Ring Doughnuts

I can remember the very first time I ate a doughnut.

 

I must have been 6 or 7 at the time but I can still vividly recall the taste and texture of that doughnut even after all these years. It’s almost as if I had eaten it mere minutes ago. Every doughnut that I have eaten has been judged against that first one and unfortunately, too often they have not measured up.

 

I remember the way the fine sugar crystals clung to the moisture on my lips and how satisfying it was to lick them off in between taking bites of the pillowy soft doughnut. That doughnut was eaten in Bewley’s Café in Dundrum, the bustling Dublin suburb, where I grew up. On that particular day, I was accompanying my grandmother on her daily trip down to ‘the Village,’ as she called it, to get her ‘messages’. She had popped into Bewley’s to buy a bag of their coffee beans and in concession to my persistent begging for a treat, bought me a sugary ring doughnut. I was initially disappointed as what I had really wanted was one of the iced queen cakes, but those feeling were quickly forgotten on sinking my teeth into the doughnut. I absolutely loved it!

 

I have made quite a lot of doughnuts recently in an attempt to achieve what I consider THE perfect doughnut. I like slightly chewy crumb, but the doughnuts must be light. Despite being deep-fried they should not be greasy but rather, should possess a crisp exterior which gives way to a soft but perfectly cooked-through interior. After many false starts, I have finally produced a ring doughnut which satisfies all my exacting requirements … and here it is!

 

I find that using plain white flour rather than strong flour produces a fluffier result with just a slightly chewy texture. In addition, I have added the finely grated zest of a lemon which adds an extra flavour dimension; you can leave this out and leave them plain.
 

Ingredients:

450g plain flour
30g caster sugar plus extra for dusting the finished doughnuts

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

½tsp salt

75g butter, cubed

15g fresh yeast

225ml water

Vegetable oil for deep-frying
 

Method:

1. Place the flour, caster sugar, lemon zest and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir everything with your hands to distribute evenly. Add the butter and run into the flour mixture using your fingertips. Add the water and mix with your hands to form a soft dough.

2. Turn the dough out on to a clean work-surface and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and springs back when lightly poked with your finger. Place into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with cling film and set aside to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size.

3. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knock back. Roll out until it is about 1cm thick. Using a 8-10cm plain pastry cutter, stamp out rounds from the dough. Use a smaller cutter, about 2cm in diameter to stamp out the centres. Place onto a large baking tray lined with some non-stick baking parchment. Cover loosely with a little oiled cling film and set aside to rise for approximately 45 minutes until doubled in size.4. Heat some vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer. Once it has reached 180C, fry the doughnuts in batched for about 4 minutes, turning them over half way through so that both sides are a deep golden brown and the doughnuts have puffed up.

5. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on some absorbent kitchen paper. Roll the fried doughnuts in some extra caster sugar and serve still warm (although they are also delicious cooled).

 

Makes 12-14 doughnuts.

Review: Cooks Academy Sushi Workshop, Dublin

There’s no doubt it, people are far more educated about food in general these days. Foreign travel, television programmes and cookery books have resulted in our being exposed to different cultures and cuisines and we are keen to learn more about how to cook these  foods for ourselves in our own kitchens. Although historically the Irish are inextricably linked to the potato, the truth is that increasingly, rice and pasta are our main staples and we are drawn to recipes that include them.

Although I love the food of Italy, China and India, it is Japanese food that has long held a certain allure for me, so when I saw that Cooks Academy, located in South William Street was running an evening Sushi Workshop, I jumped at the chance of attending.

 

Cooks Academy offer a range of courses, including month-long certificate courses, one-week Essential Cookery courses and a host of day and evening workshops. The courses cover a range of topics from knife skills, to macaron making and cake decorating plus many others so there is definitely something to suit everyone.

 

I love eating sushi, have long wanted to make my own and recently even bought all the equipment that is required to do so. My one attempt at making it was an unmitigated disaster, so to be honest, despite signing up to the Sushi Workshop, I didn’t hold out much hope that my woeful skills could be improved.

 

As you enter the kitchens, you are immediately struck by how spacious and how well- equipped they are. There are a large number of workstations with plenty of room to work without crowding. Even though there were approximately 24 of us attending the course we never felt cramped or that we were getting in each other’s way. The demonstration area consists of a slightly elevated kitchen with a seating zone where students can easily observe what is going on. The cooking demonstration is projected onto large angled screens so that you can see the finer details involved.

 

Our tutor was the very affable, enthusiastic and knowledgeable Vinnie. He kicked off proceedings by giving us a detailed demonstration of how to cook sushi rice correctly, which is actually far more technical than you might think. Under Vinnie’s reassuring tutelage we all felt that it was something we could achieve and we were all eager to get stuck in. Before being let loose in the kitchen, Vinnie showed us how to make Nigiri (hand-formed sushi), and Nori and Sushi Rolls using a bamboo mat. We also learnt how to make Sushi Crepes and California Rolls. The demonstration took about an hour and then we donned our Cooks Academy Aprons and entered the kitchens to start re-creating the different types of sushi that we had been shown how to make.

 

The great thing about the Cooks Academy Sushi Workshop is that all you have to bring with you is yourself! All the ingredients and equipment are provided and you are also given a detailed booklet containing all the recipes. During the Workshop, we were also given loads of hints and tips from Vinnie on where to source the best and freshest fish and other ingredients we might need when making sushi at home. The great thing that I discovered is that most of them are readily available so there is no excuse not to give it a go!

 

In total we spent about an hour and a half making our own sushi and we had tremendous fun doing so. From my perspective, I found that quite unbelievably, it was far easier than I had thought and really the key thing to get right was the initial cooking of the rice. I was utterly thrilled with the sushi that I produced and it was with a deep sense of pride that I arrived home with package filled with the fruits of my evening’s labours. And yes, they did look (and taste) delicious!

 

The Sushi Workshop costs €70 which I think represents great value for money especially when you take into account the fact that everything is provided and the quality tuition you receive.

 

This is a course that I would highly recommend. It was fun, informative and I left with a renewed enthusiasm for making one of my favourite foods. Like many people, I work full-time, so trying to attend day- or week-long courses can be a little tricky to arrange. These evening workshops fit the bill perfectly and I’m now deciding which one I’ll do next.

 

Cooks Academy

19 South William Street

Dublin 2

 

Telephone: 016111666

Website: www.cooksacademy.com

 

This review first appeared in TheTaste.ie

 

Restaurant Review: Taste at Rustic, South Great George's Street, Dublin 2

Dining in Taste at Rustic is so much more than mere eating; it is an experience for all the senses which leaves a lasting impression. There is a sense of drama in how your meal is presented and served to you but this theatricality cleverly involves the diner so that it does not feel contrived or that it is being used as a vehicle to mask or distract from mediocre food… and believe me, the food is good… VERY good!

 

There is a masculine feel to the dining room in Taste at Rustic with its black leather seating, dark wooden floors, red brick walls and sombre muted tones. The overall look suits the restaurant perfectly especially when juxtaposed against the lively atmosphere and the incredibly friendly personalities of the energetic waiting staff.
 

Brick Temaki

The restaurant is housed on the top floor and is in the same building as Rustic Stone which along with the nearby Fade Street Social and Brasserie 66 form a quartet of highly popular restaurants owned by Dylan McGrath. Many people will recognise Dylan from his time as one of the judges on RTÉ’s MasterChef Ireland where his exacting standards reduced many a contestant to near tears. However, Dylan also has a real cooking pedigree and was Head Chef at the now defunct Mint in Ranelagh when it was awarded a Michelin star in 2008.

 

The menu in Taste at Rustic is the result of Dylan’s travels abroad, most notably in Asia and South America and is heavily influenced by Japanese cuisine. At first glance the menu is a little intimidating but the enthusiastic waiting staff take on board your preferences, offer guidance and make suggestions on which dishes to choose. Sipping on a Blackberry & Apple Crumble cocktail, a wonderful gin and gingerbread liqueur concoction, I felt emboldened to start ordering.

 

Nigiri

Tasting menus or Omakase are available with the three options costing €35, €50 or €70 respectively. Although we decided to go for the à la carte menu, it seems to me that the Omakase are competitively priced and ideal if you are feeling a little overwhelmed by some of the unfamiliar dishes and are not sure which to choose. They are specifically designed to give you the full experience of Taste at Rustic.

 

Each of the dishes on the menu is based on one of the five tastes – sweet, salt, bitter, umami and sour and whilst some of my choices were influenced by these categorisations, most were chosen because I was tempted by their description on the menu.

 

Starters/appetisers include a selection of warm (miso) broths, nigiri (hand-sculpted rice- based sushi) and maki (sushi rolls). These range in price from €2.50 to €4 for the broths and nigiri and diners are urged to select two or three each. The more substantial maki which consist of eight cut pieces are priced around the €12 mark.

 

Pork Belly

As a prelude to our meal, we were served the most beautiful Brick Temaki, a cone-shaped amuse bouche of types which teased the taste buds in all the right ways. The crispy cone provided the perfect receptacle for the thin slivers of fresh fish which were served with an avocado purée and a sprinkling of black sesame seeds. It was beautiful to look at with a freshness on the palate that gave way to an appealing roundness of flavour in the mouth.



Between us, my friend Eithne and I then chose three nigiri each. The nigiri surprised on a number of levels; firstly it was amazing how such complexity of flavour and range of textures could be packed into these mouthfuls and secondly how satisfying they were despite their diminutive proportions. Our choices were varied but were all singularly wonderful. Of special note was the John Dory with Lardo Crudo, Smoked Olive Oil and Smoked Salt which possessed an initial sweetness that gave way to a restrained saltiness. I loved the Sirloin of Wagyu with Black Olive Oil which was altogether different and satisfied in an almost comforting way. Also wonderful were Eithne’s Smoked Mackerel with Spring Onion and fresh chopped Ginger which was fully of zingy freshness and the perfectly cooked Native Prawn gently heated with Sweet Lobster Butter.
 

Beef

The next section of the menu entitled Warm Bites/Sashimi has portions similar in size to the conventional ‘starters’ we would all be more used to. Keen to try all aspects of the menu we both decided to order a dish; Grilled King Crab for me and Pork Belly for Eithne. The crab was presented almost sacrificially on a flat stone and was stunning to look at. It was prepared with the diner in mind and the crab meat was easy to pick out of the shell with the chopsticks provided. It was a joy to eat and I loved the addictive yuzu sauce which was like a Japanese inspired interpretation of a classic hollandaise.

 

The pork belly was melt-in-the-mouth fare. Initially braised, it was finished on the Robata Grill which gave the pork a caramelised and slightly smoky flavour. This was such a satisfying dish.


Stock

For my main course I chose Beef cooked in a Steaming Pot of rich Flavoured Stock. This dish is based on nabemono where ingredients are cooked together in a gently simmering stock. Seared beef arrived sliced and laid out for me to finish cooking to my own preference in the pot of stock which took pride of place in the centre of the table. One by one, using chopsticks I dipped my pieces of beef into the rich stock and let it poach before removing and eating. The beef was accompanied by a selection of baby vegetables which I also poached in the stock. When I had finished, my waiter took the pot of stock away but returned with it a short time later after it had been supplemented by carrot juice and reduced to make the most wonderful soup/broth that I have eaten in a long time. I still fall asleep dreaming about it.



Beignets

Whilst I was working my magic with the stock pot, Eithne was having loads of fun grilling her Dexter Sirloin on the Robata Grill provided. The meat which had been brushed in reduced onion stock was unbelievably tender and succulent to eat. The steak was topped with dried and fermented bonito flakes which somehow intensified the meaty flavour of the beef when they were eaten together. This was such a simple dish, but really clever.

 

To accompany our mains, we ordered Beignets of Short Ribs and Wasabi Potato. Both were outstanding and complemented our two different beef dishes perfectly.

 

I’m a bit of a dessert gal but I will admit that I normally struggle with desserts in Asian and Japanese restaurants as they often don’t appeal to me. In Taste of Rustic desserts, which are priced at around €7/€8 each, do not disappoint and must be tried. I ordered the Doughnut Sticks which were cooked in coconut oil and sprinkled with black salt. They came served with a most unusual but surprisingly light Sake Ice-Cream and a Miso Dipping Sauce. Oh yes! The plaited doughnuts were so soft and light and made me feel oh SO good!


Pineapple

Eithne went for the Roasted Pineapple which although it had been poached in caramel still retained all its distinctive fruity flavour. The quenelle of Parmesan Cream with which it came was a revelation, cutting through the sweetness of the pineapple to create a dish that was so well-balanced.

 

Taste at Rustic has a great wine list and also serves a well-chosen selection of sakes. We decided to go for the Junmai Ginjo Katsuyama ‘Lei’ sake which was beautifully smooth and quite astonishingly complemented both our beef mains and our sweet desserts.

 

My meal in Taste at Rustic was one of the most exciting and fun dining experiences that I have had in ages. This is knock-your-socks off sexy food that is seductive and exciting and leaves you wanting more!

 

Taste at Rustic

17 South Great George’s Street

Dublin 2

 

Telephone: 01 7079596

This review first appeared in Thetaste.ie

 

Pineapple Tarte Tatin

If you want a dessert that is quick to make and is sure to impress, you really cannot go wrong with a tarte tatin. A classic tarte tatin is made using apples but is easily adapted to include other fruit. Essentially the fruit is cooked in caramel and then baked with a puff pastry topping which then becomes the base when you turn it out to serve. Tarte tatins are sweet and sticky and you can almost feel your arteries hardening with every mouthful but they taste heavenly and are one of those desserts which seem universally popular.

 

This version is full of the tropical flavours of pineapple and dark rum and is absolutely delicious. You do need to use a fresh pineapple to make it as tinned fruit is too flaccid and disintegrates when you initially cook it in the caramel before finishing off in the oven. Luckily fresh pineapples are relatively cheap at the moment, so it is quite an economical dish to make.

 

As I always mention… you can, of course, have a go and making your own puff pastry but there are plenty of good brands available to buy so unless you are a baking purist, I suggest using one of these. Do try to get an all-butter version though, because the taste and texture is far superior.

 

You can make individual tarte tatins, using one ‘ring’ of pineapple per serving, but I prefer making one large one which I then divide into portions before serving.

 

This is a dessert that should be served immediately; ideally with a large scoop of ice-cream (e.g. vanilla or coconut) which then begins to melt seductively when it feels the heat from the tarte. I love the contrast of the cool and creamy ice-cream against the hot and sticky tarte.

 

Finally, I made my caramel with a generous glug of dark rum, but you can replace this with some orange juice if you prefer.
 

Ingredients:

60g butter
220g caster sugar

60ml dark rum

1 vanilla pod, split in half and seeds scraped out

1 medium sized pineapple, sliced evenly into 6 rings (remove the woody core)

375g all-butter puff pastry
 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200C/Fan Oven 180C/Gas Mark 6.

2. Heat the butter in a large non-stick, oven-proof frying pan with the sugar and rum. Add the vanilla seeds and pod and allow the mixture to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Add the pineapple rings to the pan so that they are all in a single layer and cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Turn the pineapple halfway through this time so that both sides of each slice are evenly caramelised. Remove from the heat and set aside briefly, placing it on a baking tray while you prepare the pastry.

3. Roll the pastry out to a thickness of about 4-5mm. Using a sharp knife, cut a circle out of the pastry which is about 2cms wider than the circumference of your frying pan.

4. Place the pastry on top of the pineapple and caramel in the frying pan making sure that it covers everything. Tuck the pastry in around the inner edges of the frying pan and cut a small slit in the middle of the pastry to allow steam to escape. Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes until the pastry is puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven.

5. CAREFULLY invert the tarte tatin onto a large serving plate and serve immediately, divided into portions with a scoop of ice-cream.

Serves 4-6.

 

Restaurant Review: An Port Mór, Westport, County Mayo

For me, food is very much about fostering a sense of community and taking the time to sit down and eat with friends and family. As such, I seldom choose to dine alone and rarely do so, much preferring the air of conviviality which comes from eating good food in relaxed circumstances with those closest to you. Also, I find that if I am reviewing a restaurant, the task is made much easier when others are dining with me, if only because I have the opportunity to sample a greater number of dishes from the menu and can deliver a more comprehensive and balanced appraisal of the food that is on offer. Sometimes I will even visit a restaurant more than once in order to confirm initial impressions formed.

Despite all of this, I was passing through Westport recently and on a whim decided to ring An Port Mór, a restaurant that I have long wanted to try, to see whether they might have a table free for me.  Luckily they were able to squeeze me in and so it was that I found myself dining alone, contrary to my normal inclinations.

Westport is a busy town and a popular destination for those visiting the West of Ireland. It’s not difficult to see why as it is beautifully maintained and always appears so full of life. There is something about Westport that seems to satisfy a romantic sense that we collectively have of what an Irish town should look and feel like and I think that it is this that draws visitors from home and abroad in their droves. It is also unsurprising that Westport is gaining quite a reputation on the dining-out front and that it is developing a vibrant restaurant scene.

Tapenade

An Port Mór is located down a little laneway leading off Bridge Street and was easy to find. I arrived in time for the early bird menu which offered loads of choice as did the à la carte menu. However, on the evening I visited there was also a very tempting ‘specials’ board and it was from this that I ended up selecting both my starter and main course.

I firmly believe that you can tell a lot about a restaurant by the bread it serves and in An Port Mór it did not disappoint. I loved the subtlety of the white bread which was lightly speckled with sultanas and gently flavoured with curry spices. By way of contrast the brown treacle bread was full of deep rich flavours but was equally delicious. Worthy of specific mention was the very moreish Green Olive Tapenade which along with lovely fruity olives also included sun-dried tomatoes and salty anchovies. It was amazing how something so seemingly inconsequential – a mere accompaniment to the bread - could be packed with such well-balanced flavours. I loved it.

Lobster Salad

For my starter I decided to go all out and chose the Lobster Salad, Avocado & Pomegranate. I should admit that I’m usually ambivalent towards pomegranate. I love the flavour of the fruit but find the egg-shell-like crunch of the seeds a little disconcerting. The stunningly beautiful plate of food that arrived convinced me that I had made the right choice. This was a dish where the lobster was the star but there were many taste ‘surprises’ on the plate that accentuated and complemented its sweet flavour and succulent texture. Along with a quenelle of avocado purée were little cubes of earthy sweet beetroot, a piquant celeriac remoulade and a perfectly cooked quail’s egg. Despite the number of elements this was not a disjointed or complicated dish; everything was brought together coherently with an apple and vanilla sauce and a well-judged salad dressing that possessed the right amount of acidity to balance the other flavours. And yes… the pomegranate seeds… well they just worked, creating textural contrast and little bursts of flavour which added to the opulence of the dish.

Halibut

My main course of Grilled Halibut came simply presented on some wilted pak choi with a lightly spiced aubergine purée, some asparagus spears and an elegant celeriac dauphinoise. If the lobster dish that had preceded it had possessed a certain glamour this, by way of contrast, was a pared-back dish that celebrated the wonderful halibut in all its glory without any unnecessary distractions. It is rare to find fish so wonderfully and thoughtfully cooked. The halibut came served with separate bowls of baby new potatoes and a selection of steamed vegetable but given the generous portion of fish that I had been presented with, I struggled to finish them. This truly was a memorable dish.

For dessert I faced a real dilemma and found it hard to select just one. Being a lover of all things lemon I wanted to try the Baked Lemon Tart but I was also tempted by the Buttermilk Panna Cotta which my waiter claimed would amaze me. In the end I decided that there was no point in stressing myself trying to choose just one so ordered both dishes.



Buttermilk Panna Cotta

The Baked Lemon Tart was absolutely lovely and certainly ranks amongst the best that I have eaten but the Buttermilk Panna Cotta was absolutely stunning. It initially arrived looking like many a panna cotta before it, presented upturned onto the serving plate and bathed in a generous drizzle of honey. Just after it was presented to me, my waiter quickly returned to the table brandishing a large pepper mill, politely insisting that the panna cotta was best enjoyed with some freshly ground black pepper. I was a little unsure whether this flavour pairing would work but I was intrigued to try it. Words cannot describe this dish, for it was truly sublime. The spicy heat of the freshly ground pepper made the fragrant honey taste all the sweeter. Balanced against the barely sweetened panna cotta and the lactic tanginess of the buttermilk which had been used to make it, this was a dish that was simple but so perfect and a complete revelation.  A small plate of Petits Fours consisting of Nougat and Turkish Delight finished off my meal perfectly.

Lemon Tart

As I was dining alone, I decided to go for a glass of a lovely young Sangiovese to drink with my meal. The light and fruity flavours of the wine with its underlying hint of spice on the palate did not overwhelm my seafood choices and added to my enjoyment of the food.

For what you get, the food in An Port Mór is reasonably priced with most starters on the à la carte menu around the €10 mark, mains priced between €22-€28 and desserts at around €7. What I particularly liked about the food was its lack of pretension. This is honest food, sensitively prepared and cooked. Everything is beautifully presented and also happens to taste wonderful. It takes confidence, a belief in what you are doing and, somewhat ironically, a lot of skill to present food simply.

All too often, in an attempt to show off their abilities or their ‘vision’ chefs present food that is at best, over-complicated and at worst, contrived. One gets the sense that in An Port Mór under Head Chef Frankie Mallon, this would never happen. Frankie is one a new breed of chefs who are breaking down the formality of fine dining without sacrificing the quality of the dining experience itself and this is to be applauded.

Some might say that there is a pre-dominance of seafood on offer but this reflects the restaurant’s location near the coast and Frankie Mallon’s natural talent for cooking seafood. Be assured, there is plenty of choice on the menu with more than enough dishes to satisfy meat-lovers and vegetarians alike! I thoroughly enjoyed my meal in An Port Mór and even though I ate alone, I never once felt self-conscious or conspicuous in my self-imposed dining isolation. The restaurant has an intimate, almost cosy atmosphere which was enhanced by the friendly staff who explained the menu enthusiastically and were keen to ensure I enjoyed my meal.
 

An Port Mór
1 Brewery Place

Bridge Street

Westport

County Mayo

Telephone: 09826730

This review first appeared in TheTaste.ie