'Kind Of' Colcannon ...Just in Time for St Paddy's Day

Weekend fare that seems fitting for a bowl of comfort and a cold beer at the pub ...

A Little Cake-y

 

... a pretty little patty pan of a pastry ... but, what's under that crust, you ask ? ....

Irish Pasta - Thanks, Darina Allen !

Everyone else can have their Corned Beef, or Sprats or Colcannon or Irish Soda Bread today. I had my fair share over the weekend when our little church held its annual Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner. Today, I relaxed and leafed through Darina Allen's cookbook called Forgotten Skills of Cooking to choose a simple dish from an Irish chef ... my own little celebration of the Emerald Isle and its influence in the foodie world. I learned about Darina Allen a couple years ago when I was involved in a blogging challenge that focused on female chefs and foodies that have been huge influences on food culture world-wide.

Irish Soda Bread with Caraway and Drambuie

Here comes St. Patrick's Day ! It's the time of year when every town has a corned beef and cabbage dinner hosted by one of the churches or the fire department or the ladies guild or the garden club, or, or ... and our town is no different. Our little church is hosting our dinner this evening and I have been charged with baking the Irish soda breads. So, I'm falling back on good old Beth Hensperger and her tome, The Bread Bible. 

Pub Food - Beef in Stout with Herb Dumplings

Sunday Supper never looked so good ...

Whiskey and Cider Glazed Ham with Colcannon

I know I'm pushing the Fall thing, but it's presence is ever closer - just look at all that goldenrod that's in bloom! SB and I went for a bike ride today out along one of  the New Hampshire rail trail bike paths. This one was over in Jaffrey. There were clumps of goldenrod along the path and ponds carpeted with defunct lilypads ... limp, drooping blossoms laying on the water and bullfrogs 'galumphing' away.

Barm Brack and Honey Butter

This is barm brack, an Irish dried fruit loaf that resembles Panettone when it's baked in a nice deep casserole. SB and I call it poor man's panettone. It doesn't have all the eggs and citron fruit, but it does have currants, and golden raisins, and dried cranberries (my idea).  It is infinitely better than Irish soda bread - it's a yeast bread, after all and not a quick bread.

Top o' the Mornin' !

Whole Wheat Irish Herb Bread smells heavenly while baking ... like a combination of cake and Thanksgiving dressing. It has a bit of sweeteness from light brown sugar, basil, thyme, and marjoram for that herby flavour, and currants for a nice sweet chew. Plop it on a pretty bread board. Serve it up warm with some soft butter for smearing and a cup of strong tea. You'll swear you're back in Ireland ... all you need is a peat fire and some back music!

Darina Allen and Christmas in March

If it can snow in March, then I guess I can bake one last wintertime dessert and give it my own snowy dusting! Darina Allen's recipe for Ballymaloe Mincemeat Crumble Tart is a highlight in her book of Christmas recipes. It was more than I could resist ...