Supper Club: 4 recipes to trial this bank holiday Monday

Oh, Mon Dieu, French toast

Finn Ní Fhaoláin’s French toast can be adjusted for dairy-free and gluten-free diets and is so easy and delicious, you’ll want to make it every weekend.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 120ml milk – almond or coconut milk for dairy-free folk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 slices of your chosen bread – go on, use the banana one!
• butter and sunflower oil, for the pan – just oil if you’re dairy-free

To serve

For me, the classic is a side of burnt streaky bacon, while the French toast is covered in maple syrup and a squeeze of lemon juice. Also super tasty are Greek yoghurt and honey; sugar and lemon; stewed berries and honey.

Method

1. Crack the eggs into a big shallow bowl, pour in the milk, season with salt and pepper and whisk it all up.
2. Put a good non-stick pan on a medium-high heat.
3. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mix and turn to make sure the bread is coated on both sides. I like to also give the bread a little squish with my fingers so it rebounds and soaks up more egg mix – this stops the centre from being too dry. Repeat until all your bread is done. This is a great way to use up bread that might be going a little dry or hard, as it will get moisture and softness from the eggs.
4. When the pan is nice and hot, add a little oil and butter. The oil stops the butter burning. Swoosh the butter and oil around the pan. Sometimes I gently rub it down with a bit of kitchen towel so it’s not too oily.
5. Depending on the size of the pan, I usually fry about 2 slices at a time, as adding more just lowers the heat of the pan and stops the French toast from sealing properly. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Repeat until all the slices are done. If I’m paranoid it’s not cooked through, I cut one slice in half just to check.

Extracted from Finn’s World: Do What You Love. Love What You Eat. by Finn Ní Fhaoláin (Gill Books). Photography by Leo Byrne

Fish and chips burger

Fish and chips but… in a burger? Sounds a little strange, tastes absolutely delicious!

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients

• 3 or 4 baking potatoes (you’ll only need 2 for the burgers but make extra to nibble on the side)
• vegetable oil, for deep-fat frying (at least 2 litres)
• 4 portions of white fish fillet (cod/haddock/coley/plaice all work well but my fave is haddock – make each portion a bit bigger than your bun)
• malt vinegar
• 4 soft white buns
• sea salt and black pepper

For the batter

• 200g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 300ml beer

For the mushy peas

• 1 x 300g tin marrowfat peas
• 30g butter

For the tartare sauce

• 100g mayonnaise
• 1 gherkin, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
• ½ tsp English mustard
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. First, let’s get those chips rocking. The best chips come from baked potatoes. It’s pretty much like doing a twice-cooked chip! Make them the day before, as the potatoes need to cool completely before deep-frying.
2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Bake your potatoes for 45-60 minutes. Pull them out and let them cool. When you’re ready to fry, cut the potatoes into chip-like wedges.
3. Batter batter, hey BATTER! Batter up! Whisk the flour, beer and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large bowl until smooth. Or as smooth as you can – don’t worry if there are a couple of lumps.
4. Empty your tin of peas into a small saucepan. Add the butter and stir over a low heat on the hob (or indirect heat on the outdoor grill) for 10 minutes until mushy. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Mix all your tartare sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside, ready for the build.
6. Now for the interesting part! Pour the oil into a large deep saucepan (or you can use a deep-fat fryer) – it needs to be about half-filled.
7. Set it over a high heat and get that oil hot. Once the temperature reaches 180°C, you are good to fry.
8. Chuck some flour on a plate or chopping board and press your fish in it until it is lightly coated with flour. Now dip the fish into the batter so that it’s completely covered. Pull it out and let the excess batter drip off, then carefully slip the battered fish into the hot oil.
9. Leave to cook for 6-7 minutes until golden brown. Remove the fish onto a paper towel with a slotted spoon, and repeat. While your fish is resting, season with malt vinegar, salt and pepper.
10. When your fish is done, it’s time to batch-fry your chips. Make sure the temperature is still at 180°C, then carefully lower a handful of chips into the oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes until golden brown and crispy. Remove and drain alongside the fish. Season with salt.
11. When everything is cooked, it’s time to build this next-level burger.
12. Slather the mushy peas on the bottom bun, top with a handful of chips, then “plaice” the fish on top. (Get it?! Plaice! Like the fish. It’s the “sole” reason to include this recipe. Oh, for “cod’s” sake. Sorry.) Spoon the tartare sauce onto the fish, then finish with the other half of the bun.
13. Wow! Yeah, you just did that! You made an almighty fish and chips burger. Well done, you wonderful member of Earth! Now get eating. And save some for us!

Extracted from The Burger Book by DJ BBQ (Quadrille). Photography © David Loftus.

Matcha lollipops

Light, colourful, and oh-so pretty, these ice lollies are the perfect grown-up treat. Make them today for the ultimate bank holiday dessert.

Makes 6

Ingredients

• 500g Greek yoghurt with honey
• 2 tsp matcha powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 100g white chocolate, broken into pieces
• 2 tsp cacao nibs
• 2 tsp hazelnuts, crushed

Method

1. Whisk together the Greek yoghurt, matcha powder and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.
2. Divide the mixture between 6 lolly moulds. Insert a wooden lolly stick into the centre of each mould and freeze for at least 6 hours.
3. Before serving, melt the chocolate by putting it in a heatproof bowl and setting over a saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until melted and then set aside.
4. Take the lolly moulds out of the freezer and hold under the cold tap for a few seconds until you can release the lollies from the moulds. Dip into the melted chocolate or, using a spoon, drizzle the chocolate over the sides. Sprinkle over the cacao nibs and hazelnuts.
5. Serve as soon as the chocolate sets.

Extracted from The Matcha Cookbook (Aster, approx €11.50). Photography by Issy Croker.

Absolut elderflower collins

Experience the flavours of summer with the perfect drink created by the Absolut mixologists – an elderflower cocktail!

Ingredients

• Vodka
• Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• Elderflower Cordial
• Soda Water

Method

1. Add ice cubes to a highball glass or mason jar.
2. Pour 50ml of vodka, measure 30ml of freshly squeezed lemon juice, and add 20ml of elderflower cordial.
3. Stir and top with 150ml of soda water.
4. Garnish with a slice of lemon, or flower of your choice.