Irish Cooking at Home

Not long after I got back in Mammoth Lakes I received a package of books on Ireland from my niece, Cindy in Alabama.  Two of them were cookbooks and so I got busy in my kitchen to try out recipes.  

The first thing I tried was from the Irish Cooking Bible.  

I tried a Bacon and Potato Quiche. I already had an uncooked pie crust in the freezer so I simply baked it and made the filling.  It called for thick-cut bacon which I already had.  Whenever I go through Bishop on my way from Mammoth to L.A. Or vice-versa I always stop at Mahogany Smoked Meats to buy their bacon.  

       

One uncooked pie crust 

12 ounces of thick-cup bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/2 medium onion, chopped

8 ounces Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme 

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

4 eggs]t

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (I used freshly ground)

3 ounces Dubliner cheese (shredded). (I found this in my local Von's store

3 tablespoons chopped fresh Chives

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

-Line a pie  plate (I used a quiche pan with a removable bottoms) with crust.  Prick with a fork. Bake 8 minutes.  

-Cook bacon over medium heat until browned.  Remove and drain on paper towel.  Reserve 1 tablespoon of drippings.  Discard remainder of melted fat.  Add potatoes, onion, and thyme. Cook 10 minutes or until tender.  

- Whisk held-and-half with eggs and seasoning.  

-Line a baking sheet with foil.  Place quiche pan over the foil and add bacon, vegetables, and cream mixture.  Cover with cheese and chives.  

-Bake 35 to 40 minutes until set.  Cool 10 minutes before serving.  

For dessert I made Irish Cream Cheesecake from The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook.  It was a luxurious dessert made even more special by the addition of Bailey's Irish Creme.  

 

The crust was made with Chocolate Chip Cookies.  The filling had no eggs so it didn't need to be baked making it the easiest cheesecake ever.  16 ounces of chocolate (half semisweet dark chocolate half milk chocolate).  I used a Chocolate Whipped Topping from the local Von's with raspberries.  I'm going to make this for the next family dinner.  It would be even better served with a shot of the Irish Creme.  

A third recipe I have tried is Beef and Stout Pies also from The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook.   Chuck steak cut into 1-inch pieces was dredged in seasoned flour and cooked in oil- then deglazed with undiluted beef broth.  The sauce consisted of onion, mushrooms, tomato paste, thyme, and stout.  The topping was store-bought puff pastry brushed with one beaten egg yolk.  I used individual ceramic soup bowls that were oven proof.  It was especially fitting using Guinness stout since I had toured the factory in Dublin.