Irish Currant Squares Recipes

CURRANT SQUARES

Steps:

• To make pastry:.
• Freeze butter or margarine for half an hour before grating.
• Sift flour and salt, then add butter or margarine.
• Mix into flour with palette knife.
• Add iced water until a dough is formed. Wrap and chill in fridge for 30 minutes.
• Put all filling ingredients into a saucepan and bring to boiling point.
• Set aside to cool.
• Preheat oven to 200°C/ 400°F Roll out half the pastry very thinly and line a Swiss roll tin.
• Pour on currant filling, spreading evenly, then cover with the rest of the pastry.
• Glaze with egg or milk and bake for 30 minutes or until light gold in colour.
• Dust with caster sugar and cut into squares when cool.
• Makes 20 squares.

IRISH CURRANT AND RAISIN CAKE

Steps:

• 1. Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°.
• 2. Stir together the 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
• 3. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer, beat the butter and sugar with the paddle on medium speed until soft and light, about 5 minutes. Add the egg, beating until smooth.
• 4. Decrease the mixer speed to low and beat in half the flour mixture. Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater with a rubber spatula. Beat in the buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture.
• 5. Give the batter a final mix with the rubber spatula.
• 6. Toss the currants and raisins with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour and fold them into the batter. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
• 7. Bake for about 45-55 minutes, or until the cake is well risen and deep gold and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean.
• 8. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 30 minutes, then invert the cake onto a rack and remove the pan and paper. Invert the cake onto another rack and cool completely.
• Storage: Wrap in plastic and keep at room temperature, or double-wrap and freeze for longer storage.

IRISH CURRANT SQUARES

Steps:

• 1. To make pastry: freeze butter or margarine for half an hour before grating.
• 2. Sift flour and salt, then add butter or margarine, mix into flour with palette knife.
• 3. Add iced water until a dough is formed, wrap and chill in fridge.
• 4. Put all filling ingredients into a saucepan and bring to boiling point, once done set aside to cool.
• 5. Preheat oven to gas mark 6/ 200°C/ 400°F.
• 6. Roll out half the pastry very thinly and line a Swiss roll tin.
• 7. Pour on currant filling, spreading evenly, then cover with the rest of the pastry.
• 8. Glaze with egg or milk and bake for 30 minutes or until light gold in color.
• 9. Dust with caster sugar and cut into squares when cool.