Go Green...for St. Patty's Day!

Hello readers! It's the end of hump day, how did it go? If you've decided to think about St. Patrick's Day a wee bit early this year, check out the following recipes. Fun, playful, and wide-ranging in complexity, these desserts are sure to spice up any festivity!

The classics:
Shortbread
Real Irish Food, David Bowers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Green sanding or decorating sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and lightly grease an 8-inch round cake tin.
2. Put the butter in a medium bowl and use a hand mixer to beat until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan, smoothing the surface with your fingertips, and chill for 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
3. Sprinkle generously with the green sugar and bake for 15 minutes, until just turning golden brown. While still warm, cut into 16 wedges with the tip of a paring knife. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

For the playful, over 21 crowd:

Irish Coffee Sundaes with Caramel Whiskey Sauce

Gourmet Live, March 2011

by Ruth Cousineau

Ingredients

For coffee nut crisp:

• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules, crushed
• 1 cup walnut pieces (3 1/2 ounces), coarsely chopped if desired

For sauce:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 6 Tablespoons Irish whiskey
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 pints good-quality coffee ice cream

Directions

Make crisps:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle. Line a rimmed sheet pan with a nonstick baking liner, or line it with foil and lightly oil foil.
2. Whisk egg white with sugar, coffee powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl until blended. Stir in walnuts until coated. Spread mixture into a 10– by 8–inch rectangle in pan.
3. Bake until crisp is dry to the touch, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack to cool completely.
4. Loosen crisp with a metal spatula and break into small pieces.

Make sauce:

1. Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2–quart heavy saucepan over medium–high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil without stirring, but washing down any sugar crystals with a brush dipped in cold water, until syrup begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes. Continue to boil, swirling pan occasionally, until syrup is a deep golden caramel.
2. Remove pan from heat and carefully add whiskey, cream, and salt (mixture will bubble up and steam and caramel will harden).
3. Return pan to heat and simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and sauce is smooth. Cool to warm.
4. Serve sauce over scoops of coffee ice cream then sprinkle with walnut crisp.

Cooks’ notes:
•Crisp can be made 4 days ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature. (Watch out, though; it's so delicious, you will be hard—pressed to resist devouring all of it before your guests arrive!)
•Sauce can be made 4 days ahead and chilled, covered. Re-warm to serve. Any leftover sauce will keep, chilled, at least 1 week.

A country twist:

Country Rhubarb Cake

Gourmet, March 2004

Ingredients

For cake

• 1 lb fresh rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups), or 3 cups frozen rhubarb, thawed after measuring
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs (1 separated)

For whiskey cream

• 1 cup chilled heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
• 1 tablespoon whiskey (preferably Irish)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Make cake:

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate or a 2 1/2-quart oval gratin dish and chill.
2. Toss rhubarb with brown sugar in a bowl until coated.
3. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined well. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together milk, whole egg, and yolk. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add milk mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate flour and form a soft, sticky dough.
4. Transfer half of dough to chilled pie plate and pat out over bottom and halfway up side with well-floured hands, then spoon rhubarb and any juices onto dough. Using a tablespoon, spoon remaining dough in small mounds evenly over top. Lightly beat egg white with a few drops of water, then lightly brush cake with egg wash. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over top.
5. Bake cake until top crust is golden and rhubarb is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 30 minutes.

Make whiskey cream:

1. Beat cream with confectioners sugar, whiskey, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks.
2. Serve cake warm or at room temperature with whiskey cream.

Cooks' note:Cake can be made 4 hours ahead and cooled completely, then kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature. Reheat if desired.

Happy baking!