Happy Heart Award from The Irish Heart Foundation.

Wedding Cake MasterClass

Follow these easy steps of how to create your own Wedding Fruit Cake.

This cake size will be baked in a 8 inch/20cm round cake tin.


Stage 1; Ingredients

Strong White Flour 225grm
Margarine 175grm
Dark Brown sugar 175grm
5 Eggs
Dried fruit mix 550grm
Cherries 75grm
Mixed peel 75grm
Chopped Almonds 50grm
Ground Almonds 50grm
Rind and juice of 1 lemon & 1 Orange
Mixed spice 1/2 tsp
Nutmeg 1/2 tsp
Rum 3tbsp

Method;
1. Line Deep cake tin with double layer of greaseproof paper.Cut one circle of greaseproof too the size of
  cake tin.
2.Pre-heat oven to 140 degrees/275 farrenheit/Gas 1.
3.Put the Dried fruit mix,Cherries,Mixed peel,Chopped and Ground Almonds,Rind and Juice of Lemon &
  Orange,1 tbsp Rum and mix well.
4.Sieve the Flour,Mixed spice & Nutmeg Together.
5.Cream Margarine & Sugar together.Add the eggs,one at a time ,beating each egg in thoroughly and adding
  a little sieved flour with every egg,after the first.
6.Fold in the remaining Flour,then stir in Fruit and 1 tbsp of rum gently but well mixed.
7.Transfer to the prepared Tin,smooth top & bake.half way through,place circle of greaseproof on top of
   cake held down with a spoon.this will prevent top of cake burning.bake for 2 1/2 hrs- 3 hrs.
8.To check if cooked ,insert skewer in centre of cake ,if it comes out clean,it is ready.When baked,leave to
   cool in tin.when cold,prick top of cake with a skewer & pour rum over.

Warm Goats Cheese Salad

Hoi Sin Duck Spring Rolls

Slow Cooked Wild Rabbit with Hot Italian Sausages

I went Hunting with a friend of mine this weekend for Wild Rabbits & we where successful.So created this tasty dish to respect what Mother nature provided for us from her Larder.

Ingredients;

2 Wild Rabbits
100 grm plain flour
Seasoning ; 1/2 tsp Allspice.1 tsp salt,1/2 tsp black pepper
100ml Olive Oil
500grm Hot Italian sausages,cut into 1/4 inch slices
125ml Ruby Port
125ml Red Wine
500grm Chestnut Mushrooms
1kg San Marzano Tomatoes,crushed
250ml Chicken Stock
100grm Pecorino Cheese

Method;

1. Divide Wild Rabbit into portions & reserve Loin's from Carcass.

2. Dust Wild Rabbit Pieces in flour with seasoning.Preheat Deep saucepan with olive oil.

3. Brown Rabbit pieces in Saucepan,Add sausages & brown lightly also for about 10 mins,turn occassionally.Add the port & redwine,Scrape the sediment from the bottom of the pan to draw flavours

   into sauce.

4.Add Stock,half of the Mushrooms & Tomatoes.season with salt & pepper to your taste.

5.Simmer slowly on top of stove for 40 mins or slowly cook in preheated oven at 200 degrees for 1 hr until
   meat is tender & comes from the bone.

6.Pan sear Wild Rabbit loins for 3-4 mins in olive oil,till cooked.let rest for 2 mins & carve into slices & add
   to saucepan with the rest of the mushrooms & cook further for 5 mins.

7.Ladle Wild Rabbit & Sauce into serving Bowl & Lightly Grate with pecorino Cheese,Serve with Rustic
  Crusty Bread to soak up the Sauce & Flavour's.

Easter

This year  we Celebrated our Easter Dinner with Fresh Local River Brown Trout that i Caught Fishing.

I prepared the trout as normal & left it on the bone whole,dusted with seasoned Flour.
I Preheated a hot Pan with a knob of local  homemade butter,add fish to hot pan seasoned lightly with blackpepper & sea salt.i got a good golden colouring on presentation side of fish,cook for 4-5 mins each side,keep basting with butter,add toasted almond flakes, a squeeze of lemon juice.cook butter till it turns a nut brown colour.Remove fish from pan & let rest.Add freshly chopped parsely to butter sauce.plate fish up & spoon butter sauce over the fish.
we served it with our own  Little Gem Salad from our greenhouse with added crunchy Garlic croutons cooked using  local Derrycama Rapeseed oil.

Check out Dundalk Fm This Friday for my show as i will be preparing this simple dish.

Gorta's National Soup Week 8th April- 15th April

Karl's Kitchen Flavour's Signature Soup's Available from Conlons Delicatessans in Dundalk,Co.Louth in aid of raising funds for Gorta charity's National Soup Week commencing 8th-15th of April.

Derry Clarke & Karl's Kitchen Flavour's

Parsnip & Chilli Soup;Gorta National Soup week 8th-15th April

    Parsnip & Chilli Soup


Ingredients;

500grm Diced parsnip
200grm Diced potato
1 sliced onion
pinch of fresh Thyme leaves
1 ltr/1. 75 pt chicken stock
1 chilli Pepper,diced
1oz olive oil
50ml Cream or creme fraiche
Salt & pepper

Method;

1.Heat olive oil in saucepan.Add the onions,parsnip & potatoes and cook over moderate heat for 5 mins
  stirring from time to time.

2.Stir in stock & add thyme leaves.Bring to boil,stirring & lower heat,cover & cook for 25mins till parsnip &
   potatoes are cooked.blend soup & pass through sieve into new saucepan.

3.Add chopped chillies & bring back to boil & simmer for a further 10 mins.Finish soup with a drop of
   pouring cream or creme fraiche & season soup with salt & pepper to taste.garnish with fresh chopped
   parsely.
Serves 4-6

Darver Cottage Greenhouse Seedlings

 

Baby Spinach,Green chillies & Little Gem Salad.

Local Fresh Irish produce From  my Darver Cottage ;will make use for Healthy delicious salads in a few weeks.

National Soup Week 8th April- 15th April ; Soup Recipes

Creamy Corn & Chicken Chowder

Ingredients;
25grm/1oz butter
1 small red pepper,cored,deseeded & diced
625grm/1.25 lb potatoes,peeled & diced
25grm/1 oz plain flour
750ml/1.25 pints of chicken stock
175grm/6oz frozen sweetcorn thawed
250grm/8oz cooked chicken,diced
125ml /1/4 pt cream
salt & pepper

Method;

1.Melt butter in large saucepan.add the onions,red pepper & potatoes & cook over a moderate heat for 5
  mins,stirring occassionally.

2.Sprinkle in the flour & cook over a low heat for 1min.gradually stir in the stock & bring to the
   boil,stirring,then lower heat,cover & cook for 10 mins.

3.Stir in the sweetcorn,chicken,cream & seasoning to taste.the cover & cook further for 10 mins until potatoes are just tender.garnish with fresh chopped parsely.

Serve chowder Hot in warmed soup bowls with crusty bread.

serves 4-6

National Soup Week 8th April- 15th April ; Soup Recipes

Potato,Carrot & Barley Soup

Ingredients;

50g/2oz butter

375grm/12 oz potatoes,cut  into cubes
275grm/9oz carrots,thinly sliced
1 lrg onion chopped
1 tbs plain flour
1.2 ltrs/2pts chicken stock
1/2 tsp dried mixed herbs
50grm/2oz cooked pearl barley
150ml/1/4pt cream
salt/pepper

Method;
1 .Melt the butter in a large saucepan,add the potatoes,carrots & onion & cook gently for 5 mins.Sprinkle in
    flour & cook for 1 min more.Then add 900ml/1.5 pts of stock & bring to boil,stirring.

2.Reduce heat,add herbs & season with salt & pepper to taste.cover & simmer further for 30 mins.take off
   heat & liquidise soup with hand blender until smooth.

3.Return to heat,stir in remaining stock & add barley & bring to the boil,lower heat & cook for another 10
   mins.add cream & adjust seasoning.garnish with fresh chopped parsely.

Serves 6