Saturday night dinner at home

I am usually very enthusiastic about going out for dinner. Yesterday, however, the weather was against us and the non-stop pouring rain and crazy wind made the alternative of staying home and planning a cooking session quite attractive.

Since I spend most of my time thinking about food and perusing cooking blogs in search of inspiring recipes, I had plenty of inspiration for dinner.

For starters, I prepared goat cheese and caramelised onions tartlets. I have a confession to make though; I didn’t bake the puff pastry myself. It is one of these challenges I have on my baking to-do list but it seems quite time-consuming and I would rather save it for a quiet afternoon when I don’t have to think about presenting my fiancé with a three-course meal. I have to say as well that you can find fantastic store-bought ready-rolled pastries in Ireland (they actually taste better, richer and more buttery than the ones in France, as much as it kills me to admit it).

So, here is how I proceeded. After cutting two small rectangular shapes in the pastry and poking it with a fork, I brushed it with a mix of egg yolk and milk to give it that nice golden colour. I then popped it in the pre-heated oven (180 fan oven) for about 10 minutes just to make sure it wouldn’t get the dreaded soggy bottom and layered it with caramelised onions and slices of goat cheese. It would go back in the oven at the last minute long enough for the cheese to start melting and gently colour on the top and then be served with cracked black pepper and a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar. Yum!! The combination of the buttery and flaky puff pastry with the rich fondant cheese is such a simple but gratifying treat and I never get tired of the contrast between the sweetness of the onions and the saltiness of the balsamic.

A pasta dish followed these easy starters. I had in the fridge some porcini and truffle ravioli that looked incredible and were going to run out of date. I decided to serve them with scattered pulled ham hock, a drizzle of truffle oil to enhance the flavours of the ravioli and of course, some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This was the perfect option for a last-minute dinner and yet such refined and enticing flavours. I am a sucker for truffles; I simply adore their potent and intriguing taste and have been using a lot of my truffle oil recently, with pasta, oven cooked Parmesan chips, Parma ham and wild mushrooms risotto etc. I believe it can instantly transform an ordinary dish into something fabulous. I apologise for the absence of pictures but the pasta smelled so ravishingly good and looked so tantalising that we both had clean plates in the blink of an eye and before I could remember to take any photos: whoops…

Finally, for dessert, I had prepared the day before a vanilla cheesecake with a twist. I am not the biggest fan of cheesecakes. I tend to find the oven baked ones quite heavy and stodgy and the no-bake alternatives always seem to require a discouragingly long list of ingredients and a very very long refrigeration time and yet somehow never really set completely. Still, I love challenges and trying new things, plus my fiancé kept begging me for a cheesecake so after reading about a hundred different recipes on Pinterest (I officially am a Pinterest addict, of the baking/cooking section anyway) I mixed three of them hoping for the best and decided to create my dream version of a cheesecake: crushed shortbreads base instead of the digestive one, vanilla filling made of cream cheese, heavy whipped cream with some diluted gelatine (just for safety), and liquid vanilla as well as roughly chopped shortbread biscuits and a lot of chocolate chips because everything tastes better with chocolate! The result was surprisingly good. The cheesecake was perfectly set (the combination of letting it to set overnight in the fridge and adding gelatine to the cream cheese mix definitely worked for me); it literally slipped out of my spring form pan. I had just placed a sheet of baking paper at the bottom, letting large bands of paper come out of the mould in order to easily transfer the cake to a plate and it did the trick, none of that messy business I was dreading! I have to say I really enjoyed the contrast of textures between the smooth creamy filling, the crunchy chocolate chips and the fondant shortbreads bits. This experience convinced me and I will be trying other cheesecake recipes, after all, the combinations are infinite and you can use any of your favourite snacks, biscuits, chocolate bars and even sweets if you have as a sweet tooth as I do!

The Woodworkers - Bradbury Place - Belfast

As we were heading to The House Pub for our dinner a couple of weeks ago, Damien and I walked past that new bar called The Woodworkers, just beside Lavery’s. We were both very keen to come back and try it as it is a beer bar and there is not that many of them in Belfast.

A cold and wet Sunday evening seemed the perfect opportunity to go there and cheer ourselves up with a couple of fancy pints.

I must admit that I immediately loved the concept and the character of the place. The space was fantastic with its high ceilings and hanging lights. The way you could choose between confortable cushiony benches, high bar stools or just stand up but rest your drink on small wooden shelves was brilliant. The music was great and even if it was not as packed on a Sunday night, as it was the previous time we noticed it, there was a great atmosphere about it, quite trendy but also very laid back and relaxed. From my point of view, there was definitely a strong hipster vibe to it, which was quite cool.

We had just come in looking for a couple of drinks in the first place but the gorgeous smell of food made us feel peckish quite rapidly and we couldn’t resist having a look at the menu. Comfort food, hearty food, we were quick to decide on what we wanted to order and both choose The steak and Guinness burgers from a long and very creative list of delicious goods. I was also tempted by the Scooby Snack, another very appealing burger and would have probably ordered if the combination of Guinness and blue cheese was not so tempting.

We sipped at our drinks impatiently waiting for the food to be served. Damien had a pale ale that tasted delicious, picked from an extensive list of intriguing beers.

We were literally drooling when we saw our plates arrive. The burgers came in buttery brioche buns topped with crispy salad and fresh tomato, crumbly blue cheese, the best onion rings I ever had and a scrumptiously crispy generous serving of bacon. The patties were tender and full of flavours. The only downfall of these otherwise fantastic meals were the chips, slightly undercooked which was a bit of a shame but since they were clearly home made they had a fondant texture that compensate the lack of cooking. They came with a blue cheese dip that was a real treat and a nice change from the usual garlic mayonnaise or tomato relish. On top of that you had the option to order some fancy dips such as honey-mustard mayo, sweet balsamic or spicy mayo. I will definitely try one of those next time. I love a good burger and these ones were a 10 out of 10, well deserved considering the quality of the ingredients, the creativity of flavours and the presentation!

We also caught a glimpse of some gorgeous looking sweet potato fries and the very exciting Scooby Snack and now there is no doubt that we will be back for seconds. A reasonable price for fantastic food and a great atmosphere, I recommend The Woodworkers without any hesitation!

The House - Stranmillis Road - Belfast

Time to catch up on my blog posts. No dry January for me as there is no way I would enjoy a good meal without a glass of wine! However, Christmas has definitely been tough so I am now on the look out for some new food venues that would agree with this month tight budget.

Damien offered to try The House, a small pub in Stranmillis. It turned out to be exactly what we were looking for, cheap and cheerful and a fantastic atmosphere.

We had a late booking on a Saturday night and the place was already busy when we arrived. The waitress guided us past the bar area to our table, at the corner of a fireplace. It was so cosy and comfortable with the cushiony bench and the roaring fire.

The menu was short and sweet. Damien ordered the duck and roast potatoes and I chose the Works burger. We asked for a bottle of Chilean Chardonnay while we were waiting for our food. The music was quite low but the chatter from the bar created a nice buzz and it was an ideal set up to relax and enjoy a nice conversation.

Damien’s duck was fabulous; the breast was elegantly dressed and cooked to perfection, a beautiful shade of pink. The skin was golden and crispy and the Lyonnaises potatoes as fondant and tasty as they should be. The dish was served with a Cointreau jus that complemented the duck magically!

As for my burger, it was a real treat, the perfect comfort food for the ice-cold snowy weather we had at the time. The patty was tender, coated in deliciously melted cheese and topped with real “crispy” bacon, light and fluffy homemade onion rings and garlic mushrooms. It definitely “worked” for me; I literally couldn’t stop leaking my fingers. My burger also came with a side of gorgeous chunky chips and a dip of black pepper sauce: oh yum!

After these very satisfying main courses we couldn’t resist ordering some desserts. I just love ending up on a sweet note, so I picked the chocolate fudge cake and Damien the banofee pie. The cake was moist and smothered in a rich fudgy sauce, the kind of simple pleasure that never disappoints. 

Damien’s pie was a hit as well; sometimes there is nothing better than a well-executed classic to make your tummy happy. The pastry was flaky and buttery, like a shortbread biscuit and the caramel was so gooey, the contrast of textures was amazing.

We truly had a fantastic evening, and I have nothing but compliments, the food was really great, the service warm and efficient, the wine was good, the atmosphere festive and all this for a really reasonable cost. We will be back!

21 Social - The new menu

I have been working for the past two months on my project to open my own cake business in Belfast and it has been so intense and exciting that I got slightly delayed in my usual blog writing. Here I am though, ready to post about at least three of my most recent culinary experiences.

I will start with 21 Social. As you know, I had been there before. However, a friend, as passionate about food as I am, informed me that 21 Social had drastically changed their menu for impressively higher standards.

As Damien’s brother and partner were going to visit us, we couldn’t find a better opportunity to go back and sample the new food.

It was on a Saturday night, the restaurant was packed but the service as fast and efficient as I remembered. The menu looked incredibly appealing and full of exciting promises.

Damien and his brother started with the goat cheese fritters. These delicate crunchy bites were served with paper-thin slices of white and red beetroot and a creative seasoning that enhanced the rich flavour of the cheese. It was both surprisingly good and artistically dressed on the plate.

Stacey picked the three-way pork terrine, which came with a poached egg and a burnt applesauce. The texture of the terrine was fabulous and the egg perfectly cooked. I thought the combination of the runny yolk with the stronger taste of the terrine and the acidity of the applesauce was magical!

As for me, I had opted for the lemon and dulse crispy squid, following my friend’s recommendation. I was not disappointed, the squids were coated in light, fluffy batter and extremely tender. The nut oil seasoning was absolutely stunning and so creative. I would have never expected it to go so well with the seafood.

For the main courses, the men chose the pork belly. Again, the food was beautifully presented and equally delicious. The truffle gratin was fantastic and the cauliflower puree was perfect with the pork. The meat was fabulous, with caramelised edges and a melting in the mouth, fondant texture.

Stacey had ordered the chicken breast. I am usually not keen on chicken when I eat out. I tend to think it tastes better when it is homemade but this time, the chef proved me wrong! The breast was moist with a golden crispy skin, as it had been first poached then roasted. The same gorgeous goat cheese fritters we had had for starters and some braised gem hearts elegantly complemented the dish. I had never tasted cooked lettuce before but I really enjoyed it.

I had asked the pan-fried sea bass, which was a real epiphany. The fish was prepared on the skin and was cooked to the perfection. It came with juicy, buttery scallops served on crispy slices of black pudding: heavenly combination! There also was “cockle popcorn” and potato bread fries. Those two elements literally blew me away. The cockles had an incredible texture and were presented in such a creative way and the potato bread fries were gorgeous and such an original alternative to regular chips. Finally, the béarnaise sauce was sublime, the kind that brings you back to childhood and makes you want to lick your fingers the way you did with the chocolate cake batters leftovers in the pan.

All in all, we had a fantastic experience. We couldn’t fault the food. Everything was perfect: presentation, flavours, and originality! I would highly and confidently recommend it to anybody and I am planning on going back myself to sample more of this amazing food!