St. Patrick's Day Meal and Plans

St. Patrick's Day is Sunday and I will definitely not be eating corned beef and cabbage. In fact, I pretty much can't stand the thought of them. For years I struggled with a meal plan for St. Patrick's Day with some semblance of authenticity and which I actually wanted to eat.

For dinner, I make Guinness Beef Stew with Cheddar Herb Dumplings (click here for the recipe).

And for dessert, I serve ultra-decadent Guinness Chocolate Pudding. Unfortunately, I cannot find my original source, and I have tweaked the recipe slightly, so I'm just typing it out for you. It is very rich, like a super smooth mousse. 

Chocolate Guinness Pudding

1 c. Guinness Draught (not Extra Stout)

1 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

2/3 c. sugar

6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped

5 large egg yolks

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine Guinness, whipping cream, and sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer.

Add chopped chocolate and let sit 5 mins. Whisk until the chocolate is fully melted and incorporated and mixture is smooth.

In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks until smooth. Very slowly stir in Guinness-chocolate mixture, whisking constantly, to temper egg yolks. Return mixture to saucepan and return to medium heat.

Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture has thickened, another 3 minutes MAXIMUM (not a minute more). Remove from heat and divide among 8 ramekins or pretty glassware. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until set, 2-3 hours.

Serves 8.

It's been our tradition for the last few years to watch some sort of Irish-themed movie on St. Patrick's Day. A couple of our recommendations are Far and Away (with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) and Waking Ned Devine (more than slightly wacky comedy).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!