The Corned Beef Void

While Thanksgiving at our house brought turkey and gravy, Easter at Grandma's brought ham with raisin sauce, and Barry birthdays throughout the South Hills brought Aunt Joyce's layer cakes and ice cream, the double holiday of St. Patrick's Day and Cousin Ryan's birthday at Aunt Dee-Dee's house had the all-time winningest combination: Corned beef, cabbage, boiled potatoes, and a basket full of Irish Soda Bread. (Oh, the Irish Soda Bread.)

It might have been the Irish in me, or Aunt Dee-Dee's exquisite skill at crafting the ultimate feast, or perhaps it was Double G's proud smile and assuring, 'that's my girl,' as I filled up my plate with a second round of cabbage; but regardless, the annual Barry corned beef bash was highly anticipated and slowly savored by me. My favorite meal.

Sadly, while I was able to come home at turkey time in college, I wasn't able to make it for St. Patrick's Day, which initiated a streak of being corned beef-less for too long. I was never without Soda Bread though. Thankfully, around this time of the year, I could always expect a sugar-topped loaf in the mail from my Mom. 

This year, the void was finally filled. Thanks to a new tradition - the double holiday of St. Patrick's Day and Ellie's birthday - the epic gaseous combination reached my belly and satisfied.

Yesterday, after Naperville's parade, the most dire 16-mile run ever, and 40 minutes in the oven, Peter and I biked over to Claire and Trent's house, gift and Irish Soda Bread in tow, for a wonderful celebration of one year gone by and the Irish in all of us.

Maybe it was because of the reason, but Claire and Trent produced a feast that Aunt Dee-Dee would have lauded.

And while it wasn't the same as the lovingly prepared loafs of Aunt Dee-Dee or my Mom, the Irish Soda Bread I brought was a hit. And took me right back to Piedmont street where I know the Barry family was celebrating yesterday.

Because there are no leftovers, I'm thinking I should bake myself another loaf right now.

Lo.

Irish Soda Bread 

Adapted from Bon Appetit

2 cups all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3 tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into cubes

1 cup buttermilk

2/3 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare baking pan by greasing with butter.

Whisk together flour, 4 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in large bowl. Add butter. Using a pastry blended or your fingertips, mix together till coarse meal forms. Add buttermilk and gradually stir into dry ingredients until blended. Mix in raisins.

Transfer to prepared pan. Drop the pan on the ground a couple times to level the dough out. Sprinkle dough with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.(This is what makes the best part of the bread.)

Bake bread about 40 minutes or until loaf is brown on top. Cool bread in pan 20-30 minutes. Remove, cut into slices, and serve. It's best warm on the first day, but makes excellent leftovers or a gift to a hungry lacrosse player with a craving for the best quick bread ever.