Taste Me, I'm Irish!

St. Patty's Day ended up being a bit of a weekend celebration for Joe and I.  On Friday afternoon, I bumped shoulders with drunken leprechauns and all kinds of green creatures on my way home from work. All of Denver seemed to have transformed into one large, ubiquitous Irish festival over the course of the day (after all, the St. Patty's Day parade downtown was coming up the next morning).  Instead of joining in, I rushed home to my kitchen and threw on my apron venerate the Irish in the most authentic way - cooking some traditional fare.  Inspired by thoughts of dark, chocolaty stouts foaming with aromatic notes of bourbon,  I made Shepherd's Pie with Soda Bread, salad with homemade blue cheese dressing (OK, perhaps not so Irish but delish), and Whiskey Cake to boot!  We ate this meal three days in a row, since it was packed up for our drive West to get some spring skiing in. Plus they serve up some mean seasonal ales at a brewery located only a few blocks from our condo... mmm... sipping craft beer in the mountains is the best way to enjoy a pint. Seriously.

This meal was "grab a fork and don't you even think about
drinking my beer while I take a picture" good.

Brown Butter Soda Bread 

This traditional Irish quick-bread gets its name because the butter added to the dough is heated until fragrant and browned. In addition, the soft flavor of rosemary provides a novel soda bread experience that will make it hard to keep from slicing.  Serve with room-temp butter and a sprinkle of salt.  You and your dinner guests may find that tearing off big pieces is easier than slicing, since the dough doesn't have as much gluten and elasticity as your typical dinner loaf.

Drinkin' Breckenridge Brewery's Oatmeal Stout.

Chasing sheep and playing with Border Collies all day
sounds like a pretty great gig if it means you get to return
home to piping hot Shepherd's Pie and cold ale every night
(in my dreams).

Shepherd's Pie 

A real Irish favorite, this baked dish consists of duel savory layers: the bottom half is juicy ground lamb with vegetables and herbs, while creamy mashed potatoes make up the top. Get a big spoon for this Irish casserole because seconds will be welcomed, especially after consuming a few too many pints of stout or sips of whiskey.

Consider googling sounds of a raspy bag pipe trio to
provide the appropriate ambiance for your first few bites.

Brushing the top with egg whites brings out a beautiful
golden crust that is oh so tasty, too.  We dove into one
loaf immediately, but I froze the other for a future rainy day.

Whiskey Cake 

This cake provides as dessert and a night cap all in one. Sometimes refereed to as, "Tispy Cake" this light, lemony sponge-like cake is baked and then soaked in a sweet Whiskey syrup.   The Whisky is whisked into the warm sugar reduction after the heating step, which allows for the alcohol to warm your tongue and cloud your thoughts. Serve this with an Irish Coffee if you desire an added kick to bed. (Recipe below)

We had just the right amount of Jameson in our pantry for
this cake recipe (brimming 1/2 cup).  Since moving to Colorado,
we've been associating with Jack (Jack Danielle's Bourbon).

My darn bunt pan likes to eat my cakes before I can!
Then again, I forgot to add bread crumbs after greasing,
perhaps they really were necessary.  Regardless, I was
happy to have the excuse of "cleaning up" (nibble nibble).

Whiskey Cake 

From "The Essential New York Times Cook Book"

Cake:

Fine dry bread crumbs for dusting the pan

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs

Whiskey Syrup:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1/2 cup bourbon

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a Bundt pan and dust with bread crumbs. Sift together the flour, baking power, and salt. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and lemon zest until fluffy and fragrant. Beat in the vanilla and 2 eggs. Add the remaining eggs, and beat again. Add half the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Add the remaining  mixture and mix again until almost smooth, then mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Scrape the batter into the pan, bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 30-35 minutes. 

Meanwhile, to make the syrup, combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and cook until the bubbles grow small and make fine snapping sounds (about 3 minutes). Remove from the heat and let cool. Stir in the whiskey. When the cake is down, let cool for a few minutes, then unmold onto a serving plate with a lip (the syrup may pool at the base). Pierce the top of the cake in about 20 places with a skewer, then pour the whiskey syrup over it. Once the cake is cool, cover with plastic wrap. This cake is best served the next day!