Like so many people in the food and hospitality sector, and indeed the wider community, I was very sad to hear of the passing of Gearóid Lynch last week. I had known he was not well, as he had been very open about his motor neurone disease (MND). I have known Gearóid for as long as I can remember. We met often at the Taste of Cavan, and he was always a pleasure to meet. He was universally respected and had a great sense of fun.
He was also a devoted family man. My heart goes out to Tara and their four children, Orán, Lorcan, Emma and Eoin, at this very difficult time.
Gearóid won the Euro-Toques Young Chef award in 2000 and went on to be Commissioner General of Euro-Toques Ireland later in his career. This is a very influential role in the promotion of Irish food. Before opening the Olde Post Inn in Cloverhill in 2002, with Tara at front of house, he had worked in a lot of excellent restaurants, including Le Coq Hardi and Thorntons in Dublin.
He spent time in London and then in Luxembourg working under Léa Linster the year after I did. Léa has a wonderful two-star restaurant, and I am delighted that she has remained friends with both of us over the years. All of this wealth of experience combined with his talent and enthusiasm led to the opening of the Olde Post Inn, which has received multiple awards over the years, including best restaurant in Ulster.
Together Gearóid and Tara, along with excellent staff, created one of the outstanding restaurants in Ireland, which today enjoys a very well-deserved reputation. I know that the loyal staff have been very supportive to Gearóid, Tara and family over the difficult years of his illness.
Gearóid was ahead of his time in lots of ways. When he discovered that he was coeliac a little more than a decade ago, he immediately got to work on a book. My Gluten-Free Kitchen in 2016 was one of the first of its type, and I know it is the ‘go-to’ book for a lot of people eating gluten-free. He saw the opportunity and went for it.
Gearóid was liked, admired and respected and has left us all too soon. I extend my sympathy to all of the staff in the Olde Post Inn who I know will carry on the great tradition. And I am thinking of Tara and the children that he loved so much.
Rest in peace, Gearóid.
Recipes
Today, I have two lovely afternoon treats. Tiramisu has long been one of my favourite tastes since I was first introduced to it by my sister Sharon in Covent Garden when I was a teenager. This is one of my favourite desserts. I just love the coffee taste. Do get good quality espresso for this recipe.
The dessert usually has alcohol, the little ‘pick me up’ that it is known for, but there is none in this particular recipe.
A good quality cocoa powder like Green & Blacks makes all the difference. And Dunnes own-brand cocoa powder is also excellent with that lovely bitterness.
For your cream cheese, and I often say it, you will not find better than Killowen Farm in Enniscorthy in Co Wexford.
The blueberry and lemon yoghurt loaf cake is a great recipe for children who are showing an interest in baking. It is one I made at home and enjoyed recently.
It is so easy to make and delicious to eat.
They won’t have to wait long for their reward with this great recipe which is perfect to try out over the holiday break. The Greek yoghurt has that nice tartness and tanginess that really adds to the cake. Blueberries and lemon are one of those classic combinations. You could also try this afternoon treat recipe with raspberries or blackberries.
Tiramisu chocolate squares
Ingredients: Makes 9 squares
150g plain flour
30g cocoa powder, plus extra 1 tbsp for dusting
100g butter
100g light brown sugar
2 cartons of Irish cream cheese
1 carton mascarpone cheese
2 free range corn-fed eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
50g caster sugar
4 tbsp espresso, cooled down
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). To make the biscuit base, sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the light brown sugar.
2 Using a palette knife, press an even layer into a square cake tin lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes until slightly puffed up but not coloured. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down slightly.
3 Reduce the oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas Mark 3). To make the espresso cream, put the cream cheese in a large bowl with the mascarpone, eggs, vanilla and coffee. Add the caster sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour this over the chocolate base and bake for 20-25 minutes until the espresso cream is set around the edges with a very slight wobble in the middle.
4 Leave to cool completely, then dust with the remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder. Chill for at least 2 hours and cut into 8 even slices, then arrange to serve.
Blueberry and lemon yoghurt loaf cake
Blueberry and lemon yoghurt loaf cake. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
150g unsalted butter, melted
220g caster sugar
2 corn-fed large eggs
150g authentic Greek yoghurt (10% fat)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour, sifted
125g blueberries, plus extra, to serve
Icing sugar, for dusting
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan (325°F). Lightly grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
2 Place the butter, sugar, eggs, yoghurt, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour and whisk until well combined. Fold through the blueberries and spoon into the loaf tin. Smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 1 hour.
To ensure the cake is fully cooked test with a skewer to ensure it comes out clean.
3 Allow the loaf to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and top with extra blueberries to serve.
Like so many people in the food and hospitality sector, and indeed the wider community, I was very sad to hear of the passing of Gearóid Lynch last week. I had known he was not well, as he had been very open about his motor neurone disease (MND). I have known Gearóid for as long as I can remember. We met often at the Taste of Cavan, and he was always a pleasure to meet. He was universally respected and had a great sense of fun.
He was also a devoted family man. My heart goes out to Tara and their four children, Orán, Lorcan, Emma and Eoin, at this very difficult time.
Gearóid won the Euro-Toques Young Chef award in 2000 and went on to be Commissioner General of Euro-Toques Ireland later in his career. This is a very influential role in the promotion of Irish food. Before opening the Olde Post Inn in Cloverhill in 2002, with Tara at front of house, he had worked in a lot of excellent restaurants, including Le Coq Hardi and Thorntons in Dublin.
He spent time in London and then in Luxembourg working under Léa Linster the year after I did. Léa has a wonderful two-star restaurant, and I am delighted that she has remained friends with both of us over the years. All of this wealth of experience combined with his talent and enthusiasm led to the opening of the Olde Post Inn, which has received multiple awards over the years, including best restaurant in Ulster.
Together Gearóid and Tara, along with excellent staff, created one of the outstanding restaurants in Ireland, which today enjoys a very well-deserved reputation. I know that the loyal staff have been very supportive to Gearóid, Tara and family over the difficult years of his illness.
Gearóid was ahead of his time in lots of ways. When he discovered that he was coeliac a little more than a decade ago, he immediately got to work on a book. My Gluten-Free Kitchen in 2016 was one of the first of its type, and I know it is the ‘go-to’ book for a lot of people eating gluten-free. He saw the opportunity and went for it.
Gearóid was liked, admired and respected and has left us all too soon. I extend my sympathy to all of the staff in the Olde Post Inn who I know will carry on the great tradition. And I am thinking of Tara and the children that he loved so much.
Rest in peace, Gearóid.
Recipes
Today, I have two lovely afternoon treats. Tiramisu has long been one of my favourite tastes since I was first introduced to it by my sister Sharon in Covent Garden when I was a teenager. This is one of my favourite desserts. I just love the coffee taste. Do get good quality espresso for this recipe.
The dessert usually has alcohol, the little ‘pick me up’ that it is known for, but there is none in this particular recipe.
A good quality cocoa powder like Green & Blacks makes all the difference. And Dunnes own-brand cocoa powder is also excellent with that lovely bitterness.
For your cream cheese, and I often say it, you will not find better than Killowen Farm in Enniscorthy in Co Wexford.
The blueberry and lemon yoghurt loaf cake is a great recipe for children who are showing an interest in baking. It is one I made at home and enjoyed recently.
It is so easy to make and delicious to eat.
They won’t have to wait long for their reward with this great recipe which is perfect to try out over the holiday break. The Greek yoghurt has that nice tartness and tanginess that really adds to the cake. Blueberries and lemon are one of those classic combinations. You could also try this afternoon treat recipe with raspberries or blackberries.
Tiramisu chocolate squares
Ingredients: Makes 9 squares
150g plain flour
30g cocoa powder, plus extra 1 tbsp for dusting
100g butter
100g light brown sugar
2 cartons of Irish cream cheese
1 carton mascarpone cheese
2 free range corn-fed eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
50g caster sugar
4 tbsp espresso, cooled down
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). To make the biscuit base, sieve the flour and cocoa powder into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the light brown sugar.
2 Using a palette knife, press an even layer into a square cake tin lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes until slightly puffed up but not coloured. Remove from the oven and leave to cool down slightly.
3 Reduce the oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas Mark 3). To make the espresso cream, put the cream cheese in a large bowl with the mascarpone, eggs, vanilla and coffee. Add the caster sugar and whisk until smooth. Pour this over the chocolate base and bake for 20-25 minutes until the espresso cream is set around the edges with a very slight wobble in the middle.
4 Leave to cool completely, then dust with the remaining tablespoon of cocoa powder. Chill for at least 2 hours and cut into 8 even slices, then arrange to serve.
Blueberry and lemon yoghurt loaf cake
Blueberry and lemon yoghurt loaf cake. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 6-8
150g unsalted butter, melted
220g caster sugar
2 corn-fed large eggs
150g authentic Greek yoghurt (10% fat)
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
225g self-raising flour, sifted
125g blueberries, plus extra, to serve
Icing sugar, for dusting
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 160°C Fan (325°F). Lightly grease and line a 2lb loaf tin.
2 Place the butter, sugar, eggs, yoghurt, lemon zest and vanilla in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the flour and whisk until well combined. Fold through the blueberries and spoon into the loaf tin. Smooth the top with a spatula and bake for 1 hour.
To ensure the cake is fully cooked test with a skewer to ensure it comes out clean.
3 Allow the loaf to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and top with extra blueberries to serve.
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