Blogs & Inspiration
St. Patrick's Day Eats: Delicious Guinness-Based Dishes
Whether you're a professional bartender or just someone who loves to experiment with new flavours in the kitchen, Guinness can be an excellent addition to your culinary creations. To celebrate St Patrick's Day, we present two delicious Guinness-based dishes - a decadent dessert and a hearty main course.
Author: Jack Aiden, Head Chef at Margoux Restaurant & Wine Bar
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Guinness the beloved Irish stout, is not just a drink for pubs, but also an excellent ingredient for cooking and baking. Whether you're a professional bartender or just someone who loves to experiment with new flavours in the kitchen, Guinness can be an excellent addition to your culinary creations. To celebrate St Patrick's day, we present two delicious Guinness-based dishes - a decadent dessert and a hearty main course.
We spoke with Jack Aiden, head chef at Margoux Restaurant & Wine Bar in Exeter, who is a big fan of Guinness. Being of Irish ancestry, he sees it as his drink of choice after a long shift in the kitchen. We asked him to use Guinness in a new and innovative way, far beyond the humble Steak and Guinness Pie or Stew that we're all familiar with.
GUINNESS FILLET
The first dish Jack created is a Roasted Beef Fillet with Guinness Glazed Ox Cheeks, Grilled Hispi Cabbage and Smoked Butter and Dripping Bearnaise. Jack reminisces on his childhood when he used to have Guinness Stew and Mash. For this dish, he kept the ‘low and slow’ way of cooking by using beef cheeks and adding beef fillet for a touch of luxury. Jack also separated the colcannon and used Hispi cabbage, which is slightly sweeter, to add a depth of flavour to the dish.
While Guinness is commonly associated with savoury dishes, its complex flavour and richness can add depth and complexity to sweet dishes as well, creating a unique and delicious flavour experience. The roasted malt and bitter notes in Guinness can complement the sweetness of chocolate and caramel, creating a deep, rich flavour that is perfect for indulgent desserts.
CHOCOLATE & GUINNESS CREMEUX
The second dish Jack created is a Chocolate and Guinness Cremeux, inspired by an Irish stout cake. Jack recalls having this dessert on weekends when he was young. It was a mixture of fruit and chocolate cake, but he always thought there was too much fruit. His version of the dessert features a rich and smooth cremeux against the sweet and spiced Guinness cake, creating a perfectly balanced dessert.
Both of these dishes are perfect for St Patrick's Day, but they are also versatile enough to be enjoyed year-round. So, why not try your hand at using Guinness in your cooking and baking? Who knows, you might discover a new favourite dish.
Key Takeaways
- Guinness is an excellent ingredient for cooking and baking.
- Steak and Guinness pie or stew is a signature meal we're familiar with.
- Explore using Guinness in new and innovative desserts paired with chocolate or hearty main courses like a Guinness Fillet.
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