CELTIC RECIPES - Dublin Coddle and Blueberry Bread Pudding
By BENEDICT KIELY
Dublin Coddle
For me Dublin coddle is a very satisfying and comforting meal; it has simple ingredients and is a great autumn dish. The key to this classic dish is in the quality of the raw ingredients you use to make it; so when possible try to get the best you can.
It was a favourite of Jonathan Swift who wrote Gulliver's Travels and appears in many Irish literacy works including the works of James Joyce.
Coddle is a method of gentle cooking involving heating foods just below boiling point. It's a dish that can be prepared ahead of time and kept in a very low heated oven. I have seen some recipes that include apples or a handful of barley, but this particular recipe works really well. Try it out with a glass of stout and enjoy!
Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 lb streaky bacon bits
1 lb good meaty pork sausages
3 large onions
3 potatoes
handful fresh parsley
ground fresh pepper
2 cups water
Directions:
Peel and chop the onions roughly. Peel the potatoes and cut them into two or three large pieces. Chop the fresh parsley. Place a layer of onions in the bottom of a heavy pot with a good close-fitting lid.
Layer all the other ingredients, giving each layer a grind or so of fresh-ground pepper. Add no more than two cups of water to the pot. Bring the water to the boil, then reduce the heat at once, cover tightly, and barely simmer for two to five hours. Serve in wide soup bowls, adding a knob of cold butter to enrich the sauce.
The perfect way to cook it is in a heavy casserole pot in a very low oven at 250F
Blueberry Bread Pudding
For this bread pudding I use local blueberries which are in season sometimes until as late as September. I also use croissants instead of day old bread which I think adds a nice richness when the pudding is baked together. Although the pudding is most often associated with childhood and school dinners, in some recipes a measure of Irish whisky may be added for a more grown-up touch of luxury.
Other modern variations include scattering fresh or dried fruit between the layers of bread, melting chocolate into the egg-milk mixture, and using unusual types of breads such as croissants to make it.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
5 large free range eggs
2 cups heavy (whipping) cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 croissants cut into 2-inch pieces
2 cups local blueberries
Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spread the croissants out on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Arrange half the croissants in the bottom of the baking dish and sprinkle with half the blueberries. Repeat with remaining croissants and blueberries. Pour the custard over the croissants and let soak for 30 minutes.
Place the dish in a large baking pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the pudding is set and the top is golden. Remove the baking dish from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream
Irish-born Benedict Kiely studied at culinary school in London and then worked in a five-star hotel in London Hyde Park. While travelling and working around Europe, he met his Canadian-born wife-to-be in Athens, Greece. Five years ago they made a visit to Vancouver and loved it so much they decided to stay. He is now a sous-chef at the Five Diamond Sutton Place Hotel.
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