American-Irish dinner on THE day.

 

I wanted to vary somewhat from the   St Patrick's Day dinner I usually make.  I made Irish roasted potatoes instead of boiled and cabbage fritters instead of boiled.  I made Irish Soda Scones instead of Irish Soda Bread.  The corned beef was brined for 4 weeks instead of my usual 1 1/to 2 week.  It made it a little saltier than usual. I won't do that again but the Brisket was on sale in Feb. and I didn't won't to take a chance that it would go up as it usually does in March.  The butter in Irish Whisky Butter and the stuff in the tea cups is Irish pot de créme. 

Homemade Corned Beef 

Here, the traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage is supplemented with turnips, carrots, and boiled potatoes. Serve it with a loaf of freshly baked Irish soda bread.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 8.

• FOR THE BRINE

• 2 quarts water

• 1 cup coarse salt

• 1 tablespoon pink curing salt

• 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

• FOR THE CORNED BEEF

• 5 pounds flat-cut beef brisket

• 1 medium onion, halved

• 1 medium celery stalk, halved

• 1 medium carrot, peeled, halved

• 1 pound baby turnips, peeled, trimmed

• 1 pound baby carrots, peeled, trimmed

• 1 medium head cabbage, cut into 8 wedges

• 1 pound small red potatoes

• Dijon mustard, for serving

DIRECTIONS

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.

3. Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

Cabbage Fritter "Batter"  

• 16 oz shredded cabbage
• 2 med-small carrots - grated
• 1 medium onion
• 3 large eggs
• 4-5 tbsp flour - see notes for gluten free or grain free
• 2 cloves garlic - minced

Seasonings

• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper - ground
• 1/2 tsp paprike - or smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp coriander - ground, optional
• 3-4 tbsp fat for frying - ghee or oil of your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the ingredients (wash and cut)

• Shred the cabbage  or chop fine (for fine uniform shreds). You will need 16 oz, about 7 packed cups. Or about 1/3 of a medium head of cabbage.
  
• Thinly slice  onion.
  
• Grate the carrots with a box grater.
  
• Mince the garlic .
  

Combine all the ingredients

• In a large bowl add all prepared ingredients and toss lightly to combine and coat everything with egg. You can use your hands. 
  
  Don’t use force while mixing, you don’t want to draw too much water from the cabbage.
  
• Note: The cabbage mixture might look like a slaw at first, without much hope for sticking together, but don’t worry, the fritters will hold together once fried. 
  

Shape the cabbage fritters and fry

Note, make cakes small so you can turn them easily with a spatula.

Irish Soda Scones

Ingredients

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup dried currants 
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds 
• 1 cup cold buttermilk 
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar 
• 2 tablespoons whole milk 
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

Directions

• Step 1 Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar, and salt.
  
  Step 2 Cut butter into small pieces; work into flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry cutter until dough resembles coarse meal. Add currants, caraway seeds, and buttermilk; stir until just combined.
  
  Step 3 Scoop 1/3 cup-size mounds of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spaced 3 inches apart. Bake until bottoms are golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on sheet.
  
  Step 4 Meanwhile, combine confectioners' sugar, milk, and orange zest. Drizzle over scones; serve.

• Irish Pots de Crème 

Irish Pots de Crème is the ultimate in simplicity and luxurious chocolate taste, taking less than 5 minutes to put together.

Prep Time 5 mins Cooling in Refrigerator 2 hrs Total Time 2 hrs 5 mins 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (6-ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips (See Tip 1)
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature (See Tip 2)
• 3 Tablespoons Irish Cream Liqueur (See Tips 3 and 4)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (8-ounces) heavy cream (See Tip 5)

Instructions

• 1. Place chocolate chips, sugar and salt in blender. Process on low for 30 seconds or until chocolate is finely ground. (See Tip 6)
  2. Add egg, Irish Cream Liqueur and vanilla extract. Process on low for 10 seconds or until well mixed.
  3. Heat cream over medium-high heat until just before it reaches a full rolling boil; it should be bubbling vigorously around the edges, with larger bubbles rippling across the interior. The temperature should be at least 205°F. (See Tip 7)
  4. Remove center of blender top; replace center with a small funnel. (See Tip 8)
  5. Turn on blender to low speed. Allow to run for about 10 seconds. Slowly add the hot cream. Increase the speed to high and process for 30 seconds more or until mixture is creamy smooth.
  6. Pour mixture into cups. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow the mixture to set. (See Tip 9)
  7. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Yield 4 to 6 servings. (See Tip 10)
  Notes

1. I used Ghirardelli 60% chocolate chips. However, for a less intense flavor, you could use semi-sweet chocolate chips.
2. To quickly bring an egg to room temperature, let it sit in warm water for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. For variety, you could use Grand Marnier, Kahlúa, Chambord or Godiva Chocolate Liqueur in place of the Irish Cream Liqueur.
4. You can omit the liqueur if you like. Just add an additional 3 tablespoons of heavy cream.
5. You can use half and half in place of the heavy cream.
6. May use a food processor instead of a blender.
7. I've tried heating the cream in the microwave. However, it tends to bubble up too much and make a mess!
8. The funnel makes it super easy to add liquid to the blender without making a mess. Also, it minimizes the blender ingredients from spewing everywhere!
9. May be made in advance and refrigerated for 3 to 4 days.
10. For the most intense flavor, remove from refrigerator 30 to 40 minutes before serving. Garnish just before serving.

Irish Whisky butter

dissolve 1 Tbsp of sugar in 3 T. Irish Whisky while butter is softening. Add whisky to butter and blend together with hand held beater.