Shane Deane (CIT) named as Knorr Student Chef of the Year 2012

Shane Deane from Cork Institute of Technology has been crowned 2012 Knorr Student Chef of the Year after a thrilling final cook off at CIT. The cook off saw ten of Ireland’s most talented student chefs from catering colleges across the country go head-to-head in a tightly fought contest, before Shane, hailing from Kilbrittain in Co. Cork, was eventually crowned winner.

I should note here as well that applications are still open for the Knorr Blue Dragon competition that’s aimed at student and working chefs as well, details of which you’ll find here.

As well as the title of Best Student Chef, Shane was awarded a bespoke perpetual trophy, specially commissioned to commemorate the 15th year of the competition. Shane also won a fantastic trip to London where he will enjoy a food photography experience with acclaimed food photographer, Gareth Morgans, and an evening of gastronomic greatness in Heston Blumenthal’s multi-award winning The Fat Duck Restaurant.

Announcing the winner of the 2012 competition, Mark McCarthy, Business Development Chef, Unilever Food Solutions said: “Once again, Knorr Student Chef of the Year has showcased the incredible talent coming through the ranks of Ireland’s catering colleges. The standard of food in Ireland has been improving year-on-year and, judging by the calibre of chefs here today, the future remains bright. Not only did all ten finalists show great creativity, confidence and ability in their cooking, but they also demonstrated a keen appreciation and knowledge of Irish food and culinary traditions. All were deserving finalists, but Shane shone through for a superbly finished and excellently presented menu.”

Now in its 15th year, Knorr Student Chef of the Year remains the biggest competition of its kind in Ireland and is an excellent opportunity for chefs of the future to showcase their talent, love of food, creativity and innovation – not to mention their innate culinary creativity – in front of some of Ireland’s leading food professionals. Previous winners have gone on to enjoy successful careers in many of Ireland and Europe’s top restaurants.

The theme of the 2012 competition was Irish Fusion and students had just two hours to create a starter and main course, taking inspiration from different regional cuisines around Ireland and using at least two Knorr products. The starter dish also had to demonstrate a taste of the sea to complement the skills and interest of guest judge, Martin Shanahan, presenter of the television series, Martin’s Mad About Fish and Martin’s Still Mad About Fish and chef proprietor of award-winning fish restaurant, Fishy Fishy in Kinsale, Co Cork.

Not succumbing to the pressure of the cook off, the ten finalists prepared an exceptionally high standard of dishes ranging from the deliciously named Aspects of Beef and Head to Foot Rabbit to Moy salmon with dillisk dust, new quay crab, Dublin Bay prawn dipped in a Gunner’s batter, Pan-fried John Dory with Clogherhead crab ravioli, carrot and ginger puree and chorizo espuma and mouth-watering Mulroy Bay scallop on a beetroot rosti topped with a poached quail egg and served with celeriac puree and beetroot jus. Each dish was judged on its creativity, practicality and effective use of ingredients, while students were also marked on how successfully they expressed their individual influences through their menu.

Shane prepared pan-fried fillet of Gurnard with gazpacho tagliatelle and clams for starter and seared loin of wild venison with Waterfall farm vegetables, nettle and wild garlic essence for his main course, both of which received rave reviews from the judging panel. Speaking after the final, Shane said: “I’m still in shock after hearing the judges call out my name as winner! This was a hard-fought competition, and I have the highest respect for all the other finalists who cooked here today – they were incredible. This competition has a great reputation in Ireland, with so many of the winners going on to have very successful careers in the industry. Hopefully I can carry on this great tradition.”

Making up the judging panel was Unilever Food Solutions’ Business Development Chef, Mark McCarthy; Chef Lecturer, Cork Institute of Technology, Ciarán Scully, and guest judge Martin Shanahan, Chef Proprietor of the award-winning fish restaurant, Fishy Fishy, in Kinsale, Co Cork, and presenter of the television series, Martin’s Mad About Fish and Martin’s Still Mad About Fish.

Reflecting on the competition, Martin said: “There’s a wealth of talented young chefs coming through the ranks of Ireland’s culinary schools, and it is wonderful to see them use this competition as a platform for demonstrating their undeniable talent and creativity. The calibre of their dishes was particularly impressive and all ten students deserve high recognition for their efforts today.”

Completing the top three were Keith Pigott from IT Tralee and Roisin Ni Shuilleabhain Haughton, who finished in second and third place respectively. Both impressed the judges with their interpretation of regional cuisines, as well as an overall creativity and culinary flair that was clearly evident in their final menu. Roisin also won the 2012 Knorr Student Chef of the Year Hygiene award.

With the sounds of Jose Gonzalez playing in the new speakers fitted in the roof, I work my way through a hazelnut latte as I type, having digested a pork and chicken terrine (shot below) with salad in the newly refurbished and now reopened Food Hall at Kilkenny Design Centre. It’s Wednesday February 22nd and having closed the space recently for development work, the doors have been finally reopened to a new dining experience for those seeking a sit down sweet, drink or lunch or food on the go if you’re in a rush.

Walking in the door from the Castle Road where silver and pink star balloons adorn the flowers outside, you’ll face a selection of fresh breads, croissants and cakes to have here or at home.

There’s huge hunks of fresh coffee cake, chocolate cake, big rocky road slices and more on the cake counter but it’s lunch I’m after where the main counter houses a nice size pork & chicken terrine, various wraps, sandwiches, salads, tartlets, and more. Soup of the day, from what I overhear, is Carrot & Ginger with a mint option available for takeaway.

There’s also an open Goatsbridge Trout sandwich (which the guy in front of me ordered), a Food Hall toastie, a baked ham, leek and wild mushroom puff pastry, oriental chicken noodle salad and more besides visible on the chalk board hanging on the wall.

My lunch of pork & chicken terrine, €8.95 with mixed leaves and coleslaw, served cold. Tasty.

What might look small and crowded when you come in to the Food Hall with a busy queue in front of you actually opens up into a large seating area with seating for 20 and plenty of room for buggies, wheelchairs and the likes. A selection of artwork from Wexford artist Simone Walsh also hangs in the main dining area, the original works available for purchase with prints also available in the main Design Centre shop.

Fancy a spot to read on your lunch break?

But it’s not just the sit down meals that they’re doing. A quick look in the fridges shows plenty of fresh made soup, lunch and dinner options available to take home and cook including a tasty looking marinated chicken and roast vegetable dish, baby potatoes with shallots, chick & brocolli crumble and more.

Tastefully Yours BBQ Sauce, just some of the products available to buy at the Food Hall

Homemade soups and chowders available to take home.

I had a chat with one of the staff over a hazelnut latte (the coffee and machines are Bewleys) and got the lowdown on how things have come to develop over the past few months, how the first day of trading was going and where things are headed for the future.

The Sweet Table in the main dining area. Lifted from the Kilkenny Design Centre facebook page. Turns out someone spotted by typing at lunchtime.

Chef Edward Hayden has been working with the restaurant’s own cooks to put some fine polish on the menu options being served up and there’s a real drive to only use local produce on the menu. They’re also planning to use the space for some tastings, demos and music evenings (there were two music nights in the restaurant upstairs during last year’s Kilkenny Arts Festival, long before the refurbishment works went into play) and they’ve extended the opening hours from 8.30am out to 6.30pm, seven days a week.

Edward Hayden Marmalades, available to buy along with Edward's books at the food hall.

Lunch was really enjoyable. I get in, have some good food, a good coffee, get to work away on the laptop and there’s more than enough there to bring me back. It’s a bright and airy space, high ceilings, plenty of natural light, dining room for (I estimate) 24 people before you look at moving to the restaurant upstairs.

You can follow the progress of the food hall and get some more pictures from their opening today on the Kilkenny Design Centre Facebook page.

Gluten & Dairy Free Pancakes, a healthy alternative for Pancake Tuesday

Just because you’re coeliac or have a dairy intolerance doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good pancake on Pancake Tuesday. I’ve been making these for months now, largely due to the presence of Mrs Any Given Food-to-be’s little sister when she stays over, but as a Sunday breakfast or a quick alternative tea, they’re delicious.

Feel free to adjust quantities of flour, eggs and milk to your own liking or to get a consistency or thickness you prefer.

What You’ll Need

• 6 heaped tablespoons of Odlum’s tritamyl self-raising flour, sieved (removes lumps in final mix)
• 2 medium eggs
• 300ml soya milk
• 1tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 measuring jug
• 1 good quality non-stick frying pan
• 1 plastic spatula

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl and get to mixing. If you’re using a handblender to mix, give it 2 or 3 minutes on a low setting until you’ve got a lovely pale golden batter.

At this stage, add your tablespoon of cinnamon powder to the mix and continue to blend until completely absorbed. This will darken the colour of your pancake batter slightly.

Transfer mix (or part of) to the measuring jug, we’ll use this to pour onto the pan.

Heat your frying pan on a high heat for a minute or so, no oil or butter needed.

Pour some of the mix to the pan, taking care to spread the mix around the pan while you pour. The tritamyl flour in the batter tends to mean the pancakes will take a little longer to cook. On average I find I will need to give 2-3 minutes maximum per pancake on the pan.

Leave the pancake on the pan until the top side (what you can see) appears to bubble and the batter begins to dry out. Using the spatula, lift the pancake around the edges and when it’s free from the pan, flip it over to cook the other side. Personally, I like my pancakes on the thin side. Making your mix stretch as far as it can on the pan will result in a thinner pancake and reduce cooking time.

With the pancake cooked to your liking, it’s time to take it off the pan and make with your toppings. If you’re feeling really indulgent, I suggest 3-4 squares of gluten and dairy free chocolate, cut and added to the pancake while still on the pan. When you’re cooking the other side of the pancake, allow the chocolate to sit on the top, cooked, side and when the chocolate begins to melt with the heat, spread it around with a spoon or knife before transferring from pan to plate.

Give it a try and let me know how you get on.

Foodie Roundup #38: A selection of Irish food blog posts from February 12th-18th 2012.

Forgive me father, it’s been October since my last Foodie Roundup, the blog post series where I take a look at what’s been happening across other Irish food blogs this week. Well, I’ve finally had the chance to sit down and start combing Irish food blogs for new stories and recipes that you may have missed earlier in the week so here’s ten posts from ten Irish food blogs across Sunday February 12th to Saturday February 18th.

• Poached Apple in syrup with Vanilla Bean Yoghurt via Kitchen72
• EVENT: For Food’s Sake @ EDIBLE via Holy Mackerel
• Pregnancy Cravings or Why I Blogged Fewer Recipes in 2011 via Evin’s Cooking Peas & Q’s
• Posh Zucchini (Courgette) Bake via Veggies And Me
• Chickpea pancake and a new love in my life via Simply Splendiferous
• What a difference a chipotle makes! via Peachy Palate
• Healthy Banana and Orange Dark Chocolate Chunk Muffins via Maple Spice
• Dairy Free Creams: Which to Choose? via Dublin With Food Allergies
• Tumbleweed… via Not Junk Food
• Rosemary via Kitchen Life Skills

If you’ve got a blog post or a full blog to share, or your new to the Irish food blogging scene and have a blog to promote, drop me a line on ken@anygivenfood.com or leave a comment below. You’ll also find me on Twitter at @anygivenfood. Be sure and take a few minutes out for your Sunday and take a look at what other Irish food bloggers are up to.

Agri-Food Breakfast Briefing, hosted by BDO in Dublin on February 29th next.

Agri-Foods Business Advisors BDO will be hosting a breakfast conference Feb 29th aimed at growth focussed SME’s in the Agri-Foods sector. Speakers confirmed include Glenisk, Enterprise Ireland.

Over the past three months BDO have interviewed key stakeholders in the sector to pinpoint what are the key lessons learned (and the blockages) of those who have achieved growth. BDO will produce the result of this research which includes contributions from Pallas Foods, Nature’s Best, Rosderra, Mr. Crumb and many more in the sector, as well as Bord Bia and the Irish Exporters Association. BDO will also detail contributions from the legal, banking and retail sectors.

Themes for the morning will include

• Growth strategies
• Funding
• Government support
• Innovation
• Brand Development
• Product Differentiation
• Internationalising Your Business

The event will be held in Dublin on the morning of the 29th of February at BDO’s Dublin office at Beaux Lane House, Dublin 2, and a light breakfast will be provided, with networking opportunities prior to the presentations. Attendance is free, however spaces are limited and the target audience is owners/managers of growth orientated SME’s in the Agri-food sector.

If you would like to attend then call Gillian Murtagh on +353 1470 0505 or visit www.BDO.ie for more details.

Cully & Sully, your hosts for A Curious Feast for the Senses with Brancott Estate, four top Irish restaurants and 400 diners in the Sugar Club in March.

New Zealand wine brand Brancott Estate will host A Curious Feast for the Senses at the Sugar Club from March 5th to 8th coming.

The event, free to attend, it design as a total sensory experience, from the design of the room to the food on the plate, to matching visual and aural effects. Cully and Scully will be on hand along with top Irish restaurants Pichet (Trinity Street, Dublin), Campagne (here in Kilkenny), Tankardstown House (Slane, Co. Meath) and Lock’s Brasserie (Portobello, Dublin).

Food on the night will be matched to wines from the Brancott Estate range and guests will sample four wines; three from the classic range; Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc, Brancott Estate Pinot Grigio and Brancott Estate Pinot Noir and one of the newest varietals to the range, the sparkling Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc Brut NV.

How do you get in the door? You’ll need to register online to win tickets, either by logging on to the Brancott Estate Stay Curious website, the Brancott Estate Ireland Facebook page or by scanning a QR code on promotional Brancott Estate bottles.

Winners will be drawn and notified by February 28th, with 100 diners per night being chose for each night from the 5th to 8th of March.

Food to get you in the mood for, well, something. Looking for recipes to spice up your cooking for Valentine's night? Try a few of these.

It’s Valentine’s day 2012 and no doubt restaurants all over the country are going to be crammed with couples and groups out for romantic meals, awkward conversations, proposals – whatever takes their fancy. Me, I’ll be dining at Langton’s in Kilkenny for a special Valentine’s dinner fund raiser for the Carlow Kilkenny Homecare Team. It was a fantastic night out last year with 200+ in attendance and early signs for tonight estimate that there will be 300+ sitting for a four course meal after 8pm.

If you’re cooking at home and looking to spice up your night in the kitchen, here’s ten dishes you could turn to to take things up to eleven. Aphrodisiacs, if you will.

1. Valentine’s Chocolate Fondue
2. Avocado Salsa
3. Baked Oysters & Spinach
4. Aphrodisiac Farfalle With Rocket
5. Absolut Aphrodisiac Cocktail (Vodka)
6. Saffron & Tomato Risotto
7. Goat Cheese & Artichoke Ravioli, Red Beet-Dijon Jus
8. Simple Dressed Salmon over Steamed Vegetables
9. Raspberry White Chocolate Mousse
10. Veal With Asparagus

Have you got any dishes you like to cook or would traditionally cook for Valentine’s day or night? Do share!

Some of the piggy delights produced at last year's Nose To Tail butchery day with Frank Krawczyk.

Following on from the success of the course they ran in October, Richard Reeve of O’Brien Chop House in Lismore, Co. Waterford, has been on with details of their next Nose To Tail butchery day at Ballyvolane House on Saturday 25th February. Frank Krawczyk will again be running the course and will show you how to turn a pig into lots of yummy piggy delights like handmade sausages, bacon, chops, roasts, kassler, brawn, terrines and much more besides.

The price is €149.50 per person to include coffee and homemade biscuits on arrival, the butchery class from 9am to 5pm, lunch in the dining room at Ballyvolane House and afternoon tea and homemade lemon drizzle cake.

To book, please phone Richard Reeve on 058 53810 or email info@obrienchophousse.ie. Read on for a breakdown of what’s happening on the day.

• 09:00 Arrival
• 09:30 Start
• 09:50 – 10:00 Brawn: Start to cook
• 10:00 – 11:00 Break Pig
• 11:00 – 11:15 Coffee Break
• 11:15 – 11:45 Principles of smoking and smokehouse construction
• 11:45 – 12:25 Mince ready cured meat for salamis, pate and sausages
• 12:25 – 12:55 Rub in cures into salami, kassler, pate, ham and pancetta
• 13:00 Put pate on to cook
• 13:00 – 14:15 Lunch
• 14:15 – 15:30 Demonstrate: Salami filling and sausage making
• 15:30 – 16:15 Finish brawn and pate
• 16:15 – 17:00 Q&A

Rachel Allen, cooking up some Easy Meals at Inchydoney Island in March

I put a tweet out yesterday looking for food events and demos coming up in February and March and Ruth from Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa has been in touch with two events they’re running, one each in February and March.

Taste Of West Cork Food & Wine Evening

On Friday 24th February, Inchydoney Island hold the first of their Taste of West Cork Food and Wine evenings, where they will showcase the best of West Cork produce in season. The fine dining experience is 7 courses, paired with wines and the cost is €60 per ticket. You can add an overnight stay from €69pps.

Rachel Allen Cookery Demo

On Friday 23rd March, Inchydoney Island are hosting an evening with Rachel Allen who is cooking from her Easy Meals book, with a look at helping busy families prepare healthy and delicious meals in advance of the working week. Tickets are €25 and include a glass of bubbly on arrival.

The new Homemade Express menu at Homemade by Clodagh (Clodagh McKenna) in Arnotts, Dublin, launched yesterday. I didn’t get to head along to the launch myself in the windup (though looking over the menu now I’m kind of wishing I had been free to make the trip to the big smoke for lunch. If you missed out on the day yourself, or you’re curious for a look at what’s available on the first floor in Arnotts, Wendy from My Chef At Home has some photos up on Facebook here. Read on for the official release or grab a menu here.

Looking for lovingly handmade sandwiches, soups and salads on the go? Then look no further than Homemade by Clodagh at Arnotts. This week Clodagh is launching a new ‘Express menu’ as part of the new Homemade by Clodagh offering.

Experience the new menu for yourself and enjoy a wide range of sandwiches including a ‘Tuna Melt’ on a toasted baguette or the traditional ‘BLT’ on brown granary bread. Delicious soups include ‘Carrot and Ginger’ and ‘Italian Minestrone’while the salads on offer include ‘Greek salad’ and ‘Super Food Salad’.

The Homemade by Clodagh philosophy is dedicated to capturing the very essence of Homemade, in delicious, honest and affordable fare that is carefully and lovingly created using the best of Irish ingredients.

Clodagh is offering a free coffee with every sandwich until 20th February. Download a PDF copy of the new Homemade by Clodagh menu here.