Wednesday, July 8, 2009

What to do now?


Finally I am calming down a bit from the buzz of the Grow.Bake.Cook competition (although my head is still spinning on where to take the event from here), so I am sitting here at my desk in my office/craftroom/thinktank etc. and read through the latest edition of Food & Wine. I am not a regular reader of the magazine (one reason, that most articles are based on Dublin places/events). But my good friend Dianne is a food writer with them and she reviewed An Cruibin (we visited together but my 'review' was 'published' earlier on the blog). Wish my writing was as 'floral' as Dianne's.

Apart from the old favourites like Blueberry Muffin, Ratatouille and Stuffed Peppers (yawn yawn) they also published some nice recipes - one being from Padraic Hayden from the Dylan Hotel. Roasted Halibut Filet with Poached Langoustine, wild asparagus, girolles and Bouillabaisse Broth. The Photo alone is edible. Only problem I see is where to get the wild asparagus.

The interview with Derry Clarke is quite interesting and at least he got his signature dish in there as well; Deep Fried Dublin Bay Prawns in Ketaifi Pastry (its a Middle Eastern pastry made with shredded filo pastry). That might be worth a try.

On the other hand, they have some really nice cocktail recipes in this edition like French Liberte (with vodka, ginger liqueur and lemongrass syrup) and the Les Folies de Napoleon (vodka, cream, raspberries)...as we are planning a cocktail party (girls only again), these little gems might make their way to the party.

But last but not least, Food & Wine are hosting the Restaurant of the Year award. Which is a nice touch but the closing date for the awards was 30th June.......hmmmmm, the editor might have his calendar ready next time when he proof reads the pages....(since this is the July/August edition)

But one thing I really love about this magazine, it is Irish. Irish Producers are introduced and Irish chefs are reviewed......a bit more Cork would be nice tho.....don't forget we are supposed to the be culinary capital of Ireland....

5 comments:

The Beer Nut said...

And in case you weren't annoyed enough, the Guinea Pig Club (featuring me [preens]) credits Friar Weisse to The Porterhouse in Dublin when it is, of course, expertly made in Cork by Franciscan Well.

Elke said...

Ahhh.....I hope you have clarified their mistake. And my dad will disagree with you as he thinks the best beer is made in Germany (and he is English). He goes to straight lengths to get Germany beer (basically he sents me out :-) I have tried a homebrewed beer from Sherkin (will blog about this tomorrow) and have to say it was delicious.

The Beer Nut said...

The Germans (a lot like the English) are very good at doing a small range of styles, and if you like those styles then you're in heaven. But the Americans have a wonderful iconclastic streak that leads to some magnificent beers. Pop to the Abbot's Ale House to pick up a bottle of Sierra Nevada Torpedo and you'll see what I mean.

Elke said...

Thought they closed down.....saw a sign up there 2 years ago. Will pay them a visit and let you know what I thought :-)

The Beer Nut said...

Still going strong, and one of the best beer offies in the country. They closed the bar upstairs for a while, but it's open again too now.