In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, we created a fabulous Irish-themed meal.
Cocktail - Kiwi Melon Cooler
Regular vodka, Midori, muddled fresh kiwi
Okay, perhaps not the most "Irish" cocktail, but we needed something light and green to start up the evening. And this cocktail blended very well into the appetizer. That aside - delicious! Fresh and just screamed summer. As I've said in other posts... I see a lot of cocktail and dessert recipes centering around fresh fruit as we continue into warmer months.
Appetizer - Irish Cheese Bites with Chutney
As our cheesemongers raised an eyebrow (ricotta, parmesan, and goat cheese isn't exactly very Irish), they did insist that chutneys are rather prominent in Irish cuisine. (And the website is called Little Shamrocks! Therefore, we've officially deemed this Irish food.) But who cares? Becuase these were awesome! Follow the recipe exactly, before stuffing with the cheese mixture, make an indentation in the puff pastry with the back of the spoon, and then broil to finish (not bake). We baked for 5 minutes, and the bottoms got a little brown and the cheese did not. These were so amazing and not one person at the table had a bad thing to say! However - the recipe made about double the amount of cheese needed. So either use 2 puff pastry sheets or cut your cheese in half. (1 puff pastry sheet made about 12 bite-size pieces... They were so good, I'd say allow 4-5 pieces/person when serving.)
Appetizer Wine - 2010 Verdejo Protos
Wine Enthusiast Rating - 88/100
This Spanish white was full of fruit flavor (primarily grapefruit) with a slight hint of herbs. It was rather sweet (like a Riesling) but paired amazingly well with the spicy chutney and the mixture of cheeses. This would definitely be a "go-to" for any time you're serving a cheese plate. (Kind of curious how this would have paired up with last week's Thai soup.)
Entree - Beef and Guiness Pie
Think beef stew meets chicken pot pie! The basic idea is a Guiness-braised beef stew that is then put in a single-serve dish and covered with puff pastry. This was delicious! We made no changes to the original stew recipe and thankfully so. The only difference was after sauteeing everything, we put it in the crock pot for about 4 hours on low. (Recipe reviews were divided on the idea of adding things like mushrooms, carrots, and potatoes - so we figured we'd make the recipe as stated instead of trying to doctor it up.) However - we did use store-bought puff pastry. And instead of freezing it for 15 minutes before baking (not enough freezer space), we tossed the individual ramekins in the fridge for about 30 minutes while prepping the appetizers. Delicious meal! Hearty, filling, tasty, and great flavors!
Side Dish - Red Cabbage Salad with Warm Pancetta-Balsamic Dressing
So good! Perfect side dish and something that we'll make again in the future. The crunch of the almonds and the tartness of the macerated currants were heavenly. And the dressing is not overpowering - the cabbage stays crisp and absorbs a night amount of flavor.
Side Dish - Irish Soda Bread
Guest Recipe
Since I forgot J's Red Velvet Cupcakes (see previous post), I made sure not to forget the amazing Irish Soda Bread courtesy of and old family recipe. Fantastic!
Entree Wine - 2008 Encierra Vineyard Reserve
Rating - Not found
This Chilean red is a strong blend of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It has aromas of dark fruits and spices with a lingering finish. It was nice and heavy with a full body and paired beautifully with the rich meal.
Entree Beer - O'Hara's Irish Stout
It's St. Paddy's Day!!! We had to try a beer! (And not a Guiness.) So the fabulous people at Harry's Wine recommended O'Hara's Stout (as well as the rest of our wines.) The beer drinker in the group really enjoyed it, and the non-beer drinkers tried it and thought it was tasty. Think Guiness but with more smoky flavor.
Dessert - Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake Bites
We followed the recipe exactly except making small cupcake size mini-cheesecakes instead of one large one. (Bake 15 minutes at 350 if you're making minis.) These were amazing and the perfect end to a perfect meal.
Dessert Apertif - Irish Coffee
Come on! Did you really think we'd make anything else???
Next Week - Italian
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