All posts tagged: fallon and byrne

Irish Christmas Cheeseboard

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Christmas can mean a lot of things, but for me it is all about cheese. As one of the great loves of my life all year round, I love that everyone else gets equally besotted with it at Christmas time. Thankfully we have shaken off our Galtee shackles, and fled the Easi-Single prison cell to embrace the delicious cheese from our wonderful Irish cheese makers. We have the best dairy in the world and superb goats and sheep’s milk cheeses that will make your Christmas cheeseboard sing. Every Irish cheese is special because it has a story; the producer, where it comes from and how it is made. As the late David Tiernan who made the glorious Glebe Brethan once told me, ‘You have to be a bit cracked to make cheese, but sure that’s the magic of it.’ This Christmas, do try Irish cheeses if you are entertaining, or even if you fancy just having a party for one with a glass of something by the fire. You will not be disappointed. Trying to …

Recipe – Chocolate cardamom mousse by Shane Smith

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Chocolate mousse is one of my favourite desserts. I love this is clever and elegant take on it by Fallon and Byrne’s Head Pastry Chef, Shane Smith. The addition of cardamom, a spice indigenous to southern India and Sri Lanka, gives this delicious dessert a gentle, sweetly spiced dimension. Shane is from Lavey in Co. Cavan and has run many pastry sections around the country including the The G Hotel in Galway and Knockranny House Hotel in Westport. You’ll find more of his recipes on thetaste.ie, The Anglo Celt newspaper and on his Facebook page. I have been a huge fan of Shane since he brightened up my birthday with a gorgeous little cake when we worked together a few years ago. He has the kind of innate talent where I can imagine him doing Croquembouche with his eyes closed. He is a bright star in his profession, and I look forward to seeing him shine. Milk chocolate cardamom mousse with fresh raspberries Makes 6 Ingredients 200ml single cream 4 cardamom pods (crushed) 200g good quality …

Cake in Dublin city

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Dublin can be heaven, with coffee at 11 and a stroll in Stephen’s Green. So sang politician David Norris to myself and two college pals back on a cold December evening in 2005. We interviewed him for a class project which was a TV news package about the proposed closure of Bewley’s Oriental Café on Grafton Street. While I doubt our final cut would have won any awards, I still have warm memories of the joy Norris had in speaking of the delights of going for coffee, tea and cake in this fine city, and I’ve always remembered ‘The Dublin Saunter’  ever since. Bewley’s thankfully stayed open, and there are now heavenly cake and coffee experiences sweetly sprinkled all over Dublin. The delicious squidge when the cream squirts out of a cream slice, the harmony of coffee with coffee cake, the lip smacking sweet and sour of lemon drizzle, the regal Victoria sponge with sweet Summer strawberries, rich and gooey chocolate fudge, sticky orange cake, wholesome and nostalgic ginger cake, moist carrot cake with creamy frosting…..I …

The Donegal News features The Mc Bride Guide

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I was humbled and honoured by today’s piece about The Mc Bride Guide in The Donegal News. There is something about being from Donegal that only other Donegal people know about it, it’s in your heart wherever you might travel. I’m really looking forward to featuring more of its special people and places on the site. Mo mhíle buíochas, Caitríona x   BY CATHERINE COOK A PASSION for food and the pursuit of the best of what Ireland has to offer has led one Gweedore woman to create a definitive guide to the finer things in life. Caitríona McBride was born in Crolly but grew up in The Rosses. Now she is based in Ballsbridge, Dublin but makes regular visits home. This week she spoke to the Donegal News about how her previous work as a journalist, TV producer and cheese monger have enabled her to launch a new website – The McBride Guide. “I had qualified as a journalist in 2006, having spent four years at DCU. I freelanced for a lot of Irish …