Ballymaloe Desserts: Iconic Recipes and Stories from Ireland

Product Information

JR admits that most of his desserts are quite simple, and it's the planning and execution that sets the dessert course apart at Ballymaloe. If you prefer a flaky, buttery, and versatile crust that works well with both sweet and savory fillings, a cold butter pie crust is the way to go. It sowed a seed,” says Ryall, who has been head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House since 2010. “And in a way, from then, I found Darina and the cookery school, and Ballymaloe House very aspirational.”

In the book’s introduction he writes how he first became interested in serious cookery as a child, when he began to watch Darina Allen – Ballymaloe House restaurant founder Myrtle Allen's daughter-in-law, and founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School – whose Simply Delicious television series aired on the Irish TV channel, RTÉ One. Ballymaloe Creamed Butter Pastry is a sweet shortcrust pastry. It is irresistibly tender and delicate, and every pastry chef and home chef needs a go-to shortcrust recipe like this for tarts and pies. Myrtle Allen was a chef who went with her glut. Her protege, the brilliant Irish pastry chef JR Ryall writes in his new book Ballymaloe Desserts: Iconic Recipes and Stories from Ireland, that Allen gained her experience “working with the abundant produce of the four hundred acre Ballymaloe farm that her husband, Ivan, ran.” Scrape the egg whites over the lemon base, then fold in the whites with a spatula just until they’re incorporated. The mixture will still be quite liquidy. Ryall is an excellent teacher, providing clear, detailed instructions for each dish. Recipes are built to be adaptable, highlighting Ballymaloe's commitment to seasonality and fresh local ingredients. His thoughtful advice appears throughout the book, revealing the best method for whisking egg whites, serving tips for adding major & 'wow' factor, and more.At the ripe old age of 13, he took his first cooking course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School — a present from his Mum. Year after year, during his school holidays he worked in Ballymaloe, in the desserts section, and eventually — having completed a Natural Science degree in Trinity College in Dublin — he accepted Myrtle Allen’s invitation to be head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House. The rest is history. The dessert trolley was there from day one, made by carpenter Danny Power to her specifications — a top shelf where the desserts were displayed, and a shelf underneath for plates, serving utensils and cutlery. The four trolleys that are now used in Ballymaloe follow the same design. Attainable, reliable, and inspirational recipes for the home baker from the acclaimed pastry chef at the iconic Ballymaloe House in Ireland. It may well be the only book I ever write. I’m not trying to make a career move. But I did then feel like there was a book that could be written. And a lot of it, from a very deep personal level,” he says.

Though we mainly think of sugar as a sweetener, it has many physical properties that make it indispensable in pastry and desserts. In baking, it helps goods achieve a golden colour, as well as contributing to shelf life and flavour. Salt

Warm Lemon Pudding

It’s a wonderful combination of how global flavours can pair — no pun intended — with something that we have ourselves, like these beautiful pear varieties,” says Ryall. You know your butter is at the right temperature when you push the butter and it makes an indent, but your finger doesn’t easily squish right through.

Best eaten the next day. Note that double the amount of Carrageen is needed when cocoa is added. Caramel Sauce JR’s five categories are fruit, fresh, cooked or preserved; meringue desserts; mousses, jellies, set cream for fools; frozen dishes such as ice creams, sorbets or granitas; and pastries, cakes or puddings. You can also freeze the pastry after you shape it into a disc (or discs if you double the recipe!) and wrap well—it will keep in the freezer for two months. Defrost the pastry in the fridge before using. Then there are the nuts. “At Ballymaloe there are numerous cobnut, hazelnut and walnut trees,” he writes. “In early autumn, when the nuts are just harvested, their flesh is creamy and notably different from the dried nuts we use for the rest of the year.”

More Pie Crust Recipes

This debut cookbook from the Ballymaloe House head pastry chef JR Ryall is stunning, featuring 140 seasonal Irish recipes from his kitchen and the famous dessert trolley at Ballymaloe. More than just recipes, it’s also full of Ryall’s gorgeous insights, seasonal observations and a homage to Ballymaloe founder and culinary icon Myrtle Allen, who trained him. Photography by the wonderful Cliodhna Prendergast elevates this beautifully designed book so it will sit just as well on a kitchen counter as a coffee table. And it makes me very happy actually, being able to do that. But you do certainly have to be very confident in serving something plain quite often, and the temptation is there to do the cheffy thing and add the detail. But often deciding not to do that is the best decision,” says Ryall. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for five minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake by running a knife around the inside of the pan and then turn out on to a warm serving plate. Serve warm with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

lemons, for the zest and to get 1/2 cup (125ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (depending on the size of your lemons, you may need an extra lemon to get enough juice) As Ryall writes in his cookbook debut, Ballymaloe Desserts (Phaidon, 2022), visiting the storied kitchens and gardens that day is one of his earliest memories. Many classic recipes lie at the heart of the Ballymaloe repertoire. Building on these is fun and exciting, and nothing satisfies me more than when an adaptation causes a dish with tradition to take on a contemporary and once-again-relevant feeling. Sometimes it takes only the simplest adaptation to help a dish evolve in the most pleasing and sustainable way. This approach is part of day-to-day cooking at Ballymaloe, and you’ll see it in my baking recipes. He received a course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School as a thirteenth birthday present, and returned to the school the following summer, on work experience. Creamed butter pastries are often used for sweeter pies, such as fruit pies, where the sweetness and tenderness complement the filling.

You may also like…

Plain white flour is mostly used in cakes, shortcrust pastry and biscuits. I much prefer plain to self-raising; if a raising agent is required I add the necessary amount for that dish. Sugar This sunny recipe for pears poached in saffron and cardamom originally came from actress and chef Madhur Jaffrey, who has taught several classes at the Ballymaloe Cookery School over the years. Ever since she shared the golden-hued dish, it’s been part of the pastry kitchen’s repertoire.