Irish Cooking can also be found at The Petit Chef and Pinterest.
Eli on the O'Brien throne at Bunratty Castle 1985 April
Bunratty Castle is a must for every tourist visiting Ireland if you want to experience all that is Irish. To miss it would be like going to America and not visiting the Statue of Liberty. If you only visit two castles, do not miss Bunratty nor Blarney. Its medieval banquet is great fun and for a tourist event, the food is surprisingly good with the music and comradery of the evening quite contagious. Everyone is Irish for one night. The wine and stout flow as freely as Irish fluidity of speech. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park is located in County Clare and very near Shannon Airport. In fact, some of the original homes were moved from the area that became a runway to become part of the park. Alongside the castle is the extensive folk park, particularly popular with families, tourists, and schools. Features are reconstructions of historical cottages and buildings, recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. Old tools, furniture, and artifacts are displayed, with the village kept alive by some inhabited shops, an old home bakery, and peat fires in cottages. My favorite shop is the print shop. At The Print Works, Matrix Press still produces by hand, and with great care, a wide range of hand-colored prints, inspired by the Book of Kells and the great wealth of Irish wit and wisdom. This and much, much more are lovingly created on a daily basis. When I walked in, it was love at first sight. The colors, the quality of the papers, the quotes, the pictures--all assaulted my English instructor's sensibilities. I decided I wanted a print of my favorite poem by my favorite Irish poet: "The Song of the Wandering Aengus" by William Butler Yeats. As I began to converse with the proprieter, I was amazed to find out his name was Aengus O'Carroll who had worked with Yeats's daughter Anne Yeats in Dublin at the Cuala Press. I still have that print proudly displayed in my home, and I think of Bunratty and Aengus each time I take a lingering look. I wonder if he is still there. I found this recipe in an Irish cookbook. I do not know if they still serve them at Bunratty Castle, but I cannot wait to go back to find out.
Bunratty Wholemeal Scones
Ingredients:
1½ cups of white flour
3 cups of brown flour*
1 large egg, beaten
1 egg white for glazing
3 tsp. of sugar
1½ tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of baking powder
Knob of butter [Irish term for small amount, sometimes seen as nob]
Sour milk or buttermilk
Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add beaten egg, and gradually stir in enough milk until dough consistency is achieved. Knead briefly on lightly-floured board. Roll out to 1 inch thickness. Cut into wedge shapes, brush with egg white to glaze, and place onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 20 minutes. When you pop that scone into your mouth, you will be looking out the window of Bunratty Castle at the folk park, the estuary, and Shannon Airport. Enjoy the trip.
*Brown flour is a specialty flour of the British Isles. How it is made is a closely guarded secret. It can be ordered online from Rank Hovis Limited, or you can use a brown bread mix purchased online or locally from an Irish/Celtic shop. I have spent many hours trying to duplicate the brown flour with flours available here in the U.S. It is impossible to achieve since the malted wheat flakes provide the unique texture and rich, nutty flavor. I have used a combination of these three flours to achieve some success: whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, and unprocessed bran. If you find a better combination, please let me know for brown bread is the thing I miss most about life in Ireland.
Eli on the O'Brien throne at Bunratty Castle 1985 April
Bunratty Castle is a must for every tourist visiting Ireland if you want to experience all that is Irish. To miss it would be like going to America and not visiting the Statue of Liberty. If you only visit two castles, do not miss Bunratty nor Blarney. Its medieval banquet is great fun and for a tourist event, the food is surprisingly good with the music and comradery of the evening quite contagious. Everyone is Irish for one night. The wine and stout flow as freely as Irish fluidity of speech. Bunratty Castle and Folk Park is located in County Clare and very near Shannon Airport. In fact, some of the original homes were moved from the area that became a runway to become part of the park. Alongside the castle is the extensive folk park, particularly popular with families, tourists, and schools. Features are reconstructions of historical cottages and buildings, recreating the general feel of the 19th century with a period style village main street. Old tools, furniture, and artifacts are displayed, with the village kept alive by some inhabited shops, an old home bakery, and peat fires in cottages. My favorite shop is the print shop. At The Print Works, Matrix Press still produces by hand, and with great care, a wide range of hand-colored prints, inspired by the Book of Kells and the great wealth of Irish wit and wisdom. This and much, much more are lovingly created on a daily basis. When I walked in, it was love at first sight. The colors, the quality of the papers, the quotes, the pictures--all assaulted my English instructor's sensibilities. I decided I wanted a print of my favorite poem by my favorite Irish poet: "The Song of the Wandering Aengus" by William Butler Yeats. As I began to converse with the proprieter, I was amazed to find out his name was Aengus O'Carroll who had worked with Yeats's daughter Anne Yeats in Dublin at the Cuala Press. I still have that print proudly displayed in my home, and I think of Bunratty and Aengus each time I take a lingering look. I wonder if he is still there. I found this recipe in an Irish cookbook. I do not know if they still serve them at Bunratty Castle, but I cannot wait to go back to find out.
Bunratty Wholemeal Scones
Ingredients:
1½ cups of white flour
3 cups of brown flour*
1 large egg, beaten
1 egg white for glazing
3 tsp. of sugar
1½ tsp. of baking soda
1 tsp. of baking powder
Knob of butter [Irish term for small amount, sometimes seen as nob]
Sour milk or buttermilk
Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients together. Add beaten egg, and gradually stir in enough milk until dough consistency is achieved. Knead briefly on lightly-floured board. Roll out to 1 inch thickness. Cut into wedge shapes, brush with egg white to glaze, and place onto a sprayed cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 20 minutes. When you pop that scone into your mouth, you will be looking out the window of Bunratty Castle at the folk park, the estuary, and Shannon Airport. Enjoy the trip.
*Brown flour is a specialty flour of the British Isles. How it is made is a closely guarded secret. It can be ordered online from Rank Hovis Limited, or you can use a brown bread mix purchased online or locally from an Irish/Celtic shop. I have spent many hours trying to duplicate the brown flour with flours available here in the U.S. It is impossible to achieve since the malted wheat flakes provide the unique texture and rich, nutty flavor. I have used a combination of these three flours to achieve some success: whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, and unprocessed bran. If you find a better combination, please let me know for brown bread is the thing I miss most about life in Ireland.
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