St. Patrick’s Day feast ideas from Guinness & chef Clodagh McKenna

by W. Andrew Powell
Chocolate Guinness Orange Cream Cake

Whether you’re Irish or just a fan of Irish food and fun, St. Patrick’s Day is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a pint, dance a jig, and maybe liven up your cooking with a little Guinness too.

Guinness has teamed up with Irish chef, author, and restaurateur Clodagh McKenna for three incredible recipes that all celebrate Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. The dishes are all based on Irish classics, and feature Guinness in the recipe to add extra flavour and texture.

The recipes include Guinness Treacle Bread with smoked salmon & Guinness aioli, Guinness & Honey Glazed Pork loin with mashed parsnips & hazelnuts, and for dessert, Chocolate Guinness Cake with Orange Blossom Frosting.

“These recipes are close to my heart because I grew up around one of the key ingredients: Guinness,” McKenna said. “In fact, my grandad owned a Guinness pub and I have fond memories trying it for the first time there. These new recipes are perfect for spring – light, fresh and sweet. The intention was to use ingredients that are a classic representation of Ireland with my own special twist–just in time for St. Patrick’s Day.”

I’m not sure which has my mouth water more–the Guinness or the recipes–but apparently each year Canadians drink more than two million pints of Guinness for St. Patrick’s Day alone. It seems only fitting then to add a little Guinness to a few recipes too.

Read all three recipes below and then let us know which one you’re making, and which is your favourite. Sláinte!

GUINNESS TREACLE BREAD
WITH SMOKED SALMON AND GUINNESS AIOLI

Guinness Treacle Bread

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
2 ½ cups wholemeal flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup oats
1 tbsp bread soda
1 tbsp baking powder
2 cups Guinness
1 cup of buttermilk
2 tbsps black treacle

For the Guinness Aioli
2 free range eggs yolks
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup vegetable oil
½ clove of garlic, crushed
¼ cup Guinness
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
24ozs smoked salmon

METHOD:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 400°F / gas mark 6.

  2. Sieve all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.

    Tip any remaining wholemeal flakes or oats that are left in the sieve straight into the bowl.

  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the treacle, buttermilk and Guinness.


  4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and using a fork mix in the wet ingredients.

    Stir together until combined (the mixture will appear quite wet).

  5. Grease a 2 lb loaf tin and tip the bread dough in.

    Sprinkle a teaspoon of oats on top and then bake in the pre-heated oven for one hour.

  6. Once baked allow to cool on a cooling rack.


  7. While the bread is cooling (or baking) make the Guinness aioli.

    Separate the egg yolks and place them into a bowl, along with the teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Lightly whisk the egg yolks and mustard together and slowly pour in the vegetable oil and olive oil – you can combine both oils into a jug to make it easier to pour. This will make the mixture become thick and creamy like mayonnaise.  Lastly stir in the crushed garlic and Guinness. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

  8. I like to serve this as a sharing starter…

    Guinness treacle bread sliced on a wooden board, alongside a platter of the smoked salmon with wedges of lemons and the bowl of Guinness aioli.

GUINNESS & HONEY GLAZED PORK LOIN
WITH MASHED PARSNIPS & HAZELNUTS

GUINNESS & HONEY GLAZED PORK LOIN

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS:
1½ cups Guinness
1/3 cup clear honey
1 cup light muscovado sugar
4 ½ lbs boneless loin of pork

For the mashed parsnips and hazelnuts
8 parsnips
½ cup hazelnuts
2ozs butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F / gas mark 6.
  2. Start by making the glaze. Pour the Guinness, honey and sugar into a saucepan, and place over a medium heat. Stir and continue to cook until the glaze reduces by almost half to form a syrupy glaze, then allow to cool.
  3. Season the pork with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, place on a roasting tray and roast in the pre-heated oven for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat in the oven to 300°F / gas mark 3. Remove the pork from the oven and brush all over with most of the glaze, cook for a further 50 mins, brushing and basting the pork as it cooks until it’s beautifully caramelised and glazed.
  4. While the pork is cooking, peel and chop the parsnips – then place in a saucepan and fill ½ the way with water. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the parsnips are tender, about 25 minutes. Once the parsnips are cooked drain off the water, and add the butter and mash. Dry roast the hazelnuts in a frying pan over a high heat, then roughly chop and fold through the parsnips.
  5. Once the pork is cooked remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
  6. Slice the pork onto a warmed serving dish and serve with the mashed parsnips and roasted hazelnuts.

CHOCOLATE GUINNESS CAKE
WITH ORANGE BLOSSOM FROSTING

Chocolate Guinness Orange Cream Cake

Makes one cake, serves 10

INGREDIENTS:
13ozs unsalted butter
1½ cups Guinness
1½ cups cocoa powder
3 eggs
3 cups superfine sugar
3 tsps vanilla essence
1½ cups buttermilk
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 tsps bicarbonate of soda
2 tsps baking powder

For the icing
5ozs unsalted butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsps orange blossom water
2 cups cream cheese
1 orange

METHOD:

  1. Preheat the oven to 325°F/gas mark 3. Line the base of a two x 30cm round spring form tin with baking parchment.
  2. To make the cake, heat the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat until melted. Stir in the Guinness, then remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla essence and buttermilk and then slowly add the Guinness and butter mixture, whisking all the time.
  4. In a separate large bowl, sieve together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder. Using an electric whisk, slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and keep whisking until it is all well combined.  
  5. Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and bake for approximately 45 minutes. Test to make sure the cake is cooked by inserted a dry skewer into the middle of the cake – if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked. Set aside to cool a little, and then remove from the tin and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
  6. Meanwhile, make the frosting by blending all the ingredients together using an electric hand whisk until light and fluffy.
  7. Place one cooled cake on a cake stand or plate and generously spread half the frosting on top. Then place the second cake on top and spread the remaining frosting on top. Finish the cake with the zest of an orange.

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