The guilty gourmets
They may extol the virtues of fine ingredients, but even for committed foodies, sometimes only a treat will do, says Declan Cashin
Image posed
Tuesday May 26 2009
When it comes to food and snacks, we all have our guilty little pleasures. Sure, we know we're all supposed to feast on fine, fresh ingredients as part of a daily balanced diet, and graze on nuts and fruits rather than cakes and biscuits during work and in our downtime.
However, in tough times like these, we need our little treats and pleasures to help buck us up, and that goes for the gourmand experts too.
We asked some of the country's most pre-eminent foodies -- from Michelin-starred chefs to TV cooks to food writers and bloggers -- to dish on their particular guilty pleasures, be it a sneaky take-away, a greasy sausage roll, a bar (or three) of chocolate, or even raw cake mixture. Bon appetit ...
Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School, Cork
I love baked beans on toast and old fashioned Birds custard, a delicious childhood memory. I occasionally think about the Chef's salad cream that we had on salad sandwiches as children, and the Tipsy Cake by Gateaux that was made with bits of leftover cake and topped with luminous pink icing, and wonder whether I would love them now. I sometimes still hanker for a 'spring sprong' biscuit (Jacob's Coconut Creams).
Donal Skehan, thegoodmoodfoodblog.com
Nothing can satisfy my craving for junk food more than Bacon Fries: they are crunchy, salty, highly calorific and never fail to hit the spot. My other weakness is a little dish I came up with when I was a kid and it seems to have stayed with me: take one nice golden potato waffle, place three crispy fish fingers uniformly lined up on top, drench with Heinz tomato ketchup, and top with another waffle. There you have it -- the Waffle Fish Finger sandwich. A classic!
Dennis Cotter, Head chef, Café Paradiso, Cork
I don't have any guilty pleasures simply because I believe guilt itself is inherently unhealthy. To be honest, I like to eat well once a day, the rest of the time food is just fuel and I don't fuss over it. Peanut butter with vegemite is a bit gross, but it does for breakfast when the cupboard is bare.
My favourite Friday night activity is to watch Cork City win at Turners Cross, then have chips from the chip van on the way to the pub. Ketchup and too much salt for me, never liked vinegar on potatoes. Three pints of Beamish on top of that is the best dinner in the world.
Oliver Dunne, Head chef, Bon Appetit, Malahide
I have many guilty pleasures but the two I eat the most are, Cadbury Starbars for a sweet fix, and if I need a bit of fat, I love southern fried chicken and chips from the local chipper washed down with a can of Coke.
Ross Lewis, Head Chef, Chapter One, Parnell Square
My guilty pleasure is still Double Verona Chocolate Muffins from the California Bakery.
Kevin Dundon, food writer and celebrity chef
I don't have a very sweet tooth, but on a long car journey I love to indulge in a bag of Liquorice Allsorts. Even now they bring back great memories of my childhood when our treat on a Sunday afternoon (assuming, of course, we ate all our lunch) was to have a bag of Allsorts and hot chocolate. Sheer culinary euphoria -- even then!
Valerie O'Connor, www.valskitchen.com
I have considered selling my soul for a sausage roll, or a peanut butter Chunky Kit Kat. My guiltiest pleasure has to be having a doner kebab any time, day or night.
I have been known to drive to a certain kebab place in Limerick, dressed up to the nines and wait in line for my take away. The more chilli sauce and the messier it is, the better.
Derry Clarke, L'Ecrivain, Baggot St, Dublin
I love eating the crispy skin off pork, which is so bad for me! Another guilty pleasure is fatty bacon, which is terrible for the old heart, I know, but I still do it anyway.
There's also salt and vinegar Taytos -- one bag is never enough -- and, of course, a pint or two of Guinness.
Richard Corrigan, Head chef, Bentley's Restaurant, St Stephen's Green
I have been known to enjoy soft ice cream just out of the machine with choc sauce, hot of course. Very boyish.
Aoileann Garavaglia, author, Cheat's Cuisine
My guilty pleasures are many, but I do crave Tayto cheese and onion. I do indulge every now and then, but I wait until the kids go to bed, mainly so I don't have to share. I also have a big grá for white sliced pan toasted with butter. I was deprived this as a child, so now at weekends, I buy a white sliced pan for us, toast it, use a biscuit cutter to cut out a shape, and butter and sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (organic, of course).
Kevin Thornton, Head chef, Thorntons Restaurant, St Stephen's Green
When I'm driving to Menu in Belfast I might stop for petrol and would often grab a Snickers and a packet of Tayto. It's a throwback to my childhood and I love the combination of crisps and chocolate.
Trish Deseine, food writer and presenter of Trish's Paris Kitchen
There's not a great deal I feel guilty about. I embrace many items such as Flakes, Mint Munchies, butterscotch Angel Delight which are deemed "bad" as part of my varied diet. I subsequently eat lots of salad to cancel them out. When I'm baking, I cannot stay away from raw plain cake mixture and, a little later, its freshly whipped buttercream icing straight from the mixing bowl.
