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Cashel Blue cheese

      1 Peel the pears, leaving the stalks in place, and remove the cores. Stand them upright in a pan large enough to fit the pears comfortably and add the lemon, orange, sugar and wine. Add a little water if the pears are not completely covered in liquid then bring to a simmer. Cook for 40–45 minutes or until the pears are completely tender. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool in the liquid for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

      2 When ready to serve, drain the poaching liquid from the pears into a small pan and simmer over a low heat until reduced by half or until thickened and syrupy.

      3 To serve, arrange the pears on four serving plates and, using a knife, cut into slices, leaving the stalks intact, then fan out the slices decoratively. Drizzle a little of the reduced syrup over each one – the remainder can be served in a small jug (pitcher) separately.

      4 Slice the Cashel Blue cheese into thick wedges and arrange decoratively on the plates with the pears.

      TIP

      A soft goat’s cheese also works very well with the pears.

      ROASTED GARLIC RISOTTO

      Many people panic at the idea of making risotto, but it is actually a very simple dish to create. The critical stage is at the addition of the stock – the best approach is to add just a little at a time and to continue tasting the rice until you are happy with its consistency.

      SERVES 6–8

      1 head of garlic, unpeeled

      Salt and cracked black pepper

      700ml/1¼ pints/3 cups chicken stock (see Chapter 5)

      25g/1oz/¼ stick butter

      2 shallots, peeled and finely diced

      ½ tsp chopped fresh thyme

      350g/12oz/generous 1½ cups Arborio (risotto) rice

      ½ glass dry white wine

      100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup pouring cream (optional)

      75g/3oz/¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve (optional)

      1 Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), Gas mark 4.

      2 Cut the garlic in half across, place in a small roasting tin and sprinkle with some salt. Roast the garlic for 35 minutes or until it has softened. Allow to cool and then squeeze all of the flesh out.

      3 Bring the chicken stock to the boil in a saucepan.

      4 Slowly melt the butter in a wide heavy-based saucepan over a low heat, add the diced shallots and thyme and cook very gently until the shallots have completely softened. Add the rice and stir well to make sure that it does not stick to the base of the pan, then cook over a low heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring constantly. This allows the rice to become glazed with the butter. Next, add the white wine and continue to stir until the wine is absorbed.

      5 Add a ladleful of the boiling stock to the rice and stir. Continue to stir and add the stock little by little and never adding the next ladle until the previous one has been absorbed. It is important not to rush this process and to continue to add all of the liquid until the rice is plump and tender.

      6 Season the risotto now with salt and pepper and stir in the roasted garlic purée. If you wish to have a nice rich and creamy risotto, add the cream and Parmesan cheese now. Adding just Parmesan will also make the risotto creamy. Serve immediately with additional Parmesan cheese, if you like.

      TIP

      It’s important to keep the chicken stock hot at all times. If the stock is allowed to cool it will make the risotto stodgy.

      BAKED EGGS WITH SPINACH AND PARMESAN

      What a lovely option for a tasty breakfast in bed! For a spicier version, try adding a little chorizo to the spinach. If you don’t want to use spinach you could use thinly sliced leeks.

      SERVES 4

      A small knob of butter

      110g/4oz/3 cups baby spinach leaves, washed and thoroughly dried

      A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

      8 eggs

      4 tbsp pouring cream

      75g/3oz/¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

      Cracked black pepper

      Well-buttered toast, to serve

      EQUIPMENT

      Four small ramekins or ovenproof dishes

      1 Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F), Gas mark 5.

      2 Begin by heating a frying pan with the butter and cooking the spinach over a high heat for about 1 minute or until the spinach has wilted. Once this has happened, sprinkle the spinach with the nutmeg – not too much, or it makes the dish very highly flavoured, which is undesirable.

      3 Transfer the spinach to a fine sieve (strainer) and allow it to drain all the excess liquid. Push the spinach with the back of a spoon if that helps.

      4 Divide the spinach among the four ramekins and then crack two eggs on top of each portion of spinach. Pour 1 tablespoon of cream over the eggs and then sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the top. Season with cracked black pepper.

      5 Put the ramekins on a flat baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the eggs have just set. Serve immediately with slices of well-buttered toast.

      DEEP-FRIED BRIE WITH PLUM CHUTNEY

      I love all types of cheese, but I love it even more when it’s cooked. This is an old-fashioned style of recipe, but it is one of my favourites that I make quite regularly as a starter (appetizer) for Sunday lunch. The tartness of the plum chutney contrasts nicely with the soft creaminess of the cheese.

      SERVES 4–6 (V)

      450g/1lb Brie

      50g/2oz/¹/₃ cup plain (all-purpose) flour

      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

      1 large egg beaten with about 100ml/3½fl oz/scant ½ cup milk

      175g/6oz/3½ cups fresh white breadcrumbs

      1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

      Vegetable or sunflower oil, for deep-frying

      Salad leaves (salad greens), to serve

      PLUM CHUTNEY

      4 plums, stoned (pitted) and diced into rough chunks

      1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored and diced

      50g/2oz/¹/₃ cup sultanas (golden raisins)

      2 tsp sunflower oil

      50g/2oz/¼ cup (solidly packed) brown sugar

      50ml/2fl oz/¼ cup red wine

      50ml/2fl oz/¼ cup red wine vinegar

      1 small cinnamon stick

      1 Begin by making the plum chutney. Place the diced plums into a large saucepan with the diced apples, sultanas and the oil and cook gently until the pan is slightly heated. Next add the brown sugar and stir until it has dissolved and coated the fruit in a light caramel layer. Pour in the red wine and wine vinegar and bring to the boil. Pop in the cinnamon stick and allow the mixture to cook for at least 10 minutes over a medium heat or until all of the liquid is reduced. Transfer to a sterilised jar and store until required. This chutney will happily keep for 5–7 weeks.

      2 To make the deep-fried Brie, cut the Brie cheese into large wedges.

      3

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