ReMARKable Palate #246: The Allure of Irish Whiskey

This week, it’s back to the Park Hotel in Kenmare Ireland, where Jennifer and I had a chat with John Moriarty, the barman, about Whiskey, both Irish and Scotch. I joined John for a hike along the Kerry Way earlier that day, so I was ready for some refreshment in the form of Whiskey! John knows quite a bit about the malted spirits, and taught us a thing or two!

www.parkkenmare.com

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Travel and accommodation provided by Tourism Ireland. www.discoverireland.com

ReMARKable Palate #244: An Irish Culinary Celebration

Jennifer and I chat with 3 Irish chefs who were guest chefs at the Park Hotel Kenmare for a special weekend celebrating the special products of the Emerald Isle. Chef Ross Lewis of Chapter One, Chef Derry Clark of l’Ecrivain, both in Dublin, and Chef Mickael Viljanen of Gregan’s Castle in County Clare sat with us over a glass of Irish Whiskey and discussed their love of Irish food.

www.parkkenmare.com
Euro-Toques Ireland

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

“Limerick’s Lament” (Irish Traditional), by Karin Leitner & Cormac De Barra, from “Music of the Great Irish Houses”. www.karinleitner.com

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

Travel and accommodation provided by Tourism Ireland. www.tourismirelandinfo.com

Greetings from the Emerald Isle! Chef Mark and I are once again running amok throughout the countryside to bring you our favorite flavors, colors and delights from the other side of the pond. We’re spending a few days in the lovely County Kerry, with its ever-varying landscape of craggy hills and verdant hues. We’re here to participate in a Culinary Celebration of Ireland weekend at the Park Hotel Kenmare featuring some of Ireland’s most renowned chefs, including the hotel’s Head Chef Mark Johnston, who is joined by Dublin restaurateurs Ross Lewis of Chapter One and Derry Clarke of L’Ecrivain, as well as Mickael Viljanen of Gregans Castle in County Clare. As always, we’ll have audio, video and photos of the experience, but here’s a little rundown of what’s on the agenda:

Tonight: “One by Three” dinner featuring 1 Ingredient, 3 Interpretations, 9 Courses and 1 Result

Tomorrow:
Chef Mark will hit the Kerry Way trail on his way to a cheese tasting at the top of the hill, while I’ll be sampling a variety of the hotel’s SAMAS Deluxe Destination Spa offerings. We then have a food and heritage walk of the town of Kenmare, then a whiskey tasting and a surprise dinner menu from the chefs.

Sunday we’ll depart for home!

On our way here, we took a day to wind our way through County Clare to see some of the spectacular views, and enjoyed a night at the Moy House hotel in Lahinch, near the Cliffs of Moher. We both fell in love with the Moy House, which was wonderfully elegant with nary a hint of pretense, so our stay was relaxing and comfortable. We woke to views of the ocean and those famous cliffs, so it was hard to leave! Photos of our mini-tour, followed by dinner crafted by Chef Daniel O’Brien, are in my Facebook album as well as Chef Mark’s.

We’ll have more on that County Clare visit, along with Chef Mark’s interview with Chef Daniel, in the coming days, but we wanted to give you a sneak peek from the road. We hope you’ll follow along with us as Chef Mark revisits his favorite Irish tastes and sights, and as I experience my first (but definitely not last!).

ReMARKable Palate #187: Irish Cheese & Whiskey

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, we celebrate Irish cheese & Whiskey! I speak with Susan Hall from www.cheesefrombritain.com, then with artisanal cheesemaker Dan Cahill from cahillscheese.ie. We finish the show speaking with Jack Tealing from Cooley Whiskey, the last remaining Irish owned distillery in Ireland.

Theme Song: “Go Fish”, by Big Money Grip, from the Podsafe Music Network.

ReMARKable Palate is a production of The Culinary Media Network. www.culinarymedianetwork.com

This Delphi Irish stew would be an ideal entrée for your St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Don’t forget to finish it off with some Irish brown soda bread! Recipe courtesy of Tourism Ireland and Chef Gerard Reidy.

6-8 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs Shoulder of Lamb (cubed)
5 whole carrots
1 swede / turnip
1 Irish onion
100 ml vegetable oil
12 medium potatoes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
pinch of salt / white pepper
3 litres water
2 kg potatoes (mashed)

Preparation

Peel and cut onion into large dice. Place large pot over high heat and add oil.
Place lamb and onion into pot and sauté for 8/10 minutes. Add carrot and turnip, which has been cut into 1-inch cubes (chunks).
Season with salt and pepper, add rosemary, then cover with water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
In the meantime peel the medium potatoes and cut into quarters.
Cook your 2 kg of potatoes in water to make mashed potato.
Now add potato quarters to pot and cook for another 20 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Then stir in mashed potato. Your stew is now ready.
Serve in large bowl.
Recommended to serve white soda bread with butter to help mop up the juices.

Recipe by Chef Gerard Reidy, head chef of the Delphi Mountain Resort in Connemara Galway

Find more traditional Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day or any occasion at Tourism Ireland.