In honor of St. Patrick's Day today I decided to bake beer bread last night, using a simple recipe I came across a while ago:
3 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 bottle beer (I used Guinness of course)
1/4 cup butter melted
1) Preheat over 350 degrees.
2) Mix first three ingredients with electic mixer until smooth.
3) Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch pan, bake for 45 min.
4) Pour melted butter over top of bread (I cut slits in top with a knife to let butter seep down) and bake another 10 min.
The result? This recipe calls for way too much butter! The bread has an almost fudgy consistency, it is so rich, and the taste of butter overpowers the flavor of the beer. Definitely not what I tasted at the Guinness Brewery in Dublin when I went St. Patrick's Day weekend a few years ago, I must say. My advice to bakers attempting this recipe: first melt butter so that it is 1/4 cup in liquid form, not 1/4 cup then melted (half a stick of butter.) That may be where I went wrong. Although the bread is still edible, this baking experiment warrants a second try.
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In the theme of Irish Fare I decided to comment on the evolution of Irish gastronomy in recent years. Traditionally viewed as dull in comparison to its continental counterparts such as French and Italian cuisines, Irish food is typically bland. As I am not a "meat and potatoes" kind of eater, I was not thrilled about the prevailing food options I expected to find when I visited Dublin. But it must be noted that the bangers and mash I tried at a pub there was truly delicious - if made well even the simplest of ingredients can be flavorful.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, a new wave of Irish cuisine has evolved in the past decade as Irish-born chefs more frequently travel abroad to study culinary techniques and return to Ireland and open new restaurants there, so the food (in Dublin especially) is quickly changing. The other end of the spectrum of this culinary cultural exchange is the exporting of Irish fare abroad, which I've seen reflected in some truly excellent Irish restaurants here in the States. Two of my favorites are located in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area: the Irish Inn at Glen Echo in Bethesda, Maryland and Daniel O'Connell's in Alexandria, Virginia.
The Irish Inn is located in a quaint restored farmhouse, with a patio for outdoor seating in the summer and a pub that features traditional Irish fiddler players weekly; the restaurant that serves "upscale Irish cuisine." It's charming atmosphere, excellent service, and high quality food is worth the trek out to the suburbs for this meal.
Daniel O'Connell's Restaurant in Alexandria calls itself "a modern Irish restaurant in an ancient Irish setting" that lives up to its claims - the many room-filled, dark oak-paneled, winding interior of the restaurant (on a picturesque cobblestone street, no less) reminded me of the pubs in Dublin. (Admittedly, it did have that patron-filled smell.) Not to mention our server was actually Irish. They had a great beer selection on tap, of course, and a remarkably interesting menu while still including the expected Irish staples. Taking a modern twist on classic dishes like a steak and mashed potatoes by adding a Guinness broth, O'Connell's also offers more eclectic options such as the salad topped with roasted pheasant for diners looking for a more developed taste. For a truly authentic Irish culinary experience in the U.S., Daniel O'Connell's is just the place.