Cookbook Review – Avoca Cafe Cookbook

It took me a little while to start using the Avoca Cafe Cookbookregularly, I’d browse through it and see lots of lovely recipes then go to another of my cookbooks and make something familiar again. As you’d expect from a cafe cookbook a lot of the recipes are suitable for when you want a nice lunch. Whilst some of the recipes are very simple a number reflect the fact that when we’re eating out we often want to try something more special and complicated than we would make for ourselves at home. (I’m hoping Chicken, asparagus and ratatouille pancake stacks are on the menu next time I go to Ireland as I’ll be searching out my nearest Avoca cafe). The soups and salads in particular are lovely and well worth making the effort for weekend lunches. I’ve now made the roasted carrot and red pepper soup a number of times and taken the Tuscan bean soup to work in a food flask. Their broccoli and chicken gratin is one of my all time favourite meals. The Avoca carrot cake recipe is by far the most popular post on my blog! I have still only made a tiny fraction of the recipes in this book (list of recipes in the book below with the recipes I’ve tried highlighted in bold), I plan to try many more.

Soups

Green bean and Coconut
Courgette and Almond Tomato,
Celery and apple
Tomato and Red Pepper
Tomato, lentil and orange
Roasted Carrot and red pepper
Petit pois and mint
Baked Garlic and Onion Cream
Cauliflower cheese
White winter vegetable
Aztec corn
Mixed Mushrooms
Spiced lentil and bacon
Tuscan Bean
Parsnip, Rosemary and Olive
Sweet Potato and Lemongrass
Potato and Fennel

Salads

Carrot and Courgette
Carrot with roasted sesame seeds
Beetroot, Almond and Yogurt
Cauliflower, broccoli and roasted monkey nuts
Broccoli, feta, hazelnut and cherry tomato
Potato and mint
Roast herb potato with balsamic vinegar
Moroccan Couscous Chickpea,
Bulgar and wild rice salad with cumin
Chickpea, chilli and coriander with banana and mango
Spinach, sun-dried tomato, Parmesan, Pine nuts and Pasta
Smoked bacon, blue cheese and pineapple pasta
Tuna, fusilli, mixed pepper
Kilmacanogue curried rice
Triple rice salad with sesame dressing
Oriental bean sprout and egg noodle
Red cabbage with bacon and red onion
Butterbean, smoked bacon and garlic
Avoca three-bean
Summer fruit salad

Fish and chicken

Fish Pie
Smoked Salmon frittata
Salmon and Leek tart
Herb crusted Cod
Asian-style crabcakes with fruit chutney
Salmon and smoked trout terrine
Chicken, asparagus and ratatouille pancake stacks
Baked chicken with plums, ginger and soy
Baked chicken with Parmesan and wholegrain mustard
Chargrilled breast of chicken with celeriac mash and roasted cherry tomatoes

Meat

Beef and Guinness stew
Braised beef in orange sauce
Pepperpot beef
Kilmacanogue meatballs with herb and tomato sauce
Avoca’s shepherd’s pie
Baked lamb with cumin, cardamom and coconut milk
Baked lamb with oven-roasted Mediterranean vegetables
Avoca’s Irish stew
Santa Fe pork stew
Pork and chicken terrine
Normandy pork
Spanish pork
Lakeshore pork

Vegetable Main Courses

Potato and celeriac gratin
Leek, blue cheese and rocket frittata
Spinach omelette
Spanish omelette
Tuscan pizza
Open pizza sandwiches
Raised Mediterranean vegetable pie
Mediterranean tart
Sun-dried tomato, olive and riicotta stuffed baked potato
Mediterranean lasagne
lentil and nut loaf
spinach, roast pepper and tomato roulade
ricotta and sweetcorn roulade
Piperade tartlets
Aubergine, feta and poppy seed tart
Caramelised onion and three-cheese tart
Spinach, pecan and blue cheese pies
Asparagus, smoked bacon and Gruyere quiche

Breads

White yeast bread
Brown bread
soda bread
fruit soda
Multiseed brown bread with fruit
Focaccia
Tomato, cheese and black olive bread
Banana bread

Teatime and Desserts

Avoca scones
Avoca brown scones
Apple streusel biscuits
Italian chocolate fridge biscuits
Bir’s biccies
Musesli biscuits
Chocolate hazelnut cookies
Gerties shortbread
Baked Cheesecake with lemon topping
Karen’s mango and raspberry cheesecake
Carrot cake
Chocolate orange cake
Strawberry meringue roulade
Chocolate roulade
Mixed berry tiramisu
chocolate and amaretti mousse
Pecan and maple tart
Lemon tart with caramelised strawberries
Caramelised rhubarb and custard tart
Custard
Hazelnut and plum tart
Moll’s Gap apple pie
Mixed berry Normandy tart
Chocolate and raspberry tart

Relishes

Pink grapefruit marmalade
Seville marmalade
Rhubarb and ginger jam
Wicklow raspberry jam
Apple chutney
Tropical fruit chutney
Lemon curd
Mustard, mayonnaise and Greek yogurt dressing
French dressing
Rosemary, garlic and chilli oil
Spiced vinegar

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