A couple of weeks ago, Richard asked me if I’d help out with herding a group of cattle. The cows were going from a paddock about three kilometers up the road back down to the home farmyard. He just needed someone to block off one of the lanes along the route until he passed through with the girls.  Of course, I said no problem. I was delighted to give him a hand.

He explained that all I had to do was simply drive up to the crossroad near the graveyard and park the car three-quarters across the lane so that traffic would not be able to get through. He instructed that if someone came along, I would just need alert the driver to the fact that cattle would be crossing soon. No bother. Easy enough.

I swiftly pulled my hair into two braided pigtails, slipped on my lovely new wedge-heeled wellies brought back from NYC, grabbed my rain slicker and off I went out the door with a big smile on my face.

The minute I arrived at the crossroads, it started bucketing down rain. That was okay because until I suspected the cows were coming I could sit in the toasty car and page through my new Make Bake Love cookbook in search of something lovely and sweet to bake for tea that evening.

However, within minutes, cars started approaching from front and back. I was popping in and out of the car and letting drivers know what was going on. No sooner was I back in the car when a new vehicle would drive up again.

For some reason, every single person that I spoke to seemed to stare at me in disbelief as I shared the reason why I was blocking the road. I knew it was an inconvenience, and I was making apologies, but I couldn’t help but wonder if the look on their faces actually had anything to do with the cow-crossing situation.

Did I look suspect wearing my elevated wellies? My bright, flower patterned jacket? Perhaps the mere fact that I probably over-explained things a bit {as we Yanks tend to do} seemed peculiar. I’ll never know, but I suddenly felt very self-conscious as I stood there in the rain waiting on the cows with cars piled behind me on the road.

Finally, I could hear hipping and hollering from down the way. They were coming! We waited. And waited. Hipping and hollering carried on, but still no sight of them. I glanced back at the waiting drivers. I was soaked to the skin. Then, after fifteen more minutes, I began to hear the loud clicking and clacking of hooves and I spotted Richard, running fast and leading the girls who were following behind him like lightning. It was quite a sight to behold.

And just like that, the cows passed, the cars peeled out of sight, and I was on my way back home.

I believe I’ve advanced one step closer to becoming a cowgirl.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photo by Imen McDonnell

Tags: American, farm, farmer, Farming, food, foodie, foodies, I Married An Irish Farmer, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Irish, irish foodies, Kilcolman, love, marriage

If you have reached this blog for the first time, you may be wondering what on earth a Pedal Pub has to do with marrying an Irish farmer….well, I can tell ya. For 1. we could certainly use a pedal pub or two in our part of the world and 2. I am currently Stateside getting my fill of summer city livin’ {for you Irish farmers interested in marrying American city girls, this is a prerequisite). If you’re not interested in my American summer musings, have a peek at this post or this or even this to see what I am usually getting up to in my little Irish farmhouse kitchen + studio.

This week I have made two too good to be true acquaintances. One, as seen above involves a pedal powered pub and the other, the stunning @freshtartsteph of Dara & Co/Minnesota Monthly and her own lovely food blog, Fresh Tart.

While I was driving through the city centre today, I spotted The Pedal Pub cycling down a busy street. I did a double-take because I hadn’t seen such a thing before. There sat 8 people bellied up to the bar, casually pedaling away. Good way to have some cheer and burn off the calories at the same time. Awesome!

Stephanie Meyer and I had been swapping tweets & messages for a few months before I arrived in the Twin Cities this summer. I am in love with every ounce of her food posts as well as her column in Minnesota Monthly mag. She’s the eyes and ears of the Mpls-St. Paul locavore movement and clearly puts loads of passion + effort into championing her hometown food brands/chefs/restaurants and farms. Stephanie also created  MN Food Bloggers, which has gathered local food bloggers together into one big happy family. She organises special monthly events and shares valuable information on loads of great foodie endeavours in MN.

We met for a light lunch at Lucia’s...and ended up chatting for three hours!  In person, she is delectably genuine +  really sweet (see that smile?). Actually: irresistible. We hit it off straight away and are already planning another foodie gathering before I go back to Ireland. Yay!

Next week: Ireland in America…it started off when I stumbled upon Clodagh’s book at Anthropologie this week

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos by Imen McDonnell

Tags: beer, Dara & Co, food, foodies, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Lucias, Married an Irish Farmer, Minnesota Monthy, MN Food Bloggers, Pedal Pub, Stephanie Meyer

Summer in the city = loads of blue skies + sun and plenty of new {memorable} experiences. This week we stamp flying kites and soaking up the multicultural melting pot we call America onto our passports for adventure.

Yesterday, the little farmer and I stumbled upon 49¢ kites at the store around the corner. We bought two and made our way to the nearby park to quickly assemble the colourful flying machines and give em’ a go. Straight away, the warm breeze scooped up our kites and they soared high into the sky. I have to admit, it was awesome. I can’t remember the last time I flew a kite, it might have been when I was Geoffrey’s age. People cheered us on as we ran up and down the open field while screaming with laughter and joy. It was pure recession-proof, innocent, buzzworthy fun.

After working up quite an appetite on our kite-flying escapade, we decided to make our way to the Hmong Village Kitchen in St. Paul. I had read about this special Southeast-Asian market in a local magazine and was very keen on having a look and introducing our little farmer to another culture. I was not disappointed. Colourful. Friendly. Spicy. Busy. Deep Fried. Foreign. Fragrant. Delicious. A feast for all senses. We gobbled up gorgeous red-glazed spicy pork belly with sticky rice for lunch along with a tangy Laotian salad on the side.

We spied fried chicken feet, quail, spatchcocks, Hmong sausages, bean sprout salads, sliced mango with powdery chili pepper sprinkles, banh mi, tri-coloured tapioca smoothies, coconut filled bread, malaysian meatballs, whole fried white bass, papaya salad, boba teas, fried bananas, loads of rice based pastries and dishes.  Meanwhile, the fruit and vegetable stands were filled with fresh lychee, guava, mango, rambutans, lemongrass, Thai bananas, tamarind and many, many more exotic offerings that I could not identify nor could the vendors translate to English.

But,  possibly the best part was discovering our love for Longan fruit. Yum!

*We will be in the USA until the end of August and sharing blog posts about our holiday abroad. Regular Irish Foodie posts will resume upon our return to the craggy isle. xx

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos by Imen McDonnell.

Hmong Village Market & Kitchen,

1001 Johnson Pkwy

St. Paul, MN 55106

651.771.7886
HOURS:
11am-7pm (may vary)
BAR: None
VEGETARIAN / VEGAN: Good luck
ENTREE COST: $5-7

Tags: america, Asian, food, foodies, Hmong, I Married An Irish farmer. Ireland, Imen McDonnell, Irish, kite flying, pork belly

It’s summer. And the invitation read like this…

“Taking a bath will never be the same after seeing the all-new The Amazing Cow Boat! Told through a giant pop-up book with puppets, songs, and surprises, the show is the story of Charlie who, while taking a bath, sails away in his imagination in search of treasure. Traveling in his boat that amazingly is also a cow, he encounters pirates, mermaids, a whale, and an orangutan.  A performance that appeals to young and old alike! Created and performed by Liz Schachterle and Andy Kraft. Music by Susan Haas

The Driveway Tour brings original, family-friendly theater directly into people’s neighborhoods, developing grassroots community involvement by way of an economically accessible theatrical event.  All Driveway Tour performances are free and open to the public.  

Refreshments provided  (Root beer floats!)

Bring a blanket or lawn chair to sit on 

We will ‘pass the hat’ for the performers to help keep the Driveway Tour program “

She had me at Root Beer Floats.

Tags: Cowboat Driveway Tour, fluffer nutter, food, foodies, IBC, Imen McDonnell, ireland, kool aid, Married an Irish Farmer, Open Eye Theatre, pbj, root beer floats

Banana + Toffee = Banoffee

Banoffee is {but, clearly, should not be} one of my besties.

I can explain. You see, the supreme flavor combination of banana and toffee draws to mind a very distinct memory of having the most wonderfully romantic dinner with my father as a small girl. We were eating at one of those old fashioned ‘supper clubs’ whereby my dad would order an old-fashioned for himself and a kiddy cocktail for me in the lounge as we awaited our table in the -highly upholstered- dining room. We had a lovely meal and when it came time for dessert, a handsome man in a white coat and special shiny cart promptly arrived at our table.

Through my little girl wide-as-pie-eyes, what happened from there appeared to be like a fantastical scene out of Willy Wonka. As the man calmly and professionally sliced up fresh bananas, whipped, poured, stirred and magically created a flame of blue fire, he described each detail of his process with humour and prose. In the end, he eloquently presented each of us with a piping hot, creamy, caramel-y Bananas Foster on silver plates. The aroma and flavor were like heaven on earth. *Unforgettable*

Fast forward to 2005. I walk into an Irish café and see the Banoffee in the dessert case onnnnce again {it’s everywhere} and decide to dive in and give it try. The banana + dulce de leche flavor sends me right back to being daddy’s best girl all dressed up at a supper club on a midsummer’s night. Instantly, I am committed to Banoffee.

Banoffee can be found around Ireland at most cafes’ and on the dessert menu at many restaurants, but, in fact, as I researched for this post, I discovered that this pie originated in England.  As the story goes, the cake’s invention is claimed by Ian Dowding and Nigel Mackenzie at The Hungry Monk restaurant in Jevington, East Sussex. They developed the dessert in 1972, having been inspired by an American dish known as “Blum’s Coffee Toffee Pie”, which consisted of smooth toffee topped with coffee-flavoured whipped cream. Dowding adapted the recipe to instead use the type of soft caramel toffee created by boiling a can of condensed milk, and worked with Mackenzie to add a layer of bananas. They called the dish “Banoffi” and it was an immediate success, proving so popular with their customers that they couldn’t take it off the menu.

Yes, the recipe calls for boiling a can of condensed milk. Yes, it works. But go on, give it a try because I know you just want to see for yourself. It’s a fun and easy no-bake treat to make with children. You can prepare one big pie or a few baby sized like I did.

…and if you can get farm fresh cream, even better.

Banoffee Pie

For the toffee sauce:

1 (405g) tin of condensed milk

For the Base:

350g of digestives or tea biscuits of your choice (in the USA, graham crackers

would work)

150g of butter, melted

300ml whipping cream

3 bananas, sliced

Cocoa or choc shavings (optional)

To make the toffee sauce, remove the label of the condensed milk and immerse it in boiling water. Boil the tin for 2 – 3 hours. The longer you boil it, the darker and thicker the toffee will be. Make sure that the tin is FULLY immersed in water at all times, otherwise, the tin could explode.  (You can also buy pre-made caramel in tins or make the dulce de leche from scratch like this )

For the base, crush the digestives and mix it with melted butter (you can blitz in a food processor as well). Using a pestle or back of a spoon, press the digestives into a 9″-diameter tart base with a removable bottom (or 4-6 mini tart tins). Chill the crust in refrigerator for at least one hour. Meanwhile, whip the cream until it’s stiff.

Fold sliced bananas into whipped cream. Spread a layer of toffee and top with the banana cream. Sprinkle with cocoa or dark chocolate shavings.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos and styling by Imen McDonnell. Assisted by Master Geoffrey McDonnell

Tags: Bananas Foster, Banoffee, Brennans, farm, food, foodies, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Married an Irish Farmer, Saveur

Yes, yogurt is usually spelled yog-hurt on this side of the pond. Not just in Ireland, but often throughout Europe. I discovered that the word yogurt is derived from the Turkish: yoğurt, and is related to the obsolete verb yoğmak which means to be curdled or coagulated; to thicken. Why the H is added, we will never know, I’m just glad it’s not called yoğmak anymore.

It was imminent….had to be done….I could not bear to go on without my frozen yogurt for one day longer. Long gone are my days of Pinkberry or TCBY. I’m in Ireland, baby. For a brief period, I could find plain frozen yogurt in the supermarket freezer section, but one day not toooo long ago, it suddenly it disappeared without even saying a proper frozen yogurt banana split goodbye. You see, frozen yogurt was one of those lovely, healthy standby treats that I could get the little farmer to eat. He couldn’t tell the difference between frozen yogurt and ice cream especially when it was covered in fresh berry coulis or a dab of marshmallow fluff and pecans…and neither could I. *tissue please*

Once again, I plunged into farmette mode and wondered if I could make my own frozen yogurt using dairy from the farm. I pondered + pondered until this past weekend when I stumbled upon a recipe for gooseberry & elderflower frozen yoghurt which looked positively delicious! As it happened, gooseberry picking was also on the books for the weekend so we kept 500 grams aside for my little frozen yogurt experiment. I had a batch of Elderflower cordial on hand for the occasion, another seasonal + local treat that I had planned on blogging about this week until the greatness of gooseberry frozen yoghurt presented itself. {Stop by these sites for a little Elderflower love: Edible Ireland and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall }

The recipe is very simple and you don’t need an ice cream maker, although it would be far easier as I had to remember and stir the mixture a few times to get just the right consistency. For the maiden voyage, I opted to use Glenisk natural greek style yoghurt which is a staple in our house. I also added the puree of two pears simply because they needed to be used up and while I believe it enhanced the flavour somewhat, they are not necessary. The flavour and texture are both incredible…I had no expectations and I have to say this frozen treat is a real taste sensation!

This certainly won’t be my last attempt at making frozen yogurt; next time I will try my hand at making some farm fresh yogurt and experiment with other flavours.

Pinkberry Shminkberry.

Give it a go!

Green Gooseberry + Elderflower Frozen Yogurt

500 g green gooseberries

2 ripened  and peeled pears

150 caster sugar

4 tbsp undiluted elderflower cordial

500 g full natural greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Put the gooseberries and pears into a small saucepan with the sugar and 3 tbsp water. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, then cook gently for a few minutes until all the berries have popped and softened. Whizz to a puree with a blender, then push through a sieve with a ladle to get rid of the pips. Stir in the elderflower cordial and vanilla and allow to cool. When it’s cool, fold in the fruit puree. Either churn in ice cream maker or put into shallow metal container in the freezer for a few hours, until mixture is solid, then break up and blitz in food processor until totally smooth. Return to freeezer for an hour or so. Eat while soft-ish. Scoop up and serve!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos and styling by Imen McDonnell…assisted by Master Geoffrey McDonnell

Tags: elderflower, food, foodies, frozen, gooseberry, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, irish foodies, Married an Irish Farmer, pear, Pinkberry, TCBY, turkish, yogurt

That is my mother in law’s butter knife….isn’t it darling? She is originally from Cork and has various sets of  beautiful and very old Cork cutlery at the farm.

So, this week I learned how to make cheese! I have been wanted to attempt this for quite some time and it just so happened that right before my butter demo at Totally Tipperary, a lovely woman was teaching the crowd how to make easy ricotta and paneer cheeses. I cannot believe how simple the process is and how delicious the cheese tastes…so fresh and delicate.

With a dairy full of milk at our fingertips at all times, there is no reason why I shouldn’t make this “farmer’s cheese” on a regular basis to have on hand in the fridge. I paired the cheese with some salty capers and a few moon-blushed cherry tomatoes tossed in olive oil, garlic & thyme and it was the perfect lunch!

All you’ll need is milk, lemons, sea salt and a large square of cheesecloth or muslin

Place the milk and salt into a saucepan over medium heat until it starts to froth.

Then, spoon in your lemon juice a little at a time until the milk begins to curdle like this

Pour into a cheesecloth-lined sieve

Squeeze out all of the excess whey, tie the cloth around a wooden spoon, and leave to hang for a further 15-20 mins

After the cheese is fully strained, you can either eat it straight away

or you can flatten & shape it by placing a heavy pan on top for an hour.

Then, just break it apart and enjoy!

Irish Farmhouse Cheese

Makes 8-10 Ounces

1/2 Gallon/ 2 litres Full Fat Milk

Juice of 3 lemons (1/2 cup) or you can use 1tbsp White wine vinegar

A few pinches of sea salt finely ground

Heat milk and salt over medium heat until frothy

Add in lemon or vinegar a little at a time until milk is completely curdled (if the milk is not curdling, you’ll need more of your acid-lemon or vinegar..add in a little at a time until curdled)

Pour into cloth-lined sieve to strain

Squeeze excess whey through cloth

Tie up and let hang for further 15-20 minutes

Flatten and shape or just dig in!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos and Styling by Imen McDonnell

Tags: cheese, Cork, farmer cheese, food, foodies, I Married An Irish Farmer, Imen McDonnell, ireland, paneer, ricotta

If you are travelling through the Irish countryside at this time of year, there is no doubt you will come across one or two Wexford Strawberry stands set up alongside the roads at some point during your adventure. The quaint little set-ups (which also often carry new potatoes) can be found virtually anywhere at anytime, but not necessarily the same place on a regular basis and many times not even located in Wexford. Nevertheless, spotting these mini-markets on our family journeys or chaperoning visitors is a sure reminder that summer is right around the corner…even if the weather is not cooperating!

Either way, this is strawberry season both here and in America and I relish the many, many recipes for which strawberries are the main attraction. Strawberry pie, strawberry cake, fresh strawberry ice cream……but, for me, the most classic and Americana nostalgia-inducing treat would be good old-fashioned strawberry shortcake.

Of course, growing up I had more than my fair share of the spongy, store-bought, Twinkie-esque shortcakes that really weren’t shortcakes at all, which was fine because for us kids they were just as yummy and refreshing when topped of with fresh strawberries and whipped cream after a long day at the beach.

HOWEVER, once I discovered the crumbly, biscuit-y version there was no turning back.

And now, to make it even better than ever…I top off my favorite strawberry shortcake recipe with fresh Irish strawberries which always seem endlessly sweet and juicy.

The strawberries I used for this particular batch are indeed from Wexford and come from a group of lovely farmers who have formed a cooperative and built their own brand called “Sunny Wexford Strawberries”. They are absolutely gorgeous.

These farmers believe that the sun shines stronger in Wexford, hence the sweeter and juicier the berry. Hmmm, may have to go spend a long weekend here again just to verify this information!

If you are in Ireland and a fellow strawberry lover, you may want to nip into the Wexford Strawberry Festival which is happening over the 24-26^th June weekend. If I wasn’t signed up to churn butter at the Totally Tipperary Food Festival I would definitely be there!

So, first I washed and hulled about six cups of the fresh strawberries

Baked the scrummy shortcakes

And then topped off the shortcake with fresh strawberry + orange zest glaze and freshly whipped vanilla cream!

The perfect summer treat!

Wexford Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients

6 cups Wexford (or any local, fresh) strawberries, rinsed, hulled (and sliced if you prefer)

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons/300 g sugar

Zest of one Clementine orange

3 cups/ 450 g all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder (only use 3 if you are using Irish)

3/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons cold (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

2 cups/ 500 ml heavy cream

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F/190 C. In a medium bowl, toss strawberries with 3/4 cup sugar and orange zest; let sit to bring out their juices.

In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, 1/2 cup sugar, and the salt until combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup cream and the eggs; pour over flour mixture, and pulse until some large clumps begin to form.

Using a small measuring cup, deep cookie or scone cutter, gently tap out onto a baking sheet. Repeat to form 8 biscuits. Bake until lightly golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 15 minutes.

Beat remaining 1 1/2 cups cream and 2 tablespoons sugar with the vanilla until soft peaks form.

Leave biscuits whole or slice in half horizontally. Spoon strawberries and their liquid over biscuit. Spoon whipped cream on strawberries and serve.

Enjoy!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos and styling by Imen McDonnell.

Tags: food, foodies, I Married An Irish Farmer, ireland, Irish, Strawberry festival, strawberry shortcake, Sunny strawberries, Wexford, Wexford strawberry

We welcomed a new addition to our family last Friday when my sister-in-law gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. He’s absolutely gorgeous and they are thrilled…as is his big baby sister! I decided to make up a few things for her to keep in the fridge/freezer so she would have less cooking to worry about for the next few weeks. Pies, lasagnes and bakes usually work out well because they can be frozen and reheated if necessary.

Raising free range chickens means that we eat a whole lot of chicken around here and this Rosemary  & Leek Chicken Pot Pie is super simple, yet packed with flavour….a perfect reason to make a few at a time to share or to have on hand.

Hope you like it as much as we do!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photo & Styling by Imen McDonnell. Assisted by Sonia Mulford Chaverri

Tags: Chicken, food, foodies, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Leek, Married an Irish Farmer, Pie, Rosemary

I had my first encounter with an Irish coffee cake while we were living in Adare, County Limerick in 2005. We had been renting a sweet little bolthole in the village during the construction of our new home on the farm. There used to be a charming little café + deli called Lloyd’s just up the lane from our place, which was run by a lovely woman named Anne Lloyd.  I believe Lloyd’s even made the esteemed Georgina Campbell’s Blue Book of Ireland’s Best Places, and if not, it should have because it was a very special place and everything that came out of her kitchen nearly melted my heart.

Lloyd’s was literally where I first sunk my teeth into many gorgeous Irish dishes and baked goods. Almost everything on Anne’s menu was exciting to me, not because the ingredients seemed foreign, but because the ingredients were put to different uses than I had ever previously experienced. Chocolate biscuit cake (digestive cookies stirred into chocolate), flapjacks (big square honey oatmeal bars), painstakingly stirred scrambled eggs with a sprinkle of curry, a certain carrot and coriander (cilantro) soup, the perfect Irish stew topped with a splash of white wine and freshly chopped parsley and that oh….so…..wonderful warm brown bread that is essentially an Irish “brand”.  Still, more than anything, I was in very much intrigued by her sensational coffee cake and went on to have an endearing love affair with this cake that still lingers on to this day.

In America, coffee cake takes on a whole different meaning. “American” coffee cake is not an iced cake-y cake at all. Coffee cake in the USA is often more of a cinnamon streusel, bundt-like pastry that is traditionally meant to be eaten while sipping a hot cup of coffee {hence the name “coffee cake”.} While the American version is different than the Irish coffee cake, it is absolutely delicious and also one of my favorite treats. I grew up with a mother who liked to bake coffee cake in the morning and have the neighbour ladies over for coffee and gossip. And I will never forget the incredible poppyseed coffee cake that my grandmother sourced from her local Eastern European bakery and always, always had on hand whenever we visited.

So, at first, I didn’t know what to make of this new idea of coffee cake which is basically a coffee-flavoured sponge layer cake slathered in coffee-caramel-y flavoured icing. But, over time, this cake has become one of my all-time favorites….

First, you must find coffee/chicory essence.  Strong coffee or espresso would work, but would likely produce a flavour that is not the same as the sweet caramel coffee taste of the chicory/coffee essence used in this recipe. In Ireland, look for IREL (In England it is called CAMP and in the USA you can use Coffeol)

After you’ve mixed all the ingredients together, split the batter evenly into two lined, buttered and dusted sandwich tins (layer cake pans)

When the cakes are done and cooled, frost the first layer.  Because I love a caramel-coffee-nut combo, I decided to top the frosting with a handful of toasted pecans.

Sandwich the cakes together, pour over the icing, and tuck into a slice!

I truly hope you enjoy this cake as much as we do on the farm!

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos by Imen McDonnell. Recipe adapted from Darina Allen’s “Forgotten Skills of Cooking”

Tags: Camp, Coffee Cake, Coffeol, darina allen, farm, food, foodies, Imen McDonnell, Irel, ireland, Married an Irish Farmer