When Irish Eyes Are Smiling - Guinness Fondue

St. Patrick's Day is HERE!!!!!

It's that time again....  Yes, it's time for me to don my sacred, if a little scruffy, Guinness hat and do something fun and interesting with this most Irish of brews.

Come on..... "Say ya like my hat, Shannon!"

The only difference this year, is that I chose to use Draught instead of the Extra Stout.  Though I must admit that I had to rack my brain a little to come up with something this time.  It had to be REALLY good since I messed up last year and missed St. Patrick's Day all together, being absorbed in my quest for Sauce Nantua and Mahi Mahi Mousseline.

Then it struck me.  I love Traditional Irish Soda Bread, so I should do something with that.  But Guinness Soda Bread just didn't sound all that appetizing.  I may bake my Soda Bread unconventionally, but that is simply because I lack a bastible (Dutch Oven), but I am a purist when it comes to my ingredients.  So I thought about using it in bread pudding with Guinness.  But I am really stuck on the Irish Whiskey Bread Pudding I usually make.....  I mean, why drink beer when you can have whiskey, right?

Then, since I was cooking all sorts of German food this last week, it suddenly hit me.  Fondue!  Soda Bread would make excellent dipping fodder.  Hmmmmmmm  Would Guinness make an decent base for a nice Cheddary fondue?  You bet your shamrocks it does...  Use a nice Irish cheese (I chose Kerry Gold Dubliner) and you are all set for a Swiss classic with a seriously Irish twist.

After all, aren't we ALL a little bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day?

Guinness Fondue

(With Toasted Irish Soda Bread)

Olive Oil, in a spray can
1 Loaf Traditional Irish Soda Bread (with no frills)
14 oz Dubliner (Kerry Gold), shredded
1 TB AP Flour or Corn Flour
1 tsp Mustard Powder
1 clove Garlic, sliced
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 1/4 cups Guinness Draught
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Cube the Irish Soda Bread and lay it out on a baking sheet and spray with olive oil.

Toast bread in the oven at 350F degrees for about 10 minutes, just until it begins to color; set aside

Toss shredded Dubliner with Flour (either AP or Corn) and Mustard Powder in a medium bowl or a zipper bag, set aside.

In a small sauce pan, heat oil and saute garlic until it becomes fragrant.

Remove the garlic slices and add Guinness and Lemon Juice to the saucepan.

Bring to a simmer and slowly add the Cheese, a little at a time, stirring until completely melted before adding more.

Once all the cheese has been incorporated and everything is silky smooth, move to a fondue pot or a small crock pot set on low.

Dip toasted chunks of Irish Soda Bread until your hearts content. (No fondue forks? Skewers work well)

Don't forget to chase it all down with another Guinness.  :)

Want something Green?  Forget the artificially dyed Pilsner....  Dip chunks of Granny Smith apple.

But my favorite dipper of all, is crispy bacon....  Muah ha ha ha!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!
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For other Guinness Stout recipes see....

Guinness Cake with Bailey's Frosting

Guinness Ice Cream

Guinness Mousse

The Black and Tan - Stout Brownie & Malted Gelato

Into Bushmills instead of Guinness?  Check these out instead.....

Irish Coffee (Caife Gaelach)

Irish Whiskey Bread Pudding

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Cutting the Mustard - Vermouth Mustard

Last year.... Wow, it still seems weird to say "Last Year" when it was only a couple weeks or so ago.

Anyway, last year I had toyed with the idea of making small jars of homemade mustard to pass around as little gifts for various persons, thus spreading Christmas cheer.  Then I realized the extent of the projects already filling my plate and decided that, as easy as mustard is to make, it would probably be that "final straw" that broke the proverbial camel's back and pushed me over the edge into insanity. LOL 

So now that the holidays are over.  Aside from the 8 birthdays occurring this month, including my own, everything has finally slowed down a little.  Thus I must, must, must revisit the mustard. After all, is there any single condiment that can go from Hot dog to Haute cuisine and still have time to dress a salad?  I think not...   Mayo?  Boring.  Ketchup?  I shudder to think.

Mustard is a wonder condiment.  Sporty, Rustic, Refined, Sweet, Sour, Bitter, Spicy Hot, or Mild - Mustard is all these things and more.  Though which qualities shine through greatly depends on HOW the mustard is prepared.

Of the 3 varieties of mustard seeds, being Black, Brown and "White" or "Yellow,  the Black seeds are the most potent and the smallest, while the White, or Yellow, seeds are the mildest and the largest.  Most great mustards use a mixture of the 3 to obtain a more varied flavor profile. 

Once a mustard seed is ground, it begins a chemical reaction, similar to an onion or garlic, that increases it's heat.  One of the ways to stop this reaction is to use Hot liquids, another is to add an acid, which seems to stop the reaction.  Thus assuring you of a more mild mustard.

This particular mustard is sort of inspired by Dijon which contains white wine and verjuice. (the grape juice prior to inoculation with the yeast that turns it into wine.) Since I don't have any of this acidic verjuice just lying around my kitchen, I decided to use Vermouth.  After all they both start with "VER", so it should be OK, right?  I kind of killed 2 birds with one stone as well, since Vermouth is doubling as the wine.  Awesome.  Yes, I am the king of shaky logic, but hey, it worked.  I was extremely pleased with the spicy hot outcome. This mustard is a little hotter than the "Spicy Brown" mustards such as Gulden's and has a sort of Horseradish quality to it.

Once word of warning....  And something I forgot until it was too late.  Making mustard releases A LOT of vapors into the air, so suggest making it in the summer when you can open the windows and ventilate your home fairly well.  When it's 29 degrees outside and your abode is well sealed against the winter elements, the fumes build up fast. And it's not only from the mustard seeds, but from the simmering vinegar as well. LOL

Spicy Vermouth Mustard

2 oz (60 g) Brown Mustard Seeds
1 cup Dry Vermouth
1 cup Shallot
1 TB Honey
1 Clove bud
1 tsp Black Peppercorns
1 1/2 cups White Wine Vinegar
2 oz (60 g)Yellow (white) Mustard Powder
2 tsp Kosher Salt

Place the Brown Mustard Seeds in a small bowl.

Douse them with 1 cup the Vermouth.

Cover with plastic wrap and allow to sit over night (at least 8 hour, but preferably 12 and up to 24) at room temperature.

While the the Seeds are soaking, go ahead and combine Shallot, Honey, Clove, Peppercorns, and White Wine Vinegar in a small saucepan.

Bring to a simmer over medium flame, and continue simmering for about 10 - 15 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to 1 1/4 cups.

Pour into a clean container, cover and chill overnight in the refrigerator. (you need this to be cold)
After the Brown Mustard seeds are done soaking, place them in the blender (cause it works better than a food processor)

and blend until smooth. (about 10 minutes)

Press the paste through a fine mesh strainer to remove the thin shells

(this produces a finer textured mustard, skip this step if you prefer coarse rustic mustard)

Place the Yellow Mustard Powder in a small bowl.

Remove the cold shallot infused liquid from the refrigerator and strain out the shallot and spices.

Add the Liquid to the Yellow Mustard Powder and whisk until smooth.

Combine the Black/Brown Mustard paste with the Yellow mustard paste, stirring until well combined.

Pour back into the pan and whisk over medium heat until it thickens slightly.

(Kind of like a bechamel sauce)

Remove from the heat and season with Kosher salt.

Pour the hot mustard into your awaiting, sterilized containers.

Let the containers sit at room temperature for 5-7 days to allow it to mellow and age. (this removes some of the bitter back-bite)

Then refrigerate. 

Voile!  Mustard...

For another delicious Mustard Recipe, check out my friend Heather's Finnish Mustard post at Girlichef.

If you'll excuse me now, I have a very important date with a soft pretzel. :)

Oh yeah!  That's the stuff!

Mangia!!

Leapin' Leftovers!! - Gingered Pear Chicken Salad

Chicken Chicken Chicken Chicken.... What to do with left over chicken.  It's a never ending conundrum.  For there always seems to be some left over chicken somewhere in the refrigerator.  My answer is usually Chicken Salad.  (Lots and Lots of Chicken Salad - Cause I eat a lot of Chicken)

I have never really blogged about chicken salad before, cause it's just sort of something that I do and never really think of it as particularly interesting.  I mean, it's just chicken salad after all.  It usually changes depending on what is in the cupboard or in the refrigerator.  It always contains chicken, of course, but the accouterments change all the time.  Isn't that the essence of chicken salad?

THIS time, however, I happened to have all my favorite additions available, so I figured I would go ahead and give the whole thing a whacky whirl and document the deliciousness.

My Favorite Chicken Salad

4 cups (16 oz) Chicken Breast or Thighs, cubed
3 ribs of Celery, diced
1 can of Water Chestnuts, drained and sliced
1 d'Anjou pear, diced
3 Green Onions, sliced thinly
1/2 cup Homemade Mayonnaise
1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1 TB White Wine
3 TB Fresh Ginger, grated fine (I use a microplane zester)
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard Powder

Place the cubed chicken in the bowl.

Add the Celery, Chestnuts, Pear and Green Onions.

In a small bowl, whisk the Mayonnaise, Yogurt, Wine, Ginger and Dry Mustard together to form a smooth dressing.

Pour the ginger/mayonnaise dressing over the bowl full of Chicken and bits.

Toss until everything is well coated.

Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Serve as you like, on a bed of lettuce.....

or in a sourdough roll, as a sandwich.

Mangia!!
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That 70's Recipe - Salmon Puff

Every once in awhile I get a craving for a childhood recipe... (with a little updating for the times) Since most of my younger years occurred between 1969 and 1983 (when I entered High School) that regulates a lot of my food memories in the 70's (sigh)    Not that 70's food was necessarily BAD in any way.  I mean, Fondue was popular in the 70's as were Swedish Meatballs, Flank steak in Mushroom Gravy, Lentil soup and Pineapple Upside Down Cake. At least, they were popular at my house during that time frame.  :) 

But one of those things that I remember very fondly, is Salmon Puff.  Not to be confused with Salmon Loaf, Salmon Puff is really more of one of the Egg-Strata things, with Salmon.  Chunks of bread soaked with beaten eggs and tossed with Salmon and Cheddar Cheese (Yeah I know, cheese and fish, but trust me, it's good)  Since I was going to "update" the recipe a little, I decided that all it really needed was some fresh parsley, instead of dried, and the addition of some sliced Leek (leek plays so well with most flavors)

Needless to say, I was quite pleased with the results.  It may not be pretty, but it sure is tasty.  Total comfort food.  LOL

Salmon Puff

5 Slices of white bread (or about 1/2 a French long); crust removed
1 1/2 oz Leek, minced  
2 TB fresh Italian Parsley, chopped
1 cup canned Salmon (avoid the red salmon)
3 Large Eggs
1 1/2 cups Milk
3/4 tsp Dry Mustard Powder
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp cracked Black Pepper
1 cup (4 oz) Medium Cheddar, shredded

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
So, cut a French long in half (I am using the other half for Swedish Meatballs tomorrow)

Remove the crust.

Cut into cubes and place in a bowl.

Add Leeks, Parsley and Salmon; tossing briefly

Whisk Eggs, Milk, Mustard Powder, Salt Paprika and Black Pepper together in a medium bowl.

Pour the mixture over the bread and toss again, gently.

Add the Cheddar Cheese and toss again, gently.

Pour the whole mess into a 7 x 10 baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes, until it "puffs". (yes, normally a strata is allowed to soak over night in the refrigerator, but I am hungry)  LOL

Don your Bell Bottoms or a Leisure Suit and enjoy!

Mangia!!
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