admin No Comments October 27th, 2012 Blog, Masterchef

Episode 4: Kilkenny Triathlon and Emirates Cook-Off

So, another tough week over. Cooking for 200 tri-athletes in monsoon weather was really tough. We were up at 5.30am, and we had 3 hours to come up with our menus and cook them. We looked fairly calm on TV, but we were definitely not. Washing and prepping strawberries, mussels, clams, beetroot, etc., for 200 people was torture. Our ovens kept blowing out with the wind, the rain was pouring in on top of us, and we could not get the pots cooking quick enough.

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admin No Comments October 24th, 2012 Recipes

Chocolate and Passion Fruit Tower

Author: Terry Lyons

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 6

You could also use other fruits such as raspberries or even cherries soaked in Kirsh for a Black Forest type dish.

Ingredients

175g dark chocolate (55%)
6 large free range eggs, at room temp
175g castor sugar
200ml Double Cream
1tbsp icing sugar
Icing Sugar
6 Passion Fruit, seeds and juice removed to a bowl
Cocoa Powder & Icing Sugar to decorate

Instructions

Preheat an oven to 180 C. Line a baking tray with parchment.
Break the chocolate into chunks in a glass bowl and melt over a pot of boiling water. When melted, set aside to cool slightly.
Separate the egg yolks and egg whites.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks have formed
Using the same whisk, combine the egg yolks and sugar and whisk for 1-2 mins until well combined. Add in the cooled chocolate and fold together. You don’t want to whisk it as you want to keep as much air as possible in the mixture.
When combined, add ⅓ of the egg whites, and fold in well. Add the remaining egg whites and fold in gently until combined. Pour the mixture into the baking tray and place in the oven for 15 – 20 mins until the top is firm and slightly crispy. Set aside to cool.
Whisk the cream with the icing sugar until stiff.
Using a scone cutter, cut out 18 discs from the roulade mix. You will need to get 18 if you want 6 portions. Place 1 disc on a work surface, cover with cream and then with some passion fruit. Repeat 3 times. Dust with icing sugar and cocoa powder and transfer to plate. Serve with some passion fruit on the side for decoration.

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admin No Comments October 22nd, 2012 Recipes

Asparagus and Leek Soup with Poached Egg

You could leave out the poached egg here. Also, this is a great soup to make with leftover veg trimmings. I used the asparagus for a salmon dish and put the remainder in this soup. Just be careful not to use the bottom part as it is to tough.

Asparagus and Leek Soup with Poached Egg

Author: Terry Lyons

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 2

Ingredients

1 leek, finely sliced (160g)
100g asparagus, finely sliced
2 asparagus spears, peeled lengthways
20g butter
1 potato, chopped
500ml chicken or vegetable stock
Pinch sugar
Salt & Pepper
2 eggs
Olive Oil

Instructions

Sweat the leeks and asparagus with the butter for 10 mins
Add the potato and stock with some seasoning and cook for 20 mins
In the meantime, poach your eggs. You can prepare these in advance and place them in chilled water to stop cooking. They can be reheated in boiling water just before serving.
Using a mandolin or peeler, peel strips of asparagus for decoration. Cook these for 30 seconds in some butter. Remove and place on kitchen paper.
When your soup has cooked, check it for seasoning. You may need to add a pinch of sugar.
To serve, place the soup in the bowls; carefully place the egg in the centre, followed by the asparagus spears and a drop of olive oil.

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admin 1 Comment October 21st, 2012 Recipes

Lamb Chops with Chickpea Mash and Caramelised Onions

Author: Terry Lyons

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 2

To simplify, you can swap the asparagus for peas, and leave out the mint oil.

Ingredients

6 medium lamb chops
Zest of 1 lemon
Olive Oil

Caramelised Onions

1 onion
½ cup of balsamic vinegar
½ cup castor sugar

Chickpea Mash

100 ml chicken stock
1 tin chickpeas
1tbsp crème fraiche or natural yoghurt
1tsp chopped mint
Juice of 1 lemon
Asparagus or Peas
Mint

Instructions

Preheat oven to 190⁰ C
Grate the lemon zest and rub into the lamb with oil and seasoning. Set aside.
Boil and simmer the chickpeas in chicken stock for 5 mins. Add some lemon juice, 1tbsp crème fraiche, some mint and seasoning. Blitz well.
Finely slice 1 onion, and add to a saucepan. Add vinegar and sugar. Cover with some parchment paper. Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 – 40 mins or until the onions are soft and the liquid has reduced completely.
In a hot pan, quickly brown the lamb chops and then place in the oven for about 5 minutes. Leave to rest for a couple of minutes.
Quickly cook some asparagus or peas in a butter/stock mix. Alternatively cook in salted water and add butter when cooked.
For presentation, blitz some mint with olive oil and add seasoning to form a mint oil.
To serve, place the chickpea mash on the plate (using a ring if you have one). Top with the caramelized onion and some whole chickpeas. Arrange the lamb and the asparagus on the plate and drizzle with the mint oil.

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admin No Comments October 1st, 2012 Blog, Masterchef

Episode 3

So I managed to scrape through with my lamb and hummus dips. And I’m on a warning. Why I put a red wine reduction with it, I’ll never know. It was probably a combination of the lack of ingredients (thanks Tamarin!!) that I had, and the pressure, which is really tough. In fairness to Dylan it did look a bit like dishwater. What they didn’t show last night was when I asked Dylan what he would have cooked with those ingredients. He said it wasn’t for him to tell me but that I could have made a dish with those ingredients. I think he didn’t know!!

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admin No Comments October 1st, 2012 Recipes