Into the future
I came across several good things I would like to track down again, including Sonia Bower's Caribbean Inner Pickles and the rare fruit trees of Paul McCormack.
Tantalising smells were emerging from the kitchen: Carmel Somers of Good Things Café in Durrus was organising a menu of Madeleine McKeever's organic beef. She also cooked delicious braised squid with lime and beautifully crisped organic pork bellies. Cornelia O'Keeffe and Annie Barry were in there putting the finishing touches to Fingal Ferguson's traditionally cured hams.
I had been invited to speak about the opportunities for farming families to diversify, and see how the ICA and Slow Food, two organisations with very similar philosophies, might work together.
This community in west Cork is already leading the way.
Local farmers Alan and Valerie Kingston have successfully added value to their milk by producing cheese cakes, clotted cream and country butter.
Willie and Avril Allshire of Caherbeg Foods are going from strength to strength with their products, bacon, rashers and sausages. They were awarded the 'triangle' stamp of approval last month by the Department of Agriculture as was Fingal Ferguson, son of Tom and Giana, who make the award-winning Gubbeen cheese. Fingal, one of the new breed of passionate young artisan producers, continues to expand his range of smoked bacon, rashers, sausages, salami, chorizo and lardons.
His sister Clovisse grows organic herbs and vegetables and sells them to keen local chefs and cooks.
Frank Krycwzk and his wife Anne were also there, with an impressive array of their cured meat and salad dressings. Local farmer Madeleine McKeever, apart from being an organic beef producer, is the country's first registered independent seed company, Brown Envelope Seeds.
Helen and Eugene Hickey have been producing Skeaghanore ducks since 1994; Cornelia O'Keeffe's crispy Peking duck from Skeaghanore caused a sensation on the night, as did her delicious sushi.
Ann Stout from Clonakilty, who comes from a long line of beekeepers, was there proudly with her superb honey, as were Paul and Georgie Keane of Inishbeg Island.
It's wonderful to see the fine home baking tradition of the ICA carried on. Jenny Pyburn had a terrific selection of jams, scones and chutneys.
Clodagh McKenna and her cousin Barry sell the good things that Clodagh makes for the Love of Food stalls at markets around the county.
Sally Barnes of Woodcock Smokery was in great form selling her smoked fish; Kenny Oates travels all around west Cork in his refrigerated van selling filleted fish.
Ollie O'Driscoll has also built up a fan club for his famous 5 bags of fresh fish; Nicola Nesbitt was selling terrific kippers.
Mella McAuliffe's business is fudge, so, so yummy; Brosnan's of Schull had a large display of bread; Veronica Sheehan produces superb organic vegetables; Gretty O'Regan's Bloomen Flowers stall was wonderfully tempting.
The West Cork Gourmet Store provided the coffee for the evening along with delicious cakes.
Bill Hogan, who makes the famous Desmond and Gabriel Cheeses with Sean Ferry, introduced proceedings. The Irish raw cow's milk group were out in force and they generously sponsored a tasting of their superb cheeses. Jeffa Gill from Durrus, Lucy Hayes's Mount Callan Cheddar, Breda Maher's Cooleeney, Silke Cropp's Drumlin, Maja Binder's Dilliscus, Bill Hogan's Desmond and Bellingham Blue made by Peter Thomas.
One of the many highlights was when I met Violet Glanville and Mary Lucey, two of the original founders of Schull ICA in 1966.
Knorr student of the year Anne Marie Fitzgerald was also in attendance.
Giana Ferguson told me that virtually all of the food was produced within 10 miles of Schull itself. Surely, this is the jewel in the Irish gastronomic crown.
To contact any of the producers featured at the Schull event, contact Slow Food West Cork through Giana Ferguson at 028-28231 or visit www.slowfoodireland.com.
You could decorate with crystallised primroses or a few little yellow chicks to make a pretty Easter cake.
6 oz (170g) butter
6 oz (170g) caster sugar
Grated rind of 1 lemon
3 eggs, preferably free range
6 oz (170g) self raising flour
Homemade lemon curd (see recipe)
12 oz (340 g) icing sugar
2-2½ fl oz (63ml) water
(2 lbs (225g) icing sugar will be sufficient to ice the top of a 7-inch (18cm) sponge.)
: Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/regulo 5. Grease two 7-inch (18cm) cake tins with a little melted butter and put a round of greaseproof paper on the bottom of the tins.
Cream the butter, add sugar and the lemon rind. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, each time with a tablespoon of flour. Beat well, then fold in the remaining flour. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cakes are well risen, golden and feel spongy to the finger tips.
Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes in the tins and then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
: Split the cakes in half and spread on a little lemon curd, sandwich the two cakes together with the curd.
Icing Sieve the icing sugar into a bowl, add enough boiling water to mix to a fairly stiff consistency. Put the curd into a piping bag fitted with a fine writing nozzle or use a paper nozzle.
Spread smoothly over the top and sides of the cakes, using a warm palette knife. While wet, quickly pipe lines with the lemon curd, about 1 inch (2.5cm) apart, across the top of the cake. Draw the tip of a skewer or pointed knife through the lines creating a web pattern. Decorate with crystallised flowers and leaves.
110g (4 oz) castor sugar
50g (2oz) butter
finely grated rind and juice of 2 good lemons
2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (keep white aside for meringue)
On a very low heat melt the butter, add castor sugar, lemon juice and rind and stir in well beaten eggs.
Stir carefully over a gentle heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Draw off the heat and pour into a bowl (it will thicken as it cools.)
If you have a little spare lemon curd make these delicious little tartlets, see recipe below or you could use home made raspberry jam as a filling.
You can use this pastry to make tarts with your own choice of filling eg Rhubarb, or Green Gooseberry, Bramley Apple.
8 ozs (225g) butter
2 ozs (55g) castor sugar
2 eggs, preferably free range
12 ozs (340g) white flour, (preferably unbleached)
Makes 1¾ lb (750g) pastry
Cream the butter and sugar together by hand or in a food mixer (no need to over cream). Add the eggs and beat for 1 or 2 minutes. Reduce speed and mix in the flour. Turn out onto a piece of floured greaseproof paper, flatten into a round wrap and chill. This pastry needs to be chilled for at least 1 hour otherwise it is difficult to handle.
Makes 24
'Break all the Rules' Shortcrust Pastry (½ recipe)
Homemade Lemon Curd (see recipe)
1-2 shallow non-stick bun trays
2½" round or 3½" star-shaped cutter
Make the pastry as directed in the recipe. Cover and chill for at least one hour; better still, make the pastry the day before.
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/regulo 4.
Roll the pastry out thinly and stamp into rounds or star shapes. Use to line the bun trays. Put a small teaspoon of lemon curd into the tartlets and bake for 14-18 minutes until the pastry is just lightly golden.
Alternatively, you may bake the empty tartlets (no need to use beans). Allow them to cool. Then put in a spoon of lemon curd.
They are delicious both ways, see which you prefer.
You could also make raspberry tartlets by filling with homemade raspberry jam.
This cake makes 8-10 servings and is ideal for that special Easter treat.
8 ozs (225g) dark chocolate
8 ozs (225g) butter (preferably unsalted)
8 ozs (225g) plain biscuits, for example Marie or Marietta
1 dessertsp. castor sugar
2 eggs, preferably free range
2 teasp. pure vanilla essence
1 oz (30g) chopped walnuts or toasted almonds
loaf tin 5 x 8 inch (12.5 x 20.5cm), lined with cling film
Melt the chocolate in a bowl over hot water or in a very cool oven. Whisk the eggs and sugar together until light and fluffy, melt the butter and whisk into the egg and sugar mixture while still hot, the mixture should thicken slightly. Next add in the chocolate and vanilla essence and finally the broken biscuits.
Press into the lined tin. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and allow to set in a cold place. Serve cut into slices with softly whipped cream or Raspberry coulis.
Easter Sunday Food Market at Farmleigh: Farmleigh in collaboration with Bord Bia will be hosting a food market in the Courtyard in Farmleigh Estate in Dublin's Phoenix Park, tomorrow Easter Sunday from 11-5, all welcome.
Next Meeting of Cork Free Choice Consumer Group April 7, at Crawford Gallery Café 7.30pm admission €5 including refreshments.
Irish Egg Cookbook: Just in time for Easter Nuala Cullen has compiled a wonderful array of recipes which are different but simple to make from the humble scrambled egg to soufflés, omelettes from France, Spain and Italy. Published by Gill & Macmillan €7.99.
Ireland's Markets: For up to date information about farmers markets throughout the country web: www.irelandmarkets.com email: info@irelandmarkets.com.
Irish Food Market Traders Association: Food market stall-holders interested in joining IFTMA can email the association at carolinerobinson@eircom.net.
