Wild Food Menu October 2012

                    Wild Food Menu

                   October 2012

                                        Wild Irish Game Terrine   (c)

                   Hedgerow Berry & Fruit Chutney, Sweet Chestnut Purée

                         Beetroot Cured Organic Salmon Tartar

                          ‘Kilbeg Dairies’ Quark & Sour-dough Toast

                                  Home-made Soup of the Day (c)

                         Roast ‘Kilmore Quay’ Fillet of Hake (c)

        Baked Razor Clams, Fennel Pollen, Sea Beet, Sea Radish & Dillisk

                     Crisp Pork Belly, Orchard Apple Wine Glaze 

                                      Spiced Pickled Cabbage

                             Pan-fried Breast of Mallard (c)

   Roast Jerusalem Artichokes, Rowan-berry Jelly, Aged Sherry & Sloe Jus

                       Home-made Local Wild Mushroom Gnocchi (v)

                       Baked in a Garlic Cream Sauce with ‘Regato’ Cheese

                      All Served with Mixed Market Vegetables & Potatoes 

                    Meadowsweet & Buttermilk Panna Cotta

                 Elderberry Compôte and Elderflower Caramel Biscuit

                               Wild Blackberry Bavarois,

                   Rose-hip Ice-cream, Poppy Petal Syrup

                          ‘Gubeen’ Irish Farmhouse cheese

                         Served with Oatcakes & a Quince jam

A run through of the Dishes in no particular order

I set the challenge for myself and the team at work to create a Wild Food Menu for the month of October, some of the stuff we've gathered has been kept in store for later use. 

This years weather patterns have given some shortages in normal supply, Elderberries are in short supply in the usual haunts.This led me into visiting the local Garda/police station for a forage having noticed their presence there before (on a passport visit I might add) I asked permission of course, though the desk sergeant was a little bemused, he gave me the go ahead and fine berries they were too growing in a walled environment amongst the long forgotten impounded cars. 
The Elderberries share the plate with Elderflower caramel biscuits as a compote cutting up the Meadowsweet and Buttermilk 'Pannacotta'.

Some of the dishes may not be totally wild in their ingredients or produce choice but have be chosen more for the nature of their happening as in the case of the Beetroot cured Salmon, Organic Salmon from the West coast of Ireland has been teamed up with organic beetroot from Wicklow, Quark from a small producer in Meath and Sour-dough bread from  'the Bretzel' a local Dublin bakery.

Some wild pickings are combined with others, the Hedgerow berry chutney includes haws (first boiled then sieved- no need for their pips and skins) blackberries, elderberries and what little of this years sloes and orchard fruits there are about. 

The sloes backing up the wild Irish Mallard dish are from last year and have been marinating in  pale sherry and sugar, they are kind of sweet, the Rowan-berry jelly made in the traditional manner with the addition of agar-agar which once set is reasonably heat stable and allows neat cubes to be cut for presentation of the dish add tartness to the richness of the dish, Jerusalem Artichokes are an allotment staple and just coming good this time of year.

Local wild mushrooms, need no introduction if you've read this 'blog' before, they are my passion at this time of year,the sauce with the Gnocchi usually includes,Yellow leg  chanterelles,Amethyst deceivers, hedgehog mushroom and various members of the bolete family.

Blackberries have been a hot topic for discussion and their lack of this year,I've had no problems with them  whenever I find a good spot two of us can pick the making of a couple of 'Bavarois' quite quickly. This plate is sweet, Rose-hips have been good and the Common poppy petals a delight to pick and process into a bright red syrup for drizzling.

On the sea shore there has been plenty and fennel growing wild near by, the fennel pollen is added to polenta and used to coat the Hake before frying,this both protects the fish and ensures an even spread of pollen as it is quite strong in flavour, this dish includes sea-beet, sea radish and various seaweeds all picked on Irish coastline .

Crisp Pork belly, apple wine glaze, spiced pickled cabbage,the cabbage is fermented 'Kim chi' style and  the glaze gets a start from a 10 year old apple wine added to crushed apples from this years harvest, from a neglected orchard I know.
'Gubeen' cheese needs no introduction as one of Ireland's best known farmhouse cheeses, and the 'Gubeen' brand is an inspiration to most of us involved in food, the Ferguson family work like this, Parents dairy Farmers produce the cheese, the whey from the milk is used by their son to feed his pigs he then makes charcuterie products often flavoured  with herbs from his sisters garden, neat. The oatcakes are our own,made with oats from the mill founded by one of our staff members Grandfather.