St. Patrick's Day Dinner

I don't know why so many Americans freak out over St. Patrick's Day. Practically none of them are of Irish descent and even fewer still have even ever BEEN to Ireland. In Ireland, it's a religious holiday, more or less, and you won't see them out in the pubs that night, as their pubs in Ireland are overrun by tourists who show up in droves to get piss-drunk thinking it's what St. Patrick's Day is all about.

Anyhow, we did think it was a good idea to at least cook some Irish food, which some folks have (wrongly!) accused of being achieved simply by boiling something. On the contrary...

This is as good of a lamb stew as I have ever had, to be honest. You'll want lamb neck fillet for this as it stews down like no other part of the animal. As the connective tissues and fat break down during the long, slow cooking process, it flavors and thickens the broth into pure stewy heaven.

Dessert combined Irish cream in a baked custard which was ridiculously good. We used the Bailey's Creme Caramel to give it just that little extra hit of caramel flavor. Wonderful! And it couldn't have been easier to make.

Main: Irish Lamb Stew with Guinness


350 g pancetta, cut into lardons
1 kg lamb neck fillet, cut into bite-sized chunks
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon flour
3 garlic, minced
1 onion, small, chopped
450 ml beef stock
1 bottle Guinness
½ teaspoon sugar
250 g carrots, diced
1 onion, large, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 potatoes, small, peeled and cut into chunks
3 sprigs thyme, fresh
2 bay leaf

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

2. Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat, adding oil to the pan if it gets too dry. Pull the meat out with a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl.

3. Add the garlic and yellow onion to the same pan (again, adding oil if you need to) and saute till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water, the Guinness and the stock, scraping up the tasty brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the bacon pieces, a few sprigs of thyme and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 to 3 hours on the lowest possible heat setting, checking every now and again by trying a piece of the lamb for texture. When it's ready, it will nearly melt in your mouth.

4. Add carrots, onions, potatoes, the rest of the thyme, bay leaves to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender. Serve hot with some bread.

Dessert: Irish Cream-Espresso Creme Caramel


⅓ cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
2 eggs, large
1 egg white, large
½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons irish cream, such as Bailey's
1 tablespoon espresso, or strong coffee
⅛ teaspoon salt
12 ounces evaporated skim milk

Preheat oven to 325°.

Combine 1/3 cup sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Continue cooking until golden (about 4 minutes). Immediately pour into 4 (6-ounce) ramekins or custard cups coated with cooking spray, tilting each cup quickly until caramelized sugar coats bottom of cup. Set aside.

Beat eggs and egg white in a medium bowl with a whisk. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar, liqueur, espresso, salt, and milk. Divide mixture evenly among prepared custard cups. Place cups in a 9-inch square baking pan; add hot water to pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool inside the water bath. Remove cups from pan. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Loosen edges of custards with a knife or rubber spatula. Place a dessert plate, upside down, on top of each cup; invert onto plates. Drizzle any remaining caramelized syrup over custards. Garnish with chopped coffee beans, if desired.