Ingredients:

125g of Ground almonds

225g of icing sugar

4 egg whites

A pinch of tartar cream

25g of caster sugar

1 teaspoon of cocoa powder

Ganache

300g of dark cream

150mls of cream

Equipment:

Sieve

Whisk

Kitchen aid

Spatula

Wooden spoons

Bowl

Baking tray

Piping bag

piper

Work Plan:

• Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius
• Sift ground almonds, icing sugar & the cocoa powder together 3 times
• Whisk egg whites until they are just foamy then add the tartar and whisk until soft peaks
• Reduce the speed and add the caster sugar
• Return to a high speed and whisk until firm
• Fold in the dry ingredients using a spoon
• Using a piping bag pipe the mix to a baking sheet
• Tap the tray on top to flatten the mixture slightly
• Leave the macrons for 15 minutes to form a skin
• Bake for 10 minutes
• Allow to cool before lifting off
• Chop chocolate and melt in a bowl
• Bring the cream to a boil and whisk it over the chocolate
• Whisk very gently to form a smooth shiny ganache
• Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 30 minutes
• Sandwich with ganache and finely spin piped chocolate across the surface

YUMMY STUFF!!!

My name is Oonagh and I am an Assistant Manager at the Killarney Riverside Hotel.

I will start with how I enjoy every day at my job (even the challenging days). There are various aspects to my job, but I will keep you informed about the things that will help you when you visit killarney.  I love meeting new people and dealing with new and challenging situations every day. I believe that it takes very little to be nice to people. I enjoy making people smile and seeing someone enjoy their holiday. This is my first blog and I will give you continuous updates on different events either in Killarney or in the hotel and activities like hiking, cycling and walking.

First I will share a little about me and what I do. I only recommend activities I would enjoy myself, so you know it’s all worth it. Every guest who stays with us is unique and that is what I love about tourism and hospitality. I studied it in college but the best knowledge comes from personal experience. I have been working with tourists since I was 6 years old. I grew up in a Bed & Breakfast, so sharing our house and talking to people became part of my life. It’s second nature to me now. I just want people to see all that Killarney has to offer in the time that they have here so, no matter what the question, I am always on hand to help. I don’t do my job just for a wage; I love sharing Killarney’s beauty with people.

I love the early spring in Killarney. It’s when you smell the scent of freshly cut grass in the clear air. It just makes you want to linger by the rivers and glistening water and watch the swans and ducks sit on the beautiful calm lakes and inhale all the scents all around. I go jogging in the local demesne and around Ross Castle with my dog Charlie. He likes to go swimming in the river. I find that all the tourists and families that pass enjoy the entertainment he gives. I even hand the leash over to kids who want to take over for me.  I also pass the deer every day; they are beautiful. We have Red Deer and Sika Deer, they are easy to tell apart as the Sika are very small in comparison to the Red Deer.  They ignore people as long as we leave them be, but they dislike the dog (even at a distance). Dogs are not allowed chase them and people are asked not to disturb them by going up close to get pictures as they are in their home. Charlie is a great deer spotter. As the summer kicks in the stags wander alone, hiding and walking in the woods. He will spot them hidden in the trees. They can be closer than you think and you may never notice them.

So come visit Killarney and see what you can spot. Check out the website again soon and I will write about Muckross and the Abbey (which I think is haunted), or I will introduce you to a hike up Torc Waterfall. All of these places are easily accessible from the hotel. The Riverside Hotel is a great spot from which to access various aspects of Kerry. So to keep you reading and coming back I will write when I can and give you something new to follow. It could be my training, a new walk, an event, stories from a local or my attempts at testing new things. You will always enjoy reading and never be disappointed with my knowledge. I am currently hoping to train for the Ring of Kerry cycle in June. I love this cycle and the crowd it attracts to town. It is such a great atmosphere. I can’t wait for the hustle and bustle of all the events and excitement in the Summer.

Until the next time

Oonagh

I don’t know what it is but there is something about the sun at this time of year that just makes the lakes and the mountains look more beautiful than at any other time of the year, the hazy sunshine has just engulfed the national park and it is glorious.

We all hope that you can get down to visit us and take advantage of the good weather, ring us direct for the best offers and best advice on where to go and what to do, plus you could always ask us for a room with the view of the mountains!

I look forward to seeing you all soon..

Regards

Chris

 1 head of lettuce ( Iceberg, Butter lettuce or Romaine lettuce)

2 Ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced thin

¼ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

 Dressing: 

2 tbsp. Walnut oil

1 tbsp. wine vinegar / apple cider vinegar

½ tsp. Dijon Mustard

salt and pepper

 Method:

Tear the lettuce into bite sized pieces and layer on a platter, then layer the pear slices over the lettuce, sprinkle the Blue Cheese over and finally sprinkle the toasted walnuts. For the dressing, blend all the ingredients together & drizzle over the salad just before serving.

• 10 digestive biscuits
• 50g butter , melted
• 600g cream cheese
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 175g caster sugar
• 2 Tbls lemon Juice
• Rind of One lemon
• 2 eggs, plus 1 yolk
• 125 ml cream

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Crush the biscuits in a food processor (or put in a plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin). Mix with the butter. Press into a 20cm springform tin and bake for 5 minutes, then cool.
2. Beat the cream cheese with the flour, sugar, Lemon Juice & Rind, eggs, the yolk and cream until light and fluffy. Pour into the tin. Bake for 40 minutes and then check, it should be set but slightly wobbly in the centre. Leave in the tin to cool. 

INGREDIENTS:

350 g penne pasta

3 Tablespoons olive oil

8 Thick slices of Smoked bacon, chopped

2 garlic cloves – finely chopped

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 tsp sugar

1 bunch fresh spinach, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Parmesan Shavings to Garnish

 METHOD:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.

Add the penne pasta, & cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Place bacon in the skillet, and cook until browned and crisp.

Add garlic, and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes,

and cook for 5-10 minutes until slightly reduced, add a tsp of sugar to balance the flavour.

Place the spinach into a colander, and drain the hot pasta over it so it is wilted.

Transfer to a large serving bowl, and toss with the remaining olive oil, a

nd the bacon and tomato mixture.

Serve with Parmesan Shavings.

Killarneys Christmas festival is now in full swing and seems to be getting better every year so now is a perfect time for taking that well deserved break away in Killarney. From Open Air Christmas Markets, the ‘Real Ice’ Skating Rink to Santas Magical Lodge set in Killarneys National Park and the pre Christmas sales aren’t too bad either!!

For more info on the Festival log onto www.Christmasinkillarney.com

As always the INEC has a fantastic array of shows coming up over the next few weeks but be quick to book your accommodation with us as we are filling up fast.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our guests and readers a very Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

 Looking forward to welcoming you all to the Riverside in 2009

Hello Everyone,

I started here at the Riverside Hotel 4 years ago; previous to this, I had worked in every city in Ireland but wanted to move closer to home, which is a beautiful town by the sea called Caherciveen (I had to give it a mention).

I joined the team at the Riverside at the start of a busy season, June 2004 & have never looked back

I did leave for a few months but had to return due to the great staff & working conditions (nothing to do with a pay increase).

On a serious note I do enjoy my work, especially meeting new interesting people, facing new challenges each day. There is never a dull moment.

What do I do every day?

I deal with many aspects of the hotel. I am the deputy manager, covering shifts from 7am -3pm or 3pm-11pm.

The 7am-3pm Shift is my favourite; I arrive at the hotel around 6.45am where I get the hand over from the Night porter. Also I give him some vital information on what happened last night with Grison or Horatio on CSI.

I then check who’s on duty with me that morning & make sure that all staff are accounted for.

Each morning is different; sometime we have tours up for breakfast early, other times we have private bookings that arrive down a little later than the planned tours, off course, the Irish like a good sleep in! The great thing about the morning shift is of course we get to enjoy that full Irish Breakfast, good for the hunger but not for the figure. No matter how late our guests go to bed they always arise for the black pudding. I think people can smell sausages & bacon in their sleep as they awake & are downstairs within minutes, waiting in anticipation. 

We are blessed with a great restaurant team that are highly trained (just a mention I do a lot of training within the hotel not praising myself of course) so it makes a busy morning go smoothly.

The morning always fly’s by! So when the restaurant quietens down I‘m on the move to reception for check-out time. As a manager, we try to be where we are most needed at the time to ensure all is running smoothly.

No rest for the Wicked as they say.

At Check –Out, we make sure everyone enjoyed their stay, I’m here to handle complaints but we never have many of them, so that makes life easier.

It’s nice to hear good feedback on departure from our guests, as it makes it worth while. I think to be a manager you really need to genuinely care that people enjoy themselves as if you welcomed them into your on home. I have made many friends along the way that return to us every couple of weeks, and look forward to them arriving.

After check-out,  its full steam ahead for lunch & preparing for the night ahead. I make sure that all is ready for the next duty manager that takes over. So when he /she comes in, they can concentrate on check-in’s throughout the evening. I keep in close contact with housekeeping all day to see if they need any help or if any maintenance issues need to be dealt with.

At 3.00pm it’s time to go home & unwind.

Looking forward to the evening ahead.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Hope to see you in the Riverside Killarney soon.

Alanna Kelleher

Deputy Manager

Killarney is so busy at the moment with lots of different events happening around the town-like the rest of Ireland we are hoping and praying that our summer weather will appear soon. But according to an article I read today there is a man living somewhere in the midlands that has promised us that the good weather is on the way because all the cows and sheep are now heading up the hills and mountains and that this is a sure sign that summer is on the way!!

Well not much has changed in the hotel since I last wrote as things have been so busy. But we decided to change around our menus from listening to comments from our guests. You may think that when you fill up a comment card in a hotel that they are just thrown away but we do actually take note of all comments and work towards making changes to try to keep you all happy. So we have introduced a new Bistro Style Ala Carte Menu that we now serve both in our Riverside Lounge and in the restaurant. This extensive menu has all of our old favourites plus some extra special specials available from 6-9pm daily.

Rosemary who runs our Rejuvenation Suite for us has some great Mid Summer Madness offers on at the moment so be sure to check her availability before you arrive to us.

There is a very exciting show coming to the INEC from the 12-24^th August which is less than a five minute walk away from us. It is the ‘Le Grand Cirque’ which has been described by the New York Times & Las Vegas Press as an Enchanting Circus Performance that is ‘Breathtaking’ & ‘Beyond Belief’.  The Fiddler on the Roof is then on from the 26-30^th August.

We still have a few remaining rooms left on these dates so get booking now so that you don’t miss out.

If you are travelling down to Kerry for the Rose of Tralee Festival from the 19-23 August don’t forget that we are only a ½ hour drive from Tralee so you can still enjoy the festival AND get a good nights sleep. A number of special buses run daily from Killarney.

All the Staff at the Killarney Riverside want to wish Paul, Sean & Cathal- our Olympic Hopefuls from Killarney- all the very best . Hope you will join us in cheering them on.

Hope to welcome you to the Riverside in the near future and don’t forget you can always email me on stay@riversidehotelkillarney.com