Chef of the Year Jess Murphy’s Summer Cooking Tips

Recently named Best Chef in Ireland, Jess Murphy – co-owner of Kai Café and Restaurant in Galway – offers delicious savoury and sweet recipes to make throughout the summer.

“Being a New Zealander, I can’t wait for summer evenings,” Murphy tells the Irish Times. “The kind where you don’t really want to cook because it’s warm. The kind of evening when you rummage through your fridge instead and put together a little appetiser plate with some cheeses, meats, crackers and bread and head out to your yard with a glass of wine to enjoy the cool breeze.

“First up [in Murphy’s choice of recipes], when simple meets delicious. Whip up the perfect combo of two of life’s blessings – butter and buttermilk. Then put some on any dish that could use an upgrade. This is not so much a recipe as it is a way of life. Once you have whipped your butter, you will never go back. Just be sure to use real butter, no substitutes here – or ever. Whipped butter is simply regular butter that has had air beaten into it in order to increase the volume. It also makes the butter much easier to spread and quicker to melt, delivering its buttery payload over dishes much faster.”

Murphy also suggests an “amazing” vegan dressing, “where cashews are the star of the show”, and a “seriously indulgent” berry recipe.

Original article by Jess Murphy, The Irish Times, June 4, 2018.