HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Chef Patrick Evans-Hylton joins Coast Live to serve up a fun St. Patrick's Day-themed pairing, with Irish Potato Skins and Irish Coffee!
Here's what Chef Patrick had to say about today's selections on his Virginia Eats and Drinks blog:
CHEERS TO THE EMERALD ISLE WITH OUR IRISH COFFEE
No doubt folks were adding spirits to a hot cup-of-joe long before the Irish Coffee we know today came along. But who remembers those? Irish Coffee is a classic for a reason.
According to tradition, Joe Sheridan created the drink at the coffee shop at a Shannon, Ireland airport in the early 1940s. One of the persons who tried it was San Francisco Chronicle travel writer Stanton Delaplane, who brought the lore of the drink back to the United States with him.
Delaplane worked with the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco to develop the Irish Coffee we know today, starting on November 10, 1952.
An Irish Coffee consists of sugar cubes, whiskey, coffee, and whipped cream, and nothing else. But some folks like to add embellishments, such as a shot of Irish creme liqueur or a drizzle of green creme de menthe atop the whipped cream. What do we say to that? Enjoy it the way that makes you happy.
Here’s how I make it:
- Fill a glass, heat-proof coffee mug with 6 ounces of hot water. Touch the mug to test the temperature; when hot, discard the water.
- Add two sugar cubes to the glass and add 6-8 ounces of very hot coffee, about three-quarters of the way full. Add 1-1/2 ounces whiskey. Irish whiskey is traditional; for our drink today we are using Reverend Spirits’ bourbon. Reverend Spirits is distilled in Norfolk.
- Gently stir to incorporate sugar, coffee, and whiskey and add a dollop of whipped cream on top.
- Yields one drink.
Bourbon comes from Reverend Spirits, www.DrinkReverend.com
BON APPETIT TO ST. PATRICK’S DAY! CELEBRATE WITH IRISH POTATO SKINS
We love potatoes, one of the most versatile of all ingredients.
These spud-macular starchy root vegetables can be baked, fried, steamed, mashed, scalloped, made into bread, made into pasta, and so much more.
On the cusp of March 17, we’re starting our celebration of St. Patrick’s Day early with a delish dish made with potatoes.
Potato skins emerged as an appetizer in restaurants in the early 1970s, with the fast-casual chain TGI Friday’s becoming noted for them.
We offer our Irish Potato Skins, made with baked potato shells and piled with corned beef, melting cheese, bacon, and with a green onion garnish.
Here’s how I make it:
- in a medium saucepan over medium-low heatadd 12 ounces evaporated milk, 1 tablespoon corn starch, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt. Whisk until incorporated. Reduce heat to low.
- Increase heat to a simmer; do not boil, and stir constantly until thickened.
- Slowly add 8 ounces of finely shredded cheddar cheese, about an ounce or two at a time, stirring constantly until all the cheese is melted.
- Prepare the potatoes: bake two medium russet potatoes and allow to cool. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh, leaving about a quarter-inch. Reserve the scooped out potato for another use. Cut a tiny sliver off the bottom of each potato half so it will sit even. Set aside potatoes.
- Prepare the bacon: fry eight strips of bacon until very fine. Remove the bacon and allow to cool and crumble coarsely. Set aside. Keep bacon drippings in skillet to heat corned beef.
- Prepare the green onion: finely chop the green part of two green onions and set aside.
- Prepare the cheese.
- Prepare the corned beef: chop a half-pound of corned beef into small, bite-sized pieces. Add to the skillet with the bacon drippings and, over medium-heat, stir until corned beef is heated through.
- Prepare the Irish Potato Skins: while the corned beef is still warm, spoon it equally into each of the four potato halves and pour on hot cheese to cover. Dollop on sour cream on each and add equal amounts of bacon and garnish with green onion.
- Serves four.
More, www.VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com
EAT, DRINK + DO: ANNOUNCING THE CRAB CAKE HALL OF FAME
Crab cakes are one of the Chesapeake Bay region’s most delicious culinary calling cards. To honor the restaurants that serve up this delish dish, we’ve created the Crab Cake Hall of Fame.
Crab cakes are looked at with ten different criteria, rating each criteria on a scale from one to ten. That includes the way the crab cake looks, the amount of crabmeat inside, the mouthfeel, the taste, and more.
Our first two inductees are Wicker’s Crab Pot in Chesapeake, and Fish & Slips in Portsmouth.
Restaurants interested in getting more information about how to become part of the Crab Cake Hall of Fame can contact me on the Virginia Eats + Drinks website.
More, www.VirginiaEatsAndDrinks.com
FOR MORE VIRGINIA EATS + DRINKS
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