I'm Here for the Paddy
Published March 17, 2021
Cheers, lads and lassies, to a favorite day o' mine...one with no restriction on food and alcohol consumption! This Italian girl might not have been born Irish, but is always up for a good paddy!
Guinness Shots
Did you know? Nearly 13 million pints of Guinness are consumed on Saint Patrick’s Day. And, since Arthur Guinness signed a lease back in 1759 for the St. James’ Gate Brewery in Dublin for 9,000 years, that means there is plenty to go around…for a very long time. So let’s get drinking! Kick off your St. Paddy’s Day celebration with some flavor filled Guinness shots, and there’s plenty to share.
For the Base:
2 Envelopes Unflavored Gelatin
1/2 Cup Guinness
1/4 Cup Patron Café
1/4 Cup Crème de Cacao
1 Cup Hot Water
In a glass liquid measuring cup, microwave 1 cup water for 1 minute 30 seconds. Mix in Gelatin until dissolved. Add Guinness, Patron Café and Crème de Cacao. Mix well. Pour into 14 shot glasses set on a baking sheet. Set in fridge for about 20 minutes.
For the Top:
1/2 cup Kahlúa
1 Envelope Unflavored Gelatin
½ Cup Hot Water
In a glass liquid measuring cup, microwave ½ cup water for 1 minute. Add gelatin and mix until dissolved. Add Kahlúa, mix well and divide among 14 chilled and set Guinness base shots. Set in fridge for 20 minutes or until set.
Homemade Irish Cream
On the rocks, in coffee or bottled as gifts, this versatile Irish Cream is so popular people drink nearly 2,300 glasses every minute of every day. Give it a homemade try with some new twists below or add whiskey, 1 tsp cocoa powder and 1 tsp instant coffee granules for a traditional taste.
Base Mixture:
1 Cup Half & Half
14 oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
Raspberry:
1 2/3 Cups Chambord
1 tsp Cocoa Powder
Mint:
1 2/3 Cups Crème De Menthe
½ tsp Vanilla
Hazelnut:
1 2/3 Cups Hazelnut Liqueur
½ tsp Cocoa Powder
Caramel:
1 2/3 Cups Caramel Vodka
1 tsp Vanilla
½ tsp Cocoa Powder
In a medium bowl, mix the base ingredients with the desired flavoring ingredients. Whisk well. When using cocoa powder, it's best to mix with a small amount of base mixture until smooth, then add in other ingredients to prevent clumping. If necessary, run through a fine sieve strainer before storing or bottling. Keep cool in fridge.
Guinness Corned Beef, Reuben Braid and Guinness Onion Soup
Let me introduce you to your new favorite way to cook corned beef – beer infused! And even more delicious and fun to serve on the day of celebrating Saint Patrick. Nothing in this Guinness Corned Beef recipe goes to waste - after cooked, reserve 2 cups chopped Corned Beef to make a Reuben Braid and use the leftover stock as the rich base to a savory and satisfying Guinness Onion Soup.
For the Guinness Corned Beef:
3 lb Flat Cut Corned Beef
1 Can Guinness
1 Cup Beef Broth
¾ Cup Brown Sugar
Corned Beef Spice Packet (or 15 Peppercorns, 2 Bay Leaves, 2 Whole Cloves and Sprig of Thyme)
Add Veggies to Make it a Meal:
6 Carrots, peeled and cut into 3” length
10 New Potatoes (or bag of potato medley)
Rinse corned beef well under water and add to the bottom of a crock pot. Sprinkle spice packet (or spices noted above, if spice packet is not included) on top. Add Guinness, beef broth and Sugar. Cover and cook for 5 hours on high, 8-9 hours on low. Add potatoes and carrots halfway through cooking time. Be sure to allow enough time to cook meat and vegetables until fork tender. Let meat rest for 5 minutes until slicing or chopping. Reserve 2 cups chopped corned beef for Reuben. Slice and serve the rest of the corned beef with vegetables. Reserve the corned beef stock for onion soup recipe below.
For the Rueben Braid:
2 Cups Guinness Corned Beef, chopped
8 oz Sauerkraut (drained and squeezed)
1 Cups Swiss Cheese, shredded plus 1/4 cup more for topping
¼ Cup Thousand Island Dressing, plus more for dipping
1 Garlic Clove, pressed
1 Egg White, lightly beaten
2 (8oz) Containers Crescent Rolls or Crescent Pastry Sheets
Preheat oven 375°F. In a medium bowl, mix corned beef, sauerkraut, 1 cup of swiss cheese, dressing, and garlic. Arrange dough on baking sheet and roll slightly to seal seams. Starting on the longest sides of the dough, cut into eight strips towards the center about 1 ½ inches wide and 3 inches long. Scoop filling evenly over braid center. Starting at one end, lift one strip of dough, twist once, and lay across top of filling. Repeat, alternating sides, to form a braid. Brush dough with egg white. Sprinkle top with cheese and bake 20 minutes or until golden.
For the Onion Soup:
4 Cups Guinness Corned Beef Stock, left over from corned beef recipe above
2 Cup Beef Stock
4 Sweet Vidalia Onions, peeled and sliced
3 Tbl Butter
3 Tbl Flour
Sprig of Thyme
French Baguette, sliced
Gruyere Cheese, shredded for topping
Preheat oven 350°. Melt butter in large saucepan over med heat. Add onions and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally especially towards the end to prevent browning. Add flour and cook for one minute. Deglaze with both beef stocks and add thyme. Cover and cook for 30 minutes on low simmer. Divide soup among 4 oven-safe soup bowls. Place 4 slices of baguette bread on baking sheet and crisp in oven, about 8-10 minutes. Place each slice in soup bowl and cover with shredded cheese. Broil soup on low for a 2-3 minutes until cheese just turns golden.
Chocolate Guinness Cake
The subtle taste of dark chocolate, malty sweetness and roasted grain layered with a Guinness infused chocolate ganache topped with Irish buttercream creates a perfectly balanced cake, fit for a saint as great as Patrick.
For the Cake
¾ Cup Cocoa Powder
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
Pinch Fine Salt
1 Bottle Guinness
1 Stick Butter, melted
1 Tbl Vanilla
3 Eggs
¾ Cup Sour Cream
Preheat oven 350°F. Grease three six-inch cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper and grease again. In a large mixing bowl sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine. In a medium mixing bowl combine Guinness, melted butter, and vanilla. Beat in eggs, one at a time and mix in sour cream until thoroughly combined. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet mixture. Divide batter equally between the three cake pans and bake 30-40 minutes, or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Let rest 10 minutes before turning onto cooling racks. Cool completely and level cakes as necessary.
For the Guinness Ganache:
1 ½ Cups Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
4 Tbl Guinness
2 Tbl Whipping Cream
In medium saucepan on stovetop, bring whipping cream and Guinness to a low boil. Add chocolate chips and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until well combined. Add back to warm burner if necessary, until chocolate is smooth. Let cool slightly.
For the Bailey’s Frosting:
2 Cups Unsalted Butter, very soft at room temperature
4 Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
½ tsp Fine Salt
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 Tbl Bailey’s Irish Cream
In a bowl of your stand-up mixer, whisk the butter on med-high for 1 minute until light and smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add the powdered sugar and salt. Add the vanilla and Bailey’s. Whip on medium speed for 4 minutes until light and fluffy.
For the Bailey’s Cocoa Frosting
3 Tbl Cocoa Powder
3 Tbl Bailey’s
Remove all but 1 cup of the buttercream frosting (made above) from the bowl and set aside. To a small bowl mix cocoa powder and Bailey’s and add to the mixing bowl. Mix until well combined.
Assembly:
Place one cake layer on a cake board or serving dish. Pipe a rim of buttercream around inside edge. Fill the center with the chocolate ganache, enough to just about meet the height of the piping rim. Set in fridge for 10 minutes or until slightly firm. Remove and carefully spread a thin layer of buttercream on top of the ganache. Add the second cake layer on top and repeat piping and filling setting and frosting. Add final cake layer and crumb coat entire cake with a thin layer of buttercream. Set in fridge. Once set, frost swirls of chocolate buttercream at the base of the cake and swirl into plain buttercream towards the top. The idea is to make it look like the beer was just poured and the darker color starts to settle to the bottom.
Enjoy!
Renée Meuse Lovley