Neven Maguire: some flippin’ divine choices

A couple of weeks ago, the restaurant was packed with people celebrating Valentine’s Day and we had such a great night. As I’ve mentioned before, and as has been happening in recent years, there were lots of tables of four – couples on a double date, and groups of good friends enjoying each other’s company. It’s really lovely to see.

For the special occasion, we put on a slightly different tasting menu with the venison, Thornhill duck and turbot dishes all proving very popular. But you know the real winner will always be something chocolatey.

Needless to say, many of our guests (and, okay, me too) enjoyed the warm chocolate fondant with sea salt and caramel for dessert. Like I said, it was a great night, and I trust all of our guests had an enjoyable meal.

Valentine’s Day got me thinking: as a chef, I hardly ever get to celebrate something on the same day as everyone else. Now, that is just the life of a chef – we are working so that everyone else can enjoy their celebrations with a nice meal – and I really can’t complain. I very much love my work and could not imagine doing anything else. And what’s more, I know how lucky I am to be able to do what I enjoy.

Come to think of it, the chefs I know all seem to love their work too.

But I digress – the closest I came to a Valentine’s Day celebration was our usual Sunday lunch with the family and Amelda’s father – and we all thoroughly enjoyed it as we always do. I sort of consider our Sunday lunches to be the centre of my week, and I always miss it if I am away working, as is occasionally the case.

Maybe I was feeling a bit sorry for missing Valentine’s Day, but last weekend I had a treat in store for Amelda and the kids. People have been telling me that since we recorded our RTÉ Christmas programmes in the Cashel Palace Hotel, I haven’t been able to stop talking about it. I just loved our few days there and feel they really offer the best of Irish hospitality.

So, for mid-term, I took Amelda and the children there for a short stay and it was so enjoyable. With my work, I often get to stay and eat in a lot of different places – the Cashel Palace is definitely one of the best.

Pancake Tuesday

Now that we’re back to reality, we’re looking forward to Pancake Tuesday (also known as Shrove Tuesday). We all enjoy having our pancakes on the day, as I’m sure is the same in the households of the Irish Farmers Journal readers. This week, I’m offering two recipes: one savoury and one sweet.

Savoury pancakes make a great meal at any time of the day, and at any time of the year. They are the perfect late breakfast on the weekend or on a day off from work. In this recipe, I love the combination of ham and cheese. Sometimes, I add a dollop of pesto to the crêpe batter, or maybe some sundried tomatoes.

Some people like a smoked cheese, and this recipe also works well with a good mature cheddar. You often see crêpes like these cooked to order by stallholders in the touristy areas of Paris, and they are very popular. The key to making great pancakes is to use a good quality non-stick pan. Make sure it’s on medium heat, but not too hot.

For these American-style pancakes, I like to use self-raising flour as it gives a nice, light and fluffy pancake. Again, though, if the heat is too high, you will have burnt pancakes on the outside and raw batter on the inside. Keep the heat steady.

The buttermilk in this recipe adds a nice acidity and freshness. Instead of bananas, I sometimes use mango or whichever berries that might be in season. These are great ‘instant’ pancakes and you can make the batter in the time it takes to heat the frying pan.

Ingredients: Serves 4–8

24 asparagus spears

8 eggs

450g Swiss cheese, such as Gruyère or Emmental, thinly sliced

8 slices of cooked ham

1 tbsp olive oil

For the crêpes:

100g plain flour

1 egg

300ml milk

Sunflower oil, for frying

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 Sift the flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the egg and whisk with a balloon whisk.

2 Gradually beat in the milk, drawing in the flour from the sides to make a smooth batter. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.

3 Trim the asparagus spears and blanch in a pan of boiling water for 1–2 minutes, until almost tender but still with a slight bite. Drain and then refresh the asparagus under cold running water to prevent it from cooking any further. Set aside until needed.

4 Heat some oil in an 18cm heavy-based pancake or frying pan. Pour in just enough batter to thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook over a moderately high heat for about 1 minute, until golden brown.

5 Turn or toss the crêpe and break in an egg, then gently whisk to spread it evenly all over the crêpe. Season to taste.

6 Add a layer of cheese to half of the crêpe and allow it to melt for 30–60 seconds. Top with a slice of ham and flip in half, then flip into quarters and keep warm in a low oven, loosely covered with foil, while cooking the rest of the crêpes. This mixture should make 8 ham, cheese and egg crêpes.

7 To finish the asparagus, heat a cast-iron griddle pan until smoking hot. Toss the blanched asparagus spears in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add to the griddle pan and quickly sear on both sides, until heated through and lightly charred.

8 Arrange the ham, cheese and egg crêpe on warmed plates with the griddled asparagus. Serve at once and enjoy.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

100g self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

1 large egg

6 tbsp buttermilk

Butter, for frying

Sunflower oil, for frying

2 large bananas, sliced

4 tsp maple syrup

Icing sugar, to dust

For the vanilla and lime yogurt:

4 tbsp vanilla yogurt

Finely grated rind of ½ lime

1 Place the vanilla yogurt in a bowl and stir in the lime rind. Set aside while you make the pancakes.

2 Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Put the flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl and make a slight dip in the middle with a fork.

3 Break in the egg and add a little of the buttermilk, then beat until smooth, adding enough of the rest of the buttermilk to make a smooth, thick batter.

4 Add a knob of butter to the heated frying pan with a tiny splash of sunflower oil, then spoon in heaped tablespoons of the batter.

5 Once bubbles begin to appear on the pancakes, turn them over using a metal spatula and cook for another minute or so, until golden.

6 Arrange the pancakes on warmed plates in stacks with the sliced bananas and then drizzle over the maple syrup. Add a dollop of the vanilla and lime yogurt to each one.

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