Cherry season is here: Celebrate with these two delicious summer recipes
cherries
, the juicy, rounded red fruit that will be hitting our shelves very soon. They are known for their deep red colour and intense sweet flavour, and the season is short, beginning around July. European cherries will start to land on shelves from next week, with a season lasting from early June to August. Cherries need plenty of sun and heat to develop good fruit. With the weather of late, we could even see them land earlier than expected this year.
[
Two classic shellfish dishes inspired by Donegal chefs at the top of their game
Opens in new window
]
We used to serve perfectly conditioned cherries from the Cerét region of France, in the foothills of the Pyrenees, in a restaurant where I used to work. Before they arrived, we had grand plans for complicated and artistic dish designs. Upon tasting them, we quickly realised these were one of those magic ingredients that needed zero intervention. A perfect balance of sugar and acid, we decided to serve them as they were, on the stem, over crushed ice. Being the middle of summer, it proved the perfect ending to a lighter menu, particularly with a cup of herbal tea or single espresso.
This week's recipes will equip you for the season ahead with both savoury and sweet options. The first uses duck breast, a readily available and cost-effective meat that is easier than you might think to cook. I've added the technique here that I learned in a classic French kitchen – using a low heat to melt down the fat layer between the meat and the skin so the skin goes crispy. With the cherries, I have made a very simple compote that can be batch cooked and kept for months in the fridge. Perfect with the duck, it's also very versatile. Try it with yoghurt and granola, or even on a pavlova for a larger dessert.
Black forest gateau. Photograph: Harry weir
Speaking of dessert, our second recipe returns to a classic. Black Forest gateau traces its roots to 1920s Germany and calls for chocolate sponge soaked in cherry liqueur or kirsch. Cake baking can often call for complicated equipment, so I have used a standard loaf tin to reduce the hassle. Cherry compote and fresh cherries bring the summer sunshine. This is a perfect dish to prepare in advance and keep in the fridge for a few hours, the soaking time will add to the finished result. Enjoy.
Recipe: Crispy duck breast with cherry compote
Recipe: Black Forest gateau
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Not wanting to be outdone by the Beckhams, I decided we should mark our anniversary
I was having an existential crisis. It happens. Possibly a little bit more regularly now as I clock up the years. And it's often triggered by life's milestones and challenges: children's birthdays, school summer holidays and the end of another academic year ; a child finishing school altogether; a Leaving Cert holiday and the tortured helplessness felt at home while himself is living his best life – and even remembering to wear factor 50 sunscreen, after all; watching the price of chocolate increase; the inability to find a pair of decent-fitting jeans in this post-skinny jeans era. Who am I? What am I doing with my life? How the hell did I get here? These are life's big questions that I ask of myself more frequently than I care to admit. READ MORE Anyway, the latest thing to trigger me was my 25th wedding anniversary. How can that possibly have come around already? I still feel 25, never mind 25 years married, though my right hip begs to differ. But silver wedding anniversaries? Well they're for old people, surely. And I refuse to get old. And how can it really be 25 years anyway, when I can still clearly smell the orange and lemons of Sorrento. We've never really been ones for marking wedding anniversaries. We were already parents by the time the first anniversary happened, so that trumped the – at the time, seemingly self-indulgent – idea of celebrations. After all, there was sleep deprivation to endure. And so beyond, on our 20th anniversary, mentioning in The Irish Times that he forgot our first one – because, you know, a wife with an axe to grind and a newspaper column is not for faint-hearted husbands – we've never really made a thing of it. [ Jen Hogan: It's our 20th wedding anniversary. I wonder will he remember Opens in new window ] But this time, I decided I wanted to make a thing of it. After all, the Beckhams, who share a wedding anniversary with us, never miss an opportunity to get the wedding album out on social media. So, not wanting to be outdone by someone who used to play for Manchester United, I decided we should buy some purple suits and head back to Rome and show the children where we got married, for the occasion. Alas, they appeared to be all out of matching purple suits that day I went to Dundrum Shopping Centre. And, it turned out we couldn't afford to go to Rome either, on account of having a ridiculous number of children. So we settled on Galway, which is more or less the same thing anyway, if you squint a little. I am not averse to using a bit of emotional blackmail when I need to. Judge me all you like, I'll probably just use it in a future column. And so, taking no chances in the quest to get all my children together to celebrate this momentous occasion, I lead with a 'more than anything I can possibly think of, for our 25th wedding anniversary, your dad and I would love to get a night away with the nine of us. All of us together again. Are you free next weekend?' text to the one who had the cheek to grow up, move out and leave me with all these boys. She said she was. Discussions ensued, between the siblings, over which child would bunk in with which child, largely determined by who was deemed to fart the most (or the least, depending on your perspective). The van was packed and the Hogans were off to Galway. All nine of us. Together again. Order was restored to my galaxy. [ The summer juggle: How to work while the kids are off Opens in new window ] We were staying at the Connacht, a family-friendly hotel whose claims of which are put to the test by my supersized brood (it passes, with flying colours). A swim was first on the agenda. 'You're coming too, aren't you Mum?,' the youngest asked, giving me no out. Ten minutes after everyone else had got into the pool, I joined them. Because that's how I roll. A woman smiled at me, and I smiled back, thinking to myself how friendly the natives were. Then she gave a gentle wave as I walked past. And I waved back, thinking again 'super friendly people'. 'You didn't know it was me, did you?,' the friendly woman said laughing, as the familiar dread of meeting someone out of context and not recognising them began to set in. I was going to have to come clean. Turns out it was just the curse of shortsightedness, and a world viewed stubbornly in soft focus. To the point I hadn't recognised my own daughter. The eyesight, at least, is consistent with 25 years ago. We swam, ate, played and laughed, and I even forgot this anniversary made me sound middle-aged. Because we were all together again, and everything made sense.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Out with the new, in with the old: antique furniture back in vogue in Irish homes
There is a quiet but substantial move away from sleek, contemporary design as the dominant interior style in homes over the past few years. And while some people still opt for a minimalist mood, many more are forgoing flat-pack furniture and embracing an eclectic style that includes older, solid-wood furniture alongside durable contemporary pieces. Speaking with participants at a recent furniture upcycling workshop, it was striking to hear how many of these homeowners are now mixing modern furniture with vintage and antique pieces – some of which they redesign to suit their spaces. 'People don't appreciate the full modern look any more. We pick out one or two statement pieces to mix in with modern furniture,' said Mary Kennedy at the workshop, led by Waterford -based artist and interior designer, Marianne Heaphy. Michelle Burnett of Cush Interiors agrees. 'The thing is, you don't need to have a period house to include pieces of antique furniture in your interior style,' says Burnett. She says her clients often want to incorporate a favourite 1950s armchair or another piece of antique furniture handed down through the family into their homes. READ MORE And while so-called brown furniture can still be a step too far for many homeowners, learning how to upcycle selected vintage and antique furniture by painting tables interesting matt colours is allowing people to bring new life to old pieces. Putting brightly coloured patterned fabrics on the seats of otherwise dull but sturdy chairs or spraying gold lacquer on small, elegant cabinets or sets of drawers are more examples of this DIY approach to design. 'Post-recession, the design world has changed and I have a different perspective, too, in the last eight years. People don't want a home out of a catalogue now with everything new. Many want to mix antique and contemporary furniture together,' says Burnett. The Financial Times recently highlighted a new generation of dealers who started trading furniture for fun on social media and then moved into it being their main pursuit. From careers in the music industry, photography and graphic design, this new breed of antique and vintage dealers trawl through some of Europe's more obscure auction rooms for hidden gems. They then resell everything from art deco lamps to Henry Moore sculptures to vintage pottery to clients inspired by their personal taste. These London-based dealers include people such as Toby Ziff, Mario Kardana, Marine Edith Crosta and Katie Ridges. Some of this new generation of dealers sell in pop-up community or retail spaces while others have gone the whole way and sell their wares in bricks-and-mortar stores. Anyone in London reading this could check out the stalls at the Spotlight Market in Clapton today. Back in Ireland, there also seems to be a revival of interest in antique fairs held in community centres and hotels countrywide as individuals and couples seek out quirky and unique pieces of furniture to bring more personality into their homes. Joy Thorpe's antique shop in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny. Photograph: And local antique shops such as Joy Thorpe in Castlecomer, Co Kilkenny, are inspiring many people to mix and match their furniture from different periods. Her Instagram page and website is a perfect shop window for how items such as a Victorian hall chair (€190), a Victorian lady's sewing table (€390), a Victorian slipper chair (€490) or a Georgian mahogany fold-over table (€490) can look so stylish and comforting in a modern or period home. Victorian Slipper Chair (€490) at Joy Thorpe's Antiques Store in Castlecomer. Photograph: Victorian Hall Chair (€190) at Joy Thorpe's Antiques Store Thorpe, who studied textiles at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, first started incorporating furniture into her Kilkenny art gallery. 'Soon, I was selling more antiques than art,' she says. She later ran an antiques shop in Castledermot, Co Kildare, before moving to her current shop in Castlecomer five years ago. 'People are braver now with their interiors and want to mix things up. They see the value and character that older pieces bring,' she adds. The auction rooms at Mullens in Laurel Park, Woodbrook, Bray, Co Wicklow, have always been a great place for browsing through vintage or antique furniture that can bring novelty or even humour as well as functionality to domestic interiors. [ How to bid wisely at auctions: 'An emotional decision is rarely a wise decision' Opens in new window ] In their next timed online auction – which begins to close at 6pm tomorrow evening, there are many such items. Take the vintage oak nine drawer architect's plan cabinet (€300-€500) or the vintage camphor wood brass bound trunk (€100-€200) – useful for storage but also attractive additions to a room. Vintage oak nine drawer architect's plan cabinet (€300–€500) at Mullens auction rooms, Bray Vintage camphorwood brass-bound trunk (€100-€200) at Mullen's timed online auction, which begins to end on Sunday, July 20th, at 6pm Vintage oak and brass barrel with two open shelves (€100–€150) at Mullens online timed auction The cherrywood tallboy (€150-€250) is also practical, solid and suitable for either a reception room or a bedroom. The vintage oak and brass barrel with two open shelves (€100 –€150) is a little more playful. The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style black lacquered side chair with medusa pattern upholstered seat (€60-€100) at Mullens auction rooms The Charles Rennie Mackintosh-style black lacquered side chair with medusa pattern upholstered seat (€60-€100) is like something you'd see on an interior design programme. The Glasgow-born architect, designer and artist renowned for his modernist works was – together with his wife, Margaret Macdonald – influential on European design movements such as art nouveau and secessionism in Austria. The auction also has a good range of oriental rugs, with estimates ranging from around €100 and up to €600-€800 for the better quality ones. , What did it sell for? The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, JMW Turner The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, JMW Turner Estimate £200,000-£300,000 Hammer price £1.9m (€2.2m) Auction house Sotheby's Diamond pavé clutter set bracelet, Matthews two-day auction Diamond pavé bracelet Estimate €12,000-€18,000 Hammer price €14,200 Auction house Matthews Sapphire and diamond cluster set link bracelet (€4,000-€7,000) Sapphire and diamond bracelet Estimate €4,000-€7,000 Hammer price €3,750 Auction house Matthews Art Deco diamond round cut bracelet, Matthews Art deco bracelet Estimate €20,000-€30,000 Hammer price €18,000 Auction house Matthews
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Irish Times
Open Championship: Wayward McIlroy stays in the game as he grinds it out on gruelling day
The examination, as ever, was a tough one. Nothing came easy for those who set out in their quest to lift the Claret Jug at this 153rd Open on the Dunluce links and the questions that were asked, with wind ever-present and rain that came and went and came again in further complicating the task posed, left many perplexed and frustrated. This was a day to survive, which is what Rory McIlroy managed to do without anything approach his A-game: he ranked 154th of 156 players in driving accuracy, finding two of 14 fairways, which indicated the waywardness off the tee that caused most difficulty for the Masters champion who, somehow, found a way to sign for a 70, one under par. Only two players managed to navigate a route from one to 18 without incurring a bogey. One of them was Haotong Li, the other Justin Rose. Li, though, was the one who managed to share the lead as the Chinese player's four-under-par 67 enabled him to join Jacob Skov Olesen, Matt Fitzpatrick, Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Harris English in a five-way tie of the first-round lead. READ MORE Scottie Scheffler , the world number one, was almost as poor as McIlroy off the tee – finding just three fairways – but ominously shot a 68 to leave those ahead looking over their shoulders. 'Wind is something that obviously makes links golf challenging, but the rain adds a whole new element to it, especially when you're hitting the tee balls. You get a little moisture between the club face and the ball, especially with the longer clubs and the woods, and it can be pretty challenging,' said Scheffler of the main challenge that faced players on a day where rounds took six hours to complete. The pace of play was painfully slow, with long waits on tee boxes – especially the par 5s – while forecaddies were kept busy in searching for and finding balls in the rough. Bryson DeChambeau, who didn't manage a birdie in his round, was among those who paid a heavy price. His power game was insufficient to overcome the links, and he cut a sorry figure in trooping off the 18th green to sign for a 78. Jon Rahm of Spain lines up a putt on the fifth green during his first round. Photograph:As Tyrrell Hatton observed of one of the consequences of the pace, 'it was very slow, and it kind of felt like you couldn't eat enough, to be honest.' Marc Leishman remarked that it felt he'd been out on the course for 12 hours. And frustration was to be found everywhere. McIlroy's puffing of cheeks after another drive that went left on 17. Scheffler's club drop on the tee on 14. Jon Rahm's anger when distracted by someone whistling as he played his tee shot on 11. 'If I were to paint a picture, you have the hardest tee shot on the course, raining, into the wind off the left, it's enough. I know they're not doing it on purpose. It just seemed like somebody trying to get a hold of someone for whatever it is. It was bad timing. I think I just used the moment to let out any tension I had in me,' said Rahm, who opened with a 70. Back in 2019, McIlroy's fate was effectively sealed in opening with a 79 when he missed the halfway cut and this homecoming brought huge galleries and, with it, expectations, not least his own. 'I feel the support of an entire country out there, which is a wonderful position to be in, but at the same time, you don't want to let them down. So, there's that little bit of added pressure. I felt like I dealt with it really well today. Certainly dealt with it better than I did six years ago,' said McIlroy. And, to his credit, he grinded. He stuck to the task, even with a disobedient driver, and this time avoided disaster to remain within touching distance. McIlroy's round started with a three-putt bogey on the first but he managed to reach three under with birdies on the second, fifth and seventh to turn in 34, and he made another birdie on the 10th. Then, as the rain returned and combined with the wind to make for challenging conditions, the Northern Irishman suffered back-to-back bogeys on the 11th (which ranked as the most difficult hole) and 12th, and another on the 14th. An important par save came on the 15th, though. He didn't see a fairway, finding the rough off the tee again and semi-rough with his approach, but then chipping to 12 feet and sinking the putt: 'It was a big putt, especially having bogeyed three of the last four at that point. That was important. It was a huge putt to keep whatever momentum I had.' McIlroy returned to under-par on the 17th, where that drive left into heavy rough was followed by a superb approach from 148 yards – his strength an asset – that used the contours off the green for the ball to roll on to 12 feet. McIlroy rolled in the putt, his feat of escapology rewarded. 'It was a tough enough day, especially either chopping out of the rough or out of the fairway bunkers most of the time. So, to shoot under par was a good effort,' said McIlroy.
