Seasonal Classics
Award-winning chef Noel McMeel has put the fine dining Catalina Restaurant, at the five-star Lough Erne Resort, firmly on the culinary map. Noel, who is the executive head chef at the resort, is passionate about finding, preparing and serving fresh food in season and delivers his own distinctive brand of modern Irish cooking, served beautifully on the plate.
Noel has served his time at some of America and Ireland’s top kitchens, including working with the world famous chef, Jean-Louis Palladin at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. and at Chez Panisse in San Francisco as well as being Executive Head Chef at Castle Leslie, Co. Monaghan. With regular television appearances on the BBC and RTE, Noel serves both classic and contemporary dishes at the award winning Catalina Restaurant. For more, visit lougherneresort.com.
How to Pan-Fry Scallops
Scallops are meaty morsels of sweet flesh with a hint of the sea These popular molluscs take no more than 4-5 minutes to pan-fry to perfection.
They are easily available from fishmongers, both in and out of the shell. ‘Queenies’ are the small scallops most widely available (often sold shelled and frozen), and the prime king scallops have a beautiful orange-red ‘coral’ (roe), which is at its brightest and best in winter and early spring, and should be left intact; it is widely regarded as a great delicacy although, sadly, modern Irish chefs do not always see it that way and often discard the coral entirely.
Method
Preheat a pan over a high heat and add a teaspoon of oil. Pat dry scallops with kitchen paper and season well.
Add the scallops to the pan flat side down and cook until golden brown, this will take 2-3 minutes. Don’t move the scallops around in the pan as this will prevent them from cooking.
Turn the scallop over and cook for a further 1-2 minutes
Add a knob of butter to the pan and baste the scallops.
Irish Spring Lamb Rump Black Garlic Puree
Ingredients
30g of lamb fat
1 sprig of rosemary, leaved stripped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt to taste
Black Garlic Purée
190g of black garlic, peeled
85ml of water
15g corn starch
2.5g of salt
15g of white wine vinegar
15g of caster sugar
Method
Set the oven to 180˚C/gas mark 4. Start on the lamb rump by placing half the lamb fat in a pan on a medium to high heat. Season thoroughly all over and place the rump fat side down in the pan. Continue to turn until all sides are sealed and golden brown. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 6 minutes
Remove from the oven and add the remaining lamb fat, rosemary and garlic. Coat the lamb in the rosemary and garlic mixture. Set aside to rest
Return the lamb rump to the oven for a further 3 minutes,
For the black garlic purée, place all the ingredients in a blender, but with boiling hot water instead of cold water. Pass through a fine sieve and set aside to cool
Prepare the plate by piping the black garlic on the plate. Carve the lamb rump which can be places on any vegetable of your liking.
Fillet of Beef: Tips & Seasoning
The simple things in life are always better. A lovely fillet of beef, Irish Sea salt, fresh ground black pepper, medium rare... no need to think any more.
In most great butchers you can buy a delicious hunk of local meat, now your job is to not screw it up! The fat marbling contained in a ribeye steak makes for a very flavorful and juicy steak without a lot of effort. When buying ribeye, I like to skip the shelves and go straight to the butcher's counter to get a steak that is an inch to an inch and a half thick. Thicker steaks allow you to create a great crust on the outside while cooking them to a perfect medium-rare on the inside.
The biggest thing to keep in mind when grilling steak is that you can always throw it back on the grill if it isn't done enough, but you can't reverse an over-cooked steak.
Ingredients
Filet steaks at least 1.5 inches thick
Rapeseed oil
Irish Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Method
Preheat your grill or pan to high heat.
Rub the fillet steaks with some local rapeseed oil and then coat a generous amount of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The oil provides just enough fat to help the salt and pepper create a great, caramelized crust.
Place the filet steaks on the hottest part of the grill or pan
Turn the steaks over onto the other side, still over the hottest part of the grill or pan.
Grill or panfry the rib eye steaks for an additional 4 - 6 minutes on the other side, for a medium-rare delicious steak.
Remove the steaks from the grill or frying pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving. The resting period is important so that the juices don't run out when you cut into the fillet steak.
Serve it with a great salad or just some nice roast vegetables and new potatoes. WW
Hot Rhubarb Souffle with Homemade Custard
Serves
Six persons.
Souffle Ingredients
• 250g Fresh Rhubarb
• 50g Caster Sugar
• 50g Water
• 100g Soft Ball Sugar
• Corn Flour (to thicken)
• 3 Egg Whites
Souffle Recipe
Bring the rhubarb, water and 50g sugar to a simmer, then blend until it is smooth and pass through a fine sieve. Return mixture to a clean saucepan and leave to the side. Bring 100g caster sugar and a little water to the boil and simmer onto Soft Ball stage 110C. Add this to the rhubarb mix, then bring the mixture back to heat slowly. Dissolve the corn flour with a little water and thicken the raspberry mix to a crème pate consistency. When thick put into a clean mixing bowl and leave to cool, mixing with a whisk to speed up the process. In a machine whisk three egg whites to soft peaks and when the rhubarb mixture is cool enough, beat in half the eggs, then gently fold in the other half. Pipe into the prepared moulds and place in a ban marie then bake 190C for 10-12 mins, Sprinkle the top with some Icing sugar the top and quickly serve.
Custard Ingredients
• 1 Vanilla Pod (with the seeds scraped out)
• 150ml / 5fl oz Milk
• 100ml / 3½oz Double cream
• 2 Free-range egg yolks
• 25g/1oz caster sugar
Custard Recipe
To make the custard, place a small saucepan over a high heat. Add the vanilla seeds and the empty pod, milk and cream and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and allow to stand, letting the flavours infuse. Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the sugar in a large bowl. Remove the vanilla pod from the infused cream and gradually pour the vanilla cream into the egg mix whisking well continuously.
Return the custard to the saucepan. Stir over a gentle heat until the custard thickens and coats the back of the spoon. Enjoy!