St. Patrick’s Day Dinner

Corned Beef
Place your 7-8 pound corned beef in a deep kettle with just enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and then turn your stove down to low; cover the pot and simmer beef slowly for 3-4 hours until fork tender.

 

Carrot-Potato Mash
1 pound peeled and quartered potatoes
1 pound peeled and thinly sliced carrots
1 stick butter
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes and carrots together in a pot with enough water to cover.  Bring to a boil and lower heat a little and cook until carrots and potatoes are fork tender.  Drain.  Whip by hand or mixer until almost smooth.  Add butter, milk and salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with fried leeks.

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1-2 pounds clean, trimmed Brussels sprouts
Canola oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices crisp, crumbled bacon

Place Brussels sprouts on a sheet pan and drizzle oil over them.  Liberally salt and pepper them and then toss with you hands to incorporate.  Roast sprouts in a 400◦ oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and tender.  Place in a serving dish and garnish with crumbled bacon. 

 

Sautéed Cabbage
Shred one head of cabbage thinly and sauté in a large fry pan with butter and a little canola oil.  Salt and pepper to taste

 

Individual Orange Butter Cakes
1 can mandarin orange segments
12 Tbsp firmly packed brown sugar
6 Tbsp butter, melted, plus ½ cup soft butter at room temperature

½ cup granulated sugar
Grated zest of 1 orange
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350◦ degrees.  Lightly butter six 1-cup ramekins or custard cups.  Place 2 Tablespoons of butter in the bottom of each prepared ramekin.  Pour 1 Tablespoon of melted butter over the sugar.  Place orange segments in a single layer on top of the butter and sugar.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the ½ cup soft butter, the granulated sugar, and the orange zest until creamy.  Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the butter mixture.  Stir in the cream and vanilla until incorporated.  Spoon batter over the oranges, dividing it evenly among the ramekins.

Bake until the tops are golden and a toothpick come out clean, about 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and transfer ramekins to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. 

Run a knife blade around the edge of each cake to loosen it from the ramekin.  Invert each cake onto a pretty plate and lift off the ramekin.  Garnish with more orange zest and crème anglaise (melted vanilla ice cream)!  Serve warm or at room temperature.