Parties at Home … A new series on menus with recipes ST. PATRICKS DAY CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE FEAST Chef Jonathan Fine (serves 6-8) ____________ Guinness Corned Beef ‘Champ’ Buttered Cabbage Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding Chocolate Guinness Irish Bliss GUINNESS CORNED BEEF Chef Jonathan Fine Although this dish is eaten less frequently nowadays in Ireland, for Irish expatriates it conjures up powerful nostalgic images of a rural Irish past. Originally it was a traditional Easter Sunday dinner. The beef, killed before the winter, would have been salted and could now be eaten after the long Lenten fast, with fresh green cabbage and floury potatoes. – The simpler this dish is, the better! Ingredients • • • • • • • • 4 lb corned brisket of beef 3 large carrots, cut into large chunks 6 to 8 small onions 1 teaspoon dry English mustard large sprig fresh thyme and some parsley stalks, tied together 1 cabbage salt and freshly ground pepper 1 cup brown sugar • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle Irish stout beer (e.g. Guinness®) Preparation 1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). 2. Rinse the beef completely and pat dry. 3. Place the brisket on rack in a roasting pan or Dutch oven. Rub the brown sugar on the corned beef to coat entire beef, including the bottom. 4. Place the carrots, onions, mustard and the herbs around the beef. 5. Pour the bottle of stout beer around, and gently over the beef to wet the sugar. 6. Cover, and place in preheated oven. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. (check for tenderness) Allow to rest 5 minutes before slicing. 7. Serve the corned beef in slices, surrounded by the vegetables and cooking liquid. CHAMP CHAMP is an Irish side dish made from potatoes mashed with butter, milk and chopped spring onions/scallions. The Irish love potatoes and there are numerous recipes using them. Champ, like Colcannon, is another way of using potatoes either from fresh or as a way to use up left over ones. This Irish Champ Recipe shows just how easy it is to make from scratch. Adding chopped scallions or chives and serving this creamy, green-flecked mixture with a blob of yellow butter melting in the center with leeks, nettles, peas and brown crispy onions are all delicious additions. You don’t have to be Irish to love this dish any day when the cold weather hits! The original recipe is from Irish-Traditional-Cooking by Darina Allen. Ingredients • • • • • 6 to 8 unpeeled baking potatoes, e.g., Russet or Yukon Gold 1 bunch scallions (use the bulb and green stem) 1 1/2 cups milk 4 to 8 tablespoons butter salt and freshly ground pepper Preparation 1) Scrub the potatoes and boil them in their jackets. 2) Finely chop the scallions. Cover the scallions with cold milk and bring slowly to a boil. 3) Simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave to infuse. 4) Peel and mash the freshly boiled potatoes and, while hot, mix with the boiling milk and scallions. 5) Beat in some of the butter. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. 6) Serve in one large or four individual bowls with a knob of butter melting in the center. Champ may be put aside and reheated later in a moderate oven at 350°F. Cover with foil while it reheats so that it doesn't get a skin. Parsley Champ: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of freshly chopped parsley to the milk, bring to a boil for 2 or 3 minutes only, to preserve the fresh taste and color. Beat into the mashed potatoes and serve hot. Chive Champ: Substitute or add freshly chopped chives with/for parsley. Dulse Champ: Soak a couple of fists of seaweed in cold water for an hour or more. Drain and stew in milk until tender, about 3 hours. Add a good 2 Tbs of butter and some pepper and beat into the mashed potato. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve hot. Pea Champ: This special champ could only be made for a few weeks when the fresh green peas were in season. Use frozen peas any time of year and cook the in the boiling salted milk with a pinch of sugar until tender. Add to the mashed potatoes and pound together in the usual way. Buttered Cabbage Chef Jonathan Fine This recipe for quickly cooked cabbage has converted many an ardent cabbage hater – I amongst them! Ingredients • • • • • • • • • 1 medium head of fresh cabbage 6 tablespoons melted butter salt and freshly ground pepper (extra butter if needed) 2 slices bacon, diced 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 2 cups water salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup red wine vinegar Preparation 1) Preheat your oven's broiler. 2) Remove all the tough outer leaves from the cabbage. 3) Cut the cabbage into four, remove the stalk and then cut each quarter into ‘wide threads’, working across the grain. 4) Place cabbage into a large pot. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes. 5) Meanwhile, cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp; Drain and set aside. 6) Drain cabbage, and drizzle with 4 Tbs melted butter. 7) Sprinkle with bacon and nutmeg. Transfer to a baking dish. 8) Place under your oven's broiler until the top layer is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. 9) Drizzle 2 Tbs more melted butter if desired. 10) Serve with salt, pepper and vinegar as desired on the table. ___________________________________________________________________________ RHUBARB BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING Chef Jonathan Fine Bread and Butter Pudding has always been a favorite of mine and always a big hit in my restaurants. Bread Pudding is also delicious with apple and cinnamon. Make sure you use ALL the cream in this recipe and don't use too much bread. Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • 1 pound red rhubarb, sliced into pieces sugar 1/2 stick butter 12 slices white bread (I prefer Jewish Challah bread) , crusts removed 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract 3/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar for sprinkling Softly whipped cream Directions 1) Put sliced rhubarb into a bowl and sprinkle with sugar. Let stand for 1 hour. 2) Butter the bread and arrange 4 slices, buttered side down, in a 9” x 13” buttered lasagna-type dish. 3) Sprinkle with half the rhubarb, arrange another layer of bread, buttered side down, add rest of rhubarb and cover with last 4 bread slices. 4) In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 cups cream, 1 cup milk, 4 eggs, vanilla and 3/4 cups sugar. 5) Pour mixture through a fine sieve over the bread. 6) Sprinkle sugar over the top and let mixture stand, loosely covered, for at least 1 hour or refrigerate overnight. 7) Bake in a water bath (in a large roasting pan, place your completed dish. Then add enough water to bring level halfway up your dish in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until the top is crisp and golden. Serve warm with softly whipped cream __________________________________________________________ CHOCOLATE GUINNESS IRISH BLISS This recipe was originally developed by Shane Philip Coffey, the chef at Alias restaurant in New York City, and specially adapted for this dinner by: Chef Jonathan Fine After placing the last bite of this scrumptious Irish custard in your mouth, if you can still stand move into the living room with your guests and finish off the evening with a glass or two of this ‘Irish Bliss’ – You’ll think you’ve passed directly into Irish Heaven. Ingredients • • • • • • • • 16 large egg yolks 2 cup sugar Two 14.9-ounce cans Guinness Draught 6 cups heavy cream 14 ounces high-quality bittersweet (70 to 72% cacao) chocolate, finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg Special equipment: Eight 8-ounce old-fashioned glasses (or similar) Preparation 1) In large ceramic, glass or plastic mixing bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar. 2) Open 2 cans of Guinness and slowly pour into 8-cup measuring cup, pouring down side of cup to reduce foaming. 3) Pour half of Guinness into heavy-bottomed 6-quart saucepan or small stock pot. 4) Add 5 cups cream and whisk to combine, adding the nutmeg and cinnamon. 5) Set over medium heat and heat, whisking occasionally, until bubbles just begin to form at edges. Remove from heat, add chocolate, and whisk until smooth. 6) Slowly pour hot chocolate mixture into eggs, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. 7) Return mixture to saucepan and set over moderately low heat. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon, about 15 minutes. (custard will look separated.) 8) Pour into blender and blend on high for 1 minute. (You may have to do this step in two batches). 9) Divide custard among glasses, leaving at least 1 inch of space at top of each. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled and set. 10) Meanwhile, pour remaining Guinness into small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. 11)) Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 2-3 tablespoons, about 20 minutes. Pour syrup into small bowl and let cool. 12) Beat remaining cream until soft peaks form. Add Guinness syrup and beat until combined. Divide cream among 8 glasses of custard and serve.