Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Hope everyone had a nice St. Patrick's Day!

I found myself buried in a foot of snow yesterday and burrowed inside for the day. (I'm not sure why people are complaining about yet another snow day because I personally and a huge supporter of human hibernation.)

I had purchased some Kerrygold Blue Cheese the day before the storm and set out to finally try a crazy croissant concoction that I have dubbed the "Beef and Blue." Pretty straightforward stuff. Make croissant dough, stuff it with blue cheese and roast beef. I know, so innovative. I've cleared off some wall space for the James Beard Award they're surely sending me. 

Alright folks, this is an AWESOME blue cheese. It was really soft and creamy, which made me nervous because I didn't really know how it would hold up to being melted, but the flavor stayed in tact (and isn't too stinky for those of you who are fans of blue cheese that isn't so… well, blue). 

I'll definitely be using up the leftovers as is though - I see an epic burger in my future. :)

I used my usual go-to croissant recipe (found HERE) and cut out neat little triangles for 12 plain and 12 beef and blues, then rerolled the scraps to make a few mini pain au chocolat (read: stuck some chocolate chips in and rolled it up).

I adjusted the recipe by lovingly brushing three coats of egg wash before baking and this has been my best batch yet. Super flaky, a perfect golden brown color, and just the right size to allow for seconds. :)

An insider look at the Beef and Blue. I'll be bringing these into work tomorrow for a review. I'm on the fence about the flavor - I'm personally a huge fan of cheese (any kind of cheese!), but am not sure the flavor will be as popular amongst the masses.

I also started off my day with a healthy serving of Irish Soda Bread and my even favorite-er Kerrygold Irish Butter (salted, of course). 

I'm going to have to make it to Ireland eventually… I wonder if man can survive off of bread, cheese and butter alone?

Ireland must be a wonderful place.