You’ll love this Irish cheese-inspired dip for the slightly Mediterranean taste it gets from the marinated artichokes, the color it gets from the spinach, and the creamy texture from Kerrygold’s Dubliner and cream cheese. Perfect for autumn get-togethers, football Sunday, or a family gathering, it’s delicious with…

BLACKBERRY TIME

Late August, given heavy rain and sun

For a full week, the blackberries would ripen,

At first, just one, a glossy purple clot

Among others, red, green, hard as a knot.

You ate that first one and its flesh was…

In my last post, I confessed to my love of cheese and my nearly non-stop indulgence in it while traveling through Ireland in May. On quite a few occasions, I found cheese, especially goat’s cheese, paired with beets in a sweet-tangy combination that is — no pun intended — unbeatable! At Reg’s in Waterford, a…

The festival of Lughnasadh or Lughnasa (pronounced LOO-na-se) marks the beginning of the harvest season that was historically observed throughout Ireland and other Celtic nations. Originally held July 31-August 1, or approximately halfway between the…

When I wrote my first cookbook more than 20 years ago, nearly half of all the recipes I received from Irish chefs contained what they called “a taste of Ireland” — a small dose of Guinness, whiskey, Irish cream, or some other variety of Irish “spirit.”

We all know better now that to be an authentic Irish…

On a recent visit to Ireland I discovered two delicious breads made with yogurt: one from Flahavan’s, the well-known company that’s been milling oats in Kilmacthomas, County Waterford, for 200 years, and another from Catherine Leyden, the chef who presents lovely recipes on RTE using Odlum’s flours. You’ll find more…

Whether you cultivate an herb garden, grow a few in pots, or simply find them irresistible at your market or farm stand, the thought of cooking with fresh herbs is, frankly, irresistible! Our Italian friends can take credit for caprese, that great summer salad of tomato, mozzarella, and fresh basil, but I’ve found the…

Eton Mess is an easy-to-assemble classic summer dish with a rather inelegant name. Said to have originated at Eton College during its annual cricket game against the students of Harrow School, it was first…

It’s not too late to make this delicious dessert, a riff on steamed pudding and gingerbread. Similar to a one served at the Meyrick Hotel (Eyre Square, Galway), this pudding starts with deliciously gooey pears on the bottom and finishes when the cake is turned upside down to reveal them as a deliciously gooey top! In…

There’s the turkey, of course, but oh those sides! Roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, boiled onions — the list goes on and on for favorite dishes to serve at Christmas. Without relinquishing any family favorites, you might want to try this recipe from my new cookbook “Favorite Flavors of…

After my last post, I received a request for old-fashioned potato stuffing for turkey. You’ll find this recipe for roast goose with potato-bacon stuffing in my “Christmas Flavors of Ireland” cookbook, easy enough to use in your Christmas turkey as well.  For some other classics, order my newest book “Favorite…