Cooking Irish can also be found at PETITCHEF and Pinterest.
When we lived in Ireland in the mid-eighties, desserts fell into the same category as beef: they both looked wonderful in the cases, but left much to be desired by an American's palate. The sweets were rarely sweet enough. The bakery items were beautifully presented but just needed some more sugar. And I am not one to like sweet things. I remember on a day trip we took when my parents were visiting, we stopped at a pastry shop, and my mom picked out what we thought were pastry-wrapped figs. It turned out they contained Irish sausage. You can imagine our surprise when we bit into them. These little meat pastries were everywhere, a main staple of Irish cuisine. They actually were quite tasty once one realized they were a savory and not sweet pastry.
The irony of this is that two of the best desserts I've ever tasted were in Ireland. One was a chocolate mousse pie and the other an incredible chocolate cake.
My favorite mythology is Irish mythology so I wanted to see the Giants Causeway in County Antrim in the Province of Ulster in Northern Ireland. Giants Causeway is Northern Ireland's most famous landmark and has been an official UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. Formed between 50 and 60 million years ago, the causeway takes its name from the legends of Finn MacCool and draws people from far and wide to this corner of north Antrim. The Giants Causeway is a must see for any visitor to Ireland.
The north Antrim coastline in renowned for it scenic beauty, and the Giants Causeway is its unique jewel in the crown, known to the Irish as the 8th Wonder of the World. It is a jagged promontory of neatly packed columns of hexagonal basalt rocks created some 6 million years ago by a flow of basaltic lava. As the lava cooled, it formed these distinctive hexagonal shapes just as the bottom of a dried riverbed would crack into shapes.
It is easy to see how these almost perfectly symmetrical formations would be viewed as otherworldly by our earlier ancestors and how the Giants Causeway would give rise to colorful legend. The story goes that mythical Irish giant Finn MacCool built the causeway to get to Scotland and battle with a rival giant called Benandonner. When he got there, he found that the Scottish giant was asleep but also far bigger than he, so Finn returned back across the causeway. When Benandonner woke up, he came across the causeway intent on fighting Finn. Finn's wife Oonagh dressed up her husband as a baby, and when Benandonner arrived, she said Finn wasn't home and to be quiet not to wake up the baby. When Benandonner saw the baby, he decided that if the baby was that big, Finn must be massive. So he turned tail and fled back across the causeway ripping it up as he went. All that remains are the ends, here at the Giants Causeway and on the island of Staffa in Scotland where similar formations are found.
In 1986 a visitor center was opened to coincide with the addition of the causeway by UNESCO to its coveted list of world heritage sites. Volcanic activity helped Finn MacCool forge this wonder of the World some 60 million years ago, and today it is the habitat of rare plants and animals.
If you too love Irish mythology, I suggest you look into the jewelry by Linda Uhlemann called The Children of Lir Collection®. It is beautiful and every time one wears a piece, she walks through the day with a tangible reminder of the wonderful myths of Ireland. I love this collection, and pieces can be ordered from many Irish online stores. I received my first piece of the collection from my friend Teri who knows I love all things Irish. Thank you, dear friend. Here is the legend of King Lir from one of these websites.
"King Lir had four children, Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra, and Con. Their mother the Queen had died, and the King married Aoife, currently one of the most popular names for Irish baby girls. Aoife cast a spell over the children turning them into swans. This spell was to last 900 years: they were to spend 300 on their own lake, 300 years on the sea of Moyle, and 300 years on the Isle of Glora. Only the sound of a church bell would break the spell.
Irish Chocolate Mousse Pie [Easy and Delicious]
Ingredients:
Prepared 9" chocolate pie crust, baked and cooled [Recipe below]
1 cup of heavy cream
1 package of plain gelatin
¼ cup of water
1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip®
5 heaping T. of unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup of sugar
2 pints of whipping cream
1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of sugar
1 large bar of sweetened dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate for curling
Preparation:
Chocolate Cookie Pie Crust
Ingredients:
30 chocolate cookie wafers, such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers®
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted and cooled
Soften the gelatin in the water. Whip one cup of heavy cream until peaks form. Fold the Cool Whip®, gelatin, cocoa, and sugar into the whipped cream. Spoon into the prepared pie crust.
Whipped Cream Topping:
Whip the 2 pints of whipping cream, vanilla, and 1/4 cup of sugar until peaks form. Cover the pie with a very thick layer. Curl the chocolate bar to cover the pie. Let set in refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 hours until firm or overnight.
When we lived in Ireland in the mid-eighties, desserts fell into the same category as beef: they both looked wonderful in the cases, but left much to be desired by an American's palate. The sweets were rarely sweet enough. The bakery items were beautifully presented but just needed some more sugar. And I am not one to like sweet things. I remember on a day trip we took when my parents were visiting, we stopped at a pastry shop, and my mom picked out what we thought were pastry-wrapped figs. It turned out they contained Irish sausage. You can imagine our surprise when we bit into them. These little meat pastries were everywhere, a main staple of Irish cuisine. They actually were quite tasty once one realized they were a savory and not sweet pastry.
The irony of this is that two of the best desserts I've ever tasted were in Ireland. One was a chocolate mousse pie and the other an incredible chocolate cake.
My favorite mythology is Irish mythology so I wanted to see the Giants Causeway in County Antrim in the Province of Ulster in Northern Ireland. Giants Causeway is Northern Ireland's most famous landmark and has been an official UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. Formed between 50 and 60 million years ago, the causeway takes its name from the legends of Finn MacCool and draws people from far and wide to this corner of north Antrim. The Giants Causeway is a must see for any visitor to Ireland.
The north Antrim coastline in renowned for it scenic beauty, and the Giants Causeway is its unique jewel in the crown, known to the Irish as the 8th Wonder of the World. It is a jagged promontory of neatly packed columns of hexagonal basalt rocks created some 6 million years ago by a flow of basaltic lava. As the lava cooled, it formed these distinctive hexagonal shapes just as the bottom of a dried riverbed would crack into shapes.
It is easy to see how these almost perfectly symmetrical formations would be viewed as otherworldly by our earlier ancestors and how the Giants Causeway would give rise to colorful legend. The story goes that mythical Irish giant Finn MacCool built the causeway to get to Scotland and battle with a rival giant called Benandonner. When he got there, he found that the Scottish giant was asleep but also far bigger than he, so Finn returned back across the causeway. When Benandonner woke up, he came across the causeway intent on fighting Finn. Finn's wife Oonagh dressed up her husband as a baby, and when Benandonner arrived, she said Finn wasn't home and to be quiet not to wake up the baby. When Benandonner saw the baby, he decided that if the baby was that big, Finn must be massive. So he turned tail and fled back across the causeway ripping it up as he went. All that remains are the ends, here at the Giants Causeway and on the island of Staffa in Scotland where similar formations are found.
In 1986 a visitor center was opened to coincide with the addition of the causeway by UNESCO to its coveted list of world heritage sites. Volcanic activity helped Finn MacCool forge this wonder of the World some 60 million years ago, and today it is the habitat of rare plants and animals.
If you too love Irish mythology, I suggest you look into the jewelry by Linda Uhlemann called The Children of Lir Collection®. It is beautiful and every time one wears a piece, she walks through the day with a tangible reminder of the wonderful myths of Ireland. I love this collection, and pieces can be ordered from many Irish online stores. I received my first piece of the collection from my friend Teri who knows I love all things Irish. Thank you, dear friend. Here is the legend of King Lir from one of these websites.
"King Lir had four children, Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra, and Con. Their mother the Queen had died, and the King married Aoife, currently one of the most popular names for Irish baby girls. Aoife cast a spell over the children turning them into swans. This spell was to last 900 years: they were to spend 300 on their own lake, 300 years on the sea of Moyle, and 300 years on the Isle of Glora. Only the sound of a church bell would break the spell.
The king saw what Aoife had done and banished her from his kingdom. After 900 years had passed the swans heard the sound of a church bell. Caomhog stood outside his church and listened to their sad story in astonishment. The holy water he sprinkled on then turned them into an old woman and three old men. That night Caomhog dreamed of four swans flying up through the clouds, and he knew the children of Lir were at last on their way to heaven to be with their mother and father again.
Also, The Salmon of Knowledge was caught by Finegas, a poet and teacher of many years. While his apprentice, Finn McCool was cooking the great fish, he tasted it and fulfilled the ancient prophecy that 'he who first tastes the Salmon of Knowledge would possess all the knowledge his mind can hold.'"
My son Eli. We had an open staircase in our Georgian townhouse in Trim. The kids would hang upside down from one of the upper steps for amusement!!!
So here is the easy recipe for Irish chocolate mousse pie first enjoyed at a bed and breakfast near the causeway. I hope you think of Finn MacCool and Oonagh when you sit down to enjoy this dessert.My son Eli. We had an open staircase in our Georgian townhouse in Trim. The kids would hang upside down from one of the upper steps for amusement!!!
Irish Chocolate Mousse Pie [Easy and Delicious]
Ingredients:
Prepared 9" chocolate pie crust, baked and cooled [Recipe below]
1 cup of heavy cream
1 package of plain gelatin
¼ cup of water
1 8 oz. container of Cool Whip®
5 heaping T. of unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup of sugar
2 pints of whipping cream
1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
1/4 cup of sugar
1 large bar of sweetened dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate for curling
Preparation:
Chocolate Cookie Pie Crust
Ingredients:
30 chocolate cookie wafers, such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers®
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted and cooled
INSTRUCTIONS:
Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment and process until the pieces are about the size of peas. Stop the motor, add the melted butter, and continue to process until the crumbs are fine, about the size of coarsely ground coffee (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Alternatively, place the cookies in a resealable plastic bag, press out the air, and seal. Using a rolling pin, smash into fine crumbs until uniform. Transfer to a medium bowl, add melted butter, and mix until evenly combined. Pour crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and, using the bottom of a cup or your fingers, press firmly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides. Bake until fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely before filling.
Chocolate Mousse Filling:
Soften the gelatin in the water. Whip one cup of heavy cream until peaks form. Fold the Cool Whip®, gelatin, cocoa, and sugar into the whipped cream. Spoon into the prepared pie crust.
Whipped Cream Topping:
Whip the 2 pints of whipping cream, vanilla, and 1/4 cup of sugar until peaks form. Cover the pie with a very thick layer. Curl the chocolate bar to cover the pie. Let set in refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 hours until firm or overnight.
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