An Irish Menu

2 - 3 lb Corned Beef Brisket

Seasoning Packet

4 cups Hot Water

2 tbls Apple Cider Vinegar

2 tbls Brown Sugar

1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper

1 large Onion, cut into quarters

8 small Red Potatoes, rinsed and cut into quarters

Bag of Baby Carrots

1 head of Cabbage, cut into 10 wedges

Combine water, vinegar, brown sugar, pepper and onions in a crock pot and mix.

Place corned beef and contents of spice packet in the water mixture. Cover with lid, turn on high and cook for 5 hours. 

After 5 hours, add potatoes and carrots to the slow cooker Place lid back on and cook on low for 3 hours. 

After 3 hours, scatter cabbage wedges over the top, replace lid and cook for 1 - 2 more hours or until tender.

Remove cooked vegetables from slow cooker and place in a bowl; cover with plastic wrap to keep warm and set aside. 

Remove corned beef from slow cooker and place on a serving platter.  Let sit for 10 - 15 minutes and then slice.  Scoop the vegetables out of the bowl and place on the platter with the corned beef. 

3 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 tsp Baking Soda

2 tsps Baking Powder

1 tsp Salt

1 pint Sour Cream

2 Eggs

2 tbls Caraway Seeds

1/2 cup Raisins

Combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, beat eggs and stir in sour cream.

Add the egg and sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Batter will be very thick.

Add the raisins and caraway seeds and stir well with wooden spoon or knead with your hands. 

Place batter in a greased 9" springform pan.

Dust the top with enough flour so that you can pat the batter like a bread dough evenly in the pan without it sticking to your hands. 

With a knife, make a shallow crisscross on the top. 

Bake for 50 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. 

Remove from oven, and remove sides from springform pan.  Let bread cool slightly then place on a plate or cutting board and slice..  Especially good when the slice is spread with butter. while it' still warm.  

Cake

3 cups Cake Flour

3/4 cup Sugar

2 tsp Baking  Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Nutmeg

1/8 tsp Cloves

1/2 cup Salted Butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

2 large Eggs

3/4 cup Whole Milk

1 tsp Vanillla Extract

4 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced

2 tbls Sugar to sprinkle over top of cake

Custard Sauce

1 1/2 cups Whole Milk 

1/2 cup Sugar

6 large Egg Yolks

2 tsps Vanilla Extract

Cake

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray and set aside.  

In a large bowl, whisk together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cloves      and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla.

Peel and core the apples, slicing into bite-size chunks, then add to the flour mixture, tossing to combine. 

Add the milk mixture to the flour and apples mixture, stirring just until combined to create a sticky dough. Transfer to the prepared pan, spreading to the edges and sprinkling with the extra sugar on top.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick or thin, sharp knife stuck into the center of the cake comes out clean with only a few crumbs on it and the top is golden brown. 

Custard Sauce

Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed medium size saucepan over medium heat until      bubbles begin to appear around the edges of the pan.

Meanwhile, whisk the sugar and egg yolks for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is      thickened slightly and pale yellow. 

Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture to temper the      egg yolks. Then pour the tempered yolks back into the saucepan with the remaining milk and continue to cook and stir over medium heat until the custard begins to thicken slightly, about 3-4 minutes. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and should be between 165°F and 170°F if using a thermometer.

Remove custard sauce from heat and stir in the vanilla.  Spoon over each slice of cake and serve. The custard sauce will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.