Falling into Autumn

Autumn has well and truly wrapped her temperate hands around Ireland 

The balmy days of summer are a distant memory 

Although the days are shorter 

There is something wonderful about the onset of this new season 

This was a bumper year for our Apples

If you happened to visit me in the last few weeks no doubt you were sent 

home clutching a paper bag of these beauties

The excess were carefully wrapped in newspaper and stored in the outhouse 

I do foresee quite a few Apple crumbles, pies, tarts in our future 

were you surprised when you took a bite and the pink tinged flesh revealed itself

The name of this Apple is 

"Discovery"

The menu has changed 

From Tarts and salads to 

Steak and Guinness Pie

made for a visiting Brother 

With an Autumnal Pavlova to finish 

Honeycomb, chocolate Pavolva with toasted almonds and toffee sauce

On the weekends

Planting Spring bulbs 

or maybe a walk in the woods 

Spiderman costume optional 

So many mushrooms around right now 

Unfortunately I am not a confident Mushroom connoisseur 

Not a risk worth taking !

Conkers, on the other hand provide little danger 

and we filled our pockets 

Hope you are enjoying the new season too

x 

SUNSHINE! AND A PEAR TART

 we recently had a spell of very fine weather here in Ireland 

It is amazing how the landscape changes here when the sun comes out 

and the humour

when the weather is 24c suddenly all kinds of things are possible

A dip in the lake 

An evening walk collecting wild garlic becomes a thing of beauty

you can stop and blow the dandelion clocks

You can potter in the garden until 11pm 

because in summer, in Ireland it stays light until then

Or you can go for a dip in the pool!!

All of this "hard" work calls for a little refreshment 

 Some mint, lemon balm and nettle tip tea

Pear and Almond tart

If you read this post 

You will know that I am attempting to make some healthy changes

the running is going well

after a few stalls I have kept going and am really starting to see and feel a difference

I downloaded the couch-5k app

I try to get in 2 runs a week

The no sugar thing is tough but i have definitely cut down considerably 

and i have also tried to adjust some of my favourite recipes 

to up their nutrition and make them a treat but a slightly healthier one 

so here is a slightly healthier but incredibly delicious pear tart 

Spelt Flour Shortcrust

250g whole spelt flour

95g cold butter

Tbspn sugar

1 egg yolk

preheat oven to 180c

butter and line a 25cm tart tin

Rub butter into flour until you get breadcrumbs

add sugar, stir

add eggyolk and bring together to form dough

wrap in plastic and pop in fridge for an hour

remove from oven and *grate into a prepared tart tin 

push and flatten evenly to create crust

refrigerate for 10 mins

prick the base with a fork 

line with parchment paper and add baking beans 

cook for 15 mins

remove beans and parchment and cook for a further 5 minutes

allow to cool

Topping

3 ripe pears peeled, cored and sliced into quarters length ways

200g soft butter

 200g ground almonds

2 large eggs lightly beaten

200g honey

preheat oven to 150c

cream the butter for 3 mins until light and fluffy

add almonds, eggs, honeyand fold carefully until combined

place the pears on the cooled tart case

spoon mixture over allowing pears to stand proud of the mixture

bake for 50 minutes until golden brown

serve with Greek yoghurt with a little honey added

* The method of grating a cold pastry dough into the tin is one which i think works incredibly well and it is much simpler than rolling and lining the tin
also because you are not pulling the dough it remains very light and crumbly
I will never go back

Christmas Cake

 Made Christmas cake today
This is not your traditional black dry tasteless cake
but a warm caramelly fruit filled delight with the warmth of ginger singing in its flesh
(ok maybe I am getting a little carried away)
But seriously this is a really delicious fruit cake
I sometimes bake it in 2 loaf tins during the year as a rich fruit loaf perfect for an afternoon snack or to pop in a lunchbox

I chose to decorate with a layer of marzipan
dusting of icing sugar and blanched almonds nestled into the top
but if you like you can of course decorate with the usual frosting also

I also put a layer of marzipan in the middle
just because I am a big fan of marzipan

RECIPE 

225g sultanas

225g raisins

110g candied peel

100g stoned dates

75g chopped dried apricots

50g crystallised ginger chopped very fine

125 ml hot strong tea

2 tspns vanilla essence

juice of half an orange or a whole clementine

275g softened butter

200g soft light brown sugar

75g dark brown muscovado sugar

5 free range eggs

1 tsp orange or clementine zest 

50g ground almonds

275g plain flour

1tsp mixed spice

1tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

50g flaked or nibbed almonds

METHOD

Pre heat oven to 150c

line a 20 - 23cm cake tin with parchment including a high collar around the sides

(that is a lining that stands proud of the tin)

to protect the cake during the long baking time

place dried fruit in a bowl and cover with hot tea, van essence and juice

leave to steep

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy 

add eggs, 1 at a time incorporating each completely before adding the next 

stir in ground almonds and zest, 

sift in flour and spices

stir to combine

add steeping fruit with liquid and the flaked or nibbed almonds 

Transfer mixture to prepared cake tin

Your cake will not rise a lot as their is no raising agents in this cake but the eggs will make it rise a little 

place in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours 

or until a skewer comes out clean

leave to cool completely in tin

when the cake is completely cool tip out of tin and carefully peel away parchment paper.

brush cake with warmed apricot jam 

roll out your marzipan to fit over the cake 

carefully place marzipan over cake and smooth

add blanched almonds around the edge pushing them into the marzipan to secure

This cake will keep for up to 3 weeks in an airtight container

KERRY

I have just returned from a week in Kerry in the South of Ireland

What a glorious few days 

I had forgotten just how beautiful the landscape is down there

and how dramatic the sky

BallyDavid at sunset

Inch Beach

and the incredible coastline

The kids played in the sand

made "weapons" from beach debris

there were walks

and Horses

and surfing!

and of course a little shopping

shop window Dingle

and I did get in to the water and swim 
and it was freezing  and invigorating

It was also amazing to me how a little water and sand 
occupied 7 children for hours every day 
without a complaint or whinge

Truly a great week
x  

Louis le Brocquy

One of Ireland's greatest Artists has passed away aged 95

R.I.P.

Louis le Brocquy

Amaryllis

Enjoying the full bloom of my Amaryllis

and the promise of more to come

all photos

Helen James

random cakes and jobs

Oh I had every intention of writing beautiful individual posts for each one of these lovely items 

 ................. but I just am not going to be able so here in a brief but enthusiastic manner

Made Crab apple chutney- the tree was laden 

Spiced Pear cake

Made with my own Pears

Picking flowers
there were still quite a few blossoms in the garden in late Sept

Roses, Michelmas daisies, Japanese anemone's, lady's mantle
I missed picking flowers from my garden so so much while I was in NY

There are many jobs that need doing around the house

 getting the goose neck gate hung

organising winter fuel

Tying up the wisteria.......
3 years and am hoping, fingers crossed that next year it will flower!

oh and last week I was in Hong Kong

x

Apple & Apple Mint Jelly

This is not a typo

As

Apple & Apple Mint Jelly

is a mint jelly made with Apples, 

for their natural pectin and flavour 

and using Apple Mint 

(sometimes called wooly mint)

Apple mint is, 

in my opinion, by the far the most superior of mints

The flavour is flatter than regular mint

Oh and don't tell me you use spearmint to cook with?

everything ends up tasting like chewing gum!

No, Apple mint is what you need

Fantastic chopped with a little ginger and sprinkled over a fruit salad

Adds the perfect flavour to cous cous

and Lamb...... 

well of course with Lamb it is king.

As we have had a couple of mornings of frost recently here in Ireland 

I decided it was time to stock up on my mint fix for winter

And as my garden has been untended for a year

and the mint has gone a little wild

(taken over)

I made mint oil, by blanching about 

4 cups of mint leaves

chopping finely

and covering with good olive oil in a sealed and sterilised jar

I also did the same but covered the mint with vinegar

for a more traditional mint sauce 

and then decided to raise the bar, go all out and make a mint jelly

This was my first attempt at a jelly

(I mean a real jelly made with natural pectin not a chivers pack)

RECIPE

APPLE & APPLE MINT JELLY

4lbs Cooking Apples (or granny Smith )

4 cups water

2 cups vinegar

2 cups Apple Mint leaves whole

2 cups Apple Mint Leaves finely chopped

5 cups sugar (approx)

METHOD

Roughly chop the apples and add to large pan 

keep all of the core and seeds as these have the most pectin in them

add 2 cups whole mint leaves

bring to boil and boil for 20 mins

add vinegar

boil 5 more mins

Strain Apple pulp 

in a jelly bag if you have it

otherwise use an old pillow case

you should have 4-5 cups of clear amber coloured juice

Add this to clean pan and add 7/8 cup of sugar to every cup of juice

so for 5 cups of juice you will add approx 4 1/2 cups sugar

bring to the boil

add finely chopped mint

boil for 30 mins- 1 hour 

this will depend on how much pectin was released 

and how strong your mixture is

You want to reach the setting stage

You can test it using the cold saucer method 

or with a candy thermometer

you should get 4 x 8ozs jars of jelly

The frost is coming

The last 2 mornings we have had a thick frost on the ground

they say this winter is going to be a deep freeze

My back yard at 7am