Fiona Egan from the Cloughan farm and cookery school about a meal that could be cooked for Valentines day. She spoke about a starter, a main course and a Dessert.
Starter
*Roasted Beetroot & Feta Cheese Salad with Caramelized Walnuts Main Course *Pan Fried Duck Breast with Port & Orange Sauce *Puree Parsnips or Carrot *Garlic Potatoes Dessert Honey Panna Cotta with Red Wine Syrup
Take a listen here
Roasted Beetroot, Feta & Caramelised Walnut Salad
Ingredients: Serves 4-6 Roasted Beetroot
425g beetroot, peeled and cut into even sized wedges
1 tabsp rapeseed or olive oil
1 tabsp raw local honey
2 teasp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary or thyme
Caramelised walnuts 100g walnuts roughly chopped
30g butter 2 tablespoons of honey
Salad
125g Feta or goats Cheese/125g mixed leaves
Dressing
3 tabsp rapeseed/ extra virgin olive oil
1 tabsp balsamic vinegar
½ tabsp raw honey
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
Method
Preheat the oven to 200oC
For roasting the beetroots, place the oil, honey, vinegar and herbs into a bowl and whisk to combine. Add beetroot and mix until fully coated.
Roast in a baking dish covered with tinfoil for 1 hour or until the beetroots are tender when pierced with the point of a sharp knife. Remove the tinfoil and allow the beets cool in the juices .
To caramelise the walnuts, heat a pan over a medium heat. Add the butter and allow to melt. Add the walnuts and toss in the butter to coat. Drizzle over the honey and allow the syrup to slightly caramelise. Tranfer the contents of the pan out on to a parchment lined tray. Allow to fully cool. They store great in an airtight jar for a few weeks.
Measure all the dressing ingredients into a jam or screw top jar and shake until everything is fully mixed.
When ready to serve ,place the salad leaves and lightly spoon over half the dressing, toss well . Divide the salad leaves on plates and place the beetroot wedges on top. Crumble over the cheese followed by the walnuts a drizzle of dressing to finish.
Pan Fried Duck Breast
With Port & Orange Sauce
Ingredients:
4 duck breasts
Seasoning
Port & Spiced Orange Sauce:
100ml ruby port
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1 star anise
1 stick of cinnamon
300ml chicken stock
3 tsp redcurrant jelly
30g butter
To Garnish
Few sprigs of baby oregano or flat leaf parsley
Thinly sliced orange zest
Method:
Lightly score the skin of the duck breast with a sharp knife. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.
In a dry pan, lay the duck breast skin side down and turn up the heat to a medium. Fry for 8-10 minutes until most of the fat has rendered out and skin is golden brown. Turn the duck over carefully and lightly brown for further 5 minutes or until it feels springy when pressed. Remove from the pan and leave to rest on a warm plate covered loosely with foil.
To make the sauce, pour off the fat from the frying pan into a jar and keep for again for your roast potatoes. Place the pan over a high heat, pour in the port stirring to deglaze and allow to bubble for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients except the butter and bring to a boil. Let it bubble until the liquid has reduced by two thirds and thickened to a syrupy consistency. Add any juice from the resting duck. Taste and adjust the seasoning, add a little more jelly if desired. Finally, add the butter and shake the pan to incorporate as it melts. Pour the sauce through a sieve and discard the cinnamon etc.
On warm large serving plates, place a large spoon of parsnip or carrot puree in the centre. Slightly flatten with the back of the spoon. Slice the duck breast on the diagonal and fan out along one side of the puree. Garnish on top with orange zest and a few sprigs of oregano or parsley. Spoon the warm sauce along the duck slices. Enjoy immediately with garlic potatoes
Honey Panna Cotta with Red Wine Syrup
Ingredients: Serves 6
For the Panna Cotta For the Red Wine Syrup
Sunflower oil for lightly greasing 375g red wine
400g cream 100g caster sugar
200g full fat milk 4 sprigs of thyme
4 leaves gelatine
4 tabsp local honey
1 tablespoon brandy
Line a 1lb loaf tin with cling film making sure to allow a 1in over hang around the edge of the tin. Or if you prefer, using kitchen paper lightly grease 6 little glass dishes.
Place the gelatine into a container and cover with cold water.
Add cream, milk, honey and brandy to a saucepan placed over a medium heat. Bring almost to the boil, remove from the heat and with your hand squeeze out excess water from gelatine. Add soften gelatine to the hot cream mixture and stir until completely dissolved. Allow to cool a little in the saucepan, then pour into a jug and fill your loaf tin or your glass dishes.
Place the desserts dishes or tin on to a tray and transfer to the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Meanwhile for the sauce, combine the red wine, sugar and thyme in a wide base saucepan. Place over a medium heat. Stir until sugar has dissolved, then increase the heat and boil for 10 minutes or until reduced and turning syrupy like. Allow to cool.
If using glass dishes, deep into hot water (not boiling) for about 10 seconds and turn out on to your dessert plate. If using the tin, turn back the cling film and turnout onto a plate. Remove the cling film from the sides carefully and decorate on top with a few sprigs of mint before bring to the table. Slice and serve with the wine syrup. This dessert is particularly elegant & light to serve after a dinner party and panna cottas can be made up to 2 days in advance. Syrup can be made 10 days in advance and stored in the fridge..
Garlic Potatoes
Ingredients:
450g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
300ml milk
300ml cream
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
½ tsp ground nutmeg
100g cheddar cheese grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160oC//Add the milk and cream into a saucepan along with the crushed garlic, nutmeg and seasoning to taste. Bring almost to a boil and allow to cool slightly.
Layer a third of the potatoes in a buttered Pyrex dish and sprinkle over a third of the cheese. Layer another third of potatoes followed by another third of the cheese and then the remaining potato. Pour over the milk & cream mixture and cover with tinfoil. Bake for 1 hour or until tender when pierced with a knife. Remove foil and sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place back in the oven for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling. Allow to cool slightly and firm up before serving.
