(056) 772 3999
Email	info@zuni.ie
Website	http://www.zuni.ie see also Kilkenny Dinner, in Cork Bloggers On Thomastown Tour Kilkenny on Parade. A Festival to Savour. Kilkenny's Night of a Thousand Feasts.

Amuse Bouche

Cûc liked to talk about herself, and she didn't hold back during the meal. I’d taken her to Chez Loury, on Carré Thiars, near the harbor. The food is excellent, whatever Gault and Millau say. And they have the best selection of Provençal wines. I chose a Château-Sainte-Rosaline. Definitely the greatest of the Provençal reds. The most sensual.

from Chourmo by Jean-Claude Izzo.

Island of Asian Street Food at Phô

Island of Asian Street Food at Phô

Hawkers Corner in City Pub!

The Phô Mule.

The island of Penang, part of a Malaysian state of the same name, is renowned for it street food. Not surprisingly, as it is a melting pot of many cultures with India, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Malaysian mainland itself all relatively close by. 

Here, hawkers with their rickshaws join together in the marketplace. These are specialists, one an ace in Prada, the other in curry, another in noodles, this one in Rendang. People come from miles around to sample their wares.

Thankfully, you don't have to go to Penang. Chef Prakash, known locally here as Kash, who grew up on the island surrounded by it rich culinary landscape, has brought the authentic know-how with him to the new Phô in Douglas Street. 

The menu is extensive and there is also a Phô Kids Menu. Vegetarian, Gluten Free, Kids and the strength of the spices (1, 2 or 3) are all clearly marked on the menu. No shortage of drinks either, non alcoholic, teas, coffees, wines, and local craft beers all available. And also a list of very original cocktails!

Okay. Where to start? The Roti Prata is proving very popular. This is an Indian influenced flat bread, fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside, and Kash tells me it is “an all day thing in Malaysia, 24/7”. It is proving very popular in Douglas Street. You may have it plain with a fragrant Lentil Curry (I enjoyed that very much) or with a number of fillings, including Chicken or Egg or Curry. Phô customers use it as a sharing dish while they wait for their main course.

Rice dishes include Thai and Malaysian Curries. The latter are spicy gluten free, originating from Penang Island. And, of course, there is Rendang, a spicy (#2 on the spice scale!) meat curry, served with Jasmine Rice. I loved the beef version but would happily try the others.

Beef Redang, served with Jasmine rice (not in shot!).

The next section comes under the Hawker Corner label. You, or the kids, won't go wrong here, even if you may not get the pronunciations right.  Try the gorgeous flavours, textures and aromas of the Khaw Pad Bay Krapow, Thai stir-fried rice with prawns and sweet basil.

Flat noodles feature on the Char Koey Teow, Malaysian stir fried flat noodles with prawn, slow smoked duck and pork sausage, bean sprouts, dark soy sauce and duck eggs. Phew, hard to pronounce but easy to eat and one of my favourites. Talking of pronunciation, Phô is pronounced “Faa”.

More noodles, big fat roundy ones, on the simpler Hokkien Mee. These are Udon style noodles cooked with pork liver and soy sauce. Delicious. Other noodle dishes include Phô Bo (from Hanoi) and Penang Prawn Noodles.

Vegetarian dishes look inviting with Pasembur and Poh Pia available. Indeed, next time I go back I might well pick the Pasembur as I had a sample of the Sweet Potato and Peanut Sauce and it is superb.

And everyone can tuck into Phô’s one desert. Indeed, everyone should try this at least once. It is a gem called Ais Kacang, shaved ice with screwpine jelly, grass jelly, rose agar agar, palm seed, rose water syrup, palm sugar syrup or ice cream. The most delicious glassful you'll get anywhere for €4.50. Cooling too if you’ve indulged in the spicier dishes!

Dessert (left) and right, from top, Hokkien Mee,
Char Koey Teow, and Khaw Pad Bai Krapow

While I was sampling, I kept cool with another lovely drink, a Lassi. This is a popular refreshing Indian influenced yogurt-based drink. Mine was Mango flavoured and you can also get it in Peach!

They are very proud of their Cocktail list here and rightly so. You will see one or two old standards there, including the Singapore Sling, but most of the cocktails have been created specially for the new restaurant/bar and are inspired by the South East Asian regions.

I had to sample one before heading off. The Phô Mule was recommended. “It’s a bomb,” I was told. Pandan leave infused Absolut, Kumquats, Lemongrass and Ginger Syrup, Lime and Ginger Beer. Not like any cocktail I’ve tasted before, it is superb, some beautiful refreshing flavours smoothing down the alcohol. And don’t gulp it down. Sip through the straws and enjoy it all the more.

How about the Phô Mojito? This is made with Cucumber, Coriander, Rum, Lime, Sugar and Soda Water. Kash’s own favourite is the Penang Twang. Ingredients here are Grapefruit Vodka, Lemongrass, Green tea, Lemon juice and Sugar. Cheers!

And best of luck to Brian and Kash. Both men are well known for their successful Fresco Bistro, attached to the Glucksman in the grounds of UCC and very popular in the college and surrounds. No doubt some of their customers there will be among those turning up in Douglas Street to try the well priced well cooked meals. All food is “homemade” in Phô and sourced locally where possible.

Roti Prata