Cooking Class VI

Have you ever wondered why there are so few female chefs???? I do since last night. Last in the current series but not the least....Mercy Fenton showed us what a girl in the kitchen can do...and she did it so well. A great sense of humour paired with great skills, she definitely shows 'girl power' in the kitchen. She is with Jacobs on the Mall for the last 8 years and I bet almost every Corkian has been there by now....so most of you will know what I am talking about.

So, what did she cook?.....She baked the quickest Soda Bread in history and it was one of the best I have ever tasted (normally not the biggest fan of Soda Bread but I am converted now). The bread went down well with the Cream of Onion and Cider Soup served with Caramelised Apples. We were then treated to a Spicy Tomato Stew with roast peppers and chickpeas topped with grilled Haloumi (that will be cooked at the weekend - it was yummy). The Crab Stuffed Chicken Breast put a smile on everyone's face and Mercy made a lovely Tomato Compote to go with it. The first pasta dish of this series was served with a sauce of cream, fried bacon, leeks, peas and mushrooms. Will try this sauce without the bacon and will let you know how it was. The fish dish was a simple fried turbot fillet with an aromatic warm dressing made with tomatoes, skinned peppers and chili....it was quickly made and is something for a lovely after work meal when you want to treat yourself but don't want to spend hours in the kitchen. The crowning glory were the lemon tarts which Mercy served with warmed blueberries and creme fraiche....Jealous???? Yeap you should be....;-)

Congratulations to Claire for a fantastic organised cooking class. It can't be easy to get the Top Chefs of Cork to commit ...but I bet her charm made it impossible for the chefs to turn her down. A great variety was offered and I met new chefs which is always a treat....who was my favourite????? ALL OF THEM WERE GREAT....so thanks a million to Claire for organising the Taste of Cork. I am awaiting the next series impatiently.