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Potato Crisp, Roasted Vegetable, and Herbed Goat Cheese Napoleon Recipe

May 14, 2013 by Renee

Vegetable Stacks

20130514-IMG_8284Next weekend I am attending Eat, Write, Retreat in Philadelphia. It’s the first conference this year that I am attending and I cannot be more excited. Attendees were invited to enter the Amazing Apps Culinary Challenge where they would be shipped a surprise ingredient to create a healthy appetizer. As an extra special bonus, entrants were also sent several OXO tools to aid in the creation of our dishes. My secret ingredient was a variety of potatoes from the The United States Potato Board (USPB).   OXO also sent along a 3-in-1 Adjustable Potato Ricer and three of their graters- a Zester, Medium and Coarse graters. I am such a geek for new kitchen tools and I absolutely love OXO for their high quality, durable products, not to mention their Good Grips, which makes them so comfortable to use!

Most people think of potatoes as they do rice, a relatively boring side dish, a starch that often needs to be complimented by another vegetable. But in reality, potatoes are incredibly versatile and can stand alone on a plate. They are also very healthy, at just 110 calories for a medium sized potato and packed with vitamin C. Did you know, if eaten with the skin on, a potato has more potassium than a banana? Well, it does- one of the fun facts I learned from reading the materials that were sent along with the potatoes. Also, potatoes are completely FAT-FREE! That fact alone should make them even more appealing for adding them to your diet. They already are one of my most favorite foods.

Because they are so versatile, it took me a long time to narrow it down to just one idea for this challenge. In the end, I combined many of my favorite flavors to make one incredible stack of potato goodness, a Potato Crisp, Roasted Vegetable, and Herbed Goat Cheese Napoleon.

Potato Crisp, Roasted Vegetable, and Herbed Goat Cheese Napoleon Recipe
 
Print
Prep time
45 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
1 hour 5 mins
 
Author: Renee
Serves: 4
Ingredients
For the Crisps:
  • 4 Medium Potatoes
  • 2 Egg Whites
  • 4 Tbs. Butter
  • 2 Tbs. Heavy Cream
  • 2 Tbs Chives, chopped
  • 3 Tbs Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
For the Filling:
  • 2 Red Peppers, Roasted over an open flame and peeled
  • 2 Medium Zucchini, thinly sliced and dry grilled
  • 1 cup Goat Cheese (Pre- Made Herbed or Create your own; Garlic, Chives, Onions, Thyme, Rosemary etc.)
For the Topping:
  • 1 Medium Onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 Tbs. Flour
  • 2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil
  • Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar to Drizzle
Method
  1. Peel and chop potatoes. Boil until soft. Pass the potatoes through the OXO 3-in 1 Adjustable Potato Ricer into a large bowl.
  2. Add butter, egg whites, heavy cream and chives. Fold in until smooth but gently so as not to create a gummy mixture.
  3. Using the OXO Medium Grater, grate Parmesan cheese directly into the potato mixture. Fold in without over working the potatoes.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  5. Create a template out of a thin piece of cardboard (part of a pizza box lid works great!) by cutting a 3"x 3"square from the middle. Place the template on a silicone baking mat. With a spatula, spread an even layer of potato over the template. Remove the template and there will be a square of mashed potato on your mat. Repeat until you have 20 squares.
  6. Bake the squares for 8-10 minutes, being careful that they do not get too brown.
  7. Remove from oven and cool.
  8. Prepare the fried onions by dredging the onion slices lightly in the flour and then frying in the vegetable oil over medium heat until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside until ready to use.
Assemble the Napoleon:
  1. On a plate, lay down one crisp, add a layer of herbed goat cheese, followed by another crisp. Add a layer of red peppers followed by another crisp. Add a layer of herbed goat cheese followed by a crisp. Add the zucchini layer and a crisp. Top with the fried onions.
  2. Drizzle with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar and serve to many "oohs and ah's" from your guests.
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See how it’s done-

Method

1. Peel and chop potatoes. Boil until soft.  Pass the potatoes through the OXO 3-in 1 Adjustable Potato Ricer into a large bowl.

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2. Add butter, egg whites, heavy cream and chives. Fold in until smooth but gently so as not to create a gummy mixture.

3. Using the OXO Medium Grater, grate Parmesan cheese directly into the potato mixture. Fold in without over working the potatoes.

20130514-IMG_8272

4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

5. Create a template out of a thin piece of cardboard (part of a pizza box lid works great!) by cutting a 3″x 3″square from the middle. Place the template on a silicone baking mat. With a spatula, spread an even layer of potato over the template. Remove the template and there will be a square of mashed potato on your mat. Repeat until you have 20 squares.

20130514-IMG_8275

6. Bake the squares for 8-10 minutes, being careful that they do not get too brown.

7. Remove from oven and cool.

8. Prepare the fried onions by dredging the onion slices lightly in the flour and then frying in the vegetable oil over medium heat until brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels and set aside until ready to use.

Assemble the Napoleon:

On a plate, lay down one crisp, add a layer of herbed goat cheese, followed by another crisp. Add a layer of red peppers followed by another crisp. Add a layer of herbed goat cheese followed by a crisp. Add the zucchini layer and a crisp. Top with the fried onions.

Drizzle with olive oil and Balsamic vinegar and serve to many “oohs and ah’s” from your guests.

Serves 4.

 

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Disclosure: As an Eat Write Retreat registrant, I received samples from The U.S. Potato Board and a variety of OXO tools to help create this recipe.  With this post I am eligible to win prizes in the Amazing Apps Culinary Challenge. All thoughts and opinions are my own with a big shout out ‘Thank You’ to OXO for the awesome tools!

Filed Under: Eat, Appetizers, Kitchen Gear & Gadgets, Side Dishes, Vegetables Tagged With: Appetizer, Eat Write Retreat, Goat Cheese, OXO, Oxo Good Grips, Potatoes, Recipe, Roasted Red Peppers, US Potato Board, Zucchini

Kitchen On the Road- Camino de Santiago- Pamplona; Pig and a Patatas Bravas Recipe

September 7, 2012 by Renee

Patatas Bravas

Patatas BravasWriting a post (or more than one, really) about the Camino has proved much more challenging than I thought when I wrote my post last week.  I anticipated writing every day. But that clearly has not happened. It’s been much more emotional and thought provoking than just trying to come up with the perfect recipe for a tortilla, patatas bravas or remembering what wine we drank each night. Firstly, I finally got around to putting up all of the photos on Flickr- yes, all 5,000+ of them onto two accounts (KitchenConundrum and Riseson) and then weeding them down to just a few hundred for the blog photos – and of course, going through them brought back so many wonderful memories. One of my dear friends had to leave the Camino due to an injury while we were walking, but right at this moment, he is back on the path and nearly to Santiago. We’ve been texting all week and I’ve been steering him towards some of the nicer albergues that we stayed in along the way. I have to say that I am a bit jealous that he is there now as I would love to be hiking it again right along side of him. To feel that exhilaration and the emotional pinnacle when you finally reach Santiago is probably one of the most triumphant feelings I have experienced outside of childbirth. Now, that’s saying a lot! But it’s true. And unfortunately, it’s one of those things that you just have to experience for yourself in order to truly understand.  I think it must be quite similar to how climbers feel reaching the top of Everest. (Although, that may be better, but in my opinion, certainly not as much fun!)

I arrived on the Pilgrim train from Paris in St. Jean Pied du Port on a frigid evening with my backpack and a very heavy carry-on bag, in the pouring rain-no map and not a clue where to go. Everyone else on the train clearly knew where they were off to and I was left completely alone at the train station with not a single soul in sight. There wasn’t even a pay phone or a sign for a taxi. (A very small town, indeed, for this city girl!)  And just as I went to retrieve my poncho/rain jacket from my bag, my lock froze, rendering it impossible to get inside my pack! I tried and tried to no avail but couldn’t get it unhinged.  So, this was the beginning and how it was going to be, I thought. Not a good way to start at all.

Despite getting lost a few times,  I made my way to L’Esprit du Chemin , the albergue, where, when I finally arrived looking like a drowned rat, they greeted me warmly saying they were worried that something had happened to me.  They took my bags and ushered me outside to the porch and to dinner where a huge bowl of hot soup and a towel awaited me. I am pretty sure that was the best bowl of soup I had ever eaten. They cut my lock and unleashed my not only my belongings but the start to my Camino as well.

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain

The owners of the albergue, Arno and Huberta, really make everyone feel at home. They are amazing hosts and sadly, there were only a few other places along the Camino that had hosts as warm and as welcoming as them. They embody the true spirit of the Camino. One wonderful ritual, as most people begin the Camino Frances in St. Jean, was to leave a burden behind.  In a plastic bubble, you could leave a note, a small item or anything that you may think would weigh you down (mentally) as you made your spiritual/self-discovery  journey.  Then, you’d push it through a square wire hole in a sculpture they had in their garden. A simple gesture. But filled with so much meaning. I didn’t think I would cry but there I was, crying my eyes out pushing this clear plastic Easter egg into a wire hole before setting off. (I did feel a bit more cleansed after the act and really left my burden there!)

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain

At dinner we went ‘round the table introducing ourselves and telling a little of why we were walking. There were many tears then too, along with quite a few laughs.  There are hosts of reasons why people walk the Camino. One wonderful person survived cancer, one was seeking more spiritualism, one was seeking clarity, and several were thinking of things to do now that they had retired or were in-between careers. And of course, there was me… my reasons for walking changed many times over.  But on that day, eating soup, followed by a birthday celebration and a wonderful meal, I started my journey in earnest.

The following morning, we went to the Pilgrims office to register our trip and pick up the “passports” we would need to present to collect our Compostela, a certificate you receive upon completion of your hike in Santiago. Technically, you only have to walk the last 100kms to receive a Compostela, but the most popular route starts in St. Jean – a mere 825ish kms away.  In the passport, we’d collect stamps from all the albergues, churches, bars and restaurants we stopped in. It was quite fun collecting them all and most people ended up with two full passports by the time the trip was done.

Pilgrim Passport

The first day took us straight uphill to L’auberge refuge d’Orisson.  It was an extremely hard day (it did get easier later on once we were in better shape) and it was snowing/raining/sleeting for most of the day.

IMG_7230

Awesome Pilgrims!

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain

They say the Camino gives you what you need (not what you want). I’d have to say that it is true- it happened on more than one occasion along the entire Camino. It’s almost as if by some miracle, when you ask for something you need, you receive it.

A walking companion and I were literally dying on our way up the mountain (we were just a few kms away from our destination) and a man in a pick-up truck pulled alongside and asked if he could take our bags up to Orisson. Turns out he was the albergue’s owner, Jean-Jacques. We gladly tossed our bags into the truck and continued walking unhindered all the way there. What a relief that was! My bag, later known as “Lucifer” was crazy heavy and we were really struggling with the steep climb up the mountain on the first day out. I kept asking myself why’d I leave Paris and what the hell had I gotten myself into! But “The Camino” didn’t let me quit before I’d barely started. It gave me a much needed ride for the bag and the strength to carry on.

Well… it was full on blizzarding that night and the discussion turned to which way to go- over the Pyrenees through the snow or head back down the mountain and go around. Several in the group that was staying at Orisson decided to go over the top and through the cold. Me? Being underdressed, underprepared and just plain chicken cold wanted to take the route down and around. And boy, am I glad I did! While some of my new friends were trudging through the snow and cold, I and my other new friends were happily sitting at a café, in the sunshine, having rillettes and baguettes for lunch.  It was the best choice I could have made and I am so happy that I went that way!  By nightfall, both groups had arrived safe and sound on the other side of the mountain in Roncesvalles.

DSC01443They are really not having fun. Meanwhile…

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain Oh look! It’s sunny and we are sitting having a nice time. And there’s beer. Yep!  This way is far better!

The first major city we arrived to was just 74kms into the trip, or four days. Pamplona, most famous for the running of the bulls, also has some of the best pintxos (tapas) in Northern Spain.

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain

These petite nouvelle cuisine bites are well worth the two Euros you’ll spend. Make sure to try an ample variety. But keep in mind, the key to Tapas bars/Pintxos bars, is to bar ‘hop’. Try a little something at each bar along an entire Calle (road).  Each has its own specialty and its own atmosphere. Some bars are dark, rustic pubs, while others are bright, modern eateries. When you have had your fill, find the one place you like and stay for a while.

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain
Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain

Another wonderful thing about Pamplona is that there are several places to get the highly sought after 5J Iberian Ham. What makes this “bellota” ham so special?  Well, it’s acorn fed, free range ham from 100% Iberian pigs. These pigs are very rare, native to the Iberian peninsula in South West Spain and only available in limited numbers. It is considered to be the very finest ham in the world.  And no doubt, 5J possesses a sweet, nutty flavor and just melts in your mouth.  It really lives up to it’s reputation.

Here in NYC, the front leg (called the paleta) is around $150 a pound, machine-sliced and around $180 a pound for hand-sliced ham at Despaña Foods in Soho and in Queens.

You can also order  5J online from tienda.com -whole, bone-in paleta (about 9.5 pounds) is $650 (on sale right now from $750). Or just in case you feel like you can splurge, the Boneless Jamón Ibérico de Bellota Ham (hind leg) is on sale for just $1,290(from $1,600!). Now, that’s 6-7 pounds of pure heavenly pig!  Unfortunately, the black hoof is removed here due to the USDA regulations, which to me makes it a tad bit more difficult to prove authenticity.  But if you are buying from reputable sources you shouldn’t have any problems. Check out how to identify an authentic 5J ham here.

So now you can understand why it’s good to try it in Spain, if and whenever and as often as you can!

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain

Pamplona’s cuisine also stands apart for the quality of its vegetables-the white asparagus and the piquillo red peppers, often marinated in a tangy vinaigrette, are superb. Of course, tortillas and patatas fritas (French fries) are a standard daily favorite while on the Camino. Every day when we would stop lunch would consist of either  a tortilla or a platter of these crunchy fried potatoes.

Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain
Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain
Camino de Santiago and Foods of Northern Spain

But it was a real treat to have Patatas Bravas, crispy chunks of potatoes with creamy centers that had been coated in a spicy tomato sauce-sometimes served with a garlicky aioli.  Patatas Bravas are famous in Spain and can be found nearly everywhere.  And nearly everyone loves them once they have tried them. It’s the one dish where everyone at the table just dives right in with their forks.

So I began my search for the perfect recipe.

Born in the northern region of Asturias and raised outside of Barcelona, José Andrés is the chef credited with introducing the U.S. to traditional Spanish cooking and the concept of tapas. He trained in Michelin-starred restaurants including elBulli with world-renowned Master Chef and friend Ferran Adrià (who I had the pleasure of meeting once and receiving congratulations  from when KC came in as a runner up in a molecular-gastronomy contest.) So I knew that his patatas bravas would be incredible. My recipe is inspired by his creation.

One of the differences is that I oven fried my potatoes, which is less greasy, but equally crisp (and less messy). I tend not to stove top fry potatoes anymore because just doing it in the oven is so much easier and the results are just as good, if not better.

The sauce I made is based loosely on Andrés’ recipe. The creamy, garlic aioli completes the dish and complements the spicy tang of the tomatoes.  Serve with a cold beer and prepare to lick the plate clean!

Note: If you follow my tweets/facebook, you will find that I had some issues with the first aioli I tried to make for this. I rescued it and it came out great. The first batch was too thin- so I removed what I could from the food processor and set it aside. I added another egg yolk to the processor and gave it a whirl while slowly adding back in the reserved aioli. Then I added just a bit more olive oil -slowly drizzling into the food processor- watching the mixture come together and whizzed it to perfection.

Kitchen On the Road- Camino de Santiago- Pamplona; Pig and a Patatas Bravas Recipe
 
Print
Author: Renee
Recipe type: Patatas Bravas with Garlic Aioli Recipe
Cuisine: Spanish
Ingredients
  • 5 Large Potatoes (peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes)
  • Olive Oil
  • dash Salt & Pepper
  • 1 Can Diced Tomatoes (14 oz can)
  • 1 Small Onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 Small Chili Pepper (Jalapeno/Serrano/Red Chili, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped)
  • 1 teaspoon Sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Spanish Sweet Paprika (Pimenton (smokey and sweet))
  • 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 tablespoons Sherry Cooking Wine
  • 1 Egg Yolk
  • 2 cloves Garlic (Smashed)
  • 1 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 cup Olive Oil
Method
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a roasting tray or cookie sheet with 2 tbs olive oil into the oven and leave to heat for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, rinse and cut into rough 1" chunks. Remove the tray from the oven and toss the potatoes in the hot oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for about 30 minutes or until a crisp golden color. Pierce with a fork to make sure they are cooked all the way through. Continue baking in five minute increments if not fully cooked.
  2. While the potatoes are in the oven, make the sauces. Add 2 tbs olive oil into a saute pan over medium heat. Sweat the onion for about five minutes until soft and clear. Add the chili pepper and cook for another three minutes. Add the can of tomatoes, sugar, salt and smoked paprika mixing well to combine. Bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the Sherry cooking wine and the crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and adjust any seasonings if necessary. (I added a touch more red pepper flakes for more heat.)
  3. To make the aioli, place the egg yolk into the small bowl of a food processor along with the smashed garlic and 1tbs Red wine vinegar. Add 1 tbs olive oil and whirl until incorporated, then drizzle in the rest of the cup of olive oil into the food processor with the motor running, until you have creamy mayonnaise-like sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. Warning: Consuming raw or undercooked meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish and eggs may increase the risk of food borne related illness.
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Filed Under: Eat, Travel, Featured Posts, Appetizers, Sauces, Dressings and Condiments, Side Dishes, Spain, Vegetables Tagged With: Camino, José Andrés, Pamplona, Patatas Bravas, Pintxos, Potatoes, Recipe, Spain, aioli, cooking, tapas

St. Paddy’s Day- Erin go Bragh! A Menu for the Day

March 17, 2012 by Renee

I should be Irish. I have the requisite red hair, the fair complexion and even a few freckles. William Butler Yeats is my favorite poet (tied with T.S. Eliot, who’s American/English but Shhh!) and I love Guinness and all things Kerrygold.

So it goes without saying that I take St. Paddy’s day a little personal. Well, I don’t do the whole, green paint your face or wear strange shamrocks with glitter on them (unless I have drank all the Guinness), but I do cook up some traditional and some non-traditional Irish fare to celebrate the day.

When we were young newlyweds, Ari and I were regulars at a pub in the West Village, where both the Italian and Irish firemen all moonlighted as bartenders. We would sit at the bar, drink pints of beer and chat with everyone that came in. It wouldn’t take long before the whole place would burst into song and sing an Irish tune called “Four Green Fields”. It was great fun, but one of the best parts of the place was the traditional pub foods they served (along with several dishes that were way more upscale and delicious!) We dined on so many great things that came out their tiny kitchen-that happened to be setup in an alleyway (I wonder what the NYC Dept. of Health’s restaurant grading system would give them today if they were still open…). Anyway, one dish that we loved there was the Shepherd’s Pie.  The meat was cubed and tender, the peas and carrots were fresh and sweet. The mashed potatoes were creamy and the melted, cheesy top gave it such a nice crust and variation of texture. One Au Gratin dish was plenty for two people to share- and sometimes even three.

We used to eat it there at least a few times a month, if not more. But now, we only seem to make Shepherd’s Pie for St. Paddy’s Day or once in a blue moon. We may want to revisit that. It’s the perfect all-in-one meal. Meat, potatoes and vegetables all together in one perfect marriage bound by aged cheddar cheese. Separate, all the parts are perfect. Together? They live in harmony. Both on the plate and in our bellies.

We were on our way to make our standard version of Shepherd’s Pie, but while watching The Chew today and seeing Carla and Clinton make their insanely decadent Eight Layer Shepherd’s Pie, we knew that we had to give this one a try. We made some adjustments to theirs and will note them below. Here’s the link to their recipe–

Our notes:

-They say that the Skill Level is ‘difficult’. It’s not. Not at all. What it is, however, is a lot of little steps that must be done before the final assembly. So, it’s not difficult, it’s time consuming. Very, very time consuming. Like, give yourself a good two hours of prep time if you are doing it all by yourself. It took the two of us, both completing different parts a good hour and fifteen minutes to finish the prep. (And Ari is a pro- so for the rest of us…. extra time.)

-The recipe also states in the Kitchenware (needed) section that it’s a 9×9” baking pan. That’s an error. It should be a 9×13”pan. And make it a deep one!

-It says to use a mandolin, but you certainly don’t have to if you don’t have one.  Just be sure to slice the potatoes very thinly for the first layer.

-For the cheese sauce, it’s important to let the flour and milk mixture come to a small boil to thicken the sauce. Be sure to keep whisking so it doesn’t burn, but the high heat helps the roux and the milk come together. One thing they don’t mention, but you should also do, is to remove the milk from the heat and whisk in the cheese. This prevents it from scalding and burning and sticking to the pot. We also upped the cheese to 1 cup as the sauce was just too liquid and added a healthy pinch of salt because it tasted flat without it.

-For the mashed potato layer, we use our standard potato to butter ratio- 2:1. And butter to heavy cream ratio- 1:1. A la Joël Robuchon. It’s just how we roll. And we added salt to taste here- which, surprisingly, is left out of their recipe.

Some tips to make it all go easier (and faster):

  • Read the entire recipe beforehand. (Sounds like it should be a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised!)
  • Bake the puff pastry first and set aside.
  • Chop/dice/cube all the vegetable you will need for the entire recipe all at once. (You need potatoes and cheese twice, so divide accordingly! Keep the potatoes for layer one in a bowl of water to keep them from turning brown until you need them.)
  • When it’s time to brown the meat, at the same time, go ahead and boil the potatoes so they are ready for mashing when you get to the step for the mashed potatoes. While the potatoes are cooking, cook the peas and carrots and set aside until that step.
  • Salt every layer. A pinch of salt takes food from flat to fantastic.
  • The cheese was just not browning after the allotted time, so we kicked the oven up to broil just to give it some much needed color. And crust. We left off the final step of the fried onions but they would make an excellent addition for sure!

Here’s the finished result-

So how was it, you ask? It was truly decadent. And cheesy.   And deep. The beer flavor really comes out in the cheese sauce. The mashed potatoes and the meat were perfectly seasoned and the entire dish came together in perfect harmony. The puff pastry dough gave it a biscuit like flavor and texture in the middle of all the creaminess.  I loved the cheese topping and its crispy crust that it formed over the mashed potatoes.

Bottom line, it’s definitely a keeper recipe. But, reserved for large gatherings or special occasions. Only because of the time commitment involved in making it. I could see making the cheese sauce for other things though- like cauliflower or pasta.

If you try it, let me know your thoughts. I am always curious to know if people “follow the recipe” or improvise and what they come up with.

We also made Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes. The most traditional Irish meal there is. It’s what everyone thinks of when you say St. Patrick’s Day, so of course, we made this too. Basically, everything goes into a pot of water and cooks until it’s done. The meat first, then the potatoes and then the cabbage.  Served with a good mustard and maybe a splash of vinegar for the cabbage, it’s as easy a meal to make as any. If you are looking to glaze your corned beef, a black current mustard sauce is the most flavorful and you will please all of your guests.

In a small saucepan, over low heat, combine a jar of black current jam with three tablespoons of Dijon mustard. If you prefer a bit spicier, just add more mustard. Once liquid, pour it over the cooked corned beef and serve.  You’d be amazed at how fast your corned beef disappears. It’s also really excellent the next day if you can sneak a slice or two away to save.

Irish Soda Bread is the perfect accompaniment for the pie and the corned beef. The thing about Irish Soda Bread is that there truly is only one recipe with a variation of different ratios. I think from the beginning of time, it just consisted of these simple ingredients. Traditional Irish Soda Bread doesn’t have baking powder or sugar in it. If it does, then it’s cake, not bread. And while you can experiment with different flours, it’s either bread flour or AP Flour that’s traditionally used in Irish kitchens.

 

Irish Soda Bread

Ingredients:

4 cups (16 oz) of all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
14 oz. of buttermilk

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees.  Lightly grease and flour a round cake pan.

In a large bowl sift and combine all of  the dry ingredients.

Add the buttermilk and mix to form a sticky dough.  Place on a floured surface and lightly knead. Don’t overwork the dough- too much and the gas will escape and leave you with a flatter bread.

Shape the dough into a disc and place it in the round cake pan. Cut a large “X” in the top of the dough.

Cover the pan with an inverted pan and bake for 30 minutes. (This cover simulates the Bastible Pot- or the Dutch Oven traditionally used to make the soda bread in).  Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

When completely baked, the bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped.

Cover the bread in a kitchen towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist until ready to serve.

Serve warm with your favorite Irish butter!

 

For dessert, we created fun “Green Velvet” Whoopie Pies. The recipe is the same for the one’s I created last Valentine’s Day, just with green food coloring instead of red. They are festive and everyone loves them. We hope you will too.

So, we’ll leave you with this Irish Blessing:

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.

For fun pub song’s- try this or this.

Have a great St. Patrick’s Day and remember- Don’t Drink and Drive!

Filed Under: Eat, Featured Posts, Bread, Desserts, Meats Tagged With: Beef, Cabbage, Corned Beef, Ireland, Irish, Lamb, Mashed Potatoes, Potatoes, Shepherd's Pie, Soda Bread, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Whoopie Pies

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Chicken Parm… a nice family dinner. Can’t beat Chicken Parm… a nice family dinner. Can’t beat comfort food! #dinner #family #familystyle
Totally forgot to post the cut of my soap here. It Totally forgot to post the cut of my soap here. Its been very busy and I’m like a whirling dervish in all different directions. On the food front we made some favorites-Chicken Marbella that sustained us for a week and also a Corned Beef and Cabbage dish because it is March after all. But it was good to have the comfort foods we love and old standards as they provide the most contentment when it’s chaos everywhere else. Regular work and then some wholesale orders and getting the line poured for our Spring/Summer scents. And helping others with a few website issues. And kids. Thankfully, it seems to all be under control now and I’m really happy to be busy. All good things! 

The Eucalyptus Mint cut (smells amazing!) turned out so nice. Very happy with it. Had a request for a classic Cucumber Melon soap. Also a lovely fresh and clean spring/ summer scent. Available soon. But the Spring/Summer line of candles are done and are now available! Yay! 
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#cpsoap #cooking #smallbusiness #candlemaking #candles #soap #busy #happy
Still cooking. This week I made the amazing stuffe Still cooking. This week I made the amazing stuffed vegetables from Aglaia Kremezi and they were so delicious. But I didn’t take any photos. I did, however, take video of my latest soap pour. White eucalyptus and mint. Smells amazing! Can’t wait to see how the cut turns out. It was a bit thicker trace than I expected. 
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#coldprocesssoap #soap #soapmaking #ecualyptus #mint #stillinthekitchen #somethingdifferent
It’s been a week! Time to relax a little. Braise It’s been a week! Time to relax a little. Braised short ribs and polenta. Dinner is served! 
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#weekend #weekendvibes #cooking #dinner #shortribs #polenta
Breakfast buddies. I love when he crunches toast. Breakfast buddies. I love when he crunches toast. #sharing #labradoodle #lovemydog #notofficiallyonthebed
It’s been ages since I’ve posted here. Well, a It’s been ages since I’ve posted here. Well, a month, lol. Thats a while! We made it through the holidays and we are into the new year. And while we are still cooking a lot, most of my big concoctions lately have been outside the kitchen and in the soap/candle studio. Here I am mixing scents, clays and mica colorants. Lots of new products coming to @lesilobleu soon. 
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#candlemaking #soapmaking #coldprocesssoap #giftideas #smallbusiness
Traditional Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Puddings a Traditional Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Puddings and roasties. Even though it wasn’t Sunday. A favorite. 
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#sundayroast #beef #potatoes #yorkshirepudding #dinner #yum
Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and very Merry Ch Wishing everyone a safe, healthy and very Merry Christmas! From all of us to all of you!
A little confiture with our biscuits this morning. A little confiture with our biscuits this morning. Fun flavors with pretty packaging. It’s a bit too sweet for me but I do like the pretty presentation. 
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#jam #preserves #confiture #confitureparisienne #framboise #macaron #biscuits
Chicken Piccata for dinner. Love, love, love the l Chicken Piccata for dinner. Love, love, love the lemony white wine and caper sauce. A favorite! #dinner #chicken #lemon #yum
Fried chicken and waffles for dinner. With a maple Fried chicken and waffles for dinner. With a maple sriracha syrup. #dinner #eat #friedchicken #waffle #chickenandwaffles #yum
Leftovers! The best thing for lunch the next day- Leftovers!  The best thing for lunch the next day- Thanksgiving dinner on a roll. #thanksgiving #leftovers #thanksgivingdinneronaroll #yum #thebest
We are full of food and love today! So grateful fo We are full of food and love today! So grateful for the family around our table. #love #gratitude #thanksgiving #family
Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are Wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving! We are so grateful for each and every one of you! However you spend your day, may it be filled with love and deliciousness! 
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#thanksgiving #gratitude #love #friends #family #delish
So many blooms from our roses … still!!! It’s So many blooms from our roses … still!!! It’s November! I’m capturing them and will dry the petals for soap and bath salts. #roses #latebloomer #davidaustinroses #loveroses
Margez, falafel and hummus with some gyro and roas Margez, falafel and hummus with some gyro and roasted carrots for dinner. Quick and easy for a Wednesday that should have been a Thursday. #dinner #whatdayisit #sotired
We have Dahlias. They are coming in now! How did t We have Dahlias. They are coming in now! How did this happen? We didn’t think the bulbs worked but here they are and they are beautiful! #flowers #flowergarden #dahlia #latebloom
Braised short ribs with polenta. Sunday dinner is Braised short ribs with polenta. Sunday dinner is served. #polenta #shortribs #dinner #delicious
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