St. Patrick’s Day food

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, but we made a couple of recipes tonight for St. Patrick’s Day that I think are delicious, and will probably be repeated in future.  Enjoy!

Chicken with Bacon, Cabbage, and Cider

This recipe is from the cookbook The Irish Spirit: Recipes Inspired by the Legendary Drinks of Ireland by Margaret M. Johnson.  Recipes based on booze?  This is why I still own this cookbook.  🙂

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breastsSalt and pepper
6 slices of bacon, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1/4 cup canola oil
2 small onions, sliced
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 cup chicken stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup Irish hard cider
2 cups of shredded cabbage

Directions

Place chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and, with a mallet or rolling pin, pound or roll to 1/2 inch thickness.  Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon for 5 to 7 minutes, or until crisp.  Remove to paper towels to drain.  (Here, we found it helpful to drain some bacon grease.)  Return the skillet to the stove and heat 2 tablespoons of the oil.  Add the chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in the center.  Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with aluminum foil (the chicken will continue to cook).

In the same skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.  Stir in the onions and garlic and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not browned.  Stir in the stock or broth and the cider.  Bring to a boil, then add the cabbage.  Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

With a slotted spoon, transfer the cabbage to a platter and cover with aluminum foil.  Boil the cooking liquid for 4 to 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.

To serve, divide the cabbage among 4 serving plates.  Slice chicken and place on top of the cabbage.  Spoon sauce over the top, sprinkle with reserved bacon.

(We burnt the sauce, and forgot to slice the chicken, but our finished product!)

Next, dessert!

Guinness Cake with Bailey’s Frosting

So, for the frosting, I just took a regular container of vanilla frosting and mixed in Bailey’s Irish Liquer to taste.  We like things a little boozy, but it’s up to your palate.  The cake recipe which follows is from Betty Crocker.  Theirs is a layer cake with homemade frosting, but I made mine in a bundt cake pan with the frosting method mentioned above, as a way to meld the holiday with my German heritage.  🙂  If you want to homemake the frosting, I’ve included the whole recipe below.

Prep Time 35 min
Total Time 1 hr 50 min
Servings 12

Ingredients

Cake
1 box Betty Crocker™ SuperMoist™ dark chocolate cake mix
1 bottle (12 oz) stout beer
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs

Frosting
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups powdered sugar

Directions

• Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 (8-inch) round cake pans with shortening or cooking spray. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the beer for frosting; cover and set aside.
• In large bowl, beat cake mix, oil, eggs and remaining beer with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally until smooth. Pour into pans.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.  (Follow the box directions for what kind of cake pan you’re using, my bundt cake took 45 minutes instead of 35.)
  

I didn’t do these following steps, aside from frosting and chilling in the fridge.  Do both of these if you want the homemade frosting on a layer cake.

• In large bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and reserved 2 tablespoons beer with electric mixer on low speed until smooth. Gradually beat in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until frosting is smooth and spreadable.
• Cut each cake horizontally in half to make 2 layers. Place 1 layer, cut side up, on serving plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Repeat twice. Place last cake layer, cut side down, on top; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Frost side of cake with remaining frosting. Store in refrigerator.

I think it turned out well!

And it’s delicious, even though I don’t have a cake plate.  😀
Sláinte mhaith!  Enjoy the Irish spirit on this St. Patrick’s Day!

Steak Salad & Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Bailey’s Ganache

In an effort to use up the vegetables that were in the refrigerator I decided that making a fresh steak salad for dinner would be fantastic!  You can use whatever veggies you have in the kitchen as well as a combination of canned as well.  I also decided to try a dessert recipe from Walt Disney World’s Food & Wine Festival as well that I fell in love with.  This dessert recipe would make Paula Deen proud,  enjoy!

Steak Salad (2 servings)

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. top sirloin steak

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

2-3 tbs. Mrs. Dash Original Blend

Salt to taste

Mixed Greens

Veggies of your choice (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes) rinsed and trimmed

Canned veggies drained and rinsed (black beans, chick peas, corn)

Dressing of choice

Directions:

Combine EVOO and Mrs. Dash in a small bowl.  Place steak into a shallow bowl and pour marinade over meat.  Let sit for about 15 minutes.  If you haven’t already rinse and cut up veggies and place into a large bowl.  Once you have all your veggies in a bowl pour about 3 tablespoons of dressing over the veggies and stir until well mixed.  Set aside.

Preheat a non-stick pan for the steak.  Cook about 4-5 minutes on both sides for medium rare using a food thermometer to ensure proper cooking temperature.

Let the steak rest for about 5 minutes while you place the mixed greens and spoon mixed veggie mix onto plates.  Slice steak for plating and drizzle with selected dressing.

Warm Chocolate Lava Cake with Bailey’s Ganache

This recipe makes 6 servings if you use 6 3/4 cup ramekins but I used a 24 count mini muffin pan instead.  You can also use muffin tins; recipe makes 12.  Be aware that cooking times will vary depending.

Ingredients for Chocolate Lava Cake:

8 (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate squares, chopped, or 1 cup semi-sweet chococlate chips

2 sticks of butter; plus additional to coat pan

5 egg yokes

4 whole eggs

3/4 cup sugar; have additional to coat pan

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly butter sides of the muffin tins.  Lightly coat with sugar, shake out excess

Melt chocolate and butter in a double boiler set over simmering water.  Stir until smooth.  Remove from over water and cool 10 minutes.

While chocolate mixture is cooling beat egg yolks and whole eggs together in a large bowl; add sugar and beat until thick and light, about 2 minutes by hand.

Fold in chocolate mixture.

Sift flour, than fold into batter, mixing until smooth.  Divide batter among prepared tin, filling about 3/4 full.

If you are using ramkins be sure to place them on a baking sheet and bake about 35-40 minutes or until sides of cake are set and middle is still soft.  If you used 12 count muffin tin bake about 15 minutes and bake 10-12 minutes if using a 24 count mini muffin pan.  DO NOT OVERBAKE!!

Using a small knife or metal spatula, cut around sides of cake to loosen.  Invert the ramekins onto plates.  When handling the 24- count pan I inverted the pan onto a cooling rack with great success!

Ganache

You can double this as needed depending on how many small lava cakes are made.  I doubled this to ensure enough toppings for the 48 cakes that I made.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup Bailey’s Irish cream

4 ounces milk chocolate, or 1/2 cup mil chocolate chips

Directions:

Stir together cream and Bailey’s in a small saucepan over medium heat stirring constantly.  Just before boiling point, remove from heat and stir in milk chocolate.

Drizzle ganache over cakes.