"Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists" a new recipe book by Graham Herterich, also known as The Cupcake Bloke, provides recipes that will melt your heart along with a snapshot of modern Ireland's food scene, and insights into influences, inspirations, and ingredients.
Presenting a snapshot of present-day Ireland, "Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists" includes traditional recipes that hold a special place in our hearts and on our tables while also making room for contemporary new influences, inspirations, and ingredients.
Graham Herterich's book offers something for every kind of baker, from first-timers looking for answers to all their baking questions to more accomplished bakers in search of inspiration and adventurous new flavors.
Herterich learned to cook as a young child at his Granny’s side and developed his love affair with baking. He continued his training in Culinary Arts at Waterford Institute of Technology and his studies included stints at well-known restaurants and hotels like Kilkee Castle, Marlfield House, Mount Juliet, Chapter One, Peacock Alley, and The Commons.
Herterich briefly left the industry to spend two years as part of the Carmelite community before returning to it aged 21, ultimately founding The Cupcake Bloke in 2012 and opening his first retail store The Bakery in Rialto, Dublin, in 2018.
He is a Bosch ambassador and the winner of several Blas na hÉireann Awards and Chef Ireland Awards. Graham is passionate about flavor and quality while bringing an element of fun to his food. "Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists" is his first book.
Graham Herterich author of "Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists".
Speaking about the launch of this book, Herterich said "For every traditional Irish recipe I have created a modern twist on the dish – it may be a twist on a classic soda bread or a complete reinterpretation of a classic flavor combination like coffee and walnut and more besides. I’ve loved creating Bake and I feel it brings traditional Irish baking bang up to date.”
Food has always forged a connection to Graham Herterich’s past and recipes in the book pay tribute to the women in his life who inspired his love of baking. Many recipes also pay homage to Middle Eastern flavors, reflecting Graham’s trips to Morocco and Egypt in his twenties and more recently to Palestine and Israel with his father.
Featuring 100 recipes, traditional bakes like soda bread, tarts, porter cake and brack all the way up to modern classics like jambon, cheesecakes and fifteens are given a contemporary twist using the ingredients available in Ireland now, from advieh to zhug.
Readers can choose from Graham’s twists on classic dishes like coffee and walnut cake reinterpreted as coffee and walnut pavlova with coffee poached pears or rhubarb crumble reimagined as chocolate, banana and coconut crumble with banana ice cream. Also included is Graham’s recipe for Guinness brown bread and the updated alternative, rye, ale & honey bread, while Graham’s beloved mammy buns are brought up to date as tahini and black sesame cupcakes.
Rye, ale & honey bread.
Other favorites include panch phoron soda bread with lamb keema curry; chocolate stout cake with honeycomb whiskey frosting; gin, lemon and fuchsia tart; and Buckfast baked ham with pomegranate and mint.
"Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists" also includes a brief history of Irish baking by Ali Dunworth along with Dee Laffan’s take on the modern landscape of Irish food as well as a comprehensive guide to baking essentials and lesser-known ingredients.
"Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists" by Graham Herterich, published by Nine Bean Rows, is available from 8th September, €25, at all good bookshops and many independent retailers around the country as well as online at ninebeanrowsbooks.com.
Keep up to date with the latest news from Graham Herterich by following @graham_herterich or @thecupcakebloke.
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