I'm back.... As Mrs Lynch

So, the last couple of months have been crazy exciting with too much going on so the blog was put to the side. 

In April, I got a new job in Derry that I LOVE!! Whilst settling into my new job I was also planning my wedding and Conor and I got married in July!

We had such a fab day at our wedding! Everything went so well and the whole day was really relaxed.  While some people would love to get married all over again... I'm good.  We have a brilliant day but I wouldn't fancy doing all the organising again! lol.

Back to normal life now as Mrs Lynch and possibly better than before because this Mrs Lynch also has a Magimix Food Processor and a KitchenAid Mixer (Thank you Nuala, Grainne and Niamh)!! Amazing!

So for my first bake back I was keen to use my new food processor and mixer and every last inch of workspace I have in my kitchen (Conor dislikes when I do this but it's too late for him now! lol).

I made Carrot Cake.  I've always wanted to make carrot cake but the thought of grating the carrots has always put me off.  Not a problem now!  Carrot cake is one of my absolute faves - the spices, the nuts, the moist sponge and the creamy icing - amazing!

So this recipe is one of Jamie Olivers.  I made the lime mascarpone icing too and... I don't know if it is really necessary.  I think next time I might make it without the lime.

Ingredients

For the Cake

250g unsalted butter, softened

250g light brown soft sugar

5 large eggs, separated

1 orange, zest and juice

170g self-raising flour, sifted

1 slightly heaped teaspoon of baking powder

100g ground almonds

100g shelled walnuts

1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pinch nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

250g carrots, coarsely grated

sea salt

For the Icing

100g mascarpone cheese

200g full fat cream cheese

85g icing sugar

2 limes, zest and juice

Method

1. Preheat over to 180C / Gas Mark 4.

2. Prep your cake tin - grease and line a 22cm round tin.

3. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy.  You can do this by hand or if you are trying to use new gadgets, you can do it in a food processor!

4. Beat the egg yolks into the creamy butter one at a time and then add the orange zest and juice.

5.  Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder, almonds, walnuts, spices and carrots.

At this point, stuff got messy!! Yes, i have a fancy food processor and mixer but what I don't have is a big mixing bowl... My medium bowl was at capacity but I managed... Then it got worse!

6. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of sea salt until stiff and then fold gently into the cake mix.

Cake mix everywhere!! This was difficult as my bowl was too small.  The bowl was a mess, the counter was a mess, my hands were a mess... it was all pretty messy! (I should have taken a photo at this stage for giggles!).  I also think I wasn't gentle enough in folding the egg whites in which  meant the cake wasn't as light as it should have been.  Lesson for the future! 

7. Pour the cake mix into the cake tins and pop into the oven for around 50 mins.  My cake needed another 10 mins in the oven.  Just put a skewer into the middle of the cake to make sure it is cooked through.  Once cooked let it chill.

8. Put all the ingredients for the icing into a bowl and mix well.  Once the cake has cooled completely, spread over the top of the cakes and if you like, sprinkle a some of the walnuts on top.

I got good feedback from this bake, although Conor didn't like the creamy icing.  My work colleagues loved it and so did I!

Dinner Party Perfection - Coq Au Vin

I love entertaining and having people up for dinner.  I wouldn't say I'm a confident host or that I excel in anyway in this role but I try.  I love having people for dinner as it allows me to try make something really tasty and special.  So in the immediate excitement of having people for dinner, I get totally carried away and dream about producing a dinner that is super complicated, super out-there and that in real life, would be impossible for me to do at this stage.  Once I have calmed down and I realistically plan out my meal, a main like this is always ideal as it is simple yet still delicious and special enough to serve for a dinner party.

As I said, I am probably not a confident host yet so I am all about reducing stress by getting the gist of the meal prepared in advance and making a dish that is easy for me to time out.  One pan oven dishes are perfect for these occasions.  Pop it in the oven.  Set a timer before adding any finishing touches. That means the only thing you have left to organise is your side dishes and I have a great Sous Chef to help me with this.

I have made this Coq Au Vin a couple of times and while it might not look like much in the picture below, it tastes beautiful.  I really do love it.  I also think it looks quite impressive to serve.  While I make this for entertaining, I also think it is a handy dinner for a Sunday but if it is just for Conor and I, I'll make a few swaps (onion for shallots for instance).

This recipe is from Bill Granger and i promise, it is beautiful and easy!  I served with mashed potatoes, veg and a big glass of wine.

Ingredients

1.5kg chicken, jointed

150g diced bacon or lardons

10 french shallots

A few thyme sprigs

1 rosemary sprig

1 tsp dried chilli flakes

3 tbsp olive oil

250ml white wine

small knob butter

350g mixed mushrooms

3 garlic cloves, crushed

Method

Pre-heat oven to 220C / Gas Mark 7.  Put the chicken pieces into a large roasting tin.  Scatter the diced bacon, shallots, thyme, rosemary and dried chilli flakes over the chicken pieces and then season with salt and pepper. 

Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over the contents of the roasting tin and place into the oven to bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes and once the chicken has been roasted, add the white wine to the roasting tin and return to the oven for 20 - 25 mins.

How easy is this recipe??

In a large frying pan, add the remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter.  Once the butter has melted and is foaming, add the mushrooms and garlic.  Fry for 3 - 5 minutes then pour the garlic mushroom mix into the roasting tin.

Finish with a scattering of fresh parsley if you have any.  Serve with creamy mash and veg. 

I love this recipe because the main meal roasts away in the oven whilst you work away preparing your creamy mash potatoes and your preferred veg.  Perfect for when you are entertaining as it doesn't put you under too much pressure!

Easter Lemon Curd Pavlova

Pavlova - The fail safe dessert for my nearly in-laws!

My mum is the Queen of pavlovas!! There I said it. She has many varieties including one with cream and tinned cherries - Cherries on a Cloud and a pavlova roll that is filled with cream and pineapple chunks.  Immense.  Pavlova has always been a fave with my family and it turns out that Pavlova is a fail safe dessert for my nearly in-laws too.

With my mum - The Pavlova Queen

My future father in-law is quite particular when it comes to food. The most remarkable thing for me is that he doesn't like butter.... Really though.  Who doesn't like butter?  This means that most of my fave desserts are a no-go, even if you do make them with margarine (which he does eat!). And so it is - pavlova is my go-to.

I made this Pavlova for Mother's Day at Conor's mum's house and it went down a treat. I also made it for Easter last year. The original recipe is from Mary Berry and where Mary made her Lemon Curd - I cheated and bought some this time.  So this Pavlova is really easy peasy!

One I made earlier - Easter 2015

Ingredients

6 Free Range Egg Whites

350g Caster Sugar

2 Tsp White Wine Vinegar

2 Level Tsp Cornflour

Good Quality Lemon Curd

Double cream

Mini Eggs

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160C / Gas Mark 3.  Prepare the baking tray by lining it with baking paper and drawing a 25cm circle on it.

Put the egg whites into a clean bowl and using an electric hand-mixer or a free-standing mixer, whisk on high speed until the the egg whites are stiff.  While still mixing, gradually add the sugar to the mixture. Add a tablespoon at a time until the mixture is thick and glossy and can stand in peaks.

Now for the test - tip the bowl upside down over your head.  If it doesn't fall out on top of you then you're doing well!!  If it does, you've just made a mighty mess and your pavlova is not right.... Do not let this define you.  You are more than your pavlova. 

In a cup, combine the cornflour and white wine vinegar and mix until smooth.  Stir this into the meringue mix.

Using a bit of the meringue mix in each corner, stick the baking paper on to the baking tray.  Put half of the meringue mix onto the baking sheet and spread it around to fill out the circle.  Next put the remaining meringue mix into a piping bag with a rose piping nozzle and pipe nests onto the top of your meringue.  

Mary Berry aims to put 10 nests onto the top of her meringue, I think I just put around 8 on it as my meringue was slightly smaller.  You can see from my photos that I have decorated this differently a couple of times so freestyle if you like.  Also, if you don't have a piping bag/nozzle you could maybe make a bigger pavlova or maybe make some smaller meringues that you could use later in a lovely Eton Mess. The great thing about Pavlova is that once you have the method sorted to this point, you can finish the pavlova whatever way you like!

Place the baking tray into the oven and turn the heat down to 150c / Gas mark 2.  Bake in the oven for 1hour.  After this time, check it regularly to ensure that it develops a pale creamy colour.

Mary Berry keeps hers in the oven for 1.5 hours to 2 hours but I like my pavlova to be lightly crispy on the outside and marshmallowy on the inside rather than crisp throughout so I have reduced the cooking time. 

As Mary is Queen, she makes her own lemon curd and candied lemon zest. Of course she does! I love lemon curd and I use it quite a lot in my baking but I just bought mine.  Buy a good quality lemon curd if possible.

Remove the pavlova from the oven and leave to cool.  Once cool, carefully peel the baking paper off the bottom of the pavlova.  I did this by separating the pavlova from the baking paper around the sides first then, with a plate ready, slide the pavlova onto the plate whilst removing the remaining baking paper. 

Whisk double cream until thick and then swirl the lemon curd in through this. 

In the pavlova pictured below, I put a layer of lemon curd over the pavlova then put the cream on top rather than swirling the lemon curd through the cream.  I think I prefer swirling the lemon curd through the cream as it is a little too much the other way.

I like to add a handful of marshmallows to the pavlova before adding the lemon curd cream.  This is totally optional.  I just do it for a little extra yumminess!

Add the lemon curd cream to the middle of the pavlova and if you can, put some into the little nests also.  Pop around 3 mini eggs into each of the nests or decorate as you like!  Your Easter Lemon Pavlova is complete.

Mother's Day 2016

Ready for my close up

About Me

Welcome to my food blog - My name is Megan and I am a major food lover, a cookbook obsessive but also a home cook.  Food makes me so happy! And I want to share this happiness with everyone.  I want to record my favourite recipes from cooking shows, websites and my beloved cookbooks and the idea is to buy the food locally and make something yummy, simple but special - if I can make it, so can you! While I have always had a keen interest in cooking and baking, I have received zero training so I’m very much a home cook but I hope to get in contact with local bakers and chefs to showcase what the North West of Northern Ireland has to offer.  Yes, there are great things happening in Belfast but don't forget about us up here!!! 

I am fortunate to live on the edge of the beautiful wild Sperrins outside a small village called Feeny.  I love living here - the air is clean and fresh, I have family all around and it’s a beautiful place to live.

I lived in Belfast for 6 years as I studied for an Undergrad and PhD in Linguistics. While my culinary journey was not an inspiring one in my undergraduate years (Chicken Fajitas anyone?), I became spoilt by the variety of brunch destinations, coffee shops and markets that I had in such close proximity throughout those years. Having lived in Feeny for over a year now, it is the access to all those lovely food places that a foodie like me has missed the most!  However, with every downside comes an opportunity and while I mainly bought cookbooks to admire and dream about, now I am making a conscious effort to use them and to try and make all the yummy food that I have missed so dearly in my own kitchen with ingredients that I can buy locally.  Some of these work out, others do not (my burritos were NOT good - Boojum is safe for now) but I'd like to share with you all of these successes and maybe some failures because we are all human!

Feel free to get in touch with me and give me some feedback or ideas.  You can also connect with me on social media.  I really can’t wait to hear from you and will try my best to reply within a couple of days.  

Blueberry and Cinnamon Scones

While I am a major foodie (like the kind of person who daydreams about dinner at breakfast), I am also quite health conscious.  I love fruit and vegetables and trying to make yummy food that is also quite clean and lean.  This is not one of those recipes.  Whilst a member of Million Dollar Fitness, Derry (amazing!), Dee asked the question ‘If you had to name your child after your favourite food, what would it be?’ and at the time I couldn’t think.  Chocolate? Yea, I like chocolate but not enough to name a child after it. Crisps? No. Cookies? Close.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  Then when on a particularly strong clean eating streak it came to me. 

I would have to name my child SCONE.  The second child would then have to be pancake.

I love all bread but scones and pancakes really have my heart.  With this in mind, the first recipe for my blog had to be one of the two.  This particular recipe comes from Avoca’s Café Cookbook 2.

In this cookbook, Avoca suggest using any berries but my love for blueberries is endless so it was only going one way for me.

Ingredients

450g flour, plus more for dusting

50g Caster Sugar

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

quarter teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of salt

110g butter, cubed

1 egg

200ml milk

blueberries

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 200C / gas mark 6.  In a bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.  

With your fingertips, rub the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a mixture that resembles dry breadcrumbs.  Add the egg, blueberries and the milk - just enough milk to moisten the mixture and bring it together.  You want the mix to be quite dry.

Mix well until you have a soft doughy texture that's not too moist.

Gather your mixture together into a ball and roll it onto a lightly floured surface.  

Lightly roll the dough to a depth of 1.5cm for small scones or 3cm for large scones and cut out using a 3-5cm or a 7cm cutter.

Ok, at this step I ran into a little bit go bother as the only cutters I had were heart-shaped - not ideal.  So I had to do a mad search of the kitchen to find something to cut out my lovely scones.  My niece's water beaker was the only substitute I could find.  This just meant that I had to keep a closer eye on them as they baked.  The guidelines here are from the Avoca book.

Place scones onto a baking tray and bake in the pre-heated oven for 10 - 12mins for the smaller scones or 18 - 20mins for larger scones or until cooked.

These were so quick and easy to put together and I felt like a bit of a legend having these ready for breakfast on a Sunday morning - Conor was impressed too!