Catherine Fulvio

Celebrity chef Catherine Fulvio is an author, food writer and owner of Ballyknocken House & Cookery School in County Wicklow. She is a regular on television and her current RTE series Catherine Celebrates features some of her great recipes for all occasions, including Easter. Here is a great three course meal for you to try at home.

Duo of Carlingford Oysters - Mignonette Oysters and Catherine’s Smokey Oysters

I love the combination of the raw and cooked oysters.  And for those of us who are nervous of raw oysters and / or shucking them, the baked oysters will introduce you to a whole new (and easy) way of enjoying the wonderful Irish oysters

Serves 4

12 Carlingford oysters on ice

Mignonette Oysters 

For the mignonette sauce

4 shallots, very finely chopped 

50ml white wine vinegar 

50ml rice vinegar 

¼ tsp white pepper 

Pinch sugar, to taste

To prepare the mignonette sauce, combine the shallots, white wine vinegar and rice vinegar together – stir in the pepper and a pinch of sugar to taste. Mix well and leave for at least 4 hours or overnight for the flavours to infuse. 

 

Catherine’s Smokey Oysters

For the flavoured butter 

50g butter

2 tsp lemon juice 

½ tsp smoked paprika 

½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp finely chopped parsley 

 

Flat leaf parsley, to garnish

Lemon slices, to garnish

 

To prepare the grilled oysters, heat the oven to 220C/ 200C fan/ gas 7

Scrub the oyster to remove any dirt and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Place the oyster flat side up on the roasting tray and bake for 12 minutes, just until the oyster juices begin to seep out from the shells. Remove from the oven.  And to open, use an oyster shucker - run the shucker back to the hinge of the oyster and then twist. If the oyster is still attached to the muscle on the shell, run the shucker between the oyster and muscle.  

 

Meantime, melt the butter along with the lemon juice, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and parsley in a saucepan and heat for 1 minutes. Set aside.

To serve, arrange the oysters, 3 grilled and 3 raw on each plate and spoon over one teaspoon of the butter onto the grilled oyster and spoon a little of mignonette sauce over each of the raw oysters. 

Sprinkle over some flat leaf parsley and garnish with lemon slices

 

Beef Wellington with Mushrooms & Red Onion Gravy

Traditionally this recipe includes pate too but I love the mushrooms exclusively and I feel its sufficiently rich as is.

Serves 4 

800g beef fillet, trimmed

25g butter

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

3 small shallots, finely chopped 

1 garlic clove, finely chopped 

2 tbsp chopped thyme

350g mixed mushrooms, chopped (I used portobello, king oyster and brown and white beech)

4 slices of parma ham

500g puff pastry

 

For the Red Onion Gravy

1 tbsp butter 

1 tbsp rapeseed oil 

3 red onions, thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs thyme

200ml red wine

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

400ml chicken or beef stock

2 tsp arrowroot (or cornflour), slaked in 1 tbsp water (optional)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Egg wash (one egg and 2 tbsp cold water, beaten with a fork) 

Wrap the piece of beef up tightly in a double layer of cling film to set its shape and chill overnight. 

Melt the butter and oil in the frying pan and add the shallots, sauté for 2 minutes on low without browning them and then add the garlic and thyme and sauté for a further 2 minutes.

Increase the heat, add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, ensuring they are fully cooked and all of the excess moisture from the mushrooms has evaporated. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Leave to cool completely.

 When ready to assemble. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas 8.  

Remove the beef from the fridge, unwrap the cling wrap. Wrap the beef in the Parma ham and set aside.

Roll about 400g of the pastry out to 25cm x 35cm – sufficient to cover the beef and the mushroom mix. 

Spread two thirds of the mushroom mixture down the middle of the pastry leaving 8cm border on each side. Place the beef in the centre of the mushrooms and spread the other third of the mushrooms on top of the meat. 

To wrap the beef in the pastry, brush the pastry border with egg wash. Fold in the short sides of the pastry over the beef. Fold over the long ends and set on the roasting tray, turning over so that the seam is on the base.  Brush with egg wash.

Then, take a strip of pastry and using a lattice roller, cut out a lattice shape.  (or cut stars, leaves or hearts! Whatever you choose to decorate). Lay the lattice over the wellington, trim the ends of the pastry, forming a neat conical shape.  Brush with egg wash again and roast for 45 minutes approximately for medium rare – about 55-57C reading on a meat thermometer.  For medium, the temperature should read 60-62C.  Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

 

To prepare the gravy, melt the butter and oil in a saucepan, add the onions and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes until softened but not browned. 

Add the bay leaf, thyme and red wine, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 10 minutes before adding the balsamic vinegar and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for a further 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

If you feel the gravy needs thickening, stir in the arrowroot (or cornflour) paste and stir well. Cook for 2 minutes. 

 

 Roasted Ballymakenny Heritage Potatoes with Tenderstem Broccoli and Creamy Tarragon Dressing

This is a marriage made in heaven – heirloom potatoes, roasted with fresh broccoli and the most delicious of dipping sauces!

Serves 4

800g Ballymakenny heritage potatoes, scrubbed and roughly chopped

2 tbsp Irish rapeseed oil 

1 large stalk rosemary 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

400g tenderstem broccoli 

Large knob butter

2 tablespoons water

 

For the tarragon dressing

100ml crème fraiche

½ lemon, juice only

½ tsp sugar 

1 tsp Irish wholegrain mustard

60ml Irish rapeseed oil 

1 spring onion, finely chopped 

2 tsp tarragon, finely chopped 

Salt and white pepper 

 

For the potatoes, preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Place the potatoes, oil, rosemary leaves, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl and toss well.

Transfer to a roasting pan and roast for 50 minutes until golden and cooked, shaking the pan from time to time. 

To prepare the broccoli, heat a large frying pan that has a lid, add the butter and let it melt, then add the broccoli and sauté on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes.  Then add a few tablespoons of water, reduce the heat, cover and let the broccoli steam-fry – this will take about 3-4 minutes (it may take longer depending on the thickness of the broccoli stems). As soon as its ready remove from the heat.

To prepare the dressing, place the crème fraiche, lemon juice, sugar, wholegrain mustard and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper in a bowl.

Slowly pour in the oil while whisking until smooth. 

Stir in the spring onion and tarragon.  Store in the fridge for up to 2 days if you are not going to use it immediately.   

To serve, place the roasted potatoes in the centre of a platter and arrange the roasted broccoli on the outside. Spoon over some tarragon dressing. 

 

 Shortbread Easter Biscuits

Makes 30 approx. depending on the size of the cutters

For the biscuits 

220g plain flour

2 tbsp cornflour 

140g chilled butter, diced

60g caster sugar 

½ tsp lemon extract (or zest of 1 lemon)

1 egg yolk, lightly whisked with a fork

40ml cold water

For the icing 

350g icing sugar 

2 egg whites, whisked lightly

1 tsp lemon juice  

Yellow, green, pink colour paste or any pale colour you would like to use.

You will need Easter cookie cutter/s

4 disposable piping bags or 4 fabric bags fitted with fine nozzles

 

To prepare the biscuits, place the plain flour and cornflour into a bowl, add the diced butter and blend with your fingertips until fine breadcrumb is reached.

Add the sugar and lemon extract. Add the water to the egg yolk, mix lightly and then add to the flour mix. Then mix well to form a firm dough.

Place on a floured surface and knead it together well. Wrap up in parchment and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/gas 4. Line 2 baking trays with parchment paper.

Roll the biscuit dough out to 3mm on a floured surface. Stamp out the biscuit shapes and place on the lined baking trays. Bake for 12-15 minutes but check them at 12 minutes. As all ovens vary slightly. 

Leave on the trays for 10 minutes to cool slightly before transferring to a cooling rack.

The biscuits must be completely cooled before icing them. 

To prepare the icing, place the icing sugar into a large bowl. Add ¾ of the egg white and whisk well and pour in the lemon juice.  The icing should be a thick, smooth and glossy paste. Add more egg white if needed.  

Divide between into 3 additional bowls for the colour and keep 4 tbsp of white royal icing for the dots.

Colour each bowl of icing and cover so it does not dry out.    

Spoon coloured icing and the plain white icing into each piping bag and using scissors make a very fine snip at the tip.  Pipe around the edge of the biscuits and then pipe in the centre of the biscuits with icing. (use a skewer or the tip of the piping bag to move the icing lightly into place). Leave to dry.  This will take 2 hours depending on the size. 

When dry, select your preferred colours and decorate the biscuits. Leave to dry completely then enjoy. 

 

Catherine Celebrates Easter will air on Friday April 2  at 8.30pm where Catherine Fulvio will meet three of Ireland’s finest artisan producers that are currently supplying us with unique and superb flavoursome choices this Easter.