Posts Tagged ‘Christmas Recipes’

Beef dripping makes the best tasting pastry. Try it yourself with this great recipe for mince pies. Mince Pies – Printer Friendly Download Ingredients for pastry: 60g chilled James Whelan Butchers beef dripping 65 g butter 90 g caster sugar 1 large egg 250 g plain flour 1 tbsp of ice cold water To Cook: […]

The beef dripping really gives these festive sausage rolls a delicious crunch. Ingredients: For the pastry: 60g chilled James Whelan Butchers beef dripping 65 g butter 1 large egg 250 g plain flour 1 tbsp of ice cold water For the filling: 450g free-range pork sausages 30g dried cranberries, chopped 1 orange, finely grated zest […]

It’s really great to be alive at this time of technological breakthroughs, tremendous convenience, and working central heating!  We have a lot to be thankful for and yet I see the stress on the faces all around me.  For every smile there’s at least one frown.  Some people truly delight in this time of year, […]

There will always be those prepared for Christmas in September and while we may admire their industriousness for most of us it just isn’t practical. So here we find ourselves in the first week of December, the public lights are up, the Christmas songs are playing in the shops and it’s time to get festive. […]

Brining your turkey is similar to marinating, but is primarily focused on moistening the meat as opposed to adding flavor to it. Brining your turkey prior to cooking will help ensure you end up with a deliciously moist and flavor-packed turkey this Christmas. What you need to know about brining The first step in the […]

This morning I had the pleasure of talking with Keelin Shanley who was filling in for Sean O’Rourke on RTE Radio 1. We discussed what “Spiced Beef” is made from and how the recipe originated in Cork during the 16th and 17th centuries. At that time Cork was one of the largest exporters of beef […]

In Ireland in times past goose that was central to any feast and was often the choice at Christmas, wedding feasts and the old tradition of Michaelmas celebrated on 29th September and St Martin’s eve on the 11th November, neither of which seem to be of any significance today.  Because Michaelmas coincided with the apple […]

I got to work at breaking light the other day in order to write before the mayhem of the day began. As I walked along the leaves crunched beneath my feet and my breath hit the air in little visible white clouds. It was cold, dry and very festive; perfect Christmassy weather. Who wouldn’t like […]