Monday 16 February 2015

Happy Pancake Tuesday!

Sweet and Savoury Pancake Ideas From Some of the Blue Book Houses



Kevin Dundon’s Wild Mushroom and Chicken Crepe Bake

Serves 4
Chicken & Mushroom Sauce - 1 onion, finely chopped, 400g sliced wild mushrooms, 1 glass of white wine, 125ml  fresh cream, 100ml chicken stock, 2 chicken breasts, Salt & Pepper to season. 
Mornay Sauce - 250ml milk, 30g butter, 15g plain flour, 50g grated cheddar, 1 egg yolk, salt and pepper
Crepe/Pancake Batter - 150g flour, 2 eggs, 2 tbsp sunflower oil, 50g melted butter, pinch salt, 350ml milk


To make the crepes, firstly sift the flour into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add all the other batter ingredients and whisk well with to remove any lumps. Let the batter rest in the fridge for at least an hour before making the crepes to allow the mixture to settle.
To cook the crêpes, heat a little butter in a 9 inch crêpe pan.
Ladle a little batter into the centre of the pan, tilting the pan so that the batter covers the surface thinly and evenly. Cook on both sides until lightly browned. Slide it out of the pan onto a warmed plate and keep warm as you prepare the rest.
In the meantime, prepare to the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat and when just as it starts to sizzle, add the flour.  Cook the roux for 1- 2 minutes taking care not to let it brown.   Pour the milk into the roux and bring to the boil, stir continuously. The white sauce will begin to thicken. When the sauce coats the back of a wooden spoon, remove from the heat. Add the egg yolk, then add the grated cheese and season with a little salt and pepper. Set side until required.
To prepare the filling, heat some oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add mushrooms and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and all liquid has evaporated.  Add the white wine, cream and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened and chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Spoon 2 tbsp chicken and mushroom mixture into the centre of a crepe and roll to enclose the filling. Place in a ovenproof dish. Repeat with remaining crepes. Spoon over any unused sauce. Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.
Place dish under grill for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Stand for a few minutes before serving.
http://www.kevindundon.com/wild-mushroom-chicken-crepe-bake 

Longueville Pancakes

Ingredients: 100g plain flour, 2 eggs, 300ml milk, 1 teasp rapeseed oil, plus little extra for frying, pinch salt
Sieve the flour and a pinch of salt (allowing plenty of air in) into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre.
Crack the eggs into the middle, then pour in 50ml milk and 1 tbsp oil. Start whisking from the centre, gradually drawing the flour into the eggs, milk and oil. Once all the flour is utilised, beat the mixture until you have a smooth, thick paste. Add a little more milk if it is too stiff to beat.
Add a good splash of milk and whisk to loosen the thick batter. While still whisking, pour in a steady stream of the remaining milk. Continue pouring and whisking until you have the right consistency - slightly thick single cream.
Best if mixture is left in fridge for an hour before cooking or even overnight.

Serve with maple syrup, dusting of caster sugar & lemon juice or your favourite chocolate spread!



Micheal's Pancake Recipe 

Pancake Recipe Ingredients: 100g / 4oz plain or self-raising flour, large pinch of salt
1 standard egg, 250ml / ½ pint Milk, 1 tablespoon melted Butter

Mix salt and flour into the bowl. Beat to a creamy smooth batter with unbeaten egg and half the milk and melted butter. Mix in the remaining milk and use as required.
Lightly brush the base of a 20 or 22cm frying pan with the melted butter.
Heat the pan to get the butter hot when hot pour in 3 tablespoon of the batter mixture just enough to cover the base of the pan. Fry till they are a golden brown colour and do this both sides. To turn you can flip or use a spatula.Repeat with the rest of the batter mixture.




Dunbrody House American Style Pancakes

Ingredients- 300g unbleached plain flour, 1tsp Baking Powder, 3 Medium Free-Range Eggs, 400ml Buttermilk, 30g Irish Creamery Butter melted, 1tbsp Sunflower Oil for frying, 1 pinch Salt
Method - Mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Beat the eggs with the milk, make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk to make a thick smooth batter. Beat in the melted butter. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Drop a tablespoon of the batter per pancake into the pan to make pancakes approx 7.5cm/3" across. Make 3 pancakes at a time and cook for about 2 1/2 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake, then turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Cover with kitchen paper to keep warm while you use the rest of the batter. Serve with some maple syrup, or berry compote or both! Delicious with a scoop of Vanilla ice-cream.




Hayfield Manor Famous Crepe Suzette


For the crêpes
110g/4oz plain flour, sifted, pinch of salt, 2 eggs, 200ml/7fl oz milk mixed with 75ml/3fl oz water
50g/2oz butter, 1 medium orange - grated zest only, 1 tea spoon of caster sugar


For the sauce
150ml/5fl oz orange juice (from 3-4 medium oranges), 1 medium orange, grated zest only, 1 small, lemon, grated rind and juice, 1 tea spoon of caster sugar, 3 tea spoons of Cointreau, 50g/2oz unsalted butter, a little extra Cointreau, for flaming

For the presentation
Orange & grapefruit segments, brown Sugar, additional Cointreau for fuller flavour

Preparation method
Sift the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre of the flour and break the eggs into it. Then begin whisking the eggs.

Gradually add small quantities of the milk and water mixture, whilst still whisking. Whisk until the batter is smooth at the consistency of thin cream. Melt 50g/2oz of butter in a pan. Spoon 2 teaspoons of it into the batter and whisk it in, then pour the rest into a bowl. Stir the orange zest and caster sugar into the batter.

Get the pan really hot, then turn the heat down to medium. The crepes are to be thinner than the traditional pancake so just use ½ tea spoon of batter at a time in a 18cm/7in pan. As soon as the batter hits the hot pan, tip it around from side to side to get the base evenly coated with batter. It should take only half a minute or so to cook.

For the sauce, mix all the ingredients - with the exception of the butter - in a bowl. At the same time warm the plates on which the crêpes are going to be served. Melt the butter in the frying pan, pour in the sauce and allow it to heat very gently. Then place the first crêpes in the pan and give it time to warm through before folding it in half and then in half again to make a triangular shape. Slide this onto the very edge of the pan, tilt the pan slightly so the sauce runs back into the centre.

Flame the frying pan at this stage. Heat a ladle by holding it over a gas flame or by resting it on the edge of a hotplate, then, away from the heat, pour a little Cointreau into it, return it to the heat to warm the spirit, then set light to it. Carry the flaming ladle to the table over the pan and pour the flames over the crêpes before serving on the warmed plates.

For presentation purposes, serve with a little brown sugar, orange and grapefruit segments and for a fuller flavour, pour in a little addition of Cointreau to the cooked pancakes.






Wednesday 4 February 2015




Looking over the beauty of St Stephen's Green this ivy clad house is an intimate and serene setting in the heart of Dublin city.
Under the expert guidance of award winning Chef Graham Neville, Restaurant FortyOne has flourished in the last three years. Graham and his team create delicate, elegant dishes using the finest ingredients from their very own garden in Kenah Hill, Killiney, Co. Dublin.
This venue was once a private house and one can imagine restaurant guests gathered in the hall downstairs with top hats being removed by butlers before the grand parade up the stairs.
The restaurant itself is on the first floor with three lavish rooms interlinking, and one with views out over the parkland.
Graham Neville’s culinary expertise make for beautiful, satisfying and engaging eating, right from the off, when a amuse plate of langoustine, mushroom tortellini and truffle broth ushers you into the warm, sensual concoction of dishes that is his signature style.

10 Facts you didn't know about Restaurant FortyOne

1. The welcoming team are proud to have recently hosted US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on her visit to Dublin. They now await your visit.

2. The beautiful private dining rooms provide the perfect venue for up to 10 people in each room for that special occasion

3. For larger parties, the main dining room can seat up to 60 people and has hosted some noteworthy events.

4. Head Chef Graham Neville spent a number of years working in the United States primarily in     Chicago where he designed progressive French cuisine at both Tru and Les Nomades, two of the   city's finest restaurants

5. On his return to Ireland Graham worked for seven years at Thornton's Restaurant.

6. Graham's food sourcing ethos has led to his development of Residence's own organic kitchen    garden on the hills overlooking the Irish Sea just outside the city centre.

7. Sommelier Victor Nedelea provides a breathtaking, world-class wine list, including rare wine   and small wine producers

8. Food and Wine Magazine Award 2014 - Best Restaurant in Dublin, Best Chef in Dublin and Best Chef overall in Ireland

9. The Irish Times describes the menu as "splendid, impeccable, elegant, perfect"

10. The Irish Independent praises the restaurant's "air of luxury and comfort" and the "beautifully presented, perfect" food.