David Harte of The Sea Rooms at Kelly’s in Rosslare, Co Wexford, was crowned Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year for 2025 last month and here he shares the recipe for the dessert that helped him to win the title.
The theme of this year’s competition was Forgotten Foods: Honouring Ireland’s Larder, with Harte’s menu aimed at showcasing seasonal produce and traditional flavours.
His dessert, a refined combination of Sissy Red apples, honey and oats, was designed to celebrate Irish heritage, simplicity and skill.
“Visiting The Apple Farm near Cahir in Tipperary, where Con Traas shared his insights into sustainable orchard management, was incredibly inspiring. Con’s Sissy Red Irish apples are exceptional, and I wanted to highlight them as much as possible in this dish. The oats bring a wonderful texture that ties everything together," Harte said.
RM Block
Euro-Toques Ireland is a community of chefs, cooks and food producers dedicated to preserving the integrity and authenticity of Irish culinary traditions. Its members champion food culture rooted in quality, provenance and respect for producers, while mentoring the next generation of chefs to carry these values forward. Euro-Toques Young Chef of the Year 2025, presented by La Rousse Foods, is Ireland’s premier cooking competition for professional young chefs.
Sissy Red apples, honey, oats (serves 4)
For the apple Genoese
- 150g apple puree
- 3 egg whites, beaten to a stiff peak
- 75g icing sugar
- 75g ground almonds
For the apple panna cotta
- 200g cream
- 300g apple puree
- 100g milk
- 2 sheets of gelatine
- 2 vanilla pods
For the for the candied oats
- 100g water
- 100g sugar
- 50g oats
- 400ml oil to fry
For the honey and apple custard
- 3 egg yolks
- 150g apple puree
- 50g honey
- 150g milk
- 150g cream
- 5g salt
For the compressed apple
- 1 apple, brunoised
- 50g apple juice
- Juice of 1 lemon
For the apple puree
- 8 apples, diced
- 200g butter
- 100g muscovado sugar
Method
For the apple puree
- Preheat the oven to 170c.
- Turn the pan on to a medium heat and add the butter, as the butter begins to melt, slice the apples into medium-sized chunks and add to the pan.
- Continue to cook on a low heat until they begin to turn soft. Once fully soft, add in the sugar and cook for a further five minutes to caramelise slightly.
- Place into the blender and blend until smooth and place to the side.
For the apple panna cotta
- Measure out the apple puree, cream, vanilla and sugar into a pan, place on to a low heat and allow to heat slowly
- Meanwhile bloom the gelatine in cold water until soft and jelly like.
- Once the cream mixture has warmed, add in the gelatine and mix thoroughly until dissolved, take off the heat and slowly trickle in the milk so as to ensure it does not split.
- Pour into a lined tray and leave in the fridge to set.
For the apple Genoese
- Whip the egg whites until stiff. Once stiff, add in the icing sugar and whip again.
- Add in the ground almonds followed by the apple puree. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and pour into a lined tray.
- Place into the oven set at 170 degrees and cook for 17 minutes. To check if it is cooked, simply prod the cake with a fork or knife, and if the cutlery comes back clean it is cooked.
- Once cooked, allow to cool fully.
For the for the candied oats
- Melt the sugar in the water on a medium heat.
- Heat the oil in a separate pan on a low heat.
- Add in the oats to the water syrup and blanch for just one minute, then strain through a sieve until fully dry of syrup.
- Now check the oil. If you have a thermometer handy, aim for 160 degree. If not, test it by adding a few oats in until you see it bubbling. Allow the oats to fry until golden brown and take out carefully on to a paper-lined tray or plate to dry the oil off.
For the honey and apple custard
- Heat the apple puree, cream and milk in a pot and warm slowly.
- Whip the egg yolk, sugar and honey until soft and ribboned. A nice way to check this is by attempting to draw an eight using the mixture: if it holds, it’ll do the job!
- Once the eggs are ribboned and the cream mixture warmed, slowly add the cream mixture to the egg and mix well. Some bubbles may form; if they do, just scrape them off with a spoon.
- Return the mixture to the pot and put on to a low heat, continuously mixing until thickened, then turn off the heat and pour into a bowl.
- Cover the top with cling film and leave to cool in the fridge.
For the compressed apple
- Dice the apples, skin and all into very small squares
- Cover with the lemon juice and apple juice and keep in the fridge.
To serve
- Tip the cake on to the mousse, and flip back over, leaving the cake on the bottom.
- Peel off the paper from the mousse and cover with the diced apple and candied oats. For ease of serving, slice into rectangles and place on the left of the plate.
- Pour a nice drop of your apple custard in the middle of the plate, serve and enjoy!
