Last night, spunky D intern Valeria Turturro headed to Central Market’s Cooking School for a class in traditional Irish holiday favorites with Rachel Gaffney. Let’s see what she has to say:
I’m a little ashamed to admit that last night, when I stepped foot into Rachel Gaffney’s Irish Holiday Cooking class at Central Market’s Cooking School, I couldn’t name even one Irish dish. But after two and a half hours under Rachel Gaffney’s tutelage, I came away with a firm and striking picture of what the Irish have to offer in the kitchen.
jump for pics and Gaffney’s specialties…
Gaffney, a spunky, red-haired Irish woman who hails from Cork and resides in Dallas, started Rachel Gaffney’s Authentic Irish Goods to teach people worldwide about her Ireland — the real Ireland.
To that end, she opened last night’s class by incorporating one of her favorite home-country cheese, Kerrygold Dubliner, into the ubiquitous holiday artichoke dip recipe. For the main course, she prepared a honey-glazed ham with Parmesan-baked parsnips and Christmas dried-fruit compote. The Irish eat turkey and ham for Christmas, which could explain why this ham was dressed up unlike any I’ve ever had. The recipe calls for simmering a whole ham for three hours, then scoring it, coating it with a honey mixture, and baking it. The accompanying compote made with oranges, prunes, raisins, dried apricots, dried figs, and tawny port infuses the ham with even more flavor. When cooled the compote can also be paired with yogurt and granola in the morning. “There’s nothing like a little Port in the morning,” Gaffney joked.
The Parmesan-dusted, baked parsnips were, as a fellow student put it, like healthy French fries. “Root vegetables are so underrated,” Gaffney noted.
To satisfy the sweet tooth, Gaffney prepared mince pies with a creamy, sweet brandy butter. No Gaffney cooking class would be complete without a taste of her traditional Irish butter shortbread, a recipe that earned her a guest appearance on The Martha Stewart Show.
After the class, Gaffney fielded questions about dining in her home country. You can’t miss Kinsale, she noted, dubbing it the foodie capital of Ireland.
Check out Central Market Cooking School’s upcoming slate of classes at www.centralmarket.com. Holiday tips, treats, and surprises await you in the second-floor classroom.
