2 comments about The Irish Spirit: Recipes Inspired by the Legendary Drinks of Ireland.

1. This is absolutely an awesome cookbook. Being Irish, wanting to go to Ireland, and loving to cook made this a must have.Highly recommended for anyone who likes to cook. Kathy



2. If you are a Vegan, this book is not for you. The recipes are of a hearty kind. The presentation is superb as are the photographs. Tradition mixed with new age. A delight for the pallette. Just remember the spirits are for the cooking not the drinking before hand. Highly recommended to any who enjoy food at it's best.

4 comments about The Best Irish Drinks.

1. There are numerous cocktail cookbooks on the market already, but several things differentiate the pocket-tote-sized THE BEST IRISH DRINKS from others. First, they come directly from Ireland and thus represent authentic flavors based on the use of Irish liquors and ingredients. Second, its focus on recipes over flash assures 300 are packed into here and not watered down by the usual color glitter of the cocktail glass. Third, it rounds out recipes with toasts, wisdom sayings, and Irish drink history. What more could you want?
   
   Diane C. Donovan, Editor
   California Bookwatch



2. I agree with previous reviewer. Nice little book with plenty of drink recipes and Irish wisdom and heritage in it. Small in size, not a coffee table book by any means. Worth the $8-9 bucks you may pay for it.



3. Book arrived in plenty of time for Christmas. It's fairly small, but packs in alot of information. The first section features info on various liquors and beers - mostly whiskey and beer. Overall the information is condensed but interesting. Over a third of a the book is an alphabetical list of cocktails. We enjoyed the section on the Story of Irish coffee. There's a small section on Irish toasts - some were cute, others a little dull/dumb, but still interesting.



4. This book is an incredibly fun way to learn a little history and learn how to make some great drinks. This particular book may not be the most comprehensive tome, but it's got a little something for everyone, wether Irish or not.

5 comments about Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels (Patrick O'Brian).

1. I haven't cooked anything from this cookbook yet. It's not exactly family dinner fare. But I've flipped through it enough to know that the writers have done a great deal of research into the food, on land and sea, in the times and places of the Aubry/Maturin novels. In several cases, they offer two recipes for one dish, one that tells how it would have been cooked in a ship's galley and one that tells how to cook it in a modern kitchen. My husband has read all of O'Brien's books and has looked through the cookbook to find many dishes he remembers from the books. They're all there. It was everything I hoped it would be. Now if I could just find a good reason to cook this stuff! :)



2. I made both of the title dishes (and many of the others)and all were great. The writing was both entertaining and informative. The recipe for Millers in Onion Sauce almost makes me willing to try rat for dinner.



3. Lobscouse and Spotted Dog is a lot of fun for those of us who are both fans of Nelson's navy, and part time chefs as well. I sometimes think that a historically accurate dish somehow transports us back to those swashbuckling days when men were men, and walking the plank was not measuring your new hardwood floor at home depot.
   The recipes are apparently accurate, and the comments are drole. And if you've got a little time on your hands, there's a theme party waiting for you to create. Get your pals to dress up like Horatio Hornblower and break out the Admiral's Flip. Then the neighbours'll have something to talk about, damn your eyes! Beat to quarters, if you please!



4. Lots of fun for cooks. A pleasure for readers of Patrick O'Brian's novel (so you can find out what "drowned baby" consists of).
   
   Highly recommended!



5. As a huge fan of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series, I thought this would be interesting to read. And it is! The recipes are divided into sections according to events in the books, with excerpts preceding the recipes. However, one must have plenty of time and equipment to make the famous "puddings" of the era. Most of the pudding recipes call for suet as a key ingredient. That, and lack of a pudding-basin, ended my interest in attempting a Spotted Dog. However, I may attempt a few of the biscuits...as long as they don't require suet! As a companion to understanding the cuisine of Nelson's Navy, however, it's absolutely delightful.

5 comments about The Irish Pub.

1. This stunning book on The Irish pub is sumptuous and gorgeous - if you have an interest in pubs, Ireland, history, interior decor or indeed anthropology then you should get this book for your self as well as for as many others as you see fit - engaging text - seriously beautiful photographs - this is a very important book that will become a collectors must. I can't recommend this more.



2. If you have an interest in visiting Ireland for the first time, you are a frequent visitor or a resident of Ireland, this book is a must read. The author managed to capture the flavor of the Irish Pub with his historical discriptions, and the photographer captured the vision. In the course of reading the book, I could see my relatives sitting in a number of the featured pubs debating current issues, tossing a few pints back and wondering what tomorrow will bring.



3. The Irish Pub is a terrific book with wonderful pictures, descriptions, and stories of several historic pubs in Ireland.



4. "The Irish Pub" captures the warmth and charm of this vanishing mainstay of Irish culture. The book invites you into its pages with beautiful photographs and histories of urban and rural pubs.



5. We were in a pub in Wexford called the Sky and Ground Pub. Great place. Johnny, the owner bought this place after it had burned to the ground with intentions to rebuild. When he first walked through the door, all he could see was the sky and the ground. So he named it that. He recommended this book, which we ended up buying the next day and using as our tour guide. It was a very good recommendation. We ended up hitting about 11 pubs out of the 38 or so that are in the book. We had the pub owners sign their respective pages. They were very excited by the idea. Most said none had asked them to do that before. This book is fantastic. If you have any interest in Ireland or pubs at all this book is a must, there is a ton of info in here, with a map to plan your route. Plus the photography is fantastic.

5 comments about Mcguire's Irish Pub Cookbook.

1. I admit that I was really excited to find this book. We ate at McGuire's in Pensacola a couple of times, and I desperately wanted their Shepard's Pie recipe. It's not in the book! It's one of the most popular dishes at the restaurant. Furthermore, the recipe for that incredible brown bread that they serve at the table is not in the book either!
   I was planning a special birthday party for my very-Irish mother, and really wanted to make both of these for her. It was pretty disappointing. However, the dessert choices were amazing.
   If you are buying this to be able to have recipes from your favorite dishes from the restaurant, you may be disappointed!



2. McGuire's Irish Pub is an institution in Pensacola, Florida. As the premier Irish pub on the Gulf Coast, they serve up some of the best pub fare to be found in the area. The range of dishes available is amazing--from casual to special. If you've ever been to McGuire's and you've loved the food, you have to pick this up. If you haven't been to Pensacola, pick this up and see what you're missing.



3. `McGuire's Irish Pub Cookbook' by cookbook author for hire, Jessie Tirsch is a book-length add for the bar and restaurant in Pensacola, Florida by the same name. While this may immediately discredit the book in some people's minds, I found this to be an excellent presentation if Irish-American bar food, with the Irish influence being dominant.
   
   Two words of warning to people whom may be encouraged to visit McGuire's Irish Pub. The first is that like Boston's `The Bull and Finch', the model for the bar portrayed in the TV series, `Cheers', `McGuire's' promises to be very busy, turning over a chair about once every half hour, in their public rooms. When I visited `The Bull and Finch', I barely had time to have a pint of beer and score a beer class including the `Cheers' logo plus a tee-shirt. The second is that many recipes in this book are not actually served at the pub today. But, neither of these considerations detracts in any way from the quality of the book.
   
   My basis for evaluating this book is my recently reviewed `The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook' by Kay Shaw Nelson. The first thing that comes home to me is the similarity of available shellfish in Scotland and Ireland compared to the shellfish available in the Gulf of Mexico. Both `terroirs;' have ample supplies of fresh shrimp (prawns), oysters, mussels, and clams. Thus, subtropical Pensacola can do a great imitation of dishes from the oceanic fauna of the North Sea and the North Atlantic. The second thing where I find a great parallel between American pubs and Scotch - Irish pubs is the fact that the hamburger in its many permutations is a staple bar food for both regions. I was so surprised to find so many good hamburger recipes in Ms. Nelson's book that I was tempted to believe the hamburger was an Irish invention.
   
   This book begins with a very long illustrated Foreword by the bar's owners, McGuire and Molly Martin which chronicles the history of the bar, supplemented with many excellent pictures of some of the bar's more interesting interior decorations, featuring the mythical Uncle Nathan and some of the 12 huge moose heads.
   
   The book begins, I am very pleased to say, with a chapter on breads and brunch. This is appropriate not only because it begins with brunch, but it also has all the recipes for the breads and rolls used for hamburgers and the like in later chapters. Most recipes are recognizably Irish, although at least three are clearly from that very un-Irish country, Italy, with the very similar flag.
   
   The remaining chapters are:
   
   Finger Foods: Appetizers and Party Picks
   Between the Bread: Creative Sandwiches
   The Kettle: Soups and Stews
   Creature Comforts: Fish, Fowl, and Meat
   Under Cover: Savory Pies and Tarts
   Noodles And: Pasta and Crepes
   And With It All: Side Dishes
   The Eating of the Green: Salads
   Celebrations: Passionate Potables
   Sweet Sign-Offs: Heavenly Desserts
   St. Pat Tricks: Tips, Techniques, Stocks, Etc.
   
   I just had to check if the salads chapter included a recipe with watercress, the original shamrock. Oddly, I found that close to half of the salads recipes were based on pasta and seafood, but with lots of representatives of the spinach, cabbage, and carrot clans.
   
   The last chapter on general techniques is useful, but pretty familiar to experienced amateur cooks. The desserts chapter is generally true to Irish puddings, tarts and use of fruits. I was just a bit surprised at the many desserts including chocolate, as this is not a big ingredient in native Irish recipes.
   
   Every chapter seems to be a bit over half of true Irish recipes, with the remainder being imports from French and Italian cuisines, especially Italian. Several of the new inventions are interesting, but my favorite is the `Baby Reuben Egg Rolls with Honey-Beer Mustard'. Like basil and tomatoes, the pairing of corned beef and cabbage (or sauerkraut) is so great that the pairing seems to work in just about any preparation, especially with its constant companions, beer and mustard.
   
   If you don't want the ad and the blarney in the headnotes, and want something a bit more authentic, get `The Scottish-Irish Pub and Hearth Cookbook', but if all you want are good Irish-American bar food recipes, you will not be disappointed with this offering.



4. Very interesting recipes. I guess they weren't exactly what I expected... they seem truly authentic to this Americanized Irish girl. I thought "pub" food was more like bar food... nachos, pizza, etc. I was very far off. So if you want authentic, this is the book for you.



5. I actually purchased this as a gift for a friend that loves her Irish heritage & loves to cook even more, and she hasn't stopped raving about how great this cookbook is. Apparently it's become her favorite cookbook. Giving it 5 stars for this reason.

No comments about Favorite Food at Home: Delicious Comfort Food from Ireland's Most Famous Chef.

5 comments about Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook.

1. I am a professional chef and have reviewed many cookbooks. This cookbook is one of the best I have ever seen and used. I was so impressed by it that I went and attended the 13 week course at the School in Ireland. The recipes are timeless,delicious,and will work every time if followed properly. This is what cooking should be fresh, beautiful, and nutritious.



2. I had the good fortune to take a three-day "cookery" course from Darina Allen at her school in County Cork. She is the Julia Childs of Ireland. The demonstrations were great and then the students got to cook selected recipes the next morning. I recommend this book because it has 1. tested and easy-to-follow recipes. (The school always has students and instructors working from the written recipes.) 2. The Irish specialties, particularly the breads, are wonderful. Ireland is now a "foodies" paradise with hundreds of homemade cheeses and other artisan specialties, superb seafood, and a whole "slow food" movement. This cookbook is in its way a bible to what's going on. It is one you will use again and again.



3. This cookbook is great and contains a plethora of easy to follow recipes from appetizers to desserts. A must-have for your kitchen library.



4. I am a professional cook and a cookbook collector and have been to the Ballymaloe Cookery School. I got this book for myself because I was so pleased with the school and felt it was a good basic source book. I ended up giving it away at a bridal shower to a young American on her way to Sweden to marry. It was then I realized what a great cookbook this is for beginning cooks/ for Americans living abroad and for Europeans living here in the US because of the measurement equivalents as well as the very global recipes. Great down to earth and humorous writing as well as clear and concise instructions.I'm ordering another for myself.
   Marcia Dunsmore



5. I attended the Ballymaloe Cookery School and thought Darina Allen's recipes and presentation was "spot on!!" I came home and ordered her cookbook immediately. The bread recipes (especially the grainy, wheaty breads) are terrific. Her recipe measurements are perfect. Her ethnic recipes are also wonderful.

5 comments about The Irish Pub Cookbook.

1. My husband and I traveled to Ireland in 2002 and fell in love with the country. We ate at local pubs for almost every meal and decided that we needed to learn to replicate many of these meals. He bought me this book for Christmas several years ago and I have used many of the recipes over and over again.
   
   We have a St. Patrick's party every year and have used this cookbook almost exclusively. We consistantly make the Blue-Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms, but have made a few changes with it. The Seafood Chowder is a crowd pleaser. I also love the Bacon, Blue-Cheese and Courgette (Zucchini) soup. The star of our cookbook, though, is the Black and White Guinness Mousse. I make this dessert 4 or 5 times a year. It is my most requested dessert and it is a wonderful presentation. My cookbook literally opens up to that page on its own.
   
   Coming from a woman who has hundreds of cookbooks, this is one of my favorite. I am lucky enough to have Kerrigold butter sold in our local supermarket and I can also source true bangers, which makes a nice treat for our family. I would highly recommend this if you are looking for truly authentic Irish recipes. Slainte!



2. I'm not Irish, but these are tasty recipes and they're doable. You don't have to import all your ingredients from Ireland and even using our American butter as opposed to "Irish" butter, mentioned in some of the recipes, still gives you tasty results. Both my husband and I have liked the recipes I've made so far and we don't always agree. It makes me want to go to Ireland on a pub food crawl instead of just the traditional liquid pub crawl.



3. This cookbook was just catapulted to one of my favorites. I prepared the Wicklow Lamb with Braised Green Beans and Mashed Potatoes for dinner tonight, and it was one of the best meals I have EVER had! I am an average cook, and found the recipes to be extremely easy and tasty. I have also made some of the soups and stews with great results.



4. I have LOVED every recipe I've made from this book so far. I recently visited Ireland and wanted to re-experience some of the food we ate there. This book is authentic and the recipes are taken from famous pubs in Ireland. The recipes are also pretty simple. You don't need a ton of exotic stuff or tools to make them. These recipes are purely good ol' comfort food.



5. I've had this book for a couple of years and I can't get over how delicious the recipes are! The soups are my favorite which doesn't sound very exciting but the flavors are perfect and really easy to make. This is my go to recipe book when I want something simple and satisfying and sure to please my entire family! :)

5 comments about Irish Traditional Cooking: Over 300 Recipes from Ireland's Heritage.

1. I have just returned from a two week Darina Allen (Ballymaloe) cooking school in Ireland and her cooking books are my bible. She is an amazing woman and a great gift to all who love to cook and/or enjoy to eat! Check out her web site for more books and cooking schools!
   Beverly



2. If you love Irish food, you will love this book. for those in America, sometimes you have to substitute items because they can't easily be purchased here, but most times, you can find something to take its place and the recipes are very comforting and filling.



3. A beautiful Irish cookbook with gorgeous pictures, insightful bits of trivia, history, and of course, wonderful recipes!



4. My friend wanted an Irish cookbook, so I began looking around for the perfect gift. I looked at a few options, but quickly discovered that she, being single and on a college student's budget, wouldn't be able to use many of the recipies in most of the cookbooks.
   Then, I found this one. It still has the nice recipies (from Christmas Cake, a.k.a. fruit cake, to a million and one things to do with duck and game to which the typical northwesterner doesn't have daily access), which will be very handy if she ever has to cook duck.
   What I like about this, though, is it has the practical, traditional recipies. It has soda bread (multiple types), it has blood pudding, it has buttermilk pancakes, it has soups, it has a Christmas dinner, etc. Because it's Irish, you've got to expect the bacon...it has that, too, along with a few funny stories in each section.



5. Attention: "The Complete Book of Irish Country Cooking" and "Irish Traditional Cooking" are the same book, under different titles. DO NOT BUY BOTH. As for the book itself, it is more comprehensive than any of the books by Margaret M. Johnson (e.g., "The Irish Heritage Cookbook" and "The Irish Spirit") but less detailed. In other words, Ms. Allen includes more recipes but the instructions in each recipe are not as thorough. Given a choice, I would choose one of Ms. Johnson's books over Ms. Allen's. Ms. Johnson's recipes are more appealing as well, and more accessible. I might eat a bowl of nettle soup if it were presented to me but I would not seek it out or look for nettles to make it. Ms. Allen's book contains many recipes for things like Nettle Soup that most people will never make. Ms. Johnson's books include one mouth-watering recipe after another, each of which makes me want to run to the grocery store for the ingredients.

3 comments about The Country Cooking of Ireland.

1. This is my favorite Irish cookbook. Beautifully illustrated and filled with interesting cultural information as well as tempting recipes. It's nearly encyclopedic in scope, as well - a hefty book, obviously a labor of love.
   
   In several recipes so far I've found that I need to alter the quantities of various ingredients to hit a home run. The Irish Stew was simple, but maybe the best I've ever had, however the first time I made it I used all the potatoes and cream that the recipe called for, and I didn't get a nice crust on top. Dial back the thickness of the potato layer and a little less cream (plus 2 cloves of garlic all minced up, because that's how I roll), and then it was perfect. Likewise a 'bunch' of kale is apparently smaller in Ireland than here in Washington, so my first crack at colcannon soup actually "tasted green" according to my guests. It was still good, but next time I'm going to try with less kale.
   
   Also, several dishes include ingredients hard to find in my city. Not the author's fault, of course, and probably not an issue if you live in a big city, but there you have it.
   
   Overall, I am very impressed with this cookbook and will return to it often.



2. There is never a better time to break out the hearty soups and savory farmhouse bakes than in the dead of winter, and Country Cooking of Ireland helps cooks of all skill levels and experience do just that. Colman Andrews, the co-founder of Saveur Magazine and author of several cookbooks, brings together the very best of Ireland's cuisine in one irresistible volume.
   
   From poultry to potatoes to puddings, no stone was left unturned in Andrews' quest for authentic recipes. It is a treat to not only cook from, but to read from cover to cover - tucked in between the recipes are pages profiling artisan cheesemakers, brewers, and bakers, gorgeous photographs of Ireland's rugged landscape, and engagingly written background information about the history of various ingredients and the specialties of the different counties.
   
   In our test kitchen we tried out two recipes for a casual weekend dinner: glazed carrots and panhaggerty. The recipe for glazed carrots brought out their natural sweetness, and the simplicity of the recipe ensures that it will become a regular side dish at mealtimes in the future. We initially balked at the generous amount of butter called for in the panhaggerty recipe, but we gave it a try and were blown away by the extraordinary taste of this potato gratin dish. The potatoes, onions, bacon, and Irish cheddar played off one another marvelously.
   
   Country Cooking of Ireland will come as a delightful surprise to both newcomers and old hands at the treat that is traditional Irish food.



3. As another reviewer mentioned, the quantities called for in some of the recipes are wildly incorrect.
   
   Case in point: Battered Sausages. If you make it as written, you won't get a batter, you'll get a thick, elastic dough that will not coat the sausages. Cut both the flour and yeast quantities in half, and you're good to go.
   
   I'm always nervous cooking from a book after I discover such an error. It means either that the recipes weren't tested, or the book was poorly edited.
   
   A shame, because the book is gorgeous.