The Leprechaun Did It-3/17/10

Seriously, I did not just make an entire St. Patrick's Day meal and forget to take pictures. Blame it on the leprechaun. He stole my before shots. If nothing else, these pictures prove the meal was edible. There is a handy little menu guide at the back of each Bon Appetit magazine that gives suggestions for menus that do not appear as a set in the magazine. There was not an article about St. Patrick's Day but there was a nostalgic article about the food of Ireland written by Andrew McCarthy of '80's movie fame. Guess the guy can act and write. In my own three trips to Ireland, I cannot wax nostalgic about brown bread or the pounds of potatoes I ate, served in many forms. As I sit here, I remember the scenery and very little about the food (other than the copious amount of potato dishes and excellent beer). Maybe I'll have to plan my next trip to be a bit more gourmet.

The main dish recommended for the St. Patrick's menu, the Braised Pork Shoulder with Potato-Fennel Puree on page 68 of this month's Bon Appetit was part of another menu in the magazine but worked well because of the addition of a potato based side. I don't remember seeing very many pigs in Ireland but I sure ate a lot of sausages so they must have hidden them somewhere. I rarely roast whole sides of pork and always worry about under cooking them but the pork was perfectly cooked in the time given. It was moist and flavorful and looked much better than my picture. The Potato-Fennel Puree looked a bit odd if you are expecting mashed potatoes. The fennel had roasted to a dark brown but the result was a much deeper flavor than mashed potatoes. I really enjoyed the puree, though a little creamy Irish butter would have perfected it.

Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread was the object of Mr. McCarthy's deep affection but I was not as well... affectionate. I found the bread dry and would have liked even a simple caraway sprinkling on the crust or a raisin or two to add interest. My other frustration was that the center looked undercooked even after the called for cooking time. I've made better soda breads (see last year's St. Patrick's post).

The dessert choice for this menu was a refreshingly different but very appropriate choice. The Meyer Lemon Shortcakes with Meyer Lemon Curd and Mixed Citrus "Marmalade" was the British Isles personified. The combination of shortcakes, lemon curd, and marmalade was delightful. I'd never made marmalade and was pretty pleased with my results. The lemon curd was simple to made and had that sour-sweet combination that perks up a heavy dessert. The best part of the dessert though was the shortcakes. These mildly sweet biscuits with a wonderfully light texture were so good I've had one by itself as writing this blog post. Thankfully, the leprechauns didn't steal my leftovers.

Braised Pork Shoulder with Potato-Fennel Puree-A

Mrs. O'Callaghan's Soda Bread-C-

Meyer Lemon Shortcakes with Meyer Lemon Curd and Mixed Citrus "Marmalade"-A