Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes

Woo-hoo! Today is St. Patrick’s Day!!! It is here, it is here! And to finish off my annual St. Patrick’s Day recipe run I give you: Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes!

These little luxurious gems might be small, but they are big on taste. I mean I really don’t have to describe it much at all – I can just say Baileys Cheesecake. Nuff said really. Everyone knows cheesecake is scrumptious and when you add some silky smooth Baileys into the mix – well  – sheer perfection. I should mention that I have also topped these little tempters with a Baileys whipped cream as well. You know, once you’ve got the Baileys out, why stop?

Folks absolutely love Baileys. In fact, on December 3rd, 2007, the manufacturers of the beloved liqueur, announced the sale of the billionth bottle of Baileys since it was first introduced. A billion is a lot right? But you’re probably thinking, yeah but Baileys has been around for ever. They’ve had a lot of time to get to 1 billion. You’d be wrong. Baileys wasn’t introduced until 1973! Hard to believe! Baileys was the first Irish Cream to go on the market as well. There have certainly been plenty of  imitators since then, but Baileys continues to rule supreme.

Although a big huge honking Baileys Cheesecake is truly impressive, these decadent little bite sized indulgences have a lot going for them. They are super portable, so if you’re in a rush to get out to the parade or onto the next festivity, you can just pop one in your mouth and grab another to go. (Yeah – I did write that previous line before we all found ourselves in the social distancing situation we are now enduring…I guess I should say you can grab one out of the fridge quickly and get right back to your Netflix-a-thon without missing a thing) Easy-peasy. And you won’t fall into a cheesecake induced sugar coma like you might if you ate a big old slice of cheesecake. Plus they’re so small, I’m sure they barely have any calories at all in them. Not that you should be thinking of calories on St. Patrick’s Day…

Well I guess that finishes my annual St. Patrick’s Day run. I’ve gotta admit, this is the strangest St. Patrick’s Day I can remember what with all the Covid 19 closures, cancellations and quarantines going on around the world. Definitely scary times. Things will likely be weird for awhile, but hopefully if we can work together we will be able to weather this storm. Friends in Ireland forwarded me an inspiring St. Patrick’s Day message from their President, Michael D. Higgins, which I will leave you with now.

I wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday! Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daiobh (Happy St. Patrick’s Day)!

 

• Servings: 12 mini cheesecakes
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe slightly adapted from: King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 1 cup (120 grams) all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup (32 grans) almond flour or 1/3 cup (28 grams) ground almonds
• 2 Tablespoons (28 grams) brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons (85 grams) butter, cold

For the Batter:

• 1 cup (227 grams) cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
• 2 tablespoons (28 grams) heavy cream or sour cream, at room temperature
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 2 Tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

Toppings:

For the Baileys Whipped Cream:

• 3/4 Cup (180 ml) whipping cream
• 2 Tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream
• Baileys Cookie (optional), Valhrona Dark Chocolate Crunchy Pearls (optional) Chocolate covered espresso beans (optional)

Directions:

For the Crust:

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, almond flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two knives, or rub together with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Or simply pulse the mixture in a food processor until combined. Sprinkle in a teaspoon or two of water if the dough is too crumbly to hold together when squeezed.

Divide the crumbs among the 12 cups of a mini cheesecake pan. Press them firmly into the bottoms and about 1/2″ up the sides. I used a medium sized cookie scoop to fill the wells with crust and then used a cork to tamp the crust down and hollow out a space in the center. Bake in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until set and just beginning to color. Remove from the oven and let cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

For the Batter:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the cream, egg, vanilla and Baileys; mix well. Spoon the batter into the cooled crusts, using about 2 tablespoons in each. Again the medium sized cookie scoop works well here.

Bake the cheesecakes for 18 to 20 minutes, until just set. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 30 minutes — the tops will sink slightly. Use a knife to gently loosen the edges. Pick the pan up and gently and carefully push the individual cakes up until you can lift them from the pan. Put them in the fridge to chill. To remove the metal plates before serving, run the blade of a table knife under hot water to warm it, then run the knife between the crust and the metal disk to free up the cheesecake. I was actually able to easily pop the metal plates off the bottom of the cakes when I first removed them from the pan.

Make the Baileys Whipped Cream: Place the cold whipping cream in the bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attached. While whisking the cream, slowly add the sugar and the Baileys. Continue to mix until glossy peaks form.

Just before serving, pipe some Bailey’s Whipped cream on the top and garnish with Baileys cookie or chocolate shavings if desired.

Enjoy!

Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Baileys Bite Sized Cheesecakes:

Kitchen Aid Artisan Series 5 Qt. Stand Mixer

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

OXO Good Grips Medium Cookie Scoop

Norpro Nonstick Mini Cheesecake Pan

 

Leprechaun Bait

So tell me, are you hoping to catch a Leprechaun this St. Patrick’s Day? Have you ever indulged in so many adult beverages on a St. Patrick’s Day past that you thought you saw one? Well, let me tell you about today’s recipe: Leprechaun Bait!

What we’ve got going on here is a magically delicious combination of chex cereal, Lucky Charms, salty pretzels, pistachios, cashews, M&Ms and Lucky Charms marshmallows, addictively coated with a silky white chocolate. Leprechaun bait? More like Leprechaun crack if you ask me!

But perhaps I’ve gotten ahead of myself. You can’t really conduct a Leprechaun hunt if you aren’t familiar with the wee fellows.

Old world Leprechaun as pictured in Spiderwick Chronicles

A Leprechaun is one of the fairy folk that live in Ireland. Cobblers by trade, these diminutive fellows (no taller than 3 feet) live a solitary life.  They are very focused on their appearance, dressed to the nines in a green suit, top hat and buckled shoes. Their love for green fashion apparently developed sometime in the 20th Century. Prior to that, they were fond of wearing red. Yeats explained that solitary fairies wore red, whereas trooping fairies tended to wear green.

There seems to be a bit of controversy about where the name “leprechaun” comes from. In middle Irish there is the word luchrupán which means small body or it could derive from the word leithbrágan translating to half shoe which eludes to their profession. Or if you are a fan of the Artemis Fowl series of books, you are well aware that Leprechaun is from Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance – LEPrecon for short. (OMG – If you have not read this young adult series put it to the top of your to read list!!! And a movie is coming out soon!)

Dame Judi Dench as Commander Root of LEP-Recon.

But wait….let me get back to the traditional folklore Leprechaun. Leprechauns love music and dancing, having ceilis which have been known to last for days. Perhaps these fairy raves are how they all wore their shoes out. Because apparently shoe making/mending is quite lucrative. It is well know that each leprechaun has a pot of gold which they have hidden somewhere. It is that pot of gold that has caused them to have such a troubling history with humans, which we know tend to be very greedy – always after the poor Leprechauns pot of gold or lucky charms.

Making matters worse, there is that rumor that if you catch a Leprechaun they will grant you three wishes. You know, like a little green genie. This relentless pursuit is perhaps why leprechauns are know to be tricksy or even sometimes grumpy or distrustful. If you had to put up with being constantly hassled for money and favors, you’d be grumpy too. Kind of like the long suffering denizens of New York City. However if folks chose to be nice to them, Leprechauns have been know to bestow huge rewards, like a castle full of gold, to such good samaritans. Now I should point out what with St. Patrick’s Day upon us, there is a fairy known as a clurichaun which is said to be a cousin of the Leprechaun. Clurichauns, which tend to hang around breweries, pubs and wine cellars, are know to be often drunk. And rather than happy drunks, they are the surly, boisterous, fighting type of drunk. They raise all kinds of ruckus at night, keeping good folk awake with all the commotion. They have even been know to go on wild joyrides on unsuspecting dogs, cats or sheep. Terrible altogether! Though I would be remiss if I did not mention that there is some thought that these aren’t two different types of fairies, but that Clurichauns are actually just Leprechauns out on a bender!

But wait just a second! I have really gotten off track here. I was supposed to be telling you about this Leprechaun Bait. This addictive snack is really very easy to make and will be a perfect addition to your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

In the spirit of full disclosure, my Mom always makes this at Christmas with some red and green M&M’s and craisins thrown into the mix. I love the stuff and look forward to it every year, so I decided to give it a St. Patrick’s Day spin by using green, white and orange M&M’s (colors of the Irish flag) green pistachios and Lucky Charms Marshmallows. Feel free to customize it as you see fit, cuz I gotta tell you – once you taste this delicious mix you’re going to be making it all the time. Yup – Leprechaun crack I tell you!

And if you do see a Leprechaun this year, don’t be trying to abduct him, rob him or nag him for favors. Just pour him a drink and share this snack with him. You never know, perhaps he’ll forego his tricksy ways and you’ll be rewarded!

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• 6 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 3 cups Lucky Charms cereal sans marshmallow bits (usually I use Cheerios, but since you’ve already got a box of Lucky Charms opened…Though this will make the mix a bit sweeter since Lucky Charms is frosted)
• 2 cups broken pretzels ( I used Snyder’s Snaps but you could use small stix)
• 1 cup pistachios
• 1 cup cashews
• 12 oz. M&M’s candy (I ordered specific color’s from the M&M store which does a St. Patrick’s Day mix as well* see disclaimer at bottom of post. Though you could just pick through regular M&M’s to get the green and orange ones)
• 27 oz. White Chocolate chips
• 1 cup marshmallows from Lucky Charms (I was able to get ahold of a limited edition box that had green clover & gold coin marshmallows)

Directions: 

In a large bowl, combine the Chex, Lucky Charms cereal (without marshmallows), pretzels, pistachios, cashews and M&M’s.

Cover counter with parchment paper.

Place white chocolate chips in top of double boiler and heat until melted through.

Pour the melted chocolate over the cereal mixture.

Stir quickly but carefully, taking care not to crush the Chex cereal, but to ensure that the mixture is completely coated with the white chocolate.

Turn the mixture out onto the parchment paper, spread it out and sprinkle evenly with the Lucky Charms marshmallows. Press down gently to get the marshmallows to adhere.

Allow the white chocolate to set. Break into smaller pieces and store in air-tight containers.

Enjoy!

Leprechaun Bait brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www. leaandjay.com)

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Leprechaun Bait:

Double Boiler Pot

Snyder’s Snap Pretzels

Lucky Charms Cereal – Limited Edition

Artemis Fowl set – Books 1-3

St. Patrick’s Day M&M mix – I feel rather nit picky about mentioning this, but it is a bit of a pet peeve of mine. The M&M’s store St. Patrick’s Day mix is made up of green and white M&M’s which have been stamped with some lovely shamrocks – which is great. However, some are also marked with “Happy St. Patty’s Day” Arrrrghhhhh! Who is “St. Patty” Did Peppermint Patty from the Peanuts cartoon strip perform a couple of miracles I was unaware of which got her canonized? If I had noticed that slip up, I would not have purchased them. Deal breaker! I would have just bought some plain green and white M&M’s. Patrick in Irish is Pádraig and the nickname for that is Paddy. Not Patty, which is a nickname for Patricia. Come on M&M’s folks – surely you can do better!

 

 

Guinness Braised Steak with Crispy Baked Chips

Oh my goodness my Guinness! I absolutely love cooking with Guinness. It just makes everything better. But I must say, there is something so magical when Guinness meets beef.  In this tasty St. Patrick’s Day recipe, flank steak which is a rather tough cut of beef is made melt in your mouth tender by braising it in Guinness. It is served along with some crispy baked thick cut chips for the win!

This recipe is so easy to make. You can actually braise the steak the day before you would like to serve it. Then, on the big day, just reheat the steak in the oven as you prepare the chips. I can not tell you how good your house will smell while this steak is slowly cooking away.

And those crispy, crunchy homemade chips are fantastic as well. I absolutely love chips or french fries to those of us over on this side of the pond. The only problem with frying them up at home is that your house then smells like a big old chipper for days. That scrumptious smell of the braising beef will be overrun in no time. So thank goodness that rather than fried, these chips are dusted in polenta, sprayed with a bit of cooking oil and then baked in the oven.

Still quite tasty and a bit healthier for you. Serve them with some ketchup, a splash of malt vinegar or dip them into the reduced Guinness cooking sauce. It will be a very happy St. Patrick’s Day indeed!

• Servings: 2
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Slightly adapted from BBC Good Food

Ingredients:

• 2 (250 gram) flank steaks
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 500 ml can of Guinness (could use other stout if you prefer…)
• 1 beef stock cube, crumbled
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sauce (HP Sauce)
• 3 Bay leaves
• 3 Shallots

For the Chips:

• 600 gram large baking potato
• 3 Tablespoons cornmeal
• Spray oil ( olive oil, canola oil, crisco – whatever you might have)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Season the steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a frying pan. When hot, down the steaks well on all side. Transfer to a snug casserole or narrow, deep baking dish.

Pour the Guinness into the frying pan and bring to a simmer. Add the stock cube, Worcestershire Sauce an HP Sauce. Stir to combine.

Add the bay leaves and roughly chopped shallots to the dish holding the steaks. Pour the Guinness mixture over the steaks. Cover the dish tightly with foil and then add the lid. If your casserole does not have a lid, you can place a flat baking sheet over top. Bake for 3 hours or until the meat is fork tender. This can be done 1day in advance.

For the chips: One hour before you plan to serve the meal, preheat the oven to 400° F (200°C). Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil while you can the potatoes into 3 cm fat chips. Parboil for 3 min. Drain and let steam dry.

Place the cornmeal into a shallow bowl and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dredge the chips in cornmeal and transfer to baking sheet. Spray chips with spray oil and sprinkle remaining cornmeal over the top. Roast for 45 minutes, tossing chips and spraying with a bit more oil half way through the baking time. The chips should be crispy and golden.

When the chips have 20 minutes cook time remaining, remove the steaks from their cooking liquid. Wrap them along with the shallots in parchment, followed by foil. Place the packet on the low shelf of your oven and allow it to heat through.

Place the cooking liquid into a small sauce pan. Boil it over high hear until reduced by 3/4. Place in pitcher to serve over steaks.

Remove the chips from the oven and season with freshly cracked pepper and flaked sea salt. Remove steaks from packet and plate along with some shallots.

Enjoy!

Guinness Braised Steaks with Crispy Baked Chips brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Guinness Braised Steak with Crispy Baked Chips:

Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Casserole

HP Sauce This link is for a two pack of the sauce. I can usually find it in my local grocery store. You can also substitute in some A1 if you’re pressed.

 

 

Irish Coddled Pork with Cider

Ah now here is a traditional Irish dish for you – Irish Coddled Pork with Cider. If St. Patrick’s Day is at all chilly and rainy – which seems to often be the case – this slow cooked stew will really hit the spot! But what does “coddle” mean? Well, in a culinary sense it likely comes from the french verb caudle which means to cook gently, parboil or stew. You know, low and slow. Sure everyone knows a stew boiled is a stew spoiled! But I’ve also read that it comes from the Irish word cadal which means to sleep. The legend goes that the wife of the house could make up  a coddle and leave it simmering on the stove for hours. It would still be delicious when her man finally arrived home from the pub, long after she’d gone off to sleep!

Dublin Coddle is the coddle which is best known I’d say. That Coddle is a stew consisting of Irish Sausages, potatoes, onions and Irish Bacon. It has been enjoyed in Ireland since the seventeenth century and likely before. It was a favourite of the likes of Jonathan Swift, Seán O’Casey and James Joyce.

Coddles were a useful way of using up any meat on a Thursday, in times when Catholics were not supposed to eat meat on Fridays. Now a days you can enjoy a hearty coddle any time. This particular coddle recipe features a couple lovely thick cut pork chops.

After having prepared this dish, I can definitely say it is so easy to make. You just brown the pork, chop up the veg and toss it all into a pot to simmer away. Now you do want to make sure that you have a pot with a well fitting lid so that the ingredients left uncovered by the stock/cider will be steamed. True Irish comfort food. Serve up with some soda bread or a hunk of brown bread slathered with butter. And maybe a pint or two….

• Servings: 2
• Difficulty: easy
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recipe from: BBC Good Food

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons good Irish butter (like Kerrygold)
• 2 Pork Loin Chops
• 4 rashers smoked bacon, chopped into pieces
• 2 potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 carrot, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 rutabaga (swede, turnip) cut into bite sized pieces
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 100 ml Irish cider
• 100 ml chicken stock

Directions:

Heat butter in a casserole dish until sizzling. I used a Le Creuset oval casserole #27 (6 quart). Brown the pork chops on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.

Place the bacon, carrot, potatoes and rutabaga in the pan and fry until just starting to color. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a few more minutes. Nestle the chops into the vegetables. Add the bay leaf and then pour the cider and stock over the top. Cover the pan and continue to simmer on low until the pork is cooked through (145°F/ 63°C) and the vegetables are tender.

Enjoy!

Irish Coddled Pork with Cider brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links for helpful Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Irish Coddled Pork with Cider:

Le Creuset Cast Iron Signature Casserole

 

 

Irish Whiskey Marmalade Bread Pudding

Mmmmmm. Did someone say Bread Pudding? Comfort food at its finest if you ask me. It is enjoyed all over the world with each country putting its own special spin on it. Like in Canada it is often made with maple syrup and in Puerto Rico you will find it with coconut milk and a rum guava sauce. So for St. Patrick’s Day I thought this Irish Whiskey Marmalade Bread Pudding would be perfection!

Bread Pudding started out as a pretty rustic dish and folks have been enjoying it for some time. It can be traced all the way back to the 11th century. It was a pretty frugal dish, made to use up bread that was going stale. In 13th century England it was referred to as ‘poor man’s pudding”. How far it has come. Not so humble anymore you can find it offered up in some of the most posh and trendy restaurants.

A couple of years ago I shared a recipe for Irish Whiskey Marmalade. I thought the bright  citrus goodness of that marmalade would be a perfect complement to my pudding. I originally got this award winning Irish Whiskey Marmalade recipe from my friend Theresa’s cookbook  Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen by Theresa Storey.

Theresa and I met in college when she was finishing up her degree in botany. After college, Theresa moved back to rural County Limerick and started her own business, The Green Apron, which is an artisan preserve company. Theresa grows much of the fruit and vegetables she uses in her preserves at her family’s orchards at Derryclough and in the walled vegetable garden at her parents 18th Century castle, Glenwilliam.

Her award-winning preserves are made in small batches by traditional methods using locally sourced, organic produce where possible and without artificial preservatives, colours or setting agents. The Green Apron has won 15 Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards, 7 International Great Taste awards and is listed not only in McKenna’s Guide, but also in Georgina Campbell’s Guide. The Green Apron is also now offering workshops on sustainable living, preserving and bee keeping.

But let me get back to today’s recipe. The Irish Whiskey Marmalade I made to brighten my bread pudding is a three fruit marmalade consisting of grapefruit, oranges and lemons and a good glug of Irish Whiskey. It is one of The Green Apron’s best-selling jams and won a bronze Blas na h’Eireann (Taste of Ireland Competition) in 2015. I have included the recipe for it which makes about 5 pints. That is quite a bit more than you need for this recipe. But I will say, it is amazing stuff. You will be delighted to have extra on hand. I have used  it to enhance other dishes in the past such as these Irish Whiskey Marmalade Tarts 

as well as this Irish Whiskey Marmalade Cocktail

And this scrumptious Batley Cake

Great recipes to be sure and this Bread Pudding is right at home with them. So warming, cozy and comforting and a bit boozy I must say with the whiskey in the marmalade and well as the pudding. The bright citrus flourish will remind you that Spring is right around the corner. Serve it warm with some whipped cream or ice cream. But I’ve got to tell you, this Irish Whiskey Marmalade Bread Pudding is so delicious it stands fine all on its own.

• Servings: 4 -6
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients:

• 6 – 8 slices of day old bread (I used challah, brioche would also be great, or plain white bread)
• 50 grams butter, room temperature
• 4 – 6 Tablespoon Irish Whiskey Marmalade (recipe noted below)
• 250 ml heavy cream
• 50 ml milk
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 4 Tablespoons demerara sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Irish Whiskey
• Confectioner’s sugar, for dusting over top

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325° F (160° C)

Butter the bread on both sides. Spread half of the pieces with marmalade. Cover with the remaining slices of bread to make marmalade sandwiches. Cut the sandwiches into quarters or halves depending on the bread size and your chosen baking dish and arrange them in the dish. I used an oval casserole measuring about 10″ x 8″. A 9″x 9″ would also work well.

Combine the cream, milk, eggs, vanilla, sugar and whiskey. Pour the mixture over the marmalade sandwiches. Set aside for 30 minutes or so to allow the bread to absorb all of that goodness.

Dot the remaining marmalade over the top of the bread. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until set. Remove from oven and dust with confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm with whipped cream, ice cream or simply plain.

For the Irish Whiskey Marmalade:

Ingredients:

• 1 ruby grapefruit
• 2 medium sweet oranges
• 4 lemons
• 3.4 kg (6 pints) water
• 2.7 kg (6 lbs) sugar
• 60 ml (2 fl. oz.) good Irish Whiskey
• 1 teaspoon mixed spice (Please note, mixed spice is different from all-spice. Mixed spice, sometimes also called pudding spice is a British spice similar to pumpkin pie spice, containing cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. I have a link for it below, or hereis a recipe for it.)

Directions:

Place a saucer into the refrigerator to chill.

Wash the grapefruit, oranges and lemons. Remove any blemishes from the skin and cut them into quarters. Place in the food processor and process on high speed until the peel is reduced to 6-mm (1/4″) pieces. If you like a bigger peel in your marmalade, don’t process it for so long, and if you like very little peel, process it for longer.

Put the processed citrus in a preserving pot with the water, stir well and cook on a high heat, stirring occasionally, until the peel is cooked and smooshes to wee pieces between your fingers. This usually takes an hour.

Add the sugar, stir well and cook over a high heat, stirring occasionally, until the marmalade reaches setting point, with a marmalade this usually takes 20 -40 minutes.

Spoon a little of the boiling preserve onto the cold saucer. Let it cool and then push it with your finger. If it has reached setting point, the top of the blob of marmalade will wrinkle. Marmalades should have wrinkles at least 2 -3 mm hight.

Remove from heat. Skim off any seeds and sugar foam.

Add 60 ml (2 fl oz) of good Irish Whiskey and 1 teaspoon of ground mixed spice.

Pour into warm sterilized jars to within 6 mm (1/4″) of the top. Wipe any drips off the rims of the jars to make sure there is a good seal between the jar and lid. A dampened paper towel works well for this. Place the lids on and seal.

Enjoy!

Irish Whiskey Marmalade Bread Pudding brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Links for helpful kitchen tools & ingredients for Irish Whiskey Marmalade Bread Pudding:

Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Food Scale

Cuisinart Pro-Classic Food Processor

Kilner Stainless Steel Jam Pan

Ball Mason 4 oz quilted jelly jars

Canning Magnetic Lid Wand

Norpro 600 Jar Lifter

Ball Canning Funnel

Mixed Spice

Oxo Good Grips Baker’s Dusting Wand

Folláin Irish Whiskey Marmalade – If you don’t have the time to make up a batch of marmalade before St. Patrick’s Day, nor can you travel to the Limerick Milk Market to buy a jar from The Green Apron, here is an option for Irish Whiskey Marmalade that will show up on your doorstep!

 

Bacon & Potato Cakes

Let me just start this off by saying I love potatoes. Yup. Loooove them. I like them baked, boiled, scalloped, fried, steamed, creamed…you get the picture. So I’m always up for any recipe that calls for spuds. These Bacon & Potato Cakes are wonderful for so many reasons. Primarily because they are yum, yum, yummy!

I mean what is not to like here…you’ve got potatoes and bacon. And the bacon is not only inside but also perched on top. Get. OUT!

But this recipe also rocks because you can use left over mashed potatoes in it. Now let me clarify – there are rarely any “leftover” mashed potatoes in my house. Nope. Gobbled right up. But I am thinking of you. You might actually have a bowl of mashed potato left uneaten. In which case this is a great recipe for making good use of them.

Now I have shared a couple similar recipes in the past. Like the one for these scrumptious Potato Farls. I know…these look very similar to today’s featured dish. The difference is that these have flour mixed in with the mashed potato. They have a much more cake or bread like texture.And I did these Colcannon Cheddar Skillet Cakes. They also looks similar to todays treat, however you need leftover Colcannon, which consists of mashed potatoes, cabbage, leeks and bacon, to make these up.

 

So today’s recipe for Potato & Bacon Cakes is pretty pared down to simple ingredients you are likely to have in the house, potatoes, bacon, oats…you get it.

 

And since spuds are so versatile you can serve these Bacon & Potato Cakes for breakfast along with some eggs or as a side dish in the evening. Or really as a meal all on their own. They got it all…the protein…the starch…throw in a little side salad and the veg is covered as well!

They are also fairly portable assuming their not burn your fingers off hot straight out of the ole frying pan. So on St. Patrick’s Day, you can just grab one up and dash out the door if you’re late getting out to the parade. (Sadly, I wrote this before all the parades were cancelled. Thanks Covid -19. You might just have to do a mini parade with just your family marching around the living room this year.) This snack will definitely help to fortify you for all the pints that will be headed your way.

• Servings: 4 - 6
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe slightly adapted from: The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 5 starchy potatoes, such as russets or yukon gold, peeled and cut into even peices
• 8 bacon strips
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoon snipped chives
• 1/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• all purpose flour for dusting
• oil for frying

Directions: 

Add the potatoes to a large saucepan of salted boiling water, cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes until tender. Drain well and allow to cool.

While potatoes are cooking, fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Set aside four of the strips. Chop the remaining bacon.

Rice the potatoes into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix in the butter, sea salt and pepper until creamy. Stir in the chopped bacon, chives, oats and beaten egg. If you already have some leftover mashed potatoes, stir in the chopped bacon, chives oats and a beaten egg into approximately 3 cups of the leftovers.

Dust a dinner plate with flour. With a 1/4 cup scoop, scoop out portions of the potato mixture and drop onto floured plate. With floured hands, pat the scooped potato into flattened cakes.

Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes or so to chill.

Melt some butter or pour some of the reserved bacon grease into a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Add the potato cakes and cook for about 4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Transfer the cakes to a serving plate and top with pieces of the reserved bacon strips and any micro greens you might have on hand.

Enjoy!

Bacon & Potato Cakes brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Bacon & Potato Cakes;

The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook

Oxo Good Grips Ice Cream Scoop

 

Classic Irish Soda Bread

What would St. Patrick’s Day be without some Classic Irish Soda Bread? I’ve got a great recipe for to share with you today that will tell you how to bake up a gorgeous golden brown loaf with a fabulous, crisp craggy crust and a dense yet moist center. Perfect to serve along with your St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Soda bread does not utilize yeast as a leavening agent, so there is no rising time required. It is the carbon dioxide which is produced from the reaction of buttermilk and baking soda that lightens the loaf. That being said, it is so very easy to make. You can literally mix it together in no time flat. And a loaf of Irish soda bread just would not be complete without having that cross cut into the top. I’ve heard various reasons as to why you do this. Some say it helps the bread cook evenly. I’ve also heard it is done as a blessing to keep the devil away. My favourite reason is that you cut a cross in to allow the fairies to escape! Your guess is as good as mine as to what they were doing in there in the first place, but there you have it.

Around St. Patrick’s Day, here in the States you will often find stores carrying a sweet Irish soda bread which is shot through with raisins and has sugar sprinkled over the top. I definitely like that version. When I first started this blog I did share a recipe for just such a sweet soda bread loaf.

Yum right? However, there is one incarnation of this bread that I do not care for. Sometime folks add those dreaded caraway seeds to the loaf along with the currents or raisins. OMG – I REALLY dislike it when those little demon seeds are added into the mix. I’ve been told that both the raisins and caraway seeds are a more Americanized versions of soda bread. The recipe I’m sharing today for Classic Irish Soda bread is closer to what you would actually find in Ireland. It has one cup of cake flour in addition to the all purpose flour because Irish flour is more finely milled than the all purpose flour found here in the States. This bread is only slightly sweet and has a sprinkling of sea salt flakes over the top. The crust is crispy crunchy with a nice chew to it. This bread is simply amazing slathered with butter – like Kerry Gold for instance. So what are you waiting for? Bake up a loaf or two of this Classic Soda Bread for St. Patrick’s Day this year. I promise you won’t regret it.

• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cake flour
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1½ teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1½ teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 1½ cups buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted

Directions:

Adjust an oven rack to the upper-middle position and preheat oven to 400° F.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or your fingertips until the texture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the buttermilk and stir with a fork just until the dough begins to come together. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead just until the dough becomes cohesive and bumpy, 12 to 14 turns. (Do not knead until the dough is smooth, or the bread will turn out tough.)

Pat the dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches high; place on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. Score the dough by cutting a cross shape on the top of the loaf.

Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, or the internal temperature reaches 180° F on an instead-read thermometer, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the loaf from the oven and brush the surface with the melted butter and sprinkle with flaked sea salt if desired. Cool to room temperature before slicing, about 30 to 40 minutes. Leftovers should be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Classic Irish Soda Bread brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Classic Irish Soda Bread:

Maldon Sea Salt Flakes

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer by Thermoworks

Silicone Pastry Brush Set

Sticky Carrots with an Irish Whiskey & Ginger Glaze

If you’re looking for a side dish to serve at your upcoming St. Patrick’s Day feast – look no further. Folks will go mad for these Sticky Carrots with Irish Whiskey & Ginger Glaze. The carrots are lightly browned in butter and served in a sweet and spicy ginger glaze.

Oh, and don’t forget that Irish whiskey. There is a healthy glug of it added to give these carrots some Irish flare. Believe me, once you taste these little gems they won’t only be making an appearance on St. Patrick’s Day. You’ll be enjoying them year round!

• Servings: 2 -3
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe from: The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• pinch of sea salt flakes
• 2 Tablespoons peanut oil
• 3 Tablespoons salted butter
• 4 large carrots (1 1b.) diagonally sliced into 1/2″ circles
• 1 Tablespoon ginger stir in paste (you could also use fresh ginger if you prefer, use about a 3/4″ piece and chop into matchstick size bits. Saute until tender after carrots have been removed from pan. Add ginger to carrots before making whiskey sauce.)
• 2 Tablespoons Irish Whiskey
• 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

Directions:

Combine the sugar, pepper and sea salt. Set aside

Heat the oil and half of the butter in a large skillet. Add the carrots in a single layer and sprinkle with the sugar mixture. Cook over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Turn the slices and reduce heat if necessary. Continue to cook until slightly browned on both sides and tender. Transfer the carrots to a plate.

Clean the skillet with paper towels. Add the remaining butter, the whiskey, stock and ginger paste. Bring to a boil and simmer for three minutes or until it becomes syrupy. Return the carrots to the skillet and swirl with the syrup for one minute. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Sticky Carrots with Irish Whiskey & Ginger Glaze brought to you today by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Sticky Carrots with Irish Whiskey & Ginger Glaze:

The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook

Gourmet Garden Ginger Paste – I could not find the ginger paste that I use on amazon, so I have provided this link here so you can see what I am talking about.

Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs

Here we are, with St. Patrick’s Day only 8 days away. That means it is time for me to start my annual St. Patrick’s Day blog-a-thon. Yup, I’ll be sharing one lovely Irish-y recipe everyday with you, right up to the big day Tuesday March 17th! Now I think managing to publish one recipe daily for eight days is a pretty impressive feat. But, a few years ago I was completely mad and used to start on March 1st and do a new recipe each day until March 17th. That is why you can find over 100 delicious St. Patrick’s Day recipes on my blog. If you’d like to take a peek at my past St. Patrick’s Day posts, you can click Runcible Eat/Recipes up at the top navigation bar and scroll down to the St. Patrick’s Day category. That’s where you’ll find them! And stay tuned here for my latest additions this year. I’m going to kick this whole thing off with this fantastic recipe for Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs. This recipe has got a lot going for it. First of all it tastes amazing! A crispy crunchy cornflake coating on the outside surrounds tender, juicy chicken which is flavored with tangy wholegrain mustard and Irish whiskey. What a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day dish! Not only does it taste great, but it is also actually very quick and easy to make. Perfect for a midweek dinner. And being baked, not fried, is certainly a plus.

The Irish Whiskey Mustard marinade that this chicken in basted in provides such a flavor explosion. It really kicks this chicken dish into high gear. So if you love wholegrainy/Dijon style mustard, this dish is definitely a must for you. And don’t forget, it is also spiked with a good glug of Irish Whiskey, so you just can’t go wrong!

The Irish Whiskey Mustard that I used in this recipe is from my friend Theresa’s company. I’ve told you a bit about her and her company on St. Patrick’s Days past. Theresa runs, The Green Apron, which is an artisan preserve company.

She grows much of the fruit and vegetables she uses in her preserves at her family’s orchards at Derryclough and in the walled vegetable garden at her parents 18th Century castle, Glenwilliam.

Her award-winning preserves are made in small batches by traditional methods using locally sourced, organic produce where possible and without artificial preservatives, colours or setting agents. Her award winning Irish Whiskey Mustard is superb and is simply made with Mustard Seed, Honey, Vinegar, Salt, Irish Whiskey and Spices.

It enhances everything you put it on, so I knew it’s wholegrainy, Whiskey goodness was just the thing to put this baked chicken over the top. And I wasn’t wrong – it was absolute perfection!

Now if you aren’t located in Ireland and can not get ahold of Theresa’s Irish Whiskey Mustard prior to St. Patrick’s Day, I have provided a link below for some Irish Whiskey Mustard which is sold on Amazon. In a pinch, you could also buy some whole grain dijon style mustard and stir a Tablespoon or so of Irish Whiskey into it. Though you should really consider a trip to Ireland as soon as you can. And make sure to stop by the Limerick Milk Market on your travels there to get some of the Green Apron’s Irish Whiskey Mustard as well as some of their amazing jams and chutneys.

So there you have it! One recipe down – seven more delicious Irish inspired recipes to go in this count down to St. Patrick’s Day. Remember to check back every day until the 17th for the latest!

• Servings: 4 thighs
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

recipe: slightly adapted from Food & Wine Chefs’ Easy Weeknight Dinners

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons Irish Whiskey Mustard ( substitute = grainy mustard with 1 Tablespoon Irish Whiskey added to the mix)
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 cups crushed cornflakes
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
• 1 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 4 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F (230°C) Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or foil and set a wire rack over it.

In a large bowl, mix the mustards, Worcestershire sauce and garlic.

In a shallow dish, toss the cornflakes, salt and pepper with butter, parsley and lemon zest.

Roll each chicken thigh in the mustard mix and then dredge it in the panko mix. Transfer to the wire rack.

Bake the chicken for 30 minutes, until the crumbs are golden brown and it registers 165° F (74° C).

Enjoy!

Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs brought to you by: Runcible Eats (www.leaandjay.com)

Useful links for Kitchen Tools & Ingredients for Crispy Irish Whiskey Mustard Baked Chicken Thighs:

Progressive Hand Grater/zester

Thermapen Instant Read Thermometer by Thermoworks

Lakeshore Wholegrain Mustard with Irish Whiskey– If you can not get to the Limerick Milk Market to buy some Irish Whiskey Mustard from The Green Apron, you can buy this  whiskey mustard

Fruit on the Table: Seasonal Recipes from the Green Apron Kitchen You won’t find the recipe for Theresa’s Irish Whiskey Mustard in this book, but there are over 100 other delicious seasonal fruit recipes to be found within, not to mention her recipes for cocktails, snacks , mains and going all the way through to desserts. And it doesn’t stop with the mouthwateringly delicious recipes, Fruit on the Table also gives you the low down on growing your own fruit, the ins and outs of preserving, tips on foraging as well as drying fruit. You simply must get yourself a copy of this essential cookbook!