Author: traleeculinarygangsters

Chef, food truck owner, Gardner, forager, blogger, author , columnists,

Baking tips–soda bread

051121031-01-irish-soda-bread-recipe-main

use unbleached, fresh, locally milled flour of the soft wheat or pastry flour variety

Avoid using self-rising flour, which already contains baking powder and salt,

cutting a cross on top of the bread began to help the bread bake evenly.

use a fresh box of baking soda to prevent unnecessarily dense bread.

Preferably use buttermilk

If you dont have it make your own by adding one tablespoon of lemon juice to two cups of low-fat milk.

Bake in a preheated oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6 for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180C and bake for a further 30-40 minutes

Cool on a wire rack, traditionally the loaf was cooled standing on its side

Enjoy you can follow the baking tips on twitter #cupcakehour every tuesday night @croitralee

Davids dairy free ice cream

received_10155590061092160

Diary Free Chocolate Ice Cream
So for this recipe I’m using my son for inspiration he is 2 years old and is lactose intolerant (can’t have dairy products). And with the sudden heat wave we’ve been getting it’s difficult not to have ice cream in the house, so I taught to myself the main ingredient in ice cream is milk, what if I used almond which he is used to and drinks daily.
So here’s the recipe I put together
• 750ml almond milk
• 125ml honey
• 100g dark choc (I used 74% cacao) * again not diary in the chocolate*
Method
Melt the choc over a Bain Marie or in a microwave personally I used a microwave to save time. Mix the milk and honey and choc together in a mixer or by hand with a whisk. Pour into a container and freeze for a few over night.
Cost
• Almond milk €1.69
• Honey €1.27
• Chocolate €0.95
Total = €3.91 = 1litre
A serving = €0.76

The price of making stays in line with some of these
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/it-s-ice-cream-season-so-which-brand-offers-the-tastiest-scoop-1.3126861
Flavour/Outcome
So after leaving it in the freezer over night the ice cream had become firm, almost like sorbet but the creamy texture of ice cream still holds true. The flavour is good even thou it was a high percentage cacao the result is nice and mild.

Davids profile

received_10207288064318255

Name: David Culleton
Nickname : Dave / Dáithi
Position : commi
Place of work: Croi
I started in a culinary arts course 8 weeks ago, firstly to get the social welfare off of my back.
But after been in the kitchen few a weeks in college and in croi one day a week, the love and passion, not just for cooking but food in general has grown, as student I find myself wanting to learn more, but also as a father of two children I find I am trying to pass on what I know to my eldest children, as much as this is about food and cooking I find that these skills as very good life skills to have at any age

 

Paul on the sea shore

2016-10-18-22-21-10

Forage by the sea

As the spring and summer greens by the shore begin to come to life where I forage anyway. Samphire is in full swing and will remain so until the mid to late autumn.

We will be using these constant in the restaurant over the coming months, in a variety of different ways with different ingredients so stay tuned to the Facebook page for more info on that.

While out foraging on the beach, there are several edibles that have as many different flavours and effects of the palette as there are edibles to choose from. Some of the samphire can be soft and fresh salty while others have a lemony hit. Sea lavender I spotted recently poking through while it is edible its a ronseal ingredient in that it tastes like soap if eaten on its own, this however will be used, to infuse an oil or pickling liquid to add a floral tone to a dish, so be careful which one you pick as it resembles some samphires.

As it’s still early in the season bring a sharp scissors and ensure you keep as many plants rooted in the ground so they can grow and spread.

We will keep you updated on Croí restaurants Facebook page and as usual behind the scenes pics on my own Instagram and Twitter @chefpaulc.

Stay tuned for some exciting news in the coming weeks.

Paul on wild food

img_20161028_080516966_hdr

Forage and grow 2017

As many of you know by now wild garlic is coming to the end of its season, so grab it while it’s there to keep it for the rest of the year preserve it by pickling it or making a pesto.
Don’t worry there are many herbs coming through in its place so there is no shortage of wild greens, wild chervil, wood sorrel, Dandelion, hawthorn, nasturtium to name but a few.

Alongside these however are early summer berries, wild strawberries also known as pine berries, and berberries or firethorn, one of these is new to me but the other I’ve known about for years only ever picking once while on a stroll as a child, I’ve never forgottenwhere they were, the picture of them this year on my Instagram @chefpaulc is from the spot I first are them.

The berberries likewise ripening over the next week or 2, can’t wait to get holt of them to be used in the kitchen. Meanwhile at home my strawberries are continuing to grow and ripen into beautiful fruit that I’m proud to use in the restaurant. Along with everything else that’s growing in the tunnel which is proving to be a hit with staff and customers alike. I must say my foraging though it has taken a back seat still rears its face every week for herbs and seagreens, with one other item flowers, they serve a dual purpose to me, a little flavour pocket and a little pip of colour to each dish in which they feature.

Stay tuned to the restaurant @croitralee on Facebook Twitter Instagram.
Or myself @chefpaulc on Twitter and Instagram.