Food & Drink

Are you missing a classic wedge salad from your favorite restaurant?

No worries … easy as pie to make at home, especially if you use Ireland’s favorite blue cheese, Cashel Blue from County Tipperary.

ICEBERG WEDGE WITH BLUE CHEESE-CHIVE DRESSING

SERVES 4

For the dressing

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped chives
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, such as Cashel Blue, plus more for topping

For the salad

•  Small head iceberg lettuce, quartered
•  1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon
•  1 cup chopped tomato
•  1/2 cup chopped red onion (optional)
•  Fresh chopped chives, for topping

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By definition, chutney is relish-like sauce made with fruit, sugar, spices and vinegar. It was often made to give late summer and autumn fruits a long shelf life and was used to add contrasting flavor to meats, especially poultry and game.

It’s also a great—make that fabulous—addition to a sandwich, especially at teatime, when it’s all about impressing your guests.

For your next afternoon tea, you might want to skip mayonnaise and mustard and try two sandwich toppings the Irish love: red onion marmalade (also called red onion jam) and tomato chutney.

These sweet-salty-savory condiments are delicious with smoked salmon, roast beef, and ham and cheese.

You’ll find these and other interesting sandwich combinations in my new cookbook Teatime in Ireland. Signed copies are available on www.irishcook.com.

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You might say that in Ireland all roads lead to tea. From breakfast and lunch breaks to weddings and wakes, cupan tea is always a welcome guest. Irish tea is far more than just a hot drink to go with a scone and jam: it’s an important custom that serves as a symbol of hospitality, friendship, and pleasure.

Some say the Irish people have a relationship with tea that “transcends the ordinary” — hyperbole, perhaps, but given that the average person in Ireland drinks four to six cups of tea a day, perhaps not!

I discovered this as soon as I enjoyed my first “official” cup at my cousin Kit’s cottage in County Kerry during my first visit there 35 years ago, and soon after at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, where I was introduced to afternoon tea, the elegant three-course affair where tea is the main attraction and delicacies like dainty sandwiches, flaky scones, and luscious pastries act in supporting roles.

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I haven’t posted in a month and my Irish guilt is gnawing at me! So it’s back to business this week as “that time of year” is fast approaching.

I’ve already started plumping my fruit for the several varieties of fruitcake that I make, but not for this one because the fruit is boiled! I’ve had the recipe for many years and love it now as much as ever.

The original recipe called for Bushmills, but you can substitute another brand. You’ll find this and other holiday recipes in my Favorite Flavors of Ireland cookbook, now BUY ONE GET ONE, and in my soon-to-be-released Teatime in Ireland. Visit www.irishcook.com for more details.

 Bushmills Boiled Fruitcake

Makes 1 large or 4 to 5 small loaves

This fruitcake is an interesting one because the dried and candied fruits are cooked with butter, brown sugar, and crushed pineapple before being mixed with the dry ingredient. The technique produces a very moist cake.

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While pumpkins are not native to Ireland, they’re in great demand during the autumn, especially around Halloween (also known as Samhain, one of the four ancient Celtic festivals).

In the U.S. we use pumpkins in many sweet and savory dishes, but most cooks find it more efficient to purchase canned pumpkin rather than to cut and scrape the flesh from a fresh one.

If you love pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie, you’ll adore this rich pudding made with challah bread! Top it with freshly whipped cream enhanced with mascarpone cheese. You’ll find recipes like this in my cookbook Favorite Flavors of Ireland (now BOGO/buy one get one free); order signed copies at www.irishcook.com.

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING WITH MASCARPONE WHIPPED CREAM
Serves 6 to 8

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