If you’re still looking to add an Irish “touch” to your American Thanksgiving meal, look no further than this delicious starter featuring Cashel Blue, Ireland’s first (and most delicious) blue cheese. This recipe comes from award-winning chef Kevin Dundon, proprietor of Dunbrody House in County Wexford,…

The ancient Celtic harvest feast called Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, the “darker half” of the year. It’s celebrated on October 31-November 1, which is nearly halfway between the…

With peaches still available at local farm stands, you’ll love this recipe for baked peaches filled with ground almonds and amaretti cookies. Top them with vanilla ice cream, crème fraîche, or mascarpone cheese. You’ll find recipes like this in my cookbook Favorite Flavors of Ireland; signed copies available from…

Who says making a fresh apple dessert takes hours? You can assemble this delicious free-form apple tart in minutes and pop it into the oven while you’re having dinner. Apple pie (or tart) with ice cream is a classic dessert, but you might want to try it with a drizizle of prepared caramel sauce instead. You’ll…

As August comes to a close, the fruits of summer show no signs of slowing down — lots of peaches, blackberries, plums, and nectarines available for snacking and baking. This tart recipe starts with a shortbread-like crust, and then it’s filled with peaches and blackberries (you can substitute blueberries and add…

With the recent stretch of warm — make that HOT — weather in Ireland and elsewhere, everyone wants to dine al fresco. I know I’ve been eating three meals a day in the great outdoors, especially brunch on weekends when I’ve been serving these delicious pancakes topped with blueberries. You’ll find recipes…

As Independence Day approaches in the United States, out come the BBQ's, the American flags, and just about anything red, white and blue — including recipes for these fruity, berry-filled scones. You can actually eat them all day; lathered with a little butter or clotted cream for breakfast or brunch or with a…

Lemon desserts seem to be more delicious on a spring day, but you’ll want to keep this one on a year-round basis to have with a cup of tea. Technically, it fits into the “quick bread” baking category, but the glaze definitely elevates it to a cake. Whatever you call…

When it comes time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, soda bread, bacon and cabbage, and Guinness probably rise to the top of the holiday menu. And why not? These iconic dishes are among the most popular for the Irish worldwide, and one more recipe, like this oatmeal and stout cake, is never one-too-many! Its…

The ancient Celtic harvest feast called Samhain (pronounced SAH-win) is celebrated October 31-November 1, marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, the “darker half” of the year. It was suggested in the late 19th century that it was the “Celtic New Year,” and over time, Samhain and All…

Delicious on their own, pears are also a wonderful ingredient in recipes from sweet-tart salads to sweeter-than-sweet pies and tarts. They’re great partnered with blue cheese — Kerrygold’s Cashel Blue…

There are over 3,000 known pear varieties grown around the world, each with a distinctive character, texture, and flavor. The most popular and recognizable pears are the yellow Bartlett, egg-shaped Anjou, graceful Bosc, pudgy Comice, and tiny Forelle. Crisp, crunchy, and sweet, U.S.-grown pears are harvested from the…

 Last week we officially welcomed the first full day of autumn, so you know what that means — crisps, crumbles, and pies made with apples, with fall’s favorite fruit. From a culinary standpoint, there’s little difference in an apple crisp and an apple crumble except for the topping, either an oat-based streusel or one…

Why settle for a dessert with only one kind of berry when you can combine all the best the season has to offer in a dish appropriately called “Summer Pudding.” This deliciously simple sweet some attribute to the English; however, it's popular with Irish cooks as well and can be made either as one large pudding or as single serves in…

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…

While I traveled through Ireland a few weeks ago, I noticed the first signs of strawberry season emerge, with roadside stands popping up in places like Kilkenny and east Cork (transported, no doubt, from Wexford, where strawberries grow in great abundance). The “season” is officially here in the U.S., too, with the…

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…