Cooking Class V

Ever been to Midleton??? Next time you drive through stop at Main Street and pay Fire & Ice a visit (www.fireandicecafe.ie) - it will be well worth it. Let me just say one thing about last night - fun, excitement and more fun. Gary Masterson is not only a very talented chef but has also a great sense of humour and is a great presenter. He is well used to demonstrate his cooking skills, having worked on the Queen Mary 2 for some time. So, what did we eat????

We started with a Tofu & Green Pea Guacamole (trust me guys......yummy) with vegetable dippers. The Thai Fish Cakes were fantastic. He didn't use any breadcrumbs or potatoes to hold the cakes together so we had the pure fish taste of the cakes. He served the cakes with a Green Mango Slaw (a fresh salad of unripe mango, shredded white radish and pepper - will find its way into Saturdays dinner party) and his homemade sweet chilli sauce (you can buy it in his restaurant - well worth it). We then moved on to Risotto. He made a Risotto base and mixed it then with Italian Sausage and Mushroom (tried the mushroom version and it was as a Risotto should taste). The Risotto was accompinied by a leaf salad with a basic salad dressing.

Ever had fresh fruit with basil & chilli sugar????? You missed a great experience as it is just outstanding and still so simple. Being not the biggest chocolate fan on the planet.....I was still amazed by the chocolate tart which was surprisingly light...What else is there to say.....go and see for yourself in Midleton.

Clare...not only a pretty face but very creative...served us a Black Pepper & Vanilla Pod Sangria....(don't pull a face until you tried it). It is basically vanilla infused vodka, red wine, white lemonade, slices of oranges, limes and lemons, crushed black pepper and the seeds of a vanilla pod....trust me, it was yummy. Nibbles were this time brown tortillas with goat's cheese topped with Chorizo....

Last but not least..the wine...Julian from Bubble Brothers and Clare found the perfect balance again. The white wine was a Domaine Reine Juliette from the Languedoc coast (€11.90). A refreshing wine without too much sweetness. The red wine was Novo Bazan (€10.90). Full body of cherry flavours at the start with no harsh aftertaste. The dessert wine was a red Mas Amiel with 100% Grenache from the south of France. I am still not a lover of dessert wines but it went so well with the chocolate tart..So, I hope your mouth is watering by now.

Next weeks 'winner' is Mercy Fenton from Jacobs on the Mall. Will tell you all about it of course. So long and happy cooking...