Nollaig Shona Dhuit will echo through Ireland on Christmas Eve as the Irish greet one another in Irish Gaelic – it  means Happy Christmas and since the children in Ireland still learn to speak this beautiful language at school, they’ll understand perfectly. Christmas in Ireland is celebrated by everyone, regardless of political persuasion and is more of a family and religious celebration than anything else. Roman Catholic families will go to Midnight Mass and the protestants that don’t go to Mass as well, will go to church on the 25^th of December. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter – what matters is that it’s celebrated

and with it, the love they all feel for one another.  Christmas celebrations will last from The Christmas Eve until the 6^th of January, when decorations are put away. The beginning of December heralds the start of many Christmas traditions here; the children receive Advent Calendars and each day in December will bring a new  a gift, sweet or chocolate or whatever fits into the calendar. Fireplaces are decorated with holly and baubles whilst mistletoe is hung in doorways, causing  great fun because it’s tradition to kiss under the mistletoe.

SIMPLE SHORTBREAD

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 55g caster sugar
• 180g plain flour

Method

• Heat the oven to 190 C.
• Mix the butter and the sugar until it is pale and light and then stir in the flour until you have a smooth paste.
• Turn on to a work surface and roll out very gently until the paste is about 1cm thick.
• Cut the dough into rounds or fingers and sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar.
• Put on a baking sheet and chill for 20 minutes and then bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until it is pale golden.
• Cool on a wire rack.

Finally, houses are thoroughly cleaned inside and whitewashed outside as a symbol of purification. Christmas cakes, puddings, mince pies and loads of shortbread are baked to accommodate myriads of guests. The Irish are hospitable in the extreme and anyone that visits is plied with tea and cakes. Trees are decorated with an angel or a star on top and on Christmas Eve, children will put out a pillowcase or even a sack at the ends of their beds for Santa Clause – in modern times the stocking may also be put out.

CHRISTMAS PUDDING SOUFFLE WITH WHISKEY ICE CREAM

Ingredients

For the whiskey ice cream

• 400ml double cream
• 200ml full cream milk
• 1 vanilla pod, split in half
• 100g caster sugar
• 3 free-range egg yolks
• 50ml Irish whiskey

For the soufflé base

• 6 free-range egg yolks
• 100g caster sugar
• 500ml full cream milk
• 2 vanilla pods, split
• 25g plain flour
• 25g cornflour
• 300g ready-made Christmas pudding, crumbled
• softened butter and caster sugar, to line moulds
• 12 free-range egg whites
• icing sugar, to dust

Method

• Beginning with the ice cream, place  the cream, the milk, the vanilla pod and half of the sugar into a heavy saucepan and bring to the boil gently.
• Separately, whisk together the rest of the sugar with the egg yolks until the mixture is light, thick and fluffy and the whisk leaves a  ribbon-like trail behind .
• Now, pour the boiling milk mixture onto the yolks, whisking as you do so. – whisk like mad otherwise they’ll cook.
• Pass this mixture through a sieve back into the pot and return to the stove, stirring all the time, for another five minutes.
• Pour the whiskey into an already hot pot and boil briskly for a minute, pour it into the custard and mix well – then allow tocool down before freezing it.
• If you don’t have an ice cream machine, pour the mixture into a shallow tray and leave it in the freezer for 45 minutes, then stir it to break up any ice particles and then put it back into the freezer to freeze completely (if you do have one, churn and freeze as normal).
• To make the soufflé base, whisk together the yolks and the sugar in a large bowl until it gets really thick and creamy – use an electric whisk if you don’t want to have extremely tired hands and arms.
• Now heat the milk and the vanilla pod halves together until it boils and then pour it over the whisked yolks and sugar, before whisking in the flour and the Maizena (corn flour) – after this, take out the vanilla pods.
• Pour this mixture into a large saucepan and stir over a gentle heat until it has thickened.
• Stir the crumbled Christmas pudding into the thickened mixture and allow it to cool – this can be done the day before and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to make the dish.
• Preheat the oven to 240 C.
• Line 8 x  8cm x 8cm ramekins (brush them softened butter using a pastry brush or just use your fingers in an upward motion – do this twice to have a second layer and then dust with caster sugar.
• In a large, dry, clean bowl whisk the egg whites using a hand-held electric mixer until the whisk leaves a light marked ribbon-like trail behind.
• Measure out 350g of the Christmas pudding base mixture and beat in half the whisked egg whites, before folding in the remainder of both mixtures.
• Spoon into the prepared ramekins and cook for 7-8 minutes until risen.
• Remove, dust with icing sugar and serve with the whiskey ice cream.
• This is a Richard Corrigan creation – slightly adapted.

For the entire period starting on Christmas Eve and ending onSt. Stephen’s Day, a candle is lit and placed in the window to help the Mother Mary and her family (or travellers) find their way.  After the Christmas evening meal, bread and milk are left out and the door remains unlocked as a symbol of hospitality. In some regions, Irish women bake a seed cake for each person in the house as well as 3 puddings, one for each day of the Epiphany – Christmas, New Year’s Day and the Twelfth Night and finally, there is a custom to leave mince pies and a bottle of Guinness out as a snack for Santa. As everywhere else in the world, this is the time of the year when families gather and enjoy time with one another. The Christmas meal here is enjoyed at lunchtime on the 25^th.

The tradition meal consisted of goose, chicken, duck or pheasant (sometimes even two different kinds of poultry) with roast potatoes and gravy but nowadays turkey and gammon or spiced beef is more common – not to be forgotten is the  Christmas pudding with brandy butter and loads of cream or a sinful trifle, Christmas crackers and party hats.

CHRISTMAS PLUM PUDDING

Ingredients

• 120 g suet, grated
• 60g plain flour
• 120g raisins, chopped
• 120 g sultanas
• 60g currants
• 30g almonds
• 75g mixed candied peel
• 60 g fresh breadcrumbs
• 120g brown sugar
• 1 lemon, grated zest only
• 1 tsp grated nutmeg
• 2  large organic eggs
• 150 ml milk
• 150ml good brandy
• ½ tsp salt

To decorate

• Bay leaves
• Cranberries
• Sugar
• Egg whites, beaten

For the brandy sauce

• 40 g Maizena or corn flour
• 100g butter
• 500ml thin cream
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 4 large cloves
• 50g caster sugar
• A good splash of brandy, to taste

Method

• Make the brandy a good while before Christmas.
• Grease a large pudding basin and coat a cloth with flour ready to cover the pudding and set aside.
• Now,  combine the brown sugar, the suet, the sultanas, the raisins, the currants, the candied peel, the flour, the breadcrumbs, the almonds, the lemon zest, the nutmeg and the salt very well and then stir in the eggs, the milk and the  brandy and mix well.
• Put the mixture in the buttered pudding basin, cover it with the floured cloth, securing it really tightly with string.
• Prepare a steamer with boiling water, add the pudding basin and cook at a gentle simmer for 5-6 hours, topping up the water level regularly.
• On the day of that you will be serving it, reheat the pudding by steaming it again for at least 2 hours.
• To make the decorations, dust the bay leaves and fruit in sugar, dip them each into the beaten egg whites and set them aside to become hard.
• To make the brandy sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, add the cream, the cinnamon stick, the cloves and the caster sugar and a very generous splash of brandy and bring to a good simmer, stir in the Maizena that has been dissolved in a little water and cook until it is has a thin custard like consistency.
• Turn the hot pudding out of the basin, decorate the top with the sugared bay and fruit and serve with the brandy sauce.

The day after Christmas is known as St Stephens Day and is a public holiday.  Stephen was tried by the Sanhedrin because he blasphemed against Moses and God (Acts 6:11) and because he had a problem with the Temple and the Jewish law (read further in Acts) – for this he was stoned to death a mob who had, as ringleader, Saul of Tarsus (who later on became St. Paul). The cherry on top for the mob was his criticism of the Jews persecuting people who he considered to be prophets.  ‘”Which one of the Prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? On top of that, they killed anyone the prophesied the coming of Jesus whom you have also killed – so you are nothing short of murderers and betrayers!” (7:52) The name comes from the Greek, Stephanos which means ‘crown’ (kelil in Aramaic) – Christians consider it a crown of martyrdom for Christianity. In Ireland St. Stephens day is celebrated on the 26^th of December – legend has it that a wren betrayed his presence when he was in hiding (like the goose and St. Martin) after which he was caught and executed. (St Martin was a little luckier). Traditionally boys go from door to door with a wren on a stick, singing and begging for treats. At this time pantomines are also often performed.

Christmas in Ireland lasts from Christmas Eve to the feast of the Epiphany which takes place on the 6^th of January and known as Little Christmas.