It may be a cliché, but everyone really is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! Aran knits, tweed caps, shamrock-emblazoned scarves, and any apparel with even a hint of green come out of the closet on the 17th. If you’re cooking, that means your treasured Irish recipes emerge, too, ones that everyone loves and expects on the most celebratory day on the Irish calendar. Whether you’re a parade-goer, watch it on television, or simply enjoy the day with a cup of tea or an Irish coffee, a traditional Irish sweet is the perfect way to round out the day. Here are some of my make favorites. You’ll find these and other sweet ideas in my cookbooks Favorite Flavors of Ireland and Teatime in Ireland. To order a signed copy, visit irishcook.com.
IRISH SODA BREAD
MAKES 1 LOAF
One of the most well-known St. Patrick’s Day foods in the U.S is Irish Soda Bread, a sweet, cakelike dessert often called “Irish Bread.” In Ireland, it’s also called “Spotted Dog,” “Railway Cake,” or “Curnie Cake,” depending on the area where it’s made.
3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups raisins, or half raisins and half sultanas (golden raisins)
3 teaspoons caraway seeds
2 large eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Sparkling (non-melting) sugar, for sprinkling
Softened butter, for serving
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch round baking pan with butter flavored baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda; stir in raisins and caraway seeds. Make a well in center; stir in the eggs, buttermilk, and butter. Transfer to prepared pan; sprinkle top with sugar.
3. Bake for about 1 hour, or until top is golden and a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert bread onto rack; return to upright. Let cool completely before cutting into slicing.
STICKY TOFFEE PUDDINGS
MAKES 12
These “puddings” are a favorite of both the English and the Irish. More like a cake than a pudding, the dessert gets most of its decadence from the toffee sauce, this one enhanced with Irish cream liqueur. There are many variations of this recipe, from the name (some call it Sticky Date Pudding) to the addition of Guinness and Irish cream liqueur, but there’s no denying its popularity. You can make it a day ahead, leave it at room temperature, and reheat the sauce in a microwave.
For the puddings
1 cup Guinness
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon baking soda
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 cups self-rising flour
For the toffee sauce
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons salted butter
2 tablespoons Irish Cream liqueur (optional)
1. Make puddings. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring Guinness, dates, raisins, and walnuts to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely. Stir in baking soda.
2. Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a standard muffin pan with butter flavored baking spray.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Fold in flour and date mixture. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean.
5. Make sauce. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring cream, brown sugar, and butter to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, without stirring, for 5 minutes, or until thick and smooth. Stir in Irish cream, if using.
6. To serve, remove puddings from pan; spoon sauce over puddings.
BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING
SERVES 6 to 8
This traditional dessert can be made with white bread, brioche, raisin bread, croissants, panettone — you name it! It’s an easy make-ahead dessert, and you can serve it with custard sauce, vanilla ice cream, or whipped cream.
4 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup cream
Grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1/3 cup sugar
8 slices white bread or brioche
6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
4 tablespoons apricot jam or orange marmalade
Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or custard sauce, for serving (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8- or 9-inch baking dish with butter flavored baking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and cream until blended. In a small bowl, mix lemon rind, juice, vanilla bean paste, and sugar; whisk into egg mixture.
3. Spread slices of bread with butter. Scatter half the raisins into bottom of the prepared dish; arrange a layer of the bread on top. Pour over half of egg mixture, pressing down gently. Repeat layers with remaining bread and raisins; sprinkle top with nutmeg.
4. Place dish into a large roasting pan. Fill pan with hot water to come three-quarters of the way up the sides of dish.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is browned and filling is just set.
6. Remove pudding from water bath to a wire rack. Heat apricot jam or marmalade in a microwave for about 15 seconds; brush over top of pudding.
7. To serve, cut pudding into slices. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or custard sauce, if desired.
APPLE CRUMBLE CAKE
SERVES 6 to 8
For the cake
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2å cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 cups flour, sifted
1 tablespoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced
For the crumble
1/4cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoon butter
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
1.Make cake. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat an 8-inch springform pan with butter flavored nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Fold in flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until blended; fold in apple. Transfer to prepared pan; spread to smooth.
3. Make crumble. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and butter. With your fingertips, rub mixture together until you have rough crumbs; sprinkle over cake.
4. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven; let cool on wire rack for about 15 minutes before releasing sides of pan.
5. To serves, cut cake into slices; top with whipped cream, if desired.
Margaret Johnson’s “Recipes” page also includes “Ireland Hopping: Adventures in Food, Drink, and Travel.” For further details on her work, including how to order her cookbooks, visit irishcook.com.
