We 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…
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.
They 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!
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
What 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.
6. 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.
Technorati tags: pear, ginger, zabaglione, dessert, recipe
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.
Times 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…
Technorati tags: Killarney, scone, cream, jam, baked, pastry
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…
For anyone who wants more, here’s a couple of links to video on Youtube:
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!
Technorati tags: Sam Meguire, football, Kerry, All Ireland
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!
Then 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.
Technorati tags: Dingle, Kerry, Munster, football, rugby, Heineken Cup
Imagine my surprise when I stopped by the production today to take care of some bits and pieces, and there was Wiebke, our baker extraordinaire (and my brother’s partner), with a couple of freshly baked cakes for the shops.
She is three days past her due date, but there is no stopping her! Hopefully very soon I will be able to post some baby photos of my new niece or nephew…
In other news, the flags have gone up very late in support of Kerry and their encounter with Mayo in the All Ireland Final. Maybe it’s due to disappointment over not meeting Dublin or just general complacency given the result of the 2004 final, but the lack of excitement has been quite pronounced.
In fact, there are more flags up for Munster than for Kerry, but then the Heineken Cup is coming to town this afternoon.
Still, there is a small buzz growing around the place – a slowly building sense of expectation. I plan to be there in Croke Park, but I would be very surprised if the final is as easy as it was the last time we met Mayo…
Technorati tags: Dingle, Kerry, All Ireland, football, baker, cake
