Slow Roast Duck

Ideal for a relaxed supper for 6 - 8 people. This does take a long time but for most of that time you can get on with other things. It is important to pierce the skin to allow fat to escape from the bird but be careful as you do not want to pierce the meat as it will dry out to much saying that this is however cooked almost as the Chinese do for their duck pancake dish it has an extremely crispy skin and stringy meat that can be shredded with a fork easily. I usually do this dish when there are about 4 of us for supper so that I will have enough duck left to shred and have with shredded cucumber, shredded spring onions and hoisin sauce wrapped in warm pancakes the next day. Yum. The meat is so rich here and the potatoes so crispy and flavourful all that needs to be served alongside this is a simple green salad and I would highly recommend a balsamic vinegarette there is something about this darkly alluring vinegar the sweetness and the acidity that marries so well with the duck. The roast potatoes will be roasted in the duck fat and are just out of this world they will be the best roast potatoes you ever have had. When the duck has finished cooking save the duck fat you could leave some in the fridge and freeze some for future use.

Ingredients:

• 1 x Whole Duck (preferably free-range organic)
• Maldon Sea Salt 
• Sprig thyme 
• 1 x Large baking potato (per person) Cut into 1 inch cubes 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the duck on a rack in a suitable sized roasting pan pierce several times and rub into the skin plenty of salt. Run your fingers down the stem of the thyme to remove the leaves and sprinkle on top. Place in the oven for 3 hours
2.  After the duck has been in the oven for 1 1/2 hours remove and pour some of the fat into another roasting pan for the potatoes then return the duck to the oven add the potatoes to the pan you added the duck fat to and place in the oven next to the duck for the remaining 1 1/2 hours. 

Serves 6 - 8 

Profiteroles

There has been a lot of choux pastry being made in my kitchen lately trying to get it just right for my next college assessment been working on all sorts of sauces, spheres, flavoured pastry cream garnishes and how to plate them. The photos below are my latest creation profiteroles with suitably flavoured pastry cream and a different flavoured sphere for each profiterole hazelnut, chocolate and caramel with spun sugar. 

The sphere were made using sodium alginate mixed with the flavouring for example the hazelnut sphere I whisked 4g of sodium alginate with 300ml of water then applied heat until it resembled something similar to wallpaper paste which I then allowed to cool slightly and add Frangelico and sugar to taste. Frangelico for those who haven't yet come across it is a gorgeous smooth Italian hazelnut liqueur. I then proceeded to making the calcium bath by dissolving 7g of calcium in a litre of water. Using a tablespoon I added a tablespoon of the Frangelico mixture at a time to the calcium bath allowing it 3 minutes to form its soft outer shell. Then removed them to bowl of water to prevent any further solidification. 

Choux Pastry

Ingredients:

• 150 ml cold water 
• 50g diced butter
• 60g strong white flour 
• pinch salt 
• pinch sugar 
• 2 eggs beaten 

Makes 25 small profiteroles 

Method: 

1. Preheat the oven to 200C. Place the butter and water together in a medium sized pan place over a medium heat. Turn the heat off as soon as the butter has melted. Do not let the water boil to long as the water lost through evaporation can ruin your choux pastry. 
2. Add the flour beating it in with a wooden spoon turn the heat back on low and mix the mixture until it comes free from the sides of the pan and begins forming a ball. 
3. Allow the mixture to cool slightly before beating in the egg gradually you should glossy smooth mixture.
4. Fill a piping bag with the mixture and pipe onto baking parchment or silicon sheet you want mounds slightly smaller than a teaspoon sized dollop you can use a teaspoon instead of a piping bag. Leave a good inch between each one as they expand a lot in the oven. 
5. Place on a high shelf in the oven for 15 - 20 mins until they have risen and gone golden and crisp.
6. Remove to a wire rack and pierce each one with a tip of a knife to allow excess steam to escape. 

Pastry Cream:

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolk 
• 75g caster sugar 
• 15g cornflour 
• 15g plain flour 
• 350ml whole milk
• 1 vanilla pod 

Method:

1. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways and scrape with your knife to remove seeds add the vanilla seeds with the milk to a medium saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the deseeded vanilla pod to the pan as well.
2.  Whisk together the egg yolk and sugar in a large bowl until colour becomes slightly paler then add in the flours. 
3. When bubbles begin forming in the milk remove from the heat and whisk a little into the eggs once fully incorporated repeat until the milk has all been combined with the eggs.
4. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and put over a low heat. Stir continuously until thickened like very thick custard and has no lumps. 
5. place a layer of cling film directly on the top of the pastry cream to prevent a skin forming. 

Serving

To serve Fill a piping bag with the now cold pastry cream and fill each profiterole until plump with pastry cream. Serve drizzled with chocolate sauce or caramel.

No Churn Chocolate Hazelnut Ice Cream

Pancetta & Leek Sauce

 I just wallow in the simplicity of this sauce, its gentle and soft flavors which marry so well together giving you a very versatile sauce that with a pan - fried breast of chicken and some plain boiled baby potatoes is my favorite. It works great with fish and pork as well. This can be spruced up easily for a last minute dinner party by substituting the chicken for a fillet of salmon.

Ingredients

• Knob of butter
• 100g pancetta 
• 1 leek
• 1 - 2 tbsp of plain flour (depending on desired thickness)
• 350ml single cream
• Salt & Pepper 

Method

1. Slice leeks into fat coins and rinse under cold running water and set aside. Cut the pancetta into small cubes (which I buy mine like). 
2. Add a knob of butter to the sauce pan and fry the bacon bits until bronzed then add the leeks and a pinch of salt to help the leeks soften in the bacon juices. 
3. To thicken the sauce add a tablespoon of flour into the now softened leeks & pancetta and stir with a spoon for a minute then add the cream and bring to the boil then turn off the heat. 
4. Season to taste. 

Inishfood 2012

Looking forward to a local upcoming event at the Drift Inn, Buncrana, Donegal. Darren Bradley's wood fired pizzas & L. Mulligan Grocer crew craft beers. Friday May 18th. For More information on the events of the weekend visit click here. 

Black Forest Gateau

The Black Forest Gateau is a southern German Cake from the  Schwarzwald Region. Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte Literally meaning "Black Forest Cherry Cake". It is a rich cake consisting of several layers of chocolate cake separated by cherry and cream. I have simplified this by making it just a two layer cake which is plenty if you ask me and you if i'm saying this it must be true. Try this I promise you that you will not be disappointed. 

Ingredients:

• 300g soft unsalted butter 
• 300g caster sugar 
• 4 large eggs
• 200g plain flour 
• 100g cocoa 
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1- 2 tablespoons milk 
• 3 tablespoons kirsch 
• 500ml double cream - Whipped 
• 1 x 340g black cherry jam/conserve
• 100g Dark Chocolate 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180ºc. Grease two 8" springform tins and line the base with either grease proof paper or reusable baking parchment. 
2. Now time to prepare the sponges. Cream together the butter and sugar until pale light and fluffy with a hand held mixer or free standing mixer. 
3. Add one egg at a time to the butter mixture with a tablespoon of the dry ingredients between each egg to prevent curdling. Until all eggs are incorporated then fold in the remaining dry ingredients. Add as much or as little of the milk to make the batter dropping consistency.
4. Split the batter evenly between the two cake tins smooth out with a rubber spatula and place on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 30 - 35 mins. Insert a skewer into centre of cake if it comes out clean remove cakes from oven allow to rest in their tins for 5mins then remove to wire rack to cool completely.
5.  Pierce the cake with the skewer and drizzle the cakes with the kirsch until it has been all absorbed into the sponges. Add a thick layer of the black cherry jam to each of the sponges. Then add 1/2 the cream to the bottom layer, place the top layer on top and add another thick layer of the jam to the top of cake.
6. Fill a piping bag with a serrated nozzle and pipe the remaining cream around the rim of the cake. shave the dark chocolate over the cake using a vegetable peeler. 

Rocky Road Cheese Cake

A combination of two of my favorite things here cheese cake and rocky road bars. How could that be bad? I can promise you that you will love this and it really takes no time at all to make and is very easy to make as it does not contain gelatin which can be a little hard to judge whether there is enough to make your cake set.

Ingredients:

• 200g digestive biscuits
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 75g unsalted butter ( melted)
• 500g cream cheese (room temperature)
• 300ml double cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 4 teaspoons icing sugar 
• 50g chocolate (milk)
• 75g mini marshmallows

Method:

1. Place 150g of the digestive biscuits into a food process and blitz until crumbs. Add the cocoa to the rubble and turn the motor back on and pour the butter down the spout. The biscuits should have the consistency of wet sand now, press into the bottom of an 8" springform tin. then stash in the refrigerator whilst preparing the top.
2. Add the cream cheese, double cream, vanilla and icing sugar to the food processor and let it run for a few minutes until stiffly whipped. 
3. Melt 1/2 the chocolate and fold into the mixture. crush the biscuits with your fingers so you get some rubble and biscuit dust into the mixture add the marshmallows and fold everything together. 
4. Smooth evenly over the biscuit base. Chill until it firms and set. 
5. When set melt the remaining chocolate and drizzle over the cheese cake. 

Serves 6 - 8