Happy St. Patty's Day!

 

I'm taking another step outside of my normal posts and I'm sharing the recipes I am making today for St. Patty's Day!

If you are looking for low calorie recipes, I'm sorry to say that on special occasions like this, I usually don't stray from what the recipe calls for. I know some people may think that sounds odd, but I only eat these dishes once a year, so to me, it's not that big of a deal to enjoy them in their full fat versions. I'm sure there are plenty of way to "lighten" them up, so if you'd like to give that a try, please feel free to and let me know how they turn out.

The first staple recipe is off course corned beef. It is the one time of year I think everyone and their mother eats this cut of beef. I never had it before marrying into an Irish family so the first few years I just boiled it with potatoes and cabbage and to be honest, I really didn't like it. I eventually began looking up other ways of preparing it and found this recipe which is now my yearly traditional way of preparing it.

Guinness Corned Beef

 

Ingredients:

• 4lb Corned Beef Brisket
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 bottle of Guinness stout beer

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Rinse and pat dry the brisket. Place in a roasting pan on a rack. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat, including the bottom side. Pour the bottle of Guinness around the corned beef and gently over the top to wet the sugar.
3. Cover and place in the preheated oven. Bake for 2.5 - 3 hours. Allow meat to rest about 5 minutes before slicing.

Since I don't boil the corned beef, I needed a different recipe for the potatoes and cabbage and stumbled upon the Irish side dish below:

Colcannon

Ingredients:

• 3lbs of potatoes
• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 1/4 cups of hot milk
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 head of cabbage, cored and finely shredded
• 1 lbs of ham or bacon, cooked the day before
• 4 scallions, finely chopped
• Chopped parsley, as a garnish if desired

Directions:

1. Steam the potatoes in their skins for 30 minutes. Peel them using a knife and fork. Chop with a knife before mashing. Mash thoroughly to remove all of the lumps. Add 1 stick of butter in pieces. Gradually add hot milk, stirring the entire time. Season with black pepper.
2. Boil the cabbage in unsalted water until it turns a dark color. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to tenderize it. Cover with a lid for 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly before returning it to the pan. Chop into small pieces.
3. Chop ham or bacon into small pieces and set aside.
4. Add cabbage, scallions and ham or bacon to the potatoes, stirring gently. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to garnish, if desired.

We also have soda bread with the meal (or pick at it while cooking all day)

Irish Soda Bread

 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick of butter (softened, almost melted)
• 1 cups raisins
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees,
2. Mix all of the dry ingredients together. Mix in all the wet ingredients. Fold in the raisins.
3. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch round pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until golden brown.

What would a meal like this be without dessert? Of course my sweet tooth almost fainted when I saw this recipe so I had to try it. This is the first time I have ever made this recipe and I haven't tasted the whole cupcake, but I have tasted all three components and can't wait to sink my teeth into these little cups of deliciousness!

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Makes 24 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey

For the Baileys Frosting:

• 2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

To Make the Cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to a simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a thin knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Cool the cupcakes on a rack.

To Make the Whiskey Ganache Filling:
Finely chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then, using a rubber spatula, stir it from the center outward until smooth. Add the butter and irish whiskey and stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped.
To Fill the Cupcakes:Using a 1 inch round cookie cutter (or the bottom of a large decorating tip), cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes, go about two-thirds of the way down. Place the ganache in a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.

To Make the Baileys Frosting:
Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce the speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it is incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2 to 3 minutes, until it is light and fluffy.

Using your favorite decorating tip or offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles, if desired.

Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.

Of course all of the above will be served with actual Irish Car Bombs, Heineken Light and probably some elastic waist pants.

Hope you have a Happy St. Patty's Day!