Here’s a fun idea for a St. Patty’s Day party:  Make your own potato place card holders to use for place settings or labeling food on your buffet.  Print the names on regular printer paper.  Using a business card as a template, trace the shape on the back of the paper behind each name so it’s centered in the template.  Cut the name cards out, lay them flat on a table, place a toothpick in the center of each and affix it to the name card with a single piece of tape. Stick the toothpick into a potato, using the potato as the place card holder. If your potato is wobbly, slice a thin strip off of one side to create a flat surface for the potato to rest on (just be sure to place a sliced potato on a plate or napkin to prevent damage to your table or tablecloth).

Spring is in the air in my kitchen, even if the weather isn’t showing steady signs of the season.  Although peas aren’t generally my favorite vegetable, I am always drawn to their perky color come spring.  Peas and mint are a classic combination because the bright green color and creamy texture is complimented by mint’s equally bright and fresh flavor.  I’ve combined them here to form a pasta sauce, which is really a very comforting and healthy dish.  I like to think of this as a green mac-n-cheese, minus the copious amounts of cheese.  The pea sauce has a really cream, rich texture that evokes the same comforting quality in your mouth.  If you like a thinner pasta sauce, add additional chicken stock or olive oil as you puree the peas.  And if mint isn’t your thing, try substitute fresh basil instead.

I used brown rice pasta in this dish, but regular semolina pasta or whole wheat pasta would be equally delicious.

Give this dish a try – it’s really a celebration of the season.  Enjoy!

Spring Pea & Parmesan Pasta

1 lb pasta

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ medium red onion, chopped

1 Tbs. agave nectar or honey

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. fresh-ground black pepper

16oz fresh or frozen peas (2 cups)

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

½ Cup low-sodium chicken stock

¼ Cup chopped fresh mint leaves

Fresh-grated Parmesan cheese

1.            Bring large pot of salted water to boil and add pasta.  Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.

2.            Heat large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add olive oil and sauté onion until softened.  Add peas, agave nectar, salt and pepper.  Cook until peas are tender, 8-10 minutes.  Add butter and stir until melted.  Remove from heat and reserve ½ cup pea mixture.  Puree remaining pea mixture in food processor with chicken stock until mostly smooth.  Return pea puree and reserved whole peas to pan.

3.            Add drained pasta and chopped mint to peas toss to coat pasta.  Top with fresh-grated Parmesan and serve immediately.  Garnish with grated Parmesan and whole mint leaves, if desired.

A mild, minty vinaigrette is the perfect dressing for a light spring salad.  You won’t be overwhelmed by the mint – its a slightly tangy, creamy vinaigrette that won’t overpower the taste of other salad ingredients.  I like to use this dressing on a salad tossed with mango, red peppers, toasted macadamia nuts and goat cheese.  That exact salad is on my menu for Easter brunch this year.

Don’t save this dressing for salad – it’s great on fish or lamb too, and adds a pretty touch of spring to your plate.

Mint Vinaigrette

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mint leaves, tightly packed
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1 Tbs. Agave nectar (or honey)
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
fresh ground pepper, to taste

In a large food processor, blend the oil and mint until well combined.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend until fully combined.  Maked about 1 cup of dressing and can be stored for up to 3 days.

You don’t have to go to a bakery to serve super cute cupcakes for your St. Patty’s Day Party.  Bake a batch of your favorite homemade or boxed cupcakes and use some of the fun accessories below to make them party-worthy, no matter what style you are going for.  Serve them for dessert, send them along with your kids to school or give them as favors by wrapping them in cello bags tied with a green ribbon or rafia.

Some of the cupcake liners would also be great for a modern baby shower, preppy bridal shower or a hip garden party.  Many of the retailers listed offer lots of other beautiful cake and cupcake docorating goods so check out their selections.

Modern
Green Swirl Cupcake Liners – $2.15/30 from Sweetart
http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/product.aspx?T=1&productId=632615

Crafty
Clover Cupcake Wrapper - $13/ dozen from Paper Orchid Stationary
http://www.paperorchidstationery.com/modules/cart/products.php/nav_id/775/page/1/id/862/name/LuckyCupcakeWrapperGreen

Preppy
Green and White Polka Dot Cupcake Liners – $8.99/ 100 from Cup Cakery Supplies
http://www.acupcakery.com/green-polka-dot-cupcake-liners-100-p100.html

Retro
Shamrock Cupcake Liners – $2.95/ 50 from Plates and Napkins
http://www.platesandnapkins.com/Store_ViewProdDetail.asp?ProdID=16772

Shiny
Green Metallic Foil Cupcake Liners – $2.25/ 32 from Country Kitchen
 http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/product.aspx?CatId=530&ShopId=38&SubCatId=1089&T=1&productId=634507

Unusual
Folded Light Green Cupcake Liners – $5.50/ 40 from Fancy Flours
http://www.fancyflours.com/site/7100-CF-FGR-1.html

Fresh
Striped Green Greaseproof Cupcake Liners - $4/ 70 from Fancy Flours
http://www.fancyflours.com/muffin-cup-green-stripe.html

Simple
Green Glassine Cupcake Liners – $7.00/ 100 from Cupcakery Supplies
http://www.acupcakery.com/greenglassinecupcake-liners.html

Sweet
Sugar Shamrocks – $0.75 each from Sugar Craft By Rosie
http://www.sugarcraftbyrosie.com.au/catalog/item/5836485/6732835.htm

Festive
Shamrock Sprinkles – $2.99/ 2.5oz from Confectionary House
http://www.confectioneryhouse.com/product.php?productid=3477

Vintage
Clover Cake Topper Picks – $6/ 12 from BusyIzzyBakery
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=20509862

Earthy
Irish Blarney Stones – $9.99/ 12 from Oriental Trading Company
http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?demandPrefix=12&sku=96/1424&prodCatId=377604&mode=Browsing&erec=30&sp=true&Ntk=all&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&N=377604&requestURI=processProductsCatalog&sd=Irish+Blarney+Stones

Kitchy
Leprechaun Cupcake Picks – $1.99/ 12 from Fantes
http://www.fantes.com/st-patrick.html

Spice up your standard burger with the addition of Guinness.  The beer adds a great deep flavor to the meet and keeps it super juicy.  The contrast of the sweet caramelized onions and the sharp cheddar will make your mouth water.  Serve with oven-baked sweet potato fries and a slaw to round out the meal.  Or make these into mini burgers (“sliders”) and serve them at a sports-theme party.  These burgers are perfect any time of year, but especially apropos for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration.
 

Guinness Cheese Burgers with Caramelized Onions

2 large yellow or white onion, sliced into rings and separated

2 Tbs. unsalted butter1 lb. high quality ground beef (85% to 90% lean)

¼ C. Guinness draught beer

¼ C. chopped yellow or white onion

1 garlic clove

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 (or more) splashes of Tabasco

1 tsp. salt

fresh ground pepper

olive oil

4 oz Irish cheddar cheese cut into thin slices

4 hamburger buns, lightly toasted or grilled  

Looking for a St. Patrick’s Day treat that doesn’t involve green dye?  These Baileys Irish Cream Truffles are just the thing.  Don’t be intimidated by homemade truffles – they are actually very easy to make and outrageously good.  Serve these with coffee after dinner and your friends will swoon.  They are extremely rich so you probably only need to make a few per person, but make more so you have leftovers.  You won’t be sorry.

Baileys Irish Cream Truffles

¼ C. heavy (whipping) cream
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 ½ Tbs. confectioners’ sugar
8 ounces high quality bittersweet chocolate (70% cacao), chopped
1/8 C. Baileys Irish cream
unsweetened cocoa powder

 1.       Combine the cream, butter and sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate to the cream, stirring until the chocolate has melted completely.  Do not put the saucepan back on the heat – the chocolate will seize.

 2.       Heat the Baileys in a small bowl or ramekin for 20 seconds.  Stir the Baileys into the chocolate mixture until fully incorporated.  Pour the mixture into a medium bowl and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 4 hours or overnight.

3.       If the mixture is not pliable when you remove it from the refrigerator, let it stand at room temperature for about 20 minutes.  Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or plastic wrap.  Using an extra small spring-loaded scoop or melon baller, scoop the chocolate mixture out into small round balls, about ¾” in diameter, onto the prepared cookie sheet.  Cover with plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator for 10 minutes to harden. 

4.       Place the cocoa powder in a small bowl.  Coat your hands with cocoa powder so the truffles don’t stick.  Roll each truffle in the palm of your hands to form round balls.  Place each truffle, one at a time, in the cocoa powder and gently shake the bowl to cover the truffle with cocoa.  Chill the truffles and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Serve at room temperature.

 Makes about 2 dozen truffles.

• The recipe can easily be doubled to make 4 dozen truffles
• Use the highest quality chocolate you can find, such as Valrhona
• You can substitute semisweet chocolate if you prefer
• If you prefer sweeter truffles you can substitute additional confectioners’ sugar instead of cacao to coat the truffles (the unsweetened cocoa gives the truffles an initial bitter chocolate taste but it is a great contrast to the creamy filling once you continue to chew the truffles)
• Use a serrated knife to chop the chocolate
• Don’t worry about trying to make your truffles perfectly round or perfectly uniform – you want them to look homemade!

Need ideas for a hip St. Patrick’s Day menu?  Forget about corned beef and cabbage.  There are plenty of other tasty ways to celebrate the Emerald Isle.  Here is a menu of what I will be serving for a casual St. Patrick’s Day dinner.  I will post some of the recipes later this week so you can whip up these tasty treats by the weekend. 

If you need more ideas, listed below are also links to some other Irish-inspired recipes.

    Hip St. Patty’s Day Menu

Starters
Irish Brown Bread Crostini with Rocket Pesto and Goat Cheese

Irish Cheddar served with Sliced Green Apples 

Main Event
Guinness Burgers with Caramelized Onions and Irish Cheddar 
Sweet Potato Fries
Cabbage Slaw 

Sweet Ending
Baileys Irish Cream Truffles

Bevies
Guinness (of course)
Hard Cider
Irish Coffee


 Other Menu Ideas 

Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/234120 
Grilled Chicken with Whiskey-Ginger Marmalade
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=380659 
Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon
http://www.chow.com/recipes/10712  
Chocolate Guinness Goodness Pudding
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/234304 
White and Dark Chocolate Bread Pudding with Irish Cream Sauce http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108851 
Baileys Pudding Parfaits with Oatmeal-Walnut Crunch
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/100970 
Chocolate Whisky Soufflé Tart
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/100972 

 *The picture shown is of a portion of the Kilkenny Castle, which I visited last summer when I was in Ireland for a wedding (my friend Mike married his lovely bride, Helen, who is from Galway)