Irish Manhattan Cocktail
Makes 1
75ml whiskey
25ml sweet vermouth
7 dashes Marmalade Citrus Bitters
1 tsp cherry syrup (from jar of cherries)
Ice
Orange twist
Place all the ingredients into a drinking glass with ice, give it a stir and then strain into a chilled coupe glass. Place the orange twist on the side and enjoy
Manhattan Mocktail
Makes 1
100ml cranberry juice
100ml orange juice
1 – 2 tbsp lemon juice (to taste)
7 dashes Marmalade Citrus Bitters
Orange twist, to decorate
Cranberry ice cubes, to decorate
Place all the ingredients into a drinking glass with ice, give it a stir and then strain into a chilled coupe glass.
Add the cranberries into the glass and place the orange twist on the side.
Beef Carpaccio with Mustard Balsamic Dressing
300g fillet of beef, trimmed and cut into wafer-thin slices (ask your butcher to do this)
For the mustard balsamic dressing
1 tsp wholegrain Irish mustard
½ medium lemon, juice only
3 tbsp rapeseed oil (or extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp Irish honey
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50g watercress and rocket leaves, washed
Pitted olives, to garnish
Parmesan shavings, to garnish
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
To prepare the dressing, place the mustard, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar. rapeseed oil and honey in a jar. Add a little salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place a lid on tightly and shake very well. Check the dressing for seasoning, adjusting to taste.
To assemble, place watercress and rocket leaves on serving plates. Arrange the carpaccio of beef on top. Drizzle some dressing over. Arrange the pitted olives and parmesan shavings on top. Serve immediately with extra dressing on the side.
Roast Duck with Apple Walnut and Chestnut Stuffing and Port & Redcurrant Sauce
1 large whole duck
2 tsp salt
2 tsp orange zest
1 tsp chopped thyme
For the glaze
3 tbsp honey
½ large orange, juice only
For the cavity
1 orange, sliced in half
A sprig of bay leaves
For the stuffing balls (makes 15- 18)
70g melted butter
50g pancetta slices, minced
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ celery stalk, finely chopped
2 tsp chopped sage
1 tsp chopped rosemary
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 large red apple, cored and diced small
3 tbsp chopped walnuts
3 tbsp chopped roasted chestnuts
200g fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp Irish wholegrain mustard
3 tsp chopped crystalised ginger
2 tsp chopped thyme
4 tsp cornflour (or arrowroot) loosened in 5 tbsp cold water
Orange slices, to garnish
Bay leaves, to garnish
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4.Place the duck (breast side) up on a rack / trivet in a roasting pan and place the orange halves and bay leaves in the cavity of the duck. With a sharp knife, make shallow incisions along the skin of the breast, scatter over the orange zest, salt and thyme and then rub the seasoning over the skin of the duck. Tie the legs together if you wish with some thin but strong string.
Pour enough water below the trivet so that it thinly covers the base of the pan. Roast uncovered, until a thermometer reads between 83°C to 85°C in the thickest part of the thigh – this will be about 21 ¼ hours doe a 1.6kg duck, rotate the pan halfway through the cooking time. Place a piece of foil over the duck to prevent it from over browning.
For the glaze, combine the honey and orange juice and brush over the duck, 15 – 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Brush the glaze on twice and return to the oven uncovered. Keep an eye on it as they honey can burn. As soon as the duck is ready, remove it from the oven and let it stand to rest for 15 minutes. To prepare the stuffing balls, melt the butter in a large pan and add the onions, pancetta, garlic and diced celery and sauté for 6 minutes without browning them. Add all the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Tip: shape one small ball (this will be your tasting tester for seasoning). Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the stuffing tester. Cool and taste. You may like to adjust the seasoning to your taste and this can be done at this stage.Then shape the mix into neat golf ball size stuffing balls.Place them on a lined baking tray and drizzle with a little oil and bake them for 25 minutes, turning once.
To prepare the stuffing balls, melt the butter in a large pan and add the onions, pancetta, garlic and diced celery and sauté for 6 minutes without browning them. Add all the rest of the stuffing ingredients. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Tip: shape one small ball (this will be your tasting tester for seasoning). Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the stuffing tester. Cool and taste. You may like to adjust the seasoning to your taste and this can be done at this stage.Then shape the mix into neat golf ball size stuffing balls.Place them on a lined baking tray and drizzle with a little oil and bake them for 25 minutes, turning once.
To make the sauce, to prepare the orange and lemon, use a peeler to peel the citrus (½ of a lemon and ½ of an orange) without the pith. Slice them very finely into strips and add them to a saucepan of boiling water and simmer for 4-5 minutes.Drain the water and set aside.Juice the lemon and the oranges together. In another saucepan, heat the redcurrant jelly and port and simmer for 5 minutes, whisking well to loosen the jelly. Mix in the mustard, crystalised ginger and thyme, the juice of the orange and lemon as well as the lemon and orange strips and bring to the boil. Whisk in the cornflour (or arrowroot) / water mix and still on a low heat, whisk gently till the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a serving bowl or jug.
To serve, untie the duck legs if you have them secured. Arrange some fresh bay leaves in the cavity. Place the duck on a serving platter. Arrange the stuffing balls around the side. Serve with the port and redcurrant sauce and glazed baby carrots and brussels sprouts with hazelnuts.
Glazed Baby Carrots & Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts
400g baby carrots
1 tbsp olive oil
4 small sprigs of thyme
300g brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
60g butter
2 tbsp Irish honey
100g chopped, toasted hazelnuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Place the baby carrots
In a large bowl, pour over the oil and add the thyme. Toss well and then transfer to a roasting tray tocook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the carrots are golden and cooked. Place the Brussels sprout halves into a steamer and cook for about 15 minutes or until just cooked. To retain their green colour, plunge them directly into iced water. Drain and pat dry. Melt the butter, honey and nuts in a large frying pan. Add the brussels sprouts and toss well to heat through before adding the carrots and finally season to taste. Spoon into a serving bowl or around the duck to serve.
White Chocolate and Gingerbread Yule Log
For the sponge
4 large eggs
100g caster sugar
3 tbsp treacle
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g flour
¾ tsp ground cinnamon
¾ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
pinch salt
¼ tsp ground cloves
For the filling
120ml double cream, whipped
4 tbsp icing sugar
½ lemon, zest and juice
2 cubes crystalised ginger, minced
30g white chocolate chips, finely chopped (or grated if using a bar of white chocolate)
For the white chocolate buttercream
80g softened butter
80g white chocolate
350g sifted icing sugar
Ground cinnamon, for dusting
2 tbsp icing sugar, to dust
Holly, to decorate
Preheat the oven to 200°C/Fan 180°C/ Gas 5.Line a 35cm x24cm swiss roll tin with baking parchment.To make the sponge, whisk the eggs, treacle and sugar until ribbon stage. Sieve the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and ground cloves together in a bowl. Carefully fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture with a large spatula Pour the cake mixture into the swiss roll tin and bake for about 8 to 9 minutes until the sides start shrinking from the edge slightly. Place a piece of parchment paper larger than the swiss roll on a clean surface. Invert the cake onto the paper and carefully remove the parchment lining. Trim the edges with a sharp knife and score a line along the length of the sponge about 2cm in but not cutting through the sponge. This will help with rolling the sponge.
Using the parchment paper, roll up the sponge with the paper inside. Set aside to cool.While the sponge is cooling, make the filling, whisk all the ingredients together until firm and leave in the fridge until required.
To make the buttercream, melt the white chocolate in a bain marie (bowl over a saucepan of simmering water), the chocolate should not be too hot. Using a whisk, cream the butter for 2 minutes, then add the chocolate and the icing sugar and cream until fluffy.
To assemble, uncurl the swiss roll, remove the parchment paper. Spread the cream filling and re-roll firmly. Cover with parchment paper and refrigerate for about and hour. Cut a ¼ of the cake off at one end on the diagonal. Transfer the larger piece of yule log cake to a serving platter and angle the ¼ cut end to the side of the large cake to form a branch. Spoon the buttercream into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm nozzle and pipe along the cake or you can spread with a palette knife and use a fork to form the bark. Dust the top with a cinnamon and icing sugar and decorate with holly.
SUPPLIERS
Powerscourt Distillery
Food pairing with whiskey is offered at Powerscourt Estate Distillery, we meet their in-house Food Historian & Food and Beverage specialist Santina Kennedy. As she guides us on different flavours that are enhanced by having with differnt types of Whiskey from the Powerscourt Estate Distillery.
Powerscourt Distillery is a 20,000 square foot, state of the art whiskey distillery and contemporary visitor centre located in the Old Mill House on Powerscourt Estate. With the first production of new make spirit in June of 2018 the visitor centre opened its doors in May of 2019 offering a delicious insight into a brand fully operational whiskey distillery. Guests are guided through a full visitor experience including production processes along with viewing plant facilities, including the distillery’s centrepiece, custom designed copper pot stills from world-renowned Forsyths.
The entrance is through the old Mill house which dates back to the 1730s. The original building has been faithfully restored and extended to accommodate visitor facilities adjoining the production area. Tours also include a visit to the on-site maturation warehouse that is used for filling and storing the whiskey casks.
Cathal Regan – New Roots Nut Farm
We meet Cathal Regan and visit his “New Roots Farm” which is situated on the fertile countryside in North County Dublin.
Established in 2012, it is the first farm in Ireland to produce walnuts, hazelnuts and heartnuts. The farm is home to approximately 1000 nut trees which are grown organically, without the use of chemicals or artificial fertilisers, providing customers with the highest quality fresh nuts in Ireland. Cathal Regan owns Ireland’s only commercial-size walnut orchard and has nearly 20 year’s experience in horticulture and arboriculture, who provides an expert advisory service for those farmers and growers who are wishing to diversify into nut production.