Favorite Irish Recipes

My favorite holiday is St. Patrick's Day. What can I say, I'm Irish. I invite friends and family over for an Irish Feast that includes many traditional- and some not so traditional- recipes. I've enjoyed adding to my recipes over the years and recently created an ebook of my Favorite Irish Recipes.

Included in the book are 9 of my most requested Irish recipes accompanied by beautiful images of Ireland, taken by me during our travels.

The ebook is only $4.99. The ebook looks terrific on a computer or tablet and has been formatted to print (use landscape mode and heavy paper).

To celebrate my first ebook I am giving away an 8x8 hardbound copy at my site Ireland with Kids. I invite you to visit my Ireland site and enter to win my Favorite Irish Recipes book.

View a sample page of my Favorite Irish Recipes.
Or and purchase via PayPal.

Incredible Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

There are three items that I always seem to have in my home:

Funnily enough, they are used mainly for baking and rarely for drinking. Now, with these three ingredients you could make an Irish Car Bomb: pour a pint of Guinness. In a 2 shot glass mix a shot of whiskey and a shot of Irish Cream. Drop into the Guinness and chug it down before it curdles.

Not your idea of fun? Mine either. But these incredible Irish Car Bomb cupcakes will have you thanking the brave mix-master who created the drink.

Just a note: the alcohol of the Guinness bakes out of the cupcake itself, but the ganache and frosting can be potent, depending on how much alcohol you use.

I've adapted this recipe from some of my favorite individual recipes, as well as taken tips from the BrownEyedBaker blog. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

Ingredients
For the Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness stout
1 cup unsalted butter; room temperature
¾ cup cocoa powder (Dutch process if you have it)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoons salt 2 eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter; room temperature
2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:
2 cups unsalted butter; room temperature
3-4 cups powdered sugar
8 tablespoons Irish Cream (taste test frosting; I tend to like mine strong)

Directions:
For Cupcakes:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners.

Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 15-18 minutes. Cool completely.

For Whiskey Ganache Filling:
Place 1 oz pieces of chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it until smooth. Add the butter and whiskey; stir until combined.

Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped. (Refrigerate if necessary)

Fill the Cupcakes:
Using a 1-inch round cookie cutter (or a small paring knife), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, going about two-thirds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top (or over the top- you will have enough ganache).

For Baileys Frosting:
With hand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar- a few tablespoons at a time- until all of it is incorporated.

Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy. Frost the cupcakes; add chocolate shavings or sprinkles if desired. Store the cupcakes in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

Bailey's Creme Brulee

I first had a version of this dessert at Raglan Road Irish Pub in Kansas City. And while at Kansas City Irish Fest I found this recipe posted in one of the tents. Wanting to recreate the creamy goodness we had experienced the night before I snapped a photo of the recipe.

I made this for the first time at my Irish Feast and it got rave reviews! Don't be overwhelmed by the thought of making creme brulee- this is quite easy!

And, because I'm lazy, I'm going to publish the photo of the recipe instead of typing the whole thing out. I'll add notes after the photo.

Tips:

• You can use vanilla extract in this- 2 tsp added with the cream


• For water bath tips see my cheesecake post.


• If you don't have a torch use your oven broiler. Just watch it very closely- you want the sugar just golden.

Enjoy!

Bread and Butter Pudding

It’s not often that you can get the exact recipe used in restaurants you love. Fortunately Ireland’s Master Chef Kevin Dundon publishes some of the recipes he uses at his B&B in Wexford and at Raglan Road Irish Pub on his website.

Doug’s favorite dessert when we visit Raglan Road is the Bread & Butter Pudding. I did a trial run with it a couple of weeks ago to practice for our annual St.Patrick’s Day dinner. My custard could have been smoother but it tasted great!

This dessert is a bit involved and requires three separate recipes: the pudding, the butterscotch sauce and the custard.

Pudding
* 3 oz butter, at room temperature
* 12 slices medium-sliced white bread (I baked my own but you can buy it- just make sure it’s not sliced)
* 2 oz raisins
* 1/2 pint cream
*1/2 pint milk
* 4 egg yolks
* 3 oz caster sugar (superfine sugar. If your store doesn’t have it just pulse in a food processor for a few seconds.)
* 2 eggs

Directions

Generously butter an ovenproof dish. Remove the crusts from the bread and using the remaining butter butter, both sides, then cut each slice into quarters.

Arrange a single layer of the bread triangles, slightly overlapping in the bottom of the buttered dish. Scatter over some of the raisins and place another layer of the bread triangles on top and scatter over the remaining raisins. Press down gently with a fish slice or spatula.

To make the custard, heat the cream and milk in a pan until it almost comes to the boil. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until thickened and the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture. Remove from the heat and beat in the cream mixture until well combined.

Pour two-thirds of the custard over the layered-up bread triangles and leave to stand for about 30 minutes or until the bread has soaked up all of the custard.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Pour the remaining custard over the soaked bread and butter triangles and arrange the rest of the bread triangles on top. Press down firmly with a fish slice so that the custard comes halfway up the bread triangles. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the custard is just set and the top is golden brown.

Serve warm with butterscotch and custard.

Butterscotch Sauce
*2 oz unsalted butter
* 2 oz light muscovado sugar (brown sugar with a strong molasses flavor. I use dark brown sugar.)
* 2 tbsp pouring golden syrup or clear honey
* 2 tbsp double cream

Place the butter in a small pan with the sugar and golden syrup or honey. Bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and use immediately or transfer to a bowl and leave to cool completely. If keeping for any length of time, up to one week is fine, cover with cling film and store in the fridge. (If stored in the fridge you will have to reheat this.)

Custard
* 1 pint milk
* 6 egg yolks
* 3 tbsp caster sugar
* few drops vanilla extract or 1/2 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out

Bring the milk to scalding point in a non-stick pan. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar and vanilla. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture.

Wipe out the pan and pour in the egg mixture, then cook, stirring constantly, over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the custard thickens. Do not let it boil or it will curdle and watch out for the froth: when it begins to disappear from the surface, the custard is starting to thicken. Pour into a serving jug and serve at once or leave to cool, then cover with cling film and store in the fridge covered with cling film for up to two days.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

This Irish Cream Cheesecake has become one of my most requested desserts for family gatherings. It is so unbelievably creamy... The mixture of the cream cheese and the Irish Cream is so amazingly smooth...

I adapted this recipe from one found at cooks.com.

Ingredients

Crust

1 c graham cracker crumbs

6 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and butter together and press into 9" springform pan. (if crumbs are too dry add a bit more melted butter) Bake about 20 minutes and cool on wire rack.

If you prefer a chocolate crust use chocolate wafers or chocolate grahams.

Filling

4 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. Irish Cream

Blend cheese and sugar together until smooth. Mix in 1 egg and Irish Cream. Add remaining eggs, one at a time. Pour into cooled crust.

Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

Tip: To keep cheesecake from cracking use a waterbath:

Irish Brown Bread

With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner I've been trying out new recipes for my annual Irish feast. I found a new Irish Brown Bread recipe in an issue of Woman's Day magazine last year and recently tried it. Oh so good! It's the best I've made yet!

This recipe requires no pans as the loaves are "free form" rounds. It's delicious with a bit of honey or butter but I prefer it served with Irish Stew or Steak & Guinness Pie.

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour
* 3/4 cup quick oats
* 1/2 cup wheat germ
* 2 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp salt
* 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
* 2 T tbsp honey

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray or use parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix flours, oats, wheat germ, baking soda and salt.
2. Whisk together buttermilk and honey. Add to flour mixture; stir to combine until soft dough forms.
3. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf. Place loaves 3 in. apart onto prepared baking sheet; bake 10 minutes.
4. Reduce temperature to 400°F. Continue baking 10 minutes longer or until bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool 15 minutes.

Irish Stew

With fall creeping in I had a strong desire for a hearty stew... And this one didn't disappoint! Filled with meat, potatoes and veggies this is a filling dinner for anyone! My girls emptied their bowls! AND told me a few times how "yummy" it was!

Traditionally Irish Stew is made with lamb- which is a bit more difficult to come by in Iowa than beef (and quite a bit more expensive). So I used beef. The key ingredient, however, is the Guinness. And, though the recipe only calls for the stew to simmer for an hour, mine was on the stove for about 4; over very low heat. The longer you simmer a stew the more flavorful the meat becomes. And your kitchen smells great all afternoon!

I served this with Mini Cheddar Scones... Both recipes are from Cuisine at Home magazine. Or try it with Irish Brown Bread...

Ingredients:

2 lb lamb or beef stew meat, cut to chunks, seasoned with salt & pepper
1/4 c olive oil, divided
2 c onion, diced
2 T garlic, minced
2 T tomato paste
1/4 c all purpose flour
1/4 c Guinness (or other dark beer... But it's IRISH stew- use an Irish beer)
2 c beef broth
2 c chicken broth
2 fresh thyme sprigs (I used dried thyme leaves)
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes (I used russet), peeled and cubed
1 c carrot, chopped
1 c frozen peas
1 c cabbage, sliced (calls for savoy, I used "regular")
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Brown meat in 2T oil in a large pot over medium high heat for 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl (with juices) and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.

Add 2T oil and onion to the pot and sweat, covered, until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste, cook until paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Add flor, stir to coat, and cook one minute more.

Deglaze with beer, scraping bits from bottom of the pot, then add broths, meat and juices, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer one hour.

(I simmered for that hour then turned off the heat but left the pot on the stove for a couple hours. When I was ready to continue I brought it back to a simmer. I think the extra time in the broth really enhances the flavor.)

Stir in potatoes and carrot. Cook until potatoes are tender, about 12 minutes, then add peas, cabbage, salt & pepper. Simmer 5 more minutes.

Cheddar Topped Shepherd's Pie

I made this for St. Patrick's Day this year... And was made to promise that I wouldn't wait until next St. Patrick's Day to make it again!

I did make a wee change from the recipe I found in Everyday Food magazine. The directions call for 1 cup of water to be added to the meat mixture. This left the meat bland, in my opinion. Good... OK... But bland. My fix for that? Use 1 cup of Guinness. It adds flavor to the meat. Funny bit of info for you: No one in my house drinks beer. But I keep a bottle of Guinness corked (with a wine cork) and in the fridge for cooking.

The recipe serves 8- or more. But it's really easy to half...

Ingredients
* 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled and thinly sliced
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, such as safflower
* 6 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, quartered if large, and thinly sliced
* 6 celery stalks, thinly sliced
note: you can add practically any veggie to this: green beans, leeks, small florets of broccoli...
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup tomato paste
* 2 pounds ground beef chuck (you could also use ground turkey or a half/half mix of turkey & beef)
* 1 c Guinness (optional)
* 1 cup whole milk (I used skim)
* 1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white cheddar (6 ounces)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 450. Place potatoes in a large saucepan, and cover by 1 inch with salted water. Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high. Add carrots, celery, onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add beef; cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink, 6 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup water or Guinness; bring to a boil, and simmer 1 minute. Set beef filling aside.

3. Drain potatoes; return to pan. Cook over medium, stirring, until liquid has evaporated and a thin film covers bottom of pan, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; add milk and 1 cup cheese. Mash until smooth; season cheddar-potato topping with salt and pepper.

4. Pour beef filling into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Drop dollops of topping over filling; spread to edges with a spatula. Using a fork, make decorative peaks; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake until topping is browned and filling is bubbling rapidly, about 20 minutes (if topping and filling were chilled, increase to 35 minutes). Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead Tip: Both filling and topping can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated separately.

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

This takes that yummy corned beef up a notch. The glaze is tangy and sweet and adds an appetizing color to the meat. This is time consuming (the meat boils for 3-3 1/2 hours) but soooo easy. I got the recipe from one of my favorite sources, Cuisine magazine.

And, just a bit of trivia for you: Corned Beef is actually an American dish (Irish-American). In Ireland the cut of meat used was bacon. But any visitor to Ireland knows that it is not what we think of as bacon... I'm not sure if the cut of meat was not available or if it was too expensive, but beef brisket was substituted.

Whiskey Glazed Corned Beef

1 corned beef brisket (4 lb)
1/4 c ketchup
1/4 c whiskey (Jameson's... It's an Irish dish)
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 T brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 t dry mustard
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t red pepper flakes

Submerge corned beef, fat side up, in water in a large pot. Cover and simmer over low heat until beef is tender when pierced with a fork (3 to 3 1/2 hours). You can chill overnight after boiling, just bring the meat to a simmer again the next day and continue with recipe)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees; line a baking sheet with foil, top with a rack and coat with non stick spray. (I used a broiling pan) Transfer beefto prepared rack, fat side up. Use a knife to trim off the fat.

Whisk all remaining ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Spoon glaze on to beef, roast for 10 minutes or until glaze is dark and sticky. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes.

Transfer to cutting board and cut against the grain.

Steak and Guinness Pie

Mmmm... This is absolutely perfect for a rainy Irish day. Or sunny St. Patrick's. OK, it's just good about any time... And it has Guinness...

Don't forget to turn on some Irish pub songs and invite friends.

Yet another great recipe from The Little Big Book of Ireland.

Steak and Guinness Pie



8 slices bacon
2 pounds round steaks
1 T flour (seasoned with a bit of salt and pepper)
5 onions, peeled and chopped
1/3 c raisins (optional)
1 c peas
2-3 T chopped parsley
1 t brown sugar
1 1/3 c Guinness stout
1 sheet puff pastry
Oil

Brown bacon in frying pan. Crumble into small pieces.

Cut steaks into bite size cubes, roll in flour mixture, brown in bacon drippings; add extra oil if necessary. When browned place meat and crunmbled bacon in a cassarole dish.

Sautee onions in the bacon drippings/oil until golden, then add to the meat. Add the raisins, peas, parsley, brown sugar, and Guinness; cover tightly and simmer over low heat for 2- 2 1/2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more Guinness or water if the gravy gets too thick.

Roll out pastry to fit casserole. Place on top of meat mixture and bake according to package directions or until puffed golden.

Yields 8 servings

**You can make the filling ahead of time and reheat just a bit before placing in casserole dish, covering with puff pastry and baking.

Colcannon

A surprisingly easy and tasty dish, Colcannon is quite unknown. Try it in place of your regular mashed potatoes next time. My nephew, a notoriously picky eater, loved these.

Another recipe from The Little Big Book of Ireland.

Colcannon

1 (nice sized) head of cabbage
5-6 peeled potatoes
1 bunch scallions
Lots of butter (at least a stick)
Salt & pepper

Wash and cut the cabbage and potatoes into chunks. Wash & chop the scallions.

Put all into a large pot, add about an inch of water (over) and boil.

When potatoes are fork tender (check at 20 minutes and then again every 5 until done) remove from heat & mash. Add butter, salt & pepper to taste.

Makes 4-6 servings

Boxty (Irish Potato Griddle Cakes)

Boxty on the griddle
Boxty in a pan
If you can't make boxty
You'll never get a man

So goes an old Irish saying. I think it is because boxty is actually so easy to make that if you can't make it then you probably can't cook a bit and no man wants a woman who can't cook. Remember, this was in the days before take-out...

I got this recipe from The Little Big Book of Ireland, a book of all things Irish (so, of course, it's on my shelf!)

Boxty

2 c grated raw potatoes
2 c leftover mashed potatoes
2 c all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
2 t salt
Ground pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 to 1/2 c milk (more or less as needed)
1 T butter or oil (more or less as needed)

Mix together the raw and mashed potatoes.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper, then add the potatoes. Stir in beaten eggs, mixing thoroughly.

Add the milk until it makes a batter.

Drop by the tablespoon full onto a hot buttered or oiled frying pan and cook over moderate heat until browned.

**Boxty is incredibly versatile. With these small boxty you can serve them buttered and sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar, jam or applesauce. I like to use them with stew.

You can also make these large, like a tortilla (make the batter very thin) and fill with about anything.

Irish Tea Cake

Ireland, like England, has afternoon tea. (Which is truly a great tradition. We should really do that here...) This tea cake is perfect for an afternoon snack, an after dinner dessert or a brunch. OK, we even had some for breakfast with fresh blueberries. It's just a great cake that is easy to make.

Irish Tea Cake

From AllRecipes.com. This recipe makes one 9" round cake.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting (I used a sifter to distribute the powder evenly)


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch round pan.
In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter alternately with the milk. If the batter is too stiff, a tablespoon or two of milk may be added. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack, then turn out onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving.

Irish Brown Bread

As we prepare to leave for Ireland (my third trip) my mouth is watering just thinking about the brown bread. Yummy.

I found a recipe online that is as close as I can get using what I can find at the local grocery. You may have to go to the organic section for the wheat germ and the wheat bran. You'll probably have to toast them yourself, as well. Don't worry- it's very easy to do.

Irish Brown Bread

1 3/4 c all purpose flour
1 3/4 c whole wheat flour
3 T toasted what bran
3 T toasted wheat germ
2 T old fashioned oats
2 T packed dark brown sugar
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
2 T (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter,cut into pieces
2 c buttermilk**

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Butter a 9x5x3 loaf pan.

combine first 8 ingredients (through the salt) in a large bowl; mix well. Add butter peices; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles a fine meal. Stir in enough buttermilk to form a soft dough.

Transfer to prepared loaf pan.

Bake until bread is dark brown and tester inserted in center comes out clean- about 40 minutes. Cool out of pan, right side up on rack.

**I don't have many recipes that call for buttermilk and I hate to have things go to waste, so I purchase this powdered cultured buttermilk blend instead of the real thing. You can find it in the baking aisle at most supermarkets.