"Irish" Hot Pockets

When I was trying to come up with a fitting name for this post I had to think twice about including the words "hot pockets". After recent unflattering news about the frozen convenience food was everywhere I looked, I wasn't too sure if this was going to attract my readers attention or turn them away. Good news though, my hot pockets have nothing in common with their grocery store namesake and you can safely cook and enjoy them for your own family. ;-)

 

St. Patrick's Day has been one of those holiday's that my kids, no matter how old they get, always look forward to because of the delicious food. My youngest started asking a couple of weeks ago if I was going to fix my Glazed Corned Beef and Colcannon, while my sixteen year old is all about the Irish Soda Bread. While all of these favorites, along with my St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding will be making an appearance on St. Patrick's Day, I'm always thinking of some new and interesting recipes to add to my collection for the holiday.

The idea for these Hot Pockets came to me the other day while in the kitchen and I thought they would be a tasty addition to our St. Patrick's Day menu. The filling is a fairly simple combination of fried cabbage and corned beef. The meat can either be bought from the deli counter at your local supermarket or you can use leftover cooked corned beef. The cabbage mixture gets topped with a sprinkle of Dubliner Cheese and then everything gets encased in a flaky puff pastry crust. A quick bake in the oven and you are all set with the tastiest hot pockets you've ever had. 

A homemade thousand island dipping sauce for the baked pastries adds the final touch, but if you prefer, mustard is also wonderful served alongside. The finished pockets are a great addition to any St. Patrick's Day celebration. Make them as appetizers for a party or simply add a salad on the side for a filling meal. If it's any indication, my boys inhaled them in 5 minutes flat and proclaimed they had a new St. Patrick's Day favorite.

"Irish" Hot Pockets
~makes 12 pockets~
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 oz. corned beef, finely cubed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 pinch white sugar
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

For the pockets:
3 sheets puff pastry, thawed (1 1/2 boxes)
Prepared cabbage filling (see above)
3 oz. Dubliner cheese, finely grated
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water for egg-wash
Flour for work surface
Thousand Island Dipping Sauce (Recipe to follow)

Directions:
For the filling: In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cubed corned beef and saute until slightly crispy and golden brown. 

Add the onions. Cook for 1 minute, then add the cabbage along with water, vinegar, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until cabbage wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set mixture aside to cool.

For the pockets: Pre-heat oven to 375 ° F. Line three baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. 

Flour your work surface. Carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Using a ruler, cut the rectangle in half (you should now have two 5x12-inch rectangles), then cut each of those rectangles into 4 equal pieces, leaving you with eight 3x5-inch rectangles.

Place 4 rectangles on one of your prepared baking sheets. Add 2 scant tablespoons of the prepared cabbage filling right down the middle of your rectangles leaving about 1/4 inch all the way around, making sure not to over fill. Top the filling with a pinch of the grated cheese.

Brush all 4 edges of each rectangle with your prepared egg-wash. Place the remaining puff pastry rectangles on top and using a fork seal all the edges by crimping all the way around.

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator while you work on the second and third sheet of puff pastry in the same manner. Place all the finished  pockets in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before proceeding.

Remove baking sheets one at a time from fridge and brush tops of the pockets with remaining egg wash. With a sharp knife, carefully cut 3 small vents in each pocket. Bake in your pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes (rotating once) or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving them with the Thousand Island Dipping Sauce.

Notes: I asked for a couple of slices of 1/4-inch corned beef at my deli, but leftover cooked corned beef would be equally wonderful.

The filling can be made a day ahead of time. Keep it in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the hot pockets.

I used Dubliner Cheese from Kerrygold. The flavor is reminiscent of cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan. If you can't find it, Swiss, Gruyere or a sharp white cheddar will also work.

The baked pockets are best eaten the same day and taste best right out of the oven (after a quick cooling time so you don't scorch the skin in your mouth. Trust me, I've been there).

The thousand island dipping sauce can also be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

 A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe 

Homemade Thousand Island Dipping Sauce
~makes about 3/4 cup~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain (2%) Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 dashes Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
Add all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Sauce slightly adapted from: Kitchen Treaty

Tres Leches Cake with Mango Sauce

The very first time I laid eyes on a Tres Leches Cake was on Alton Brown's Food Network Show "Good Eats". I watched him prepare this cake, that after being baked seemed to hold an unbelievable amount of liquid, like a sponge. I was very intrigued. 

A little while after that while out shopping one day, I came across a Tres Leches Cake in a boxed cake mix. I thought why not give that one a try. Oh my, it was disgusting. It tasted fake, the milk mixture didn't soak into the cake, and it was all just a big mess. I think I ended up tossing most of it. 

Still intrigued and not willing to give up, I decided to go with Alton Brown's version after all. His is truly a good recipe, but I still thought it was a little too rich with all the half and half and heavy cream that was called for in his recipe. Nonetheless, it is fantastic tasting, and I have taken it to parties before and everyone has loved it. 

So when my newest Food Network Magazine showed up not too long ago and I saw they had a Tres Leches Cake with Mango Sauce inside, I knew I had to make it. Well, this version blows any other version I have had out of the water. It calls for whole milk instead of half and half and also reduces the heavy cream topping and sugar. That along with a fantastic fresh mango sauce makes this my new go-to recipe. 

Give it a try, it would make the perfect ending to any Cinco de Mayo Celebration!

Tres Leches Cake with Mango Sauce

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
Vegetable oil, for greasing
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups whole milk, divided
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 ounce can evaporated milk
14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon dark rum
2 large ripe mangoes
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup heavy cream
Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with vegetable oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Make the cake: Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer until pale and slightly thick, about 6 minutes. Slowly beat in the melted butter, then beat in the vanilla and 1/4 cup whole milk.

Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Sift the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold together with a rubber spatula to make a thick batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted  into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes*. Run a knife along the edges to release the cake from the pan.

Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 2 cups whole milk, the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk and rum in a bowl. Pierce the warm cake all over with a fork, then pour the milk mixture evenly on top. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.

Before serving, make the topping: Peel, pit and dice the mangoes. Puree half the mangoes in a blender with 2 tablespoons sugar. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the remaining diced mango.
In a separate bowl, beat the heavy cream and the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar with a mixer until soft peaks form. Slice the cake; top each piece with the whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve the mango topping on the side.

*I had to bake my cake closer to 45 minutes, after the 30 it called for it was still liquid inside.

Adapted from: Food Network Magazine

Snappy Deviled Eggs

Deviled Eggs and Easter go together hand in hand. My kids love them and so do I. My husband who is not the world's biggest egg fan will not touch most deviled eggs but he will eat mine. The secret to mine that makes them irresistible to him is plain old hot sauce, which will take any deviled egg to the next level.

Deviled eggs are an easy, portable (especially if you have a carrier) party or celebration food and I guarantee that your plate will always be empty when you return home. 

First the eggs are hard boiled. I find that if the eggs are a few days old rather than very fresh ones they peel much better. The eggs are then cut and the egg yolk is scooped out and mixed with mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar and of course hot sauce. I really like the taste of Louisiana Hot Sauce but any kind you like will do.  In order to provide the smoothest, creamiest consistency I use my trusty immersion blender. After the mixture is blended well I fill it into a piping bag with a big star tip and pipe it back into the egg halves. You can also use a round tip or in a pinch, use a ziploc bag and just snip the corner off your bag to the desired size, then pipe away. After the eggs are filled, I sprinkle them with a little bit of sharp paprika for an additional little kick. 

I hope you'll give my snappy eggs a try, who knows, maybe you'll be able to convert an egg-hater as well.

Snappy Deviled Eggs

~makes 20 halves~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

10 large eggs, hard boiled

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon sour cream

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

1 teaspoon vinegar

1-2 teaspoons hot sauce (your favorite kind)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Paprika for sprinkling (optional)

Directions:

Peel and halve hard boiled eggs lengthwise and remove yolks. Place yolks in a bowl along with mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, vinegar and hot sauce. With the immersion blender mix everything to desired consistency (you can use a fork and mash if you don't have a blender). Season with salt and pepper. Pipe egg mixture back into egg halves. Garnish with paprika.

Irish Cream Cupcakes With Baileys Frosting

After featuring Glazed Corned Beef, Irish Colcannon Potatoes, Fried Cabbage and Irish Soda Bread this week on Susi's Kochen und Backen I was presented with the task of finding an Irish dessert to round out our St. Patrick's Day celebration. Not that easy of a task, I might add. Nothing  looked appealing to me until I found a recipe that called for adding Baileys Irish Cream to the frosting of a cake. Not wanting to make a cake, I decided on making cupcakes.

Although the recipe sounded delicious, I thought to myself how can I kick this up another notch? Well how about by adding a good cup of Baileys to the cupcake batter itself! This resulted in moist, delicious cupcakes that smelled just like a glass of Baileys with milk. The frosting which is your basic buttercream with powdered sugar and butter added another little hint of Baileys and tasted good enough to be eaten with a spoon (which I might or might not have done). I also added the tiniest bit of food coloring to the frosting to give it a green hue underneath the icing sugar.

I sent most of these with my husband to work and they were gone in no time which is always a good sign.  So if you like Baileys, and a good cupcake, then go ahead and give them a try.

Irish Cream Cupcakes

~makes approx. 36 cupcakes~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups Irish Cream Liqueur (i.e. Bailey's)

2/3 cup milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Baileys Frosting (recipe follows)

Green Sanding Sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Insert paper liners into cupcake pans.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract. Beat well.

In a measuring cup combine the liqueur and milk.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the liqueur mix. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a cooling rack.

Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.

Baileys Cream Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons Irish Cream Liqueur (Baileys)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Green Food Coloring (optional)

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth. Reduce speed to medium. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 5 minutes total; after every two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds (to aerate frosting).

Add Baileys, vanilla and food coloring if desired, and beat until combined and smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth before using.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish week is continuing at Susi's Kochen und Backen. So far I've posted recipes for Glazed Corned Beef, Irish Colcannon Potatoes and Fried Cabbage. Today will be all about the Irish Soda Bread.

I had baked soda breads in previous years and even resulted to buying a few at the grocery store. Every time it received very mixed results from my family. My husband and I didn't mind (but they didn't taste fabulous) and the kids just plain out rejected every single one of them.

Most of the breads I had made before called for raisins. I thought they were almost too sweet. I also tried recipes using currants. I really enjoyed those loafs but again, my kids declined to eat them.

As I was looking for the "perfect" recipe I found out that Soda bread gets its name from being a quick bread in which baking soda is used for leavening rather than the more common yeast. Traditional ingredients include flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Other ingredients that can be found int various recipes are raisins, currants, eggs, or even nuts.

Soda bread is to this day a staple in the Irish cuisine and is served often with meals.

I ended up finding the perfect recipe. It might not be considered traditional but that wasn't what I was going for. I was looking for taste and Ina Garten's version is by far the best soda bread we've ever eaten. I ended up replacing the currants with craisins since I couldn't find currants but that turned out to be a great decision. I will be baking this recipe more frequently now and the best part is my kids love the bread and told me to make it again and again!

Irish Soda Bread

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for Craisins

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 cup dried Craisins (dried cranberries)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lin a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, light beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the Craisins with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. The dough will be VERY wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound when done.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftover bread can be stored for up to 3 days well wrapped. If the bread gets a little dry you can always toast it the next day for a great breakfast treat.

Adapted from: Ina Garten

Coming up tomorrow: The conclusion of Irish week, Irish Cream Cupcakes with Baileys Frosting

Fried Cabbage

Irish week continues today with another great recipe on Susi's Kocken und Backen. If you've read my blog the last couple of days you have already seen two great dishes with a little twist on the old classics. I started with Glazed Corned Beef  and yesterday continued with Irish Colcannon Potatoes. Today I'm going to talk about my Fried Cabbage which is not an Irish dish in the traditional sense.

The Irish dish is called Bacon and Cabbage. The dish consists of boiled bacon (this refers to back bacon which is cured and/or smoked. It does not refer to sliced bacon which one might fry) served with boiled cabbage and potatoes. Historically, this dish was common fare in Irish homes as the ingredients were readily available (many families grew their own vegetables and reared their own pigs), nourishing and satisfying. The dish continues to be a very common meal in Ireland. There are many different variations on the theme of bacon and cabbage, but in general the dish tends to involve slicing the back bacon after it has been well boiled and serving it with whole boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage (which is often boiled with the bacon for flavor).

Since I already had potatoes in the dish with the Colcannon and quite some leftover bacon and cabbage I decided to go a slightly different route and make fried cabbage. It is a simple straight forward dish that gets its flavor from frying the cabbage in bacon grease. A little salt and pepper along with a pinch of sugar are added along with the rendered bacon bits and you have the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

We enjoy cabbage very much in our house so this was a no-brainer that turned out very well.

Fried Cabbage

~serves 4~ 
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/4 pound (about 3 slices) thick cut bacon, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 pounds cabbage, shredded

2 tablespoons water

1 pinch white sugar

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown and crisp. Remove bacon, and set aside.

Cook Onion in the hot bacon grease until tender. Add cabbage, and stir in water, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes. Stir in reserved bacon. Serve immediately.

Coming up tomorrow: Irish Soda Bread

Irish Colcannon Potatoes

This week is Irish week on Susi's Kochen und Backen. Yesterday I kicked off the week with a delicious Glazed Corned Beef. Since this wasn't going to be a "traditional" Irish meal, I had to come up with something other then boiled potatoes and cabbage. This brought me to a recipe for Colcannon (Irish: cál ceannann, meaning "white-headed cabbage") Potatoes.

Colcannon is traditionally made from mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, butter, salt and pepper. It can contain additional ingredients such as milk, cream, leeks, onions, chives, boiled ham or Irish bacon. At one time this was a cheap, year-round staple in many households in Ireland. It is usually eaten in the Fall and Winter times when the kale and cabbage are in season.

I stayed pretty close to the traditional version but added green onions and American bacon to mine. Also I decided on cabbage rather then kale only because everyone prefers cabbage in our house.

 You can make this dish with any potato, but I prefer Yukon Golds. They have a very buttery taste to begin with and lend any potato dish a great flavor.

This one was good, as in REALLY good. The kids and husband couldn't get enough of it either. Irish Colcannon Potatoes will be served a lot more from now on in our house.

Irish Colcannon Potatoes

~serves 8~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 pound cabbage, shredded

2 cups water

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 cup milk

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

4 tablespoons butter, melted (divided)

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 pound thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

In a large saucepan, bring cabbage and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Keep cabbage warm.

Place cabbage cooking liquid and potatoes in a large saucepan; add enough additional water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-17 minutes or until tender. Drain and keep warm.

In a small pot, gently warm milk and green onions. While the milk is warming mash the potatoes with 2 tablespoons butter. Add the milk mixture; beat until well combined. Mix in the cabbage, salt, pepper and half of the cooked bacon bits. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter and reserved bacon bits.

Serve with corned beef.

Coming up tomorrow: Fried Cabbage

Glazed Corned Beef

St. Patrick's Day, which is celebrated on March 17th, just wouldn't be the same at our house without a typical Irish Meal. We are not Irish in any way or shape nor do I claim to cook this meal authentic, we just enjoy good food. My kids dread this holiday every year though. None of them enjoy the normal fare of boiled corned beef with potatoes and root vegetables and neither do they care for the Irish Soda bread I had bought or baked before.

 This year I set out to cook a St. Patrick's Day meal that still had all the "authentic" components but decided to put my own spin on it. Follow me the next few days for recipes that will turn any St. Patrick's Day celebration green with envy ;o)

First up I tackled Corned Beef. Corned beef did not originate in Ireland but is rather part of the Irish-American culture. In Ireland the meat is more like a bacon or ham where the corned beef became popular in the eastern United states when Irish Immigrants would use beef rather then pork in the traditional dish. Corned beef refers to the style of beef which is a brisket that has been brined and gets its color from the addition of potassium nitrate also called saltpeter.

The kids hate the way the brined, boiled piece of meat tastes, so I figured why not find a recipe for a baked, glazed Corned beef similar in style to a baked ham. Not just did I find a great recipe but the meat was moist with a hint of sweetness, and don't let that pickle juice turn you off. It just works, trust me. It got a big thumbs up from the kids. There was not one piece leftover, and all my corned beef hating kids couldn't get enough of this one.

Glazed Corned Beef

~serves 6~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 corned beef brisket (about 3 pounds)

1/2 medium onion, cut into chunks

1 medium carrot, cut into chunks

1 celery rib with leaves, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices*

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard 

1/4 cup sweet pickle juice

* most corned beef briskets come with a packet of pickling spices, just add that 

Directions:

Place corned beef in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Add the onion, carrot, celery and pickling spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Transfer corned beef to a 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish; discard all but 1 cup of broth and vegetables. Score the surface of meat with a shallow diagonal cuts.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and mustard; spread over meat. Drizzle with pickle juice. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding reserved liquid to bottom of dish as needed to prevent drying out. Serve with your favorite Irish dishes.

Coming up tomorrow: Irish Colcannon Potatoes