Menu for Irish open house

A close friend is renewing wedding vows, and want to do an Irish themed open house.

So far I have:

Corned beef and cabbage
colcannon
shepards pie
White and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Irish Cream Sauce

Any other ideas?

It would need to be able to sit out for a while, since it is an open house.

I've found plenty of desserts, but Idl like a vegetable.














I also found a recipe for Irish Bangers (sausages)

Banger Seasoning

* 5 teaspoon ground white pepper
* 2 1/2 teaspoon mace
* 2 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoon ground ginger
* 2 teaspoon rubbed sage
* 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Sausage

* 2 1/2 lb. boneless lean pork shoulder or loin cut in cubes
* 1 lb. fresh pork fat in cubes
* 1 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1 1/4 cup chicken broth
* 3 1/2 teaspoon Banger seasoning

Grind pork and fat together using plate of meat grinder.
Add Banger Seasoning and mix well.
Grind again.
Stuff mixture into casings and tie in 4-5 inch lengths.
This mixture will be too fine to form into patties.

I checked with the wife who is a well read and highly knowledgeable Celtophile, and she thinks the only other vegetables closely associated with Irish cuisine, other than potatoes and cabbage of course, would be leeks and peas.

Although it's not traditionally Irish, we do an attractive presentation platter for St. Patrick's Day consisting of sweet and sour carrots on one side, mashed potatoes in the center, and either asparagus or broccoli on the opposite side, creating a representation of the Irish flag. I suppose the downside of this creation is, that while it starts out nicely enough, as it gets consumed, it becomes more and more of a desecration of the flag. If your guests are not going to be overly sensitive on that point, you should be alright.

I guess you could compare it to one of those American flag sheet pan cakes you see around the Fourth of July.

Buddy

Irish Soda Bread with good Irish Butter

Hi,

For my first generation Irish Mother's birthday in October, we made corned beef and cabbage. I bought only points from Peoria Packing House (PPH) for less than $2.00/pound. They also had corned full packer briskets for a bit more. I happen to like the points better with a lower price simply a bonus.

If I plan enough in advance, I corn the beef myself.

For the Irish bread, I will also include some marmalade, too.

Regards,

I used to do a kids' and families' party for St. Patrick's Day. Instead of serving the cabbage boiled, I grated it and cooked it in cream with a little parmesan on top. It's delicious and no one seems to know that it's cabbage, which seemed to be a selling point. I never had any left over after the party.

Smoked salmon with brown bread and butter was really popular. Costco has affordable smoked salmon.

It sounds like a wonderful occasion. I'm sure your friends will be touched at your thoughtfulness.

This isn't a truly Irish dish, but then, neither is corned beef and cabbage.

A dip that I make often is cream cheese (softened up with a little bit of milk), chopped smoked salmon, and chopped chives, all mixed in a stand mixer, then some salmon roe gently folded in, and once it's all put in a serving bowl, some more salmon roe and chopped chives on top. All the colors of the Irish flag, and at least the salmon is Irish-ish. I suppose you could up the authenticity by serving it with squares of brown bread. This dip has become so popular with my peeps that it sometimes gets invited to parties, with or without me.

A couple years ago, I made mini-quiches in 4" springform pans with diced potatoes, Dubliner cheese, green onions, Irish bacon and a slice of tomato on top of each one. It was really good, and could be adjusted for a full-size quiche or casserole.

I was fortunate enough to be a recipient of a handful those mini quiches, and I will attest, under oath, that they were dang good!

Buddy