And the Winner Is...

I really don't know what I am going to do without my Masterchef fix of an evening. I had really gotten into it.
I remember when Lloyd Grossman used to present it on a Sunday evening and my mother insisted on watching it, while we ate our usual Sunday tea of crisp and cheese sandwiches! (80's craving alert!!!) Oh how times have changed. You couldn't have dragged me away from the TV tonight. Each and every dish and mouthful of food warranted a text message to Hellers, my MC soul mate.

In my opinion, the right person won. From day one, Mat wanted the title so badly. He wore his heart on his apron, and made no secret of the fact that winning the title would mean better things for his family. He wants to open a restaurant that serves tasty, simple food. I think that he cried every single round!

Tonight, in the final challenge, the contestants travelled to Michelin Starred restaurants in Europe. Mat visited restaurant noma, in Copenhagen (www.noma.dk). This restaurant focuses on Nordic food using simple, natural robust ingredients. Mat played a blinder!

In fairness, the other two competitors, Christopher (who has only been cooking for 3 years!!) and Andy, who was a comeback from last year, also did exceptionally well, and came on in leaps and bounds since the first round.
But, I am very very happy that Mat won. And Hellers and I will definitely be two diners only too happy to visit his restaurant. Anything for a weekend away!

Hooray for Mat!!! I don't know how I am going to manage without my Gregg and John fix each day! Ah well. Celeb Masterchef is being filmed at the mo!

Orls xxx

Oh the trip to Cobh is off. Mrs. D is unwell, so I would like to send her get well soon wishes. I will be baking tomorrow evening and will be making yummy cup cakes for my granny who headbutted her coal bucket last week. She's okay though!

Flipping Marvellous.

Well the pancakes were a treat.
After a terrible day at work, it was nearly 9pm by the time I got home and even thought about food. So Mr. C came round and we had a lovely dinner of Pancakes with lemon and sugar...
I even managed to flip some of them perfectly. It just happened to be when Mr. C wasn't in the room. Doh!

And then we had some with chocolate and bananas, for dessert! They were just what the doctor ordered, and I am sure that the banana's can be counted as part of your five a day.

I think that this picture shows that they were thoroughly enjoyed!!

A trip to Cobh at the weekend will be a lovely break. I haven't been there in about 4 months and I am really looking forward to a trip with Mr. C and my good friend, A-M. I have never travelled there empty handed and I am not about to start now.

So right now, I am watching a programme about the rise of the Super Chef, with a muffin book beside me trying to decide which ones to make,

On the programme, The Rise of the Super Chef, is a very interesting programme about how the "celebrity" chef has come about and how they have, very cleverly, maximised their income through things like endorsing cookery items (or in Antony Worrell Thompson's case, toilet cleaner??) and owning the rights to your programmes (Jamie! he is worth about £40mil)

It is interesting how the public latch onto someone and their "style" of cooking and subsequently buy all their books or the products that they endorse. I know that I am guilty of seeing a chef I like, usually on a TV programme, and buying their book. I currently have about 30 cook books that I browse through regularly. However, I can't say that I have cooked all the recipes from any one of the books.

Perhaps my Lenten promise should be not to buy any more books until I cook all the recipes from the ones I have. However, I fear that I would fail before the weekend is over!

Muffin decisions to be made and shopping lists to write.

Orls xxx

Brighton Rocks, Pancakes and Berts!!!

I spent a very nice and relaxing weekend in Brighton with Mr. C's sister and her lovely husband. After what were a few very busy days, it was nice to get away for a day or two and to just relax and catch up with them both. It is a very exciting time for them as they are moving to their lovely new house! Horray for them!

Brighton is a really lovely place to visit. Apart from the world famous Brighton Pier there is loads to do. Walk along the seafront prom and see all the little beach huts that are so well known. The Lanes are a cornucopia of fudge shops, boutiques, record stores and so much else that it is impossible to list it all. (I must plug the fab leather shop where I bought a Mulberry look-a-like bag for all of £30) If you go, you have to visit the Royal Pavilion, which is a building that is similar in look to the Taj Mahal. It is bang in the middle of the city (this is where Mr. C's sister got married last year!) The vibe in the city is very relaxed and it is the place that the London pretties spend their weekends. I can highly recommend it. Fly to Gatwick and the train will bring you to Brighton or Hove in about 30 mins. Check out http://www.visitbrighton.com/ for more information on things to do and places to stay.


I arrived late on Friday night after an awful flight (I hate flying anyway so any flight as far as I am concerned is awful) so it was an early night. I was only delighted on Saturday morning when breakfast was served to me, and consisted of freshly made pancakes with chocolate and strawberries! Can you credit it? Warm light pancakes, with a few squares of melted chocolate wrapped up and served with chopped strawberries and blackberries, and a large mug of strong, hot coffee. I am going to attempt the same for Mr C tonight, it being pancake Tuesday and all that! I will, hopefully, have perfectly formed pancakes to report on tomorrow....


The recipe that I have used to make my batter (which is resting in the fridge as we speak) is from Nigella's Feast book and calls for :

30g of melted unsalted butter,

150g plain flour,

1 large egg

325ml of milk.

Melt the butter and leave aside to cool.

In a large bowl, sieve the flour to get lots of air in it. Make a well in the middle and break the egg into the centre. Whisk it around until it starts to come together and slowly pour in the milk while whisking continuously, to ensure that there are no lumps. You may find that a second person comes in very handy at this point to hold the bowl!!

Once the mixture is all combined, pour in the melted butter and whisk a little more. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge until ready to make. I made my batter yesterday for use today so here's hoping!

While I was in Brighton, Mr C's sister, who is as, if not more enthusiastic about baking and cooking than me, brought me to the wonder that is Berts Homestore. Situated on George Street in Hove, it is a little Aladins cave of all things kitsch, and very very useful for the home, especially the kitchen. Very large cookie cutters for 85p, Jam pot covers and preserving kits, floral bowls. I was like a deer in the headlights. Who could live without a magnetic measurement conversion chart that tells you the weight of fluid ounces??? Not me!

Check out http://www.bertshomestore.co.uk/ for more information and if you are like me, and can't resist a bargain, go the next time you are there! However, probably best not to only have hand luggage as it will be very hard to leave things behind!!!

Orls xxx

Key Lime Cup Cakes

As we all know St Valentines Day was on Saturday. To celebrate, the Alison Curtis Show had an outside broadcast upstairs in Whelans, and I was delighted to provide some treats for the couples that were there, to make things a little fruitier.
One of the bakes was Mini Key Lime Cup Cakes.
Line a 24 hole mini cupcake tray with small cupcake liners. Pre heat the oven to 175C.
For the Cupcakes
1 cup of softened butter , 1 cup superfine sugar (regular sugar, blitzed) 2 cups self raising sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the Filling
one third cup of lime juice, one can of condensed milk
For the Meringue
3 egg whites, one quarter teaspoon cream of tartar, one third cup regular sugar


Place all the cupcake ingredients in a blender and beat together until pale and creamy (about 2 - 3 mins)
Place a clean tea towel over the top of the blender until the mixture starts to come together. This should stop it going everywhere.
Pipe the mixture into the tin and bake until risen and golden (about 10 mins) and until a knife comes out clean. Take tin out of the oven and allow to cool. Remove from the tin to a wire rack.

Take the lime juice and condensed milk and mix in a small bowl.

Cut the top off the cupcakes and scoop out a small amount. Fill with the lime mix, and place the top back on.

Make the meringue by whisking the egg whites, and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Add one third of the sugar and and beat for one minute. Repeat until all the sugar has been added and the mixture is thick and glossy. Pipe onto the top of the cupcakes.





Increase the oven temperature to 230C, and bake the cupcakes for 5 minutes until golden.


Store the cupcakes for no more than one day in an airtight container.

I found that just eating them as fresh as possible (while still slightly warm in the middle) was the very very best. But even colder, I was assured that they were delicious!!

The show from Whelans was great fun and had some amazing music provided by One Day International, Anne Scott and the wonderfully talented Duke Special. This picture is especially for my lovely girlie G who has relocated temporarily to the sunnier climes of Sydney Australia, and who I miss a lot!!!! While email rocks, 'tis not the same as running 10 miles and righting all the wrongs of the world. Right ??? So G, I hope that you like the picture below and the ones that are also on www.flickr.com/orlak

Orls xxx

I have just realised that my blog has become about baking and some photos with no running at all.
I have had very little energy recently and I have not been able to get up early in the mornings and I have been too tired to go out in the evening.
I have just realised that the Great Ireland Run is just 7 weeks away! EEK!!!!

AND, the marathon in Edinburgh is just 15 weeks away this Sunday. For the love of all things healthy, I need some inspiration.

Fitting into my clothes properly should be enough!

RIGHT, Here and now, I am vowing to get my ass in gear. Literally and get out running again.
I have my flights and accommodation booken and, lets face it, in the CC (Current Climate) I cannot afford to just fling the guts of €150 into the bin (between entry, hotel and flights)

All encouraging notes and words are very much appreciated!

Orls
xx

Vote Early, Vote Often!!!

Okay, you can only vote once on the website, but you can text as many times as you want!!!!!

Right, for all you face bookers out there, visit the link below and vote for the lovely Alison Curtis as Best National DJ for the Meteor Awards.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=61255901018&h=7ekv-&u=agKSJ

As the only girlie nominated, she deserves to show the boyos how its done.
Oh and she is brilliant!!

Gimme an "A", Gimme an "L", Gimm an "I", Gimme an "S", Gimme an "O", Gimme an "N"

Night now!

Orlsxx

I "HEART" chocolate!

Photos, as promised of all the lovely things that I am making for tomorrow's Alison Curtis Show.
The first is a sample of the truffles.
Chocolate Truffles are surprisingly easy to make. They take a little care when mixing the cream and chocolate and making sure that they do not split, but over all, a lot easier than you think!

Take 275g of good chocolate, with a cocoa content of no less than 60%. Break into very small pieces and place in a large heat proof bowl.
In a saucepan. bring 250mls to the boil. Take care not to over boil!
Once boiled, pour the cream onto the chocolate and leave to sit for 2 mins. When the 2 mins are up, stir the mixture carefully, and bring the whole thing together.
Take 50g of unsalted butter and add half to the mix and encorporate. Then take the 2nd half and add, by mixing slowly.
If the mix starts to split, put into a blender and whisk until it all comes together again.

I usually, allow the mix to cool until it is a fudgy texture. Using a wide nozzle, pipe the ganache onto a baking sheet in long log shape lines. Allow to cool completely and place in the fridge for at least 3 hours. When you are ready to shape, take out of the fridge and cut into small half inch log shapes. To make rounds, get some of the latex gloves you can buy in a pharmacy and wear them. Roll the truffle in the ball of your hand into the shape you desire and drop into a bowl of cocoa powder. Move them round to make sure they are completely coated.
THe truffles will keep for about a week in the fridge. Keep in an airtight box and they will keep for about 2 weeks.



I have coated these truffles in cocoa powder AND I took some chocolate that is chilli flavoured that I had knocking around, and I blitzed it up into a powder, and coated it in that too. I reckon that should raise some temperatures and all that!!!
Bagged and ready to go, I think that they look kind of cute!

TH next treat are shortbread with cacao nibs, which are a natural aphrodisiac

THe recipe is the same as for the lemony men I made for James back in November. One small change is that I added about 75g of cacao nibs to the flour and butter mix. I made sure they were well mixed through before adding the sugar and bringing the whole thing together.

As with the lemony men, cook for about 8-10 mins at 180degrees, but keep a close eye on the ones at the edge of the tray as they can turn from golden and sweet ,to a little too brown and not as tasty in the space of a minute!!! I usually set the buzzer on the oven for 8 mins and then watch them for the next 2 mins just to make sure.

Allow them to cool completely before you move them to an airtight container. They break easily when very fresh!

:)

Right, and so to bed. I have dreams to catch up on as I have not slept properly in about 4 days!

Orlsxxx

Nibbly nibs.

We get free fruit scones at work every Wednesday morning and they are, I have to admit, divine.
I am a bit wierd in that I am not the biggest fan of heated scones with butter and jam, or even cream. I like them dry. With no condiments.
And only slightly warm, with a crunchy and slightly hard outside.
I especially love when the raisins and currants are all hard and shriveled up from the oven. It gives them a kind of sweet/bitter (or even bitter/sweet) taste.
So there you are. I am weird!!!!

Another thing that gets me through the mental days at work is this bunch of folks, http://www.todayfm.com/Shows/Weekdays/Ray-Foley/BLOG.aspx
Ray, JP and Adelle are on from 12 -2.30 every day and are a bit daft. Nice mindless chatter to sometimes take my mind off work.

I have the truffles made and chillin' in the fridge at home for the Alison Curtis Show tomorrow night. I have yet to coat them in cocoa powder and chilli chocolate. Tonight will be spend rolling them in afore mentioned powder. And I will also make the shortbread that I love so much. Sprinkled through the biccies is Cacao nibs, which are a super food. They look a bit odd though and when I brought them to Electric Picnic last year, I was asked whether they were "funny cookies" They weren't!!!

Anyway, Cacao Nibs are the fruit of the cocoa plant and are super high in antioxidants, and in the spirit of all things valentines, are a natural aphrodisiac!!! While incredibly bitter to eat on their own (they are like eating 100% chocolate) they are much mellower when encorporated in biscuits. Photos and recipes to follow!!!

chow for now!

Orls xxx

Breakers

A friend of Mr. C and mine, The Mighty Vinser, runs a great music night in Kavanagh's pub in Portlaoise, called Breakers (www.myspace.com/breakersroom)

The most recent performer was the lovely and very talented Mick Flannery. Mr Flannery has recently released his second album, White Lies, and has been getting amazing amounts of radio play with the first single, Tomorrow's Paper's, and more recently, Safety Rope.

Anyway, he played in Breakers at the end of January and it was a most successful evening's entertainment. I have to admit that I was a little worse for wear following a run in with a bottle of Jameson and my best mate Caroline the night before. But it was the kind of music that you can just sit and listen to. No audience participation required. (Apart from applause following the lovely tunes.
Here are some pictures of the man himself. He did play with a full band and you can see the other images on my flickr (www.flickr.com/orlak)

Another very lovely and very talented bloke played on the night. Bill Coleman (http://www.bcoleman.com/) warmed up the crowd with his musical abilities. Bill uses a loop pedal to layer vocals and guitar riffs to create a very unique and fresh sound. Check out his web page for tunes and news/updates. Bill is also in the process of recording some new tracks for release, so keep an eye on his website for news of releases!

In my slightly hungover state, I noticed this lovely piece of interiors. PJ Kavanagh, propriotor of Kavanaghs pub, recently completely renovated the performance area to double the audience space, making the place one of , if not the best venue in Portlaoise and the surrounding areas. The renovations did not stop at doubling the space, but included some very cool paintings and wallpapers. It also included this beautiful light fitting (below) that I love.

I also indicated to PJ, my grá for the light and told him that it would fit in my handbag if I really tried.

I couldn't try as I was in pain the last time. However, next time, I am bringing my ladder and my screwdriver set.

tee hee hee!!!!

Right, Off to watch them cutting up pigs on Grey's Anatomy. Strange tie in between that and the medieval sacrifice of a pig I just read about in Anthony Bourdain's book " A Cook's Tour - In Search of The Perfect Meal"

So there you are.

Orls xxx

Masterchef, chocolate biscuits and cake!

I love Masterchef. It makes the cold winter evenings when I am not out running more bearable. My lovely friend Hellers reckons that I should enter it. But my cooking is certainly not up to scratch. And add to that the fact that I have a very diminished sense of smell (and taste), I would probably fail the ingredients challenge miserably!!!
However, whenever Hellers is top judge, I will deffo enter as she would just get rid of the rest and we would cook stuff and eat it together.

Hellers, should enter her most amazing Chicken Wings. You would get up in the middle of the night to eat them! I swear. Hellers, I want the recipe please! : )

Another recipe that I love is for Chocolate Biscuit cake. I haven't had any in years. I find that it can be very very rich and sometimes is just a little too much but I was asked would I make a large cake for my newest cousin, Austin's christening.
As I had never made one before, I first of all checked whether raisins were wanted or not and I was told just chocolate and biscuits. Nothing fancy!!

After some surfing, I came across a really simple recipe on the Odlum's website. http://www.odlums.ie/
Catherine Leyden is a regular on Ireland AM on TV3. I like her style so I knew that it would be a simple enough and reliable recipe.
Firstly, get hold of a good heavy cake tin. I decided that such an important occasion (and the fact that my family has lots of people in it) I would splash out, and I bought a brand new 10" square cake tin.

Line your tin with cling film and leave enough over the edges to fold back in on the cake when the tin is full.
For a 10" cake you will need the following. It seems like a lot, but it is a big cake!
2lbs butter, 2lbs good quality chocolate, 1 pint golden syrup, 3 packs of digestive biscuits(regular size) and 1.5 packs of rich tea.

Melt the butter and Golden syrup over a medium heat. In a glass bowl, over a simmering pot of water, melt the chocolate. While they are melting, roughly bash the biscuits and put them in a large pot.

When the chocolate is melted, add to the butter and syrup mixture. When properly combined, pour over the biscuits and mix, ensuring that all the biscuits are coated.

When mixed throught, transfer the cake mix to the pre lined cake tin. Carefully, press the mixture into the tin. I found that lifting the cake tin off the counter a little and just dropping it onto it, helped to free air bubbles and flatten the mix a little. Just be careful not to drop it completely as it will be heavy.

Fold over the cling film and push the mixture into the tin a little more. Transfer to the fridge and allow to set for about 3-4 hours. The cake will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

I flipped the cake out the day before the christening and carefully peeled off the cling film. I used a roll out fondant icing to cover the cake and some blue ribbon around the base.

It seemed to go down well and we had to rescue a big chunk of it and hide it in the fridge so it wouldn't all be eaten!

Right, waffling over. I have a shopping list to write for the baking I am doing for the Valentine's Special of the Alison Curtis Show this Thursday.

Food with natural Aphrodisiacs and some ingredients that are bound to get pulses racing! More on that later in the week.

Orls xxx