St. Patrick’s Day is coming up and it is the one time of the year when everyone feels Irish. There are parades, pub-crawls, and celebrations all over the country. If you are not sure why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, you are probably not alone. Few people know that is it actually to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland. St. Patrick was born in Ireland around 385 AD and was responsible for converting many people in Ireland to Christianity. For thirty years, he helped build schools and churches throughout the land. He died on March 17, 461 AD and that is why we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on the 17th. The custom of having a parade for St. Patrick goes back hundreds of years, even in America. The Irish immigrants brought the St. Patrick’s holiday with them to America in 1737.
To celebrate, you might want to make this delicious strawberry-rhubarb Irish crumble with Irish whiskey butter (from “Emeril Live”). For this recipe, you need stick butter, confectioner’s sugar, Irish whiskey, strawberries, rhubarb, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, flour, oats, and brown sugar.
You will need to make your Irish whiskey butter first. Place one stick of butter in a mixing bowl and whip with a mixer until fluffy. Slowly add in 3/4 cup of confectioner’s sugar and 1/4 cup of Irish whiskey until it no longer looks separated but combined.
Next, preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine 5 cups of quartered strawberries, 3 cups of sliced rhubarb, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of cornstarch, and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Toss lightly then pour the mixture in a 7 x 11 inch baking dish that has been lightly greased. In another bowl, combine 3/4 cup of flour, 3/4 cup of oats, 2/3 cup of brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Dice 6 tablespoons of butter and gently work that into the flour mixture until it looks coarse and crumbly. Pour that over the strawberry mixture. Cook for 40 minutes then serve with a spoonful of the Irish whiskey butter over it.