glutenfree rhubarb cake

finally! the rhubarb-time is back! do you also like rhubarb as much as we do? 

if not - we do have the perfect cake-recipe to make you a rhubarb-fan!

in most cases rhubarb is well tolerated if you have a histamine-intolerance, unlike it is with egg white, but about that we already talked a few times. apparently there are many people with HIT who can eat egg white, so we classify this rhubarb cake low-histamine. please tell us, if you have other experiences with egg white!

our new design letters cups you could have seen already on our instagram-account, but on the blog it is their first "appearance". we bought them in the cute pomeranza shop, about which we will tell you surely more soon. so far so good - here finally the recipe! 

ingredients (for a 18-20cm ø springform pan) 

120g salted butter

100g + 115g sugar

180g rice flour (or similar)

4 eggs

1tl (gehäuft) tartan baking powder (e.g. from biovita)

300g (peeled) rhubarb

(good to know: eggs and butter should have room-temperatur while using - that helps the dough and especially the beaten egg whites to succeed. to get the eggs faster to room-temperatur you can put them some minutes before using in a glas with warm water. and who doesn't has salted butter just adds a dash of salt to the dough.)

preheat oven to 170degrees top/bottom-heat. beat butter and 100g sugar for 1-2min until fluffy. separate 2 eggs and stir the eggyolks plus the 2 left eggs step by step to the butter-mix (save the egg whites for later). sift rice flour and baking powder and stir in by portions to the butter-egg-mix. cover the bottom of the springform pan with baking paper and spread butter on the sides. peel the rhubarb, cut off the ends and chop about a third in small cubes to fold in the dough. fill the dough into the springform pan, cut the remaining rhubarb to 4cm long pieces and arrange them circular on the top (press the rhubarb lightly in the dough). bake the cake at 170 degrees for 25min in the middle of the oven. prepare the beaten egg white (just before the baking time ends): whisk the egg whites with a dash of salt until semi-stiff, then add 115g sugar portion by portion and whisk the egg whites till stiff. spread the egg white on the cake and bake again for 20-25min (try to not to spread the egg white to close to the springform rim, because the egg white will expand while baking). after baking leave the cake cool down on an oven grid for 15min, then take off the springform pan and the baking paper carefully and let cool down completely on the grid again.

german translation

juchuu! endlich ist wieder rhabarber-zeit! mögt ihr rhabarber auch so gern wie wir? falls nicht, haben wir das ultimative kuchenrezept um euch zum rhabarber-fan zu machen!

in den meisten fällen ist rhabarber auch bei einer histaminintoleranz  gut verträglich, anders ist das natürlich mit dem eiweiß, aber darüber haben wir ja jetzt schon öfter geschrieben. da es anscheinend genügend leute gibt, die bei HIT auch das eiweiß vertragen, stufen wir unseren kuchen als histaminarm ein. falls ihr mit dem eiweiß andere erfahrungen habt, sagt uns bescheid!

unsere neuen tassen von design letters konntet ihr auf unserem instagram-account schon sehen, aber hier auf dem blog haben sie heute ihren ersten auftritt. gekauft haben wir sie in dem schönen laden pomeranza, über den wir euch an anderer stelle sicher noch mehr berichten werden. aber jetzt auf zum rezept!

zutaten (für eine eine 18-20cm ø springform) 

120g gesalzene butter

100g + 115g zucker

180g reismehl (o.ä.)

4 eier

1tl (gehäuft) weinsteinbackpulver

300g (geschälten) rhabarber

(gut zu wissen: eier und butter sollten zimmertemperatur haben, damit der teig und besonders der eischnees gut gelingt. die eier kann man auch kurz vor dem gebrauch in einem glas mit warmem wasser auf zimmertemperatur bringen. wer keine salzige butter hat, gibt einfach eine prise salz zum teig hinzu.)

ofen auf 170g ober/unterhitze vorheizen. butter und 100g zucker 1-2min schaumig rühren. 2 eier trennen und die eigelbe plus 2 ganze eier nach und nach unter die buttermasse rühren (eiweiße beiseite stellen für den eischnee). das mehl und backpulver sieben und schrittweise unter die butter-ei-masse rühren. springformboden mit backpapier auslegen und ränder mit butter ausstreichen. rhabarber schälen, enden abschneiden und etwa ein drittel in kleine würfel schneiden und unter die teigmasse heben. teigmasse in die form füllen und restlichen rhabarber in etwa 4cm lange stücken schneiden und den teig kreisförmig damit komplett bedecken (rhabarberstücken leicht in teig hineindrücken). den kuchen bei 170grad 25min auf der mittleren schiene backen. kurz vor ende der backzeit den eischnee vorbereiten. dafür die eiweiße mit einer prise salz halbsteif schlagen, dann 115g zucker portionsweise zugeben und schlagen, bis der eischnee fest ist. eischnee mit einem großen löffen auf dem kuchen verteilen und für weitere 20-25min backen (eischnee wenn möglich nicht bis ganz zum rand verteilen, da er sich noch ausdehnt). kuchen auf einem gitter für eine viertelstunde abkühlen lassen, dann die springform und das backpapier vorsichtig enfernen und weiter auf dem gitter abkühlen lassen.

Meet the Culinary Team from Ireland going to Hotelympia this Week

A group of professional Irish Chefs from the Northwest of Ireland have come together and founded a new Regional Culinary Team which intends to compete as an independent Culinary Team at Hotelympia, London, next week.

The Northwest Culinary Team comprises some of the top chefs from counties Donegal , Leitrim & Sligo who have all taken part, very successfully, in international culinary competitions in the past. Earlier this year the North West Culinary team took 4 Golds, 4 Silvers and 6 Bronze Medals at the Chef Ireland International competition held in the RDS Dublin. From this achievement was born their desire to enter a team into one of the world’s most prestigious culinary competitions, Hotelympia.


Hotelympia is the UK & Ireland's largest hospitality and food service event and the most important event of 2014 for people involved in the hospitality industry and the Salon Culinaire is at the centre of Hotelympia for all chefs. Over 8,000 chefs visit the event and for many, the three different sections of Salon Culinaire are the principle reason for their visit.

The Northwest Culinary Team Captain  is international award winning chef Joe Clinton

The Northwest Culinary Team comprises some of the top chefs from counties Donegal , Leitrim & Sligo who have all taken part, very successfully, in international culinary competitions in the past. Earlier this year the North West Culinary team took 4 Golds, 4 Silvers and 6 Bronze Medals at the Chef Ireland International competition held in the RDS Dublin. From this achievement was born their desire to enter a team into one of the world’s most prestigious culinary competitions, Hotelympia.

Hotelympia is a world-class culinary competition and the largest of its kind in the UK & Ireland consisting of three elements: fine dining restaurant La Parade des Chefs, stunning culinary creations in Salon Display and the live competition thrills of the Live Theatre.

La Parade des Chefs is the fine dining experience at the very heart of Hotelympia, where competing teams of chefs from around the world cook for visitors and their guests. The newly formed Northwest Culinary Team say they are determined to win La Parade des Chefs!

Meet the Northwest Culinary Team going to Hotelympia

Joe Clinton, Dee Clinton, Gabriel McSharry, Billy Grimes

John Kelly, Alan Fitzmaurice, Tony Campbell, Sylvester Dolan

"We have about 25 members in the complete team between the 8 main Exhibition Chefs and the backup team. These are both young & senior men and women who want to promote the local region in terms of tourism and in particular our regional food," said Gabriel McSharry, the Team Manager. "We believe that we have the best quality food in the world produced locally and at our fingertips and we want to expose this great food product to the rest of the world. Our shores contain an abundance of beautiful seafood, sea vegetables and a host of other marine foods. Our fields are filled with wonderful organic fruit and vegetables."

"We are looking forward to competing as an international culinary team at Hotelympia London next week and we look forward to putting our skills and knowledge, as professional Chefs, to the test, without fear on the world stage!" said Joe Clinton.  "We will take this opportunity to promote Ireland and our North West region which will hopefully create more tourism and hospitality jobs in our region."

The Northwest Culinary Team Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/NorthWestCulinaryTeamFundraiser

You can Follow the team at @NWCulinaryTeam on Twitter as they will be Tweeting as they go, Live from London. Best of Success guys!


Zack

behind the scenes & die leckersten veganen pancakes

die talentierte fotografin ezgi polat, eine meiner liebsten freundinnen, hat uns neulich bei der arbeit zugesehen und das ganze fotografisch festgehalten. wenn ihr also schon immer mal wissen wolltet wie  es bei uns hinter den kulissen aussieht wenn wir einen neuen post vorbereiten: here you go!

und außerdem haben wir natürlich noch ein rezept für euch im gepäck...nämlich die besten veganen pancakes die wir je gegessen haben. und auch ezgi war bei der anschließenden verkostung begeistert!

ich muss zugeben, als ich das erste mal von bananen pancakes gelesen habe, war ich etwas skeptisch. aber das instagram bild von Jonas sah so gut aus, das wir unbedingt einen versuch wagen wollten. histaminarm ist das ganze jetzt nicht unbedingt, es sei denn ihr vertragt trotz HIT bananen. aber dafür ist das rezept natürlich wie immer glutenfrei. verwendet haben wir dafür eine mischung aus buchweizen und reismehl. wer buchweizenmehl (bei HIT ja nicht immer gut bekömmlich)nicht vertägt, kann das ganze natürlich auch nur mit reismehl machen, funktioniert auch wunderbar! und an alle veganer: die pancakes sind vegan, beim topping haben wir joghurt verwendet, was natürlich nicht vegan ist. diesen dann einfach durch apfelmus ersetzen.

zutaten (für 2pers.)

2 bananen

150 ml milch (reismilch, mandelmilch, kuhmilch…)

50g reismehl

50g buchweizenmehl

20g haferflocken (z.b. glutenfrei bauck)

1 tl weinsteinbackpulver 

1/2 tl zimt

1 prise salz

kokosöl (z.b. von bio planete)

topping

blaubeerjoghurt

ahornsirup

blaubeeren

die Bananen in einem tiefen Teller mit einer Gabel zerdrücken und die milch unterrühren. in einer separaten schüssel mehl, haferflocken, backpulver, zimt und salz miteinander vermischen und anschliessend den bananenstampf untermischen und gut verrühren. in einer pfanne etwas kokosöl zum schmelzen bringen und bei mittlerer hitze mit einem esslöffel den teig zu kleinen pancakes portionieren,  2-3min von jeder seite knusprig anbraten lassen. lecker dazu ist blaubeerjoghurt mit ahornsirup und frischen blaubeeren, oder auch einfach apfelmuss mit etwas zucker. 

ENGLISH VERSION
vegan banana pancakes

ingredients (for 2pers.)

2 bananas

150ml milk (rice milk, almond milk, cow milk…)

50g rice flour

50g buckwheat flour

20g oat flakes (e.g. glutenfree from bauck)

1 tsp tartar baking powder (e.g. from bio vita )

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 dash of salt

coconut oil (e.g. from bio planate)

topping:

blueberry-yoghurt

maple syrup

blueberries

mash the bananas with a fork in a soup plate and stir in the milk. mix flours, oat flakes, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl and stir in the banana-milk-mix. melt a teaspoon of coconut oil in a pan and use a tablespoon to portion the dough to small pancakes. fry pancakes 2-3min on every side at middle heat until brown and a bit crispy. you can serve the pancakes with blueberry-yoghurt, maple syrup and a few fresh blueberries on top, but they are also quite delicious with apple puree and cane sugar.

Roast Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce

Easter Sunday was always a big occasion in our house when I was growing up as Lent was finally over and we hadn't eaten a sweet thing for the last 40 days! The smell of a roasting spring lamb with garlic is one of those meals that can take your mind back to your childhood and make your mouth water at the thought of it!

The history of the Easter Sunday roast Lamb goes back to the biblical Passover of the Jewish people. A sacrificial lamb was roasted and eaten with unleavened bread and herbs in the hope that the angel of God would "pass over" their home and bring no harm. Christians often refer to Jesus as The Lamb of God and as religions merged, lamb became the traditional meat for Easter Sunday.


Easter Sunday Roast Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce

1 Leg of Lamb off the bone (about 4lb feeds 8 people)
6 cloves of fresh Garlic
1 bunch of Rosemary
50g Butter
Freshly ground Pepper & Salt

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Place the Leg of Lamb on a roasting tray.

Score the leg of lamb with a sharp knife making 1/2" deep incisions and push the garlic cloves and sprigs of rosemary into the cuts in the meat. Rub the butter all over the leg and sprinkle liberally with freshly ground pepper and salt.

Cook the lamb for about 1 hour 20 minutes, turning it over half way through and spoon the juices over the meat every half hour. 20 minutes per pound will give you a medium cooked meat - adjust the timing to your own taste.

Transfer the meat to another tray and cover with a clean dish cloth, to rest for 10 minutes, before you cut it. This allows all the muscle to relax and makes the meat really juicy and tender.

Roast Gravy
To make the gravy, place the roasting tray on top of the stove over a moderate heat, use a scraper to lift all the tasty residues off the bottom of the tray and let the juices caramelise a little for about 1 minute. Spoon off any excess fat and add a pint of cold water. Bring this to the boil and let it reduce down by half. Strain the meat juices into a small pan.

Thicken the gravy with a simple roux. This is made by pouring 2 tbls of olive oil into a cup and adding 2 tbls flour and stirring this together into a paste. Whisk a little roux into your hot juices. It will thicken immediately. Let it cook out for another minute.

Fresh Mint Sauce
50g  finely chopped fresh Mint
2 tablespoons white Sugar
2 tablespoons Vinegar
75ml Water
3 tbsp freshly squeezed Lemon juice

Combine the water, sugar, vinegar & lemon juice in a small pot and bring back to the boil. Cook for 1 minute until the liquid thickens slightly and then add the chopped mint. Turn off the heat and pour it into a serving jug and refrigerate until required.

Roasted Vegetables
1 lb Each of carrots, parsnips & white turnip, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
2 red onions, peeled and cut into eight
Olive oil
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Put the vegetables in a large bowl and drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss about to coat them. Transfer them to a roasting tin and spread out into a single layer. Cook for 20-30 minutes until tender.

Champ Potatoes
Add some chopped scallions, salt, a little white pepper and some butter to your mashed potatoes to make Champ Potatoes to serve with your Roast Lamb.

Enjoy & Happy Easter!
Zack

Taste the Cream of Irish Chowder at this weekend's All-Ireland Chowder Championship in Kinsale

Kinsale Good Food Circle want your help to find the best chowder chef in Ireland. A representative from each of the 32 counties will compete for the title of “All-Ireland Chowder Champion” at the 4th Annual All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off 2014.

Building on the huge success of last year’s Chowder Cook-Off, Ireland’s gourmet capital is pleased to announce that this year’s event will take place at Acton’s Hotel, Kinsale on Sunday 13th April from 2pm to 4pm. Everyone attending the event will have a chance to vote for their favourite chowder-chef!

The All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off will feature 32 professional restaurant chefs, fishermen and makers of commercial chowders, each selected to represent their county, in competition for the title of All-Ireland Chowder Champion.

The All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off is the highlight of a two day Family Festival that will take over the streets of Kinsale on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th April. This popular annual event sees the town transformed into an open-air street market, with food stalls and family fun on every street, quay and open space. Local and visiting food businesses will offer samples and take-home food for under €5, and there will be food and fun for all age groups.

Members of the public will be the judges in the All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off. Everyone will be given a voting card at the entrance, which entitles them to sample all chowders from the individual stalls, before casting their vote for the All-Ireland Chowder Champion 2014.

Will the winner be the richest, creamiest chowder, or will the prize go to a spicy concoction with a hint of chilli? You the public will decide - Tickets are €10 each, making it an unusual and affordable Sunday lunch option!

Liam Edwards, Chairman of Kinsale Good Food Circle said, “Kinsale is a busy fishing port as well as being the Gourmet Capital of Ireland, and a key destination on the newly launched Wild Atlantic Way. This competition plays to all our strengths, and we look forward to welcoming members of the public to decide which is the best chowder on the day. Last year’s Cook-0ff was a huge success, and we look forward to seeing even more visitors from America and Europe as well as from all over Ireland at this unique event.”

Competition among chefs is keen. The winning chef will not only be crowned All-Ireland Chowder Champion, but will also receive a customised trophy and be invited to take part in the Great Chowder Cook-Off in Newport, Rhode Island, Kinsale’s transatlantic twin town, next summer. The 2013 winners, The West Bar, Westport, Co Mayo will represent Ireland in the prestigious competition in June.

County Donegal's Champion Chowder Chef Joe Clinton

County Donegal, for example, is being represented by Chef Joe Clinton and he's heading down to Kinsale for the All Ireland Chowder Cook-Off on the 13th April after he won the Donegal regional final. That competition was organised by the Food Coast division of the Donegal County Enterprise Board and was held during last summer's A Taste of Donegal Food Festival.

Joe's award-winning chowder is an great example of the finest locally sourced seafood produced today in county Donegal. Ingredients include Drowes River Line-Caught Salmon, Mountcharles Smoked Cod, Northwest Atlantic Haddock, pearls of Glencolmcille Crabmeat, Killybegs Line-Caught Squid, Inver Bay Mussels & Clams, Dunkineely Prawns & Baby Shrimp. The recipe also includes a secret mix of Donegal Sea Vegetables that he has specially selected. His homemade butters are flavoured with his own Dill & Lemon balm and locally caught lobster. To compliment his chowder, Joe is serving Dillisk Scones & fresh herb breads.

The 4th Annual All-Ireland Chowder Cook-Off 2014 starts at 2pm at Acton’s Hotel, Kinsale. The Tickets (entitling holders to samples of all chowders) are only €10 each or €25 for a Family Pass and are available at the hotel door.

For more information about the Kinsale Good Food Circle see www.kinsalerestaurants.com

UPDATE!

Danny Fitzpatrick, chef-owner of Fitzpatrick’s Bar and Restaurant, Dundalk has been crowned All Ireland Chowder Champion 2014 at the 4th All Ireland Chowder Cook-Off, sponsored by Clona which took place in Kinsale on Sunday, 13th April.

Zack

Great British Menu star Chef Raymond McArdle creates a Wild Tasting Menu for Connemara Hotel

Situated on the Island of Inishbofin, off the west coast of Connemara in Co. Galway, the award-winning Inishbofin House Hotel & Marine Spa is set to become the newest destination venue for food-lovers as celebrated chef Raymond McArdle has just become their as their Head Chef Consultant.

The Great British Menu star, who is set to star in Series 9 of the show on BBC2 all next week, has planned a Wild Tasting Menu to launch the Hotel’s reopening for summer. Inishbofin, which was last year voted as one of the top five places to visit in Ireland, will now draw food lovers from Ireland and beyond with both Raymond and new head chef Taidgh McDonald working their culinary magic.

Inishbofin House Hotel have reopened their doors for the summer and are delighted to have Raymond as their Head Chef Consultant. His role will be to work on developing the style and menus and ensure that the right staff are working in the restaurant.

Raymond started out his career as a trainee chef with Paul Rankin and Robbie Millar at Roscoff Restaurant in Belfast, he then moved on to work with Michael Deane for seven years progressing through the ranks to become Head Chef at Deane's Belfast, where he assisted in obtaining the Michelin Star award in 1996 as Michael's second chef.

Raymond worked as Head Chef in the Nuremore Hotel from 2001 to 2011 with Inishbofin House Hotel’s General Manager Niall Coffey. It was during this time that they propelled the Restaurant, now highly successful, to 3 AA Rosettes, an accolade currently held by only one hotel in Ulster. He is now running his own successful restaurants in Belfast, Warrenpoint and Tyrone, including the very popular Restaurant 23 at Balmoral, Warrenpoint.

Chef Taidgh McDonald is also an exciting addition to the hotel, having worked in Richard Corrigan's two restaurants in Mayfair, London & Thornton's restaurant, St Stephen’s Green, to name but a few. Taidgh will be the head chef in the restaurant, adding both his experience and culinary flavour to the mix of talented team put together by General Manager Niall Coffey.

The Hotel offers guests friendly service, delicious locally sourced produce in the restaurant, traditional Irish music sessions in the harbour view bar and a selection of luxurious bedrooms with spectacular sea views. Inishbofin House Hotel also has a Marine Spa with many relaxing treatments to choose from. It is an oasis of modern luxury and provides a perfect island getaway for families looking to rediscover nature or couples looking for a romantic break away from it all.

This hotel is a perfect destination for those that love to relax somewhere quiet in comfort and luxury.
You can follow Raymond McArdle on Twitter at @mcardle_23. For more info on Inishbofin House Hotel see www.inishbofinhouse.com.

Zack