An Irish Whiskey Pumpkin Pie for Halloween

The original Jack O'Lanterns were carved from turnips, potatoes or beets and has been a popular tradition here for centuries! Immigrants from Ireland brought the Jack O'Lantern tradition with them when they went to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America,  were easier to carve into the perfect Jack O'Lanterns and they made great pies too!

In recent years, Pumpkin Pie is becoming a very popular Halloween dish here in Ireland, as coffee shops and restaurants have been adding this sweet, mousse-like dessert dish to their seasonal menu. I'm adding another little piece of Ireland to the Halloween story, by flavouring my Pumpkin Pie with a little Irish Whiskey. You can use whichever brand is your own favourite!

The first recorded recipe for pumpkin pie was published as a 'Pompkin Pudding' in 1796, in a book called American Cookery by Amelia Simmons. This cookbook is considered to be the first Cookery Book to be published by an American, in America. Only four copies of the first edition are known to exist!

The first American Cookbook: American Cookery, by Amelia Simmons, 

published by Hudson & Goodwin of Hartford, Connecticut, USA, in 1796

Pumpkin Pie is made in the same way as a Baked Cheesecake or a Custard Tart and is flavoured with cinnamon, cloves and ginger. If you've never eaten some, you could be excused for thinking that it might taste like a savoury vegetable quiche - but it's really more like a sweet cheesecake in a pastry crust! The Gingernut biscuits add flavour and also help to make the base crunchier. The evaporated milk gives a richness to the pie and the Irish whiskey works just perfectly with the spices to give it a yummy taste sensation!

You can make this recipe at any other time of year by substituting Butternut Squash or Sweet Potato instead of pumpkin. Their texture and taste are almost the same when flavoured and cooked. In the US, you can buy canned puréed pumpkin for use in cooking.

Becky Pumpkin - Butternut Squash - Sweet Potato

This recipe makes one 10" x 1.5" Pumpkin Pie

To Make the Pumpkin Puree:
Cut a medium-sized pumpkin into wedges and discard all the seeds. Cook the pumpkin in the microwave on high power for 12 minutes. Scrape off all the cooked flesh and purée it quickly in a blender until smooth. (If you are using canned pumpkin purée you'll need to spoon it onto a clean tea-towel and squeeze away as much liquid as possible.) You'll need 400g/14oz prepared Pumpkin Purée for the pie.  

The Puréed Pumpkin, a Splash of Irish Whiskey & Crushing the Gingernut Biscuits

Sweet Pastry and Base
(8.5oz) 250g Plain Flour
(3.5oz) 100g Butter
(2.5oz) 75g Light Brown Sugar
1 medium egg
a little Cold Water
(3.5oz) 100g crushed Gingernut Biscuits

1. Rub the butter into the flour until it's like breadcrumbs. Add the sugar and mix in. Break in the egg and quickly pull the pastry together adding a little cold water if needed. Roll it out and line a floured  10" Pie Dish (about 1.5 " deep). Trim off any extra pastry.

2. Crumb the Gingernut biscuits in a blender or by placing them in a sandwich bag and rolling them with a rolling pin until fine. Sprinkle the biscuit-crumb over the pastry base, pat it down and refrigerate until needed. Crush the Gingernut Biscuits and gently press them onto the Sweet Pastry.

Crush the Gingernut Biscuits and gently press them onto the Sweet Pastry

The Filling
3 Medium Eggs
(5.5oz) 160g Light Brown Sugar
(15 fl.oz) 1x 410g can Evaporated Milk
1 tspn ground Cinnamon
1/2 tspn ground Ginger
A pinch of ground Cloves
1/2 tspn Salt
(14oz) 400g Your Pumpkin Purée
(1 fl.oz) 35ml Irish Whiskey

1. Break the eggs into a large bowl and whisk them well. Add the brown sugar and mix in for 30 seconds until they're thick and creamy. Add the can of Evaporated Milk and mix well for about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin purée along with the flavourings and mix everything together until smooth. Lastly add the whiskey and stir it into the filling.

2. Carefully pour the mix into your Pie Dish and tap the side of the dish a few times to help raise the air bubbles to the top. Bake in the centre of a pre-heated oven at 160°C / 320°F for 40 minutes.

3. Check the pie as you would when testing a sponge cake. It should be soft, but responsive to the touch when it's cooked - giving you a little spring in the centre when gently pushed down.  Leave the pie aside, in the dish to set, until cold.

Zack's Irish Whiskey Pumpkin Pie

To turn it out, put a flat plate on top of the pie, turn it over tap the bottom of the baking tin. Lift off the tin gently. Now put your serving plate on the base of the pie and turn it back over! It's now ready to serve with a little fresh cream to which another little drop of Irish Whiskey has been added.

Enjoy!

Zack

poached pears in elderberry juice with homemade vanilla sauce

we photographed these pictures almost two weeks ago now, when it was still summer but you could already smell that autumn is in the air. we started to get up very early this summer, mainly to be prepared for the short days in winter with so little time and light to shoot but also to enjoy the wonderful morning light which i think is so special in summer. and especially the morning when we picked these pears the light was just stunning. we basicly jumped out of bed when we could see the first sunbeams, just put a cardigan over, made a coffee and direcly went to my father house to pick pears and apples and also some elderberries. he has so many old and beautiful apple and pear trees in his garden, it's such a pleasure and we are so lucky each year to get a lot of them.

in the afternoon nora made a simple and delicious elderberry juice and these poached pears with a homemade vanilla sauce. we already posted the recipe last year, as part of a gathering-shooting, but we felt like it didn't got enough attention as it's simply so delicious! we hope you guys enjoy it and hurry up as the elderberries are not that long in season anymore :)

poached pears in elderberry juice:

4-5 pears

500ml elderberry juice

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

100g rice syrup (or maple syrup...)

1 tsp cinnamon

2 star anise

8 juniper berries

vanille sauce:

300ml milk

200ml heavy cream

1 vanilla bean

3 egg yolks

80g sugar

extras:

a few chopped hazelnuts

(tip: you can prepare the dish a couple of hours before your serve it or already the day before - just warm the pears and vanilla sauce before you want to serve it)

elderberry juice

(please use only ripe elderberries, which are "black" - still green or light red ones are not ripe and shouldn't be used! elderberry juice can stain your clothes, so better wear dark colours.) 

remove the berries with a fork from the stems and collect them in a big bowl. when you've finished that, add enough water, so the ripe berries can sink and some left unripened berries will float on the water surface and you can easily sieve them. now wash the berries in a sieve, put them into a big pot, add the water. bring the elderberries to boil and let simmer for around 5-10min while stirring constantly. strain the berries and juice with a food mill or clothstrainer. 

poached pears in elderberry-cassis juice:

mix elderberry juice, lemon juice, rice syrup, cinnamon, star anise and juniper berries in a small saucepan. peel pears quickly (try to peel/shape the pears nicely - you eat with your eyes first), cut the bottom even, so they can stand straight later in the bowls. place the pears into the saucepan. boil for 15-25min or until pears are tender - varies on the size of the pears. let the pears allow to infuse in the juice until 20min before you serve them. remove the pears from the saucepan and reduce the remaining juice on medium heat until its a nice thick sauce.

vanille sauce:

let boil milk, heavy cream, vanilla pulp and vanilla bean, then let infuse for 10min before you remove vanilla bean. whisk the egg yolks with the sugar for 2-3min until creamy. stir 1/4 of the vanilla-milk in the egg-yolk-sugar-mix, then stir back into the saucepan with the remaining vanilla-milk. warm slowly the sauce and stir constantly for 10min on low heat (otherwise the egg yolk might curdle) until the sauce turns creamy. and if you don´t serve the vanilla sauce right afterwards you can fill it into a muesli bowl and place a piece of clingfilm right on top of the sauce to prevent skin forming.

serve:

first fill some vanille sauce in the bowls, then arrange the pear right in the center, add some elderberry sauce and finish with chopped hazelnuts.

german translation

fast zwei wochen ist es jetzt schon her, dass diese bilder entstanden sind. es war noch richtig sommerlich draußen auch wenn man den herbst schon in der luft riechen konnte. diesen sommer haben wir damit angefangen sehr früh aufzustehen, hauptsächlich um uns auf die kurzen wintertage mit wenig zeit und licht zum fotografieren vorzubereiten aber natürlich auch um das wunderbare morgenlicht zu genießen das gerade im sommer, wie ich finde, sehr besonders ist! und gerade an diesem morgen, als die birnen-fotos entstanden sind war es einfach fantastisch! wir sind morgens regelrecht aus dem bett gesprungen als wir die ersten sonnenstrahlen sahen, haben uns einfach nur einen cardigan übergeworfen, einen kaffee gekocht und sind dann direkt zu meinem vater in den garten gegangen um birnen und äpfel zu pflücken. er hat so viele schöne und alte obstbäume in seinem garten und glücklicherweise dürfen wir jedes jahr etwas davon ernten.

am nachmittag hat nora dann einen ganz simplen und köstlichen holunderbeerensaft gekocht, die birnen darin pochiert und eine wunderbare vanille-soße zubereitet.

das rezept haben wir zwar schon letztes jahr mit euch geteilt, aber da war es part eines ganzen menüs und hat definitiv nicht genug aufmerksamkeit bekommen. wir hoffen also ihr lasst es euch schmecken und haltet euch ran noch holunderbeeren zu bekommen, die saison ist nämlich fast vorbei :) 

holunder-birnen an vanillesauce mit haselnuss

holunderbeeren-saft (ergibt ungefähr 700ml saft)

750g holunderbeeren (nach dem entdolden)

flotte lotte (oder ein passiertuch/küchentuch)

holunder-birnen

4-5 birnen

500ml holundersaft

1-2 el zitronensaft

100g reissirup (oder ein anderer sirup, z.b. ahornsirup oder zucker..)

1 tl zimt

2 sternanis

8 getrocknete wacholderbeeren

vanillesoße

300ml milch

200ml schlagsahne

1 vanilleschote

3 eigelb

80g zucker

extras

ein paar gehackte haselnüsse

(tipp: man kann beides sehr gut ein paar stunden vor dem servieren vorbereiten oder sogar am vortag - kurz vor dem servieren einfach wieder etwas erwärmen.)

holunderbeerensaft

(bitte nur reife holunderbeeren verwenden, die "schwarz" sind, noch grüne oder hellrote beeren sind unreif und sollten gemieden werden. holunderbeeren färben sehr stark, am besten dunkle kleidung tragen.)

die beeren mit einer gabel von den dolden befreien und in einer großen schüssel sammeln. die schüssel mit wasser füllen, sodass sie ein gutes stück bedeckt sind und absinken können. dadurch schwimmen vereinzelte unreife beeren (grün, rötlich) auf der wasseroberfläche und man kann sie einfach absieben. die reifen beeren nun gut in einem sieb waschen, in einen großen topf füllen,  wasser dazugeben, beeren aufkochen und etwa 5-10min köcheln lassen, ständig umrühren. beeren und flüssigkeit mit einer flotten lotte oder einem küchentuch passieren.

holunder-cassis-birnen:

cassis-sirup, holundersaft, zimt und wacholderbeeren in einen kleinen topf geben und verrühren. birnen zügig schälen ("schön" schälen - das auge ist mit), die unterseite der birnen gerade schneiden, sodass sie später in der schüssel gerade stehen. birnen in den topf setzen. für 15min köcheln lassen bis sie weich sind - das variiert je nach größe der birnen. bis zum servieren im sud liegen lassen.

vanillesoße:

milch, schlagsahne, vanillemark und vanilleschote aufkochen, dann noch 10min ziehen lassen, danach vanilleschote entfernen. eigelb mit zucker 2-3min aufschlagen. 1/4 der warmen milch-sahne-mischung in das eigelb-zucker-gemisch einrühren. eigelb-mischung in den topf mit der milch-sahne-mischung einrühren. topf ganz langsam erwärmen und 10min bei niedriger hitze ständig rühren (sonst gerinnt das ei) bis die soße etwas dicker wird. falls man sie nicht sofort serviert, kann die vanillesoße in eine schüssel umfüllen und einfach frischhaltefolie direkt auf die vanillesoße legen, dann kann keine haut entstehen.  

anrichten:

zuerst etwas vanillesoße in die schüsseln giessen, dann die birnen in die mitte setzen, etwas holunderbeersauce darauf verteilen und mit gehackten haselnüssen garnieren.

MerkenMerken

gluten free ravioli filled with red and yellow beetroot and delicious cheese from kaltbach

today it's supposed to be the last hot day in berlin for the year. and to be honest we are very much looking forward to autumn and to all it's falvours, spices and vegetables. today's recipe is already inspired by our longing for autumn. we both absolutly love beetroot in any possible way but at the moment i even prefer the yellow beetroot. it's tastes a little bit less strong and nora makes it since years with my favorite salad. but this time we used it as the filling for our gluten free ravioli. we wanted to make gluten free pasta since such a long time now and thought these ravioli would be the perfect start. i haven't eaten ravioli since years, since you can't buy gluten free ones in our organic supermarket but i'm so happy that we finally gave it a try since they turned out so well. they are filled with red and yellow beetroot, spices, creme fraiche and  the delicious "creamy-tasty" cheese from kaltbach*.

the cheese has a very good taste - not to strong but also with a characteristic flavor. it fits perfectly with fruits, this is why we also added figs to the ravioli which is such a delicious combination.

when i was still able to eat gluten i used to buy fresh made pasta on the local farmers market every weekend, it was kind of a tradition. i have no idea why we never tried to make a gluten free version before, since it's not very complicated and now i can't wait to make these tasty gluten free ravioli this weekend again. we hope you guys enjoy the recipe and have a wonderful weekend!

*sponsored

glutenfree ravioli with beetroot cheese filling

glutenfree ravioli dough
150g white rice flour
50g potato flour
2 tsp guar gum (or use a ready made flour mix)
2 tbsp olive oil
(1-4 tbsp water - optional)
3 eggs (size m/l)
red beetroote/yellow beetroot filling
1 onion
50g grated red beetroot
50g grated yellow beetroot (or 100g red beetroot in total)
1 lemon
60-70g kaltbach cheese - der cremig würzige*
30g creme fraiche
1 piece freshturmeric (take care, it can leave strong stains - or use turmeric powder)
red pepper flakes
1 pinch ground fennel (if you like fennel)
salt & pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tbsp cornstarch
topping
fresh dill or other herbs you like
figs
seasalt

prepare the filling:
dice onion and sautée until translucent. peel and grate beetroots. use a separate bowl for the red and yellow beetroot, sprinkle a bit lemon juice on top and stir in the creme fraiche (use half of every ingredient for the red beetroot and the other half for the yellow one). stir in the cornstarch, grate the kaltbach cheese and turmeric - fold in the beetroot and season with salt & pepper, nutmeg and red pepper flakes - stir in the ground fennel seeds.
prepare ravioli:
blend white rice flour, potato flour and guar gum, then add eggs and olive oil, stir with a cooking spoon and continue kneading for some minutes until the dough has a smooth texture - maybe add some water, but just that much, that the dough feels not sticky - otherwise add some flour. shape dough to a round flat bread, and let rest covered in clingfilm for 20min. afterwards quarter the dough and roll out every piece 4 times through the widest adjustment of the pasta machine - fold in half every time - important: by covering the dough pieces all the time with a slightly kitchen towel you avoid it from drying out. roll out the dough thinner until size 2-3 on the pasta machine (adjustment 2-3, because glutenfree dough is a bit less flexibel and can easilier crack. place half of the dough on a slightly floured countertop and arrange quickly the beetroot filling  - about 1 tablespoon per filling.
put the remaining dough on top, press gently, so the air comes out and cut out the raviolis with a ravioli cutter. cook the ravioli in salted water for a few minutes until tender, afterwards fry for moment in butter and fresh herbs. we served the raviolis with figs and dill. bon appétit!

german translation

heute soll es für dieses jahr wohl erstmal der letzte heisse tag in berlin sein und um ehrlich zu sein freuen wir uns richtig auf den herbst. auf all die wunderbaren gewürze, blumen und gemüsesorten die wir mit der jahreszeit verbinden. so ist auch unser heutiges rezept von unserer sehnsucht nach dem herbst inspiriert. wir beide lieben rote beete in fast nur jeder erdenklichen kombination. momentan bevorzuge ich allerdings fast ein bisschen die gelbe beete, sie schmeckt etwas milder und nora verarbeitet sie schon seit jahren jeden spätsommer / herbst in meinem lieblingssalat. dieses mal haben wir sie für unsere füllung dieser leckeren glutenfreien ravioli verwendet. wir wollten schon seit ewigkeiten glutenfreie pasta machen und dachten uns ravioli wären ein guter start.  schon seit jahren habe ich keine ravioli mehr gegessen und habe mich dann um so mehr gefreut, dass die glutenfreie variante so gut gelungen ist. die füllung besteht aus roter und gelber beete, gewürzen, creme fraiche und dem köstlichen "der cremig-würzige" käse von kaltbach*.

der käse ist ganz nach unserem geschmack - nicht zu stark aber trotzdem mit einer charakteristischen note. besonders gut passt er unter anderem übrigens zu früchten, deshalb haben wir uns auch entschieden zu unseren ravioli feigen zu servieren, solch eine köstliche kombination!

als ich mich noch nicht glutenfrei ernähren musste haben ich fast jedes wochenende auf dem markt frische pasta gekauft, es war schon fast wie eine kleine tradition. ich habe wirklich nicht die geringste ahnung warum wir uns schon nicht viel früher an den versuch gewagt haben glutenfreie ravioli zu kochen, da es wirklich nicht so schwierig war wie gedacht. ich freue mich jedenfalls jetzt schon die glutenfreien ravioli am wochenende wieder zu essen und hoffe ihr lasst es euch auch schmecken. 

euch ein schönes wochenende ihr lieben!

*werbung

glutenfreie ravioli mit roter und gelber beete-füllung

glutenfreier nudelteig
150g helles reismehl
50g kartoffelmehl
2 tl guarkernmehl (oder eine fertig-mehlmischung benutzen)
2 el olivenöl
(1-4 el wasser optional)
3 eier (gr. m/l)
rote beete/gelbe beete-füllung
1 zwiebel
50g geraspelte rote beete
50g geraspelte gelbe beete (oder einfach insgesamt 100g rote beete)
1 zitrone
60-70g kaltbach käse - der cremig würzige*
30g creme fraiche
1 stück frischer kurkuma (achtung: färbt sehr stark; oder kurkuma in pulverform)
chilliflocken
1 prise gemahlene fenchelsamen (wer mag)
salz & pfeffer
1 prise muskat
1 el maisstärke
zusätzlich
frischer dill o.a. kräuter
feigen
meersalz

füllung vorbereiten:
zwiebel feinhacken und in etwas olivenöl glasig dünsten. rote und gelbe beete schälen und fein raspeln. jeweils in einer eigenen schüssel mit etwas zitronensaft beträufeln und mit der creme fraiche (bei den zutaten immer die eine hälfte für rot und die andere hälfte für gelbe beete verwenden) verrühren. maisstärke unterrühren, kaltbach käse und kurkuma fein raspeln, unterrühren und mit salz & pfeffer, muskat und chilliflocken abschmecken - fenchelsamen unterrühren.
ravioli zubereiten:
reismehl, kartoffelmehl und guarkernmehl mischen, dann eier und olivenöl dazugeben, mit einem kochlöffel verrühren und anschliessend für ein paar minuten zu einem geschmeidigen teig verkneten - evt. etwas wasser hinzufügen, aber nur soviel, dass der teig nicht klebt - ansonsten etwas mehl unterkneten. teig zu einem flachen fladen geformt in frischhaltefolie 20min ruhen lassen. anschliessend teig vierteln und jedes stück 4mal durch die größte einstellung der nudelmaschine drehen - jedesmal zur hälfte falten - wichtig: alle teigstücke immer unter einem leicht feuchten geschirrhandtuch legen, sonst trocknet der teig sehr schnell aus, wodurch er risse bekommt. die teigbahnen dann immer ein stufe schmaler mit der nudelmaschine ausrollen (bis stufe 2 oder 3, da glutenfreier teig nicht so elastisch ist wie weizenteig reisst er schneller, deswegen reicht stufe 2-3).
die hälfte der bahnen auf eine arbeitsplatte legen und zügig die füllung teelöffelweise darauf verteilen. die übrigen bahnen darüber legen, vorsichtig andrücken, sodass die luft entweicht und mit einem ausstecher raviolis ausstechen. ravioli in salzwasser ein paar minuten gar kochen und zum schluss in etwas butter mit ein paar kräutern anbraten. wir haben die raviolis mit feige und dill serviert. bon appétit!

MerkenMerken

Lords & Ladles with Derry Clarke, Catherine Fulvio and Paul Flynn is back on RTE One TV

Lords & Ladles, RTE’s hugely popular historical cooking series, is back for a second run and begins on Sunday 18^th September at 18:30 on RTÉ One. This six week series features more of Ireland’s most beautiful historic homes and the menus feature a fascinating array of recipes – all from manuscripts and cookbooks either produced or widely available in Ireland – spanning the past four hundred years. 

Three of Ireland’s finest Chefs: Derry Clarke, Catherine Fulvio and Paul Flynn traverse the country and take  the viewer on a historical journey to celebrate our past through the wonders of food and the glories of cooking.

Catherine Fulvio, Paul Flynn and Derry Clarke in Lords & Ladles on RTE1 TV

Each week the three Chefs arrive at a Great Irish Country House to recreate a grand dinner from its history while tantalising the TV audience with sumptuous descriptions of the treats that are on the menu. All of the recipes – some mouth-watering, some downright baffling – are taken from manuscript and printed cookbooks from the past four hundred years.  

But first they must Draw Lots for the division of labour - one will Gather the ingredients, one will Cook, and one will get to Dine with the Gentry.

The Gatherer must source the ingredients for the feast – hunting, shooting and fishing feature strongly, as do lambs ears, sheep’s feet and of course lots of tongue! Local producers help our chefs get hands-on with some traditional methods of food production and share insights into the evolution of Irish food production over the years. The Cook will familiarise themselves with the workings of the kitchen and grapple with the enormous amount of food that seems to have been the norm for a grand house dinner. 

Meanwhile the Diner gets to explore the house with the family, learning about its place in the history of the area and the Island, the trials and tribulations of the family seat and of course help lay the table using the finest silver and china from the house safe. 

The Cook’s work all done, the meal will be served with all the pomp and ceremony it deserves, to the audible delight of the diners who can’t help themselves from gasping at the spectacle as the sumptuous banquet is laid before them!

The Episodes

Each episode is set in one of Ireland’s many stately homes. 

Huntington Castle, Co Carlow (Sunday 18^th September at 18:30 on RTÉ One)

Alexander and Clare Durdin-Robertson farm and work the estate which has been their family home since the 17^th century. Paul Flynn is challenged to serve up a sumptuous 17^th century feast that includes a whole roast pig on the spit, boiled goose and sheep’s feet! Assisting him in the kitchen is Derry Clarke, who first heads out to James and Laz Murphy at Murphy’s Craft Butcher in Tullow to butcher some of some of Alex’s own lamb, as well as collect a small mountain of meat for the night’s feast; and on to James Malone at Malone Fruit Farm in Ballon to gather fresh berries for the intriguing dessert “A Brave Tart of Several Sweetmeats”.

Ballymacmoy House, Co Cork (25^th September at 18:30 on RTÉ One)

Home of the founder of Hennessy Cognac Richard Hennessy, the house has been lovingly restored to a family home by his 8^th generation descendant Frederic Hennessy.  Derry Clarke aided by Catherine Fulvio must grapple with stuffed lambs’ ears which Paul will have to chew on. Catherine hopes to land a salmon for the table with the help of local ghillie Jeremiah Butler, on the Blackwater in Killavullen; she lifts some lobster pots with Adrian Walsh of Ballycotton Seafood out of Ballycotton Harbour and John Howard, Chairman of the Federation of County Cork Gun Clubs provides some pigeon for the table from a field where crops are being damaged by birds.

Hilton Park, Co Monaghan (2^nd October at 18:30 on RTÉ One)

Fred Madden’s great great grandfather traversed the globe before turning his attention to the upgrading of the family home in Monaghan which Fred’s father Johnny Madden refers to as an iced-cake.  Derry Clarke holds the ladle for the recreation of a hunt supper from 1908 featuring such delicacies as Pudding à la Diplomate and Turkey boiled with oysters. Paul hunts for a herd of wild pigs on Inishcorkish Island with Pat O’Doherty, producer of the award-winning Fermanagh “Black Bacon” and gets a lesson in cheese-making at Corleggy Cheese in Belburbet and collects a special order of cockscombs and turkey testicles for one of Derry’s less appetising recipes.

Tourin House, Co Waterford (9^th October at 18:30 on RTÉ One)

A stunning house on the banks of the Blackwater is home to the Jameson sisters whose father was the driving force behind the formation of Irish Distillers.  The feast created by Catherine Fulvio includes a macabre dish of lamb’s head which makes for quite the centrepiece.

Paul joins Catherine in the kitchen after first heading out of Youghal in an antique Norwegian fishing boat to catch some mackerel, making some sausages the old-fashioned way with Declan O’Flynn of O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausages, and getting up close to some bees with Pat Deasy of Deise Irish Honey.

Ballinlough Castle, Co Westmeath (16^th October at 18:30 on RTÉ One)

Sir Nicholas and Alice Nugent have taken the reins at Ballinlough where they host the annual Body & Soul Festival.  Nick’s mom Pepe recalls a very different era where everyone knew their place.  Paul must once again battle with the spit but this time with a more manageable kid goat gathered by Catherine. Catherine also tries to catch a pike on the castle’s own lake, and heads to Maperath farm near Kells to pluck a “green goose”.

Enniscoe House, Co Mayo (23^rd October at 18:30 on RTÉ One)

The Kelletts of Mayo came to Ireland with Cromwell, purchased land and built this lovely house on the banks of Lough Conn.  General Humbert and his men ransacked the place in 1798. Catherine recreates a meal from the late 18^th century but she may be waiting a while for Derry to catch the ingredients for her dish of Boiled Trout with Shrimp Sauce. Particularly when one of Derry’s gathering stops is the local Reel Deal Brewing company, where sampling the products is very important. Derry’s also put to work in the beautifully restored organic walled garden on Enniscoe’s own grounds.

Lords & Ladles, featuring Derry Clarke, Catherin Fulvio and Paul Flynn, is a Mind the Gap Films Production for RTÉ Lifestyle. Series Producer is Bernadine Carraher, Director is Maurice Linnane and Director of Photography is Andrew Cummins.

Enjoy this look back at some great historical Irish Foods and stories!

Zack

gluten free plum cake with coconut blossom sugar

we took these pictures almost two weeks ago but luckily there are still so many plums on the trees left, so it calls for more plum cake soon!

i just love this season, when you can almost smell autumn in the air but are still able to enjoy the last days of summer. both days we were shooting these pictures were simply wonderful. the light was so stunning, no matter which time it was. we picked the plums in the morning and even if it was pretty cold that day the sun was shining when we walked through the wet grass. a day later nora baked this gluten free plum cake and we enjoyed it in our neighbours garden. of course we set the table next to a plum tree :) it was already in the evening when we finally took the cake out of the oven, and the early evening light was so magical again! after a very quick shoot we sat down, had 2 big pieces of this cake  each and watched collin and his sweet little "girlfriend" emma playing around in the garden. these two are just so cute together. but back to the plum cake:  it is just so delicious and we really want to try it with apples, pears and maybe also quinces in some weeks. instead of refind sugar we used coconut blossum sugar which fits really well with the plums. we hope you guys enjoy the cake as much as we did - happy sunday!

delicious glutenfree plum cake baked with coconut blossom sugar

(for a 30cmx40cmcm-ø baking pan)

ingredients:

200g rice flour

100g buckwheat flour

100g cornstarch (or you can use 400g flour in total)

250g soft butter

200g coconut blossom sugar (if you take white or brown sugar you should use a bit less)

4 eggs (size s)

3 tsp organic baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1 pinch of salt

1 vanilla bean

1,3 kg plums

furthermore

2 tbsp sugar (to sprinkle on top of the cake)

a few thyme sprigs

1 handful coconut flakes (or grated coconut)

200-400g heavy cream and 1-3tbsp sugar (depends on how many people you serve)

preheat oven to 180°celsius top/bottom heat. rinse plums, half and pit plums - set aside for a moment.

butter your baking pan and line with parchment paper - place the pan in the fridge. beat soft butter, coconut blossom sugar, salt and the vanilla pulp for 5min (with the whisk of your hand mixer). then beat in one egg after the other for 20-30sec. blend rice flour, buckwheat flour, corn starch, baking powder and cinnamon. sieve in 2 portions to the butter-mix and stir in with the dough hook of your hand mixer. spread the batter evenly into the baking pan and arrange the plum halves on the batter - push them just a bit into the batter. bake plum cake for 45min (do the toothpick test), then let the plum cake cool down for 20-30min on a cooling rack -  sprinkle about 2 tbsp sugar on the cake/pums, just when the cake comes out of the oven. whip the heavy cream with a bit sugar and decorate some coconut flakes and thyme leaves on top of the cake. serve the plum cake lukewarm with the whipped cream.

german translation

diese fotos sind zwar schon vor fast zwei wochen entstanden aber zum glück hält die pflaumensaison ja noch ein weilchen an und wir haben auch noch einige an den bäumen. ich liebe diese jahreszeit sehr, der herbst liegt schon in der luft aber man kann noch die letzten warmen sommerlichen wochen genießen.

beide tage an denen wir die bilder fotografiert haben waren einfach wunderbar! das licht war fast zu jeder zeit überwältigend - morgens haben wir die pflaumen gepflückt und auch wenn es ein ziemlich kalter tag war hat uns die sonne so schön ins gesicht geschienen als wir durchs nasse gras gestapft sind. am nächsten tag hat nora dann diesen köstlichen glutenfreien kuchen gebacken und wir haben ihn im garten unserer nachbarn - gleich neben einem wunderschönen pflaumenbaum - genossen. es war schon abends als nora den kuchen endlich aus dem ofen geholt hat und das licht war einfach wieder umwerfend. nach einem kurzen shooting haben wir uns beide zwei große stücke vom kuchen genehmigt und collin und seiner kleinen freundin emma beim spielen zugeschaut. die beiden sind einfach zu süß zusammen!! aber zurück zum pflaumenkuchen: der schmeckt wirklich köstlich und ihr müsst ihn unbedingt probieren! wir wollen ihn in den kommenden wochen auch noch mal mit äpfeln, birnen und vielleicht auch quitten backen, mal schauen wie das gelingt. den pflaumenkuchen haben wir jedenfalls mit kokosblütenzucker versüßt, wir lieben die kombination von kokos und pflaumen sehr und den karamelligen geschmack von kokosblütenzucker sowieso. wir hoffen euch wird der kuchen genauso gut schmecken wir uns - habt noch einen wunderbaren sonntag ihr lieben!

glutenfreier zwetschgenkuchen vom blech mit kokosblütenzucker
(für eine 26cm-ø springform)

zutaten:

200g reismehl

100g buchweizenmehl

100g speisestärke (maisstärke; oder insg. 400g mehl verwenden)

250g weiche butter

200g kokosblütenzucker (bei weissem oder braunem zucker etwa 30g weniger verwenden)

4 eier (gr. s)

3 tl weinsteinbackpulver

2 tl zimt
1 prise salz

1 vanilleschote

1,3 kg pflaumen

zusätzlich

2 el zucker (zum bestreuen)
ein paar thymianzweige
1 handvoll kokosstreifen (oder kokosflakes oder -raspeln)

200-400g schlagsahne und 1-3el zucker (je nachdem für wieviele personen man serviert)

ofen auf 180°C ober-/unterhitze vorheizen. pflaumen waschen, halbieren und entsteinen - kurz beiseite stellen. den boden des backblechs buttern und mit backpapier auslegen; kurz in den kühlschrank stellen. weiche butter, kokosblütenzucker, salz und das mark der vanilleschote 5min mit dem handmixer (rührbesenaufsätze verwenden) aufschlagen. anschliessend ein ei nach dem anderen 20-30sek unterschlagen. reismehl, buchweizenmehl, speisestärke, weinsteinbackpulver und zimt mischen, in 2 portionen dazusieben und mit den knethaken des handmixers unterrühren. teig gleichmäßig auf dem backblech verteilen und pflaumenhälften schuppenartig anordnen und ganz leicht hineindrücken. pflaumenkuchen für 45min backen (stäbchenprobe machen), dann auf einem kuchengitter 20-30min abühlen lassen - etwa 2el zucker auf dem kuchen/pflaumen verstreuen, wenn der kuchen direkt aus dem ofen kommt. schlagsahne mit etwas zucker aufschlagen und pflaumenkuchen mit kokosstreifen und etwas thymian dekorieren. kuchen am besten leicht lauwarm mit schlagsahne servieren.