Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 11, 1992 TAG: 9203110021
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETH MACY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BOONES MILL LENGTH: Long
And yes, he's aware of the idea that attending a cooking school in Ireland is like going to the desert for windsurfing lessons.
We wondered, too, until we showed up to Bernard's country home for a St. Patrick's-inspired meal of French peasant soup, Ulster champ, beef with stout (a la Guinness Stout) and Irish apple cake.
If there's any question in your mind about Philip Bernard's cooking skills after his intensive three-month stint at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, put it to rest.
Bernard, who's been a landscape designer, artist, musician and businessman, has recently added gourmet cook to his palette of renaissance endeavors - and just in time to present some ideas for St. Patrick's Day fare.
"In Ireland, they think all we eat is Big Macs," the 32-year-old Bernard says. "And we think all they eat is Irish stew or corned beef and cabbage - which I never ate once there."
Bernard compares the emerging Irish cuisine to that of America's nouveau cuisine: not something you see in all households daily, but definitely in the emerging stages.
"The key is that Ireland has some of the best cooking ingredients in the world - fresh produce and lots of fresh shellfish and fish," Bernard says.
And it's showcased in places like the Ballymaloe House, a country-house hotel renowned for both its accommodations and its food, considered one of the best places to stay in Ireland.
The cookery school was started nine years ago by Dorina Allen, a daughter-in-law of Ballymaloe owners Ivan and Myrtle Allen. It was written up recently in The New York Times' Travel section as a place for serious foodies to visit - for courses ranging from 2 1/2 days to three months.
"Attending this establishment is like going to a summer camp with strong Laura Ashley overtones, but instead of lanyards and canoeing, cooking is the order of the day," the Times writer said, referring to the short-term classes.
Bernard, formerly president of Roanoke Wood Preservers, his family's business, has been delving into a cooking career ever since the family began closing the lumber and construction company more than a year ago. A Virginia Tech graduate with a degree in landscape design, he was first interested in Ballymaloe after reading about its extensive formal herb, flower and vegetable gardens.
After attending the school January through March last year, he stayed on as a gardener and restaurant host through the fall.
Now back at his parents' quaint circa-1800 Franklin County farmhouse since Christmas, he's interviewing for cooking jobs at country inns and small restaurants in several states. The idea, he says, is to return to Boones Mill in a few years with enough experience under his belt to open and manage a country inn-restaurant at his family's home - not too unlike the set-up at Ballymaloe, he hopes.
Following are some of Bernard's favorite Irish recipes - selected, he says, for an ideal St. Patrick's meal. They come from "Myrtle Allen's Cooking at Ballymaloe House" (1990, Stewart, Tabori & Chang Inc., $25).
Ballymaloe Brown Bread
3 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (preferably stone-ground)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 packages active dry yeast
2 tablespoons molasses
In a large bowl, stir together the flours and salt. In a small bowl combine the yeast and molasses in 1/2 cup lukewarm water and let proof for 5-10 minutes.
Pour the yeast mixture and 1 1/2 cups more lukewarm water into the dry ingredients and blend with a wooden spoon to make a thick, sticky dough. (If necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more water.)
Turn into a buttered 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Cover with a tea towel and set aside to rise for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the dough nearly reaches the top of the pan. Bake in the middle of a preheated 450 oven for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 425 and bake 35 to 40 minutes more, or until the top is richly browned and the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Turn out onto a rack and let cool completely before slicing.
Bernard recommends serving this batter bread with cheddar cheese (preferably white) and tomato chutney. Yields: 1 loaf.
Tomato chutney
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup white wine or white cider vinegar
1 pound red ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 bunch scallions, chopped, including green parts (about 1 cup)
In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the sugar, salt, mustard seed and pepper. Stir in both vinegars and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes and scallions. Simmer gently, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until the mixture has thickened to a liquid jam consistency.
Cool and refrigerate for up to several weeks.
Yields: about 2 cups.
French peasant soup
2 ounces lean salt pork, diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
1 onion, chopped
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup shredded cabbage (preferably savoy)
1 1/2 cups chopped peeled tomatoes
3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable stock or canned broth
1 teaspoon sugar.
In a heavy 3-quart saucepan cook the salt pork over moderate heat until golden brown and the fat rendered. Remove pork with slotted spoon and reserve.
Add the onion, potato and garlic to fat and toss them for 1 minute, or until coated. Reduce the heat to low and sweat the vegetables, covered, for 10 minutes, or until they are somewhat softened.
Add the cabbage, tomatoes, stock, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes, or until cabbage is just tender. Return the reserved salt pork to the pan and simmer for 1 minute. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Yields: 6 cups, serving 4.
Beef with stout
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 pound boneless beef chuck, brisket or rump, cut into 1- by 2-inch pieces
1 large onion, sliced thin
1 bouquet garni, made by tying together 1 large sprig each of thyme, sage and parsley and 1 bay leaf.
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup beef stock or canned beef broth
1 cup stout (such as Guinness) or dark ale
4 medium potatoes ( 3/4 to 1 pound total), peeled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Heat half the butter over moderate heat in a kettle or large ovenproof skillet and brown the beef in batches (watching that the butter doesn't burn), transferring the meat to a plate with a slotted spoon as it is done.
Cook the onion in the hot fat for 3 minutes, or until it is just softened. Return the meat to the kettle, add the herb garni, salt (omit if using canned broth), pepper, stock and stout, and bring the mixture, covered, just to a boil.
Cook the stew, covered, in a preheated 350 oven for about 1 hour. Add the potatoes and bake for 45 minutes, or until the meat and potatoes are tender. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired. Discard the herbs. Enrich the sauce by swirling in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Serve the stew sprinkled with parsley.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings.
Ulster champ (mashed potatoes with peas)
3 pounds potatoes, preferably Yukon Gold
4 cups shelled young peas
8 tablespoons parsley
2 1/2 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1 stick butter
Cook the potatoes in boiling salted water (skins on) until tender; drain well, dry over the heat in the pan for a few minutes, peel and mash with most of the butter while hot.
Meanwhile, bring milk to boil and simmer the peas in it until just cooked, about 8-10 minutes. Add the parsley for the final 2 minutes of cooking. Add the hot milk mixture to the potatoes. Season well, beat until creamy and smooth, and serve piping hot with a lump of butter melting in the center.
Irish apple cake
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
3/4 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup plus 2-3 tablespoons sugar
2 extra-large eggs, 1 of them beaten with 1 tablespoon milk for a glaze
7 tablespoons cold milk
1-2 tart cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into rough 3/4-inch chunks
2 whole cloves (optional)
Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate.
Sift the flour and baking powder together into a large bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in 1/2 cup of sugar. Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in the unblended egg, beaten, and the milk. Stir to make a very soft, wet, sticky dough that does not clean the sides of the bowl. Dip your hands into the flour and then pat about half the dough into the prepared pie plate, covering the bottom and side.
Distribute the apple cubes over the dough to within 3/4 inch of the edge and sprinkle them with the remaining 2-3 tablespoons sugar, depending on the tartness of the apples. Stud with the cloves. Brush the edge of the dough with some of the glaze.
Sprinkle a large dinner plate generously with flour and pat the remaining dough onto the plate. Invert the plate and the dough over the apples in the pie plate, dropping the dough into place over the apples. (If the dough breaks, patch it and don't worry if it looks a bit raggedy.) Press the edges of the top and bottom crusts together with fork tines to seal, and make a single slit in the top as a steam vent. Brush the top with the remaining glaze.
Bake the cake in the middle of a preheated 350 oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the dough is golden and the apples are tender and juicy when pierced with the tip of a knife. Serve warm.
Serve: 6-8 servings.
by CNB