The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen - Recipe by Jp McMahon
The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen
Not going to lie, this is a book that I’ve just made a start on, so instead of trying to guess what the book is about I’ve taken an over view from Amazon.
Lee x
Sarah Addison Allen, author of the New York Times bestselling debut, Garden Spells, tells the tale of a young woman whose family secrets—and secret passions—are about to change her life forever
In this follow-up to her New York Times best-selling debut, Garden Spells, author Sarah Addison Allen tells the tale of a young woman whose family secrets - and secret passions - are about to change her life forever.
Twenty-seven-year-old Josey Cirrini is sure of three things: winter in her North Carolina hometown is her favourite season, she's a sorry excuse for a Southern belle, and sweets are best eaten in the privacy of her hidden closet. For while Josey has settled into an uneventful life in her mother's house, her one consolation is the stockpile of sugary treats and paperback romances she escapes to each night - until she finds it harbouring none other than local waitress Della Lee Baker, a tough-talking, tender-hearted woman who is one part nemesis and two parts fairy godmother.
Fleeing a life of bad luck and big mistakes, Della Lee has decided Josey's clandestine closet is the safest place to crash. In return she's going to change Josey's life - because, clearly, it is not the closet of a happy woman. With Della Lee's tough love, Josey is soon forgoing pecan rolls and caramels, tapping into her startlingly keen feminine instincts, and finding her narrow existence quickly expanding.
Before long, Josey bonds with Chloe Finley, a young woman who makes the best sandwiches in town, is hounded by books that inexplicably appear whenever she needs them, and - most amazing of all - has a close connection to Josey's long-time crush.
As little by little Josey dares to step outside herself, she discovers a world where the colour red has astonishing power, passion can make eggs fry in their cartons, and romance can blossom at any time - even for her. It seems that Della Lee's work is done, and it's time for her to move on. But the truth about where she's going, why she showed up in the first place - and what Chloe has to do with it all - is about to add one more unexpected chapter to Josey's fast-changing life.
Brimming with warmth, wit, and a sprinkling of magic, here is a spellbinding tale of friendship, love - and the enchanting possibilities of every new day.
Still reading - How many eggs would you give this book?
Recipe by Jp McMahon
Jp McMahon
Chef Jp McMahon is a star in Galway and Ireland, co-owner of three amazing restaurants the Michelin-starred Aniar, Cava Bodega, and Tartare café and wine bar as well as running the Aniar Boutique Cookery School with business partner Drigín Gaffey.
Now, as if that wasn’t enough to keep Jp busy, he founded the Galway Food Festival, last year published The Irish Cookbook and then there is the annual Food on the Edge symposium.
A boutique symposium on the future of food, featuring the best international and national chefs, an amazing gathering set up to discuss the future of food.
Jp sets the agenda for this amazing gathering and the talks aren’t limited to the cooking of food, taking on subjects of the environment, food waste and mental health.
There is the Aniar School Project which teaches children about the importance of food and the Cookery school which instructs chefs on how to cook local ingredients , sustainably
A family man, proud dad of two daughters , 42 year old Jp is passionate about wild, seasonable and sustainable ingredients and is committed to promoting the food of Galway by producing world class contemporary Irish food.
He does this in all of his restaurants, but he also does much more, if that’s possible!
Jp not only believes in promoting local food, he also believes in his community and putting as much back as he can.
Born in Dublin, Jp talks about one of his first family food memories.
While out eating on a holiday in Tipperary, he chose spaghetti Bolognese instead of a burger, he was smitten and knew what he was going to do for the rest of his life.
After working in kitchens around Ireland, it was 2008 when he and his wife, opened their first restaurant, Cava, a Spanish tapas.
This was only the beginning!
Jps cooking at Aniar (meaning ‘west’ in Gaelic), has been described as food ‘using methods of the past in order to inspire future sustainability’, with ingredients native to the local region or from other places in Ireland.
Getting a Michelin star is hard enough, keeping it is even harder!
Aniar has kept theirs since 2013, but once again, the award seems to be just another way for Jp to help the community.
As you can see, Jp McMahon is lot of things to a lot of people and not just about making money or making great food, but to his community, the country that he loves and to the wider environment!
And now, this amazing book, The Irish Cook Book by Jp McMahon which you can find in most great books shops, but just in case you cant wait, heres a link tho get. yours now?
The Irish Cook Book by Jp McMahon
Here is Jp s Instagram, twitter and Facebook page if you want to get in touch with him and let him know how you get on with his recipe!
Now to his recipe!
Buttermilk & Elderflower Tart
Picture taken straight from his book The Irish Cookbook
What You Need
Pastry
300g Plain Flour
50g Icing Sugar
175g Cold Butter – Cubed – Plus extra for greasing
Pinch of salt
2 Egg Yolks
Filing
200ml buttermilk
200ml Double Cream
25g Plain Flour
6 Eggs – Beaten
75g Castor Sugar
100g Butter – melted
3 Tbs Elderflower Cordial
Fresh Elderflowers to decorate
How It’s Done
Pastry
Put flour, sugar, salt and butter into a large mixing bowl
Rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the egg yolks and a little ice-cold water to bring the dough together
Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour
Grease a 30cm/12” loose bottomed fluted tart tin.
Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface.
Line the prepared tin with the pastry and refrigerate for a further 1 hour
It’s important that the pastry is cold when baked.
Preheat the oven to 160c.
Line the pastry case with a round of baking parchment and fill with baking beans or dried beans.
Blind bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes
Remove the weights and the paper and return the pastry to the oven for a further 5 minutes.
Increase the oven temperature to 170c.
To make the filling, blend all the ingredients together in a food processor and strain through a strainer.
Remove any foam that remains on the top.
Place the tart shell on the baking sheet and pour the custard mixture into the tart shell and bake in the pre-heated oven for 25 minutes.
There should still be a little wobble in the tart.
Remove from the oven and cook for 1 hour, then garnish with some fresh elderflowers.
Picture of Jps Recipe straight from his book - The Irish Cookbook
