VANESSA'S WAY... COFFEE CREAM MERINGUE ROULADE
Afternoon tea is a lovely cross-generational tradition to be treasured and one for which my kids display a saintly reverence. My mother-in-law makes a wonderful coffee cake to which my kids have both been surprisingly partial ever since they could eat cake. In her recipe she uses a syrupy coffee flavouring called Irel, which gives a rich colour and flavour to both her sponge and icing.
Italian desserts always appear so stylish when they combine a shot of espresso with various permutations of cream, nuts and chocolate, which has inspired my version of a roulade to seduce all coffee lovers.
The meringue roulade is quite simple to roll if you ensure the meringue mixture has been whisked well. If it does crack, you wouldn’t be the first cook to touch up the finish with a dusting of icing sugar.
GARY'S WAY... FILET MIGNON WITH COFFEE SAUCE, TRUFFLED MASH AND CARROT CRISPS
I can't drink coffee or tea – or any hot drink from a cup. I'm not sure why, but it gives me the shivers. My big problem, though, is that I crave coffee. The smell sucks me in.
When deciding on this week’s column, my editor took some convincing. Thankfully, I won out this time, as this coffee sauce with fillet steak is inspired by a food memory dating back to 2004, when I visited Tantra, in South Beach, Miami.
It was eye-opening for a 25-year-old from Donegal and taught me that restaurants are about more than just food; they are temples of craic, mystery and fantasy. But the filet mignon with coffee sauce, truffled mash and carrot crisps, live on in my mind. Here’s my take.
