Irish results on Day 1 of the European Championships...Wed 27th June 2012

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These are the results of the Irish athletes on day 1 of the European Track and Field Championships in Helsinki....

Amy Foster (City of Lisburn AC) was the first Irish athlete in action at the 2012 European Track and Field Championships. Amy's time in the 100m was 11.58 seconds, just 8 hundredths of a second slower than her seasons best time of 11.50. Unfortunately, this was too slow and she doesn't progress to the next round.

Thomas Barr (Ferrybank AC) has just qualified from heat #4 in the 400m hurdles with a seasons best time of 50.59. Thomas finished sixth at the 2011 European Juniors and broke the Irish national junior record on no less than three occasions last season and is making his Irish senior debut in Helsinki.

In heat #6 of the the 400m hurdles, Jason Harvey finished in 5th place with a time of 51.83 seconds. This is slower than his seasons best time of 51.67 which he set last May.

Double Para-Olympian Jason Smyth (City of Derry) finished 4th in the second heat of the mens 100m to qualify for the next round. His time was 10.47 seconds, down on his 10.24 set Clermont, Florida in May.  He will now run in the 100m semi-finals at 6.20pm Irish time.


Brian Gregan (Clonliffe Harriers) wins the first heat in the mens 400m in a new personal best time of 45.63 seconds. This is an improvement on his previous best time of 45.91. (Update....some of the winners of other heats have been disqualified. Brian has the fastest time from the heats).......Post race interview....."I'm really happy that I managed to get a PB on this tough track. Now I'm just going to relax and chill out before trhe next round."


Jessie Barr (Ferrybank AC), sister of Thomas finished 3rd in the second heat of the women’s 400m hurdles in a time of 56.30. Her PB is 56.16 which was set last May and had moved her to third on the Irish all time lists.


Joanne Cuddidy is disqualified after it looked like she had qualified in 3rd place in her heat (52.20).
From Athletics Ireland...."Joanne Cuddihy is unfortunately disqualified after stepping out of her lane in heat 4 of the women's 400m. Team management and Joanne viewed the tape which showed she clearly stepped inside lane four. Joanne accepted the decision but is understandable devastated. If it wasn't for the stumble Cuddihy believed she could of won the heat. She will now turn her intentions to the relay for redemption."

Jason Smyth bows out in the men 100m semi-final with a time of 10.52 seconds, slightly slower than his 10.47 earlier in the day. The slowest qualifier was 10.30 seconds while Jason Smyth's personal best time for 100m is 10.22 seconds which he set last May.

So that's the end of the first day of the European Track and Field Championships. From an Irish point of view, it was a day of mixed fortunes. Jason Smyth bowed out in the 100m semi-final even though on paper at least, he was fast enough to make the final. Joanne Cuddihy was disqualified in her heat of the 400m when she put her foot out of lane. Supposedly, the track is built around a football pitch and as a result has some tight corners. Indeed, throughout the day, there was a significant number of athletes disqualified due to lane infringements.

With due respect to St.Finbarr's AC, the term 'Go on the Barr's' has taken one a completely new lease of life with the brother and sister pair of Thomas and Jessie Barr both making it through their heats ;o)

Performance of the day though must go to Brian Gregan who not only won his heat in the mens 400m but also set a PB in the process. As the fastest qualifier in the heats, he must be seen now as a possible medal hope.

More action tomorrow...

Michael Healy Rae TD to start Run Killarney 10k...

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The organisers of the Run Killarney released this photo today of the 2012 'Official Starter' for the Run Killarney 10k coming up on the 14th of July.  According to the organisers..."The start line for the 10K is in the stunning location beside the lake in front of Muckross House. Michael might even run it himself !! Only a few places left in the 1/2 Marathon, don't miss out"

They didn't mention if he would be running with the gun or not ;o) ......or the cap!

More details about the Run Killarney Half-Marathon in an earlier post.

US Olympic trials produce a dead heat result in the womens 100m

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Last weekend for the first time ever, the US Olympic trials for women in the 100m final produced a dead heat result. Both Allyson Felix and Jeneba Tarmoh crossed the finish line in joint third place in exactly 11.068 seconds. With timing equipment measuring thousandths of a second and cameras taking photos at a rate of 3,000 frames per second, the judges could not decide which of the runner's torso had cross the line first. A dead heat has never been seen before, even in the event's long history.

On Sunday evening, USATF spokeswoman Jill Geer announced the new procedure for breaking a third-place tie in the 100 and any running event in the future for which a U.S. national or Olympic team is selected. Unless one athlete declines her position, the runners will decide between a run-off and a coin toss. Either way, the decision must be made and a team finalised by the end of the trials on Sunday, July 1. Officials will work with the two and their coach, Bobby Kersee, to decide what to do next.

French Fridays with Dorie: Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto

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I must confess - I'm not overly excited with two of the four French Fridays with Dorie recipes this month. Although this week's Asparagus with Bits of Bacon sounded fine, I took the liberty to transform it into Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto. You probably won't see me for Sardine Rillettes and Coconut Friands, but I will surely be back for Navarin Printanier, slowly braised lamb stew with fresh spring vegetables, and a classic staple of the Easter season.

This week's Asparagus with Bits of Bacon called for blanched asparagus, tossed in walnut oil and lemon juice, and garnished with bacon bits and quickly sauteed chopped onion. I simply added a few more ingredients, including some homemade shrimp stock taking up freezer space, and was able to stretch Dorie's side dish into a dinner entrée.

I blanched the asparagus, cut the stalks into small pieces, and reserved some of the the tips. I cooked chopped pancetta (rather than bacon), and then quickly sauteed the shrimp in some of the pancetta fat. I coarsely chopped the cooked shrimp, but reserved a few whole shrimp for garnish. I sauteed minced shallot and garlic in a little more of the pancetta fat and butter, added the risotto, a splash of white wine, and then slowly added shrimp stock until the risotto was almost done. I mixed in the chopped shrimp and asparagus, a squeeze of lemon juice, and finished cooking the risotto. I garnished with the pancetta bits, asparagus tips, whole shrimp, and lemon zest.
My Shrimp and Asparagus Risotto was adapted from Dorie's Asparagus with Bits of Bacon, and David Leite's Shrimp Risotto, here, but I've also blogged a few other risottos, here, and here.
French Fridays with Dorie is an online cooking group, dedicated to Dorie Greenspan‘s newest book Around My French Table: More Than 300 Recipes from My Home to Yours. As members of the group, we have purchased the cookbook and cook along as much as we can. There is a new recipe each week, and we post about that recipe on Friday. We are asked to refrain from posting the actual recipes on our blog. The book is filled with stunning photography, and personal stories about each recipe, which makes it that much more intriguing. I highly recommend adding it to your cookbook collection if you haven't already!

The Sandwich that Changed My Life: Shrimp Broodje

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Maybe not the sandwich, but the man who fed it to me.

It's been over 20 years since I took that adventurous trip to Club Med, Turks and Caicos Islands. I had just graduated from law school and passed the bar exam, but needed a break before starting my career. My law school sweetheart was anxious to start his, so I went alone. A few rum-laced kisses turned into a long distance relationship with Rob, who lived in the Netherlands, and Mark was history.

During my first visit to Holland, Rob introduced me to a Shrimp Broodje. Our romance eventually fizzled, but the memory of that shrimp broodje lives on. When I received one of the weekly chef recipes from Tasting Table, Dutch Slider - Amsterdam Takes on the Small Bite, I hoped it was a recipe for that Shrimp Broodje I so fondly recall. Almost, but not quite.

Dutch Broodjes (pronounced Bro-chess), are small sandwiches or sliders. They are also the specialty of Amsterdam Bar & Hall, in St. Paul, MN, where chef Thom Lowe creates inventive versions such as beer-braised smoked-pork broodjes and shrimp-and-squid broodjes. I made the shrimp and squid broodjes yesterday, which are flavored with a homemade curry mayonnaise laced with cardamom and Sriracha. Instead of sliders, I used fresh Brioche buns.

Trapper appears quite disinterested here, but I assure you he perked right up when I brought the platter of broodjes out to the patio. I envision a Dutch-themed concert in the park this summer, with all sorts of broodjes.

Shrimp and squid (rings and tentacles) are quickly sauteed in olive oil with minced onions and garlic

The seafood is allowed to cool and then refrigerated for at least an hour

The sauce is easily prepared while the seafood chills.
The seafood is folded into the sauce, with a few chopped scallions, and served on slider rolls or buns.

Curried Shrimp and Calamari Broodje
From Tasting Table (Recipe adapted from Thom Lowe, Amsterdam Bar & Hall, St. Paul, MN)
Yield: 8 broodje (sliders) or 4 full-size sandwiches
Cook Time: 10 minutes plus 1 hour chill time

Ingredients

Broodje:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
2 small garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ pound (16 to 20) shrimp cut into 1-inch pieces
½ pound squid with tentacles--cleaned, bodies cut into rings and tentacles left whole (or use one pound of either shrimp or squid)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on a bias
8 small soft rolls or slider buns, or 4 soft sandwich rolls

Mayonnaise:
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon mild curry powder (I used Madras Hot Curry Powder)
¾ teaspoons ground cardamom
¾ teaspoons Sriracha or sambal chile sauce

Preparation

1. Make the broodje: In a large skillet, over medium high heat, heat the olive oil. Add the minced onion and garlic and stir often until the onions soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Increase the heat to high. Once the onions just start to brown, add the shrimp and squid. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until the seafood is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large plate or shallow bowl and allow cool about 10 minutes before covering with plastic wrap and chilling in the refrigerator, for at least 1 hour.

2. Make the mayonnaise: In a large bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, curry powder, cardamom and chile sauce.

3. Add the chilled seafood mixture and scallions to the mayonnaise and stir to combine. Slice the rolls open, top with the seafood and serve.

A Feast for the Senses: Evolve Cuisine's Cambrian Event

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We first met Chef Daniel Barron at The Epilepsy Foundation's Gingerbread City 2010. We were at the at The Grand Del Mar and Chef Daniel was one of the celebrity chefs for the gala. His creation of the evening was Wild Sonora Coast Prawn "Scallop" with sweet corn espuma, white ponzu nitro, and lobster chicharrón. I vaguely recall that the prawn was somehow deconstructed and then reconstructed to resemble a scallop, covered with a frothy foam, and accompanied by a wafer that melted and smoked as soon as it hit your tongue.

We crossed paths three times the following year, at The Gourmet Experience, San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, and again at Gingerbread City 2011. Chef Daniel won the prestigious Chef of the Fest with his Crispy Laughing Bird Shrimp and Curry-Glazed Sous Vide Pork Belly, cauliflower polenta, and roasted ginger kaffir lime air. At Gingerbread City, he created a dish called Corvina-Almonds-Pumpkin, with duck fat and butter poached local corvina, pumpkin custard, smoked almond fluid gel, crispy Maitake nitro, and crystallized micro Thai basil. I'm still patiently waiting for the margarita recipe he promised from The Gourmet Experience, the most amazing Cadillac Margarita, garnished with a slice of jalapeno and float of lime foam.

My limited experience with modernist cuisine comes from these creations by Daniel Barron, although we did successfully sous vide a tri tip for our Weird Science Halloween Party, and I made a variety of powders for a Daring Cooks' challenge: Skate, Traditional Flavors Powdered, a recipe found in Chef Grant Achatz' Alinea cookbook. But these are extremely mild in comparison to some of the techniques employed by Barron (OMG, please excuse the hideous food photography in these earlier posts).

We continue to see Chef Barron at various charity events, giving back to the community, but he is now sporting a black tee, silkscreened with Evolve, Cuisine Forward. Although he still wears one of his stylish hats and blue sneakers, I must admit I cringed a bit when he donned his latest kinda-creepy black gloves.

Chef Daniel describes his newest venture as "the culinary intersection of modernist cuisine and fresh, organic fare - science and nature" presented during pop-up dinners and catering events. We were thrilled to recently attend Evolve Cuisine's second pop-up dinner series, The Cambrian Event, held at Fixtures Living. It was truly an entertaining evening and a treat for the senses.

The aforementioned black gloves

Guest Chef Alex Emery (currently a chef at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront)

We started off the evening with passed hors d'oeuvres: Steamed Bao Bao with Seared Local Yellowtail Belly and Cucumber Salsa; Kumiai Oysters with Salted Lemon Air and Kelp Kimchee; and Laughing Bird Shrimp Ceviche, with chili thread, white soy ponzu, jalapenos, and cilantro.

Monique with Kumiai Oysters with Salted Lemon Air and Kelp Kimchee

Guest Chef Tiffany Serin (currently with Truluck's and owner of Petite Farine) plating Laughing Bird Shrimp Ceviche

Modernist Molecular Mixologist, Mike Yen, wowed us with a pre-dinner cocktail. "Modernist techniques serve as a portal to a new dimension of artistic expression. I love being able to apply whimsical twists to nostalgic ideas and redeliver them in a package that surprises the audience."

Bay Breeze Cocktail Sphere

Following hors d'oeuvres, we were whisked off on an incredible journey through eight delectable courses and a very innovative dessert. Unfortunately, I'm still too new at this cuisine to accurately describe the techniques that go into each of these dishes, and I've found myself looking up many of the ingredients to find out what they are and where they come from...maybe I can become more knowledgeable after a few more Evolve dinners, and a visit to Chef Barron's research and development kitchen! For now, you'll have to settle on photographs and your imagination (see all of our photos from the evening, here).

1st CourseScallop, Watermelon, PistachioBaja Mano de Leon scallops, pistachio fluid gel, dehydrated watermelon and serrano chile crisps, pistachio toffee, Kinh Giá»›i leaves

Spanish for Lion's Paw, the golden orange shells of Mano de Leon Scallops look like big lion's paws. Known as the superstars of the scallop world, they are carefully harvested by divers in pristine tropical lagoons off Mexico's Baja Peninsula. They have a wonderfully rich and sweet flavor, and sear beautifully. There are less than eight of these jumbo scallops in a pound.  

2nd CourseVenus Clam, Radish, KelpSunomono gelee, fermented black bean sauce,Bac-Ha, shaved radishes, Wasabi agar agar, lotus root chips

Venus Clams have multicolored shells with plump meats, a briny taste with a hint of umami, and a seaweed, metallic flavor on the finish. The meats are larger and more plump than Manila clams, yet still tender.

Chef Jeff Bonilla

3rd CourseSpot Prawn, Daikon, MangoPickled Daikon-wrapped San Diego Spot Prawn filled with mango nuoc mom,shaved green papaya, sesame powder, fried shrimp shell garnishServed with liquid carbon dioxide and purified ocean water


4th CourseUni, Salicornia, CoffeeTruffle-uni bisque in a catheter syringe, seabean and truffle espuma,sea beans with sweet sesame dressing, freeze dried coffee toasted sesame seeds

Truffle-uni bisque, in a syringe...a bit strange, but incredible!

5th Course Cocktail

"My craft is like gift wrapping mixology with the aesthetics of sushi. The resulting product is something that is pretty, flavorful, and alcohol-sneaky. Each gelatin shot is a definitive reflection of its cocktail counterpart in both taste and presentation. It is a Jello shot like no other..." 
- Molecular Mixologist Mike Yen

Margarita, a  Mike Yen cocktail creation

6th CourseYellowtail, peanut butter, celeryPan seared sous vide yellowtail, peanut butter powder, raisin coulis,braised celery, toasted rice, ocean water, clarified peanut butter

7th CourseAbalone, Ramps, NaanNew Zealand blue abalone, robata boneless pink grouper cheek, wood grilled wild foraged ramps, cilantro naan bread, black olive oil, Greek yogurt, compressed cucumber

8th CourseHalibut Cheek, Coconut, Ginger, RiceHalibut cheek confit in coconut oil, ginger kaffir dashi sheet, red rice,white asparagus, coconut powder, epazote


DessertBaja Shrimp, Buttermilk, Sponge, Thyme
The dessert course was created by Pastry Chef Jeff Bonilla of L’Auberge Del Mar’s Kitchen 1540. By his own admission, he's "just a big kid that plays with food." Using modernist cuisine techniques, he expertly transformed Baja Shrimp into a Whipped Prawn Brulee masquerading as a slice of pumpkin pie with buttermilk gelato, streusel, bourbon crème, micro thyme.

Pumpkin Pie  Ã  la mode

Tickets to Evolve's pop-up dinner events sell out quickly.  It is advisable to follow Evolve on Facebook or Twitter, and check the web site often to keep up with Chef Barron and his creative team.

I'm sorry to miss next week's dinner, A Modern Tribute to the Classic Cuisine of America's Finest City, but I'm sure Chef Barron's twist on San Diego's famous fish tacos is going to be a doozy.

Evolve - Cuisine Forward
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Strawberry Fields Forever

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"We are bound by a small, sometimes magical fruit called the strawberry. This fruit has the power to make tears dry up, make friends with enemies, make sick people feel better, make the elderly feel younger by bringing back pleasant memories of days gone by, make acquaintances of strangers, and above all make little children smile. What other fruit has that power?"-Marvin Brown



We spent the morning at Suzie's Farm last Saturday for the annual Strawberry Jam, a family friendly, pick-your-own strawberry festival. A visit to the farm has been on our list for quite some time, and we knew it would be a great photography opportunity!

The strawberry fields were picked clean in just a few hours, but Suzie's Farm promised to plant at least five acres for next year's event. The Green Truck was also on site with a special strawberry-infused menu for the day. My Strawberry Jam Burger featured a 1/3 lb. grass-fed beef patty, smoked gouda, strawberry jam (made with Suzie's Farm strawberries, of course), Suzie's Farm arugula, and house bun. John had the Roasted Broccoli Grilled Cheese Sandwich, with Suzie's Farm broccoli, aged cheddar, goat's milk feta, garlic spread, and local multigrain bread. We shared an order of Sweet Potato Fries, made with hand-cut California garnet yams.














With the strawberries that made it home, we sliced up a few, drizzled them with a touch of thick, syrupy balsamic vinegar, and spooned them over strawberry cheesecake ice cream.  I also used some in the salad below, which I created with baby arugula, fregola, toasted almonds, fresh basil, and lavender honey goat cheese, all lightly tossed in a balsamic, olive oil and tangerine juice vinaigrette. Fregola, a type of pasta from Sardinia, and similar to Israeli couscous, added a nice flavor and texture to the salad.



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Here are a few more strawberry recipes you might like....

Burrata, Tomato and Roasted Strawberry Salad

Strawberry Summer Cake

Bouchon's Almond Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote

Strawberry Shortcake on a Stick