Happy St. Patrick's Day

We don't have a drop of Irish blood in us but that doesn't stop us from celebrating today by enjoying some classic Irish-American cuisine.

I have a not-so-secret thing about corned beef and Chad is indulging that by making a Dijon Horseradish Crusted Brisket with the classic accompaniments of cabbage and potatoes.

Since he owns the main dish, I figured I should contribute a bit by making a side and what better than Classic Irish Soda Bread? I have tried to make soda bread before and I've always been disappointed. Many of my previous recipes have been too brown, too sweet, too tough, too raisin-y, or too caraway-y. I always wanted to make a bread just like the thin flavorful slices we enjoyed every morning during our honeymoon in Ireland. Tangy with a slight buttery underflavor. Cooks Illustrated to the rescue! I received the baking book for Christmas and they had one section entirely devoted to soda bread and all its variations. Among those variations was a recipe that sounded like it would make the bread I've been remembering. Sure enough, it was exactly what I remembered. Click here for the recipe....

Now I'm dreaming of thin slices of soda bread toast with leftover corned beef hash. I realize that this isn't the healthiest thing to be eating but everything in moderation and hey, we're only Irish once a year.