St. Patrick's Day Menu
Brought to you by the Bushmill Whiskey Master Distiller.
Before we get to the lovely St. Patrick’s day menu, for those out there with a burning desire to know just what Master Distiller Column Egan does, here’s the skinny. Colum Egan is “Keeper of the World’s Oldest Whiskey.” This Portarlington Irish lad has a Production Management degree from the University at Limerick and his job includes the “day-to-day managing of the distillery and overseeing the maturation of Bushmills, as well as maintaining the worldwide reputation and legacies set by his predecessors.” No small feat don’t you think?
So how does an Irish boy get to be the MD of the Bushmills? Story goes that Colum fell head over malt when he was visiting the distillery as a paying customer over a decade ago. He says, “The history, heritage and magic of the distillery intoxicated me, I immediately felt at home.” Not jealous yet? Let Colum put it to you this way: “I have one of the best, most exciting jobs in the world! It’s a dream come true. Every man in Ireland wants my job,” says Colum.
After several gigs in food and beverage production, Egan started working in bottling, vatting and blending at Irish Distillers Ltd. in Dublin nearly six years ago. He later joined the Old Bushmills Distillery and was soon appointed Head Distiller. Bushmills Irish Whiskey, which was granted its license to distill in 1608 by King James I offers the kind of historical heritage sure to make any serious whiskey aficionado sit up and pay attention. Every stage of the production process from brewing to bottling is done at the Old Bushmills distillery – a rarity in today’s world of whiskey.
Bushmill’s master distiller is also quite the cook, so without further ado, here are a few authentic Irish recipes from Colum sure to whet your whistle this St. Patrick’s Day, or any day you feel like a little Irish inspiration.
Peppered River Bush Salmon with Bushmills Whiskey Cream SauceServes 2
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns crushed.
½ Tablespoon white peppercorns crushed.
2 x 175g (6 ozs) salmon steaks
1 level teaspoon Dijon mustard
freshly ground sea salt
15g (½ oz) butter
1 Tablespoon Bushmills Original Irish Whiskey
150ml (¼ pint) double cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, plus extra to garnish.
Method
Mix together the crushed peppercorns. Smear the salmon steaks all over with the mustard and then press the peppercorns into the cut sides of the salmon – just enough to give it a nice thin coating. Season with salt.
Heat a frying pan until hot. Add the butter and as soon as it starts to foam, lay in the salmon steaks. Reduce the heat to medium and fry the steaks for about 3 minutes on one side to brown them.
Turn up the heat; flip the steaks over, then splash in the whiskey. Boil fast until the whiskey has almost disappeared then pour in the cream. Carefully scraping up any bits that are sticking to the bottom of the pan around the steaks, bring to a fast bubble.
Boil for 1 – 2 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken, then taste and season with more black pepper if necessary and some salt. By this time the salmon should be just cooked – test with the tip of a knife; if it is still a wee bit pink, simmer over a low heat for a further minute. Stir in the chopped chives and serve immediately, garnished with the extra chives.
Bushmills Whiskey Cheesecake
Serves 8
Ingredients
3 ozs Butter
16 ozs Digestive Sweetmeal Biscuits
6 ozs Icing Sugar
½ pint Whipping Cream
6 ozs Cream Cheese
3 Capfuls Bushmills Original
Method
Crush digestive biscuits. Melt butter and mix with crushed biscuits. Press mixture into base of 8” loose bottom cake tin. Put in refrigerator to chill while preparing the filling.
Whip cream cheese until soft. Add icing sugar. Whip cream and add to mixture. Finally fold Bushmills Original into mixture. Pour filling on to biscuit base.
Return to refrigerator and chill until lightly set.
Cut into slices and serve.
Check out my next posting for Colum's Bushmill's Irish Coffee- the perfect way to end of an Irish-inspired meal!
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