Niall McKenna
Niall McKenna, finalist in the Great British Menu and owner of the award-winning James Street South Restaurant in Belfast, works hard to source the best and most sustainable ingredients for his restaurant and believes passionately in a food system that’s healthy for people and the planet.
“The more you come to understand cooking, the more your eyes are opened to the incredible variety and rich diversity that the natural world provides us. WWF’s Earth Hour is a great celebration of this fantastic place we live in and helps us realise the many things we can all do to help protect it.” Niall McKenna
Baked fig with chicory leaf, truffled honey and toasted sourdough
Bakes fig with chicory leaf, truffled honey and toasted sourdough © Aaron McCracken
Serves 4
- 2 figs (black if possible)
- One chicory bulb
- Frisee and watercress leaves to dress
- ½ loaf Sourdough bread frozen
- 2tbsp honey
- 1tsp chopped black truffle
- 1tsp cabernet sauvignon vinegar
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Thinly slice sourdough (as thin as you can)
Place on baking try on parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, bake in oven at 160°C for around 10-15mins (or until golden)
Season the vinegar with salt and pepper, add honey and truffle and slowly mix with spoon the olive oil to emulsify
place fig on baking try, drizzle over some of the honey mixture and bake in oven at 180°C for 10 mins
Separate chicory leaves and mix with other salad, season and drizzle with olive oil
Place figs on plate, garnish with salad leaves, sourdough croute, finish with drizzle of truffle honey dressing
Lissara duck breast with organic beetroot, salsify, cavolo, saffron, potato and treacle jus.
Lissara duck © Aaron McCracken
Serves 2
- 2 lissara duck breasts
- 1 large bulb beetroot
- 2 sticks salsify
- 1 large baking potato
- Pinch saffron
- 1 tbsp treacle
- 2 cavolo nero leaves washed and blanched
- 1 cup of duck jus
- Salt and pepper to season
Note: Buy certified produce
In line with our Livewell principles, remember when you’re preparing your candlelit meal this Earth Hour there are several certification schemes out there that help the consumer to know the food they buy is making a positive difference. For example try and buy meat and eggs that meet a minimum of the RSPCA freedom foods standard.
Method
Place whole beetroot in water with salt and boil until tender, remove from water and peel
Peel salsify, cut into finger sized sticks, place in a pot of water with squeeze lemon juice and gentle simmer until tender
Peel potato make balls of raw potato with melon-baller, place in pot and cover with water, add saffron and pinch of salt and bring to the boil, simmer until tender
Season duck both sides, place skin side down on cool frying pan, cook over a moderate heat until fat begins to render without turning, pour off excess fat, cook until skin is thin and golden, turn over and seal flesh side. Place in oven at 180°C for 8-10 mins until pink. Allow to rest for 10mins.
Bring duck jus and treacle to the boil and reduce until sauce like consistency, taste to check seasoning
Cut beetroot into wedges, warm through in oven with salsify, cavolo nero and potato
Carve duck, place in bowl, garnish with warmed vegetables, drizzle with sauce
Pear and rosemary jelly with coconut sorbet
Pear and rosemary jelly © Aaron McCracken
Serves 2
- 2 pears
- 500ml of coconut puree
- 600ml stock syrup
- 100ml water
- 1tbsp glucose
- 1 lime
- Agar agar
- Sprig of rosemary
- 1 star anise
Peel pear and poach in 400ml stock syrup with star anise and a sprig of rosemary until tender
Allow to cool in liquid
Whisk water with 200ml stock syrup, glycose, coconut puree, squeeze in lime juice of half the lime churn in ice-cream machine
Remove pears from syrup, cut into wedges and remove core
Take 100ml of poaching syrup add 100ml water bring to the boil whisk in 2g of agar agar and pour into lined jelly moulds with a few slice of the poached pear and allow to set.
Turn out jelly and serve with poached pear and scoop of sorbet.
