Pad Thai

We had this delicious Pad Thai for dinner tonight. I cannot take all the credit - I had plenty help from Mum, & Tobi (who was the chief prawn peeler.)
The preparation takes a bit of time, but the cooking is really quite quick; even if it does sound a tad complicated (you will see what I mean) 
The final product is full of delicious flavours, & once you have tasted it, I imagine you'll agree, that it is well worth the effort. 
It is a good idea to have absolutely everything ready, chopped, & prepped before you start cooking to save yourself a little stress.
As with the Prawn & Chilli Linguine from a couple blogs back - use Irish prawns!!! :) 
The recipe below serves 4 & is from Gordon Ramsay's World Kitchen.


Ingredients:
250g thin dried Rice Noodles
3 Tbsp Caster Sugar
4 Tbsp Fish Sauce
4 Tbsp Tamarind Paste
8 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Shallots, chopped
4 large cloves Garlic, chopped
1 Red Chilli, deseeded & finely chopped
200g raw Prawns, peeled & deveined
4 medium Eggs
100g Beansprouts
4 Spring Onions, trimmed, green part only, cut into finger lengths
6 Tbsp Roasted Peanuts
1 Lime, quartered


Method:
Cook the Rice Noodles according to the pack instructions. 
Meanwhile, combine the Sugar, Fish Sauce & Tamarind Paste in a small bowl & stir well. 
Heat half the Oil in a wok. Add the Shallots, Garlic & Chilli and stir over a medium heat until fragrant. Add the Prawns, & stir fry for a couple of minutes until they turn a pinky-orange colour & opaque. When this happens, remove the prawns to a plate & set aside. 
Add the cooked rice noodles, and a little splash of water, to the sauce in the wok. Stir fry for a few minutes.
Push the ingredients in the wok to one side, and add the rest of the oil to the other side. Crack the Eggs over  the oil & scramble lightly until they are almost cooked, & the fold in the noodles.
Return the prawns to the wok, and add the Beansprouts & Spring Onions. Stir briefly over the heat. 
Serve immediately, sprinkled with peanuts & with a lime wedge on the side.

Pavlova Anyone?

My Aunty Anne, is without doubt, the queen of Pavlova making! For years she wowed me with her ability to get the meringue just right... ever so slightly crisp on the outside & just a little bit chewy on the inside.
A few months ago, I decided to tackle my fear of meringue head on, and get whisking! Practice makes perfect & I think I have it mastered at this stage... although I doubt I'll ever manage to reach the dizzy heights of Anne's perfect Pavlova.
Some recipes I've tried have cornflour & vinegar & all sorts, but I prefer to just go with the basic Eggs & Sugar. The recipe below serves 8 people.


Ingredients: 
230g Caster Sugar
4 Egg Whites


Topping:
250mls Cream - Whipped
Selection of Fresh Fruit (strawberries, grapes, kiwis, bananas, peaches, passion fruit...)


Method:
Preheat the oven to 100 degrees celsius. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper & set aside.
Put the egg whites in a spotlessly clean stainless steel or glass bowl. Whisk until light & fluffy, and until soft white peaks are formed. Then, gradually add the caster sugar, whisking continuously until all the sugar has dissolved. The mixture should look stiff & shiny.
Gently scoop out the mixture onto the lined baking tray.
Place in the oven for approximately 1 & half hours, then turn off the oven and leave the meringue in the oven while the oven cools down for another 30 minutes or so. Remove from the oven & leave to cool fully.
Before serving, place the whipped cream on top of the meringue & finally top with the fruit!

Prawn & Chilli Linguine

This is one of my favourite dishes. It is really easy, really quick & really, really tasty!
I found the recipe a few years back in Bill Granger's 'Bills Sydney Food' - a great cook book packed with simple & delicious recipes. 
The recipe below serves 3-4 adults. 
A tip for those living in Ireland...it is really important to use Irish Prawns, in my opinion, for this dish. They are so much sweeter & juicer than the Tiger Prawns that are available in Ireland, which are generally farm-grown in Thailand. And of course, it goes without saying, you are helping sustain Irish jobs! :)
Sorry I have no picture of this one - my camera is being a tad temperamental today!


Ingredients:
500g Linguine or Spaghetti
8 tablespoons olive oil 
20 large Prawns, peeled & deveined
Sea salt
Freshly ground Black pepper
4 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
3-4 Small Red Chillies, finely chopped
50g Butter
100g Rocket, washed & dried

Handful of Pinenuts (optional)

To Serve:
Grated Parmesan
Green Salad
Garlic Bread


Method:
Cook the spaghetti as per packet instructions. While it is cooking, heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the prawns & season with salt & pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Then add the chillis & garlic. (Throw in the pine nuts at this stage too if you are using them) Cook for another 1 minute. Reduce to a low heat & then add the butter. Once all the butter has melted, add the rocket. Add the pasta to the mixture & toss until all the pasta has been coated. Sprinkle with parmesan before serving!


Yum!

Koko - New handmade Chocolate shop in Kinsale

Kinsale has it's very own handmade chocolate shop! Hurray! Koko opened it's doors recently, next door to Veda craft shop, on the Pier road.
We popped in earlier today - very naughty on Good Friday I know, seeing as we are all supposed to be fasting & miserable in general! :)
But, we just couldn't resist the lure of the gorgeous handmade Easter eggs in the window! Its a cute & quirky little shop, full of little handmade chocolates, chocolate figureens, chocolate bars etc... you get the idea I'm sure. The coffee there too is just yummy - strong & smooth, and the espresso's are served in really cute, little ceramic tumblers!
Definately pop in for your chocolate & coffee fix if you're in the area!
Good luck to all in Koko. We will all be a little fatter, but definitely happier because of your existence! :)


Major dilemma now though - do I give this to whom it was intended for or do I eat it myself....

Lemon Meringue Pie

Sinead is trying to steal my thunder again :) 
Today she made a fab Lemon Meringue Pie & the pressure is on again!!! Really yummy...no wonder she looks so pleased with herself!
The recipe was from the Odlum's website - www.odlums.ie - where they seem to have endless dessert recipes. Everything from Apple Pie to Mississippi Mud Pie...
Here is the recipe...


Pastry:
225g / 8oz Cream Plain Flour 
50g / 2oz Icing Sugar 150g / 5oz Margarine (room temperature) 1 Egg Yolk 1 Tablespoon Cold Water 
Few drops Lemon Juice

Filling:

50g / 2oz Cornflour 
125g / 4oz Caster Sugar 
300ml / 1/2pt Water 
Rind & Juice of 2 Lemons 
2 Egg Yolks


Meringue:
3 Egg Whites 
Pinch of salt 
125g / 4oz Caster Sugar


Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. Lightly grease a 20cms/8" flan ring or dish.
2. First, make the pastry. Sieve the flour & icing sugar together. Mix the egg yolk, water & lemon juice together. Place one third of the flour mixture in a bowl, add the margarine & the liquids. Cream with a fork until well blended. Add the remaining flour & sugar mixture and mix to a firm dough. Cover & refrigerate for about an hour.
3. Roll out pastry on a little flour and use to line the flan ring or dish. Prick the base well with a fork, then, cover with well crumpled tin foil. This prevents the pastry rising during baking! Bake in pre heated oven for 20 minutes until set, remove the tinfoil for the last 5 minutes baking. Remove from oven. Reduce oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas 2.
4. Meanwhile make the filling: Place the cornflour & sugar in a saucepan, gradually whisk in the water. Add the lemon rind & bring to the boil stirring until thick and transparent. Remove from heat & stir in the strained lemon juice. Beat in the egg yolks and pour into the flan case.
5. Finally, make the meringue - Beat the egg whites in a clean dry bowl with a pinch of salt until stiff. Beat in the sugar until glossy. Spoon meringue over filling, sprinkle with a little sugar and bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.

Serve hot or cold, with whipped cream or as is! Enjoy!

Tasty little snack

Try this the next time you need a little snack to keep you going... you won't be disappointed... I promise! 


Cut a thick slice off a nice, sweet red apple, put a slice of goats cheese on top of it & then drizzle with honey!
Done! Eat! Yum! :) 

Lunch at Crawford Gallery Cafè

Myself & Sinead met two of our aunts for lunch yesterday in Cork City. They had chosen the Cafe in the Crawford Art Gallery at Emmet Place, near the Opera House.
http://www.crawfordartgallery.ie/dining.html
I was really looking forward to it, as the last time I was there (ages & ages ago), it was absolutely delicious!
The 2 aunties are very punctual ladies indeed, & arrived a few minutes before 1pm to secure a table. The queues for this place can get quite big on a busy day, and it is easy to see why.


We were given gorgeous homemade brown bread while we looked over the menu.
The menu wasn't huge, but it still managed to have something to suit us all: from light lunches to more substantial dinners. Sinead & I both went for a vegetarian Moussaka. It was stuffed with puy lentils, spinach & aubergine. It was topped with plenty of tzatziki & served with a fresh green salad & pickled cucumbers. (I'm obsessed with pickled cucumbers...love them!) It was a really, really tasty dish - nice & light, and full of flavour. The tzatziki was a great addition, and mixed well with the flavours already in the moussaka.
One aunt went for the fish cake, which was also fab. Most importantly, there was plenty fish in it and just a little potato. It was golden & crispy on the outside, while nice & moist on the inside. It was served with a couscous salad, green leaves & the all important pickled cucumber.
The other aunty went for an old Irish favourite - Bacon & Cabbage!!! And she wasn't disappointed. The bacon was honey coated & had lovely crispy edges, and the meat was nice and tender & not too salty. The cabbage was a really deep green colour & you could almost see how good it was for you. And the Mmmmmmmasssh... not a lump in sight! A sweet whiskey sauce topped the dish off nicely.


We could hardly go to the Crawford Gallery Cafe without having one of their renowned desserts. We shared a Meringue Roulade topped with berries & drizzled with passion fruit. A few mouthfuls each, and a nice round of coffees was the perfect way to round off a lovely luncheon!
The service was also very good. The lady who served us was informal & friendly, and extremely polite.


Very happy ladies with renewed energy to hit the shops! :)