Award-winning Pastry Chef, Aoife Noonan, is leaving professional kitchens behind her with the launch of her own cookery classes and limited-edition patisserie creations. We have three of her delicious recipes for you to try.

Aoife worked as Head Pastry Chef in the two Michelin starred Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud in Dublin for four years, before assuming various Executive Pastry Chef positions around the country. She is a previous winner of Food & Wine Magazine’s ‘Pastry Chef of the Year’ award and early on in her career also picked up the prestigious Valrhona Patisserie Championship, which led to her training in the world renowned Valrhona L’Ecole du Chocolat in Paris. She has appeared in various television series on RTE, featuring in Healthy Appetite and All Things Sweet with Rachel Allen. She is currently studying for a Masters in Food, Nutrition & Health at UCD.

Black Forest Panna Cotta

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

For the Panna Cotta Mix:

50g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped

1 ½ Leaves Gelatine

150ml Cream

125ml Milk

10g Caster Sugar

For the Cherry Compote:

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1 tbsp Caster sugar

150g Cherries, fresh or frozen (defrosted)

For the Chocolate Crumble:

75g Chocolate Biscuits, such as Bourbon Biscuits

To Garnish:

100ml Cream

15g Caster Sugar

100g Cherries, fresh or frozen (defrosted)

Method:

For the Panna Cotta Mix:

1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring that the

bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir regularly until the chocolate is fully melted, then remove from

the heat and set aside.

2. Put the gelatine leaves into a bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to soften.

3. Place the cream, milk and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Once

simmering, remove from the heat, squeeze the water from the gelatine leaves, and add the

gelatine into the hot cream, whisking well to dissolve.

4. Pour the cream over the melted chocolate and whisk until completely smooth and

combined.

5. Pour the panna cotta mix into a jug and divide between 4 glasses or serving cups.

6. Place the panna cottas in the fridge to set for at least one hour.

For the Cherry Compote:

1. Put all of the ingredients for the cherry compote into a medium saucepan over a low to

medium heat. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the cherries have burst and the sauce has

reduced and become syrupy. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.

For the Chocolate Crumble:

1. In a Ziploc bag, crush the biscuits to a coarse powder using a saucepan or rolling pin. Pour

into a bowl and set aside.

To Garnish:

1. Whisk the cream and the sugar to soft peak.

2. To serve the Panna Cottas, remove the glasses or cups from the fridge and spoon over some

of the cooled cherry compote.

3. Add a sprinkle of chocolate crumble, and finish with cherries and a spoon of sweetened

cream to serve.

Salt Caramel Dark Chocolate Truffles

(Makes about 10 Truffles)

Ingredients:

180g Dark Chocolate, roughly chopped

75g Caster Sugar

20g Unsalted Butter, cubed

185ml Cream

½ tsp Fine Salt

100g Cocoa Powder

Method:

1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring that the

bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir regularly until the chocolate is fully melted, then remove from

the heat and set aside.

2. Place the sugar in a separate saucepan over a low to medium heat to make a caramel.

Shake the pan to distribute the sugar but keep an eye on it to ensure it doesn’t burn. Once the

sugar has reached a dark golden colour, add the butter, stirring well.

3. Once the butter has melted into the caramel, slowly whisk in the cream, taking care as the

caramel will bubble up and spit.

4. Bring the cream back to the boil to ensure any hardened caramel has melted back into the

cream, and add the salt.

5. Pour the caramel cream over the melted chocolate and mix well until smooth and combined.

Set the truffle mix aside to cool, before placing in the fridge for at least 1hour to set.

6. Once the truffle mix has set, put the cocoa powder in a large bowl and set aside.

7. Using a tablespoon, scoop 1tbsp of truffle mix and roll into balls. Place the balls in the cocoa

powder and toss well to coat.

8. Keep the truffles in the fridge until ready to serve.

Apricot & Almond Mendiants

(Makes 8 Mendiants)

Ingredients:

100g Dark Chocolate

4 Dried Apricots

20g Whole Almonds

Sea Salt, to serve

Method:

1. Put the chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, ensuring that the

bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir regularly until the chocolate is fully melted, then remove from

the heat and set aside.

2. Cut a rectangle of parchment paper and place on a baking tray. Set aside.

3. Cut the apricots into pieces and cut the almonds in half.

4. Spoon tablespoons of melted chocolate onto the parchment paper and place a few pieces of

apricot and almond on each disc.

5. Sprinkle with sea salt and place in the fridge to set for ten minutes before serving WW

For more, visit aoifenoonan.com

Cooking Classes 

Home cooks and corporate groups will have the option of selecting from off-the-shelf classes including Cake Basics, AfternoonTea, Brunch with Friends, a Macaron Masterclass, Special Occasion Desserts, and a 4 Week (one class per week x 4) Patisserie For Beginners course. For those looking for something a little more bespoke, Aoife will also be offering highly customised group sessions, focusing entirely on an area of your choosing. Standard classes are priced at €65 per person, with specialised sessions starting from €75 per head.