Irish oysters are lovely. A bit on the expensive side though.

Langoustines are also called dublin bay prawns aren't they? Maybe something there.

What aoput from N Ireland - they have a different culinary tradition so might have something.

What about sausages and puddings?

Don't go overboard. Smoked salmon on brown bread in small pieces is a standard for cocktail events in catering over here. Otherwise its pretty much the same as the U.S. for cocktail fare i.e. mini quiche and chiken Tikka sticks.

The irish cheeses is an excellent idea and you could get some thin oatcakes to eat with this. Some cheeses I would reccommend are Gubbeen, cooleney, Ardrahan, Coolea, durrus. check out the cheeses (not all irish for Ideas at this irish Cheese shop www.sheridans.ie Its where I buy my cheeses here in Dublin.

What if you took small, new potatoes, cooked them, halved them and hollowed out a small "well" and filled it with small slices of corned beef and wee bits of cabbage?
Some hot mustard...

Same taters...salmon roe and dilled sour cream (or creme fresh)?

Or, make little pate a'chou (cream puffs)... split 'em and fill them with smoked fish and capers or some such...

I'm hungry so now my imagination gets going... buy frozen puff pastry sheets - roll them thin. Cut out circles...put about 1 tablespoon of really thick irish stew...(the ingredients diced rather fine, nothing worse that stew on your bossom) fold over, close them with a fork around the edges and bake them until golden.

There must be other adptations to things "not Irirsh" you could use. There are mini-pastry-sheels into which you could pour a teaspoon of "quiche mixture", and then add a bit of corned beef and cabbage. And I think that the "green thing" could go in many different directions. A Louisville area favorite is the green cream cheese spread called Benedictine, you could make little tea sandwiches from that, and use a shamrock cookie cutter for an Irish twist. See http://southernfood.about.com/od/ken...r/bl80419a.htm

I am guessing that there are all kinds of "green this'n'that" items that are served on St. Patrick's Day wherever people get good and inebriated! Here's a nice bizarre example: http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/rec...llo65358.shtml

Best wishes,

Rex

I live in Orlando and every year at Disney they have the International Food and Wine Festival. and each year I love stopping by the Irish food booth and grab a nice hot bowl of Potato and Leek soup. This is how I make it and its even better than they have.

5 fist-sized potatoes
3 c. cleaned, chopped leeks
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 lg. carrot, chopped
4 tbsp. butter
3/4 tsp. salt
1 tbl spoon of minced garlic
3 cans of chicken broth
3 c. milk

Optional: snippets of fresh herbs (thyme, marjoram, basil)
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Scrub the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Place them in a saucepan with the leeks, celery, carrot and butter. Add salt and garlic. Cook the vegetables, stirring over medium heat, until the butter is melted and all the particles are coated and turning soft(5-8 minutes).
2. Add the broth, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are soft (20 to 30 minutes). Check the moisture level occasionally. You may need to add a little extra stock if it gets too low.

3. When the potatoes are tender, remove the pan from the heat, and puree its contents in the milk (use a blender or a food processor fitted with the steel blade). Make sure the mixture is utterly smooth. Return it to the saucepan.

4. Add optional herbs (or not). Grind in some black pepper. Taste it to see if it wants more salt.

5. Heat the soup gently, covered, until JUST hot. Try not to let it boil. Serve right away.

oops.. sorry, you said no stews and stuff. oh well, try it at home, the soup rocks!

Smoked Salmon is Irish? Isn't it more a Scottish thing? I'm sure you can use it, though.

I thought it was an "American" thing -- Alaska & the Pacific NW. :-) ((b))

Chips and Club orange pop. Can't get more authentic than that.

Actually historically for decades of time, it was boiled potatoes and brew. The brew was substantial calories with malt, grains etc. besides the alcohol within it. A mini-assortment of Irish brews?

And the smallest fingernail was left to grow so that the skin of the potato could be peeled easily. Oftentimes you didn't even sit down to eat. Or drink. Many times you drank supper.

Budman, I think it was a Scottish thing before there was an America.

Why do people insist that corned beef and cabbage is Irish? My husband is from Ireland and never had corned beef until he came to the US.

You'd have to have Tayto crisps if you're going for Norn Irish cuisine.

The smoked salmon idea is a good one, along with wheaten bread and/or soda bread.

Smoking fish...all native peoples did it IF they have fish...it is not Scottish, nor Native American, or Portugese...or anything in particular.
Smoke food meant you ate in the winter.

just give em a spud on a stick....they'll never know :-)))

Ann41
I'm really surprised to hear your husband is Irish and never tasted Corned Beef whilst he lived here! When I was a kid, we had corned beef all the time, I never appreciated it then, and now its quite expensive to buy it.!!

Potato skins loaded with cheese?????

lucielou - Nwither of my parents had ever eaten corned beef until they went to the U.S. She always says its an American" dish and they don't realise it.

Anne My vite is for a packet of Tayto and red lemonade! I thought they stopped making Red lemonade and then we had some at christ,mas. I can still taste all the chemical in it! :-)