Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Regardless of your heritage, its seems everyone is "Irish" on this exuberant holiday dedicated to green beer, leprechauns, bagpipers, Irish step dancing, silly hats, MacDonald's shamrock shakes (yum!) and lively (and often debaucherous) parades and street parties in every major city. Boston has one of the largest populations of Irish and Irish-Americans in the US, and home to some of the best and most historic Irish pubs in the country. The annual South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade in "Southie" as the locals call it, is a tradition not to be missed! (Just be prepared for huge crowds of drunken college students, tourists and locals...and very little access to public restrooms!) Visit Boston.com for more information on all the best pubs and places to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
As full-fledged Irish-American girl, I can tell you it’s an absolute must to have corned beef & cabbage with Irish soda bread to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day! It takes 4 hours to cook, to start in the morning so it’s ready to serve by lunch time. Be sure to stock your fridge with plenty of Irish lager and stout, such as Guinness Draught and a refreshing favorite of mine, Magner’s Cider...and of course, a bottle of Irish Whiskey! This year, I’m trying out a new tradition for dessert, Mint Chocolate Brownie Trifle! It’s a richly decadent chocolate delight! Have a wonderful holiday! Erin Go Bragh! Sliante!
Classic Corned Beef and Cabbage
This classic, Irish recipe is sure to warm your hearts and fill your bellies this St. Patrick’s Day!
Prep 10 min
Cook 4 hr
Yield: about 6 to 8 main course servings
Ingredients
1 (3-pound) corned beef brisket (uncooked), in brine
16 cups cold water
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
4 whole allspice berries
2 whole cloves
1/2 large head green cabbage (about 2 pounds), cut into 8 thick wedges
8 small red bliss potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), halved
8 small carrots, diced (I added these in, as i love carrots with this dish)
Freshly ground black pepper
Butter, to slather on the carrots, potatoes and cabbage!
Serving suggestion: Whole-grain mustard and/or horseradish sauce
Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Place the corned beef in a colander in the sink and rinse well under cold running water.
Place the corned beef in a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid; add the water, bay leaves, peppercorns, allspice, and cloves. Bring to a boil, uncovered, and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Cover and transfer pan to the oven, and braise until very tender, about 3 hours and 45 minutes.
Transfer the corned beef to a cutting board and cover tightly with foil to keep warm. Add the cabbage, carrots and potatoes to the cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cabbage to a large platter. Slice the corned beef across the grain of the meat into thin slices. Lay the slices over the cabbage and surround it with the potatoes and carrots. Ladle some of the hot cooking liquid over the corned beef and season with pepper. Serve immediately with butter, mustard and/or horseradish sauce.
Mint Chocolate Brownie Trifle
This is a completely decadent and choclately dessert that is sure to be a hit this St. Patrick’s Day or any day, for that matter! Serve with an Irish Coffee (Irish Whiskey in coffee) or a little Bailey's Irish Creme!
2 packages of Brownie mix (Ghiradelli or any other brand, enough for a 9 x 13 pan)
Two chocolate mousse mixes
Two cups cold milk
12 oz. Cool Whip
Green food coloring (to tint the Cool Whip)
One large bag of Andes mints, unwrapped and chopped
Directions:
Bake brownies and let them cool.
Blend mousse mixes and milk according to package directions, but do not chill.
Once brownies have cooled, crumble them and place a layer on the bottom of a large trifle bowl, using about half the batch of brownies.
Next, spoon a layer of chocolate mousse, again, using about half.
On top of the mousse, make a layer of Cool Whip.
Finally, add a layer of crushed chocolate mint candies.
Repeat layers, finishing with a layer of chopped candy.
Chill for at least three hours. Serve and enjoy!
NOTE: This basic recipe can be easily changed by substituting Heath Bars, Oreo cookies, or any other candies or cookies that you like!
Source: Adapted from “Peppermint Brownie Trifle”
