Ice Cream Ireland

We here in the world of ice cream have done our little bit for the much-publicised McManus-Foley wedding by sending up 300 litres of ice cream. We were contracted by Masterchefs Hospitality, who are doing the food and wanted green pea and mint ice cream (above) as well as a bloody mary ice cream. I hope the family and guests enjoy it!

Technorati tags: green pea, mint, bloody mary, ice cream, McManus, wedding

 I made one of the tastiest things I have in a while - Cajeta. Similar to Dulce de Leche, this Mexican treat is made by reducing goat’s milk with cinnamon and sugar until it caramelises.

The recipe I used was out of Rick Bayless‘ excellent book, Mexican Kitchen. The result was thick, creamy, and utterly delicious.

In fact, I have never made anything from that cookbook that wasn’t fantastic (as long as I could get my hands on the ingredients, which isn’t easy in Ireland!)

If you want to try it, there is a recipe here or here.

We ate it mostly over vanilla ice cream (see right), and it disappeared pretty quickly, I can tell you. Ausra, from our Dingle shop found an excellent use for it - a Cajeta Latte - a Mexican twist on a caramel latte. Yum!

Technorati tags: caramel, cajeta, recipe, goat’s milk, cinnamon, dessert      

Cian (far left), our shop manager for the summer in Dingle, decided a good way to beat back the rain that’s been afflicting us in these parts (and to cheer everyone up) was to throw a Hawaiian day in the Dingle shop. So on Saturday, the whole staff dressed up, and we put decorations about the place.

It really worked. Yesterday the sun shone brightly, so we kept it going today. Still no rain! Maybe it will have to become permanent…

Technorati tags: Dingle, Hawaiian, day, shop, ice cream

There’s a mention of our Pink Champagne Sorbet in the Irish Times Magazine today, under “Opening Lines”…

Technorati tags: Irish Times, pink, tub, champagne, sorbet, ice cream

Anyone going to Killarney on Saturday the 7th, might run into the Ring of Kerry Charity Cycle. The event started on Friday evening, with a local celebrity cycle around town, followed with a race with some of the cyclists. Since winning isn’t everything, we offered the prize of a free ice cream and coffee to the cyclist who came in last. It’s all good, healthy fun, and they have raised €2.5 million to date for various charities…

Technorati tags: Killarney, Kerry, charity cycle, Ring of Kerry, 2007

 Driving home from our Killarney shop, I heard on the radio that Cork had 10 times the amount of rainfall in June this year compared to last year. Ireland as a whole has had double the average rainfall. I’m not surprised. It’s getting pretty soggy here in the world of Irish ice cream.

It’s July 4th, and one might think of barbeques in the sun, but instead, the rain has been incessant, and it’s been cold and windy as well. I saw a single family walking on the beach at Inch and took the photo above. Normally at this time of year, the beach would be chock full of sun-worshipers and surfers, but it was deserted. I took the shot at mid-afternoon, so you can see how murky things have been!

In Killarney, it was judging day for the Entente Florale, with street entertainment and a parade planned to impress the judges. Instead, there was a lot of rain. The town did make a huge effort, though. There are beautiful flower arrangements everywhere, and I do hope the judges look past the weather!

My sister, Deirdre, is over from Germany, and she did her bit to cheer up our customers by painting a huge sun on the shop window and then going even further by dancing with the drummers who took refuge under our awning during the worst downpours (and then were reluctant to move on from their safe haven).

I think my sister has the right idea. We’ll put up lots of painted suns in both shops. Maybe there will be dancing. We will have a summer one way or the other!

Technorati tags: Killarney, Kerry, Entente Florale, Ireland, rain

 I managed to sneak off to Fitzgerald Stadium in Killarney for the Munster Final yesterday, where Kerry just about managed to beat Cork 1-15 to 1-13. The weather held, and the play was open and enjoyable. It’s one of the best rivalries - the competition is intense, but there is no ill will, as seen by the above picture as two friends from opposite sides came in to us after the game to enjoy an ice cream…

Technorati tags: Killarney, football, Kerry, Munster Final

 When Lorraine tipped me off that the new Bridgestone Irish Food Guide was out, I was very excited. My brother Sean bought me a copy when he was in Dublin, and now I have it in my hands. I am delighted, and not only because we were given a great mention in it. This book is very useful.

My old copy is quite worn at this stage - creased, stained and dog-eared from many trips around the country, and it is a little out of date. For me it has been a invaluable tool when travelling in Ireland, in finding good food in odd places and in discovering culinary treasures, and I strongly suggest that any Irish foodie or visitor exploring this country purchase the new one immediately. John and Sally McKenna are great at what they do, show a remarkable amount of love for it, and they are spot on in their suggestions. I can’t say I have ever been led astray by their guides, and I use them all the time.

What makes me very happy as well is how the guide has swelled. It is now around 500 pages, and I don’t think it reflects any drop in standards by the McKennas, but rather the proliferation of Irish artisan foods and the increasing wealth of choice for food-lovers in terms of eateries. Happy days indeed.

By the way, I’m also pleased to see that some other Irish food bloggers were included - besides La Cucina, you will find Bubble Brothers and Ummera.

You can ask for the Irish Food Guide at your local bookshop or order it on-line here.

Technorati tags: Irish, Bridgestone, food, guide, Ireland, McKenna