Cookery Feature - Cookbooks for Christmas

Online information may be the order of the day for many things, but when it comes to cooking nothing beats a book – and they make wonderful presents, with a value so many times more than the modest cover price. Gill Books have long been the go-to publishers for great recipe books and they have many of our favourite cooks and chefs on their list, including Neven Maguire, Rory O’Connell, Mark Moriarty, Rachel Allen – and now Waterford’s much-loved ‘food powerhouse’ Eunice Power, whose debut cookbook is My Irish Kitchen Table (hardback, with beautiful photography by Joleen Cronin; €26.99). Flagged accurately as '...the reliable kitchen ally you’ll turn to for years to come', it reflects her commitment to local producers along wih a belief that good food is at the centre of Irish life and community - and her deliciously flavourful and do-able recipes cover everything from quick everyday meals to big family events, so that everyone can enjoy cooking for them with confidence and style. Having been a fan for many years, from the days of her lovely Powersfield House B&B, through the simple seasonal excellence of her little takeaway restaurant AndChips…to her tireless contribution to the Dungarvan Food Festival, I’m delighted that Eunice has somehow found the time to write this terrific kitchen companion. The voice of a practical creative cook, it is full of wisdom and great ideas – a dish like the easy duck tray bake given below, for example, can be dressed up or down for so many different occasions, and there is a chicken version as well.

Following on the success of their previous collaboration The Irish Bakery, The Irish Kitchen by Tyrone native and Irish Food Writers’ Guild member Cherie Denham and photographer Andrew Montgomery (Montgomery Press, hardback; £30) was launched recently in Belfast’s newest destination restaurant, the beautifully restored Caparelli at the Mill – an especially apt venue for a culturally focused work that sets very traditional and more contemporary food against a backdrop of nostalgic historical images, moody black and white photography and enticing recipe shots. Leading off with a Foreword by Diana Henry, it features some of Ireland’s most famous food producers including Calvey’s Achill Mountain Lamb (Mayo) and Murphy’s Ice Cream (Kerry), and ‘local voices’ such as a basket weaver and a turf cutter, along with 90 recipes covering everything from Belfast Baps and Irish Stew to The Christmas Table. Reflecting a ‘….renewed demand for beautiful hardback books that traditional publishers find difficult to produce in a way that makes sense commercially’, this is an eminently giftworthy book that is sure to find a place under many a tree this Christmas.

From one boutique publisher to another – publishing sensation Kristin Jensen of Nine Bean Rows (full size books) and Blasta Books (small illustrated cookbooks) has succeeded amazingly well in a very short time with her ambition to ‘…. provide a more inclusive snapshot of Ireland’s modern, diverse and exceptional food culture, and in so doing to create a new culinary canon’. A browse through the two websites could solve a lot of problems when addressing the Christmas gift list, as there is sure to be something just right for anyone of any age with an interest in food and drink, and their stories. Perfect for younger would-be cooks and with 70 recipes that kids can make, Now You’re Cooking (hardback, €30) is by Jolene Cox (an award-winning food writer on a mission to teach kids how to cook real food they’ll love to eat) and her 11 year-old daughter, Lily Mae. Based on the Family Cooking Club that they’ve been running together online since 2019, they speak directly to kids, sharing all their clever tips and tricks and tried-and-tested recipes appropriate for kids aged 5 to 12. Sharing their favourites for breakfast, lunch, after-school fuel, tray bakes and one-pot wonders, epic eats and sweet treats that every kid will enjoy, Jolene and Lily Mae want to show kids that cooking is something anyone can do at any age - whether you’re boiling an egg for the first time or ready to level up your knife skills, now you’re cooking! Highly recommended.

And, of course, there’s nothing like browsing an entire book shop, so don’t forget to support Irish bookshops like Dubray, Hodges Figgis, Kennys, Easons and your own local bookstore this Christmas.

SAMPLE RECIPES TO TRY:

CONFIT DUCK TRAY BAKE (from My Irish Kitchen Table by Eunice Power)
Top-quality confit duck legs are now easily available in most supermarkets. They have a fantastic shelf life in the fridge and are incredibly versatile. This tray bake is one of my favourite quick dinners – it only takes 10 minutes to prep, and then the oven does all the work in about 30 minutes. As it cooks, the juice from the orange cooks down with the plums, creating a rich, soft sauce that perfectly complements the crispy duck and roasted vegetables. It’s an easy, flavour-packed meal perfect for busy days
Serves 4
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil
small knob of ginger,
peeled and grated
4 small red onions, peeled and quartered
2 medium sweet potatoes (around 500g), peeled and diced into small cubes
2 cloves of garlic, cut in half
6 plums, halved and stones removed
1 red pepper, deseeded, quartered, and cut into eighths
4 sprigs of rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
1 small orange, quartered
4 confit duck legs
sea salt and black pepper

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C fan.
2 In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, honey, olive oil, and grated
ginger.
3 In a large bowl, toss the onions, sweet potatoes, garlic, plums, pepper and
rosemary together. Lightly squeeze the orange quarters over the vegetables,
then add them to the bowl as well. Season with salt and pepper, and pour the
ginger-soy-honey mix over the top.
4 Transfer everything to a large ovenproof dish, laying the confit duck legs
on top. Roast in the oven for around 30 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are
soft and the duck is crispy.
5 Serve it all up and enjoy!

Cookie Croissants (from Now You’re Cooking! by Jolene and Lily Mae Cox)
Also known as Le Crookie, my mum first spotted these on YouTube Shorts when they went viral (even though, you know, she totally doesn’t watch YouTube). She showed them to me, and let me tell you, they looked so good I was practically licking the screen. You won’t be able to resist the warm, flaky croissant combined with the gooey, sweet cookie filling. We’ve given you a recipe for homemade cookie dough, but you could use shop-bought cookie dough to make these even easier.
Makes 4

50g cold salted butter
50g light brown sugar
50g caster sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
130g plain flour
4 croissants (stale ones work too)
To drizzle:
shop-bought chocolate or caramel sauce
1 tablespoon icing sugar
To serve (optional):
ice cream

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C for a conventional oven or 180°C for a fan oven.
2. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
3. To make the cookie dough, grate the cold butter into a large mixing bowl using the large holes on a box grater. Add the light brown sugar and caster sugar and beat together with a wooden spoon.
4. Crack the egg into the bowl, then add the vanilla and mix again.
5. Add the flour, then gently stir until you have a smooth cookie dough.
6. To prepare your croissants, lay them flat on your chopping board and put your hand on top to steady it. Use a serrated bread knife in a gentle sawing motion to cut each one horizontally through the centre, but not all the way through – you want to create a pocket for the cookie dough in the middle.
7. Stuff the inside of each croissant with a generous amount of cookie dough. Put a little extra cookie dough on top of each croissant for maximum cookie goodness. Put the stuffed croissants on the lined baking tray.
8. Put the tray in the preheated oven and bake for 20 minutes, until the cookie dough is golden and baked through.
9. Using oven gloves, carefully remove the tray from the oven and put it on a wire cooling rack. Let the crookies cool for a few minutes.
10. Drizzle the crookies with some shop-bought chocolate or caramel sauce. Put the icing sugar in a small fine mesh sieve, then hold it over the croissants and gently tap the side to sift the sugar over the croissants to give them a light dusting.
11. Try this with a scoop of ice cream for an even more indulgent treat.

Clementine and Cranberry Mince Pies (from The Irish Kitchen by Cherie Denham and Andrew Montgomery)
I have always loved to make mince pies for Christmas. I really enjoy spending time in the kitchen, with Christmas songs on, making my own mincemeat loaded with fruit. I add sweet, sharp and chewy cranberries, candied peel and nuts. It’s reasonably quick to put together and so worth it; the flavour surpasses anything you’ll buy in the shops and your home will be filled with the gorgeous aroma of Christmas. Plus, there’s the added bonus of having a ‘tester’ spoonful with cream when it comes out of the oven. I make two different sizes of mince pies, large and small, with short, buttery, melt-in-the-mouth clementine pastry, which adds that little extra special Christmas note. The large pies are for puddings and the small ones are to enjoy with coffee or for when guests pop in. I freeze my mince pies fully baked and just defrost them overnight, then pop them in the oven to warm through.
Makes 24 large or 48 small mince pies
For the traditional Christmas mincemeat (makes 6–7 x 340 g/12 oz jars)
– 450g (1 lb) Bramley (cooking) apples, cored and grated
– 225g (8oz) shredded suet (beef or vegetarian)
– 450g (1 lb/32/3 cups) raisins
– 225g (8oz/1½ cups) currants
– 225g (8oz/2¼ cups) sultanas (golden raisins)
– 225g (8oz/2¼ cups) dried cranberries
– 225g (8oz/scant 1¼ cups) mixed candied peel, chopped
– 30g (1oz/ 1/3cup) walnuts, chopped
– 30g (1oz/ 1/3 cup) pecans, chopped
– 55g (2oz/ 1/3 cup) raw almonds, chopped
– Zest and juice of 2 lemons
– Zest and juice of 2 oranges
– 350g (12oz/scant 2 cups) dark brown soft sugar
– 1½ tablespoons ground mixed spice
– ½ teaspoon ground cloves
– ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon ground ginger
– 120ml (4 fl oz/ ½ cup) Irish whiskey
For the mince pies
– 200g (7oz/12/3 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
– 85g (3oz/ 2/3 cup) cornflour (cornstarch)
– 85g (3oz/ 2/3 cup) icing (powdered) sugar
– Zest of 2 clementines, plus juice of 1
– Pinch of salt
– 200g (7oz) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
– 1 medium egg yolk
– 800g (1 lb 12oz) mincemeat (see recipe above)
– 110g (4oz/generous 1 cup) dried cranberries
– Whole milk, for glazing
– Caster (superfine) sugar, for sprinkling
– Icing (powdered) sugar, for dusting.
First, make the mincemeat. Combine all the ingredients except the whiskey in a large ovenproof mixing bowl and stir well. Cover the bowl and leave overnight for the flavours to blend and develop.
The next day, preheat the oven to 120°C fan (275°F/Gas 1).
Cover the bowl with baking parchment and foil, then bake in the oven
for 3 hours.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely, stirring occasionally until all the ingredients are coated in the melted suet.
When the mixture is cold, stir through the whiskey and pack into cold sterilised jars, pressing down to remove any air bubbles.
Cover with wax discs and seal. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.
To make the pastry for the mince pies, pulse the flour, cornflour, icing sugar, clementine zest and salt in a food processor until well mixed. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of the clementine juice and gradually pulse into the dry ingredients just until it forms a dough – you may not need it all.
Tip out the pastry and divide it into four portions, then shape into flat discs, wrap them individually in baking parchment and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to rest.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F/Gas 6).
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator and, when pliable, roll out to
3–4 mm (about ¼ inch) thick on a lightly floured surface. Using a 7.5 cm
(3 inch) pastry cutter for large mince pies or a 6.5 cm (2½ inch) cutter for small mince pies, cut out circles and use them to line the indentations of
one or multiple bun trays (pans).
Mix the mincemeat with the cranberries in a large bowl and divide between the pastry bases. Stamp out some pastry snowflakes or stars (I use a fondant cutter), place on top of the mincemeat and push down gently. Brush with milk and sprinkle over some caster sugar. Bake in the oven for 22–25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve dusted with icing sugar.