Cooking with Paula McIntyre

1 sheet ready rolled puff pastry
60g soft butter
60g castor sugar
1 egg
50g ground almonds
15g plain flour
15g cocoa powder
1 egg yolk
10g melted butter
1 tablespoon Demerara sugar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
175g cherries, stone removed
Place the pastry on a lightly greased baking tray.
Beat the castor sugar and butter until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Mix in the almonds, cocoa and flour to a smooth paste.
Score a border of 1cm thick around the pastry, prick the middle with a fork and brush all over with the egg yolk. Spread the frangipane into the centre rectangle within the border. Press the cherry halves into the frangipane. Brush all over with the melted butter and sprinkle the Demerara sugar over evenly. Bake in a 180oc preheated oven for about 25 minutes or until frangipane is cooked through. Brush with the maple syrup and cool slightly before serving.

Spiced Courgette fritters with yoghurt dressing
125g mashed potatoes
250g coarsely grated courgettes
½ teaspoon salt
4 scallions, finely chopped
45g rice flour
1 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon nigella seeds
Oil for shallow frying
Mix the courgettes with the salt and leave for 10 minutes. Squeeze through a sieve to get rid of as much water as possible and place in a bowl with the potatoes, scallions, rice flour, and spices. Mix well. Form into small golf ball size pieces – roll and then flatten. Heat a quarter of thumb nail depth of oil in a frying pan and add the fritters. Cook until golden on both sides – about 2 minutes each side. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with the yoghurt dressing.
Yoghurt Dressing
250ml Greek style yoghurt
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons curry leaves
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
Season the yoghurt with salt in a bowl.
Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds. When they pop add garlic and curry leaves. Cook gently until the garlic is golden.
Add the turmeric and chilli powder and remove from heat. Pour the mixture over the surface of the yoghurt and serve with the fritters.

Braised local beans with parma ham and spaghetti
1 stick celery, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
25g butter
4 slices parma ham, shredded
1 tablespoon tomato puree
250g mixed beans ( runner beans and green beans) topped tail and cut into 2cm pieces
250g local tomatoes cut the same size or whole if cherry tomatoes
250ml stock
300g dried spaghetti
75g hard cheese like parmesan/ Cais na Tire/ pecorino
Handful fresh basil, parsley or lovage, chopped
1 tablespoon of good olive oil
Cook the onion, garlic and celery in the butter in a pan over low heat – keep a lid on and give it a stir occasionally, for 15 minutes or until soft. Add the ham and cook for a couple of minutes. Mix in the tomato puree and add the beans, tomatoes and stock. Place the lid on and simmer for 10 minutes. Cook the spaghetti for 10 minutes and then drain and add to the braised beans. Mix in the cheese and herbs. Check seasoning and serve in bowls with a drizzle of the good oil.

Recipe
Florentines
50g butter
50g soft brown sugar
50g golden syrup
50g plain flour
100g chopped mixed nuts ( pistachio, hazelnuts, almonds)
75g mixed dried fruit ( apricot, cranberry, raisins etc)
Set oven to 180oc and line 2 trays with parchment paper.
Melt the butter, sugar and syrup in a pan. Remove from heat and beat in the flour to a smooth paste. Mix in the buts and fruit. Take a tablespoon of the mixture and place on the baking tray and flatten slightly. Repeat with remaining mixture, leaving space in between as they spread when cooking. Bake for about 10 minutes and cool to set.
Blackcurrant icecream
150g blackcurrants
1 tablespoon Brandy or fruit liqueur
1 tablespoon liquid glucose
Juice ½ lemon
250g sugar
4 egg yolks
500ml double cream
Place the blackcurrants with the brandy, glucose, lemon juice and 50g of the sugar in a pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Blend and cool
Whisk the remaining sugar with the egg yolks in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk for 2 minutes then whisk with an electric whisk for another 3 minutes or until pale.
Whisk the cream to soft peaks.
Fold the egg yolk mixture into the cream and then fold in the blackcurrant mixture. Place in a plastic tub and freeze until set.
Scoop the icecream and sandwich between 2 Florentines.

Recipe
Scones
225g soda bread flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
50g butter
35g castor sugar
1 egg
125ml buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the butter and rub until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. ( For best results chill at this stage for an hour)
Add the sugar and mix well. Set oven to 190°C and lightly butter 2 baking trays.
Whisk the egg, buttermilk and vanilla together and add to the flour mixture Mix to a soft dough and place on a floured surface. Knead gently.
Roll to 2cm thick and cut into desired shapes and place on baking trays.
Brush the top with egg yolk and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden, risen and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped.
Strawberry and elderflower jam
500g strawberries
500g jam sugar or granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 elderflower heads
If the strawberries are large, cut them in half. Put the strawberries and lemon juice into a large pan. Heat for a few minutes to soften, add the sugar and stir over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add the elderflower heads. Once the sugar has dissolved and the liquid is clear, boil steadily for about 6 minutes, or until at setting point. To test if the jam is at setting point, spoon a little onto a cold plate, leave for a minute and then push the jam with your finger. If the jam crinkles and separates without flooding back, setting point has been reached. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the elderflowers. Spoon into sterilised jars, label and seal with wax paper and a lid.
Split the scones, add some jam and a little clotted cream.