Fish-smoker Frank Hederman with a smokehouse in Belvelly, Cobh, Cork, at the Midleton Farmers' Market.
By Margaret M. Johnson
During my first visit to Ireland in 1984, I was thrilled to run into an authentic farmers’ market in Gort, County Galway. I discovered the biggest carrots and potatoes I’d ever seen, along with baskets of gnarly turnips, nobby celeriac, and a few hunks of cheese brought in by innovative cheesemakers. Everything was au natural, with no pre-bagged or packaged good to be found anywhere. What a concept!
From Gort to Dublin, in fact throughout Ireland, the popularity of farmers’ markets grows yearly. On a more recent visit to County Tipperary, I found markets on Saturday in Cahir, Clonmel, Thurles, and Nenagh; on Friday in Carrick-on-Suir; and on Wednesday in Templemore. In County Clare, Kinvara and Ennis hold markets on Friday; Kilrush has one on Thursday; Ennistymon on Saturday; and Lahinch on Sunday. I stopped in Midleton, County Cork, for its Saturday market, one that offers loads of organic produce, regional specialties like smoked salmon and fish from legendary smoker Frank Hedderman, and these days, more varieties of farmhouse cheese than I would ever have imagined three decades ago. Organizers like the fact that these markets offer the chance to get back in touch with food in its natural season, but I love the fact that they’re wonderfully atmospheric places filled with great characters and delicious goods, including raspberry muffins and ginger-lemon scones.
Cavan cheesemaker Silke Cropp with her award-winning
Corleggy goats cheese at the Temple Bar Market, Dublin.
RASPBERRY MUFFINS
MAKES 12 MUFFINS
2 cups all purpose-flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raspberries
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 12-well muffin tin or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In another large bowl, beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; stir in butter and then stir in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture until combined. Gently fold in raspberries.
- Divide batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
raspberrymuffins
GINGER-LEMON SCONES
MAKES 12 to 18 SCONES
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely chopped candied (crystallized) ginger
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, to glaze
Softened butter and jam, for spreading
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. With a pastry cutter, your fingers, or two forks, cut or work in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in cream and milk until moist, adding more milk, if necessary. Add ginger and lemon zest, and with floured hands, bring together until dough forms.
- Gather dough into a ball and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 1-inch-thick round, and with a fluted cutter, cut out rounds. Gather scraps, reroll, and cut out additional rounds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and brush tops with egg wash.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tops are golden. Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Serve with butter and jam.
