Easy Entertaining: Irish Dinner Recipes from Raglan Road Kevin Dundon

Chef Kevin Dundon of Raglan Road presents an inventive gourmet Irish Dinner to kick off 10 year Anniversary Celebration

Raglan Road Irish Pub in Orlando is celebrating a big birthday this year and those Irish lads sure know how to celebrate! In honor of their 10th anniversary, the authentic Irish eatery owned and operated by Irish partners Paul Nolan, John Cooke and celebrity chef Kevin Dundon – known for his five-star hotel and cookery school in Ireland and his award-winning PBS and Create TV cooking series – are hosting various events throughout the year culminating in a special Irish dinner this October. The Downtown Disney restaurant features traditional Irish dishes and new creations with a modern twist. Although the atmosphere and menu is casual and relaxed, when Chef Dundon hosts a special event, he really knows how to bring the WOW factor all the way from Ireland!

Last week, I was a guest at a special demonstration with Chef Kevin Dundon as he introduced us to modern variations of traditional Irish dinner favorites. The event which kicked off their Mighty St. Patrick’s Festival and their 10 Year Anniversary celebration, was held in the main dining room of the restaurant, with its warm interior made of aged walnut and mahogany woods from old Irish bars and churches, the bars and fixtures were made in Ireland and shipped to Orlando. How is that for an authentic Irish Pub? Although the place is quite big, in part to accommodate the large volume of guests that visit on a daily basis, it still has an inviting and comfortable feel. This is not your typical Disney themed restaurant. Yes, you will find a souvenir shop with the required t-shirts and hats, yet right next to those you will find Chef Kevind Dundon’s cookbooks and fresh made glazes, jams and sauces from the Raglan Road kitchen so you can take the experience home.

I am a firm believer that food has the ability to inspire your travels and your travels have the ability to inspire your food. I love being able to bring home some fun cooking ingredients to spark the flavor memories. I was happy to add Kevin Dundon’s Back to Basics Cookbook to my extensive cookbook collection (addiction) which I am certain will further inspire dreams of Ireland.

Raglan Road was gracious to provide recipes for each dish we sampled during this amazing Irish feast and I’m happy to share them with you, to inspire your very own fancy Irish Dinner. These recipes are a bit more involved than my usual Easy Entertaining recipes, however you will find that although there are many steps and components involved in these dishes, the ingredients and preparations are simple and approachable. Dundon’s philosophy to use high quality ingredients and then letting their flavors shine through by not fussing too much with their preparation is truly reflective in this menu. The best advice he gives is buy high quality locally sourced ingredients whenever possible.

Irish Dinner Four Course Menu

All recipes courtesy of Raglan Road

Coquille St. Jacques Scallops with Mornay Sauce Recipe

Our first course was so ridiculously good I was only left wishing there were more scallops on the plate. Chef Dundon lightly seasoned the large scallops with salt and pepper and seared them in a hot pan to a beautiful slight golden color. The rich Mornay sauce was perfectly creamy and small dollops of mashed potatoes were just enough to give the dish a bit more substance. Paired beautifully with Sterling Napa Sauvignon Blanc, which is lightly oaked, and was both crisp and refreshing as you expect from a Sauvignon Blanc, but also showed a bit more body and a creamy mouth-feel to contrast the scallops.

TO SERVE:
Serves 4
20 oz Mashed Potatoes
6 oz Mornay Sauce
4 ea Seared Scallops
As needed Micro greens for garnish

^ Fill a piping bag with mashed potatoes and gently pipe them into a small bowl. About 5 oz.
^ Add 1 seared scallop per bowl
^ Lastly, top each bowl with 1.5 oz of Mornay sauce and garnish with fresh micro greens

MORNAY SAUCE
2 tbs Butter
3 tbs AP Flour
2 cups Milk
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
3/4 cup Grated Gruyere Cheese
1 ea Egg

^ Melt butter in a heavy-based saucepan over low heat
^ Sprinkle flour and stir with a balloon whisk
^ Cook gently for 2 minutes, until the roux is off-white in color
^ Take care not to overcook it as this will make the sauce discolored
^ Slowly pour the milk on to the roux and increase heat to medium, whisking constantly until it comes to a boil
^ Season with salt and pepper and cook for a further 6-8 minutes to ensure the flour is cooked through
^ Remove from the heat and add in the Gruyere cheese and egg
^ Stir until fully incorporated

SCALLOPS
4 ea Large Scallops
1 oz Oil
1 oz Lemon
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper

^ Lightly season the scallops with salt and pepper
^ In a hot pan, add the oil
^ Lightly place the scallops in the pan and sear on both sides for approximately 1.5 minutes each side for a medium rare-medium scallop
^ Remove from heat and deglaze pan with a splash of lemon juice

MASHED POTATOES
20 oz Potatoes
Pinch Pepper
Pinch Salt
8 tsp Heavy Cream
8 tsp Butter

^ Steam the potatoes for 35 minutes ensuring they are all the same size. When cooked, pass through a potato mill.
^ In a pan, melt your 8 tsp of butter, when melted add in the 8 tsp cream.
^ Bring to a boil.
^ In the mixer, using the paddle, mix your wet ingredients and your potatoes together until completely incorporated.
^ Add the salt and pepper to taste.

The smell as Kevin Dundon demoed this dish had me drooling and then this plate showed up! Oh my! Scallops with Pomme Purée and Mornay Gratin was so amazing I wish there were more scallops on the plate! @raglanroadpub #GOIrish #RaglanRoad #TravelThroughFood

A photo posted by Christina Thomas (@goepicurista) on Mar 11, 2015 at 11:01am PDT

Duet of Tomato Soup and Champagne Splashed Oyster Recipe

The Tomato Gin Soup with Champagne Splashed Oyster paired with Chandon Brut bubbles was beautifully simple and quite fancy. Definitely not what I expected to be eating at an Irish pub. The soup had a vibrant fresh tomato taste made decadent by the copious amounts of butter the chef added to the pot. He did not hold back for a fantastic result. It was the kind of soup you want to curl up on your couch and consume on a cold rainy day.

Chef Dundon’s Easy Entertaining Tip: Serve soup in a small espresso cup to guests as they arrive at your home to allow you more time to prepare the rest of the meal.

TOMATO GIN SOUP
2 oz Olive Oil
2 oz Butter
1 ea Yellow Onion (diced)
2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
2 1/4 lb Roma or Plum Tomatoes, ripe, cut in half
1/2 cup Gin
1 qt Vegetable Stock
1 cup Heavy Cream
to taste salt and pepper

^ Heat the oil lightly
^ Add in the onions and cook over medium heat until translucent
^ Add in the garlic and sweat for about 2 minutes
^ Add in the tomatoes and a pinch of salt and pepper
^ Cook for 6 minutes stirring
^ Deglaze with gin: cook stirring for about 7 minutes
^ Add in the stock, bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until tomatoes are tender and broken up
^ Add in the heavy cream, bring to a boil and cook for 8 minutes
^ Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper
^ Remove from the fire and puree with a hand blender until smooth and then strain
^ Serve hot, garnish with Creme Fraiche, crostini and snipped chives

CHAMPAGNE SPLASHED OYSTER
4 ea Oysters
4 tsp Champagne

^ Scrub, rinse and shuck oysters
^ Once clean, splash about 1 tsp of champagne onto each oyster

Roast Rack of Lamb in Irish Stew Consomme Recipe

Lamb can be tricky. Often I’ve heard friends say they don’t like lamb, however, I suspect what they didn’t like was the type of lamb and preparation. Very easily it can be tough or taste too gamey. The secret here is to buy it from a quality butcher. Where the lamb comes from and how it is raised will affect its flavor. New Zealand lamb tends to be sweeter, Canadian and Australian lamb more buttery. Lamb from Colorado most closely resembles lamb from Ireland with a milder, less gamey flavor. How you cook it also plays a big role. While some meats are best cooked medium rare, lamb is best at medium temperature. The lamb chop served at Raglan Road was tender, perfectly cooked and the flavors were brought to life by the broth.

The dish was paired with B.V. Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. Fun fact: Beaulieu Vineyards, built in 1885 is the longest continually operating winery in Napa Valley and the only to legally operate during times of Prohibition. That’s a lot of wine-making experience! The wine’s aromas of black cherry, plum, cinnamon and tobacco and vibrant black fruit flavors with hints of vanilla and mocha added a richness in contrast to the lamb.

ROAST RACK OF LAMB
2.25 lb Scrag end of neck of lamb
2 ea Leeks
2 ea Carrots (roughly chopped)
1 ea Large Onion (finely diced)
2 ea Celery Sticks (roughly chopped)
1 ea Bay Leaf
1 ea Thyme sprig
small handful Flat-Leaf Parsley stalks
a few Black Peppercorns
10-12 oz 2×6 bone best end of lamb
6 oz Small Carrots
10 oz Baby New Potatoes
1 1/4 tsp Olive Oil
Pinch Salt
Pinch Pepper
As needed Fresh Rosemary and thyme sprigs

^ Place the neck of the lamb in a large stock pot
^ Roughly chop one of the leeks and add with the roughly chopped carrots, half of the onion, the celery, herbs and peppercorns
^ Cover with at least 8 cups of cold water
^ Bring to a boil
^ Season lightly and then simmer gently, uncovered, for about 2 hours until reduced by nearly two-thirds
^ You’ll need 2 cups of lovely, sweet stock in total
^ Skim off any scum or grease that rises to the surface with a large spoon
^ Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large jug and ideally leave to cool overnight so that you can scrape off any fat that has settled on top
^ Preheat oven to 400*
^ Season the racks of lamb and place in a small roasting tin
^ Roast for 20-25 minutes, or a little longer, depending on how pink you like your lamb
^ Remove from the oven and set aside in a warm place to rest for 10-15 minutes
^ Meanwhile, peel and shape the small carrots and baby potatoes into neat barrels
^ Add to the lamb stock with the remaining onion and bring to a simmer
^ Cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are completely tender but are still holding their shape
^ Season to taste
^ Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in the frying pan
^ Cut the remaining leek into julienne (long thin strips) and add to the pan, then saute for 3-4 minutes until softened but not colored
^ Season to taste

TO SERVE:

^ Carve the rested racks of lamb into chops
^ Place the leek julienne in the center of each warmed wide-rimmed serving bowl and spoon around the Irish stew consomme
^ Arrange the lamb chops on top of the leeks and garnish with the rosemary and thyme sprigs

Pimms Knickerbocker Glory Recipe

This dessert combines the flavors of a refreshing Pimms Cocktail with the creaminess and layered look of a Knickerbocker Glory dessert and instead of using ice cream it adds the fancy factor with Vanilla mousse. An amazing blend of flavors and textures with a gourmet twist. To say there was a lot going on in this glass is an understatement, yet, each layer complemented the other beautifully. You had the lemon and Pimms flavored jelly at the bottom with crunchy chunks of apple, grapes, orange and cucumber, topped with vanilla mousse made with mascarpone cheese and heavy cream, then further topped with a cucumber melon foam. As if that was not enough, the dessert was garnished with a pistachio macaron. Perfection!

TO SERVE:
4 ea Jelly/Fruit filled glasses
4 oz Vanilla Mousse
4 oz Cucumber Melon Foam
4 ea Pistachio Macarons

^ In each glass of fruit and jelly, add 1 oz of vanilla mousse
^ Add 1 oz cucumber and melon foam
^ Top with 1 each pistachio macaron

FOR THE JELLY:
2.5 oz Sugar
2 oz Water
1/2 ea Lemon Juice
4 oz Pimms
2.5 cups Fizzy Lemonade (sprite)
6 ea Gelatin sheets

^ Bloom in the gelatin on ice water
^ In a pan, combine the sugar, water, lemon juice, Pimms and 1/2 lemonade
^ Heat and stir until sugar dissolves, remove from the fire
^ Squeeze off and add in the gelatin, stir to dissolve
^ Add in the remaining lemonade and allow to cool slightly

FOR THE GLASS:
1-2 ea Apples (Parisienne cut)
6 ea Cucumbers (peeled and Parisienne cut) keep the peel
4 ea Grapes (cut in 1/2)
4 ea Orange segments
20 oz Jelly

^ Take a cup of the jelly mix, dip in, per glass, 1 each apple ball, cucumber ball, 2 grape halves, 1 orange segment and 1 cucumber peel and set into the bottom of glass
^ Place in the cooler and allow to set a for a few minutes
^ Pour in the remainder of the jelly mix to cover the fruit
^ Place in the cooler to set for at least 4 hours

VANILLA MOUSSE
2 /12 cups Mascarpone Cheese
3 cups Heavy Cream
1/2 cup Egg White
1 tsp Vanilla

^ In a chilled bowl of a mixer, combine and whip all ingredients to soft peaks
^ Store chilled until ready to use
* May add a dash of gelatin powder or xantham gum as stabilizer if used hot

CUCUMBER AND MELON FOAM
1 1/2 cups Cucumber Peeled
1 1/2 cups Honeydew peeled and seeded
2 cups Water
1 ea Egg white
2 ea Gelatin sheets bloomed

^ Puree the cucumbers with 1/2 of the water
^ Puree the honeydew with the remaining 1/2 of the water
^ Pass through a fine sieve to get a clear juice, set aside
^ Heat up 2 oz of the juice, squeeze off the gelatin and add to the juice
^ Stir to dissolve
^ Add in the remaining liquid, cool slightly
^ Place into a syphon, close the bottle and attach the gas
^ Shake and store upside down until ready for use

MACARONS
BATTER
0.7 oz Powdered Sugar
0.47 oz Almond Flour
0.23 oz Pistachios
0.26 oz Egg Whites
0.26 oz Egg Whites (for meringue)
0.7 oz Granulated Sugar
0.26 oz Water
as needed Green coloring

^ In a food processor, mix the powdered sugar, almond flour and pistachios
^ Then add 0.26 oz of egg whites and mix
^ Heat granulated sugar and water until it reaches 226.4*F
^ Meanwhile, whip the remaining egg whites with coloring on high speed
^ When the syrup reaches 246.2*F, cool down
^ Then fold in both mixes
^ Sprinkle with pistachios
^ Leave at room temperature for 20-40 minutes
^ Add to a piping bag and pipe into 1.5 oz balls
^ Bake at 302*F for 13-16 minutes

BUTTERCREAM
0.7 oz Unsalted butter (softened)
0.45 oz Powdered Sugar
0.28 oz Almond flour
0.21 oz Pistachios
0.28 oz Pistachio paste

^ Whisk the softened butter
^ Add in the powdered sugar until incorporated
^ Add in the almond flour until incorporated
^ Add in the chopped pistachios until incorporated
^ Add in pistachio paste until incorporated

PISTACHIO MACARONS
8 ea Macaron Cookies
2 oz Pistachio buttercream

^ Once the macarons are cool, take 1 macaron and pipe with 0.5 oz of pistachio buttercream and top with another macaron making a sandwich.

To the absolute glee of all present (including myself!) Chef Dundon announced during the event a special Master Chef cooking contest he is hosting, where five lucky amateur cooks will be flown, all expenses paid, to his famous abode in Ireland. This is an experience of a lifetime which fueled my dreams to cross off Ireland from my Travel Someday List. Get all the details and enter to win here.

Are you ready to create your very own special Irish dinner? I guarantee you will be dreaming of traveling to Ireland with this feast and hopefully it will inspire you to enter this fabulous contest! Tell me in the comments below, are you ready to GO to Ireland?

Raglan Road Irish Pub is open for lunch, dinner and late night. Don’t miss their Rollicking Raglan Weekend Brunch. Live music and the Raglan Road Dancers perform daily for a fun, casual, Irish dining experience. If you can’t be in Ireland, this is the next best thing! Raglan Road is located at Downtown Disney, Walt Disney World Resort, 1640 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL. 407-938-0300.

Cheers!

GO Epicurista

Disclosure: I was a media guest of Raglan Road for this event. No other form of compensation was provided. As always, opinions are my own and I only share with you experiences worth celebrating!