which one of our Chocolate Brownies is your favourite??

The Pure Chocolate Brownie

The Peanut Butter Brownie or

The Cheesecake topped Brownie.........

We are looking for a part-time chef, available to work weekends.

Please enquire about this vacancy with our Cafe Manager, Call 01 - 4547421 or email eat@bibis.ie for further information.

We look forward to hearing from you!

With the arrival of Spring, comes the arrival of lots of exciting ingredients. I love this time of year...there is a stretch in the evenings, the weather is getting (a little!) warmer and as a cook, there are lots of exciting things happening.

One of my favourite ingredients, not just for it's lovely flavour but also for the delicate and beautiful colour it brings to a dish, is Rhubarb. This week, we are expecting a delivery of Champagne Rhubarb from one of our suppliers, Vanilla Venture.

Champagne rhubarb differs from others mainly in its colour and its flavour. It is a lighter, paler pink colour and it is less tart in flavour than normal rhubarb. Champagne rhubarb is available to us slightly earlier in the year. It is grown using a special technique, where it is 'forced' to grow in what are known as 'forcing sheds'. These sheds provide warmth to encourage the early growth of this plant. Light is also restricted, and it is this that causes the rhubarb to be paler in colour, less tart and also less fibrous.

Champagne rhubarb is very easy to work with. There is no need to peel it as it is less fibrous. It needs very light, gentle cooking and as it is still slightly tart, requires some sweetening. Make sure you discard the leaves as they are poisonous!

One of the ways we will use the rhubarb is in a compote with some strawberries. It will be served with our homemade granola and vanilla flavoured yoghurt. I first made this compote when I was learning how to cook in Ballymaloe. It has been a firm favourite in our house (and many others!) since. It is such a simple recipe to follow and a great accompaniment to cakes and tarts. It is also delicious with homemade vanilla ice-cream.

Rhubarb and Strawberry Compote:
Serves 4
-450g / 1lb rhubarb, cut into 1 inch pieces
-450ml / 16floz stock syrup
-225g / 8oz strawberries, hulled and sliced
-Put the stock syrup into a saucepan and add the rhubarb. Cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 1 minute (any longer and the rhubarb will turn to mush). -Take off the heat and allow to cool. Add the strawberries.
-A stock syrup is made up of equal quantities of sugar and water. Put 1lb / 450g sugar into a saucepan with 1 pint water. Bring this to the boil and allow to simmer until the sugar has dissolved. This should take 5 minutes. Cool and keep in the fridge. It is very useful to have a container of stock syrup at hand. It can be used for compotes, infused with rosemary, for example, and served with a cake or used to make lemonade.

Here is a quick and easy recipe for homemade lemonade:
-juice of 4 lemons
-juice of 2 oranges
-450ml / 1 pint stock syrup
-2 1/2 pints water, to taste
-Mix all ingredients together. Add more water if necessary. Serve chilled.

I hope you enjoy trying these recipes!
Maisha x

There is nothing better than a Bibi's Voucher in your Christmas Stocking!!

Check out the Bibi's page on Facebook

We are looking for a part-time chef available to work weekends.

For further information:

Please contact Maisha or Ricarda in the cafe on 01-4547421 or email your CV to eat@bibis.ie.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Bibi's blog page has been well and truly neglected for the last year and is looking a bit sad! I now have two babies to look after...the cafe and my 6 month old son, Ben, who has terrorised me at night for the last 6 months! Hence, certain areas in my life have taken a back seat. However I am back in the land of the living with lots of new ideas for my blog.

We are posting the menu on our website as it changes every few days so I thought no better place to start than to introduce you to some of our suppliers. We endeavour to use local Irish suppliers as we have some top notch producers in this country. Anthony Creswell, of Ummera Smoked Products in West Cork, supplies us with wonderful Irish organically reared smoked salmon, smoked chicken and smoked dry cured back and streaky bacon. The bacon is a joy to cook with as there is no shrinkage or milky residue left in the pan. The smoked salmon is soft, silky, slightly salty and truly delicious to eat. The smoked chicken is lightly smoked and moist and is great in salads and sandwiches, which is how we serve it in the cafe. One of our more popular salads is with smoked chicken, avocado, mango, roasted peanuts and a maple and chilli dressing. Ummera products are available to buy in most independant food shops or, stock levels allowing, you could pick them up in the cafe.

The cheese used in our much loved pantoasted sandwich is from Gubbeen Farmhouse in Schull, West Cork. The Ferguson family run this business and it is truly inspirational to any food lover. They have their own piggery where a variety of pigs are allowed to run free. We use their cheese, bacon and wonderful chorizo in our dishes.

I am going to leave you with a recipe from the cafe for a smoked salmon bruschetta.
This recipe serves 4 people for lunch or 6-8 as a starter for dinner.

Smoked salmon bruschetta with cucumber pickle:
For the horseradish creme fraiche:
1/2 cup creme fraiche
50g creamed horseradish or 1 tbsp fresh horseradish
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
pinch black pepper and salt
Mix all ingredients together.
For the cucumber pickle:
900g / 2lb very thinly sliced unpeeled cucumber
3 red onions, very thinly sliced
350g / 12oz sugar
2 tsp salt
225ml / 8floz white wine vinegar
Whisk the sugar, salt and vinegar together and mix in the cucumber and red onion. Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
This recipe will make more than you need but it is great served with cold meats or as an accompaniment a burger or a toasted cheese sandwich.

To assemble the bruschetta:
4 large slices bread
olive oil
8 slices smoked salmon
4 dsp capers
rocket leaves
Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and chargrill or fry on a pan until golden.
Spread each slice of bread generously with the horseradish creme fraiche and top with 2 slices of smoked salmon.
Sprinkle each with a dsp of capers, a good spoon of the cucumber pickle and top with a handful of rocket leaves.
Finish with a drizzle of lemon oil, if you have it in your store cupboard.

Hope you enjoy it!
Maisha xx