Sorry for the long long hiatus in between my posts – between hectic work schedules and fabulous vacations to Ireland, I’ve barely had time to do any cooking! Anyway, I have returned and am ready to blog again. After a week of fabulous Irish breakfasts, I was inspired to make some homemade scones. Every morning at our B&B’s, my husband and I were greeted with a huge breakfast ? rashers, bangers, eggs, puddings, and of course soda bread and scones. Irish scones are amazing; they’re not too sweet ? they’re just right to set off all the salty meats they serve you in Ireland. They also go fabulously with coffee on a rainy morning. I found this recipe long before my trip, and have only modified it very slightly ? I added a tiny bit more sugar than the original recipe called for, and also I add a bit more buttermilk to make them slightly moister. As it turns out, they taste quite authentic! The recipe calls for brandy to soak the raisins in – I did this the first time I made them, but the second time I passed it up and they tasted wonderful all the same.

Ingredients:

3 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened

4 tablespoons sugar

3/4 – 1 cup buttermilk

1 cup raisins

1/4 cup brandy or cognac (optional)

1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon of water

Sugar for sanding

Directions:

The night before you want your scones, mix the brandy with the raisins and let this soak overnight – it can be done for a few hours instead, but the longer the better (optional step).

Preheat oven to 400? F. Sift flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar into a large bowl. Add softened butter and sugar, mixing well. Stir in 3/4 cup milk and raisins (or other fruit), with brandy liquid drained. If mixture is dry, add a bit more milk. Dough should resemble pie pastry, pressing together forms a dough. Tear off pieces of dough, shape into triangles, and place on a baking sheet. Brush scones with egg wash for shine, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Enjoy!

As a tribute to my Irish heritage, I decided to post some St. Patrick’s day recipes – well, they may not be Irish per se, but at least they have Guinness in them! My husband and I have been on a big Irish food kick for the past couple weeks in preparation for a big trip to Ireland we’re planning for May, so I’ve been on the prowl for Ireland-inspired Guinness recipes for several weeks now.

First, I made a traditionally Belgian dish, Beef Carbonnade, Irish by using Guinness instead of a belgian ale – this recipe was modified from How to Cook Everything, by Mark Bittmann (which was actually a book Beth gave me for my engagement! ) Anyway, I highly recommend the book – it really does teach you how to cook everything.

Irish Beef Carbonnade

1-2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil

2lbs beef stew meat

1 clove garlic, peeled & crushed

2 large or 3 medium onions, cut into eighths

1 1/2 cups of Guinness

Salt and Pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

1 Bay Leaf

Instructions:

Heat a large casserole dish (or deep skillet) over medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Add the oil and the crushed garlic. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute. Remove the garlic from the pan.

Add the beef to the skillet, browning on all sides. Season with salt and pepper lightly while it sautes.

When the meat is browned, remove it from the pan. Add the onions. Cook, stirring for about 10 minutes. Then add the Guinness and add back the beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook undisturbed for about 60 minutes, or until you’re happy with the consistency of the stew.

Serve over warm buttered egg noodles, or boiled potatoes.

Guinness Chocolate Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

My second dish is a chocolate cake (yum!), also made with Guinness. I found this recipe a while back and thought it looked fabulous, and I’ve been saving it for St. Patrick’s day – I made it for a family celebration last weekend, and it went over very well! It’s not too sweet, very moist, and the Guinness adds a complexity to the chocolate flavor I really appreciated. I think the cream cheese frosting complimented the flavor well – although I did have to add much more confectioner’s sugar than it called for – my measurements are what I included below. In the end, though, the consistency was lovely. I decorated the cake with a shamrock, in the spirit of a finely poured pint in Ireland.

Ingredients
Cake
1 cup Guinness
1 stick unsalted butter, sliced
? cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups granulated sugar
? cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 ? teaspoons baking soda

Icing
8 ounce cream cheese
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tbsp heavy cream

Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper.

Pour Guinness into a large saucepan, add butter and heat until melted. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar. In a small bowl, beat sour cream with eggs and vanilla and then pour into brown, buttery, beery mixture and finally whisk in flour and baking soda.

Pour cake batter into greased and line pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour (Check at 45 minutes for doneness, poking a skewer in center.). Leave to cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack, as it is quite a damp cake.

When cake is cold, gently peel off parchment paper and transfer to a platter or cake stand.

Place cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar in a mixing bowl, and whip with an electric beater, until smooth (You may also do this with a food processor.).

Add cream and beat again until you have a spreadable consistency. Frost the cake, beginning in the middle and fanning outward (like foam might, on a real pint!).

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!

Despite my Irish heritage, I have not done anything to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day in recent years. Now that cooking has become a hobby, I thought it would be fun to create an Irish-inspired meal.

On Sunday, my mother and I made Potato Leek Soup and Brown Irish Soda Bread for our early Saint Patrick’s Day celebration.

I tried Potato Leek Soup for the first time at Epcot’s International Food and Wine Festival last fall. For some reason, I always shied away from leeks. I used to be a very picky eater, and I sometimes still avoid foods for no good reason. I’m glad I finally tried the soup! Since I love potatoes in just about any form and have quite a weakness for cream soups, this is a perfect soup. At the same time, I also sampled some Brown Soda Bread and Dubliner cheese.

I found this recipe for Potato Leek Soup in the Boston Globe. It appeared to be straightforward and was very similar to other Potato Leek Soup recipes I had found online. Since soup is always better when served with bread, I also made Brown Irish Soda bread.

I followed the recipe pretty closely, but omitted the parsley and added some dried rosemary. I started with 1/4 tsp, but added more as I altered the seasoning to fit my tastes. To speed up the cooking process, I cooked the potatoes at a low boil before mashing with a potato masher. Once the soup was done, I added an extra 1/4 cup of broth and 1/4 cup of cream. It’s worth noting that I think milk or half and half would work quite well in this soup in place of the heavy cream.

According to the Globe, this recipe produces 6 servings, but I got 8 1+ cup servings. The soup was delicious! I just finished the last of the leftovers, and were sad to see them go!

May your troubles be less,
And your blessing be more.
And nothing but happiness,
Come through your door.

Potato Leek Soup

Yields 6-8 1-cup servings
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter
1 medium onion, chopped
3 leeks, thinly sliced and rinsed well
3 cloves garlic, smashed
5 medium russet (baking) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
4-5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Salt and pepper, to taste
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 tsp dried rosemary

1. In a large heavy-based stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, leeks, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until softened.

2. Add the potatoes, 4 cups of the stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.

3. Either mash the potatoes with a potato masher or, puree soup in batches in a blender. Return it to pot. Bring to a simmer. Add the cream and parsley, and taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper, if you like. If the soup is too thick, add remaining stock in 1/4-cup increments until it is the consistency you prefer.

Since soup is always better when accompanied by bread, I made Irish Brown Soda Bread using a recipe from the Boston Globe. I was amazed at how easy it was to throw together this yeast-free bread. The resulting bread was moist and flavorful – perfect with a pat of butter or a slice of tart Dubliner cheese.

As written, the recipe produces two moderately-sized loaves of bread. We had enough bread for a Sunday family dinner and two nights of leftovers. If I was cooking for on me and my husband, I would probably halve the recipe and make a single loaf.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

Yields 2 loaves

2 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup canola oil
2 cups buttermilk
Extra whole-wheat flour (for sprinkling)
1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a bowl, combine the whole-wheat and all-purpose flours, baking soda, sugar, and salt. With a wooden spoon, mix the dry ingredients until they are blended.

3. In another bowl, combine the oil and buttermilk. Use the spoon to stir the liquids into the flour mixture until they comes together to form a dough.

4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead it gently several times until smooth. Divide the dough in half and shape each into a ball. Pinch the edges into the center and turn the balls over so the tops are smooth. Set them, smooth sides up, on the baking sheet, leaving at least 4 inches between them.

5. With a paring knife, mark a 3/4-inch-deep cross on the top of each round. Bake the breads for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are puffed and browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom.

6. Cool on a wire rack. Cut into thick slices for serving.