Irish Soda Farl for St Patty's Day

I have to confess I am a real old film buff. I could sit and watch old movies all day long . . . the black and white images don't bother me. I just adore them.

I think it's because they take me back to a simpler time . . .



A time when men were men, and women were women . . . a time of solid values and simple needs. There was no need to keep up with the Jones's . . .



Socks were darned and the washing was hung out on the line.

Perhaps I was born 30 years too late . . .



but then again . . . I do like my modern day luxuries, such as electric mixers, and hoovers, and dish washers . . . oh and big screen telly's and such. Not to mention that, if I had been born 30 years earlier, I'd probably be dead now . . . so . . . perhaps it's better that I was born when I was . . .



In fact, if I had a golden lantern to rub and my own personal Genie to wish upon . . .

nahh . . . I wouldn't change a thing . . .



Ok, so MAYBE I'd wish away a stone or two or three. That would be ok. I also wouldn't mind looking like Maureen O'Hara. A million pounds would also come in handy.

In honor of The Quiet Man, one of my favourite films and St Patrick's Day . . . Irish Soda Farl.



*Soda Farl*
Makes one 9 inch round soda bread
Printable Recipe

A delicious soda bread so named because it is made in a round shape, or "farl." Simple to make and very tasty split and buttered. Try the leftovers split, toasted, buttered and spread with jam for a breakfast treat the morning after baking. (Store any leftovers in an airtight container or bag)

280g plain flour (a generous 2 3/4 cup)
2 TBS caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 284ml carton of buttermilk (approximately 1 1/4 cup)
whole milk (if necessary)
1 TBS oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Butter a heavy 9 inch round baking dish well. Set aside.

Sift the flour into a bowl. Whisk in the sugar, baking powder, soda and salt, wisking all well together. Whisk together the buttermilk and oil. Stir all at once into the dry mixture to form a soft dough, without overmixing. It may be necessary to add a bit of milk as needed. You don't want it to be too dry, or too sticky. Dump into the prepared baking dish and spread out with floured hands to fit.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until risen and golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn out of the pan onto a wire rack to cool a bit before cutting into wedges to serve. Delicious!

Tune in tomorrow to see what I served this tasty bread with!

Roasted Rhubarb and Proper Custard

I've been having a bad day today . . . the wind blew the roof to our shed away last night, it blew our fence over, Mitzie chewed through our ethernet cable during the night . . . and I am missing my friend Angie so very much.



My eyes keep filling up with tears and my heart is aching. I think it is the missing of Angie that is bothering me most of all. She has left a big hole . . . I need hugs, and comfort. I need to crawl into my mama's lap and feel her patting me on the back and telling me it will all be ok . . .



Alas, I live too far away for that, and I fear that even if I lived closer my girth would squash her flat . . .



This is the next best thing to a mother's lap.



Rhubarb and custard . . . the rhubarb roasted until just softened, in a mixture of sugar and orange . . . all pink and sweetly tart . . . earthy. The custard . . . rich, steeped in vanilla . . . eggy and milky and oh-so-comforting.



The two together are bliss . . . my favourite boiled sweets, in a little glass bowl.



Angie would have loved this . . .




*Roasted Rhubarb with Proper Custard*
Serves 4

Simple and old fashioned yes, but there's nothing old fashioned about it's lovely flavour. I have chosen to use orange and ginger to flavour my rhubarb here, but you can use whatever strikes your fancy . . . vanilla, anise, rose water . . .

2 pounds of rhubarb, washed,
trimmed and cut into 3 inch lengths
4 to 6 TBS caster sugar
the finely grated zest and juice of two large oranges
1 TBS finely grated fresh ginger root
custard (see below)

Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Place the rubarb into a retangular roasting tin. Sprinkle with 4 TBS of the sugar, the ginger, orange zest and the orange juice. Give it a toss. Roast in the heated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, just until the rhubarb has softened, depending on how thick the stalks of rhubarb are. The rhubarb should be knife tender. remove from the oven. Taste and add the additional sugar if you feel it is needed.
Set aside to cool.

*Custard*
Serves 4 to 6

Proper custard is not all that hard to make if you follow a few rules!

500ml of full fat milk (2 cups)
563 ml of double cream (2 1/4 cups)
6 TBS caster sugar
1 vanilla pod, sliced in half lengthwise and the seeds scraped out
or 1 tsp of vanilla paste
8 large free range egg yolks

Place the milk, cream, half of the sugar and the vanilla pod, seeds or paste into a saucepan. Bring just to the boil, then remove from the heat and allow to sit for several minutes in order for the vanilla to infuse.

Whisk the egg yolks together with the remaining sugar until light in colour. Whisk in a bit of the hot milk mixture, then add the remaining milk mixture, whisking continuously. Strain this mixture back into the saucepan, removing the vanilla pod. (This can be rinsed, dried and stuck into your sugar jar, where it will make your sugar smell gorgeous and impart some vanilla flavour as well.)

Cook and stir over a very gentle heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, cooking just until the mixture thickens and begins to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat immediately. It should be lump free, but if you do have a few, simply restrain it into a clean jug.

Serve hot or cold.

To serve the rhubarb and custard, divide the cooked rhubarb into individual serving dishes and ladle the warm custard over top. Delicious!