Imbolc
Recipes
Boiled
Custard
Dublin Sunday Corned Beef and Cabbage
Baked Custard with Ginger
Cannariculi (Honey Cookies)
LiebKuchen (Honey Cakes)
Noodle Kuchen
Pannekoeken (German Pancakes)
Granny's Irish Scones
Irish Soda Bread
Mulligatawny Soup
Bailey's Irish Cream Truffles
Rose-Hip Wine
Boiled Custard
1 quart milk
4 large eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Scald milk in heavy pan - do not boil! Thoroughly beat eggs, adding salt and sugar. Beat a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Pour egg mixture hot milk, stirring well. Slowly bring just to a boil until mixture coats a wooden spoon. Remove from heat and beat until cool. Add vanilla and chill well.
Dublin Sunday Corned Beef and Cabbage
5 lbs corned beef brisket
1 large onion, stuck with 6 whole cloves
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 small bunch parsley
1 head cabbage (about 2 lbs.) cut in quarters
Horseradish Sauce:
1/2 pint whipping cream
2-3 Tbsp. prepared horseradish
Put beef in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add all other ingredients except cabbage and bring to a boil with the lid off the pot. Turn to simmer and cook for 3 hours. Skim fat from top as it rises. Remove the thyme, parsley and onion. Add cabbage. Simmer for 20 minutes until cabbage is cooked. Remove the meat and cut into pieces. Place on center of a large platter. Strain the cabbage and season it heavily with black pepper. Surround the beef with the cabbage, carrots and potatoes. Serve with horseradish sauce.
Horseradish Sauce: Whip cream until it stands in peaks. Fold in horseradish.
Baked Custard with Ginger
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Mix brown sugar with ginger and divide evenly onto bottoms of 6 buttered individual custard cups or ramekins. In a medium mixing bowl, blend eggs with milk, sugar, vanilla, and seasonings. Pour evenly into prepared custard cups. Place cups in a large saucepan, then fill with hot water to come halfway up sides of cups ( a hot water bath or Bain-Marie). Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes, or until knife inserted near edge comes out clean. Remove cups from Bain-Marie. Run knife around edges to loosely. Place serving plate over top of cup and carefully invert custard onto plate. Serve warm or cover, chill and serve cold.
Cannariculi (Honey Cookies)
4 cups flour
1 cup Marsala wine
2 large eggs
4 tsp. sugar
1 pinch salt
oil for deep frying
honey
Make a well in flour in mixing bowl or on work surface. Add wine, eggs, sugar, and salt. Mix well, until thoroughly blended. Knead dough vigorously until smooth and glossy. If using processor, continue mixing for at least 1 minute after ingredients are combined. Roll dough to an 1/8" thickness or less. Cut dough into 2" squares, starting with 1 corner, roll each square of dough loosely on the diagonal to form a pastry roll about the thickness of a pencil. Meanwhile, heat oil for deep frying. Fry batches of pastries in hot oil until golden brown, being careful not to crowd pan. Use a slotted spoon to remove fried pastries from oil. Drain on paper towels. Transfer to serving platter. Drizzle honey over top or dip Cannariculi into honey.
Makes 4 to5 dozen.
Liebkuchen (Honey Cakes)
1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup honey
1 cup sour milk* (see below)
2 Tbsp. vinegar
6 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. mace
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Prepare sour milk and mix
dry ingredients. Set both aside. Cream margarine and sugar, add egg,
beat until light. Add honey, sour milk, and vinegar. Add dry
ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Chill 1 hour. Roll out to
1/4" thickness. Cut into 2"x3" rectangles and place on
buttered cookie sheets. Bake at 375° for 6 minutes. Frost with
plain vanilla frosting.
* For sour milk, add 1 Tbsp. vinegar to 1 cup milk and let
stand for 10 minutes.
Noodle Kuchen
7 eggs
1 cup sugar
16 oz. cottage cheese
2 cups sour cream
2 cups milk
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup butter
1 lb. broad egg noodles, cooked
Topping:
1/4 cup crushed cornflakes
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
sour cream to garnish
Mix eggs and sugar. Add cottage cheese, sour cream, milk, vanilla, and raisins. In separate bowl, add butter to warm noodles, stirring until melted. Combine noodles with cottage cheese mixture. Pour into 9x13" glass pan. Refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. To make topping, combine cornflakes, cinnamon, and sugar. Sprinkle over top of kugel. Bake 1 hour. Let dish stand for about 5 minutes before serving. Cut into squares and garnish with sour cream.
Pannekoeken (German Pancakes)
2 Tbsp. butter
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 cup milk
Preheat oven to 400°. Place butter in oven pancake pan. Heat for two minutes or until butter melts. Spread evenly in pan. In large bowl, beat eggs slightly. Stir in flour, sugar, and salt. Gradually add milk, beating until smooth. Pour into pan.
Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325°. Bake 40-45 minutes or until it reaches a deep golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately slide pancake onto a serving plate. Fill with fresh fruit and top with confectioner's sugar. Serves 6.
* This recipe is served at the Haddie Pierce House Bed & Breakfast.
Granny's Irish Scones
16 oz. self-rising flour
4 oz. margarine
3 oz. sugar
milk
2 eggs
5 oz. raisins or currants
1 tsp. baking powder
Mix flour and margarine together with your fingers until the mixture is fine; add sugar, raisins and baking powder. Beat eggs and add. Pour in enough milk to make mixture into a sticky dough (not too wet). Lift out onto a floured board and flatten out to 1 1/2" thickness and cut out scones with a biscuit cutter. Place 6 on a greased baking sheet and brush tops wit ha little beaten egg (this helps them to brown). Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 400° oven.
*Granny's Kitchen, St. Patrick's Rock, Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland.
Irish Soda Bread
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - unbleached,
enriched
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour - stone-ground
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Set baking rack in the center of the oven and place a baking stone (if available) on the rack. Preheat oven to 375°.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Mix to incorporate. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the buttermilk. Mix quickly to incorporate the milk evenly. It may be easier to mix with the hands than with a spoon. Form the dough into a loaf shape and place in a nonstick 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2" loaf pan. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes, until well browned and a skewer inserted in the center comes out dry. Remove from the oven and the baking pan. Place on a wire rack to cool.
Mulligatawny Soup
3 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced evenly
3 carrots, diced
1 1/2 Tbsp. curry powder
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
5 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsp. long grain white rice
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped.
8 oz. chicken, cooked and diced
1 small apple, cooked, peeled, cored & diced
salt to taste
fresh celery leaves
Heat butter and oil in a saucepan. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook gently 5 minutes. Stir in curry powder and flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in stock and bring to a boil; add rice and stir well. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, chicken, apple and salt. Cover again and simmer 15 minutes. Garnish with celery leaves and carrot strip, if desired, and serve hot.
Bailey's Irish Cream Truffles
1/4 cup Bailey's Irish Cream
1 Tbsp. butter
12 oz. semisweet chocolate pieces
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
Melt chocolate pieces, Bailey's and heavy cream together over very low heat. Whisk in yolks, one at a time, mixture will thicken. Whisk in butter. Refrigerate several hours, or overnight until firm. Make small balls with a teaspoon. Roll in powdered sugar or cocoa.
Rose-Hip Wine
3 lbs. rose hips
3 lbs. sugar
1 gallon boiling water
Wash the rose hips and cut them in half. Put them in large bowl and pour boiling water on them. Stir well with wooden spoon. Cover bowl and leave for two weeks. Strain off liquid into another bowl and add the sugar. Stir until dissolved. Cover bowl and leave for 5 days, stirring daily. Bottle, remembering to cork loosely at first, and store in a cool, dark, place. Push in corks when wine has finished fermenting. It will be ready to drink in 6 months.
