Spiced Beef and an Omelet Named After Me

Throughout my pregnancy, I’ve had an aversion to eggs. Except for one breakfast of fluffy scrambled eggs my sister-in-law made me in May, I just can’t stomach them. I think it’s a texture thing. Earlier this month, my husband and I set out to have omelets for breakfast. Eggs are supposed to be nutritious for baby so why not give it another chance, right? Fenn’s Quay is a local restaurant where we’ve taken people when they visit. We’ve been going there for over three years now and always enjoy the peaceful but positive ambiance. So that morning when I Tweeted asking who has omelets or quiche on the menu that day and their chef Kate Tweeted back with a cheerful “we do”, we were out the door in a flash.

Omelets are always tricky for me since I can’t eat ham or bacon even when not pregnant and melted cheese has put me off for months now. I had already done my research (ie, Tweeting) that Fenn’s Quay and Liberty Grill use pasteurized Hollandaise sauce so that was not a concern and can substitute nicely for the cheese in an egg dish. I had previously told Chef Kate how I loved the spiced beef and beetroot dish they served at the Cork Gourmet Trail.

Spiced beef is a very Cork food and Durcan’s is the butcher best known for this. Our butcher P. Coughlan’s also does spiced beef year-round. These two are treasures since other butchers only prepare spiced beef at the holidays. Spiced beef is different from corned beef because the spices include cloves and the kind of flavors your palette equates to Christmastime. But it’s just too good to only have in winter!

In the end, I ordered a custom omelet with the ingredients that sounded good to me, spiced beef and a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce. Sure enough, it was a winning combination! So much so that Chef Kate has added it to the menu for Saturday and Sunday of the Guinness Cork Jazz Festival weekend (which is going on now). A true honor to have an omelet named after me. Just goes to show that pregnancy cravings can be innovative new menu ideas. Who’s up for a pickles and milk sorbet? Anyone? Ok, maybe that’s an idea whose time has not yet come.