Erin Go Bragh

Irish Food & Cooking: Traditional Irish Cuisine with over 150 Delicious step-by-step recipes from the Emerald Isle by Biddy White Lennon & Georgina Campbell

I bought this cookbook last Fall & have tried a handful of recipes from it - some more successful than others. In anticipation of the upcoming holiday, which celebrates those of us with pale skin, freckles, & red {Ok -reddish} hair, with maybe a little something to do with St. Patrick & snakes, I'm going to feature some easy recipes from this book to test out.

I went to Catholic school forever, in high school our team was the Shamrocks, I'm pretty amply covered in freckles, & my paleness knows no bounds, but I have given up butter. Blasphemy! How can one still be Irish & not eat butter -What a travesty! I sometimes crave butter so bad I can smell it. How I long for my favorite food {i.e taters smothered in butter & heavy cream & cheese & mashed & whipped to perfection}, but I have come to live without it. I'm searching for Irish recipes without dairy & have actually succeeded:

Today, I'm trying out Apple Snow, a super light & easy dessert:

Ingredients {makes 6 servings}

• 1.5 lbs cooking apples {it says Bramley's Seedling, but I used Macintosh}
• thinly peeled lemon rind
• 1/2cup caster {superfine} sugar
• 3 egg whites

Directions

1. Peel, core, & slice apples. Put in pan with 3tbsp water & lemon rind. Cover & simmer for 15 minutes.

2. Remove from heat & take out lemon rind. Add sugar.

3. Beat apples & sugar with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cool.

4. When cool, whisk egg whites until stiff & then fold into apple mixture until thick & light.

5. Chill until served.

I placed the Apple Snow on a few lady fingers, but it would look lovely garnished with some strawberry slices, homemade whipped cream, or even vanilla bean ice cream. It would actually be an interesting substitution for whipped cream, since it has a similar texture, but honestly, what's so yummy about this dish is its simplicity. I love that it's a dessert, & satisfyingly sweet, but not heavy or too sugary.

So, instead of drinking yourself into an oblivion or donning head-to-toe green, why not celebrate the holiday by trying out some Irish food.