the house hotel...

The House Hotel is one of my favourite little bolt holes in Galway. Cool, quirky and fun, you can't beat it for location. The rooms are lovely and settling into one of their squashy pink couches in the lobby with one of their rather superior afternoon teas is a great way to catch up with friends.

While hotel food in general can be hard to get excited about at the best of times (dry, chewy carvery meat languishing under heat lamps and the inevitable ice-cream scoops of mashed potato), The House Hotel didn't earn it's popularity without having a more ambitious kitchen. They do a fine breakfast, full Irish or hearty porridge, a great family-style dinner of whole roast chicken on Sundays. There's also a great bar food with some retro-comfort dishes including a ploughman's lunch served with a proper pickled egg. Try the spicy chicken wings, they were responsible for the birth of my first child, but that's a story for another time. There is an excellent à la carte menu in the bistro, complemented by a fair-sized wine list where the majority of the wines are priced in the early twenties, and a great value early bird special.

More recently, they have been gaining quite a reputation for their cocktails with two of the country's best mixologists manning the bar. With the growing popularity of cocktail and food matching their new ‘Dine & Cocktail’ offer is on-trend as well as being pretty good value. A main course of either Irish Hereford Sirloin Steak or the House Fish of the Day, served along with one of the signature House cocktails, for just €15.

You can start with a classic sophisticated cocktail to whet your appetite and get you in the mood for the meal ahead. Sip on one of their tall refreshing concoctions throughout your dinner or have a sweet 'Mint Crisp' or the 'House Colada' in place of a dessert. You will have lot's of fun 'playing with your food' with this offer.

My current husband had the steak, opting for the pepper sauce over the garlic butter. It was eight ounces of tender pink perfection, and came with a generous amount of sautéed onions, mushrooms and creamy mash (not scoop-shaped thankfully). Along with the gentleman's favorite from the cocktail menu, a classic 'Old Fashioned' which complimented the beef well.

I had the fish of the day, a fat and flaky sea bream, served on a bed of wilted spinach with a herb-spiked cream sauce. Usually I am partial to a Dry Martini with my fish but I opted to have a sweet cocktail after my meal instead, although you can also have one of the hotel’s freshly made desserts instead of a cocktail. Starters are available for an additional €3.

Even though 'The House' is at the glitzy, glamorous end of the hotel scene, there is real substance in the kitchen. Serving good value menus in a casually, trendy space 'The House Hotel' always makes you feel at home.

For more details or to book a table, log onto www.thehousehotel.ie or call the House Bistro on 091-538900.

banana cream pie

The big, generous, family pie is something the Americans do best. Deep dish fruit pies stuffed full of apples or cherries. Smooth pumpkin or crunchy pecan pie, rich and decadent peanut butter or Mississippi mud pie. This one is my current favorite and possibly the easiest of the lot - the banana cream pie.

It is not an sophisticated dessert by any means, ripe bananas hiding in a smooth thick custard, but it is very good - I most often make mine on a sweet shortcrust pastry, but a packet of plain shortbread or another plain biscuit or cookie makes it even easier as you won't even have to turn the oven on. This is a favorite with children and people with ill-fitting dentures.

American banana cream pie

For the base
250g plain flour
125g butter, chilled, chopped
75 g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon chilled water

For the filling
500ml milk
250ml cream
1 tin (approx 250ml) condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp cornflour
4 egg yolks
3 large bananas, roughly chopped

For the topping
2 large bananas, thinly sliced
approximately 500ml whipped cream
a little grated chocolate if liked

Make the base:  For the sweet pastry base combine flour, butter and sugar in a food processor. Process until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Add yolk and chilled water. Process until dough just comes together. Turn pastry onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until just smooth. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface to about a 3mm-thick disc. Line a round 23cm tart tin, with removable base or pie dish  with pastry and trim any excess. Place in the fridge for a further 15 minutes to rest.

Cover the pastry base with baking paper and fill with ceramic baking beans, rice or dried beans. Place on a baking tray and bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and pastry weights, rice or beans, and bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven.

(For a biscuit base place a medium packet of biscuits in a food processor. Process until they are completely broken up and there are no big lumps visible. Place in the bottom of a deep pie dish between  10" - 12". mix in 2 tablespoons of melted butter, press down with the back of a spoon to line the base and refridgerate for 30 mins.)

Make the filling: Bring the milk, cream, condensed milk and vanilla to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk together the cornflour and egg yolks. When the milk mixture is hot, spoon some of it onto the egg yolk mixture and whisk well. Pour the egg yolks back in the pot and allow to heat slowly while stirring constantly until the mixture becomes very thick - just a couple of minuets should do it.

Mix in the chopped bananas and pour onto the biscuits or pastry shell. Push down any bananas near the top as they will discolour if they are too close to the surface. Place a piece of cling wrap directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming and put it in the fridge for 2-3 hours until set.

To serve: Remove the cling wrap, dollop the whipped cream on top, arrange the sliced bananas on the pie. grate some chocolate over (if desired) and serve maybe with a little drizzle of maple syrup.

a wedding cake

I have been a little absent from my favourite corner of the inter tubes for I have been as busy as a bee. Among other things I had the honor of making a wedding cake for my baby brother and his lovely new bride. I have made a few wedding cakes over the years, my own included, but only ever for family as I find it all a tad stressful. This one especially aged me a few decades on the day, as cream cheese frosting and warm rooms don't marry well (see what I did there?).

Now the bride didn't want a traditional fruit cake or the popular cupcake towers and biscuit cake that are doing the rounds. So through the magic of Pinterest we came up with a few ideas and decided on a classic three tier cake with a soft frosting but with a different sponge cake on the inside of each. The bottom 12" tier was the Black Magic cake from my friends Ron and Mona Wise book, The Chef and I. It's a lovely moist choca-mocha squidgy sponge that was lovely with the icing. It was a big hit. The middle 9" cake was a Red Velvet sponge to match the brides Jimmy Choos.

Those shoes...

The top tier was a lovely lemon poppy seed cake. That recipe came to me from my mate Aran in Rua, he is a man who knows a lot about cake. It is one I make all the time at home in a loaf tin with a little bit of lemon syrup drizzled over the top. It's a favourite with the family and works well with orange too.

All the cakes were baked the week before the wedding and frozen. Then they were sandwiched on their cake boards and covered in a thin layer of the frosting. This stops any crumbs from getting on the final layer of frosting when I was piping on the swirls, which look impressive but are also easy to do. A piping bag and an open six point star nozzle is all that is required.

Here is the recipe for the lemon poppy seed as a lot of people had asked. It could not be easier.

Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf Cake
2 eggs
175g sugar
175g plain flour
175g very soft butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
Finely grated zest of two lemons
75ml sour cream.
25g Poppy seeds, toasted for about 10 mins.

Sieve the flour and baking powder together. Mix together with all other ingredients.
Grease and line a 1 kg/2 lb loaf tin. Bake in the centre of a 175C oven until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out cleanly. Drizzle with juice of a lemon and icing sugar fondant. or make a batch of the cream cheese frosting that I used. The quantities are 25g of butter, 200g cream cheese - (Philadelphia is fine, mascarpone is nice for a special occasion) and 100g of icing sugar - leave everything come to room temperature and then beat together until smooth. spoon or pipe over the cake or serve on the side.

Congratulations Danny & Ger

easy plum sauce

Plum season is upon us and so, here are two plum sauce recipes. This first recipe is a quick version I make with a jar of homemade plum jam. Bought jam or a preserve with a high fruit content would be perfect as well and cherry jam will do in a pinch. The combination of sweet and sour with a touch of heat makes the perfect companion for spring rolls, wontons, tofu, pork, chicken dishes. To be honest, I think if you dipped a stinky tramp's shoe into this it would make it quite palatable, it's just that good. We most often have it with quick midweek supper of crispy duck and pancakes plus a bowl of fluffy steamed rice - just bring everything to the boil together and serve, it is truly delicious. 

Plum Sauce # 1

Ingredients

1 jar plum jam

2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon five spice powder

Directions

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine jam, vinegar, brown sugar, dried onion, red pepper, garlic and spice. Bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat.

Plum Sauce # 2

Ingredients

1kg plums

1 onion

4 garlic cloves

1cm fresh ginger

1 chilli (optional)

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 tsp five-spice powder

2tsp sea salt

50ml rice wine vinegar

25ml soy sauce

Directions

Stone the plums, chop them into quarters and put them in a saucepan with a tight fitting lid. Finely chop the onion, slice the chilli (if using) in two lengthways and blitz with the garlic and ginger to a puree in a food processor. Add the onion, the garlic and ginger puree, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and salt to the saucepan along with a tiny drop of water and other liquids to cover the bottom of the pan.

Bring to the boil slowly and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the plums are rendered to mush. Remove the cinnamon stick and star anise. Blitz to a puree with a hand blender or in a food processor. The sauce should be a nice ketchup-y consistency by now. If not, boil for a little longer. Cool slightly and pour into pre-sterilised bottles, screw lids on firmly and store in a cool, dark  place.

The colour of the finished sauce will depend on the kind of plum you use, but any variety will do. If you have bought a punnet of plums in the supermarket and they are not nice enough to eat by themselves, they will make a good base for this lovely plum sauce.

The Cellar Bar and Restaurant

Gourmet burger with emmental cheese, bacon, pineapple and jalapeños.

To my mind, there are three levels of food in Irish pubs. At one end is the traditional pub, where your only dining decision is whether to have the cheese & onion or salt & vinegar. At the other extreme are the gastropubs. Here you can expect such delights as 'roasted marrow bones with curried clams in a grilled octopus reduction'. And then there is the proper pub-grub, from establishments that cater to both drinkers and diners. Comforting soups, tasty sandwiches and old favorites like fish and chips, bangers and mash or lasagna in man-sized portions. The Cellar Bar is one of Galway's best examples of the latter.

I have a soft spot for The Cellar Bar, it must be said, and I doubt that I'm the only one. There can be few people who ever spent time in college in Galway who have not had the 'all day breakfast' at least once. The location makes it a great city centre meeting spot for lunch or for after-work drinks. And of course, most importantly the food is that rare combination of both good and fast.

The staff are young and friendly and have lunch service down to a fine art. Glasses of water are lined up and coffee cups ready to go - there is not much of a wait for either food or service here, making it popular with city centre workers on a tight lunch break as well as tourists and students. The children's menu has something for even the pickiest child and there are half portions from the regular menu on offer as well.

Fusili pasta with chicken and vegetables in tomato sauce from the children's menu was the little one's choice, served with garlic toast. Chunky peppers and other Mediterranean vegetables in a freshly made and very tomatoey sauce with a little touch of cream and basil to it. The other lady had the mini breakfast from the main menu; rasher, sausage, fried egg, a choice of black of white pudding with chips, beans and toast. Both were very well received and much swapping and tasting of each other's choice was done.

There is a two course special offer which changes every day. When I went at the weekend it was a carrot and dill soup and a very lush sounding sandwich with ham, red onion marmalade, relish, brie and herb stuffing with salad and chips as one option. A chicken and roast vegetable korma on rice with a tiramisu chaser was the other, pretty good value for only €9.95 especially considering the generous portion size.

I hummed and hawed over that sandwich for a while but in the end went for the gourmet burger - a meaty, dense burger served on a wholemeal bap with the usual trimmings of lettuce, sliced tomato, red onion mayonnaise and relish, then stuffed full of extra flavor with Emmental cheese, bacon, pineapple and jalapeños. Who knew that pineapple and jalapeños on a burger would taste so good? This is definitely my new favourite way to eat a burger.

My current husband had the steak sandwich. Three big slices of seared Irish minute steak on ciabatta with garlic and wholegrain mustard mayonnaise and salad dressing. This came with chips, sautéed onions, mushrooms and a big bowl of rather delicious peppercorn sauce.

There is tempting selection of desserts, ice creams, deep dish apple pie, warm chocolate fudge cake. We ordered a mixed berry cheesecake which suffered quite badly from soggy-bottom syndrome and an excellent sticky toffee pudding. Warm, very sweet and delicately spiced, we fought over it bitterly, with the youngest eventually gaining control of the plate and defending it skillfully from invading spoons. Tea or coffee with a dessert is good value at €5 and as a pub you have the full choice of beers, wines, spirits cocktails and soft drinks that you would expect.

The Cellar offers reasonably priced, honest, hearty dishes in lovely surroundings. With good food and fast service, there truly is something for everyone on their menu.

Defensive play.

Food served Monday-Saturday : 10.00am-9.00pm. Sunday 11.00am-9.00pm

oven dried tomatoes

I was given a copy of Eden cookbook a few years ago and it has been a favorite of mine ever since. It is my go to reference book for quantities and measurements for larder staples and sauces, onion marmalade, pickled cucumber, those sorts of little things that make something ordinary into something special.

Oven-dried tomatoes is one of the things I make regularly from the book - this method makes bad tomatoes good and good tomatoes great. Now is the time of year that the bulk of tomatoes ripen in the green houses and poly tunnels with a little bit of September sunshine.

Eat these immediately adding them to salads and sandwiches. I prefer to keep them in the fridge for a week or two in an airtight jar covered in a good olive oil and put them on pizza or into a pasta sauce for a burst of deep tomato flavor. Use the oil you kept them in for salad dressings, it is too delicious to waste. Or, as soon as they are cool, freeze on a sheet and then transfer to a zipped freezer bag where they will last for months. A little taste of summer to lift your spirits in the depths of winter.

Oven dried tomatos
Adapted from Eden Cookbook

20g sea salt
8 plum/24 cherry tomatoes halved or quartered depending on size
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots peeled or finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic peeled and sliced
1 sprig rosemary roughly chopped
1 sprig thyme roughly chopped
10g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 100C/200F - the bottom oven of an Aga is also perfect.

Sprinkle salt on the baking tray (non-metallic) place the tomatoes on the salt skin side down. Mix all the other ingredients together and sprinkle over the tomatoes. Place in the oven and dry until juices have stopped running, edges are shriveled, and pieces have shrunken slightly. Timing will vary depending on the variety, ripeness. Up to 6 hours for a plum is usual, about 2 - 3 hours less for a cherry variety.

creme brûlée

My absolute favorite dessert of all time, a deliciously decadent creme brûlée. Despite what you might think, i'm not really a dessert person. I make them, I taste them, but I don't really eat a whole lot of them. I will take a cheese board over a dessert any day of the week, unless there is one of these on offer. These are not a bit difficult to make if you don't rush it.

The perfect creme should have a bit of wobble to it, the only danger is that you will cook your eggs a bit too quickly or too hot and they will scramble. If this happens, just throw it away and chalk it down to experience - there is no redeeming features to sweet scrambled eggs. But if you take it slowly and watch care fully it won't happen, it takes care of itself in the oven and the end result is sublime.

These quantities are for six portions in a regular sized ramekin - I make four slightly larger ones in large shallow dishes so I can have even more crunchy sugar topping. Only caramelize when you are ready to serve them as  the sugar will soften again if left standing around for any length of time. Here I have it with a few summer berries and a raspberry sauce, any seasonal fruit can be served along side but in general it is a stand alone dessert that needs nothing else.

If you don’t own a mini blowtorch, caramelise them under the grill, it will come out pretty even as long as you watch they don't burn.

Ingredients

500ml/18fl oz double cream

1 vanilla pod

100g/4oz caster sugar (plus extra for the topping)

6 free-range egg yolks

Method

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F. Pour your cream into a saucepan and split the vanilla pod lengthways scraping the seeds into the cream. Chop the empty pod into small pieces, and add those to the cream also. Bring the cream just up to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, very gently for five minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, beat the sugar and egg yolks together in a large heatproof bowl until pale and fluffy. Bring the cream back to boiling point. Pour it over the egg mixture, whisking continuously until thickened - this indicates that the eggs have begun to cook slightly.

Strain the mixture through a sieve into a large jug, and then use this to fill six (or a greedy four) ramekins to about two-thirds full. Place the ramekins into a large roasting tray and pour in enough hot water to come halfway up their sides, a bain-marie in other words.

Place the bain-marie onto the centre shelf of the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until the custards are just set but still a bit wobbly in the centre. You are looking for a jelly type of wobble here

Remove the ramekins from the water and set aside to cool to room temperature. Chill until needed.

When ready to serve, sprinkle one level teaspoon of caster sugar evenly over the surface of each crème brûlée, then caramelise with a chefs' blow-torch. Set aside to cool for a couple of minutes, then serve.