A Taste of Ireland: Coffee and Tea Delights 
by Kim Tilley

Get your blood flowing with some stout Irish treats! All of these recipes make great gifts or desserts for a special get together. Just keep them away from the kids- most of these recipes contain a touch o' whiskey!

Irish Tea Bread from Paulette

12 tbsp Strong tea 
1 lb Mixed dried fruit 
6 oz Soft brown sugar 
1 Egg, lightly beaten 
1 oz Butter (melted) 
9 oz All-purpose flour 
1/2 tsp. Bicarbonate of soda 

1. The mixed fruit can include raisins, currants, and any other kind of dried fruit you like; chop any larger pieces down to about raisin size. 
2. Place the tea, mixed fruit and sugar in a bowl; cover and leave overnight. 
3. Stir in the egg and melted butter. Sift the flour and the bicarb together and fold them in. 
4. Line the bottom of a large loaf pan with baking parchment, and brush the whole inside of the pan with melted butter. Pour the mixture in and smooth the top. 
5. Bake in a preheated oven 360 F) on the middle shelf for 1 1/2 hours. 
6. After removing from the oven, leave in the pan for 2-3 minutes; then turn out of pan and cool on a wire rack. 

The Original Irish Coffee 1 c Coffee, fresh brewed  3 x Sugar cubes  3 tbsp Irish whiskey (1 jigger)  1. Pour coffee into large mug. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Add whiskey and stir to combine.  2. Top with whipped cream and serve.

Irish Coffee Balls   (From "Gifts that Taste Good") 3 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs  1 cup finely chopped pecans  1 1.2 cups sifted confectioner's sugar, divided  3 tbsp instant coffee granules  1/3 cup Irish Whisky  1/3 cup light corn syrup

1. In a large bowl, combine the cookie crumbs, pecans, and 1 cup of sugar. 
2. In a small cup, dissolve coffee granules in Irish whiskey. Add to dry mixture along with corn syrup, mixing until blended. 
3. Shape mixture into 1 inch balls. Roll in remaining sugar. Store in air tight container. Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies
Note: Cookies become more flavorful after sitting 2-3 days. 

"Irish Coffee" Pudding 

Servings: 4 

6 Eggs 
8 oz Sugar 
1 c very strong coffee 
1 1/2 oz Powdered gelatin 
1/3 c Irish whiskey* 
10 fl oz Whipping cream 
3 oz Crushed walnuts 

*You can also use Irish Mist.

1. Separate the yolks from the whites of eggs. In a bowl, cream with yolks with the sugar. 
2. Heat the coffee until hot but not boiling: add the gelatin and dissolve it in the coffee. 
3. Add this mixture to the yolks and sugar. Beat well and put the bowl over a pot of boiling water. Continue beating until mixture begins to thicken. 
4. Remove from heat, and when the bowl has cooled a little, place it over cracked ice and continue stirring. 
5. When the mixture is on the point of setting, whip the cream and fold it in. Add the whiskey or Irish Mist. 
6. Lastly, fold in the well-beaten egg whites. Pour into a soufflé dish that has a double thickness of parchment paper tied around it: the paper should come up 3 inches above the top of the soufflé dish. 
7. Oil a jam-jar or bottle and press it down into the center of the pudding. Leave to set. Remove the paper collar by easing around the circumference with a knife dipped in hot water. 
8. Remove the jar or bottle, and fill the center with: 1 cup heavy cream, whipped, sweetened with 1 T granulated sugar. You can also decorate the exposed sides of the pudding with crushed walnuts, pressed on with the palm of your hand.

"Irish Coffee" Cake 

Cake:

4 oz Butter, at room temperature 
4 oz Granulated sugar 
2 Eggs 
4 oz Self-raising flour 
2 T Coffee essence**

Irish Coffee Syrup:

150 ml Strong black coffee 
4 oz Sugar (for coffee syrup) 
4 T Irish whiskey

Icing

150 ml Heavy whipping cream 
Confectioners sugar to taste 
1 T Whiskey, or to taste 
Chopped nuts* 

*Or grated chocolate. 
**This is a concentrated, liquid coffee easily found in Ireland, but probably not in the States. I would dissolve 2 T of a good instant coffee (Taster's Choice or something similar) in an equivalent amount of water, and use that.

1. Grease and flour an 8-inch cake pan (preferably a springform cheesecake pan). Preheat oven to 350F. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in the eggs, adding a little flour and beating well after each addition. 
2. Stir in the coffee essence, and mix thoroughly. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes until springy to the touch. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. . 
3. To make the Irish coffee syrup, put the coffee and sugar into a small pan and bring up to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the whiskey. 
4. Wash and dry the pan the cake was baked in, and return the cooled cake to it: then pour the hot coffee syrup all over it. Leave in a cool place for several hours, then turn out. 
5. Whip the cream until it's thick, sweeten slightly with confectioners' sugar, and add whiskey to taste. Spread the cake with the whipped cream and chill for an hour before sprinkling with chopped nuts or grated chocolate. 

Irish Whiskey Cake 

Cake:

8 oz Raisins 
Grated rind of 1 lemon 
150 ml Whiskey 
6 oz Softened butter 
3 Eggs 
6 oz Soft brown sugar 
6 oz Plain flour 
1 pinch Salt 
1 pinch Ground cloves 
1 t Baking powder

Icing:

Juice of 1 lemon 
8 oz Confectioners' sugar 
Warm water as needed 
Crystallized lemon slices (as garnish, if desired)

1. Put the raisins and grated lemon rind into a bowl with the whiskey, and leave overnight to soak. 
2. Grease a 7-inch cake pan, and line the bottom with parchment; preheat oven to 350F. 
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs and sift the flour, salt, cloves and baking powder into a bowl. 
4. Beat the yolks into the butter and sugar one by one, including a spoonful of flour and beating well after each addition. Gradually add the whiskey and raisin mixture, alternating with the remaining flour. Do not overbeat at this stage. 
5. Finally, whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture with a metal spoon. Turn into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until well risen and springy to the touch ~- or test with a skewer: when it comes out clean, the cake's ready. 
6. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. 
7. Meanwhile, make the icing by mixing the lemon juice with the sieved confectioners' sugar and just enough water to make a pouring consistency. 
8. Put a dinner plate under the cake rack to catch the drips, and pour the icing over the cake a tablespoonful at a time, letting it dribble naturally down the sides. Don't worry if a lot of it ends up on the plate underneath -- just scoop it up and put it on top again. When the icing has set, it can be decorated with crystallized lemon slices if you like. 

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