Paula McIntyre’s Honey Fair Recipes
Paula McIntyre joined us this year the the Honey Fair, Hillsborough. She worked her magic in our theatre kitchen, and has spoiled us by even giving us the recipes so we can recreate her dishes at home! Check them out below…
Honey cornbread grilled with bacon, Ballylisk and honey
Honey Corn bread
150g corn meal ( polenta)
175g plain flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
25g honey
1 teaspoon salt
250ml buttermilk
60g melted butter
2 eggs
Set the oven to 180oc and grease a loaf tin or baking tray with sides.
Melt the butter and cool to blood temperature. Whisk in the egg, honey and buttermilk. Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and soda and add the wet mixture. Whisk to a smooth batter and place in tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
8 rashers dry cure bacon
1 Ballylisk smoked triple cream cheese
1 tablespoon honey
Cook the bacon on a dry pan until crisp and golden. Remove from pan and pat dry on kitchen paper. Cut four slices of the cornbread and cook in the bacon fat until crisp and golden. Place on a plate and top with the bacon, slices of the cheese and a good drizzle of the honey all over.
Grilled chicken salad with honey, PX sherry, honey buttered radishes and shallots
6 skin on boneless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Craic Foods porcini and black garlic salt
1 tablespoon Broighter Gold rapeseed oil
1 tablespoon honey
50ml PX sherry ( or whiskey would work well)
25ml Burren Balsamics Roast onion vinegar
175g radishes, quartered
25g butter
8 shallots
Handful mixed leaves
Cut the shallots in half and place in a sheet of foil. Drizzle with half a tablespoon of the oil and season with salt. Gather up and cook for about half an hour or until the shallot is soft. Remove skin.
Season the chicken thighs all over with the porcini and black garlic salt and rub with the remaining half of the oil. Place on a hot grill pan skin
side down. Cook until skin is crispy and golden then flip and finish cooking on the other side. Place half the honey, sherry and vinegar in a pan and boil to a syrup. When the chicken is cooked add the shallots and cook for a minute to colour, then add the glaze and coat the chicken and shallots. Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Heat the butter in a pan and when melted add the radishes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the remaining honey and season with salt and pepper.
Slice the chicken arrange on the leaves with the shallots. Spoon over the radishes and any juices from the chicken pan.
Bee’s Knees Cocktail with Cantucci
70ml good local gin
Juice 2 lemons
20ml elderflower cordial
20ml meadow sweet honey syrup ( to make meadowsweet honey, pick 6 heads meadowsweet, wash it and pat dry. Place in a sterilized jar. Gently warm some honey and pour into the jar onto the meadowsweet. Seal and allow to sit for a day. Take 2 teaspoons of the honey and warm with 1 tablespoon of water. Strain)
Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the gin, lemon juice, cordial and honey syrup. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds then strain into cocktail glasses with a salted rim.
Cantucci
50g blanched almonds
70g honey
50g soft butter
50g castor sugar plus more for dusting
1 egg
175g plain flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Toast the almonds in a dry pan until golden. Add 35g of the honey and caramelize over a medium heat. Pour onto a sheet of parchment and allow to cool completely. Roughly chop
Set the oven to 170oc and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
Beat the sugar, remaining honey and butter together until pale and fluffy. Add the egg and mix well. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Mix in the chopped honeyed almonds. Scatter sugar over a work surface and add the dough. Roll into a sausage about 30 cm long and place on baking tray. Bake for about 20 minutes or until firm and golden.
Cool completely and line two baking trays with parchment paper. Slice the log thinly into biscuits and place on baking trays. Set oven to 180oc and bake the biscuits for about 8 minutes or until crisp.
Cool on a wire rack.
