All Posts By

Denise Foley

Food & Drink

Gaelic Steak

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold butter
  • 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon), 5 to 6 oz each
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 4 oz white mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons Irish whiskey
  • 3/4 cup homemade beef stock or canned low-sodium beef broth
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • Fresh parsley sprigs for garnish

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the butter and oil. Add the steaks and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side (for rare).

Transfer the steaks to a warm plate and cover.

Add the garlic, shallot, and mushrooms to the pan and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until soft but no browned. Stir in the honey and mustard and cook for 1 minute. Add the whiskey and stock or broth, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until reduced by half.

Whisk in the cream and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more, or until the sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reprinted with permission of Chronicle Books

March 13, 2007 by
Food & Drink

Jameson Irish Whiskey Cake

Cake

  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1-1/2 cups water
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Dash of ground allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup Jameson whiskey

Jameson Irish Whiskey Icing

  • 4 Tablespoons unsalted Kerrygold Irish butter, at room temperature
  • 3-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1/4 cup Jameson Irish Whiskey
  • Walnut halves for garnish (optional)

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch cake pans, and line them with waxed paper.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the raisins and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the liquid begins to thicken. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the liquid. Set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer for 4 to 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until smooth. Fold in the flour mixture alternately with the reserved liquid. Stir in the raisins, walnuts and whiskey.

Pour into the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 15 minutes. Invert the pans onto a wire rack, remove the waxed paper, then set the cakes upright. Let cool completely.

To make the icing: In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioner’s sugar with an electric mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, or until smooth. Add the egg and whiskey and beat until smooth. With a spatula, spread a third of the icing onto the top of one of the layers. Place the second layer on tip, and spread the top and sides with the remaining icing. Garnish with walnut halves. Let the icing set for 15 to 20 minutes before cutting the cake into slices.

From The Irish Spirit (Chronicle Books, 2006) by Margaret Johnson. Reprinted with permission of Chronicle Books

March 13, 2007 by
Food & Drink

Mayo Lemon-Thyme Salmon on Cedar

Starting with a filet of salmon that is 2 to 3 lbs. with skin, I oil both sides ( olive oil) and then lightly sprinkle thyme on both sides and put in on a dish.

This was done while the cedar plank (purchased at any market) is soaking in water for about 45 minutes. After I heat the grill on high temp setting I put the plank on the grill for about 3 minutes to sear it, before I put the fish (skin-side against the wood) on the heated side of the plank. With salmon now on the plank I add a few slices of lemon right down the center of the filet.

Put the plank with salmon on the grill (high) and close the cover of the grill for about 25 minutes.

Every 8 minutes I check it to make sure the board hasn’t gone up in flames, and if it starts to burn I use a spray bottle of water to douse the flames.

That also promotes smoking which really adds to the flavor of the fish.

March 13, 2007 by
Food & Drink

Agnes McCafferty’s Irish Potatoes

  • 2 boxes 10-X powdered sugar
  • 8 ounces coconut
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon cream
  • Powder cinnamon

Use the cream cheese at room temperature, mash and slowly add the 10-X sugar, coconut and cream. When well mixed, form into oval shaped balls. Roll the balls in cinnamon.

March 13, 2007 by
Food & Drink

Agnes McCafferty’s Irish Scones

  •  1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  •  1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 pound dark seedless raisins
  • 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
Heat oven 375 degrees.  Grease a loaf pan with unsalted shortening.

In a large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Stir in butter with a pastry blender until mixture is the consistency of coarse corn meal.  Stir in raisins.  

Place buttermilk, egg and baking soda in a small bowl and beat together with a fork until blended.  Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until blended.  Turn out dough onto a floured board, and knead lightly until smooth.  

Place dough in pan and with a sharp knife cut an X one-half inch deep into the top.  Bake 70-75 minutes or until done.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Cool completely before cutting.
March 13, 2007 by
People

Get Into the Irish Spirit

Once again, our friends have shared some delectable recipes with us to help you celebrate St. Paddy’s Day the right way. 

This year, many of them contain spirits. For example, cookbook author Margaret M. Johnson’s “Gaelic Steak” is dressed with sautéed mushrooms and onions in whiskey sauce. It’s from her latest book, The Irish Spirit: Recipes Inspired by the Legendary Drinks of Ireland (Chronicle Books, 2006) 


We also got non-alcoholic contributions from Bill McLaughlin, president of the Irish American Business Chamber and Network in Philadelphia and Wayne’s Agnes McCafferty, a longtime member of the Mayo Association of Philadelphia. 

Thanks to all!
 

And New Jersey bartender and author Ray Foley’s “Shamrock Cocktail,” one of the more than 300 Irish cocktail recipes from his book, “The Best Irish Drinks” (Sourcebooks Inc., 2006), contains a healthy dose of Bushmills (my grandmother’s favorite Irish whiskey).

March 12, 2007 by
News

They Love a Parade in Levittown

From Cobalt Ridge to Vermillion Hills, the folks of Levittown lined New Falls Road on Saturday, March 10, for the 19th annual Levittown St. Patrick’s Day parade. There were dancers, Shriners, beauty queens, pipers, politicians, clowns, dogs, horses, and St. Patrick on a cherry picker. The folks in Lower Bucks County got a treat that the Philly parade fans didn’t: They got to see the Fralinger String Band in full regalia. In Philly, they marched naked (for a string band, that means without their feathered costumes).

For a look at all the frivolity, check out our many photos.

March 10, 2007 by
Food & Drink

A Little Whiskey With Your Coffee?

Irish Coffee Judge Vern Leedom has a full cup of the Rib House's Irish coffee after the judging.

Irish Coffee Judge Vern Leedom has a full cup of the Rib House's Irish coffee after the judging.

Coffee, sugar, whiskey. Such a simple recipe, it’s a wonder no one thought of it sooner.

No, the Celts didn’t serve it to the invading Norsemen. Irish Coffee is of far more recent vintage: It was purportedly concocted in 1942 by Chef Joe Sheridan at the Foynes Airport in Ireland to assuage cranky passengers whose flight had to turn back because of bad weather. By all accounts, it worked.

And at the second annual Irish Coffee Competition sponsored by the AOH Notre Dame Division 1 last Thursday night in Swedesburg, there wasn’t a cranky person in the house. But it was clear that there is really no simple recipe for Irish Coffee. Yes, it always has coffee, and yes, it always has whiskey. But every chef and bartender and fire chief and guy named Murray has his or her own “secret ingredient” that makes each cup different. In fact, there may be more versions of Irish Coffee than Starbucks has menu items.

The winner of the AOH’s competition, for example, has the basics, plus Kahlua, Bailey’s Irish Cream, and crème de menthe, plus the now ubiquitous chocolate shavings and whipped cream. It’s the recipe of Kim Lonchar, assistant manager of the Bridgeport Rib House, who tested versions on her customers for the last two weeks before coming up with the winning combination. “I had everyone in the bar testing them last night,” says Lonchar who, with her compatriots, will be riding on a float in the AOH’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on March 10 in Conshohocken as their reward.

It was a tough competition. “The vote was really close,” said AOH president Pete Hand before he handed out the awards. And it must have been. The judges—the current and three former grand marshals of the parade—seemed to each have a different favorite among the six entries, which they sipped in a blind taste test.

Second place went to Guppy’s of Conshohocken for a recipe developed by Mick Higgins, a painting contractor (Galway Bay Painting of Plymouth Meeting) who is not only a friend of the owner but a former pub owner himself from Galway. “I’m also a good drinker and a part-time bartender,” he explained with a grin. He didn’t share his ingredients, but his version of Irish Coffee seemed to have a “it’ll put hair on your chest” ratio of strong coffee to good whiskey—and it drew judge Seamus Dougherty to the Guppy’s table to have a whole cup. “This was my favorite,” he said, oblivious to the “Got Milk” slash of whipped cream in his mustache.

Coming in third was Elks Lodge #714 of Bridgeport which served Irish brownies with their coffee, presented, appropriately, in shot glasses. Maureen Di Stefano explained what made the brownies Irish: “There’s Bailey’s in them!”

Though honorable mentions weren’t handed out, all of the other entries were honorably mentioned by someone. They included the Swedesburg Volunteer Fire Company (recipe from Chief Bernie Gutkowski), Spamps Restaurant of Conshohocken (recipe by bartender Dawn Peacock); and defending champs Chick’s of Bridgeport (recipe by bartender Tracey Looby and Amy Chiccarine).

You’ll be happy to know that we snagged two of the recipes for you, including one that made irishphiladelphia.com very happy (but we won’t say which one, since we really liked them all).

March 5, 2007 by