A tiny twist for St. Patrick
For this recipe, roast the veggies but otherwise go traditional with your corned beef feast
St. Patrick’s Day is a party day enjoyed by the Irish and Irish wannabes alike. At the core of the celebration is comforting, easy-to-prepare fare. Made-at-home corned beef with cabbage and potatoes are traditional in the U. S. The briny classic’s origin is a subject of debate, but whether it originated on the Emerald Isle or in the New World doesn’t seem to matter.
This year I’ve been testing out updated versions of the traditional corned beef trio. My favorite “new take” pairs a traditionally long-simmered corned beef with roasted, crispy- edged cabbage and golden roasted spuds, an upgrade from the traditional boiled veg.
The cooked beef is sliced and arranged slightly overlapping on a platter. The browned cabbage and potatoes are arranged alongside it. Then it is judiciously drizzled with a dill vinaigrette accented with many of the spices that are usually used to brine the corned beef: coriander seeds, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, cloves and garlic. Half of the vinaigrette is reserved in a small pitcher to pass at the table. Folks can add additional vinaigrette to suit their preferences.
At-home Irish desserts generally aren’t fussy. Their homemade beauty often shows off fruit. I love this apple and blackberry galette. A galette is a wee bit on the rustic side, partially enclosing the fruit by overlapping the ragged- edged dough. This free-form, pielike dessert doesn’t require a special pan, just a nice, flat rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Delicious, and that’s not blarney.
Updated corned beef with roasted potatoes and cabbage
Yield: 6 servings (3-pound) to 8 servings (4-pound)
INGREDIENTS
One 3- to 4-pound corned beef brisket
2 pounds unpeeled, medium-size russet potatoes, scrubbed and quartered; or 2 pounds unpeeled Baby Dutch Yellow potatoes, halved
1 1/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil, divided use
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, divided use
1 large green cabbage cut into 8 wedges, leaving core intact
4 whole cloves
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced 6 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup finely chopped fresh dill
DIRECTIONS
1. Place corned beef in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and gently simmer until very tender,
3-3 1/2 hours.
2. Meanwhile, once the beef has been simmering for 2 1/2 hours, arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of oven; preheat to 375 degrees. Toss potatoes, 1/4 cup oil, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground pepper on a rimmed baking sheet. Place cabbage wedges on separate rimmed baking sheet and rub with 1/4 cup oil; season on all sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon ground pepper. Roast in preheated oven, turning cabbage, tossing potatoes and rotating sheets top to bottom halfway through, until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes. ( The cabbage might be done before the potatoes.) 3. Meanwhile, prepare the vinaigrette. Coarsely crush cloves, coriander seeds, mustard seeds and red pepper flakes with mortar and pestle or place in a zipperstyle plastic bag and pound with a mallet or bottom of a saucepan. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, swirling often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and remaining 3/4 cup oil and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic sizzles, about 1 minute. Transfer to a medium-size heatproof bowl. Stir in vinegar, honey and 1 teaspoon salt. Let cool, then stir in dill.
4. Transfer beef to a cutting board and let sit 5 minutes. Trim off excess fat, then thinly slice against the grain. Place slices on platter and add roasted cabbage and
potatoes on the side. Drizzle with half of the dill vinaigrette. Pass remaining vinaigrette at the table (include a spoon to stir it).
Source: Epicurious.com
Apple and blackberry galette
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for flouring work surface
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
10 tablespoons (1 stick plus 2 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup ice water, without ice (additional 1 tablespoon may be needed)
Filling:
2 tablespoons cornstarch 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided use Pinch of salt
2 1/2-3 medium-small Granny Smith apples 8 ounces fresh blackberries 2 tablespoons melted butter 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest, 1 tablespoon juice
Egg wash: 1 whole egg, beaten with a fork 2 tablespoons jelly — apple, strawberry or currant Optional for serving: ice cream or whipped cream Cook’s notes: I leave the skin on the apples. It shortens the prep time and because the apples are soft after their time in the oven, the skin doesn’t bother me. It’s your choice, peel them if you prefer.
DIRECTIONS
1. For dough: Combine flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and salt in food processor; pulse 2 times to combine. Add chilled butter and pulse until mixture resembles cornmeal with the butter in small pieces, about 12 times. With
motor running, add 1/4 cup ice water through feed tube. Process until mixture comes together when pinched. If necessary, add 1 additional tablespoon ice water and process until dough comes together. Dump out on sheet of parchment paper and bring dough together in a disc. Enclose in parchment and chill 40 minutes.
2. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust work surface lightly with flour. Roll out dough to a 14inch circle (it doesn’t need to be perfectly round). Fold dough in half and transfer to baking sheet. Unfold and refrigerate while you make the filling.
3. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 425 degrees. In large bowl, combine cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar and pinch of salt. Whisk to combine. Quarter apples top to bottom. Core and cut into thin slices.
You will need 4 1/2 cups of slices. Place apples, berries, melted butter, zest and juice in bowl with dry ingredients. Gently toss (I use a silicone spatula). Place in center of dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border empty. Level out fruit mixture. Fold dough edges over the fruit — dough will only cover a portion of the mixture and create overlapping pleats. Lightly brush folded dough edges with egg wash. Sprinkle dough and filling with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
4. Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until crust is golden brown and fruit mixture bubbles in middle, 40-45 minutes.
5. Place baking sheet with the galette still on top on a cooling rack; let cool 30 minutes. Heat jelly just long enough to melt it, either in microwave or on stove top in a small pan. Brush jelly over warm fruit and on exposed crust. Serve warm or allow it to cool completely. If desired, serve with ice cream or whipped cream.