Let’s Eat: Traditional Irish foods to make St. Patrick’s Day special

By Heidi Sutton

Whether your shamrock spirit leads you out for a local St. Patrick’s Day parade or you’re more of a stay-at-home leprechaun, there is one tradition all can agree on: delicious Irish food. 

Serve with Sweet Irish Soda Bread and share a sweet way to complete the meal in style with Irish Apple Cake, a classic dessert to top off a filling celebration. This version is easy enough to prepare with a handful of everyday ingredients for the cake, a crumbly topping and homemade custard for the finishing touch, courtesy of Family Features.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

YIELD: Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:  

4 tablespoons butter melted

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

4 cups self-rising flour

1 cup currants or raisins

2 tablespoons sanding sugar optional

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 375 F. Mix melted butter and sugar then add buttermilk. Mix in flour and currants (or raisins). Flour hands and counter. Add sanding sugar to dough, if desired, and knead into ball. Grease small Dutch oven or pie plate and bake 40 minutes. 

Irish Apple Cake

YIELD: Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:

3 cups self-rising flour

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 stick butter cubed

3/4 cup sugar

4 apples of choice peeled and cubed

2 eggs

1 cup half-and-half

Topping:

1/2 stick butter

3/4 cup flour

1 cup brown sugar

Custard:

6 large egg yolks

6 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 cups half-and-half

2 teaspoons vanilla 

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease and flour 9-inch round springform pan. In large bowl, sift flour with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Using fork, cut butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Add sugar and apples; mix well. Stir in eggs and half-and-half until mixture reaches thick, dough-like batter. Pour batter into prepared pan.

To make topping: In bowl, mix butter, flour and sugar to create crumbled mixture. Sprinkle on top of batter in pan. Bake 1 hour. Check with toothpick to make sure middle is completely done. If not, bake 5-10 minutes. Let cool on rack.

To make custard: Whisk egg yolks and sugar. In saucepan, bring half-and-half to boil. Add one spoonful half-and-half at a time to egg mixture, whisking while adding. Once whisked together, return to saucepan and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla. Serve custard over cake.