st. patrick's day recipes

 

shamrock cupcakes

Ingredients

200g soft butter
200g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
200g self-raising flour
1tsp Irish cream liqueur (optional)

2 x 12 cup muffin tins,
24 muffin cases
Shamrock cutter

Makes 24

Preheat the oven to 180C, fan 160C gas 4. Put the sugar and butter in an electric mixer and beat until pale and fluffy.

Beat the eggs lightly in a small bowl and add slowly to the mix, using medium speed. If the mixture starts to curdle, add a little of the flour. When the eggs and butter mixture is well combined, mix in the liqueur and the remaining flour at slow speed.

Divide the mixture between the muffin cases using two teaspoons or a piping bag with a wide nozzle [no.10].

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the sponge is lightly golden and springs back to the touch.

Leave to cool before icing.

To make shamrock decorations:

Frosting

1 tub ready made royal icing
1 pack green sugarpaste icing sugar

Roll out the green sugarpaste to about 3mm thickness using a little icing sugar to prevent sticking. Cut out shamrock shapes and put to one side.

Prepare the royal icing as on the pack and cover the cupcakes with a spoon or pallet knife [Add green colouring if desired].

Place the green shamrock shapes on the icing before completely set.

Wait until fully set before serving.

 

st patrick's day soup with shamrock shaped cheese croutons

Serves 4

Ingredients

60g butter
2 medium white onions, chopped
600g potatoes, peeled and chopped
800 ml vegetable or chicken stock
240g sorrel leaves, shredded
Salt and pepper

Method

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and potato and cook gently, covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper and stock and bring to the boil.
Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the sorrel leaves and cook for 5 minutes more. Liquidise the soup until smooth.

Cheese Croutons

2 slices thick wholemeal bread
Olive oil or melted butter to brush on
100g grated Irish cheese

Method

Cut shapes from the bread and brush lightly with olive oil or butter. Grill on one side then turn over and sprinkle with the grated cheese and grill until cheese is melted.
Place on top of the hot soup.

 

 

 

roasted squash, spinach and irish st tola goats cheese tartlets

Makes 6

For the filling:
250g prepared butternut squash
1 tbsp olive oil
225g spinach, washed and large stalks removed
2 large eggs
200ml double cream
150g Irish St Tola Goats cheese
40g Carrigaline*, finely grated

For the oatmeal pastry:
175g plain flour
¾ tsp salt
175g Flahavans (Irish oatmeal)
75g butter
75g lard or white vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
2 tbsp chilled water, cut into pieces

1. For the oatmeal pastry, put the flour, oatmeal and salt into a food processor or mixing bowl, add the butter and lard and work together until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the water with a kitchen knife, or process briefly, until the mixture comes together into a ball. Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface until smooth.

2. Divide the pastry into 6 even-sized pieces. Roll each piece out on a lightly floured surface and roll out into approximately 15cm discs. Use to line 6 lightly buttered 10cm tartlet tins that are 3cm deep. Chill for 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6. Cut the prepared butternut squash into 2.5cm sized pieces. Place in a roasting tin with the olive oil and some salt and pepper and toss together. Spread out in a layer and roast for 20 minutes or until just tender.

4. Line the tartlet cases with squares of crumpled greaseproof paper and a thin layer of baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and return to the oven for a further 5-6 minutes until crisp and biscuit-coloured. Meanwhile, heat a large pan over a medium-high heat, add the spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes until it has wilted down into the base of the pan. Tip into a colander and gently press out the excess liquid. Season. Break the goats' cheese into small pieces.

5. Remove the tartlet cases from the oven and lower the oven temperature to 190C/375F/Gas Mark 5. Arrange the pieces of roasted butternut squash, spinach and crumbled goats cheese in the tartlet cases. Beat the eggs and cream together in a jug with 25g of the grated cheese and some seasoning. Pour into each tartlet case and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes until set and lightly golden. Serve warm.

St Tola is a soft Irish farmhouse goats cheese made in County Clare
Carrigaline is an Irish farmhouse cheese made in County Cork

 

strawberry and irish cream liqueur fool

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
300g strawberries, plus 4 halved strawberries to decorate
50g icing sugar, plus 1 tsp
300ml double cream
6 tbsp Irish cream liqueur

For the topping:
25g plain chocolate
1 tsp clear Irish honey
2 tbsp Irish cream liqueur

1. Put 200g of the strawberries into a food processor with 50g of the icing sugar and blitz into a coarse puree using the pulse button. Quarter the remaining strawberries and mix with the remaining icing sugar.

2. Whip the cream and Irish cream liqueur together in a large mixing bowl until it form soft peaks. Gently fold in the strawberry puree. Layer the mixture in 4 stemmed dessert glasses with the quartered strawberries.

3. Break the chocolate into a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of barely simmering water until melted. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir in the honey and Irish cream liqueur. Decorate the top of each fool with the halved strawberries and drizzle the chocolate sauce over the top.

All recipes courtesy of Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board

For more Irish themed recipes visit the Bord Bia website: www.bordbia.ie