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Irish Autumn pudding

CHEF MICHAEL GILLIGAN

IrishCentral.com

Published Monday, September 21, 2009, 9:01 AM

Updated Monday, September 21, 2009, 9:20 AM

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Read more: Culture and Lifestyle, Food and Cooking, Foods, Fruits and Vegetables, Dessert Recipes, Nature and the Environment, Plants, Ireland, Met Eireann, Recipes

Chef Gilligan's Irish Autumn pudding

This week sees the official start to autumn. Autumn starts on or around September 15, with this year being on the 22nd, and ends on about December 20 in solar terms.

Autumn (also known as fall in North American English) is one of the four temperate seasons. Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter, usually in late September when the arrival of night becomes noticeably earlier.

In Ireland, the autumn months according to the national meteorological service, Met Éireann, are September, October and November. However, according to the Irish Calendar which is based on ancient Celtic traditions, autumn counts throughout the months of August, September, and October.

As all of us know we can have a blustery autumn day in the middle of July too!

One of the best things about the autumn is getting out of the city and seeing the leaves change color, but why do they do this? Well let me tell you a little bit about photosynthesis:

Leaves are the parts of plants and trees that make the food necessary for sustaining life. Trees use sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide taken from the air to produce energy. The carbon dioxide and water are converted to glucose, which is a type of sugar. The glucose is then used as energy for the tree to live and grow. This entire process is called photosynthesis. Leaves are green because they contain the chemical chlorophyll, which facilitates photosynthesis.

Once the days and nights begin to cool and the nights get longer, the trees sense that fall and winter are approaching. In the trees' preparation to go dormant, circulation to the leaves, which are no longer needed to produce food, is cut off. Due to the longer nights and reduced sunlight, the production of chlorophyll is reduced, meaning that the green will eventually disappear from the leaves. Some of the pigments responsible for causing the vibrant colors in the leaves, such as carotenoids, are already present in the leaves, but are obscured by the green chlorophyll. Carotenoids are responsible for yellows, oranges, and browns.

The pigments that cause bright reds, russets, and purples are called anthocyanins. These are produced in the leaves of some species in the fall due to the excessive amounts of glucose in the leaves, along with the bright light of fall. This is why certain species of trees produce bright red leaves as opposed to others that turn out yellows or golds.

Phew, with all that out of the way (and thank you Google, you truly are a friend) let’s make some pudding.

IRISH AUTUMN PUDDING

This is similar to a luscious summer pudding, but the gorgeous tartness of the Bramley apples adds another dimension to the usual very-berry pudding. The plums also work really well, adding great texture and color.

Ingredients:

14 oz Bramley apples.

14 oz plums.

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Soda bread is one of the most popular types of Irish food. In soda bread, baking soda is used for leavening instead of yeast. Soda bread is traditionally made up of flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other possible ingredients are raisins, egg or various forms of nuts. Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted. Irish food features other traditional bread as well such as blaa, which is a doughy, white bread bun. Blaa is a versatile Irish food, since it may be eaten at breakfast with butter (the usual form) or at other times of the day with a wide range of fillings, such as ham. Another traditional Irish food is boxty, a potato pancake. There are many versions of boxty, but all contain raw potatoes that have been finely grated. The most popular version uses flour, baking soda and buttermilk, and sometimes an egg. Almost all versions of boxty are served fried. Historically, the potato has been very important to Irish food, since it came to be the main crop of the poor, which meant that if there was a bad harvest, the poor would not have enough to eat. Potato blight caused the Great Irish Famine of the late 1840s. Some Irish food is meant to be eaten for dessert. Goody is made by boiling bread in milk with sugar and spices. Goody is eaten on St. John’s Eve, which occurs around the time of the summer solstice. In recent years, shellfish dishes have become a bigger part of Irish food. An oyster festival is held in Galway every year. One example of an Irish shellfish dish is Dublin Lawyer, which is lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. In recent years, Irish food has also come to include fresh vegetables and handmade cheeses. These days, Irish beer no longer necessarily means Guinness, since 63% of the beer now sold in Ireland is lager. Stout, including Guinness stout, accounts for 32%, while ale makes up the remaining 5% of Irish beer. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Irish beer was made at over 200 breweries in Ireland. Today, there are about twelve breweries. Irish beer historically did not have hops, since hops are not native to Ireland. The famous Irish beer Guinness stout is made from water, malt, barley, hops and brewer’s yeast. Guinness gets its dark color and taste by flaking some of the barley, Flaking means steaming and rolling. The color of Guinness is a dark shade of ruby. This Irish beer claims to have fewer calories than skim milk or orange juice. Guiness was stronger in the nineteenth century. Another Irish beer is Harp Lager. Harp was first produced in 1960. One of Harp’s advertising slogans was “Harp stays sharp.” Smithwick’s is Irish beer in the red ale style. The original brewery for Smithwick’s was on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century. One variation of this Irish beer is Smithwick’s Draught, which has a ruby red tone with a stable, slightly thin head. Smithwick’s Draught is produced using hops and special roasted, malted barley. Its texture is smooth and refined, with a bitter and complex finish. Another variation of this Irish beer is Kilkenny Cream Ale, which is similar to Smithwick’s Draught, but with a stronger, more bitter taste and a cream head reminiscent of Guinness.

Irish Autumn pudding

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