Irish Recipes

Irish cuisine is known for stew, pork sausage dishes, and boiled bacon and cabbage.  Oh, and beer and whiskey.  For those who are all about celebrating Irish heritage, but not psyched by the idea of chasing a shot of whiskey with some boiled bacon and cabbage, why not whip up some more delectable Irish fare?  Everyone loves the buttery, melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness of fresh shortbread cookies, and if the description of Irish cream does not make you drool -- "whiskey mixed with cream and sugar with hints of coffee chocolate, vanilla, and almond" -- then something is very, very wrong with you.  You might find yourself finishing these off all by yourself, but they're also perfect for St. Patrick's Day parties.  Stew and pork sausages? Perhaps not so perfect for parties...

Irish Cream

Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 1/2 cups Irish whiskey
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
- 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

Directions
In a blender, combine heavy cream, sweetened condensed milk, Irish whiskey, instant coffee, chocolate syrup, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Blend on high for 20 to 30 seconds. Shake well before serving, and store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator.

Takes 15 minutes and makes 16 servings.


Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar (for mix)
- 2 cups butter, softened
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white rice flour (if you don't have this, all-purpose flour is fine)
- 2 tablespoons white sugar (to sprinkle at the end)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. In a medium bowl, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar until very fluffy. Gradually add the flour and rice flour. As the dough gets stiffer, turn it out onto a well floured surface, and knead it until smooth.

3. Press dough into a 10x15 inch jellyroll pan -- in case you don't know, this is a baking sheet that has sides so the dough doesn't fall over the edges. Score into bars, prick with a fork, and sprinkle remaining sugar over the top.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. Cut along scored lines into bars while still warm, and let cool before serving."