La Domestique Blog
Easy Flourless Chocolate Cake for Valentine’s Day
I love chocolate-- the darker the better. I might even say I need chocolate. Every day around 4:00pm I start rifling through kitchen drawers looking for my hidden dark chocolate bar. One little bite is all I need. A good quality chocolate bar is a beautiful thing, but every once and a while I like...
Brussels Sprout Salad with Hazelnuts, Thyme and a Pink Lady
Happy New Year! I have a good feeling about 2014. The last year was one of change and transition as my husband and I moved from America to a small town in Ireland. This year holds so much promise! I'm eager to discover everything Ireland has to offer-- the artisanal food producers, the natural...
Grandma Bercher’s Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls are a Bercher family tradition. It all started with my great grandmother, Frances Bercher. Born Frances Schuster in Germany, she immigrated to America with her family in 1908 at 13 years of age. Eventually she married my great grandfather and settled along with other German...
Duck Breasts with Pomegranate Sauce
Hello there! It's been a bit quiet here on La Domestique, but right now can find me over on Contemporary Living with a festive recipe for Duck Breasts with Pomegranate Sauce and Roasted Brussels Sprouts. It's a quick seared duck breast paired with a tangy, sweet sauce spiced with Christmasy...
Barley Risotto with Irish Red Ale, Butternut Squash and Sage
It's been one of those perfect autumn days here in Cavan. We had blue skies and golden sunshine, the wind felt fresh and crisp, and there were even a couple passing sun showers. As I write this now I gaze out the window and watch the sun slowly disappearing behind the hill. Our house looks out...
Autumn Mushroom Soup with Thyme and Brandy
Autumn is my favorite time of year. This is my first Irish autumn, and the change in country makes the season even more interesting. It's not the fall that I grew up with in Arkansas, which was marked by warm golden-hued days with dramatic red, orange and yellow changes in foliage. Nor is it the...
How -To Prepare Whole Squid
It was a cold and drizzly Irish morning at the Cavan Farmers Market. Making my usual rounds I took a mental note of everything on offer-- must get a couple of éclairs from The Mason’s Apron to bring home for breakfast, don’t forget to grab some eggs, the kale is looking good today—I saw the...
The Last of the Summer Wine
The weather has turned cooler and a bit blustery here in Cavan. We're coming up on my favorite time of year: autumn. I can feel a change in the quality of the light, more golden and soft. My focus has shifted inward, away from long summer drives and tending to my little herb garden. Instead I'm...
The Taste of Cavan, Ireland
I'm feeling very lucky at the moment. When we moved to Cavan Town (population 5,600) I expected lots of rolling hills and sheep. I didn't expect to find a passionate community of artisanal food producers and chefs in the greater County Cavan (population 52,900). Recently the people of County Cavan...
Poached Fish with Tomato-Saffron Broth and Garden Vegetables
Back in April I arrived in Ireland with all my worldly possessions packed into two suitcases, including my cherished copper fish poacher. Snatched up at a second-hand shop, it's one of my favorite finds. I especially love the detail in the handles shaped like fins and the tiny metal fish perched...