A Meal Fit For The Irish

Chef Peter X. Kelly has created an Irish menu for us.

Menu:
A Triangle of Corned Beef and Cashel Blue on Irish Brown Bread
Warm Irish Tea Smoked Salmon with Boiled Potatoes and Savoy Cabbage
Irish Scones with Stewed Strawberries and Clotted Cream

Kelly was born in Yonkers, N.Y. His parents were first-generation Irish-Americans. He is the 10th of 12 children, and the family meals were a very important way for the family to connect.

He has more than 25 years of experience in the restaurant industry, and operates several restaurants in the Hudson Valley area. But he began his career at the age of 14, working in local restaurants. He studied business administration at Marist College while holding a number of kitchen and front-of-the-house positions at various restaurants in Westchester and Putnam counties, N.Y.

Kelly never formally studied culinary arts, Instead, in 1983, he took his culinary interests to France to pursue his dream. When he returned to the U.S., at the age of 23, he opened his first restaurant, Xaviers, in Garrison, N.Y. Today, in addition to Xaviers in Garrison, he owns Xaviers in Piedmont, the Freelance Cafe, and Restaurant X and Bully Boy Bar.

Here are his recipes:

A Triangle of Corned Beef and Cashel Blue on Irish Brown Bread with Green Mustard and Shamrock Salad

Ingredients:
2 slices of brown bread
1/2 lb. of lean sliced corn beef
4 oz. cashel blue cheese
1 egg slightly beaten
1 bunch of mache
1 teaspoon of butter
flour for dusting
a pan, a cutting board, a cookie sheet, and 4 plates

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare a sandwich by spreading the brown bread with a thin coating of green mustard. Layer the sandwich with cashel blue and corn beef.
3. Dust the sandwich with flour.
4. Dip the sandwich in the beaten egg.
5. Place 1 teaspoon of butter in a pan and place the pan on medium heat.
6. Add sandwich to the pan and cook approximately for 2 minutes until the sandwich is well browned on one side. Turn the sandwich and brown the other side.
7. Remove the sandwich from the pan and place it on a cookie sheet. Put the cookie sheet in the oven for 5 minutes.
8. Remove the sandwich from the oven and place it on a cutting board. Trim the crusts and cut it into 4 triangles.
9. Place a triangle on each of the four plates. Garnish with mache and a spoonful of mustard.

Green Mustard

Ingredients:
Dijon mustard approx. 3 Tablespoons
1 bunch of chives
a large pot

Method:
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add chives and blanch them for 1 minute.
3. Remove the chives from the pot and refresh them under cold water.
4. Gently squeeze excess water from the chives.
5. Place the chives and mustard together in the bowl of a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth.

Warm Irish Tea Smoked Salmon with Boiled Potatoes, Savoy Cabbage, and Double Smoked Bacon

Ingredients:
Four 4 oz. filets of salmon
8 Red Bliss Potatoes
1 Head of Savoy Cabbage, cut thinly into Julienne
4 oz. double smoked bacon, cut into small dices
1 Tablespoon of butter
1 cup of very small wood chips (oak, hickory, or mesquite)
2 bags of Irish breakfast tea
2 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper
a pot, a skillet, and a stove top smoker

Method:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the two cloves of garlic to the water.
3. Place the potatoes into the water and boil until they are tender (10-15 minutes, depending on their size).
4. Remove them from the pot and cool the potatoes by running them under cold water.
5. Discard the garlic.
6. Cut potatoes into small dices and set them aside.
7. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the bacon to the skillet.
8. Cook until the bacon renders most of its fat and is well cooked.
9. Add butter to the pan.
10. Toss in the cut cabbage and cook for 3 minutes until the cabbage is wilted.
11. Add the diced potatoes to the pan.
12. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
13. Keep warm.
14. Season the salmon filets with salt and pepper.
15. Rub the salmon filets with oil to lightly coat them.
16. Using a stove top smoker, place the wood chips and the Irish tea in the center of the smoker to form a small mound.
17. Place smoker over medium heat.
18. When the chips start to smoke, place the salmon into the smoker and attach the top. Allow to smoke for 8-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the filets.
19. Turn off the heat on smoker and remove the top.
20. Place potatoes and cabbage on the center of each of the four plates.
21. Top the cabbage with the warm smoked salmon and serve.

Irish Scones with Stewed Strawberries and Clotted Cream

Ingredients:
4 Raisin Scones
1 pint of fresh strawberries
1 jar of clotted cream
1 cup of simple sugar (3/4 cup of sugar melted with 3/4 cup of water and 1 small piece of vanilla bean Optional)
Mint for garnish
4 dessert plates

Method:
1. Hull and slice the strawberries.
2. Bring simple sugar to a boil.
3. Add sliced strawberries to the syrup and cook for 2 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
5. Slice the scones horizontally and place the bottom of each one on four dessert plates.
6. Spoon the strawberries with syrup onto the scones.
7. Drizzle clotted cream over the strawberries.
8. Top with the reserved 1/2 scone.
9. Garnish with mint.