Search Results for 'Christmas pudding'

With the entertaining season on the horizon and festive treats on the mind, why not shake up your Christmas dessert menu this year and create some delicious Christmas pudding truffles.

Christmas pudding

It’s hard to believe but Christmas is less than 2 months away. There is so much to do around Christmas, presents to be bought, friends and family coming home and Christmas dinner to prepare, so now is the perfect time to get a head start. Traditionally, Christmas pudding was made four or five weeks before the big day to help develop the rich distinctive flavours. I have tried many versions and recipes over the years, but this is my favourite. I got this from my grandmother the first Christmas after I had qualified as a chef, and it is as good now as it was then.

While most of us will be readying ourselves for the tried and tested turkey/ham/spuds Christmas Day combination, there are now more alternatives available in Galway than ever before. Our markets – both the St Nicholas' weekly market and the 'Christkindlmarkt' in Eyre Square – our restaurants and food emporiums now offer a broad array of options for those of us not brimming over with joie de vivre at the prospect of a week of heavy duty turkey consumption.

The food authority Waverly Root cites the plum as “one of the world’s most luscious fruits”. Indeed when juicy and ripe a fresh plum is a thing of culinary perfection. Plums are incredibly versatile and make the most stunning compotes which can be used as a base for tasty sauces, ice-creams, or accompaniments to both sweet and savoury foods. Duck roasted and served with plum sauce, plum compote with fresh vanilla ice-cream, or tangy plum compote served with a strong blue cheese — heaven.