Recipe: Pineapple & Passion Fruit Pavlova

Fresh pineapples and passion fruit are easy to get your hands on at this time of year and are relatively inexpensive to buy. I normally prefer to use Irish fruits and vegetables in my cooking and baking but I find it hard to resist the seductive flavours of these tropical fruits. Our summers may be largely non-existent but this delicious dessert always makes me think of sun-soaked beaches and hot climates. The recipe may seem a little tricky at first but it is much simpler to make than it looks. If you like you can omit the passion fruit curd and fill your pavlova with just the pineapple.

INGREDIENTS:

Pineapple Flowers:

1 whole fresh pineapple

Pavlova:

6 large egg whites

375g caster sugar

1 level tblsp cornflower

1 tsp white wine vinegar

Passion Fruit Curd:

6-7 passion fruit to make 125ml passion fruit pulp, seeds sieved out

½ lemon, juice only

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

75g caster sugar

65g butter, cubed

To finish:

250ml single cream, gently whipped

Fresh pineapple chunks (off-cuts from making the flowers above)

Passion Fruit Curd (see above)

Pineapple Flowers (see above)

Pulp of two fresh passion fruits

METHOD:

Pineapple Flowers:

1. Preheat the oven to 100C/Fan Oven 80C/Gas Mark ¼.
2. Cut the top off the pineapple and, with the pineapple in an upright position, carefully remove the skin using a sharp knife.
3. Place the pineapple on its side. You will notice that the pineapple ‘eyes’ run diagonally around the fruit. Using a sharp paring knife make v-shaped cuts along these rows to remove the eyes.
4. Once the pineapple has been peeled, start slicing it to create this slices about 2mm-3mm in thickness. Place the pineapple slices onto some kitchen roll to absorb excess moisture and then place on to baking trays lined with silicon mats or parchment paper. Make sure that the pineapple slices do not overlap.
5. Place in the oven for 60-80 minutes, flipping the pineapple slices halfway through so that they dry evenly. The pineapple slices will shrivel slightly during the drying process but will feel papery when sufficiently dried.
6. Remove the trays from the oven and using a palette knife carefully lift each pineapple slice off. They will remain malleable while they are still warm and you will be able to shape them into flowers using a muffin tin. Allow to cool and dry completely. Store in an air-tight container until required.

NOTE: Keep any fresh pineapple offcuts for filling the pavlova.

Pavlova:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Draw a 20cm circles onto each of three separate sheets of baking parchment  and use to line three baking trays making sure that the circles are on the underside (you’ll still be able to see them through the paper). Set aside.
2. Place the egg whites into a large mixing bowl and using a hand-held electric mixer whisk them to the soft peak stage. Gradually add in the caster sugar, whisking well after each addition to create a glossy meringue which holds its shape.
3. Sift over the cornflour and add the vinegar, mixing briefly so that they are just incorporated.
4. Spoon the mixture, dividing it equally, onto the three prepared baking trays using the circles that you have drawn as a guide. Smooth the surface of two of the meringue discs but keep aside a few tablespoons of the meringue mixture for the final disc. Pile this in little blobs over the top of the final disc, swirling each blob gently with a fork or cocktail stick. This will be the top layer of your pavlova.
5. Place the baking trays into the preheated oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 120C/Fan Oven 100C/Gas Mark ½. Bake for 1 hour exactly and then turn off the oven. Allow to cool completely in the oven before removing.

Passion Fruit Curd:

1. Whisk together the passion fruit pulp, eggs, yolk and caster sugar in a bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water. Stir continuously with a wooden spoon for approximately 10 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
2. Pour into a sterilised jar and store in the fridge for up to three weeks.

 

To Finish:

1. Carefully peel the parchment paper off the meringue discs. Place one of the plain discs on your serving plate/cake stand and spoon over half the cream. Scatter over half the pineapple chunks and a few teaspoons of the passion fruit curd. Lastly, drizzle over half the passion fruit pulp. Top with the other plain pavlova disc and repeat. Finally top with the remaining pavlova disc and decorate with the pineapple flowers.

 

Serves  8-10 people.

 

Recipe: Fresh Pea & Mint Falafel

I’m a huge fan of peas and with their inherent sweetness find them hard to resist. They are relatively trouble-free to grow so I plant quite a large crop each year. I love the taste of freshly podded peas and will admit that many of them are eaten as they are being picked. The sugars in fresh peas quickly turn to starch after picking but luckily frozen peas work just as well in this recipe, so feel free to use whichever you like.

 

The accompanying dip, simply flavoured with harissa paste, contrasts wonderfully with the sweetness of the peas and its light pink colour looks fabulous against the intense green of the falafel.

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Pea Falafel:

300g fresh peas, podded (or frozen peas)

1 tblsp vegetable oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp ground cumin

1 large handful of mint, finely chopped

1 tblsp sesame seeds

50g fresh breadcrumbs

1 large egg

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

4-5 tblsp vegetable oil for shallow frying

 

Harissa Dip:

150g natural Greek-style yoghurt

1 tblsp harissa paste

 

METHOD:

 

Pea Falafel:

1. Place fresh peas (if using) in a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 1 minute, then remove from the heat and drain. If using frozen peas, place in a bowl and cover with boiling water and allow to defrost. Drain and set aside.
2. Place the vegetable oil in a small frying pan over a moderate heat and gently cook the shallot for a couple of minutes until beginning to soften. Add the chilli and cumin and cook for a further minute.
3. Place the shallot mixture and the peas into a food processor and pulse a few times to break the peas down and mix everything together. Add the chopped mint, sesame seeds, breadcrumbs, egg and pulse again to form a chunky paste. Do not purée the peas as you want them to retain a bit of texture.
4. To fry the falafel, heat a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a moderate heat. Drop a tablespoons of the falafel mixture into the oil and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place onto a plate lined with kitchen roll to drain. Place in a warm oven so that they don't go cold. Fry the falafel in batches until all the mixture has been used up. Serve warm with some of the harissa dip.

 

Harissa Dip:

1. Mix the yoghurt and harissa paste together and place in a bowl alongside the falafel.

Makes 16-18 falafel.

 

 

Recipe: Garden Pea Soup with Sourdough Croutons

This is one of my favourite soups and the fact that it is so easy to make, means that it is even more appealing. You could use freshly podded peas but to be honest, frozen peas are just as good and so convenient. The sourdough croutons add a little bit of texture and along with some peas left whole give the soup substance. This is a wonderful summery soup but the fact that it uses frozen peas means that it can be made at any time of year.

 

I used vegetable stock but this soup is also lovely made with stock left over after boiling ham or bacon.  

 

INGREDIENTS:

 

Sourdough Croutons:

250g stale sourdough bread cut into 2cm cubes

2 tblsp olive oil

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

 

Garden Pea Soup:

25g butter

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, crushed

500ml vegetable stock

500g frozen peas

Large bunch of fresh mint, leaves only roughly torn

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

 

To finish:

100g frozen peas

50ml double cream or crème fraîche

Pea shoots for garnish

 

METHOD:

 

Sourdough Croutons:

1. Heat oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas mark 4. Put the cubes of bread in a roasting pan and toss in the olive oil. Season well. Place in pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes, giving them a toss halfway through, until golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

 

Garden Pea Soup:

1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a moderate heat. Add the onions and crushed garlic and fry gently for about 5 minutes until softened but not coloured.
2. Add the stock and increase the temperature until the stock is boiling. Add the peas and cook for 3-4 minutes until the peas are tender. Remove from the heat. Add the mint and season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Purée the soup in batches by filling a blender/food processor one third full and puréeing until smooth. Pass through a sieve (for a super smooth soup) into a clean saucepan. Check for seasoning and adjust as necessary. 

 

To finish:

1. Add the remaining frozen peas and heat the soup gently over a moderate heat but do not allow to boil or it will lose its lovely green colour. Serve in bowls with a swirl of cream or crème fraîche, some croutons and a few pea shoots.

Serves 6.

Restaurant Review: Cookbook Café, Glasthule Road, County Dublin

A couple of years ago my husband gingerly suggested that I should donate some of the cookbooks in my extremely large (and ever-growing) collection to our local charity shop. I glared at him in disbelief with thoughts of potential divorce proceedings running through my head. How could he possibly think that I would agree to this idea? This was not going to happen. Ever.

I have been collecting cookbooks for most of my life and can still remember the very first one that I bought – a second-hand copy of Full and Plenty by Maura Laverty – and the pleasure that I got from reading it and imagining what the recipes would taste like. I was aged 9 or 10 at the time but my enduring love affair with cookbooks started that day.

Cookbook Café

Given my obsession with cookbooks, a restaurant like The Cookbook Café was always going to appeal. The menu has been inspired by recipes in Head Chef/Proprietor Audrey McDonald’s large collection of cookbooks many of which are packed onto shelves and piled on the counter-tops around the restaurant. Located in the beautiful village of Glasthule in County Dublin, the restaurant is decorated in warm, rich colours and has a lovely relaxed atmosphere, making it feel immediately inviting.

Audrey McDonald grew up in a family who loved food. Her mother Mo liked to experiment in the kitchen and dished up delicious and inventive food that was eagerly devoured by Audrey, her father Tom and her siblings. After a short spell working in a bank, Audrey decided to pursue her own food dreams and high-tailed it to London to train at the Cordon Bleu College. She subsequently worked as a private chef before eventually returning to Ireland where she set up her own private catering company. She soon established herself as ‘caterer to the stars’ cooking for Bono, Mick Jagger and Gordon Ramsay amongst many others but the dream of owning her own restaurant remained ever present.

Cookbook Café interior

In 2015, with the assistance of her husband Tom Dunne and John Healy, who many will know as the Maître d' on TV3’s The Restaurant, Audrey opened The Cookbook Café. Offering lunch, early evening, dinner and weekend brunch menus, the restaurant quickly established itself as a firm favourite with locals and with visitors to the area.

Although I had heard great reports about the Vinyl Brunch on Sundays where you can enjoy a leisurely weekend meal whilst listening to a soundtrack of songs chosen by Audrey’s husband Tom who is one of Ireland’s best known DJs and musicians, I was keen to try out the dinner menu so I booked a table and was looking forward to my meal.

Gambas

The challenge with a menu inspired by a cookbook collection is that it could so easily lack coherence and end up being an assortment of disparate dishes. This is not the case with The Cookbook Café’s dinner menu which flows well with its Mediterranean theme and a well-chosen selection of unpretentious dishes influenced by recipes from Nigel Slater, Yottam Ottolenghi, Bobby Flay and Jamie Oliver.

To kick off, I decided on a starter of Chargrilled Fresh Gambas, Chorizo, Chilli, Parsley, Olive Oil (€10). This generous portion of wonderfully fresh shrimp had been cooked simply in the shell so that the meat remained succulent. The sweetness of the shrimp worked well against the spiciness of the chorizo and the chilli hit of the oil whilst the almost grassy-flavoured parsley calmed everything down on the palate. It’s hard to see how this dish could be improved on. When seafood is as fresh as this and has been lovingly treated, it can’t be beaten. I loved it.

Across the table, my guest was tucking into the Ottolenghi Plate with Halloumi, Fattoush, Aubergine, Hummous, Flatbread (small €8.50 and large €17) – a cornucopia of tasty treats that stopped all conversation as we sampled the various elements on the plate. I loved the earthiness and mealy texture of the hummous especially when eaten with some of the refreshing fattoush – a Middle Eastern salad - and the flatbreads that had been provided. Moving on, we both agreed that the falafel were particularly outstanding. Falafel are little deep-fried balls of puréed chickpeas or broad beans flavoured with fresh coriander and spices and when well-made as these were, they are incredibly moreish. Finally, a beetroot purée accompanied by a za’atar spiced yoghurt was also excellent.

Ottolenghi Plate

I decided to keep with the seafood theme for my main course and was delighted with my choice of Sesame-crusted Yellow-Fin Tuna, Roasted Mixed Peppers, Tangy Lemon & Basil (€22.50). I had asked that my tuna be merely seared and when it arrived it was cooked exactly as I has requested with an almost nutty-tasting crust of sesame seeds. I love yellow-fin tuna with its deep red flesh and meaty texture. This dish contained two large pieces of the fish and was accompanied by nice selection of roasted peppers and tomatoes. A tangy lemon and basil oil completed the dish imparting some much-needed acidity. This was a very accomplished dish.

Fillet of Rare-Breed Pork with Girolles, Mushrooms & Asparagus, Black Olive Crumb (€21.50) was another cracker of a dish. Pork can easily dry out during cooking but this meat was wonderful tender and served with a fruity apple sauce and vegetables that complimented the dish perfectly. A black-olive crumb and some crispy ham bursting with Mediterranean flavours and added textural interest. This was a rich but very satisfying dish.

Pork Fillet

Both desserts were lovely. My Classic Lemon Tart with Fresh cream and berries (€6.50) was based on a recipe by Jamie Oliver and was a good interpretation of this popular dish with thin crisp pastry and a nicely balanced lemon filling. With simple classic desserts like this there is nowhere to hide. They are either right or they’re not and this one was lovely. Our other choice a Medley of Wexford Strawberries with White Chocolate & Mascarpone (€6.50) was a celebration of strawberries. They were presented as a ‘soup’ along with a log of sweet white chocolate ganache along with fresh strawberries. The fruit also appeared in the form of a purée, as crisps and as a jelly. Dots of mascarpone cream completed the dish.

The Cookbook Café has a well-chosen and nicely priced wine list. From it we chose a pair of easy-drinking reds to wash down our meal.  My Luccarelli Primitivo Puglia IGP (€7.50 per glass; €26 per bottle) from Italy stood up well to the rich seafood tastes of my Gambas starter and Tuna main. My guest’s whilst my companion's full-flavoured La Báscula, The Charge, Rioja from Spain (€8.50 per glass, €30 per bottle) with its nose of dark cherry fruits and hints of sweet oak was perfect with the Pork.

I thoroughly enjoyed my meal in The Cookbook Café; the food was fantastic and left us feeling happy and contented. Flavours are big but there are also subtleties to excite the palate. Audrey McDonald’s food is accomplished and delicious to eat and I look forward to a return visit.

The Cookbook Café

57A Glasthule Road

Sandycove

County Dublin

 

Telephone: 015597999

Website: www.cookbookcafe.ie

Lemon Tart