By Margaret M. Johnson
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw loved brown soda bread and once said of it: “Remember that brown bread is a good familiar creature and worth more than his weight in flesh.” Unquestionably Ireland’s greatest culinary legacy, soda bread is but one of many humble and familiar creatures that come to mind when the subject of Irish cooking comes up at this time of year.
Along with Irish stew, bacon and cabbage, smoked salmon, and potato dishes, soda bread may be the most cherished of Irish fare, but its buttermilk, one of its key ingredients, that Irish bakers have used for generations to produce not only hearty loaves of bread, but also light and tender cakes, fruit-filled crisps and crumbles, and, lately, even tangy soups, mashed potatoes, and cheesy tarts.
Originally, buttermilk was a byproduct of butter churning on a farm, the liquid remaining after the butter had been removed from the milk. In medieval Ireland, buttermilk was not only valued as a refreshment, but also as an ingredient used in the production of cheese. It’s mentioned in Ireland’s legendary Brehon Laws, the ancient rules of conduct, as a foodstuff and a food “rent” exchanged between clients and lords. From the 19th century on, buttermilk also became an indispensable ingredient in breadmaking.
Because it’s naturally high in acid, it reacts well with baking soda or baking powder, an alkali to generate the carbon dioxide that causes batter to rise. Today’s buttermilk, however, is a pasteurized milk to which a lactic bacteria culture has been added. It, too, acts as a natural emulsifier in baking, dispersing the fat throughout the baked product while its proteins react to sugar and contribute to browning. Best of all, buttermilk delivers a tangy yet slightly sweet flavor that complements ingredients ranging from chocolate to cheese to cinnamon.
Although it wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day without at least one loaf of soda bread or a batch of scones, buttermilk has moved Irish cooking way beyond these old favorites, adding an unexpected tang to traditional leek and potato soup and a lovely smoothness to bacon and leek tart. In desserts, it provides an exceptionally light batter for an upside-down apple tart, and it adds a subtle flavor to a lemon tart. /
Sign up to The Irish Echo Newsletter
Mrs. McCann’s Oatty Brown Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup McCann’s Quick Cooking Irish Oatmeal
1/3 cup McCann’s Steel-Cut Irish Oatmeal
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 1/4 cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 425. Dust a baking sheet with flour. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center, and with a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the buttermilk until the dough is soft, but manageable.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead it for about 1 minute. Shape it into a ball, and place it in the center of the baking sheet.
Flatten the dough into a circle about 1 1/2-inches thick. With a sharp knife that has been dipped in flour, make a cross through the center of the bread so that it will easily break into quarters when baked (do not cut all the way through). Sprinkle a little oatmeal over the top.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes (check after 20 minutes, and if browning too quickly, reduce heat to 350) until nicely browned and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf.
Bunratty Folk Park Scones
Along with soda bread, scones are made daily in households throughout Ireland. At Bunratty Folk Park in County Clare, this recipe is used in the farmhouse kitchen where the scones are served with butter, jam, and tea. Lemon Curd is also a nice topping for warm scones.
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup raisins
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup cream
Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly grease a baking sheet. In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, work in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the raisins. Gradually stir in the eggs and buttermilk until the dough is soft, but manageable.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a 1-inch-thick circle. With a 2-inch biscuit cutter, cut the scones into rounds. Brush the tops with cream. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes about 18.
Lemon Curd
3/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the lemon juice, lemon rind, sugar, and eggs. Add the butter and cook, stirring constantly, for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the curd is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let mixture boil. Pour the curd into a small bowl or jar, cover, and chill. (Can be kept refrigerated for 1 week.) Makes about 1 3/4 cups.
Leek and Potato Soup
With Buttermilk Cream
Brotch_n foltchep (from the Irish words meaning “broth” and “leeks”) is traditional leek and oatmeal soup that has been served in Ireland for generations. Most cooks now combine leeks with potatoes; the addition of buttermilk is a new twist.
4 tablespoons butter
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 pound leeks (white and pale green parts only), washed and sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 1/2 cups milk
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoons dried parsley
Salt and ground white pepper, to taste
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped chives
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the potatoes, leeks, onion, and celery, cover, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the broth, 1/2 cup of the milk, bay leaf, parsley, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes, or the vegetables are tender.
Discard bay leaf and let the soup cool. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process in batches until smooth. (To make ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 12 hours).
To serve, heat the soup over medium heat and stir in the remaining 2 cups milk. Ladle the soup into bowls and swirl 1 tablespoon of buttermilk into each serving. Sprinkle with the chives. Serves 8.
Bacon Buttermilk Tart
With Oatmeal Whole Wheat Crust
Although tarts and quiche would not be described as traditionally Irish, they form part of the new style of Irish cooking that uses native ingredients like bacon, buttermilk, cheese, leeks, and oatmeal.
1/4 cup McCann’s Irish Oatmeal
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter
3 ounces Kerrygold Swiss cheese, shredded
3 tablespoons water
Filling:
8 slices bacon
4 leeks (white and pale green parts only), washed and sliced
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 ounces Dubliner Irish cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine the oatmeal, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, salt, butter, and cheese in a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the water and process for 10 to 15 seconds, until a dough forms. Shape it into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out to a 12-inch diameter circle. Transfer to a lightly greased 10-inch quiche pan, fold excess dough in, and press it against the sides. Prick crust with a fork, then chill about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line the crust with foil and fill with ceramic pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and let crust cool. Maintain oven temperature.
In a large skillet, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain and crumble. Sprinkle the bacon into the crust. Scatter the leeks over the bacon.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, Dubliner cheese, mustard, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until filling is set. Serves 8.
Buttermilk-Chive Mashed Potatoes
A little like champ, the traditional Irish mashed potato-scallion dish, these mashed potatoes are made from three potato varieties and baked in individual gratin dishes. They arrive soufflT-like, thanks to the addition of buttermilk.
1 pound russet or Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound long white boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoon fresh minced chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes, until tender. Drain, return to the pan, cover, and let dry out a little.
Preheat the oven to 425. Butter 6 gratin dishes.
With a potato masher, mash the potatoes roughly. With a wooden spoon, stir in the buttermilk, half-and-half, 8 tablespoons butter, thyme, chives, salt, and pepper. Spoon the potatoes into the prepared dishes. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and spoon over the top of each dish. Bake for 20 minutes, until lightly browned. Serves 6.
Upside-Down Apple
And Soda Bread Tart
Derry Clarke, chef-proprietor of the popular, highly acclaimed L’Ecrivain Restaurant in Dublin, gives a traditional Irish soda bread a new identity by using it as the base for an upside down apple tart.
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup superfine sugar
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
2 Granny Smith apples, cored, and sliced horizontally (about 16 slices)
In a small bowl, combine the raisins and whiskey and soak for 1/2 hour. Drain and reserve the raisins and whiskey.
Preheat the oven to 400. In a large bowl, sift the cake flour, baking powder, and sugar together. With a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut or work in 1/2 cup of the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir the raisins into the flour. Make a well in the center, and with a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the buttermilk until the dough is soft but manageable. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, knead for 20 seconds, then roll or pat the dough to form a 12-inch diameter circle.
In a large skillet, combine the sugar, reserved whiskey, remaining 1/4 cup of butter, and the cardamom. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter melts and sugar caramelizes. Add the apple slices in batches and cook for 2 to 3 minutes (they should still be crunchy). With a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a plate. Cook the caramel over low heat until it thickens.
Spread the caramel in a 12-inch diameter quiche pan. Arrange the apple slices by overlapping them in 2 concentric circles over the caramel. Cover with the dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, place a serving plate on top, and invert. Slice and serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 8.
Lemon Buttermilk Tart
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
3/4 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter, and with pastry cutter or your fingers, work the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Whisk together the yolk and water. Pour the yolk mixture into the flour and stir to blend. Gather the dough and form it into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Remove dough from refrigerator 20 minutes before rolling.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 12-inch diameter circle. Transfer to a 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom, fold excess dough in, and press against sides. Freeze crust for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350. Line the crust with foil and fill with ceramic pie weights or dried beans. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until crust is set. Remove the foil and weights and bake until crust is golden, about 10 to 12 minutes more. Remove from oven and let it cool.
For the filling: Whisk together all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Pour into the crust and bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is set. Let cool for 30 minutes. Serves 8.
Margaret M. Johnson is the author of “The Irish Heritage Cookbook” (Chronicle Books, 1999). Her new book, “The New Irish Table: 75 Contemporary Recipes,” will be released by Chronicle in the fall. For more on Ireland and Irish cooking, visit www.irishcook.com.