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 St Patrick behold you Beannacht Lá Fhéile Pádraig 2015 Not up to this year's 36th annual St Patrick's Day parade on Greenville Avenue and the concert following at Energy Square? If you're not, there's still a party in town at Gourmet for the wearing of the green and celebrating, If by chance you are, then all the recipes can be made ahead, so you can party in the morning and the evening too! March 14, 2015 7PM
Suggested Division of Labor Four Couples 1. Onion Tart 2. Creamy Leek and Potato Soup, Rustic Bread (purchase bread) 3. Corned Beef and Cabbage and Herbed Root Vegetables 4. Creme de Menthe Brownies and Ice Cream Five Couples 1. Onion Tart 2. Creamy Leek and Potato Soup, Rustic Bread (purchase bread) 3. Corned Beef and Cabbage 4. Herb Root Vegetables 5. Creme de Menthe Brownie and Ice Creme Green Beer and Irish Coffee will be prepared by your Host and Hostess along with their selected menu item
Onion Tart Food and Wine by Kelsie Kerr Servings: 4-6 Dough 1⅓ sheets of Puff Pastry Filling 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 1/2 pounds sweet onions, thinly sliced 6 thyme sprigs 2 tablespoons crème fraîche Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of milk 1. In a skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions and thyme and cook over moderately high heat, until softened, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, until the onions are caramelized and golden, 20 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and discard the thyme. Stir in the crème fraîche and season with salt and pepper. Let cool. 2. Thaw dough but keep it cold. 3. Position a rack on the lowest rung and preheat the oven to 375 or set a pizza stone on the bottom of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to a 12-inch round and transfer to the baking sheet. Spread the onions on the round, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the edge of the dough up and over the filling and brush the edge with the egg wash. 4. Bake the tart on the bottom shelf or on the stone or for about 40 minutes, until the dough is richly browned on the bottom. 5. Transfer the tart to the top shelf and bake for about 5 minutes longer, until the top of the crust is browned. Transfer the tart to a rack and let cool slightly. Cut the warm tart into wedges and serve
Creamy Leek and Potato Soup by Food and Wine Murielle Andraud Servings: 6 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter 4 large leeks, white and tender green parts only, thinly sliced 1 baking potato (½ pound), peed and cut into 2-inch chunks 5 cupss chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth 1 cup heavy cream Salt and freshly ground pepper Chervil or parsley sprigs, for garnish Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the leeks and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the potato and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover partially and simmer over low heat until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cream and simmer for 10 minutes longer. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender, the return it to the pan. Season the soup with salt and pepper, garnish with herbs and serve. Make ahead The soup can be refrigerated overnight
adapted from Tyler Florence recipe Servings 6 servings Corned Beef and Cabbage Ingredients: Corned Beef 1 Pre-packaged /Brined corned beef 2 ½ - 3 pounds 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 large onion, quartered 6 carrots, coarsely chopped 1 head celery, including leaves, coarsely chopped 1 head garlic, halved 3 sprigs fresh marjoram 2 bay leaves 1 beer (pale ale) 4 cups beef broth 1 small to medium cabbage cut into 6 to 8 wedges Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, marjoram and bay leaves and cook until starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the brine package and rinse it well. Set the meat on top of the vegetables and add beer and beef broth to just cover the meat. (If a little more liquid is needed to cover, water can be used to just cover.) Bring to a boil, skimming any foam that surfaces. Reduce the heat to a simmer, place the lid on the pot, and cook for 15 minutes on the stove. Put in the oven to cook for 3 hours or until tender. Add the cabbage to the pot for the last 15 minutes. Remove the meat, cover it with foil, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Cut the fat off the corned beef, slice the meat against the grain and serve in shallow bowls with the cabbage wedges, some cooking liquid along with the Herbed Root Vegetables.
Herbed Root Vegetables Ingredients: 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 pound baby carrots, trimmed and scrubbed 1 pound baby turnips, trimmed and scrubbed 1 pound baby parsnips, trimmed and scrubbed NOTE: Regular sized carrots, turnips and parsnips can be substituted. Peel, trim and cut into approximately 2 inch size pieces. Herb Butter: ½ pound unsalted butter softened ½ cup mixed chopped fresh herbs like thyme, mint, chives, parsley, or chervil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Put the olive oil and butter into a large pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and toss to coat them well with the fat; season with salt and pepper. Add 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Herb Butter: Combine the soft butter and herbs together; season with some salt and pepper. To serve, spread some Herb Butter in the bottom of a bowl. Add the hot vegetables and dot with more Herb Butter. Moisten with some of the cooking liquid.
Creme De Menthe Brownies Ingredients Brownies 4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate 1 cup unsalted butter 4 large eggs 2 cups granulated sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup flour Filling ½ cup of unsalted butter, softened 2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar 4 tablespoons green creme de menthe (or use green food color plus a dash of peppermint extract) Icing 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 6 tablespoons unsalted butter Ice Cream Mint Chocolate Chip Directions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mist 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray. Prepare brownies: In a double boiler, melt chocolate and 1 cup butter over simmering water; cool slightly. In a medium mixing bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until blended, then add the 2 cups granulated sugar and continue whisking until mixture is light and fluffy. Add cooled chocolate mixture, salt, vanilla and flour. Keep whisking until thoroughly blended. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 25 minutes. Remove the pan from oven and leave brownies to cool in pan. Make filling: Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the ½ cup butter and confectioners' sugar together until well blended. Stir in the creme de menthe and blend well. Spread over cooled brownies. Refrigerated in original baking pan until filling is firm. Make icing: Melt the chocolate chips and 6 tablespoons butter in the top of a double boiler, stirring until smooth. (You can do this in the microwave, just monitor closely and stir a few times. Pour the warm glaze over the filling and tilt pan to distribute the icing evenly. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens. To cut, allow brownies to come to room temperature in pan so chocolate doesn't crack. Serve with Ice Cream.
IRISH COFFEE Using a stemmed glass or cup rimmed with sugar, pour 1 ½ OZ. of Whisky ( preferably Irish Whisky). Fill glass to within ½ inch with strong hot black coffee. Cover surface to brim with chilled whipped cream.