As promised in my last post, here’s another interesting recipe using one of fall’s most popular ingredients---pumpkin. Since most cooks find it more efficient to purchase canned pumpkin rather than to cut and scrape the flesh from a fresh one, this recipe uses pumpkin purée. You’ll find more like these in my newest…

It’s official — autumn arrived on Friday, September 22 — and that means apples, pears, and roast pork!  I grew up with pork chops and applesauce, pork roasts cooked with apple juice or cider and, eventually, this sophisticated peppered pork loin cooked with Irish Mist and served with apple-pear chutney that seems to scream “fall.” You’ll find this and other delicious autumn recipes in my newest cookbook Favorite Flavors of Ireland. To…

My family always called this not-too-sweet apple cake “nobby” because my mother roughly chopped the apples, a method that left the top distinctly rough and, well, nobby! While she usually made it…

The combination of chocolate and fruit is one that few can resist, so when I decided to offer this recipe for warm fruit compote, I realized I posted it back in February as a suggested topping for chocolate mousse cake to serve on Valentine’s Day.

Some things simply bear repeating, and with the wealth of late…

If it hasn’t made its official appearance yet where you live, you can expect rhubarb to be showing up shortly. One of the earliest spring vegetables — yes, it’s a perennial vegetable — it’s generally used as a fruit in desserts and jams. Since rhubarb is almost too tart to be served on its own, it’s the perfect companion to…

Two weeks and counting! In the event you don’t have a traditional dessert lined up for your Easter meal, you might want to think about this delicious and versatile cream cheese pound cake that’s as tasty with or without any embellishments.

The name “pound cake” comes from the rather precise recipe for a…

Valentine’s Day was first associated with romantic love in the circle of poet Geoffrey Chaucer, when the tradition of courtly love was very much in vogue. The day evolved into an occasion where lovers expressed their feelings for each other by giving flowers, sending cards, and offering confectionery, especially…

After all the Christmas cooking — and the Christmas eating — it’s not easy to think about a recipe for the week between two major holidays. But unless you’re planning to start your diet this week, you will still need a few more meals before New Year’s Day, and this one is not only quick and easy but it’s a good way to…

From traditional to trendy, mulled wine to mimosas, ‘tis the season for all things hot, cold, and boozy. Merry Christmas to all!

BOGO: It’s not too late to buy a signed copy of my Christmas Flavors of Ireland cookbook and receive a complimentary copy of Favorite Flavors of Ireland. Order at…

Mincemeat, a mixture of chopped dried fruits, spices, and spirits, is one of Ireland’s most popular Christmas foods. It was developed more than 500 years ago in England as a way of preserving meat without salting or smoking. Some early recipes for mincemeat used suet, veal or mutton, and gradually cooks added…

For one more gingerbread-inspired holiday treat, try this rich, spicy pear and ginger cake reminiscent of an upside-down cake your mother might have made. This recipe starts with a raisin-studded pear and caramel bottom that’s topped with gingerbread. After you flip it, serve it with whipped or clotted cream and a light…

Gingerbread men, gingerbread houses, even the smell of ginger signals that the Christmas season is upon us. Made from sugars and spices brought back from the Middle East by soldiers returning from the Crusades, gingerbread first appeared in central Europe in the Middle Ages. Monks baked gingerbread for religious…

A great way to use up leftovers from Thursday’s turkey is to make a potpie laden with potatoes, carrots, and peas. (Add mushrooms if you like.) This recipe is a popular post-Thanksgiving dish in the United States and a year-round favorite in homes and restaurants throughout Ireland. Try the Spiced Cranberry…

If you’ve tried every possible recipe for cranberry desserts and are looking for something new, you’ll love this one! Similar to an Italian panforte, a classic fruitcake-like confection loaded with nuts, dried fruit, and spices (the name means “strong bread”), this is a pleasant departure. It’s delicious with coffee,…

For the festive season, serve hot- or cold-smoked salmon on mini potato pancakes or in crispy bread baskets. Top the pancakes with a dollop of sour cream or crème frâiche and a sprinkling of fresh chives; try tangy horseradish-mustard cream on the baskets. You’ll find these holiday recipes and more like them in my…

Happy November! I’m purposely posting today so I can shock you into thoughts of the coming holidays: Thanksgiving in 24 days and Christmas, well, you know when that is! Shopping aside, it’s also time to start planning holiday foods, and what better ingredient than Irish smoked salmon for both. You might want to…

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…

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…

Starting today, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite holiday recipes as we countdown to one of the biggest days of the year. Christmas Pudding is first, since it takes a few hours prep and steaming time making it the one recipe you want to check off as “done.” The early prep will pay off though, because you can make it…