The St. Patrick's Day menu from the White House last year looked good to me,
so I'm considering using some of those dishes (or flavor combinations) for
my St. Patrick's Day dinner this year. The menu was posted here by modom,
and contained:

> Cold:
> Baked Limerick Ham -- Carrogaline Cheddar Scone with Apple Jelly
> Irish Smoked Salmon -- Crispy Potato Cake with Dill Crème Fraiche
> Selection of Irish Cheese -- Soda Bread and Crackers
> "Green on Green Salad" -- Spring Lettuces, peas, tendrils, scallion
> dressing
>
> Hot:
> Corned Beef and Cabbage Rolls
> Dublin Coddle -- Sausages, bacon, potato and onion
> Sea Scallops -- Wrapped in Applewood Bacon
>
> Dessert:
> Pear and Apple Crumble
> St. Patrick's Day Cookies


I think brunch will be cheddar scones, apple jelly, ham, eggs, boxty, and
onion-mustard gravy. Diners can mix-and-match the different items to their
liking.

For dinner, here's what I'm tentatively planning:

Sausage-Bacon-Broccoli Chowder

Green salad: Spring lettuces, sunflower sprouts, blanched fava beans, and
green garlic dressing

Smoked Salmon on Crispy Potato Cake with Dill Crème Fraiche (NOT served
cold!) If asparagus has shown up locally, it will be included here.

Buttered Cabbage with Roasted Quail (and ramps, if I can find them)

Irish Soda Bread & Cheddar: If rhubarb has shown up locally, there will be a
rhubarb chutney in this course. (Last year, the leftover soda bread and
cheddar went into an outstanding savory bread pudding for brunch the next
day.)

Banoffee-Bailey's Pudding: "Banoffee" is condensed-milk caramel with bananas
and coffee. I'll make a meringue-topped pudding with those ingredients plus
Bailey's Irish Cream and toasted almonds.

Strawberries will probably not be ripe here yet, but if they are, I'll make
another dessert which includes them. (Probably something simple like
Strawberries Romanoff.)


Bob