Zaconey, out on its own and loose in the Rebel County.

Old Time Zaconey

An amazing 120,000 barrels make their way from the bourbon distilleries of America to Irish Distillers Ltd every year, arriving with a pool of golden bourbon resting inside. This is the origin of Zaconey (35% ABV), a new crafted spirit with a twist of American bourbon.

The new spirit, not a rum, not a vodka, was launched at Rearden’s Secret Garden on Tuesday evening with the sounds and sights of the fifties dominating. Some nice bites also, via Right Catering, with Sweet Potato Fries (in cones, of course), tasty sliders and bags of popcorn featuring.

And the fun doesn’t stop there.  During the months of November and December, the Zaconey carnival will turn into a travelling funfair visiting a number of towns across the ‘Rebel County’, bringing 1950’s Americana to the homes of lucky consumers.  

Corkonians will be invited to call on the ‘Zaconey Party Starter’ in order to taste the retro spirit of Zaconey in the comfort of their very own home, where it will whip up the magical spirit of 1950’s Americana, bringing it to life with games and glamour galore.   For further information on how to call on the Zaconey Party Starter visit, check here.  Participants must be over 21 years of age.

The new spirit is meant to be mixed, usually about one to three. Coke seems to be the preferred option going by Tuesday night. Use a big tumbler and loads of ice. But you may try other mixers. I tried soda, Club lemon, and also a white lemonade (probably my favourite, but to each his own!). Quite possible too that Zaconey will provide the base for many cocktails in the months ahead as inventive rollers and shakers get to know it.

Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue at BT Friday

Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue at BT Friday

 Friday 15th November, 6pm

Cashel, before the blue.

Ballymaloe's Colm McCan has been in touch about Friday's tempting "match-up" in the Food Emporium (Brown Thomas) between Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue Cheese.

"Established over three centuries ago in 1692, Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port houses and will be represented by Chris Forbes. We will also be joined by Sarah Furno from Cashel Blue Cheese and Crozier Blue Cheese, in Co. Tipperary, so an evening to look forward to, with Taylor's Port and Cashel Blue.

Here too, we have a selection of wines from our award winning wine list and wine cellar here at Ballymaloe. Open seven days a week, we have a great selection of wines and gift ideas, and we will also be holding wine tastings and welcoming visiting winemakers."

Some well priced good wines

Thought I might share the details on some decent well priced wines that I've come across recently.

In Cafe Gusto last weekend, I was reminded of the merits of Beso de Vino range imported by Wine Alliance and widely available. They are the house wines in Gusto. The white is a Macabeo and the red is a blend of Syrah and Garnacha, and both come from the Carinena region of Spain. Just checked on Bradley's Off Licence website where they are available for €10.99 a bottle.

Earlier, I had picked up an award winning white in Karwig Wines (Carrigaline). The Claude Val Vendages 2012, an IGP by Paul Mas from the Aude Valley in the Languedoc, is a blend of no less than six grapes: Grenache Blanc, Chenin, Mauzac, Chasan, Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc. Didn't quite know what to expect when I parted with my €11.25 but it is a beauty: fruity, fresh and well balanced and a smooth, almost oily, mouthfeel. Quite a good wine at a decent price.

Hayfield Festive Wine Event

"Join us on December 5th for our Festive Wine Society evening, delight in an evening of superior wines and exceptional cuisine. Our guest speaker is Richard McMahon from Erne Wines and he will be presenting Spanish wines which they supply exclusively from the Baron de Ley winery. 

Begin your evening with a sparkling wine reception,this shall be followed by a 5 course menu, exclusively designed by Executive Head Chef Graeme Campbell, to complement the 5 wines showcased."

Tickets are €79 per person. To Book: Please call us on +353214845941 or email events@hayfieldmanor.ie

Cornstore's Craft Beer and Food Month. A series of successful pairings

Craft Beer and Food Month at The Cornstore

A series of successful pairings.

Goat cheese starter

 For those who love good food and a good beer to go with it, Cork’s Cornstore is the place to be this month. The popular restaurant is running a Craft Beer and Food Menu every Wednesday and Thursday. I sampled it last week and can highly recommend it. The Menu is proving very popular so the advice is to book ahead.

They have put a lot of effort into the pairings and a beer (or cider) is suggested with each course. You can, of course, swap around to suit yourself. But we went with the suggested beers and found a series of successful pairings.

Ravioli

You have  a choice of five starters. I kicked off with the Porcini Mushroom Ravioli in a game broth with shredded duck leg and celeriac remoulade. This was a lovely dish on its own but, matched with O’Hara’s Curim, perhaps Ireland’s only wheat beer, it was even better, the object of the November exercise accomplished!

The Warm Goat's Cheese was recommended to us and, with poached fig and red pepper and tomato compote, it sure was a gem, But, matched with the flavoursome red ale, the Dungarvan Copper Coast, the balance was spot-on, the result perfectly delectable. 

Venison

Other starters included Crisp Pork Belly with Stonewell Medium Dry Cider, Chicken Wings with Trouble Brewing Sabotage IPA and Pan Seared Scallops with Eight Degrees Barefoot Bohemian. Check the full menu here.

Brown Bread was the unusual but excellent addition to the Wild Venison Stew, also with braised red cabbage and a wild mushroom dumpling. This earthy game dish, a wintery dark in the bowl, had a great complement in the black stout from Trouble Brewing called Dark Arts, an appropriate name indeed. A highly recommended dish!  

Steak

Trouble Brewing’s Sabotage IPA was one of the suggestions to go with the Aged Rib Eye Steak. Recommending it, the Cornstore said that it has a lovely bitter finish. “And really works well with our award winning steak rub and cuts through the little extra fat of the rib eye steak.” Very true indeed, a perfect alchemy of beer and boeuf, the steak served with mushroom and onion fricassee, a half roast plum tomato and pepper sauce.

Dessert and Beer? No problem to the taste team at the Cornstore. The Flourless Chocolate Cake, with fresh cream and raspberry coulis, is a luxury treat, some very expensive chocolate used here, and it was well matched with a small glass of the Franciscan Well Limited Edition Stout, aged in Jameson Whiskey Casks. The stout, a special treat, also doubled up well with the magnificent Cheese Board Selection (with fruit and crackers). 

And then what do you match with their Apple Dessert plate (mini apple crumble, apple sorbet and apple panna cotta)? Why, Stonewell Dry Cider, of course, the dry style of the Nohoval produced cider perfectly complementing the seasonal apple selection. 

Grazie Cafe Gusto

Grazie Cafe Gusto

Found out on Friday that I have been missing out on a good thing at Cafe Gusto. Called there for their evening menu - it runs Thurs to Sat - and enjoyed a terrific meal for just thirty euro for two. And that included two glasses of wine! We got a warm greeting and service was really friendly and on the ball throughout.

They have a great selection of Cicchetti (the Italian version of tapas) for just one euro each. They had a selection of six  on the counter in Washington Street (this menu is not available at the cafe on Lapps Quay). We took all six and shared, all gorgeous bites, everything from Toons Bridge Mozzarella to anchovies to the local favourite Spiced Beef.

It was a cold evening so we were inclined for something hot and that meant their inviting Mezze platters were out. You can have charcuterie, also a cheese board, maybe a mix, or perhaps a vegetarian selection.

The selection available in this small comfortable welcoming cafe is quite large, and boosted by five or six specials. In the event, we choose the Meatballs in tomato sauce with country bread and Lamb Kofta in Pitta with Tzatziki, chilli sauce and salad, each costing a modest €7.50.

And they were both really good. The meat in each case was top notch, really tender. I was very happy with my spicy Kofta but quite a bit of traffic went on between the two of us and I can tell you that the meat ball dish was also a winner, so that speaks volumes for the rest of the menu that you may check out here.

And the wine is good and reasonably priced at €4.50 a glass. The house white is a Macabeo and the red is a blend of Syrah and Garnacha, both by Beso de Vino from the Carinena region of Spain.

Cafe Gusto info:

http://cafegusto.com/

✉ info@cafegusto.com   Tel: +353 21 4254 446

3 Washington Street, Cork.

Mon, Tues & Wed. 7:45am—5:00pm Thurs, Fri & Sat. 7.45am—10:00pm Closed on Sunday.

Cicchetti, Mezze & Small plates served from 5pm Thurs – Sat. Coffee, bruschetta, stews, soups & sandwiches served all day.

Spanish, Italian, French & Portuguese wines. B.Y.O available (Wine licence only. €5 corkage fee per bottle. €10 minimum spend per person)

Visa and Mastercard accepted

Super Saturday. Castlemary Farm. Midleton Farmers Market. The Food Emporium.

Super Saturday

Castlemary Farm. Midleton Farmers Market. The Food Emporium.

Olive and one of her goats.

This super Saturday started with a visit to Castlemary Farm. Great to meet up with the hard-working Olive Hallahan and her goats (who have a very comfortable life, especially Dan the Man!). Olive’s small shop on the farm opens every Saturday morning and today, for the first time, she had her Smoked Goats Cheddar on sale.

Frank Hederman did the smoking here so that cheese was top of our list but we also got a  few other bits and pieces including a Goat Cheese Fruit Yoghurt and a lovely brown loaf made with goat buttermilk! She also sells produce by the neighbours, including honey and eggs. The smoked cheese, by the way, tastes like a success, the smoking very finely judged indeed.

Olive meets another Billy

You may also buy Castlemary products at the regular Friday Country Market in Midleton and at the nearby shop recently opened by Helen Aherne. Olive tells me that Helen is a talented baker and her cakes also feature in the Midleton shop.

From Castlemary, I made my way to Midleton and to the regular Saturday morning Farmers Market. We were still reasonably early but O’Driscoll’s of Schull were rapidly running out of fish. Still we managed to get some fresh cod. Mushrooms from Irish Shiitake, Smoked Mackerel from the aforementioned Mr Hederman, and a lovely sweet Almond Brioche ring from Arbutus Bread were among the other products to find a way into the sturdy shopping bag. Lots of choices for lunch and later!

Gurnard

The sunshine was giving way to rain as I headed downtown in the afternoon to the Food Emporium at Brown Thomas. Lovely to meet Darina Allen who was signing copies of her most recent book, 30 Years at Ballymaloe (with over 100 new recipes), and to renew acquaintance also with Anthony Cresswell of Ummera Smoked Products who had samples of his brilliant produce for tasting.

Ballymaloe have a pop-up wine shop here and some of their wines were open for tasting with Peter Corr of Febvre Wines doing the honours and opening some terrific wines including a Vacheron Sancerre, a lovely pure white wine, mineral rich and zesty, produced by biodynamic farming.

That was good but the star of the show was undoubtedly the 2008 Raveneau Chablis. It was a rare pleasure to sample this Classic Chablis 1er Cru from Reveneau’s Butteaux vineyard.

The tastings here are of a very high standard indeed and that will continue next Friday evening at 6.00pm when Chris Forbes of Taylor's Port, one of the oldest of the founding Port houses, and Sarah Furno, of the magnificent Cashel Blue and Croizier Blue Cheeses, are the distinguished visitors. Should be a lovely evening.

Darina Allen, Ursula Bosman (Brown Thomas) and Yours Truly at the
Food Emporium.

Five finalists announced in Euro-toques young chef of the year

Five finalists announced in Euro-toques

 young chef of the year 2013

Euro-toques have announced their five finalists in Ireland’s most distinguished culinary competition making Ireland one step closer to discovering the Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year winner 2013.

Chosen by a panel of well-known chef’s and judges, the five finalists in the Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year 2013 competition are:
 ·       Mark Moriarty (aged 21) Chef de Partie, The Greenhouse Restaurant
·       Kevin Burke (aged 24) Chef de Partie, Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, Merrion Hotel
·       Paula Leavy (aged 26) Chef de Partie from Locks Brasserie
·       Brian O’Flaherty (aged 24) Commis Chef in Restaurant Forty One, Residence Members Club
·       Grainne O’Keefe (aged 22) Junior Sous Chef in Pichet



Euro-Toques are looking for three simple winning ingredients when it comes to selecting the finalist for Young Chef of the Year – talent, enthusiasm and a passion for Irish food and heritage. Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2013 is in association with Fáilte Ireland is looking to identify young talents who have the potential to represent and define the Irish culinary scene, drawing from our land, traditions and culinary heritage.

The theme for the 2013 competition is ‘Food Memories: Your Interpretation?’ and it will be carried right through to the final event on November 24th; where the young chefs will use the past as an inspiration for the future, in order to create contemporary dishes that reflect re-imaginings of flavours, ingredients and presentation. 

Judges for the final will include Elena Arzak, Best female Chef in the World in 2012 and joint head chef of three Michelin stared restaurant Arzak alongside her father Juan Mari Arzak.
 
The Euro-toques Young Chef of the Year 2013 will win a stage at ALMA, the International School of Italian cuisine in Colorno Italy, headed by world renowned chef Gualtiero Marchesi, amongst other exciting opportunities.

Amuse Bouche

Calls always seemed to come as we were eating. Fidel loved to devour enormous plates of food, and I would make sure visiting TV crews took us to the best Sinaloan seafood restaurants or charcoaled-chicken joints. As calls came about firefights, we would rush out, Fidel still grabbing prawns or marlin off the plates while they were taken away. Out on the road, he would burn the rubber as if he were a NASCAR racer. Mexican crime photographers are the most aggressive drivers I have ever seen, as moving fast is key to getting the photo. We would zoom through the stoplights and arrive to see another crowd staring at bullets on the concrete, another bloody pile of corpses, another family crying.

From El Narco by Ioan Grillo

Local Food Companies Shortlisted for Bord Bia Awards

Local Food Companies Shortlisted for Bord Bia Awards

Margaret (Founder) & DJ Kelleher (MD)

Riverview Eggs, Glenmar Shellfish, Irish Atlantic Salt and Irish Distillers are the four Cork based food and drink companies who have been shortlisted in Bord Bia’s Food and Drink Awards (2013). The awars recognise excellence in export development; branding; innovation; sustainability; entrepreneurship, success on the domestic market and use of consumer research.

·         Irish Distillers’ Jameson Irish Whiskey, with an expanding and renowned distillery in Midleton, has been shortlisted for two awards; the Export Award and the Innovation Award. Jameson reached the milestone of 4 million cases sold globally in 2012 and is the No. 1 Irish whiskey in the world sold in 108 markets. In terms of innovation, the Yellow Spot 12 Year Old, within the Single Pot Still Whiskeys of the Midleton range, is unique to Ireland and to the Midleton Distillery in particular. The whiskey is produced annually in batches of 500 cases, making it a true collectors item and is available in limited quantities in Ireland, France, the UK and Germany.

·         Alongside Jameson, Union Hall’s Glenmar Shellfish have also been shortlisted for the Export Award. The company is currently exporting 550 tons to markets such as China, Hong Kong, Korea, Italy, Spain, France and Croatia.

Irish Atlantic Salt - Michael and Aileen O'Neill

·         Watergrasshill based, Riverview Eggs, have been shortlisted for the Consumer Insight Award for their use of consumer research to develop the Amazing Egg brand. Faced with the challenge of innovating in a competitive and commoditized category, the company invested in extensive category research from which they use the insights to inform their strategy. The result of which is that the Riverview brand is now the second largest brand by market share in the Irish egg market (Kantar, July 2013).

·         Irish Atlantic Sea Salt, located on the Beara Peninsula, has been shortlisted for the Entrepreneurial Award. The O'Neill family developed this range of organic, gourmet Irish sea salt products, using the highest quality waters surrounding the Peninsula to create the only Irish-made white sea salt products available.

Visit profile interviews with the companies here: www.bordbia.ie/awards

This year’s awards will be presented at Bord Bia’s Annual Brand Forum end of year event taking place in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, Dublin on Thursday, 14^th November. Paul Duffy, Chairman and CEO of The Absolut Company, will be the keynote speaker on the night and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney T.D. will present the awards. RTE presenter Keelin Shanley will be MC for the evening. 

In total, Bord Bia received over 150 entries across the seven categories. The three shortlisted companies under each category are as follows:

Try the Taste of the Week at Brown Thomas this Saturday.

Taste of the Week

This smoked chicken, from Ummera in Timoleague, is a top top product. And very versatile too,. We used it in a paella last weekend and it was a treat. There are quite a few more recipes on the Ummera website here

If you are in Cork City this very Saturday, November 9th, Ummera will be up on the 2nd Floor of Brown Thomas in their new Food Emporium offering tastings as Darina Allen signs copies of her new book, "30 Years at Ballymaloe". Peter Corr of Febvre Wines will be tasting a selection of wines from the classic French wine regions. Time: 2pm to 4pm

Two November Winegeese Events at L'Atitude

Two November Winegeese Events at L'Atitude

Leslie Williams, at L'Atitude on the 14th.

Winegeese arrive at L'Atitude - On the Double.

Thursday Nov 14th 7pm

L'Atitude 51 in Association with Mackenway Wines present

Bringing The Wine Geese Home November Edition (Part 1)

Presentation & Tasting with Winemaker Phillip Grant of Chateau Bellevue la Foret, Fronton AOC, South-West France, and Wine Writer Leslie Williams (Irish Examiner) 

Tickets €12 (include canapés selected to match the wines)

Booking essential. 

Contact L’Atitude 51 on 021 2390219 or info@latitude51.ie

Bellevue were one of the victims of the June hailstones this year but they responded well as you may read here.

Wednesday Nov 20th 7pm

L'Atitude 51 in Association with Tyrrell & Co present 

Bringing The Wine Geese Home November Edition (Part 2)

Presentation & Tasting with Winemakers Paul & Isla Gordon of Domaine La Sarabande
Tickets €12 (include canapés selected to match the wines) 

Booking essential. 

Contact L’Atitude 51 on 021 2390219 or info@latitude51.ie

Paul and Isla were the first Australian/Irish vignerons in the Languedoc and you may read their story here.

Michelin's Best Pubs to eat in. And a few of my own!

Seafood platter at the Seaview Tavern in Malin.

The Michelin ‘eating out in pubs’ guide

Thirty-four Irish pubs spread across fifteen counties have secured listings in the 2014 Michelin ‘Eating Out In Pubs’ Guide just published. 

Is that too many? Too few? What do you think? Perhaps we have too many listings of the best this and the best that! Still, that won’t stop me from adding a few of my own, in red at the bottom! I ate in all of my recommendations this year.

By the way, I’m not saying that any of those listed shouldn’t be there. Don’t know them all obviously but I have enjoyed the high standards in places such as the Wild Honey Inn in Lisdoonvarna and Cronin’s in Crosshaven.

Hake & Scallops lunch in Murph's

Of the twenty-seven pubs in the Republic of Ireland, five are new listings – Byrne and Woods (Roundwood), Tavern (Murrisk), Fallon’s (Kilcullen), Linnane’s Lobster Bar (New Quay) and Morrissey’s (Doonbeg). Three received Inspector’s Favourite listings – Wild Honey Inn (Lisdoonvarna), Deasy’s (Clonakilty) and Toddy’s at The Bulman (Kinsale).

Produced by leading tyre manufacturer Michelin, this year’s Guide recommends some 577 pubs spread across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland of which 70 are new entries and all of which are selected, first and foremost, for the quality of their food.

Noting that no one has to put up with bad food in a pub anymore, editor Rebecca Burr said that all pubs listed in the Guide have been “rigorously inspected” by a team of full-time inspectors – the same team who produce the famed Michelin Great Britain & Ireland restaurant guide.

The Michelin ‘Eating Out In Pubs’ Guide 2014 is now available in bookshops and online priced at EUR14.99.

The full list of 2014 Michelin ‘Eating Out In Pubs’ Guide listings for Ireland is:
 
DOWN (7)
Pheasant (Annahilt), Coyle’s (Bangor), Lisbarnett House (Comber), Grace Neill’s and Pier 36 (both in Donaghadee) and The Parson’s Nose and The Plough Inn (both in Hillsborough)

CORK (6)
Mary Ann’s (Castletownshend), Poacher’s Inn (Bandon), An Súgan and Deasy’s (Clonakilty), Cronin’s (Crosshaven) and Toddies at The Bulman (Kinsale).

CLARE (4)
Morrissey’s (Doonbeg), Vaughan’s Anchor Inn (Liscannor), Wild Honey Inn (Lisdoonvarna) and Linnane’s Lobster Bar (New Quay)

MAYO (3)
Crockets on the Quay (Ballina), The Tavern (Murrisk) and Sheebeen (Westport)

GALWAY (2)
Moran’s Oyster Cottage (Kilcolgan) and O’Dowd’s (Roundstone)

KERRY (2)
O’Neill’s Seafood Bar and QC’s (both in Caherciveen)

KILDARE (2)
Ballymore Inn (Ballymore Eustace) and Fallon’s (Kilcullen)

DUBLIN (1)
Chop House (Ballsbridge)

LEITRIM (1)
Oarsman (Carrick-on-Shannon)

LOUTH (1)
Fitzpatrick’s (Jenkinstown)

SLIGO (1)
Hargadons (O’Connell Street, Sligo)

TIPPERARY (1)
Larkin’s (Garrykennedy)

WESTMEATH (1)
Fatted Calf (Glasson)

WEXFORD (1)
Lobster Pot (Carne)

WICKLOW (1)
Byrne & Woods (Roundwood)

My Tuppence Worth

Donegal

SeaviewTavern  in Malin Head Village.

Olde Glen Bar in Carrickart.

Mayo

The Market Kitchen at Murphy Brothers Bar (Ballina)

Kerry

An Canteen (Dingle)

Cork

Blair’s Inn (Cloghroe)

The Rising Tide (Glounthaune)

Murph’s (East Ferry)

Charlie Mac’s (Fermoy)

Annie’s (Sunday’s Well)

Woodford (Paul Street, Cork)

Three Friends at my Table. West Cork Paella

Three Friends at my Table

West Cork Paella

I had three friends at my table for Saturday night dinner. Well, not really. But I did have the fantastic produce from Kanturk’s Jack McCarthy, West Cork’s Anthony Cresswell and the Loire’s Sebastien du Petit Thouars.

Anthony’s Ummera Smoked Chicken, bought in the Brown Thomas Food Emporium, was the main ingredient of the main dish. Ummera is the only Irish producer of smoked chicken and we used it in a special recipe by Clodagh McKenna: West Cork Paella.

When checking the list of recipe items, we found ourselves short a few and that led to a tour of the local shops. Supervalu had the Risotto Rice but no Chorizo. Coolmore, our local butchers, were out of a possible substitute, O’Flynn’s Gourmet Mexican or Italian Sausage, so we ended up in Aldi and got a Spanish Chorizo. Hard, if not impossible, to get Desmond cheese these days so Castlemary Farm’s award winning Goat Cheddar substituted and played  a blinder!

Indeed, though I forgot the lemon wedges,the whole dish was excellent, full of great flavours. You can take it will be done again, this time with the Gubbeen chorizo! So well done to Anthony for the chicken and to Clodagh for the recipe! This link will also take you to four or five other recipes for the smoked chicken.

Chateau du Petit Thouars . Is that a Cork car in front?

Jack and Timmy McCarthy are doing great things in Kanturk with Irish charcuterie and we started with a platter. Highlight here was their non-smoked Pastrami with special peppers. Simply outstanding and well worth getting your hands on.

We met Sebastien du Petit Thouars at his Chateau in the Loire in August and enjoyed a couple of visits. We had a great tasting with Sebastien, Darcy and their baby daughter Elizabeth, and one of the wines we brought home was his Selection 2009. This is a superb Cabernet Franc and one of the matching recommendations on the label was for curry. So why not Cloadagh's paella, we thought! And, glad to say, it worked a treat.