Moments from throughout the years. Food I’ve made, eaten, and admired - all captured by me 🙋🏼♀️ 📸
I spent a summer working as a private chef in Grasse, France. On my days off I would often take the train to Ventimiglia, Italy to eat pasta, drink a spritz by the sea and browse the markets full of gorgeous produce like these showstopping tomatoes.
Tarte Tatin, made for a private dinner in Grasse, France. This one always went down well.
The peak of my chef days was the 2 months I spent as a stageur in Lima, Peru. On my days off I would visit different ceviche spots around the city. It is one of my favourite foods - so fresh, so balanced (in Peru they often add roasted sweet potato) so healthy and so much to learn! It was originally developed as a way of keeping fish fresh as it was transported inland.
Causa Peruana (Peruvian potato cake). Peru has over 3500 varieties of potato - absolutely thrilling as an Irish cook to visit the home of the potato and see how much respect they treat it with.
Green Ceviche. A succulent King prawn, fried onions, corn, sweet potato and a coriander based leche de Tigre. One of my last meals in Lima. Eaten staring out at the Pacific, this is possibly one of the most delicious dishes I've ever eaten.
Mó Bistro. The second spot I staged at in Lima. (Mó is on a street lined with mulberry trees. Spanish for mulberry is moy, the Peruvians pronounce it mo.)
Yellow bananas, blue string, green door, yellow wall in Lima. I am fascinated by colour theory and loved this example of analogous colours out in the real world. Food = visually stimulating!
Raspberry, Chocolate, Frangipane Tart. I was once given 10kg of almonds by a grocer friend who had a large amount of nuts that were past their sell-by date and she couldn't legally sell. And so began my obsession with frangipane - a very misunderstood recipe. When made by conventional bakeries they keep it cheap by bulking with flour and it comes out spongey and bland. When you go heavy on the almonds and use good quality ones, there's nothing quite like it.
Pear and Frangipane Tart.
Pear and Chocolate Frangipane Tart.
Devil's Food Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream, made for a birthday party. (My thoughts on sugar - eat good quality sweet things in moderation as part of a healthy diet).
Being a chef in Ireland during the month of December = being a mince pie machine.
Octopus, fried potatoes, pimientos de padron, eaten somewhere in Spain while walking the Camino de Santiago. I rarely eat octopus because they are highly intelligent and it makes me feel guilty, but when I do, oh how I love it - steak of the sea.
Salads are probably my favourite thing to make. There is so much room to play with colour, texture, shape and cooking techniques. This is one I was particularly excited about - spiced, caramelised onions, roasted butternut squash, lemony bulgur with mint and pomegranate. Made at Industry & Co.
Every time I eat a bagel I think of my grandparents. My Granny bought bagels from the same place in North Conway, NH for 24 years. Every time we went to visit she would get our order the week before. After she passed we made a point of stopping in for a bagel every time we were in town.
Grilled sourdough, seasonal sauteed vegetables and a fresh egg, shot during my days as a chef at Thyme.
Breakfast in Izamal, Mexico. I love Mexico for the weather, people, history, culture, language, but probably most of all the pops of pink that show up on my plate!
Green bananas and their purple flower, somewhere in Mexico. Again, colour gets me going.
Mole flautas and Carnitas outside of Valladolid, Mexico. Colour theory in action - popping pink onions with a side of greens.
At a market in Palermo, Sicily.
Italy - a feast for both the eyes and the stomach.