It’s that time of year again, when anyone who has ever had the good fortune to visit the Emerald Isle is reminded of its beauty, its Gaelic language, music and people. Sunday is Saint Patrick’s Day, when Ireland’s patron saint is honored, as he is each March 17. In this country, where some say there are more people of Irish descent than in Ireland, the feast day is widely celebrated as well, although why Americans seem obsessed with toasting the man largely credited with spreading Christianity in Ireland with green beer still isn’t quite clear.
However, on this significant annual occasion, it is fun to add some green to your day. There’s no sweeter way to do it than with dessert.
Pretty pistachio pudding parfaits or a quick pistachio dessert made with biscuit mix add a touch of emerald elegance to your table. A mint ice cream torte, concocted with mint chocolate chip ice cream, Andes candies and Oreo cookies, takes green to new heights, while a chocolate Guinness cake recipe from tasteofhome.com boasts a cream cheese frosting that resembles the foamy head on a pint of Ireland’s signature ale. All the recipes are included in today’s food pages, or under the Lifestyles link at cdispatch.com.
If you happen to be throwing a party for Saint Patrick’s Day, or just want to make the day a bit more fun for family, try some of the following simple, inexpensive and festively cheesy ideas.
Ask the lads and lasses in your house to wear green to the dining table, where, by the way, they might encounter green pancakes, green mashed potatoes, or green deviled eggs — courtesy of a little food dye. Some gold-foil wrapped chocolate “coins” and even Lucky Charms cereal can be scattered around place settings for a whimsical touch.
Before the meal, or before dessert, hand out paper and pen to everyone at the table and give them five minutes to write a limerick, which everybody then shares. Laughs are sure to follow.
Let young children search, in-house or in the yard, for treasure (those gold-wrapped “coins” again) to fill their “pots of gold.”
Having a party? Find a big-ish rock, or a fake one of plastic or papier maché, for your Blarney Stone, and let guests kiss it when they enter.
And if you just have to serve green beer, one drop of food coloring in a clear glass before adding the beer will do the trick. Any beer will do, but lighter colored brews show off the green color best. Darker beers like stout will have a green head atop their normally dark bodies.
Whatever your glass is filled with this Saint Patrick’s Day, raise it in toast to Ireland — Éire — a land of stunning landscapes and ancient lore, a destination worth dreaming of.
MINT CHEESECAKE
Prep: 30 minutes
Cooking: 45 minutes
Makes 12 servings
For the crust:
24 chocolate wafer cookies (homemade or store-bought)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
For the cheesecake:
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 drops green food coloring
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons mint extract
2 tablespoons Irish whiskey
For the topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
(Source: cookingchanneltv.com)
MINT ICE CREAM TORTE
Prep: 20 minutes, plus freezing
Makes 12 servings
20 Oreo cookies, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted
10 mint Andes candies, melted
1/2 gallon mint chocolate chip ice cream, divided
1 jar (11-3/4 ounces) hot fudge ice cream topping
(Source: tasteofhome.com)
PISTACHIO DESSERT
Prep: 30 minutes, plus chilling
Makes 15 servings
1-1/4 cups biscuit/baking mix
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons cold butter
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar, divided
1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped, divided
2-1/2 cups cold milk
2 packages (3.4 ounces each) instant pistachio pudding mix
Chocolate curls, optional
(Source: tasteofhome.com)
PISTACHIO PUDDING PARFAITS
Total time: 20 minutes
Makes 8 servings
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1-1/2 cups whipped topping
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant pistachio pudding mix
10 pecan shortbread cookies, coarsely crushed
Directions
(Source: tasteofhome.com)
CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE RECIPE
Prep time: 25 minutes
Baking time: 45 minutes
Makes 12 servings
1 cup Guinness (dark beer)
1/2 cup butter, cubed
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup baking cocoa
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup sour cream
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
For the topping:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
(Source: tasteofhome.com)
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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