Bake better sweets with Irish butter

The saying “When your teeth hit the bread, the butter better be hitting your gums” is attributed to Ivan Allen, the founding father of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, Ireland. Butter is a source of national pride in Ireland; the soft rains and mild temperatures make the weather perfect for growing grass year-round. Dairy cows love the grass, which is rich in beta-carotene, giving Irish butter its golden color and unique flavor.

Stories and piseogs (superstitions) abound regarding Irish butter-making. While butter is easy to make (it’s nothing more than over-churned cream), “butter luck” became a series of rituals surrounding the process, from horseshoes under the churn to primroses sprinkled about the churning room.

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Irish butter merchants began exporting butter through a marketplace called the Cork Butter Exchange in 1770, exporting to other parts of Europe, as well as India and the Caribbean. The Exchange closed in 1924, but Irish butter continues to be exported all over the world. Kerrygold is commonly found in the United States, though Glenstal can be found in some specialty supermarkets. While it’s a bit of an investment ($6 to $9 a pound compared to $4 to $5 a pound for domestic butter), you’ll clearly taste the difference: The sunny-yellow color gives way to a smooth, velvety mouthfeel for eating and tasting, and the flavor of all that Irish grass gives this butter a distinct taste, especially in baked goods where it’s the focal point.

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RECIPES

While some Irish butter can have as much as 85% butter fat, there’s no need to adjust your baking techniques. As when baking with domestic butter, chill your cookie and pie dough before rolling it out. After cutting and shaping the dough, give it an extra few minutes in the fridge or freezer before baking.

Credit: Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Irish Butter Cake

In this dense cake, butter is the star. Part pound cake, part layer cake, it’s delicious alone or served with a dollop of whipped cream and seasonal fruit. Enjoy it for dessert or as an afternoon repast with tea.

1 cup (16 tablespoons/1 package) unsalted Irish butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
3 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
Whipped cream and fresh fruit for serving (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick baking spray.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat until almost melted. Remove saucepan from heat and transfer butter to a large bowl. Add 1 cup sugar and whisk by hand until light in color and fluffy in texture, about 30 seconds.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, whisking vigorously between each addition and scraping down the bowl as necessary. Add the cake flour, salt and powdered sugar and stir with a spatula until just combined. Add the sour cream and stir until the batter is smooth and without lumps.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and springs back to the touch. Remove from the oven and let cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the cake from the pan to a wire cooling rack. Serve warm, or at room temperature with whipped cream and fresh fruit.

Makes 1 (9-inch) cake, 9 servings.

Per serving, without whipped cream or fruit: 457 calories (percent of calories from fat, 49), 5 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 29 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 25 grams total fat (15 grams saturated), 125 milligrams cholesterol, 289 milligrams sodium.

Credit: Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Pate Sablee

This classic French recipe for cookie and tart shell dough gets a flavor boost from Irish butter. Most recipes call for cake flour, but I find the dough is difficult to roll out with so much butter and so little gluten in the flour. A good middle ground is to use an all-purpose flour such as White Lily, which is lower in gluten than most all-purpose flours. The powdered sugar helps the dough stay put during baking — no shrinking or spreading.

1 1/3 cups (21 tablespoons, about 1 1/3 packages) unsalted Irish butter, room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
4 egg yolks
4 1/3 cups White Lily all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, powdered sugar and salt on low speed until the butter has lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the egg yolks one at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Add the flour and continue to mix on low speed until just combined, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove the dough from the bowl, flatten into a round and wrap tightly with plastic wrap before refrigerating. Allow the dough to rest, refrigerated, overnight.
When ready to use, remove the plastic wrap from the dough. Sprinkle the work surface with a small amount of flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Knead the dough just until it is pliable, then roll out as written in your tart or cookie recipe.
This dough keeps up to a week in the refrigerator, and can be frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, let the dough defrost in the refrigerator for a day before using.

Makes 2 pounds, 6 ounces dough; enough for 1 Million Dollar Bars recipe, 4 to 5 (4-inch) tartlet shells, 1 large (9-inch) tart shell, or 1 dozen cookies.

Per cookie: 398 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 6 grams protein, 43 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 22 grams total fat (13 grams saturated), 115 milligrams cholesterol, 103 milligrams sodium.

Credit: Meridith Ford for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Million Dollar Bars

These bars taste like a million bucks — hence the name. Use the Pate Sablee recipe to create a butter-forward shortbread crust, then layer it with a creamy caramel that’s part dulce de leche, part butterscotch. Top with rich chocolate ganache and a sprinkle of sea salt if desired.

All-purpose flour, for dusting the work surface
1 batch Pate Sablee, refrigerated (see recipe)
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
10 tablespoons unsalted Irish butter, cut into tablespoon-sized pieces, divided
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
5 tablespoons light corn syrup, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Sea salt flakes or granules (optional)

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a square 10-inch pan with nonstick baking spray. Cut 2 (10-by-12-inch) sheets of parchment paper. Line the pan by placing the parchment sheets crosswise, so that the sheets hang over all 4 sides by 1 inch. This will allow you to easily lift the dessert out of the pan.
Make the shortbread crust: Lightly sprinkle the work surface with flour. Remove Pate Sablee from the refrigerator and lightly knead the dough, warming slightly with your hands just until it is pliable. Pat dough into a square and use a rolling pin to roll out to a 1/4-inch-thick square. Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Prick the dough with the tines of a fork to prevent rise or movement during baking. Bake the dough for 12 minutes; it will begin to brown in color. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. Crust may be prepared up to 2 days in advance; wrap and keep at room temperature until needed.
Make the caramel: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the sweetened condensed milk, 8 tablespoons butter, brown sugar, 4 tablespoons corn syrup, vanilla and salt. Stir occasionally with a nonstick spatula until the mixture begins to boil. Once boiling, stir constantly for 6 minutes, until the mixture browns slightly and pulls away from the pan.
Immediately pour caramel onto the shortbread crust. Quickly spread caramel into an even layer and let set, refrigerated, until firm, at least 1 hour.
Make the ganache: In a medium saucepan over high heat, heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from the heat.
Whisk in the chocolate chips and remaining 1 tablespoon corn syrup until smooth. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and whisk until melted. The ganache may be made up to 1 week in advance and stored in a refrigerated airtight container. Warm ganache in a saucepan over low heat before assembling.
When ready to assemble, pour warm ganache in an even layer over the caramel layer and let set, refrigerated, until firm, about 1 hour. Sprinkle with sea salt if desired.
To cut into bars, use the parchment paper to lift the dessert from the baking pan. The bars will be easier to cut while cold. Use a sharp utility knife to score the bars, then cut using a rocking motion from the tip of the blade to the heel. Clean the knife between each cut with warm water. The bars will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator, but are best if brought to room temperature before enjoying.

Makes 12 bars.

Per bar, without sea salt: 788 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 10 grams protein, 93 grams carbohydrates, 56 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 45 grams total fat (27 grams saturated), 163 milligrams cholesterol, 257 milligrams sodium.

Meridith Ford is a local chef and food writer. She owns Cremalosa gelateria in Decatur.

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About the Author

Meridith Ford