Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

St. Patrick’s Blessings To You!

My favorite Irish Recipes:

Irish Scones—especially good with clotted cream and strawberry jam
1 Cup white flour
½ tsp baking powder
¼ lb butter
1 egg; slightly beaten
2 oz sugar
Sultanas (white raisins) (Optional)
Walnut halves (Optional)

Mix flour and baking powder. Add butter, blending until mixture in butter-colored. Add sugar and continue to mix well. Add half the beaten egg and all the milk. Add raisins and/or nuts, if desired, mixing well to make sticky dough. Turn dough onto floured board and knead at least 5 minutes. Cut dough into rounds and place on greased baking sheet. Brush tops of scones with remainder of beaten egg. Sprinkle with walnut halves, if desired. Bake at 350 for 15 to 20 minutes or until brown.

Irish Whiskey Cake—this is the simple, shortcut version
1 box white cake mix
1 3oz pkg instant vanilla pudding
1 oz blended whiskey (preferably Bushmills or Locke’s)
4 eggs
1 Cup milk
½ Cup vegetable oil
1 Cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
2 tsp flour

Topping:
¼ lb butter
¾ Cup sugar
½ Cup whiskey

Combine cake, pudding, whiskey, and eggs. Beat well. Add milk and oil. Toss walnuts with flour and fold into mixture. Pour into greased and floured 10 inch tube (bundt) pan. Bake at 325 for 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool while you prepare glaze.

Heat butter, sugar and ½ Cup whiskey. Pour mixture over cake in pan. Cool in pan for 2 hours. Remove and refrigerate 24 hours. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Irish Brown Bread—also good with clotted cream
2 Cups whole wheat flour
2 Cups all purpose flour (plus additional for kneading)
½ Cup toasted wheat germ
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp cream of tartar
½ Cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into cubes
2 Cups buttermilk (well-shaken)

Preheat oven to 400. Butter a 9x2 inch round cake pan.

Whish together flours, wheat germ, salt, sugar, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a large bowl until combined well. Blend butter with a pastry blender until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk, stirring until a dough forms. Turn out on a floured surface and gently knead, adding just enough flour to keep dough from sticking, until dough is smooth (about 3 minutes).

Transfer dough to cake pan and flatten to fill pan. Cut an X (1/2 inch deep) across top of dough. Bake until loaf is lightly browned and sounds hollow when bottom is tapped (30 to 40 minutes). Cool in pan on rack 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool, right side up, for 1 hour.