All posts tagged: themcbrideguide

Soulmates

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I was 16 and sitting in my art class. The boy I was madly in love with, in the way your 16 year old giddy heart can only love, leaned across the table and asked ‘So do you actually believe in “The One” Caitríona?’ I was delirious. My pupils dilated, I felt faint, churning sick, beautiful and achingly aware of my Hammerite braces. I wanted to run or else make a Bronte leap into his arms. This was it, he feels it, and he knows he is north-west Donegal’s Burton to my Taylor. He wants to take my hand as we step into my lobster-like vision of us sailing through a cotton cream life where we end up in the kind of home where our kids roll their eyes every time we dance around our grey-haired cosy kitchen to ‘Memories are made of this.’ And we laugh and remember when our joints didn’t hurt as much or when we made love like insatiable, insane creatures or wished we had started saving for our pensions earlier. …

Recipe – Derry Clarke – Roast spicy, sweet and sour chicken

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There’s nothing like roast chicken to soothe the soul. Chef Derry Clarke, owner of Dublin’s Michelin Star l’Ecrivain, has kindly shared this lip-smacking recipe for spicy, sweet and sour roast chicken to warm up your Sunday lunch. He suggests serving it with roasted vegetables seasoned with spices and it is also delicious with a Mediterranean cous cous. Ingredients 1 whole chicken (not too big: about 1.3 – 1.8 kg or 3-4lb) For the paste: 2 red chillies (- and chopped) 2 tablespoons of curry powder or any spice mix 50g ginger chopped 6 cloves garlic chopped 2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 tablespoons chopped thyme 1 tablespoon chopped sage 1 tablespoon sea salt 3 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar Method Preheat oven to 190C Mix all the paste ingredients together except the oil and vinegar. Rub the chicken with the olive oil and vinegar and sprinkle the dry mixture over the chicken. Season with some freshly ground black pepper. Roast the chicken for about two hours (30- 35 minutes per 500g/ 25 – …

Remembering elBulli

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Sunday October 18th  of 2009, table for 2 people at 7.30 p.m. under the name: CIARAN HAYDEN It is almost six years since I had the best dining experience of my life in elBulli restaurant. My friend Ciarán had won the gastronomic lottery and managed to get one of the 8,000 table bookings they offered a year. elBulli was a three Michelin star restaurant with head chef Ferran Adria at the helm until it closed a few years ago. The Godfather of molecular gastronomy’s cuisine was so sought after that the restaurant, on the Catalonian Costa Brava, received over two million requests a year for just 8,000 tables. Naturally, Ciarán and I thought we hadn’t a hope. He rang me a week before Christmas in 2008 to tell me about the table and I’m probably still not over it. Although it was over five years ago, I can still taste every dish. It was one of the most spectacular nights of my life.  Adrià closed the restaurant in 2011 because it was losing so much money. I was …

Recipe – Earl Grey Tea Cured Salmon by Stephen McAllister

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This elegant starter recipe is a signature dish in Stephen McAllister’s restaurant ‘The Pig’s Ear’ in Dublin. He has kindly shared the secret to getting the beautifully delicate balance of the tea infusion just right in this recipe. Stephen said: ‘This salmon recipe has been on The Pig’s Ear menu in some way, shape or form ever since we opened in 2008 and has always been a big hit with our guests. It’s also a great dinner party starter as all the work is done ahead of time leaving you free to mingle with your guests.’ Earl Grey Tea Cured Salmon, Apple, Cucumber, Yogurt & Dill Ingredients : (serves 4) 500g organic Irish salmon, skin off & pin boned Zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon 70g sea salt 90g sugar 30g dill or fennel Tea from 2 Earl Grey tea bags 100g yoghurt strained in a muslin cloth over night 1 Granny Smith apple, sliced into crescent shapes 1 cucumber, one half sliced thinly length ways, seasoned with salt to soften The other peeled and …

Summer starter recipe: Seared Tuna Niçoise by Gareth Mullins

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The Marker Hotel’s superbly talented Executive Chef Gareth Mullins shares this elegant starter recipe which is perfect for a Summer dinner party. Seared Tuna Niçoise with Lusk Apple Balsamic and Quail Egg This recipe will serve four people as a starter Preparation time: 1 hour Ingredients 400g tuna For the salad 100g Green beans (topped and tailed) 4 x quail eggs 2 x plum tomatoes (sliced into 8 wedges) 50g pitted black olives 1 x shallot finely sliced 4 x anchovies 200g small new potatoes cooked and sliced Chopped Parsley   Garlic mayonnaise Lusk apple balsamic Olive oil     Cook the potatoes in boiling water until soft. Top and tail the green beans, place in boiling salted water for 2 minutes and refresh in iced water. Drop the quail eggs into boiling water for 3 minutes and refresh in iced water until chilled.   To cook the tuna, take from the fridge half hour before cooking allowing the fish to come to room temperature. Put a medium pan on the stove and heat until …