Irish

This recipe was given to me by Jean Dix from Howth, Co. Dublin. She devised it for her daughter Sophie's birthday, who was the critical taster. It's a brilliant one to do with children, as there is no cooking involved. Unlike many other chocolate biscuit cake recipes, it cuts beautifully even straight out of the fridge and keeps well wrapped in clingfilm for at least 2 weeks.

This is an interesting twist on our beautiful soda bread. Look for dried cranberries in the larger supermarkets or any health food shop should stock them. This is my favourite bread that we serve as part of our bread selection in the evening.

The beef has to be started 17 days before you want to eat it. Once it's cooked, you can store it refrigerated in its cooking liquid for up to 3 days and reheat it by simmering it in water until it's warm all the way through, about 20 minutes.

Editor's Note: Serve this sauce with Cathal Armstrong's Corned Beef

This is a lovely crunchy and tangy accompaniment to cold meats and salads. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and use within a few days.

This comforting broth has the flavour of home at Easter for me. You'll need brisket or silverside for this recipe, and the cooking process is long and slow, but it makes the meat tender and juicy.

Mary Fitzgerald, Wexford: Gardener and internet enthusiast Three generations of my family have eaten this dish: we used to make it to use up my father's seasonal harvest of spinach. I now grow spinach in my own garden, along with everything from sorrel and runner-beans to beetroot and rhubarb, and make this pie regularly.

Maureen Butler, Meath: Bridge-playing mother of four As a child growing up in Dublin, we always had this served to us at the end of the week when all that was left were rashers, sausages and potatoes. Everything was put into the one pot and cooked. It was delicious, particularly on a cold winter's day.

Connie McEvoy, Louth: Retired farmer and craft expert As the eldest of ten, from the age of 12 I would make several cakes of this wheaten bread every Saturday based on my grandmother's recipe. We always mixed it by hand and I still measure it by hand, using four large fistfuls of wholemeal flour and two smaller fistfuls of plain flour.

In the melting pot of New Orleans culture, our Irish heritage is one of the lesser-known components. However, the Irish played a pivotal role in the history and development of this great city. Lauren's ancestors' landing here can be traced to the year 1825. Today, many Irish pubs are scattered around town, and we refer to the area where many immigrants settled as the Irish Channel. Every year, in addition to attending local St. Patrick's Day parades and festivities, we like to celebrate the Irish by making this recipe.

These scones are light, flaky, and airy—closer to a biscuit than the crumbly pastries you might have in mind.

People—not just the Irish—have been eating blood puddings for centuries, in cultures all around the world. No Irish fry is truly complete without at least a slice of black and a slice of white pudding. And it's not just for breakfast anymore. Talented Irish chefs have found ways to incorporate it into salads and main dishes. Black pudding recipe vary wildly throughout Ireland; some include barley, breadcrumbs, and flour, but oatmeal is the old-fashioned thickener. Be sure it's steel-cut or pinhead oatmeal, and cook it until just tender. Individual nubs of oats should be visible in the final product. Store-bought versions will always be made in sausage casings, unlike this recipe, packed into a loaf pan.
It is far easier to buy black pudding ready-made, and there are lots of artisan producers making truly worthy black versions. But if you're able to come into possession of fresh pig's blood, you'll be all set to make this recipe. And if not—well, you'll know precisely what a good black pudding should contain.

Boxty are traditional potato pancakes that are particularly loved in the Northern counties. They can be served as a potato side dish rather than mashed or boiled potatoes or as part of an Irish Breakfast . This is my husband Isaac's take on boxty, he uses cream and not too much flour so they're good and rich.

Guinness is considered by its many aficionados to be extremely creamy, but when you add it to Champagne or prosecco, its fruitiness emerges as well. The proportions are roughly two parts bubbly to one part Guinness, but you can mix it to taste. It's a bit of a novelty drink, but, like Irish Coffee, it's found all over Ireland. Black Velvet is a terrific party drink. It's Irish, you can mix it to order as guests arrive, it's delicious—and it stretches your Champagne farther!

"Real" shortbread is typically made with a little rice flour, which gives it that dry and delicate crunch. Instead of seeking rice flour, you can get an excellent result by using cornstarch to help achieve the classic texture. Sprinkle on a little green sanding sugar to celebrate "the day that's in it," as the Irish say.

This traditional Irish cake uses a porter, such as Guinness, Beamish, or Murphy's, and is a deliciously rich and moist fruit cake. Make it a few days in advance of the celebratory event (it's perfect for St Patrick's Day) if you like, and it will improve even more!

This recipe comes from the mother of a September 11 victim; it was a favorite of her son, a chef for Cantor Fitzgerald, and will no doubt be a favorite of yours. When originally submitting it to Bon Appétit, Patrice Bedrosian encouraged readers “to enjoy this delicious and comforting Irish bread, to smile, and to remember the love between a mother and son.”

Joellyn Sullivan is co-proprietor of the famous Silky O'Sullivan's on Beale Street in Memphis, where pizza, oysters, barbecue sandwiches, Cajun sandwiches, po' boys, barbecue ribs, and other foods are consumed indoors and outdoors to the tunes of guest musicians in a yearlong St. Patrick's Day scene. Her husband and co-proprietor, Silky, is an international barbecue rock star. They are longtime friends and Barbecue Royalty. Joellyn was kind enough to share this recipe with us, a variation on the recipe she gave to Chef Paul for leg of lamb at the World Cup Barbecue Championship years ago in Lisdoonvarna, Ireland, where she took home the blue ribbon for lamb in 1989.

Graham flour is coarser than regular whole-wheat flour, which also works. If you use the latter, substitute 1/2 cup wheat bran for 1/2 cup all-purpose flour.