My kitchen is … really two kitchens. We live intergenerationally on a farm. When I first moved to Ireland in 2005 from the US, I said our home would have to be light and airy and bright. I am from the midwest – Minneapolis – and that first year here was very, very grey and rainy. I knew I’d need loads of windows and loads of space. This was even before I’d know how much I’d need to cook. Our own home on the farm was built in 2007, and my kitchen here (1) is bright white. I have all these obnoxious American things that no one has on farms here: a built-in espresso bar, a barbecue grill built into the worktop, a big American fridge … We have floor-to-ceiling cabinets, a bookshelf full of cookbooks and a gas range with two ovens. It’s very modern, in stark contrast to the other farm kitchen, which we still call a scullery.
My favourite kitchen tool is … either my stand mixer or my butter bats. I make butter around 2-3 times a week. I also have a few vintage butter churns, but nothing beats a stand mixer. The bats – which are used for shaping the butter – are quite simply paddles with ridges. I have some butter stamps, too, but the shapers are more important. Another tool that I can’t do without is my music system. At the moment I have Iris DeMent, a US folk singer, on loop.
My storecupboard staple is … Macroom Mills flour – a coarse wholemeal Irish flour I use all the time in my baking. So flavourful.
When I’m starving I … make these little toasts with a lovely cheese and mustard sauce with maybe some ham on top. I call it an Irish rarebit.
My culinary inspiration is … my mother-in-law, Peggy. She passed away a couple of years ago. Not for any specific recipe as much as for her effortless comfort in cooking huge meals, all the time. I was in awe of her. I always want everything to be perfect – it’s definitely not effortless. But with Peggy, no matter how many people would turn up, everything was always OK. I am inspired simply by her way of being in the kitchen, gently teaching me things, without ever being forceful. We really miss her.
My current obsession is … Claire Ptak’s rye brownies. If you’re American, having a good brownie recipe is so important, and none I’ve made have ever tasted as good as these.
Everything tastes better with … homemade butter (pictured above). From baking to using it fresh on bread or in scrambled eggs, it’s incredible. It’s a good fat. Don’t be afraid of it.
When I go shopping I … rarely ever visit the supermarket. Now that we grow so much, I know what it takes to grow something good.
For dinner tonight … we are having grilled, foraged wild garlic over cheesy, country style grits. A springtime treat that blends a bit of America with a bit of the wild Irish countryside.
- Imen McDonnell is the author of The Farmette Cookbook (Roost Books). She will be taking over Cook’s Instagram account this weekend. Follow @guardian_cook for updates
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