 Brown bread is one of Ireland's greatest natural exports. Here's the best recipe on how to bake the perfect loaf. Brown Bread Ingredients: • 4 cups Whole wheat flour
•
2 cups White flour
• 1 1/2 ts Salt
• 1 1/2 ts Baking soda
• 2 cups Buttermilk or sour milk
• 2 tb Butter Directions: Mix the whole wheat flour throughly with the white flour. Rub the butter into the flour. Add the salt,
and soda. Make a well in the center and gradually mix in the liquid. Stir with a wooden spoon. You may need less, or more
liquid - it depends on the absorbent quality of the flour. The dough should be soft but managable. Knead the dough into a ball in the mixing bowl with your floured hands. Put in on a lightly floured baking
sheet and with the palm of your hand flatten out in a circle 1 1/2 inches thick. With a knife dipped in flour, make a cross
through the center of the bread so that it will easily break into quarters when it is baked. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake a further 15 minutes. If
the crust seems too hard, wrap the baked bread in a damp tea cloth. Leave the loaf standing upright until it is cool.
 Glazed leg of ham with Guinness and cardamom
Ingredients: 1 x 7.5kg Leg cooked Ham
2 cups Guinness
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground
cardamom Method:
Peel skin off ham, leaving portion
around bone. Place ham fat side up (on a rack if you have one). Pour 1 3/4 cups of stout over the ham. Bake in a moderately
slow oven 160c about 2 hours, basting occasionally with stout and drippings. Remove ham and baste with drippings. Score fat diagonally to form a diamond pattern. Mix sugar, mustard, ginger
and cardamom with enough stout to moisten. Spread over ham. Increase oven temperature to hot (200c) and bake a further 35-45
minutes. Serve warm. Serving suggestion:
Serve the
ham with spiced fruits: Drain large cans of peaches, apricots
and pear halves - reserving the syrup for later. Put 10 whole cloves, 1 stick cinnamon, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup sugar,
and 2 oranges sliced, in a saucepan with 1 cup of the fruit syrup. Bring to the boil then simmer for 15 minutes. Cool and
chill
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| Irish Stew |
Irish Stew Irish stew is easy to make and if made with mutton and
cooked slowly will be both flavorsome and tender. Mutton, being an older meat, has more flavor than lamb but does need to
be cooked for a couple of hours over a low heat with liquid. It should not be allowed to boil or the flavor will be spoiled.
There is little agreement as to the classic recipe - should there be carrots? Should the meat be browned? Should mutton, lamb,
beef, bacon or even kid be used? The following dish will be found to be hearty and nourishing and traditional enough.
2 1/2 lb boned mutton
4 large potatoes
2 large onions
3 or 4 medium carrots
sprig of parsley
2
cups water
salt and pepper
(serves four)
Cut the meat into good size chunks. Peel
the vegetables and slice thickly. Chop the parsley. Choose a pot with a well-fitting lid and put in the ingredients in layers,
starting and finishing with potatoes. Pour in the water and season to taste. Cover and put on a very low heat for about 2
1/2 hours until the meat is tender and the potatoes have thickened the liquid. The dish may also be made with lamb, in which
case it requires only 1 1/2 hours cooking time.
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Irish Herbed Drop Scones:
Scones: These are perfect with soup or dinner and will whet your appetite without ending it. Irish Herbed Drop Scones: Serves: 8 3/4-cup all-purpose flour 1-teaspoon salt 1-teaspoon baking powder 2 tablespoons milk 2 eggs 1/4 cup melted butter 1 tablespoon
chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, and rosemary 4 tablespoons
safflower oil Method Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Blend
in milk, eggs, butter, and herbs. Pass this batter through a fine-mesh
strainer into a small bowl. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, I0 minutes. Heat the safflower oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Pour a tablespoon of batter onto the pan. Cook on both sides, about
30-40 seconds per side or golden brown.
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| Guinness and Bailey Cupcakes |
This recipe is from the wonderful food website Annie's
Eats These little beauties from Ireland really do offer
a genuine taste of Ireland, just as they satiate your chocolate and cream cravings. With their lively mix of Guinness and
Baileys, just one taste will tell you that they’re a little triumph of the cake makers art.
Ingredients Serving: 24 cupcakes 1
cup stout (Guinness) 16 tbsp. unsalted butter ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 2 cups all-purpose flour 2
cups sugar 1½ tsp. baking soda ¾ tsp. salt 2
large eggs 2/3 cup sour cream For the Baileys ganache filling: 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 2/3
cup heavy cream 2 tbsp. butter, at room temperature 2 tsp. Baileys Irish cream For the Baileys butter cream frosting: 8 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature 3-4
cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted 4-8 tbsp. Bailey's
Irish cream
To make the cupcakes, preheat
the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium
heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of
an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the stout-butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients
on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to ¾
full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes
out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. To make the ganache filling, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then
whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very
short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Baileys and stir until combined. Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can
use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling.) Meanwhile, cut out a portion from the center of the cupcake using the
cone method (a small paring knife works best for this). Once the ganache has reached the correct consistency, transfer it
to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes. To make the frosting, place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all
incorporated. Mix in the Baileys until smooth.
Add more if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency
for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired. |
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 Irish Cheese Cake
This
Chocolate Bailey's Irish Cream Cheesecake recipe is a sure hit on St. Patrick's Day, or on any other day
for that matter.
Ingredients
6 Graham crackers
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter; melted
24 oz Cream cheese
at room temperature
7 tablespoons of sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup plus 2
tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup whipping cream
9 oz Semisweet chocolate;
chopped
Chocolate curls; (optional)
Method To make the
crust, first preheat oven to 350°F. Grind the graham crackers to a fine crumb, using your food processor. Add the butter
and continue blending until this is combined. Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch diameter spring form pan. Do
not put crumb mixture on the sides of the pan. Bake the crust about eight minutes and remove from oven. Do not turn off oven. To make the filling, beat the
cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in the flour. Add the eggs, one at a time. Beat until just combined. Do not overheat.
Mix in the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for the whipping cream and the chocolate. Pour this filling into the crust and bake
for ten minutes. Then reduce heat to 250°F and bake for an additional 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool cake on a
rack for ten minutes. Then, loosen cake and cool. Chill overnight. To
make the glaze, heat the cream in a saucepan until it simmers. Reduce the heat to low and added the chopped chocolate. Stir
until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Cool the glaze to lukewarm then pour the glaze over the cake after you have released
the cake from the pan. Refrigerate for about thirty minutes. Sprinkle
the top with chocolate curls if desired. This Chocolate Baileys Irish
Cream Cheesecake serves 12 lucky people.
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| Dublin Lawyer (Lobster) |
Dublin Lawyer This dish is delicious and traditional - a happy combination
- though its expensive ingredients make it a rare treat rather than an everyday affair. For the best flavor the fish has to
be freshly killed just before cooking. Plunge a sharp knife into the cross on the back of the head. Slice in half lengthwise
and crack open the claws. Remove all the flesh and cut into large chunks. Keep both halves of the shell for serving.
1
live lobster, about 2 lb
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup Irish whiskey
1/2 cup whipping cream
salt and pepper
(serves two)
Toss the lobster meat in foaming butter over a medium heat for a few minutes until cooked. Take care that
the butter does not burn. Add the whiskey and when it has heated up set light to it. Pour in the cream, heat through and season.
Serve in the half shells with plainly boiled fine beans.
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