Influenced by their travels the world over, Paul and Jeanne have brought their collaborative culinary knowledge and skill home to Paul's native Ireland and applied it to the country's great variety of fresh seafood, vegetables, and game. Owners of Northern Ireland's first Michelin starred restaurant, Roscoff, the couple shares over 100 new recipes in Gourmet Ireland II, each of which reflect their love of food, travel, and culture.
Basic Irish comfort foods such as Smoked Bacon with Cabbage and Potatoes, Wheaten Bread, Venison with Red Wine, Black Pepper, and Thyme, and Summer Pudding are complemented by twists on old favorites like Risotto Molly Malone, Turkey Ossobuco, and Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding with Marmalade Sauce. Drawing on culinary influences they have picked up on in their travels, the Rankins use fresh local ingredients to open up the cuisine and dash the unsavory myths about Irish cooking in recipes like Warm Goats' Cheese with Grilled Vegetables, Salmon Baked with Fresh Herbs and Pommes d'Amour, Chicken Stuffed with Lobster and Basil, and White Chocolate Mousse with Mandarine Puree.
Gourmet Ireland II, which began airing as a series on public television in March of 1998, is full of menus and recipes that will appeal to Irish-Americans' sense of tradition while also appealing to a wider audience who have an interest in fresh, healthy, and "global" cuisine.
