Kieran

Meringues

Meringue with Raspberry Sorbet I wrote here about ice cream cakes, and I’ve been playing with a meringue base for them. We have excess egg whites from making our ice cream, so it makes sense. Besides, it would make the ice cream cakes gluten-free.

Meringues are not hard to make, and they are a great treat. Whether on their own or as a nest for another dessert (as in with the raspberry sorbet in the photo above), they are a real crowd-pleaser. I like them with a little hint of lemon.

Murphys Meringues Recipe

Ingredients:

4 large egg whites

300gm (1.5 cup) sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 tablespoon lemon juice

What to Do

  1. MeringuePreheat the oven to 140C.
  2. Butter a large baking sheet.
  3. Beat the egg whites (if using an electric mixer, do this at medium speed rather than high speed, which will take a bit longer but give the meringues more strength) until fairly stiff.
  4. Beat in the sugar in a slow stream, and then add the vanilla and lemon, mixing all the time.
  5. Beat until very stiff and shiny.
  6. Using two spoons, place on the baking sheet. It should make 10 large meringues, so divide accordingly.
  7. You can shape them as you wish!
  8. Bake for 45 minutes.
  9. Cool on wire racks.

Note: If you want to make nests, the easiest way is with a piping bag. Start in the centre, work out in a tight spiral, then build up the sides… 

Technorati tags: , , , ,

Construction in Killarney

Construction in Killarney It’s not so nice outside our shop in Killarney at the moment, as they are digging up the street. The idea is to make Main Street more pedestrian-friendly by widening the sidewalks and reducing the traffic down to one lane, one way.  

View of Construction

So, for the next 6 months or so, we will be trading in a construction zone. We can only hope that work will be completed as promised in March.

Although it would seem that Main Street will look well after the project is done, it’s a question whether further pedestrianization of towns is a good thing.

On the one hand, it’s great to put in benches and have wide sidewalks. On the other hand, the more you restrict traffic into a town, the more likely it is that people will find it too difficult to come in and do their shopping on the outskirts. It’s already a bit of a chore to navigate into the centre, and parking is limited and expensive.

Tralee is a case study, and it wouldn’t inspire confidence. Streets have been completely pedestrianised, the square redone and blocked from traffic, which looks nice and is pleasant for strolling and shopping.

The problem is that fewer people seem to be coming into the Tralee centre for the pleasure. It’s just simpler to go to Manor West Shopping Centre, outside of town, which is easy to get to and has plenty of free parking…

Technorati tags: , , , , ,

Press Mention – Independent

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

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!

Technorati tags: , , , ,

Pear and Ginger Zabaglione

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.

Technorati tags: , , , ,

Return of The Scone

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…

Technorati tags: , , , , ,

New Member of the Family

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