Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Yield: Makes One Loaf Ingredients
4 to 4 ½ cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 Tbsp butter
1 cup currants or raisins
1 Large egg, lightly beaten
1 ¾ cups buttermilk
Directions
Preheat oven to 425℉.
Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, the salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
Using your (clean) fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the currants or raisins.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir.
Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead!
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy. You want to work it just enough so that the flour is just moistened and the dough just barely comes together.If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.
Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast iron skillet or a baking sheet. Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an “X” shape. This is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks.
Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35- 40 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet). Check for doneness by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
Hint: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.
Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5- 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked!
Scones
Mary Burn’s Butterific Irish Scones Serving Size: 6 scones Note: These scones are more muffin- like in texture; dough will be moist and wet, which ensures a tender texture
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups all- purpose flour
¼ cup sugar, plus additional for sprinkling over tops
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 Tbsp cold Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter (or butter substitute), cut into pieces
⅓ cup raisins
½ cup whole milk
1 large egg, plus additional beaten egg for brushing over tops.
Directions
Preheat oven to 425℉
Sift together flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl
Using fingertips or pastry blender, rub or cut butter into flour mixture to form coarse crumbs
Add raisins
Whisk together milk and 1 egg
Make a well in the flour mixture; pour in milk mixture. Using fork, stir just until soft, moist dough is formed.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface; gently knead 1 or 2 times to incorporate loose pieces of dough (do not over-knead)
Pat dough to 1 ½ inch thickness.
Using well floured 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter or bottom of a glass, cut out about 6 rounds (can also use knife to cut into triangles)
Place rounds on a lightly- buttered baking sheet. Brush tops with additional beaten egg; sprinkle with additional sugar.
Bake until golden brown and delicious, about 14- 17 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking for more even browning.
Serve warm with Kerrygold Irish butter and jam
Irish Pavlova with Coole Swan Liqueur, Strawberries, and Milk Chocolate
The perfect pavlova has a meringue base that is crips on the outside and mallowy on the inside. The meringue should be sweet, but not too sweet. It should be topped with whipped cream and garnished with massive amounts of fruit. Author: Janine Kennedy Serves: 8-10 People Ingredients:
For the Meringue
150 mL egg whites (about 4 large eggs’ worth) at room temperature
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ lemon ( for wiping the bowl and acts as a stabilizer for the egg whites)
1 cup icing/ confectioners sugar
For the Coole Swan Cream
1 cup heavy whipping cream (35%)
¼ cup Coole Swan Irish Cream (Or Baileys, Kahlua - any cream-based liqueur)
1 tsp good quality vanilla, or one vanilla bean, scraped
2 Tbsp icing/ confectioners sugar
Toppings
I pint fresh strawberries (half halved and any smaller berries kept whole)
Good quality milk chocolate (Irish often use a Flake chocolate bar, but you can chop your favorite milk chocolate)
Fresh mint, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 280℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment and set aside
Take the half lemon and generously wipe your mixer bowl. Leave the lemon residue on the bowl as the acid will help stabilize your meringue
Add the room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl and fit your stand/ hand mixer with the whisk attachment. Put the confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl with a spoon and keep next to the area you will be working.
Start mixing the egg whites/ cream of tartar on medium-high until soft peaks begin to form. Then, slowly, add a heaping spoonful of confectioner’s sugar at a time while whisking. When all the confectioner’s sugar is added to the egg white mixture, increase the mixer to high speed and whisk until the egg whites are glossy, thick and forming very stiff peaks (this can take anywhere from 6–10 minutes; if you’re unsure, just keep mixing for 10 minutes).
When the meringue is ready, dollop the whole mess onto the prepared baking sheet and form (as neatly or rustically as you like!) into a rough circle with high sides and a fairly large cavity in the middle. You can pipe the meringue if you want it to look neat. I like the easy, rustic look!
Place the baking sheet directly on the centre rack in the preheated oven. Close the door and immediately turn down the oven to 110°C (230°F).
Bake the meringue for two hours, and then turn off the oven without opening the door. Allow the meringue to cool completely (up to two hours or more) before even opening the oven door.
Prepare the boozy cream: in the bowl of your stand mixer, add the heavy cream, Irish cream and vanilla. Whisk until the cream starts to thicken, then add the confectioner’s sugar. Continue whisking until medium-soft peaks form (you want them to hold their shape but you don’t want the cream too stiff).
Dollop the cream into the cavity of the cooled meringue, then arrange the strawberries, chocolate and mint over the top. Once the toppings are added to the meringue, you will want to serve it as soon as possible. The meringue on its own will keep in an airtight container for 2–3 days.
Fish and Chips
Ingredients:
2 cups Guinness beer
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
1 egg
All purpose flour
8 - 3 oz. cutlets of Pollack, Cod or Haddock, boneless, sliced on a bias
Directions:
In large mixing bowl, add beer, baking soda, salt, pepper, and egg.
With a whisk, slowly add enough flour until the batter is thick, not runny and adheres to a wooden spoon.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or in a deep sided sauté pan to 350 degrees.
Dredge fish in flour, shaking off excess and dip in batter, covering all sides of fish
Holding battered fish, gently dip into hot oil, holding halfway in, wait 15 seconds and drop into oil.
This will prevent the fish from sticking to the bottom.
Flip fish over when brown on one side and cook altogether about 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of fillets.
The fish should be all one color all the way thru or 140 degrees internal temperature.
Serve with tartar sauce and French fries.
Ham and Cheese Quiche
Ingredients:
Pastry
225 grams flour
120 g butter
4 tablespoons cold water
Filling:
4 eggs
1 onion
100g grated cheese
150 ml milk
200g Smokey rashers
Freshly ground pepper
Directions For the pastry
Preheat oven to 180 C
In a large bowl, combine the butter and flour with a knife. Add cold water. Bring together with your hands. Wrap in baking paper and rest in fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll out the pastry and use to line a 20cm quiche dish. Line the pastry shell with baking paper and weigh down with rice or uncooked beans. Blind bake for 10 minutes in the oven. Remove the lining.
For the Filling
Chop the onion and bacon. Gently cook the onions and bacon until lightly browned.
Spread the onion, rashers, and cheese on the base of the pastry shell
Whisk together the milk, eggs, and salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the filling in the quiche dish. Bake for a further 30 minutes.
Irish Potato Salad
Prep Time: 25 minutes Serves 5-6 people (as a side)
Ingredients
1 lb small new potatoes
1 tbsp butter
½ cup mayonnaise
Salt and a little freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp chopped fresh chives to garnish
Directions
Put the potatoes on the boil for 20 to 25 minutes. Until the fall off the knife when you stab them.
Strain them and cut them into bite-sized pieces if needed. Pour into bowl.
Add butter and stir until melted
Add mayo, and salt and pepper and stir until potatoes are coated
Garnish with chives
Clean off the side of the bowl and add a spoon to serve
Enjoy!
Guinness Pie
Ready in: 3 Hours, 30 minutes Serves: 6 people Ingredients
1 1⁄2 lbs stewing beef, diced
sea salt, to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons flour (heaping)
2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 -3 carrots, peeled and chopped (depending on size)
2 -3 potatoes, peeled and chopped (depending on size)
fresh rosemary (fresh herbs, pick leaves and add about a handful) or fresh thyme (fresh herbs, pick leaves and add about a handful) or bay leaf (fresh herbs, pick leaves and add about a handful)
2 cups Guinness stout (Can substitute the Guinness for beef stock) or 2 cups other dark stout beer (Can substitute the Guinness for beef stock)
28 ounces diced tomatoes
1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (1 sheet from a 1 lb. 2 oz. package)
1 egg, beaten
Directions
Season your beef generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the flour and toss around until all pieces are well coated.
Heat olive oil, over med.-high heat, in a large casserole type pan and brown the meat. Make sure to not crowd your meat. You may do this in two batches, if necessary.
Add the onion and cook for 1 more minute. Then add the carrots, potatoes and fresh herbs. Cook for another 4 minutes. Add the Guinness and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir and turn down the heat to simmer. Simmer this mixture for about 2 hours or until the meat is very tender. The sauce should be thick and intensely flavored. Season if needed.
To make pies:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
Put your meat filling into a large, round baking dish. You could also make individual pies. Any high-sided round ovenproof bowl is fine.
Roll out the pastry, dusting with flour as you go, until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out a large circle (or individual circles for smaller servings) - about 1/2 inch bigger than the top of your bowl. Brush the rim(s) of the bowl with the beaten egg, then place the pastry circle(s) on top, pushing the excess pastry down the outside of the bowl to secure. Lightly score the top of the pastry in a criss-cross manner and brush with more of the beaten egg.
Bake in the middle of the preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling.
Please use beef chuck stew meat that is well marbled with fat. Lean stew meat will end up too dry. Save prep time by prepping the onions, carrots, and potatoes while the stock with beef is simmering in step 2. Ingredients
2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots and/or parsnips (3 to 4 carrots or parsnips)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions
Brown the beef: Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the beef pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart), thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat.
Pat dry the beef with paper towels and working in batches, add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook, without stirring, until well browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over and brown on another side.
Add garlic and sauté, then add stock, water, Guinness, wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme Worcestershire, bay leaves, simmer: Add garlic to the pot with the beef and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the beef stock, water, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine.
Bring mixture to a simmer. Reduce heat to the lowest setting, then cover and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Sauté onions, carrots in separate pan: While the pot of meat and stock is simmering, melt the butter in another pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Sauté the onions and carrots until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step 2 has simmered for one hour.
Add onions, carrots, potatoes to beef stew, simmer: Add the onions, carrots, and the potatoes to the beef stew. Add black pepper and two teaspoons of salt. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off any excess fat.
Transfer stew to serving bowls. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.