Jess Murphy

Kai Restaurant, Galway

Jess Murphy is chef/owner of Kai Restaurant in Galway.

“For Christmas, I always cook turkey and ham – otherwise I’d be in big trouble! I make sure the ham is cooked the night before so I just need to add the glaze and bake on the day. Another good tip? Buy your dessert off someone local! It always takes the stress away. Each year, I buy a gorgeous sherry trifle from Cafe Rua (in Castlebar, Co Mayo). It comes in a glass bowl so you can always lie and say you made it yourself! If you want to make something special, this no-churn ice cream takes no time to make and tastes like a million bucks.”

No-churn passionfruit and limoncello ice cream

Jess Murphy's delicious Passionfruit and Limoncello No-Churn Ice Cream. \ Jess Murphy

For the curd:

200g ripe passionfruit pulp

3 large eggs

250g golden caster sugar

140g butter, diced

2 tbsp cornflour

For the ice cream:

150g icing sugar

125ml limoncello

600ml cream

200g sweetened condensed milk

300g passionfruit curd (from above)

To serve:

passionfruit pulp

waffle cones

chocolate flakes (all optional)

  • 1 Pulse the passionfruit pulp in a food processor to loosen it up. Add the pulp to a sieve and push it through into a saucepan, to separate the pulp from the seeds.
  • 2 Add the eggs, sugar, butter and cornflour to the pulp in the saucepan and set over very low heat. Stir constantly until thickened; about ten minutes.
  • 3 Remove from heat and cool completely.
  • 4 Make the ice cream: place the limoncello and icing sugar in a bowl; stir to dissolve. Add the cream and whip the mixture to soft peaks before folding in the condensed milk.
  • 5 Add some of this mixture to a freezer-safe bowl and layer with the passionfruit curd to create a rippled effect.
  • 6 Freeze overnight and enjoy on a waffle cone with chocolate and more passionfruit curd.

    • Christmas at Kai:

    Kai has reopened for lunch and dinner service as restrictions eased, but they will close again on 23 December so their staff can go home to their families. “We have people from all over working here, so it’s important for me to let them go home,” Jess says. “We have a week off and then we open again for New Year’s Eve.”

    Dermot Gannon

    The Old Convent, Clogheen, Co Tipperary

    Dermot Gannon and his wife Christine at the Old Convent. \ Claire Jeanne Nash

    “My wife, Christine, is American, so we celebrate Thanksgiving in November. It’s fairly close to Christmas, so for Christmas this year we’ll opt for beef from Ballykeefe Distillery (Co Kilkenny). They feed their cattle the spent grain from making the whiskey. Irish beef is excellent anyway, but this is the best beef I’ve had.”

    Christmas leftovers sandwich

    “The only reason Christine likes Thanksgiving dinner is for the sandwiches the next day! They must have tinned cranberry sauce, plenty of mayonnaise, American-style stuffing, turkey and nice crusty bread. This beer bread is actually her grandmother’s recipe; it’s easy to prepare, full of flavour and makes the best Christmas leftovers sandwich.”

    3-2-1 Beer Bread

    Dermot's 3-2-1 Beer Bread makes a great Christmas leftovers sandwich. \Janine Kennedy

    3 (500g) heaped cups self-raising flour

    2 tbsp sugar

    1 can (250ml) of light beer

    pinch of sea salt

  • 1 Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
  • 2 Pour into a greased loaf tin.
  • 3 Bake for one hour at 180°C.

  • 4 Remove from oven, place on wire rack and cool for one hour before slicing.

    • Christmas at The Old Convent:

    The Old Convent will close for Christmas and reopen on 30 December for five nights. “After that, we’ll stay closed until we know more about the situation in the new year,” Dermot says.

    Catherine Fulvio

    Ballyknocken House and Cookery School, Co Wicklow

    Chef Catherine Fulvio. \ Philip Doyle

    “On Christmas Eve, I’ll be prepping my sprouts, peeling potatoes (keep them in cold water or even par-boil them), preparing my roast veggies, and I’m definitely making my stuffing on Christmas Eve. Remember: cooking stuffing separately can help reduce the overall cooking time of your turkey. Finally, by the time it comes to dessert, I’m pretty pooped! I make sure I have my ready-made custard and whipped cream in the fridge at the ready.”

    Catherine’s Mincemeat Tart

    Catherine's Christmas Tart. \ Harry Weir

    Makes a rectangle 20cm × 30cm

    For the fruit mince:

    1 large pear, peel and finely diced

    1 pink lady or golden delicious apple, peel and finely diced

    100g butter

    80g soft dark brown sugar

    120g raisins

    100g sultanas

    3 tbsp candied mixed fruit peel

    1 tsp cinnamon

    3 tbsp rum or port

    4 tbsp water

    For the pastry:

    350g plain flour, sifted

    Pinch of salt

    200g chilled unsalted butter, diced

    2 egg yolks, beaten (you may not use all)

    Egg wash, to glaze

    To serve:

    Icing sugar, to dust

    Bailey’s cream, to serve

  • 1 To make the fruit filling, combine all the ingredients in a medium-size saucepan and heat on low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  • 2 Make the pastry: place flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and rub until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
  • 3 Mix in the egg yolk to form a soft pastry – it should not be too damp.
  • 4 Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.
  • 5 Preheat the oven to 190°C. Line a baking tray with parchment.
  • 6 Cut ¼ from the pastry and set aside. Dust a work surface with flour.
  • 7 Roll the larger pastry portion thinly into a rectangle shape. Transfer onto the parchment lined tray.
  • 8 Crimp the edge of the pastry.
  • 9 Spread the fruit mince filling onto the pastry; leaving a 1cm edge all the way around.
  • 10 Brush the edge with egg wash. Roll out the smaller portion of pastry and cut out small stars.
  • 11 Place the stars on the fruit mince; brush with egg wash.
  • 12 Bake for 18-20 minutes until light golden brown.
  • 13 Once cooled, dust with icing sugar and serve with fresh cream.

    • Christmas at Ballyknocken House:

    Catherine’s cookery school has gone virtual, just in time for Christmas. She is offering her new Cracking Christmas Course (€49) which has a good balance of practical and inspirational recipes.