Darina Allen: Euro-Toques awards showcase the best of Irish produce

Darina Allen's recipe selections this week.

The Euro-Toques Food Awards are back after an absence of three years (2020 was a virtual event due to covid).

The awards were established in 1996 by my lovely mother-in-law Myrtle Allen, one of the great pioneers of local food, to recognise and celebrate the very best food Ireland produces. 

She would undoubtedly be thrilled to see how the movement has gathered momentum since the early days.

The Euro-Toques Food Awards continue to be a unique opportunity for chefs to acknowledge the work of small artisan producers whose produce they rely on to create their food. 

This year, six awards were presented — in Water, Land, Farm, Dairy, Artisan Produce, and Craft categories. 

Two Cork producers were among the six prestigious award-winners. 

The Artisan Produce Award went to Killahora Orchards and Rare Apple Ice Wine. 

Innovative cousins David Watson and Barry Walsh’s orchards date back to 1837. Their range includes an apple port, a pét-nat and a light sparkling perry.

The Skeaghanore Ducks from West Cork, beloved by so many chefs, won the Farm Awards. 

Helena Hickey believes the salty air wafting in from Roaring-Water Bay imparts a unique taste, acting as a pre-salting agent enhancing the flavour of their hand-reared Pekin ducks.

Kelly’s Mussels won the Water category. Their sustainably farmed, native mussels grow on mussel rafts along the Galway coastline. Plump, nutrient-dense, and absolutely delicious.

At a time when there is so much faux honey on sale, it was brilliant to see so many superb Irish honeys nominated... Olly’s Farm Honey, Dublin; Hive Mind, Cork; Brookfield Farm Honey, Tipperary. 

The winner in the Land category went to Noel and Heather Leahy for their raw native Irish bee honey collected from traditional hives on the Sliabh Aughty Mountains near Loughrea in Galway. 

Keep an eye out for their Hot Honey flavoured with chilli flakes and poitín. Delicious, drizzled over a pizza or a rasher sandwich.

In the Dairy section, Aisling and Michael Flanagan’s Velvet Cloud, sheep’s milk yoghurt from Claremorris in Mayo won the award. 

Lacaune and Friesland sheep produce the milk for their range of products. I also loved their deeply flavourful semi-hard, Rockfield cheese and creamy sheep’s milk labneh already prized by the chefs.

Lastly, another intriguing product, Wildwood Balsamic made by artist-turned-artisan vinegar maker, Fionnan Gogarty. 

He makes his vinegars from foraged ingredients from the mountains, hedgerows, seashore and gardens of Mayo, transforming them slowly into vinegars of rare flavour and beauty. 

Just a few drops of these precious potions enhance the flavour of a myriad of dishes.

The awards were hosted by Kevin and Catherine Dundon at Dunbrody House in Wexford and were attended by many of the producers and Euro-Toques chefs who are committed to sourcing and supporting the very best Irish artisan produce. 

A brilliant, convivial and inspiring event!

Classic Roast Stuffed Skeaghanore Duck with Sage and Onion Stuffing, Bramley Apple Sauce and Gravy

recipe by:Darina Allen

What’s not to love about a crispy roast duck with all the trimmings?

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 30 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 30 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 free range Skeaghanore duck, 1.8kg approx.

• Sage and Onion Stuffing

• 45g butter

• 75g onion, finely chopped

• 100g soft white breadcrumbs

• 1 tbsp fresh sage, freshly chopped

• Salt and pepper

• Stock

• Neck and giblets from duck

• 1 carrot, sliced

• 1 onion

• Bouquet garni

• 2-3 peppercorns

• Bramley Apple Sauce

• 450g cooking apples, (Bramley Seedling)

• 50g sugar approx. depending on tartness of the apples

• 1-2 tbsp water

Method

1. To make the stock: Put the neck, gizzard, heart and any other trimmings into a saucepan with 1 medium carrot cut into slices and the onion cut in quarters. Add a bouquet garni of parsley stalks, small stalk of celery and a sprig of thyme. Cover with cold water and add 2 or 3 peppercorns but no salt. Bring slowly to the boil and simmer for 2-3 hours. This will make a delicious stock which will be the basis of the gravy.

2. Meanwhile, singe the duck and make the stuffing.

3. To make the stuffing: Melt the butter and sweat the onion on a gentle heat for 5-10 minutes until soft but not coloured, add the breadcrumbs and sage. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Unless you plan to cook the duck immediately allow the stuffing to get cold.

4. When the stuffing is quite cold, season the cavity of the duck and spoon in the stuffing. Truss the duck loosely.

5. Roast in a moderate oven 180˚C/Gas Mark 4 for 1 ½ hours approx.

6. To make the bramley apple sauce: Peel, quarter and core the apples, cut pieces in two and put in a small stainless steel or cast-iron saucepan, with the sugar and water, cover and put over a low heat, as soon as the apple has broken down, stir and taste for sweetness.

7. When the duck is cooked, remove to a serving dish, allow to rest while you make the gravy. Degrease the cooking juices (keep the duck fat for roast or sauté potatoes). Add stock to the juices in the roasting pan, bring to the boil, taste and season if necessary. Strain gravy into a sauceboat. Serve warm with the duck and bramley apple sauce.

Goat Rendang

recipe by:Darina Allen

A wonderful slow-cooked dish from Malaysia, Indonesia and Sumatra usually served for feasts and celebrations. It should be chunky and dry, yet succulent – lamb or beef may be substituted if goat is unavailable.

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 1 hours 31 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 46 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1 ½ kg goat meat

• 5 shallots, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, chopped

• 3cm root ginger, roughly chopped

• 4 red chillies, seeded and roughly chopped, or 2 teaspoons chilli powder

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 stalk fresh lemongrass, bruised

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• salt and freshly ground pepper

• 3 x 400g cans of coconut milk

• Mint leaves

• Lime segments

Method

1. Cut the meat into 4cm cubes. Purée the shallots, garlic, ginger and chillies in a food processor. Put all these ingredients in a wide sauté pan or a wok, add the bay leaf, lemongrass, turmeric, salt and meat and cover with coconut milk. Stir and bring to the boil on a medium heat, uncovered. Reduce the heat and allow to bubble gently for 1 ½ hours, stirring from time to time. By this time the coconut milk should be quite thick.

2. Continue to cook stirring frequently until the coconut milk starts to get oily. Keep stirring until the oil is reabsorbed by the meat. Taste and add more salt if necessary.

3. Serve hot with a bowl of fluffy rice. We like to serve some fresh mint leaves and segments of lime with the rendang.

4. Rendang keeps well in the fridge and reheats perfectly.

JR Ryall's Honey Mousse with Lavender Jelly

Taken from Ballymaloe Desserts by JR Ryall, published by Phaidon.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 4 hours 40 mins

Total Time

 4 hours 40 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• For the honey mousse:

• 350ml cream

• 2 gelatine leaves

• 2 tbsp water

• 60ml best quality local honey

• 1 tbsp Grand Marnier

• 1 large egg

• For the lavender jelly:

• 110g caster sugar

• 250ml water

• 14 fresh lavender heads, to infuse

• 2 gelatine leaves

• 12 fresh lavender heads (to decorate)

• Have a pretty 1.2 litre serving bowl to hand.

Method

1. For the honey mousse: Whip the cream to soft peaks and hold in the fridge until needed. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for five minutes. Warm two tablespoons of water in a small saucepan, add the softened gelatine leaves and stir to dissolve completely. Then add the honey and Grand Marnier and mix until everything is combined. Now whisk the whole egg until light and quadrupled in volume, this takes approximately five minutes using an electric mixer on high speed. Fold the whisked egg into the whipped cream.

2. Add one third of the cream into the honey mixture and mix to combine, it will take a minute of mixing for the two to blend - the sweet liquid is much denser than the fluffy cream. Finally, fold in the remaining two thirds of the cream. Pour the honey mousse into a serving bowl and place in the fridge until set, approximately four hours.

3. For the lavender jelly: Put the sugar and water in a heavy bottomed saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Once the syrup has boiled, remove from the heat and add the lavender heads. Take time to enjoy the wonderful lavender perfume as the syrup cools to room temperature. Pass the syrup through a fine sieve to remove the lavender heads. Next, soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Warm a little of the lavender syrup, add the softened gelatine leaves and stir to dissolve. Add the remaining lavender syrup into the dissolved gelatine and mix well. Arrange 12 fresh lavender heads on top of the honey mousse. When the lavender mixture has cooled to room temperature once more, carefully spoon it over the surface of the mousse to cover the lavender flowers. Place in the fridge until the jelly is set.

Hot Tips

Cork on a Fork Festival

Rachel Allen will give a cookery demonstration as part of the upcoming Cork on a Fork Festival in the 100-seat marquee on Emmet Place on Saturday, 19th August at 1pm.

• Free Event – for more information on the festival, see corkcity.ie/en/cork-on-a-fork-fest

Irish Goat Meat

I absolutely love goat meat and really feel it should be better known and more widely available. 

Irish Goat Meat was one of the nominees for the Euro-Toques Food Awards. 

Penny Green has been breeding Boer goats on her farm in Co. Roscommon since 1998.

It’s a very tender and tasty meat with many health benefits.

The goats roam freely on 12 acres of semi bog which greatly enhances the flavour of the meat. 

• Irish goat meat is sold on their market stall in Tullamore on Saturdays, 10am to 2pm. For more information, see irishgoatmeat.com

The Apple Farm

The Apple Farm near Cahir in Co. Tipperary has a bumper crop of Opal plums this year. Delicious fresh, poached or in jam plus they freeze perfectly for winter compotes.

• For more information, see theapplefarm.com