Chef Martin Anderson
Every Bunny loves Easter and no, I’m not giving you a recipe for rabbit.
Yes, it’s the end of lent for a lot of you and on Sunday Morning there will be hot chocolate for breakfast, Facebook accounts will be reactivated, cream eggs will take a bashing, chocolate treats will be included in every meal and by 6pm everyone will be stuffed and feeling sick.
I remember the Easter Bunny visiting our home when I was a young lad. Every year it was a challenge to find the chocolate eggs. In those days the eggs were massive and had extra sweets inside and a toy. They didn’t go on sale either until closer to Easter , I think you can buy them now from February onwards.
On one occasion the eggs were locked in the chest freezer in the shed, how did the Easter bunny get the key? Good fun and then off to Easter Sunday Mass .
It was always a family treat to go to lunch on Easter Sunday , one of the few occasions where someone else did the cooking for my mum & it gave us a break from the washing up too
My father worked 6 days a week as a coal man and it was great for us to get a day out together.
At the time the Redcastle Hotel in Redcastle , Inishowen was without a doubt one of the greatest Sunday lunch experiences.
We were greeted at reception and shown to the bar were you had your wee mineral or glass of wine. Menus were handed out , no kiddies menu in those days , you ate half portions of real food or you didn’t eat at all.
I don’t understand why you would spend so much time choosing food for yourself and then slap sausages & chips in front of your child !
Orders were taken and then you were called to your table.
Billy Tighe was Restaurant manager and he knew how to run a restaurant. From the minute you sat down until you walked out the front door the customer service was impeccable , chosen starters were quickly dispatched , cutlery changed to suit your order , bread basket with mountains of melba toast and fresh rolls and I mean real rolls , ( my cousin Corrine was pastry chef there and everything was fresh that day).
Rolled butter was presented in silver dishes whereas nowadays you have to unwrap your own butter and stick the foil wrapper to the table! Fruit juice , egg mayonnaise (still some places serving this !! ) fresh prawn cocktail , consommé or if you were adventurous pate , all things we take for granted now.
Starters were cleared , water jugs refilled , wine topped up and then away we go for the main course .
This was the star of the show , unless you count the dessert trolley !
A copper dome was wheeled to the table , another trolley arrived beside it and Mr. Tighe rolled open the lid to reveal fresh roast leg of lamb & beside it fighting for attention was a magnificent roast rib of beef .
This was real meat , nothing vacuum packed 3 months in advance here , real local produce , your plates arrived warm , set down and the servers stepped back , metal trays were set on gas burners , thick slices of fresh carved meat were set sizzling on top of the trays a splash of gravy and then the vegetables & Yorkshire puddings arrived , senior servers silver served the meat ( Tongue twister ) junior servers the vegetables , in most places now they fire the dish down and there you go serve yourself.
Accompanying sauces arrived in sauce boats , if you want mustard now you’d better bring your own scissors because that’s the only way your going to get the portion pack open .
Seconds were always offered , another sneaky Yorkie perhaps to soak up that gravy Mr Anderson?
Plates were cleared and then the Dessert Trolly rolled over , everything on this was made in house , crunchy meringues with chestnut cream , fresh fruit salad , apple pie , cheesecake , Black Forest gateau and of course a big bowl of jelly , ice cream was served on request , real Icecream made in the kitchen not the frozen milk stuff you get sometimes, the beauty of the dessert Trolly is that you can have a wee bit of everything and jelly on top .
Fresh coffee was then served with short bread biscuits and after that a wee dander over yo leisure land to have a go on the bumper cars and try not to be sick afterwards .
You didn’t have to worry about eating until the next day , great food served by real staff in a fantastic ambience . Fun times & great times .
Anyway this weeks recipe is of course based on chocolate , I couldn’t do any other recipe at this time of year.
The recipe is straight from the Odlums website so full credit to them for this , I’m not one bit ashamed to use it , when you’re good your good and this is good .
These may be served cold but are really best warmed up and served with real ice cream
Happy Easter folks .
Chocolate Brownies
mmmmmmmmmmm…!
You will need
175g Cream Plain Flour
225g Butter (room temperature)
125g dark Chocolate
325g Caster Sugar
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Essence
4 Eggs (beaten)
100g Chopped Walnuts
½ Teaspoon Baking Powder
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C Gas 3. Lightly grease a rectangular brownie tin. 25cm/10” x 15cm/6”. Small roasting tin would also do.
Melt the butter or margarine and chocolate together over a low heat.
Remove from heat, add the sugar and mix well.
Add vanilla essence, eggs and chopped walnuts.
Sieve the flour and baking powder together and gently stir into chocolate mixture.
Pour into prepared tin and bake for about 40-50 minutes until crusty on top.
Remove from oven and allow to cool, cut into squares
Carvery Dome for serving fresh meats at the table , now considered an antique but what a way to showcase your food .
