Vanilla Panna Cotta

The one thing i always look forward to about an Italian Restaurant is the dessert. For years, I've been going to my local Italian Rossinis (which i would highly recommend) and always always without fail would order the Panna Cotta.  The light and creamy vanilla taste just ends the meal so well. So as it is obvious, I tried making my very own! 

                                                               Vanilla Panna Cotta

Ingredients:


-250ml milk

-250ml double cream

-1 vanilla pod split lengthways, seeds scraped out (but keep them!)

-25g sugar

Coulis:

-100g frozen berries

-1 Tbsp caster sugar

- 50ml of water

Decoration:

-Strawberries

-Blackberries

-Icing sugar

Serving suggestion:

~ I used tall cocktail glasses as they were simple but effective.

Other methods : Shot glasses,wine glass, champagne flute, espresso cups, small jars.

~Since Panna Cotta is made from gelatine, it can be placed into a mold and will hold its shape when it has set.  

Panna Cotta:

Step 1 - I started off by soaking the gelatine leaves in water

Step 2 - Cut the vanilla pod horizontally, scraping out the seeds but keep them! (this is where all the flavor is at!). 

Step 3 - Add milk,cream, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds to a saucepan and bring to simmer. Remove vanilla pod and discard.

Step 4 -Squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves then add to the sauce pan. Turn off the heat and stir until gelatine dissolves

Step 5 - I then divided the mixture into tall cocktail glasses and placed in the fridge to set.

Coulis:

Step 6 - Add the frozen berries, sugar and water to a small saucepan. Bring the mixture to simmer and cook until berries are soft. 

Step 7 - To get that liquid texture, mash the berries then press through a sieve.

                                                Blackberries picked and used for decoration 

Step 8 - Serve Panna Cotta when firmly set. Decorate with coulis and berries. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Chocolate Berry Cupcases

This is one of my all time favorite desserts, especially for dinner parties!  . I think this dessert is suited to everyone and having your own little parcel makes things that much better. I've made this dessert in a way that the ingredients and the presentation come together, which can all be enjoyed in one bite.


First of all I decided to make out which chocolate compliments the alcohol added here~

• Milk Chocolate- Baileys
• White Chocolate- Baileys or orange flavoured liqueur
• Dark Chocolate- Orange flavoured liqueur

Ingredients:

-Milk Chocolate
-White Chocolate
-Dark Chocolate

- Mascarpone Cheese (150g)

-Blueberries
-Strawberries
-Raspberries

Alcohol (optional) - 1 Tbsp
- Orange flavoured liqueur (Cointreau or Grand Marnier)
-Baileys

-Cupcake paper cases ( 2.5cm)
-Paint Brush
-Cooking Oil ( preferably spray  )
-Icing sugar

I usually do the first 4 steps the night before I want to serve them up.

Step 1 - Melt the chocolate.
Step 2 - Lightly spray the paper cases with cooking oil (or brush it on if you don't have the spray). This first step is very important as it will stop the chocolate sticking to the paper completely.
Step 3 - Using a clean paintbrush, paint chocolate thickly onto the inside of the paper case. Place into the fridge until chocolate is set. Remove and check is there any visible thin layers of chocolate in places. Paint over these with the melted chocolate again. (otherwise the chocolate will crack and you will have to start all over again !) Place in fridge until chocolate is set again!
Step 4 - Carefully peel away the paper cases
Step 5 - Mix the mascarpone cheese with the chosen alcohol
Step 6 - Scoop or pipe into the chocolate cases
Step 7 - Cut up Fruit and decorate

                                                Milk Chocolate Berry Cupcases

Step 8 - Sprinkle with icing sugar and display.

Keep refrigerated until served.

Display of cakes at my last dinner party.

Apple Sponge Cake

Apple Sponge Cake is one of my favourite cakes so I decided to make one of my own. I used a very simple recipe which doesn't take long to make. This is perfect for the Autumn season. 

Ingredients:

- 200g of butter
- 200g of self raising flour
- 200g of white sugar 

- 4 eggs 
- 2-3 cooking apples(depending on how much you like apples!)
- cinnamon (optional)

Decorated with icing sugar and served with whipped cream/custard.


Step 1. First of all, cream the sugar and butter  together using a mixer. It should look a mustard
yellow with no curdles.Pre heat the oven at 180c.


Step 2. Add an egg followed by a heaped spoon of flour. Keep repeating this step while mixing in
between. The mixing in between helps break up the egg and flour rather than doing it as a whole. It should appear smooth with no lumps.
(It is optional to add a sprinkle of cinnamon here for extra flavour. Too much can destroy the taste of the cake so I would recommend 1/2 a tsp )

The mixture is smooth and ready for the oven. 

Step 3.  Peel the apples and cut into small thinly diced slices.

                                 

Cooking apples freshly picked.

Presentation time!
I chose to use a Bundt shaped tin for the mould. This shape is very effective when presenting cakes. Any shape will do though! But remember presentation is key!

Other presentation ideas: 
- Rectangular tin ( cake can be cut into neat individual square slices)
- Round pan 

Step 4. It is now time to grease the tin with butter. This avoids the cake sticking to the pan and allowing for cake to come out in one piece!

Step 5. Fill the tin with half of the mixture. Then add the apple evenly on top followed by the remaining half of the mixture. Place the cake in the oven and leave for 30 mins. Use a wooden stick to check if it is cooked right through.

Bundt pan 

If you are using the Bundt pan, leave it cool for about 15 minutes so it will be easier to remove from the tin!

Decorate by sprinkling icing sugar on top.

Serve with whipped cream/custard.

Enjoy! :)

O' Flynns Gourmet Sausage

Today I am writing about my trip to O' Flynns Gourmet Sausage restaurant. This shop can be found on Winthrop Street in between the old antique shop and Ulster bank. They serve various dishs such as full Irish Breakfast, seasoned baby potatoes and the infamous sausage baguettes. I chose to get the hot baby potatoes with two sausages. The staff here are very friendly and helped me choose the type of sausage i wanted. The man behind the counter recommended i choose the new sweet Italian which was beautiful and the garlic and herb flavour. They had many different types ranging from Cumberland to chorizo. They offer a range of toppings/sauces to choose from such as gherkins, fried onions, rocket, sweet chilli Thai sauce, mustard etc. The garlic dip is always my favourite with extra onions. The best part about ordering food here is you can see it being cooked from scratch right in front of you. Personally, I am very wary about pork not being cooked properly but my mind was at ease when I saw the chef checking the temperature of the meat.
I'm usually on the go and get it for take-away but since I had some spare time, I decided to stick around. Most of the seating arrangements are upstairs which is cosy as there is pictures of sausages being made hinting at the freshness of the food.  The dish overall was very tasty. The sausages were cooked perfectly with a flame grilled taste. The baby potatoes were seasoned in herbs and spices allowing for that extra bit of hotness. The onions weren't overdone, giving the dish that extra crunch.  I loved the garlic dip so much, it made the whole dish for me. I would have bought a jar of it if I could. Overall, the dish was amazing giving that BBQ food feel, even if it's coming into Winter. The smokey smell coming from the grill downstairs added to the whole experience of visiting O' Flynns Gourmet Sausage. This was well worth the trip for just €7.00. Great food at an affordable price. Will definitely be coming back here soon :)

 

Hot baby potatoes with sweet Italian and garlic and herb sausage. Served with homemade garlic mayo and sautéed onions.