Archive for September, 2006

Press Mention - Independent

Saturday, September 30th, 2006

Les RoutiersWe had a nice little write-up in the food supplement of today’s Irish Independent.

It was in conjunction with Les Routiers, with whom we’ve applied for membership, and I want to thank Margaret for setting it up.

For anyone wondering, the suppliers listed in the article are not all correct. For a complete list of our suppliers, click here

Let Them Eat (Ice Cream) Cake

Friday, September 29th, 2006

Ice Cream Cake We’ve been making ice cream cakes on and off for the past few years, mostly for birthdays. They are something that we have never marketed, but rather something spread by word of mouth.

This year, however, we’ve been taking them a little more seriously, and have tried to have them in stock most of the time in the Killarney shop for people to eat by the slice. For the past month we’ve had them in the Dingle shop as well. People absolutely adore them.

Eating Ice Cream CakeThey are deceptively simple and extremely tasty. I wanted to photograph the slice on the right, and I ended up eating a good part of it before I took a decent photograph. Then I ate the rest…

We’re still trying to work out the best flavour combinations and the best decorations.

However, we are going to try to get some into a few shops around the country by Christmas, so stay tuned if it’s your kind of thing…

P.S. We can make them gluten-free!

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Pear and Ginger Zabaglione

Tuesday, September 26th, 2006

Zabaglione One of my favourite desserts is zabaglione, a rich Italian custard, made with Marsala wine. It’s complex, not too sweet, and packs a nice alcohol punch. I’ve had a bad cold the past few days, but today I felt recovered enough to pull out the pans and treat myself.

Pear and Ginger Zabaglione

Ingredients:

2 poached pears (see here)

5 egg yolks

100 g sugar

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

200 ml dry Marsala wine

Mixing custardWhat to Do:

1. Beat together the egg yolks and sugar until they turn pale yellow.

2. Add the Marsala wine, beating all the time.

3. Add the ginger.

4. Transfer to a double boiler (I used a metal bowl over a pan of water).

5. Continue whisking the mixture until the volume doubles and coats the back of a spoon.

Zabaglione6. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

7. To serve, distribute the custard among 4 bowls and top with the poached pears.

Serves 4

Note: This dessert works well with many different fruits - strawberries, peaches, etc. Have fun and experiment.

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Return of The Scone

Sunday, September 24th, 2006

Scone with Jam and Cream Back in 2000, when we first opened the ice cream shop in Dingle, we served scones. Within a short amount time, however, we discontinued them.

The reason was that we were having trouble making people understand that we were a high-quality, gourmet ice cream cafe, since that concept didn’t exist in Dingle. Back then, we found that serving scones was a negative positioning statement - it was what cheap cafes offered along with thin coffee and white bread ham sandwiches.

SconesTimes have changed, however, and we have always felt that a good scone, served with cream and jam, however, is a tasty treat.

So they are back for a trial run in the Killarney shop only, baked fresh every morning, and when we sell out - that’s it for the day.

So far it seems to be working well, and it does give people another option, especially early, when they might not yet be in the mood of cake or ice cream…

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New Member of the Family

Monday, September 18th, 2006

New baby with Conor Congratulations to my brother and to my sister-in-law, who gave birth this afternoon to a healthy baby girl! We are delighted to have a new member of the family, and my nephew Conor was most thrilled of all…

New Baby and Sean 

 New baby with Wiebke, Conor

For anyone who wants more, here’s a couple of links to video on Youtube:

Conor and baby

Lullaby

Sam is Safe Again

Monday, September 18th, 2006

Croke Park I’m just back from Dublin, Croke Park, and a comprehensive Kerry victory. Although it wasn’t much of a game in the end, it’s good to know all the same that Sam is coming back to the Kingdom!

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Take Three: Milkshake Brain Freeze

Saturday, September 16th, 2006

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Here’s a little video of my brother drinking a milkshake… (If you want to know how to make one, click here).

I’m off to the All Ireland. Up the Kingdom! 

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YouTube Take Two - Eating Sachertorte

Friday, September 15th, 2006

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Since our baker Wiebke is going on maternity leave, I grabbed the last slice of her decadent, chocolate-y sachertorte….

By the way, as per the comment on the last post, Tuppenceworth has a great article on video rights provided (or not provided) by various providers…

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Playing with YouTube: Espresso

Wednesday, September 13th, 2006

[youtube]CZqR8PKhunY[/youtube]

I opened up a YouTube account, and here’s my first meagre effort. I do think ice cream would have been better for an opening attempt, but I was in the shop all day today making coffee, so that was what was on my mind…

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Dingle Under-12s and Heineken Cup

Monday, September 11th, 2006

Under 12 It was all about cups in Dingle yesterday. First we were visited in the shop by the West Kerry Under-12 girls, who won their final, most convincingly by all accounts. Congratulations to them!

Heineken CupThen we had the Heineken Cup paraded through the streets with Mick Galway and two of the Munster lads in attendance.

There were great crowds to witness it, and it was wonderful to see the excitement in the kids, especially those involved in Dingle rugby.

One can only hope that some of them who held the cup and had their photographs taken with the players will be stars in the future…

It was a lesson in grass-roots marketing. There will be many people, especially the younger ones, who will remember this as a special occasion, and it certainly will give rugby a boost in the area.

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