Darina Allen: Showing off some of my grandchildren's favourite recipes
Some of Darina's grandkids' culinary choices
Guess what? I celebrated my 75th birthday recently. I’m ancient by many young people's standards, but they don’t seem to realise that I only feel about 20-something.
Florrie made me a gorgeous praline birthday cake, my favourite, and I got lots of cute little handwritten and hand-painted birthday cards from my grandchildren, plus two flasks to remind me to go on more picnics.
Scarlett's pressie was a little bag of homemade cookies called Brookies, a new one on me. They came all wrapped up in little parchment parcels with a sweet little blue ribbon tied into a bow on each.
They were super delicious, a brown butter biscuit base topped off with a gooey brownie on top.
Scarlett sweetly shared the recipe with me and the extra secret of the deep rich flavour. I’ve renamed them Scarlett Lily’s Cookies.
So, this week, I thought I’d share some of my grandchildren’s ‘specialities’ with you.
Zaiah, aged 12, is the Muffin Queen, and her favourite star turn is this recipe which originally came from my Grow, Cook, Nourish Book for Myrtleberry muffins, but she often makes them with frozen raspberries instead.
Jasper, aged 13, loves rustling up curries and stir-fries, so here is his Teriyaki Chicken.
Thus far, Jago who is 8, much prefers mathematical puzzles than cooking, but he is very partial to shortbread 2.4.6’s which he likes to stamp out into rude shapes much to the hilarity of all his six-year-old friends.
Ottie whizzes up super smoothies several times a day and she also loves making crispy deep-fried balloons in lots of crazy shapes, a favourite recipe from her great-grandmother’s children’s teas in Ballymaloe House.
Betsy, aged 9, tells me that scrambled eggs are her ‘masterpiece’. Amelia, aged 15, also loves to bake, and rustles up brownies at the drop of a hat. Lucca is well known for his nettle and wild garlic soups but they are out of season.
I have 11 grandchildren, all of whom love to eat, and many of whom love to experiment in the kitchen.
I don’t have space to share all of their recipes this week, but watch this space...
Scarlett Lily's Cookies
These are super delicious, a brown butter biscuit base topped off with a gooey brownie on top.
Servings
25Preparation Time
31 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
56 minsCourse
DessertIngredients
Ingredients for the cookie base:
215g butter
170g caster sugar
150g brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 free range eggs
250g plain flour
125g milk or dark chocolate chips
For the brownie layer:
175g butter
150g dark chocolate
40g milk chocolate
2 free range eggs
225g caster sugar
Pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
95g plain flour
125 white chocolate chips
Dusting of icing sugar, to serve
20cm square cake tin
Method
Preheat a fan oven to 160°C fan. Line the base and sides of the tin with parchment paper.
First make the cookie base. Dice the butter, put into a heavy saucepan over medium to high heat and cook until the butter has brown specks appearing in the base of the saucepan. Take off the heat and set aside.
Put the caster, brown sugar and vanilla extract into a bowl, whisk the browned butter into the sugar, add the two eggs, and mix well until combined. Add the flour and stir in the chocolate chips. Press the cookie dough evenly into the lined tin.
Next prepare the brownie layer.
Put the butter and dark and milk chocolate into a Pyrex bowl over a saucepan of warm water. Bring to almost boiling point, turn off the heat and leave the bowl sitting over the hot water until the chocolate and butter melt gently.
Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, caster sugar, salt and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. When the chocolate is melted, pour gently into the mousse, and whisk it all together then add the flour and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken, then mix in the chocolate chips. Pour into the lined tin.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the mixture is no longer wobbly, but still slightly gooey in the centre with a few cracks on top. Remove from the oven, allow to cool, then place in the fridge for 2 hours until firm. Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares to serve.
Ottie’s Smoothie
Use the same size glass or mug to measure each ingredient.
Servings
1Preparation Time
10 minsTotal Time
10 minsCourse
DessertIngredients
1 banana
1 cup natural yogurt
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tsp honey or more if needed
110ml milk
Method
Blend all the ingredients together in a blender.
Add a little more milk if you don’t like it too thick and a little more honey if needed.
Zaiah’s Muffins
Zaiah loves to make this super easy muffin recipe with all kinds of berries, and even chocolate chips occasionally.
Servings
12Preparation Time
15 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
40 minsCourse
DessertIngredients
225g white flour
½ tsp salt
1 level tbsp baking powder
150g caster sugar
75g butter
1 egg
½ tsp vanilla extract
175ml milk
110g myrtle berries, blueberries or raspberries or blackcurrants
1 muffin tray lined with muffin papers
Method
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Sieve the flour, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in the sugar. Rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Combine the beaten egg, vanilla extract and milk and add to the dry mixture. Combine with a fork to give a wet consistency. Fold in the myrtle berries. Spoon into the muffin cases. Bake for 20-25 minutes until well-risen and golden. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar.
Note: We used frozen blackcurrants in the above recipe with delicious results
Jasper’s Teriyaki Chicken
Jasper, aged 13, loves rustling up curries and stir fries so here is his Teriyaki Chicken.
Preparation Time
15 minsCooking Time
15 minsTotal Time
30 minsCourse
MainIngredients
1 tbsp sesame or sunflower oil
500g chicken breast or thigh, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2½ cm of ginger, finely grated
25g runny honey
15ml light soy sauce ½
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
50ml water
To serve:
1 spring onion, thinly sliced at an angle.
2 tbsp, toasted sesame seeds, approx
Plain boiled rice
Method
Heat the oil and cook the chicken until browned, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for another couple of minutes.
Add the honey, soy sauce, vinegar and water and stir. Simmer gently for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is coated in the sticky thick sauce and cooked through. Scatter spring onion and sesame seeds on top and serve with rice.
Our exciting Just Cook It half-day practical courses have become very popular. This is a great course to learn some practical skills and have great fun for an afternoon.
Arrive to the school for a nice refreshing cup of tea or coffee and some homemade treats, then (weather permitting) we will take you out for a short walk around our extensive formal gardens and fertile production areas to see where many of the ingredients were grown.
Then, back to the cookery school for a short demonstration with one of our lecturers to see how to make all the recipes.
After this, don your apron and into the kitchens where, with the help of our tutors and fellow classmates, you will cook many of the items you watched being demonstrated. Everyone sits down to a convivial dinner together to enjoy the fruits of their labour.
Don’t miss Sheridan’s Irish Food Festival, which is taking place on Sunday, September 24 from 10am – 6pm at Sheridan’s Cheesemongers, Virginia Road Station HQ in Co Meath.
An exciting lineup of food producers, food trucks, Boyne Valley Food Tent, Sheridan’s wine and cheese bar, live music, kids games and workshops with The Cool Food School and lots more…
- For more information, see sheridanscheesemongers.com/sheridans-annual-irish-food-festival/
For those interested in the connection between food and health, the Wise Traditions podcast from the Western A. Price Foundation is a must - you might want to tune in to the recent Avoid Seed Oils edition - seriously thought-provoking...
