Follow chef noel @chefnoelk twitter & @chefnoelkeane on instagram
Author: traleeculinarygangsters
Chef, food truck owner, Gardner, forager, blogger, author , columnists,
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You can follow me on twitter @chefnoelk & instagram @chefnoelkeane
#cupcakehour baking tips
Eggs do not need to be kept in the fridge
once cracked, left over egg must be chilled in the fridge
Egg whites should be covered and chilled, or can be frozen
Always use chilled cracked egg within 2 days to prevent food poisoning.
For best results when baking use eggs at room temperature
Egg whites should always be at room temperature before whipping
Be certain there is no yolk in the whites and that the bowl and beaters are perfectly clean
The older the egg the flatter the egg yolk and the thinner the egg white
To test the freshness of an egg in it’s shell, float it in water. If it floats on it’s side it is very fresh
@chefnoelk on twitter and @chefnoelkeane on instagram
joim #cupcakrhour on twitter every tuesday at 8 o clocck
#cupcakehour baking tips
tips on white chocolate
Officially white chocolate cannot be called “chocolate” because it does not contain chocolate liquor
Good white chocolate contains cocoa butter, sugar, milk solids, vanilla, and lecithin
Make sure when buying white chocolate that it contains cocoa butter as some inferior brands contain vegetable fat
White chocolate is ivory-colored (white chocolate made with vegetable fat is white-colored) and is rich and creamy
Its sweet and subtle flavor complements other ingredients in baking
A delicate chocolate that scorches easily, so always melt over very low heat
It sets up softer than dark chocolate because it does not contain chocolate liquor
White chocolate will keep 6-10 months if stored in a cool dry place.
There are many good brands of chocolate on the market today, both domestic and foreign
why we do it
the hours, the heat, the pressure everyday, 12 plus hours every weekend, holiday and event . we miss birthdays and family get togethers, why !!!!!!!!
we are a different breed some call it passion I call it a thirst a drive been a chef is not a job or career it is who I am the very essence of me, I push myself and those who work with me everyday but why????????????
a thirst of knowledge, one that can never be filled no matter how long I stay doing it no matter how many dishes I cook it is never perfect … it is a consent drive for something I can never reach . the perfect dish the perfect night the flawless service can never be achieved but it is what drives me
no matter how much you know it is very little, I consume culinary information but I will never know even , a fraction of it an insatiable thirst blood thirst no a food thirst.
we are driven by a need to know more , to be better to share that with our guests everyday
most chefs I know even on their days off are doing something around food, watching food videos, reading new books, foraging wild foods .
why do we do it ….. we have to … we need to… it is who we are … a bred apart…
we are chefs
gangster profile kevin o connor
Name: Kevin O Connor
nickname the chief
Employer: The Ashe Hotel
Position: Duty manager
I first met Noel when I moved to Killarney around 2004. Having worked in a few good kitchens learning the trade from a 4 food rosette kitchen the Rockglen in Clifden to the Knockranny in west port
I moved to the Riverside in Killarney. Noel had put together a cracked team of “there’s no way we should be producing this type of food”.
We excelled in making good food. We took pride in what we produced and we were proud of where we worked.
We met scallywags along the journey and made the best of friends. The main thing was the food though. In every place I worked we always respected the food. Now I’ve moved to a different location, out the front. I have other skills that I use, I find that I’m a people’s person and I have the same passion for people as I have for food.
this thing called food
This thing called……food
Race religion colour creed it matters not we all have to stop to eat every day but how we eat is a choice I would much rather dine like a king than drink like a pirate
Chefs are everywhere these day tv magazines books food festivals but we have never eaten worse
Young chefs I use this lightly are in a rush to be the next overnight tv star or want to open their own restaurant but without the years of training the top chefs have behind them or the reality of the hard work ahead they fail or give up
In a world of insta fame and inta gratition everything is disposable
Food has never been faster or more talked about but the knowledge of it so unknown
If it comes through your car window or goes ding in the microwave it is not food it is a food like substance. More people than ever eat out, but few dine out, never trying something different or new as chefs we hear this a lot
I wouldn’t like that
Have you eaten it before?
No but I would not like it
It may be the best thing you have ever eaten or tried great restaurant are just that GREAT and for a good reason years of training to get the best taste flavour texture from every ingredient
Don’t live the same year 75 times and call it life try new things eat different things at least try
Blackberries wild garlic and wild leek are wonderful and free but few could find if they were standing in a field full of it but kafir lime leaves tofu and quinoa they know superfoods super diets
Chefs are too blame as well putting these trendy ingredients on menus following trends instead of setting them morally corrupt ingredients the true costs of few know about or care
Supermarkets recalling produces from their shelves from countries afar
Horse meat in mince bse swine flu bird flu all from other countries recalled berries from Africa
Strawberries in janaury
we have lost our connection with food with the seasons of food
flavour is all but gone we eat food with little flavour now
food in season is much more it takes us back to our childhood the summer strawberry
the flavour and smell of it
warm tomatoes off the vine with a little salt
we have to return to this for our own sake and the sake of our children
#cupcakehour baking tips
tempering chocolate always works best at normal room temperature
Never mix water with the chocolate if you wish to temper
make sure that the machine and utensils are thoroughly dry
Most chocolate will temper perfectly if it is initially melted at 43c
Melt the extra chocolate in a bain-marie and let it cool to just below 34
If the finish is slightly streaky, the chocolate is either a bit too hot or took too long to cool
If the chocolate over-tempers and becomes thick – add pieces of cool or solid chocolate
if dipping soft fruit in tempered chocolate dust with cornflour first
guest blog allan maynard
Potato-crusted halibut
- 4 halibut fillets, or cod fillets 130g each
- 1 large potato
- 2 egg yolks
- flour for dusting
- salt
- olive oil
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
Cider sauce
- 300 ml of bulmers
- 150ml of veal stock
- 200ml of double cream
- salt to season
- 250 g of fresh mussels, or mussel meat
- vegetable oil
- salt
1
Begin by preparing the sauce. Add the cider and a pinch of sugar to a pan and reduce half Add the veal stock, reduce by half, then add the double cream
- 300 ml bulmers cider
- 150ml of veal stock
- 200ml of double cream
2
Bring to a gentle simmer and reduce again until there is 180ml left. Season to taste and set aside until required
- salt
- pepper
3
Peel and cut the potato for the fish into matchstick-sized pieces. Blanch in vegetable oil at 100 c until soft but not coloured. Drain on a paper towel and leave to cool
- 1 large potato
- Rape seed oil, for deep-frying
4
Once cool, add the potato to a bowl with a pinch of salt and the 2 yolks, mixing together until combined. Dust the halibut fillets with a light coating of flour, then apply a thin layer of potato mixture to each one. Set aside in the fridge until required
- 2 egg yolks
- salt
- flour for dusting
- 4 halibut or cod fillets 130 g each
5
To cook the fish, heat a little oil in a large pan. Cook the halibut fillets (potato-side down) over a gentle heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown but not too coloured. Turn over the fish and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until cooked to your liking
- olive oil
6 Meanwhile, reheat the sauce and add your fresh mussel of mussel meat, check salt seasoning
you can see more of allans dishes follow him on twitter @lesouschef and Instagram @lesouschef
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traleeculinarygangsters 