Homemade corned beef, soda bread, whiskey butter and cabbage with baslamic reduction.

While I have made corned beef in less time than the two weeks I used here, sometimes it is a weak corned beef or a nice flavored brisket with a corned beef flavored marinade.

CORNED BEEF

FOR THE BRINE

2 quarts water

1 cup coarse salt (Canning and Pickling or Kosher)

1 tablespoon Tenderquick

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed

1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

1 cinnamon stick, crushed

4 dried bay leaves, crushed

8 whole cloves

1. Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.

2. Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.

Cooking Corned Beef 

Serves 6-8

3 1/2 lb  or so Corned Beef Brisket from above

1/2 to 1 bottle beer

Water to cover, approx 2 cups

10 black peppercorns

1 whole allspice

1 bay leaves

12 sprigs fresh parsley

3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

2 whole leeks, green trimmed to fit pot, slice white part to clean

1 medium onion, peeled, quartered

The day before cooking, drain off brine and replace with clean water in order to take out some of the saltiness.

Just before cooking, cover brisket with water, bring to a simmer, pour out water and replace with fresh water, add the seasonings for cooking corned beef and

Simmer brisket about 3 hours

After 2/12 hours add rutabagas

after 3 hours add

Cabbage 

7 or 8 whole carrots, cleaned

1 large rutabaga, trimmed and quartered

Simmer/ steam 1/2 additional hour

simmer

1 C. Balsamic vinegar 

2 Tablespoons sugar 

until reduced by half 

trim leafy outer leaves and cut in 8 wedges. Attach tooth picks to help hold them together..  Lighty oil skillet and brown cabbage then add the top of the brisket liquid to steam with the other vegetables about 20 minutes   Remove with spatula to serving platter, remove toothpicks, Sprinkle with salt and vinegar reduction.

1 cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Sugar (optional)

Irish Whiskey Butter

This is pretty much perfect with Irish whiskey soda bread. And Irish whiskey.

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 9 tbsp butter, softened

• 3 tbsp whiskey

1. Heat the whiskey and sugar in a pan until hot then stir in the butter until melted and fully combined. Allow to cool.

Crash Hot Potatoes

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 25 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 whole New Potatoes (or Other Small Round Potatoes)

3 Tablespoons Olive Oil

 Kosher Salt To Taste

 Black Pepper To Taste

 Rosemary (or Other Herbs Of Choice) To Taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add in as many potatoes as you wish to make and cook them until they are fork-tender.

On a sheet pan, generously drizzle olive oil. Place tender potatoes on the cookie sheet leaving plenty of room between each potato.

With a potato masher, gently press down each potato until it slightly mashes, rotate the potato masher 90 degrees and mash again. Brush the tops of each crushed potato generously with more olive oil.

Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper and fresh chopped rosemary (or chives or thyme or whatever herb you have available.)

Bake in a 450 degree oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Irish Soda Bread                            Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 cup dried currants

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2006, Barefoot Contessa at Home, All Rights Reserved

Note. In the past, cooking this bread for the time allotted has always resulted in it being undercooked in the middle.  This time I used a temperature probe and it took around 20 minutes longer but it was overcooked on the surface. Next time i will cook it with a temp. probe but cover it with foil after 45 minutes.