Tuesday 30 December 2014

Cake #126 - Revamped Banoffee


Monday Mood Cake - Revamped Banoffee.

Revamped Banoffee

200 g Digestive Cookies, crumbed
100 g butter, melted
Can of caramel sauce
4 bananas
500 ml  fresh cream, whipped

1. Mix the digestive cookie crumbs and melted butter together.  Press half of the mixture straight on the serving plate, 
2. Spread half of the caramel sauce on top of the base.
3. Slice two bananas and place on the cake.
4. Whip the cream and pipe half of it to cover the bananas.
5. Gently place another layer of digestive cookie and butter mix on top of the cream and then a second layer of bananas.
5. Last, pipe neatly cream on top and sprinkle the rest of the cookie crumbs on the cream.
6. Serve immediately. Do not refrigerate more than a couple of hours as the bananas start turning black quickly.

My Christmas Cakes


#122 - Traditional Fruit Cake
#123 - Date Deluxe with Golden Icing, Fresh Figs and Cranberries
#124 - Almondy White Chocolate Cake
#125 - Prune and Brandy Cream Cake

Traditional Fruit Cake

300 g butter
200 ml granulated sugar
200  ml soft brown sugar
4 eggs
600 ml flour
2 tsp baking powder
150 ml cream
300 g mixed fruit

1. Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F and grease and flour a 2-litre bundt cake pan.
2. Combine dried fruit, flour and baking powder in a bowl.
3. Cream together butter and sugar.
4. Mix in eggs.
5. Add the dry ingredients together and the cream and mix well.
6. Pour the dough into the cake pan and bake the cake in the oven for 50-60 minutes. 
7. Let the cake cool on a rack before removing from the pan.

***

Date Deluxe

I baked the cake using my traditional Date Cake recipe. The icing is just icing sugar mixed with water and after it was set I sprayed some gold on top (Dr Oetker Shimmer Spray). I decorated the cake with fresh figs and a few cranberries to give it more colour.

***

Almondy White Chocolate Cake

Base
150 g white chocolate
150 g butter
150 ml caster sugar
4 egg yolks
100 ml ground almonds
150 ml plain flour
100 ml cornflour
2 tsp baking powder
4 egg whites

Filling
300 g cherry jam

Icing
200 g white chocolate
50 g butter
50 g almond crunch

1. Melt chocolate and let cool a little.
2. Cream together butter and sugar.
3. Add egg yolks one at a time and mix well.
4. Add all the dry ingredients and the melted chocolate.
5. Beat egg whites until stiff.
6. Fold the egg whites into the dough carefully.
7. Pour the dough into a Ø 20 cm cake pan and bake in the oven at 175 C / 350 F for about 45 minutes.
8. When the cake has cooled down, cut it into three layers.
9. Spread jam on each layer.
10. Melt chocolate and butter and spread evenly on cake.
11. Sprinkle almond crunch on the sides of the cake.
12. Let the cake set in the fridge a few hours or overnight before serving.

***

Prune and Brandy Cream Cake

Sponge
4 eggs
300 ml granulated sugar
300 g butter, melted
400 ml plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
100 ml fresh cream

Filling
500 g dried prunes
200 ml sugar
200 ml water (add more if needed)

500 ml brandy cream
or
500 ml fresh cream
1 tbsp brandy

1. Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F and grease and flour a Ø 23 cm cake pan.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.
3. Fold in flour together with melted butter and cream.
4. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes.
5. While the cake is in the oven, cook the prunes and sugar with some water until the prunes are soft. Use a blender if needed. The jam does not need to be completely smooth. Let cool.
6. Let the sponge cool a little before removing from pan.
7. Cut the sponge into three layers and moist both with Sprite or sugar water.
8. Spread some prune jam and whipped cream onto each layer.
9. After filling and compiling the cake, spread a thick layer of jam on the top and pipe cream neatly on the sides.
10. Let the cake set in the fridge at least for a couple of hours or overnight before serving.

Cake #121 - Mozzarella Brunch Cake


Savoury Saturday Cake - Mozzarella Brunch Cake.

Another simple cake for Sunday brunch, to be served with colourful tomatoes and fried bacon.

Mozzarella Brunch Cake

200 g grated Mozzarella cheese
3 eggs, lightly beaten
400 ml plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
250 ml cup milk
100 ml mayonnaise

1. Preheat oven to 175 C / 350 F.
2. Grease and flour a Ø 28 cm cake pan.
3. Mix all ingredients together and pour into pan.
4. Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and solid inside.
5. Serve warm with fried bacon and salad.

Cake #120 - Oreo Chocolate Cake


Friends First Friday Cake - Oreo Chocolate Cake.

For the Christmas season, holidays and family time. Movies, board games and - cakes!

I used this recipe for the sponge except I replaced the oil with melted butter. The chocolate covering came from a tin of Nestle Carnation Chocolate Filling and Topping [shame on me]. My son (9) decorated the cake with Oreo cookies. And very yummy it was! Kind of minimum effort so to say but sometimes you need to take the easy path.

Cake #119 - Xmas Cat Bauble


Thursday Cat Theme Cake - Xmas Cat Bauble.

This cat cake was a surprise gift to somebody who likes strawberry jam (I have heard), cats (I have seen a picture of him with a cat) and my cakes or at least pictures of them (I know).

The cake itself is a white sponge, filled with strawberry jam and covered with icing. The little cat is made of sugar paste, the text is red-coloured icing,

Cake #118 - Spicy Apple Pancake


Wednesday Natural Ingredient / Healthy Cake - Spicy Apple Pancake with Vanilla Sauce and Mint.

A great snack or dessert!

Spicy Apple Pancake
3 eggs
300 ml milk
1 tsp baking powder
200 ml plain flour
½ tsp salt

2 big cooking apples, peeled and sliced
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
50 g butter

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C / 390 F.
2. Grease a Ø 28 cm cake pan and place the apple slices on the pan. Sprinkle sugar and spices on the apple slices and the rest of the butter.
3. Bake the apples in the oven for 10 minutes while you make the batter.
4. For the batter mix all ingredients together and beat well to make it smooth.
5. The take pan out the oven and pour the batter over the apples. Place the pan back into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes.
6. Serve warm with home-made vanilla creme.

Saturday 27 December 2014

Cake #117 - Split Santa


Tuesday Humour Cake - Split Santa.

I baked the cake in the morning but then I didn't have time to decorate it before a (scary) dentist appointment later on the day. I had said to my daughter (12) and son (9) that they could decorate the cake on my behalf (in case I wouldn't feel well) and they were excited to do so. 

However, nothing had happened by the time I got home. The kids were just arguing who would do what and when and how. Excellent ideas they had, cannot blame but no teamwork whatsoever...

Amazingly, I was feeling well but no that well I would stand any major fight (can you ever be...) so I just took a knife and cut the cake in half.

Amazingly, the kids were happy and here's the result.

On the left: "Toxic Half-Santa" by my son.

On the right: "Half-Santa from Outer Space" by my daughter.

Cake #116 - Saffron Boston Cake


Monday Mood Cake - Saffron Boston Cake with Raisins and Nuts.

Simply, I felt like eating some "pulla" (sweet buns)!!!

I have made a cinnamon bun Boston Cake earlier and now I used the same recipe with the addition of a pinch of saffron in the dough. For the filling I mixed 100 g soft butter, 100 ml light brown sugar, 50 g raisins, 50 g mixed nuts, ½ tsp groung ginger and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. On top I sprinkled pearl sugar.

Best fresh. If not eaten the same day, put it in the freezer. 

Cake #115 - The Snowman


Sunday Classic - The Snowman.

We all love The Snowman movie. It is a true Christmas tradition to watch it together with the family on Christmas Eve. 

I love the music of the movie, too. Especially I love this version of Walking in the Air by Finnish Nightwish.



Cake #114 - Irish Breakfast Cake


Savoury Saturday Cake - Irish Breakfast Cake, with Sausages, Streaky Bacon, Black Pudding, White Pudding and Red Cheddar.

To be served for Sunday breakfast with eggs and beans.

I used this recipe, the same I used for making my Sausage Cake a while ago. The filling is made of slices of black pudding, white pudding, pork sausages and streaky bacon which I fried on a pan before compiling and baking the cake.


Cake #113 - Prune Cake


Friends First Friday Cake - Prune Cake.

This cake is for traditional Christmas cards as in the digital world they are getting rare. I appreciate very much each and every card the postman brings me. Myself, I post about 50 cards every Christmas and I do hope the recipients appreciate them as well...

The recipe for this cake is the same as for my Date Cake. Instead of dates I used a 400 g can of prunes which I did not boil as they were soft enough to mash with a fork and mix with the melted butter. If you use dried prunes, boil them the way you would boil the dates.

The week I baked this cake was a hectic one - everybody in the family coming and going and nobody really being home eating  my cakes. My poor husband had to take this cake to the office to his poor colleagues to enjoy on their coffee break but apparently they had liked it and somebody had even asked for a recipe so I am happy about that at least.

Cake #112 - Finnish Winter Cats


Thursday Cat Theme Cake - Finnish Winter Cats.

A funny cake made with reasonably little effort. Sometimes it is the idea that counts! 

The sponge is made using a basic recipe. For the filling I spread some raspberry jam and on top 500 ml whipped cream. The tails and ears are made of brown and black sugar paste. The whiskers are made of black spaghetti (if you  are very allergic to seafood, do not use it as it is coloured with squid ink) and the rest is sprinkles - silver balls, pink hearts and black sugar.

PS If you happen to see these cats, please let them in. They hate the cold and snow even more than we humans!

Cake #111 - Apple and Blueberry Cake


Wednesday Natural Ingredient / Healthy Cake - Apple and Blueberry Cake.

The recipe for this cake is from here. I added 2 tsp cinnamon to the batter as I felt like making it more Christmassy. - Very yummy and gooey cake indeed!

Cake #110 - If Santa Was Irish


Tuesday Humour Cake - If Santa Was Irish.

With his red beard (and nose), holding a pint of stout and wearing a few shamrocks as accessories he would definitely be a funny guy bringing loads of pressies to you and yours!

Personally, I still believe the one and only Santa comes from Lapland, Finland.


Cake #109 - Sticky Ginger Cake


Monday Mood Cake - Sticky Ginger Cake.

Looking for Christmas mood with a fierce pain in my tooth - so I wanted to bake a cake with some fierce ginger in it!

You can find the recipe for this cake here. After baking I garnished the cake with some fresh ginger, dark syrup and icing sugar.

A very rich cake and easy to make. Definitely one must-bake-again cake!!

Cake #108 - Licorice Toffee Cake


Sunday Classic Cake - Licorice Toffee Cake.

To be exact, the cake may not be a classic one but the Hopeatoffee Licorice Toffee it is made of, is a classic in Finland, since the 1960's.


Licorice Toffee Cake

Sponge
100 g Hopeatoffee or other licorice toffee sweets
200 g butter
4 eggs
200 ml granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar
400 ml plain flour
100 ml cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
100 ml milk

Icing
100 g Hopeatoffee or other licorice toffee sweets
150 ml fresh cream
300 ml icing sugar

1. Melt the toffee sweets and butter in a pan on low heat and mix well.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.
3. Mix together all dry ingredients and fold them into the egg and sugar mix together with licorice and butter and cold milk.
4. Grease and flour a Ø 24 cm cake pan and pour the batter in it.
5. Bake in 175 C / 350 F about 45-50 minutes.
6. Let cool.
7. For the icing, place the toffee sweets and cream into a pan. Mix on low heat until the sweets melt. Let cool and then sieve in icing sugar.
8. Spread icing on the cake and let the cake set for a couple of hours in a cool place. Garnish with licorice toffee pieces.

Cake #107 - Smoked Salmon Cake


Savoury Saturday Cake - Smoked Salmon Cake with Mozzarella, Olives and Cherry Tomatoes.

Smoked Salmon Cake with Mozzarella, Olives and Cherry Tomatoes

Base
150 g butter
300 ml plain flour
2 tbsp water

Filling
150 g smoked salmon, chopped
10-15 black olives, chopped
10 cherry tomatoes, chopped into half
150 g fresh Mozzarella, chopped
3 eggs
200 g creme fraiche
½ tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano

Fresh basil to garnish

1. Mix butter and flour until course crumbs.
2. Add water gradually until batter is soft but not too 'wet'.
3. Spread batter onto the base and sides of a Ø 20 cm spring form pan.
4. Mix all ingredients together for the filling and pour on the cake base.
5. Bake in 175 C / 350 F for 35-40 minutes.
6. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Thursday 18 December 2014

Cake #106 - Finlandia


Finlandia to celebrate Finland's 97th Independence Day on 6 December, 2014.

In Finland, one of the most important Independence Day traditions is the President's reception. Every year he invites there about 2000 people - not only politicians or diplomats but celebrities (ice hockey players, poets, musicians...) and ordinary people from all over Finland, too, whom he has met during the past year. Those not invited can watch the reception on TV - yes, watching the President and his wife shaking hands for a couple of hours, and then finally dancing in the crowded hall in the presidential palace.

As an expat Finn, I did watch the whole spectacle. While enjoying my Independence day cake and trying to spot celebrities.

Only in the after-party sang one of my favourite Finnish artists Jarkko Ahola this beautiful Finlandia Hymn in Finnish. Beautiful.


***

My Independence Day cake was another Ombre Cake. No blueberries in this one either. I filled it with mashed cranberries and caramel sauce - a wonderful sour and sweet combination.

Cake #105 - Rudolph Meets Cat


Thursday Cat Theme Cake - Rudolph Meets Cat.

My elder son (16) came home the other day and told me they will have a bake sale in their school. How nice. In the bake sale they will have a raffle. How exciting. The main prize in the raffle will be a fancy cake. How cool. And it is me who will bake the cake. How...how... how... interesting.

Ho-ho-ho, let's bake!

I wanted to play it safe so I used my old Ombre Cake recipe. No blueberries this time, though, but raspberry jam and caramel sauce in the filling. My daughter (12) made the little sugar paste figures - Rudolph, cat, presents and Christmas tree - on top of the cake and The Husband got me a cardboard cake box from Decobake. All sorted out.

What was the most amazing, my son told me about the cake 36 hours before it needed to be ready so I had lots of time. Absent-minded as my son sometimes may be, I wouldn't have been surprised that he would have remembered to tell me the night before the bake sale.

Afterwards I was told that it was one of the teachers who had won my cake. None of my son's teachers, though. What a pity. The postman just brought my son's Christmas report and I am just wondering would his maths grade have been better if his maths teacher had won the cake. Never mind. Maybe the teacher would have been on a diet or disliked raspberry jam and the maths grade had been even worse.




Sunday 14 December 2014

Cake #104 - Lingonberry Cheesecake


Wednesday Natural Ingredient / Healthy Cake - Lingonberry Cheesecake.

Time to defrost the freezer and make an inventory. Any forgotten frozen lunches for The Husband? Any cinnamon buns to be enjoyed with  coffee today? Any ice cream for me? 

Our freezer is very small so in no time I am able to go through what is in it and what we can eat during the next few days to get some space for Christmas goodies. I am happy to find a hidden pack of Finnish rye bread in a very back corner but it is running out soon, unfortunately. 

Finally, no ice cream but I find half a bag of half-forgotten lingonberries. Just enough to make a cheesecake with coffee as there were no cinnamon buns after all. I know who ate them but I do not mind as I know they were eaten with pleasure. AndI can always bake more!

Lingonberry Cheesecake

Base
2 large eggs
100 ml granulated sugar
200 ml self-raising flour
50 g butter, melted
25 ml cream

Filling
150 g Cream Cheese
3 eggs
50 ml cream
100 ml granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
150 g lingonberries

1. Preheat oven to 175C / 350F and grease and flour a Ø 20 cm cake pan.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.
3. Fold in flour together with melted butter and cream.
4. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for 15  minutes.
5. Mix together all ingredients for the filling and pour on the cake base.
6. Put the cake back in the oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until the filling is set.

Cake #103 - Confused Santa


Tuesday Humour Cake - Confused Santa.

I am not a great fan of cake pans with a specific shape like this Santa as I find them quite limiting - a Santa is a Santa is a Santa - but when I saw this pan at TK Maxx and it was only 5.99€ (and I do not have any Christmassy cake pans) I thought I would buy it and see if it is of any use. More than once, that is.

And I did come up with something at least.

Like all dull people know there is no one and only Santa in the world so I get the freedom to dress the Santa different ways - like wearing boxer shorts with pink hearts. Be aware - you never know where the inspiration for the next Santa cake will come from. 

Oh, if you happen to wonder where the inspiration for this Santa came from, it is just imagination. It is.

Wednesday 10 December 2014

Cake #102 - Lime and Poppy Seed Cake


Monday Mood Cake - Lime and Poppy Seed Cake.

Poppy seeds reflect the dozens (hundreds and thousands) things I want and plan to do by Christmas. Better not even try to count them. Just take reasonable-sized bites one at a time and remember there is only one Lime.

This turned out a very refreshing cake indeed! Effortless recipe and affordable ingredients, especially when you buy (bulk) poppy seeds in oriental shops and avoid over-prized top-brand ones. 

You can find the recipe for this cake here. I used limes instead of lemons.

Cake #101 - Spicy Advent Cake


Sunday Traditional Cake - Spicy Advent Cake aka Revamped Spicy Christmas Cake.

With this cake I am again back to my favourite warm spices - ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger and cloves. 

Traditionally this cake is baked in a bundt cake pan and served plain, but this time I have made it round and decorated it with Physalis peruviana - which I have always found a fascinating fruit. It is beautiful and it is versatile as it goes well with both sweet and savoury cakes and dishes.

I find the various names for the fruit and etymology behind the names fascinating, too. Physalis, Cape gooseberry, goldenberry and ground cherry are the ones I had heard before. But there is more. In Finnish the fruit, for some reason, is very often called and sold as Ananaskirsikka which translates to Pineapple Cherry. The fruit has definitely nothing to do with pineapples (well, as much as pineapples have with pines and apples, I guess) but I can easily refer to cases where people have found the taste similar to pineapple.

As a non-native English speaker I sometimes end up in funny situations if I do not know some term in English and then I hastily try to translate something from Finnish - or try to use other languages I know as a source. Or even when I know but I just cannot get it. Like simply trying to find the logic why grape and grapefruit mean two totally different things. Grapes are berries but then they are defined to be fruit, too. Could not either of them just be renamed to avoid confusion? Not that I would ever have tried to make a glass of juice by juicing just one grape, or decorate a cake with 40 grapefruits. But there is always a risk those things could happen!

Spicy Advent Cake

Sponge
3 eggs
150 ml granulated sugar
150 ml (dark) syrup
150 g butter, melted
450 ml plain flour
1,5 tsp bread soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cardamom
150 ml fresh cream

1. Preheat oven to 175C / 350F and grease and flour a Ø 20 cm cake pan.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.
3. Fold in flour, spices and bread soda together with melted butter, syrup and cream.
4. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.
5. Let the sponge cool a little before removing from pan.
6. Spread icing on top and decorate with physalis (or other decorations of your choice).

Icing
150 g cream cheese
100 g soft butter
300 g icing sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Beat all ingredients together but do not over mix as the icing will get too runny. (should this happen, add more icing sugar and place in fridge to set for an hour before spreading on cake)

Cake #100 - Sandwich Cake


Savoury Saturday Cake - Scandinavian Style Sandwich Cake with Smoked Salmon and Prawns.

Cake #100. Already. How time flies when you enjoy what you do.

I have never had a project plan for any of my 365 Cakes / 365 Days cakes. Thoughts and ideas, yes, but each and every cake have developed in my head usually during the very day I have made them. Sometimes it has been an ingredient I have based my choice of cake on, sometimes it has been a more or less brilliant idea or inspiration - or just pure perspiration. 

And I am letting the fun continue like this. During this cold season I do not even expect much perspiration.

***

A sandwich cake is a very Finnish (or Scandinavian) thing. At least it used to be. No party is / used to be a good party without a pompous sandwich cake - whether it is a fishy one or a meaty one.

Making a sandwich cake is not really baking (unless you bake the bread yourself) so unfortunately I do not have a recipe for this as such. I just compiled the cake of slices of toast (both white and brown, crust removed), spread cream cheese mixed with chopped pickled cucumber and smoked salmon on the bread, piled the slices into the shape of a cake, and then topped it with cream cheese. After all, it is mainly about the decorations which on this cake were smoked salmon, prawns, cherry tomatoes and fresh dill. I could have used ham instead of salmon and prawns. I could have used olives and liver pate in the filling. It is important, though, that the filling is at least a little moist.

What comes to a sandwich cake, all choices are yours. Just do not think it is complicated - it is like making your favourite sandwich triple-sized and decorating it festively.

Monday 8 December 2014

Cake #99 - Rainbow


Rainbow Cake to celebrate the Finnish Parliament approving same-sex marriage on Friday, 28th November, 2014, as the 20th country in the world.

Hurray!

The recipe for this cake is from here.




Cake #98 - Irish Winter Cats


Thursday Cat Theme Cake - Irish Winter Cats.

Gingerbread Cheesecake with Shortbread Cookies Covered with Milk Chocolate.

I love mixing together ground cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, ginger and cloves, and spicing cakes with that combination which is warm, earthy, cosy, welcoming and Christmassy, too.

My younger daughter loves mixing together cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, cardamom pods, fresh ginger, bay leaves and orange slices to cook a lovely fragranced simmering pot for Christmas. She pours the liquid into beautiful little jars which she places all around the house for us to enjoy the fragrance and for the cats to knock over.

So on lazy days and busy days, on good days and bad days, on sunny days and grey days - let there always be spices to taste and to smell as it brings harmony and warmth. Just remember to hold your cats tight. Your ginger coloured cat may not want to smell like ginger, too.


The recipe for the shortbread pastry is from here. As you can see above, the first cookies kind of expanded so I had to add some more flour to get the right consistency. The proper final cookies I covered with milk chocolate before sticking them onto the cake.

Note to self: Always bake a test cookie in the oven before making and baking a larger batch! There are differences between plain flour A (used in the original recipe) and plain flour B (you are using) no matter how carefully you weigh and measure your ingredients. Ovens are different, too.


Irish Winter Cats
Gingerbread Cheesecake with Shortbread Cookies Covered with Milk Chocolate.

Base
2 large eggs
100 ml granulated sugar
150 ml self-raising flour
50 g butter, melted
25 ml cream
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground nutmeg
½ tsp ground cardamom

Filling
200 g cream Cheese
3 eggs
50 ml cream
100 ml granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
50 g raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 175C / 350F and grease and flour a Ø 20 cm cake pan.
2. Beat eggs and sugar until white and fluffy.
3. Fold in flour together with spices, raisins, melted butter and cream.
4. Pour into pan and bake in the oven for 15  minutes.
5. Mix together all ingredients for the filling and pour on the cake base.
6. Put the cake back in the oven and bake another 15-20 minutes until the filling is set.
7. Let cool before removing from pan and decorating.
8. Place shortbread cats and Christmas trees on top of the cake and sprinkle with a little icing sugar. The Irish winter cats do not usually get very snowy... 

Cake #97 - Lemon Polenta Cake


Wednesday Natural Ingredient / Healthy Cake - Lemon Polenta Cake of Unwaxed Lemons.

Fallon & Byrne is my absolute favourite food browsing shop in Dublin. I say browsing because most of the stuff they sell is very expensive and I hardly can buy anything I would like to buy. So I browse instead. (And drool.) Every now and then I do buy something little - or something special for some special occasion.

For example.

Unwaxed lemons. Perfect for baking and cooking when you need to grate the rind, too.

Chanterelles. When they happen to be fresh.

Fresh artichokes. When it is the season they are good and affordable.

Veal. Good quality. For Vitello Tonnato a few times a year.

Raspberry vinegar. For cooking and baking.

Escargots. The whole family loves them and this is the only shop in Dublin I have been able to buy them. Except last time I went there they did not have any cans at all!

And many other seldom needed groceries. If I bump into a new recipe I want to try and there is some ingredient I know I will not find in my usual shops, Fallon & Byrne is the place where I go first. 

If I am not lucky I can at least get some unwaxed lemons for 70c each and bake a cake.


Click here for the recipe.