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.
Follow this recipe or see one below that uses a bottle of Stout Beer. This year I used the one below but only cooked cabbage, carrots and onions as vegetables.
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
Simmer brisket about 3 hours
After 2/12 hours add Cabbage see below
after 3 hours add
7 or 8 whole carrots, cleaned
2 large rutabagas, trimmed and quartered
Simmer 1/2 additional hour
see cooking recipe below
For the dill pickle-horseradish cream
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives or scallion greens
6 Tbs. prepared horseradish, drained
1 Tbs. finely chopped dill pickle
For the Guiness-mustard sauce
1/2 cup coarse-grain mustard
2 Tbs. Guinness or other stout
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. light brown sugar
1 Tbs. finely chopped shallot
For the main dish
1 6-to-8-lb. whole corned beef brisket, homemade or store-bought
1 12-oz. bottle Guinness or other stout, porter, or dark German beer
1 Tbs. coriander seeds
4 bay leaves
1 dried chile, such as cayenne
2 allspice berries
8 medium boiling potatoes, scrubbed
4 medium onions, halved through the roots
6 small turnips, peeled and halved, or 2 medium rutabagas, peeled and quartered
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
6 medium carrots, peeled
1 2-lb. green cabbage, cored and quartered
Preparation
Make the dill pickle-horseradish cream
Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.
For the Guiness-mustard sauce
Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 days.
For the corned beef before following the instructions, bring the corned beef to a boil in plain water, boil for a minute then pour off the water to reduce the saltiness of the meat, then proceed with the following directions.
Place the corned beef in a Dutch oven. Pour in the beer and enough water to cover the meat by 1 to 2 inches. Wrap the coriander seeds, bay leaves, chile, and allspice in a square of cheesecloth, tie with butcher’s twine, and throw the spices into the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook for 2 hours. Check the beef by inserting a knife into the thickest part. If it shows no resistance, the meat is tender. To make sure, cut off a bit and taste it. If it is not tender, continue to cook, checking every 30 minutes. Remove the beef from the pot and cover loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Add the potatoes, onions, turnips, parsnips, carrots, and cabbage to the pot, cover, and cook at a slow boil for 20 minutes, or until tender. Return the beef to the pot to rewarm for 2 to 3 minutes. Discard the spice bag. Cut the meat across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange on a platter with the vegetables. Serve with the Dill Pickle–Horseradish Cream and Guinness-Mustard Sauce.
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
Note from Norm: cook to internal temp 180º Insert probe thermometer after the crust is set. In the past this bread always came out under done in the middle so I cooked it by temperature this year and even with a new oven, it took 65 to 70 minutes to get done instead of the 45 to 55 minutes it says.
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
Fill it with a sweet apple filling that’s made with Granny Smith apples, egg yolks, sugar, and lemon juice. Once it’s baked and cooled you can top it with an airy toasted meringue. I think you’ll love the combination of buttery pastry, sweet apples, and light-as-a-cloud meringue.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
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TRADITIONAL IRISH APPLE PIE
Traditional Irish Apple Pie by Allie Roomberg, on Mar 07, 2018.
Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with an authentic Irish dish, Apple Amber. Pie crust filled with sweet apple filling and topped with an toasted meringue.
INGREDIENTS
• 1/2 batch Simply Perfect Pie Crust*
• 8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and grated
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 6 large egg whites
DIRECTIONS
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Roll out the pie dough to a few inches larger than your pie dish.
3 Transfer the dough to the pie dish, trim off any excess, and crimp the edge.
4 Par-bake the pie crust for 10 minutes.
5 Place the grated apples and water in a large pot, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until tender (about 15 minutes).
6 Whisk the yolks, 3/4 cup of the sugar, and lemon juice together in a small bowl, and stir the mixture into the cooked apples (off the heat).
7 Transfer the apple filling to the prepared crust, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the filling is set and the edges of the crust are golden.
8 Cool completely.
9 Whip the egg whites and remaining 1/4 cup of sugar together until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
10 Spoon the meringue onto the cooled pie and brown with a brulee torch, or under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes.
Simply Perfect Homemade Pie Crust
The most perfect homemade pie crust! Tender, flaky layers, and a rich, buttery taste. No partially hydrogenated oils or artificial ingredients.
(1) double or (2) single crust pies
INGREDIENTS
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold
• approx. 1/3 cup ice water
INSTRUCTION
1 Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
2 Add the olive oil, and stir until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
3 Cut the butter into thin slices and toss in the flour mixture to coat.
4 Dribble ice water in, a tablespoon at a time, mixing just until the mixture can hold it’s shape.
5 Gather the dough into a ball, and divide into two disks. Wrap the disks tightly, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
6 Roll the dough out to ¼” thickness, and fold into thirds. Fold into thirds again and refrigerate for another hour, or freeze for later use.
7 If frozen, thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight. Unwrap the dough and roll to about two inches larger than the diameter of the pie plate.
8 Slip the dough into the ungreased pie plate, and prick with a fork. Refrigerate while preparing the filling.
9 Fill the pie shell with desired filling, and refrigerate for at least one hour before baking.
10 Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, place the cold pie in the oven, and decrease the temperature to 350 degrees F.
11 Baking time will vary according to pie filling. Crust should be a deep golden color, and flaky.
by Allie {Baking A Moment}
Common Problems and Solutions
Meringue is prone to problems. In some cases, it's the weather, and in others, it might be the baking temperature or the technique. Here are some typical problems and solutions
Weeping and Beading - Beading can come from sugar or moisture. It can happen if the meringue is refrigerated while still warm, or if it was cooked for too long or at too high a heat.
Shrinking - If it isn't spread all the way to the crust, the meringue might shrink on the filling. A cornstarch and water mixture is another way to provide stability to a meringue. Make a paste with 1/4 teaspoon of cornstarch and 2 teaspoons of water. Heat it in the microwave oven for 10 or 15 seconds, or until the paste is clear. Once peaks have formed on your meringue mixture, beat in the cornstarch mixture, adding 1 teaspoon at a time.
