Last night Paul and I hosted our annual St. Patrick's Day dinner. We generally plan a menu that is based upon colour/theme rather than traditional Irish fare. I remember a friend from Ireland being scandalized at the thought of serving corned beef for guests. In her mind it was the sort of thing equated with a poor meal at home rather than a celebration. I imagine that there isn't a darn thing traditional about green beer either! Funny how we take traditional holidays and make them all our own in North America!
We had the house cleaned, the table set, and all of the prep work done by 1:30. There was plenty of time for a nap and relaxation until people arrived at 6:00.
The table was set and decorated with a green and white theme.
Each place setting had a 'Pot o'Gold' and some St. Patrick's Day treats.
Mom's spot had this wonderful 'Irish Princess' tiara which she promptly put on as soon as she saw it and wore it all night!
like a princess, she arrived unfashionably late. She was supposed to be here at 6:00 and at 6:10 when I called her she was still at home. By the time she arrived things were a wee bit more cooked than one might normally desire. You'll see in the pictures that things are a wee bit more golden than usual. SIGH
It had been a cool and foggy day so we had been debating our plan to have drinks and appetizers out on the terrace. Fortunately the sun came out and things warmed up so out we went!
The cheese board was a mixed thing - some Irish cheddar, Spanish almonds, carrot jam we had bought in Italy, and other assorted cheeses that we had in the refrigerator.
The real hit was the drink - a Green Lantern. This may seem a titch strange - it's made with 1 cup of parsley - but it really was soooo good. I can see myself sipping this on a hot summer day . . . or trying it with other combinations of herbs.
In addition to the cheese platter I had made the Reuben Dip that we learned how to make in a cooking class a few years ago. This is one of those simple things that causes everyone to ohh and ahh and no one knows how little work you actually did! Hot, goeey, and with all of the flavour so the traditional Reuben sandwich, this is always a hit.
See what I mean about it being a tad more 'golden' than you might normally desire. SIGH
Anyway. I shall move on.
We served pieces of marble rye bread, pretzel crisps, and trarelli with the dip.
The other dish we enjoyed on the terrace was an amazing cheddar and stout fondue. Stout is a dark beer so the fondue takes on an odd colour that some might find unappetizing. I guarantee that as soon as they dip their first bit of veggie into the mixture they'll be past the colour and looking for a spoon to really dig away!
The fondue was served with par-cooked baby potatoes, brussels sprouts, cauliflower florets, and wedges of apples.
As soon as the sun went down it quickly got quite cool. We gathered everything up and raced inside. Paul promptly put on the fire.
We moved into the dining room for the rest of our meal.
Next up was a cheddar soup served with cheddar coins. This course was inspired by our visit to Prince Edward County last December. The inn we stayed at (the Waring House) is famous for their cheddar soup. I found the recipe online and made it with some 8 year old cheddar from the Black River Cheese Company. The cider we used was from the County Cider company. The cheddar coins were bought in the Waring House store - essentially they are cheddar shortbread cookies with a wonderful hit of Cayenne pepper. YUM
For the main course we switched things up a bit. I think we have made everything the same for the past 8 years! The only thing that was the same on the menu this year was the corned beef with a cider/mustard/horseradish glaze and mom's famous Irish soda bread. On the side we served colcannon (a wonderful mixture of mashed potatoes, cabbage, and onions), honey roasted carrots with pistachios, and maple roasted brussels sprouts with chopped hazelnuts.
When I asked Paul what he wanted for dessert he promptly said a key lime cheesecake . . . I'm not sure where that request came from since we're not big cheesecake eaters OR makers and I doubt he'd ever had a key lime version at a restaurant. Anyway, thanks to my good friend google I found this recipe on the epicurious site.
Even though there were a number of steps involvrf they were easy to follow and resulted in a delicious cheesecake that wasn't as heavy as some baked cheesecakes can be. The final result looks impressive with the four layers (graham cracker crust, lime curd, lime cheesecake, and sour cream topping). Happily it tasted great too!
Great Menu, and it all LOOKS good!
Posted by: Palma | March 18, 2012 at 05:41 PM
What a feast Jerry. Plenty to celebrate!
Posted by: bellini | March 18, 2012 at 06:12 PM
That all looks fantastic, Jerry! I'm drooling....
Posted by: sandrac | March 19, 2012 at 01:14 PM
Wow...this looks fabulous...you did the Irish proud. Love all the table decor (inside and out) and that little pot of gold such fun. We really needed a photo of Mom in her Princess Tiara...next year!! Thanks for sharing, a whole lot of inspiration here.
Posted by: Kayte | March 28, 2012 at 08:06 PM
It was a great feast!
I'll rememebr to get a shot of mom in her Irish princess tiara next year kayte (although we may need a few more martinis before she allows the picture to be taken!).
Posted by: JDeQ | April 01, 2012 at 07:19 AM
What a lovely lovely celebration. You do everything with such flare. I really admire the way you pull it all together. Though your mom is a Princess I do believe you are King of the kitchen! Bravo Jerry, well done YOU!
Posted by: Barb Cabot | April 01, 2012 at 10:29 AM