St. Paddy's Day

I have been doing this blog since 2008.  This Table is in the top 5 of the ones I have presented. So let's get started.

Corned Beef with Apricot Glaze
Colcannon Potatoes
Buttered Carrots
Irish Soda Bread Scones with Apricot Butter
Coffee Ice Cream with Irish Whiskey Caramel and Coffee Nut Crisp

For years I have prepared corned beef in the same way; boiled in water with the seasoning packet, cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Then it was spooned out, "carved" (as possible when the meat is stringy and fatty) and served.  This year, I decided to try something different. I put the corned beef in a pot as usual with water and the seasoning packet.  This meat weighed a bit more than 2 pounds so I simmered it for 2 hours.  The meat is then removed and placed in a roasting pan.  The broth is strained and a couple of inches of the broth is put in the roaster with the meat.  Both are cooled, covered and refrigerated overnight.The oven is heated, the fat trimmed off the beef.   A mixture of apricot preserves, brown sugar and soy sauce is spread on the meat and put in oven.  The glaze is painted on the meat every 10 minutes or so on both sides. Set aside to cool a bit.

Colcannon  is an Irish tradition.  I have never had it before, but tried it this year.  Loved It!!  Cabbage is shredded and cooked in salted water until just tender.  Remove from water and keep warm.  Add peeled quartered potatoes to water and simmer until just tender.  Drain and mash potatoes.  Heat milk, a bit of butter and chopped green onions.  Mash with potatoes and add cabbage, salt an pepper. Serve with chopped parsley.

Carrots are simply cooked until tender and tossed with butter and dill.

Irish Soda Bread Scones are made from a simple soda bread recipe, but there is a cup of cake flour in the mix,  I am not a fan of raisins as I have said before, but since  I was making apricot butter, I substituted chopped apricots.  Perfect.  The butter is equal parts soft no salt butter (In use Irish KerryGold butter) and apricot preserves.

Dessert was a Coffee Sundae with Irish Caramel and Coffee Nut crisp.  The caramel is made with  sugar, water, cream, and Irish Whiskey.  It is poured over coffee ice cream and topped with toasted coffee sweetened walnuts

A fabulous Table.  The leftovers will be enjoyed all week.  Next week I return to my tour of the Mediterranean.

Have a great week and try these recipes.