IRISH SNACKS: Irish cheddar and stout fondue ... Leprechaun hat s'mores ... Irish soda bread

Irish Cheddar and Stout Fondue

INGREDIENTS

2 cups 1- to 1½-inch-diameter red-skinned potatoes, halved

2 cups cauliflower florets

2 cups very small brussels sprouts

2 apples, cored, cut into wedges

1 pound Irish cheddar cheese, grated

2½ tablespoons all purpose flour

¾ cup (or more) Irish stout (such as Guinness)

6 tablespoons frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Steam vegetables until tender, about 15 minutes. Arrange vegetables and apples around edge of large platter. Meanwhile, toss cheese with flour in large bowl. Bring ¾ cup stout, juice concentrate and mustard to simmer in large saucepan over medium heat. Gradually add cheese mixture, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and smooth, thinning with more stout, if desired. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer fondue to bowl. Place in center of platter with vegetables. Serves 6. (Yumsugar.com)

Leprechaun Hat S'mores

INGREDIENTS

Keebler Fudge Stripes cookies

Large marshmallows

Dark chocolate candy melts

Green candy melts

Green sprinkles or cake sparkles

Melt dark chocolate in the microwave, in 30 second intervals on 50 percent power. Stir after each heating. Dip and coat Fudge Stripe cookies completely in chocolate. Shake off excess and set, top side down, on parchment paper, until candy coating is set. Using a toothpick, dip marshmallow into chocolate and coat almost entirely. Shake off excess. Set on parchment, until candy coating is completely set. Remove toothpick. Melt green candy as you did the chocolate. Flip marshmallow upside down and insert new toothpick in top. Dip into green candy, just barely to create a small band of green around the bottom. Coat green candy band with sprinkles. Shake off excess. Place marshmallow in center of chocolate- covered cookie. Carefully remove toothpick. Touch up toothpick hole with a small dab of melted chocolate. To finish the hat, attach a glittering shamrock with a small dab of melted green.

HOW TO MAKE SHAMROCK: Spoon some of remaining melted green candy into plastic bag or squeeze bottle. On parchment paper, make three small dots of candy in the shape of a triangle, each the size of a chocolate chip. With toothpick, swirl three dots to form a shamrock. Swirl bottom two dots together first, then the top, and pull the toothpick straight down to form the stem. Before candy hardens, cover with sprinkles or crushed cake sparkles. Use shamrock to decorate the hat. (http://blog.hwtm.com)

Irish Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS

4 to 4½ cups flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup raisins

1 large egg, lightly beaten

1¾ cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Whisk 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt and baking soda into a large mixing bowl. Using your fingers (or two knives or a pastry cutter), work butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add raisins. Make a well in the center of flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a touch of flour, gently knead dough in the bowl for long enough to form a rough ball. If dough is too sticky to work with, add a bit more flour. Do not over-knead. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note: dough will be a little sticky and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so the flour is moistened and dough barely comes together. Shaggy is good. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough. Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet. With a serrated knife, score top of dough about 1½ inches deep in an “X” shape. (This helps heat the center of the dough.) Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35 to 45 minutes. Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. It’s done when it comes outs clean. Remove bread from oven, let it sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5 to 10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Makes one loaf. (simplyrecipes.com)

Bushmill's Apple Pie

1½ ounce Bushmill’s Irish Honey

Apple juice

Sugar syrup

Two lime wedges

Top with ginger ale

Shake and serve in a tall glass and garnish with an apple slice.

(www.spike.com/shows/bar-rescue)

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