Modern Irish recipes to try this St Patrick’s Day

Irish cheese flatbread

This is a great recipe for dinner parties – the addition of potatoes makes it a meal in itself. This will make at least six flatbreads, but the dough will keep in the fridge for three days.

Ingredients, makes six

For the base (prepare 24 hours in advance)

1kg 00 flour

10g dried yeast

30g salt

200g mashed potato (as dry as possible)

600ml cold water

For the toppings

1kg Jerusalem artichoke

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Salt

12 pieces of frivole or purple sprouting broccoli, sliced in half

½ kg Coolea cheese, grated

½ kg crumbled Kearney Blue

½ kg Toonsbridge smoked scamorza, sliced

Method

1. To make the base, put water in a bowl and add the yeast. Fluff up with a whisk until bubbles form.

2. Slowly mix in the flour adding the salt halfway through. Mix in the potato. By now, you should have a nice soft dough. Cover in cling film in a bowl and leave in a warm dark place to rise.

3. Divide the dough into 150g balls and lay on a lightly floured tray. Cover and leave for 24 hours in the fridge (alternatively, leave at room temp for eight hours).

4. When ready to use, press and flatten the dough ball on a floured surface with your fingers to form a circle. Hold the dough with left hand while stretching with the right.

5. For the topping, peel the artichokes and place in a small pot of boiling water with a few slices of lemon and salt. Cook until very soft and then purée in a blender with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Spread on the flattened dough bases, like you would a tomato sauce on a pizza, and divide each of the three cheeses between the bases.

7. Lay the greens evenly on top and bake on a pre-heated pizza stone in a very hot oven until the base looks evenly cooked and starting to colour and the cheese is melted. Season and serve.

TIP: You can play around with the cheeses if you prefer, but we always recommend using good Irish cheeses – we have the best on our doorstep.

Treacle tart

This is inspired by a classic custard tart – we serve it with sea salt ice-cream.

Ingredients, serves eight

For the sweet pastry

250g plain flour sifted

175g butter, plus extra for greasing

75g icing sugar

2 free-range egg yolks

1 tbsp cold water

For the filling

150g day-old brown or white bread, crusts removed

650g golden syrup or 140g treacle

150g unsalted butter

1 free-range egg

50ml double cream

2 lemons, zest only

1 large pinch salt

Clotted cream or ice-cream, to serve

Method

1. For the sweet pastry, in a bowl, rub together the flour and butter using your fingertips, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2. Add the icing sugar, egg yolks and cold water and mix until the mixture comes together as a dough. Wrap the dough in cling film, then chill in the fridge for two hours, to rest.

3. Grease a 23cm/9.5 inch loose-bottomed tart case with melted butter, then dust with flour, gently knocking out any excess. Meanwhile, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and place the prepared tart case on top.

4. Once the pastry has rested, discard the cling film and roll the pastry out onto a lightly floured work surface to a 4-5mm thickness.

5. Lift the rolled pastry by rolling it loosely around the rolling pin, then lower it into the prepared tart case and press into the tart case to mould it to the sides and bottom. Trim off any excess pastry using a sharp knife. Chill the tart case in the fridge for a further 30 minutes.

6. Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. When the tart case has rested, remove it from the fridge and prick the base several times using a fork.

7. Line the base and sides of the tart case with greaseproof paper, then fill it with baking beans. Transfer to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until crisp and pale golden-brown. Discard the greaseproof paper and baking beans.

8. For the filling, blend the bread in a food processor until it has formed breadcrumbs. Set aside. Heat the golden syrup and butter in a pan over a low to medium heat until the syrup and the butter has melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

9. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg and cream until well combined. Pour in the syrup and butter mixture and stir to combine. Stir in the breadcrumbs, lemon zest and salt until well combined.

10. Pour the filling mixture into the cooked pastry case, then return the tart to the oven and cook for a further 40-45 minutes, or until the filling is dark golden-brown.

11. Remove from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes before serving to allow to cool slightly. Serve warm, with clotted cream or your favourite ice-cream.

Recipes by The Legal Eagle, see thelegaleagle.ie for more. Photography by Brian Clarke, assisted by Harry Weir.