Corned Beef & Cabbage and ???



W

Wayne Boatwrigh

Guest
We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along with
the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always have
some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but usually
just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.

I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.

Suggestions? Thanks!

Wayne
 
Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
> with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always
> have some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but
> usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
>
> I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
> quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
> desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
>
> Suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Wayne

Corn bread.

-L.
 
Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
> with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always
> have some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but
> usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
>
> I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
> quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
> desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
>
> Suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Wayne

My favorite accompaniment: Sweet mixed mustard pickles. We used to be able to get these in a jar but
they disappeared years ago. Now I buy sweet pickles - cukes, cauliflower, peppers, onions etc. if I
can find them - pour off the sweet liquid and mix it with yellow mustard (like French's) to taste.
Pour the liquid back over the pickles. c;ose the cover tightly and re-refrigerate. Do this two or
three days before you intend to serve thwm. The flavor is really great with the salty corned beef.
Also, adding parsnips to the carrot/potato/rutabaga mix is nice. Lynn in Fargo
 
>Along with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga.

You shouldn't be leaving out the celery and onions. I even put in whole garlic cloves.

Corned beef and cabbage IS dinner. Loading it up with additional side dishes, beyond the bread and
dessert you've traditionally included, is not in the spirit of the thing.

Serve an amber beer as the beverage.

Neil
 
Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
> with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always
> have some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but
> usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
>
> I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
> quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
> desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
>
> Suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Wayne

Ale.

Or if you can't find that, amber beer.

BOB
 
On Wed, 28 Jan 2004 04:01:56 GMT, Wayne Boatwright
<[email protected]> wrote:

>I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
>quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
>desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.

If CB&C was requested, CB&C is what's desired. That's a pretty hearty meal -- why spoil appetites
with appetizers? If I were invited, I'd request extra potatoes and carrots. :) You might feature
several differents mustards and styles of pickles. Go light with the sides. Green beans, either
simply cooked or in salad? Knock yourself out with the b'day cake.
 
"Lynn Gifford" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
> > with the cabbage I also add red potatoes,
carrots,
> > and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always have some type of hearty bread with butter, and
> > any beverages of choice. Desserts are random,
but
> > usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
> >
> > I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
> > quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
> > desserts, etc. I'd
like
> > this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
> >
> > Suggestions? Thanks!
> >
> > Wayne
>
> My favorite accompaniment: Sweet mixed mustard pickles. We used to be able to get these in a jar
> but they disappeared years ago. Now I buy sweet pickles - cukes, cauliflower, peppers, onions etc.
> if I can find them - pour off the sweet liquid and mix it with yellow mustard (like French's) to
> taste. Pour the liquid back over the pickles. c;ose the cover tightly and re-refrigerate. Do this
> two or three days before you intend to serve thwm. The flavor is really great with the salty
> corned beef. Also, adding parsnips to the carrot/potato/rutabaga mix is nice. Lynn in Fargo

Agree with the mustard pickles. Green & wax beans and corn-on-the-cob go great with the other
vegetables too.

Because this is a meal served weekly around here I can't imagine it with appetizers etc. We serve it
with pease pudding (split peas cooked in a pudding bag in the same pot then seasoned with butter &
pepper before serving).

Gabby
 
in article [email protected], Wayne Boatwright at
[email protected] wrote on 1/27/04 11:01 PM:

> We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
> with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always
> have some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but
> usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
>
> I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
> quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
> desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
>
> Suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Wayne

I would serve a hearty seeded rye bread, for sure. Perhaps a niced composed salad incorporating
fruit as a "before" course.

I recently made one with sections of oranges, diced red pears, thin slices of red onions, on a bed
of romaine and radicchio, topped with toasted walnut halves. For a dressing, I made a walnut
vinaigrette with walnut oil, white wine vinegar, lemon juice, a pinch of mustard powder and salt and
pepper, which I made in the blender so it was creamy. It was a thin creamy dressing. I think blue
cheese would be nice with this, too, if you weren't inclined to make your own.

I served this with beef stew, which is soft textured like your New England Boiled Dinner, and the
crunchy texture and tanginess of the salad was a nice contrast.

A soup course is always nice, especially this time of year, and it really does say "This is a
festive occasion!" Maybe a homemade cream of mushroom soup with croutons? Or french onion soup? I
would go with something homey, but not terribly hearty....chicken noodle is out, it's too much going
on in the bowl. A simple single veggie soup, on the thin side. Maybe a winter squash soup? Stay away
from meaty soups, as it will take the focus away from the main course, and stay away from potato or
cabbage soup for obvious reasons. I think homemade cream of mushroom, french onion or winter squash
soup are elegant enough for company but homestyle enough to go with this really hearty, homey/family
style meal.

As for appetizers, how about hors d'oeurvres in the living room before dinner?

I would look for different textures...stay away from hummus or other mushy things, as the dinner is
entirely soft foods. I would also stay away crudites, since you will have a meal with boiled
carrots, you don't want to serve raw ones...and you will have (excuse me for being blunt) gassy
foods in the cabbage and rutabaga, so you probably wouldn't want to serve raw veggies. You don't
want to serve salty meats like pepperoni, salami, etc, because the corned beef is salty and you
don't want to overdo that, either.

How about baked brie? A nice cheese platter? Cheese and figs....yummm. That hot spinach or artichoke
dip is always nice. Anything in puff pastry is festive. I have made spinach puffs from frozen puff
pastry and creamed spinach from Boston Market.

And for dessert, I always like an assortment of things for dessert. Since it's a birthday, I would
do a chocolate fudge cake (You could bake it yourself or buy it) and then get one of those festive
ice cream rolls from the market or Ice cream shop. (I think Breyers makes one called "Vienetta")
It's cake and ice cream but with a grown up spin to it.

You could make your own. Just take 2 flavors of ice cream you like that go well together. Soften it.
Line a large loaf pan with foil or parchment paper. Sprinkle some crushed cookies, nuts or macaroons
or lazzeroni cookies in the bottom. Layer in some ice cream, more cookie crumbs or nuts, maybe some
ice cream topping sauce like marshmallow, caramel or fudge, the other flavor ice cream, more crumbs,
more sauce....end with ice cream, cover with foil, freeze until hard. Unmold on a platter to serve.
You could do this in a bowl and call it a "bombe", too.
 
Wayne Boatwright <[email protected]> deliciously
posted in news:[email protected]:

> We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
> with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always
> have some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but
> usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
>
> I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
> quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
> desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
>
> Suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Wayne

Keep it simple. The CB/potaotes/carrots/rutabaga is the meal with sides all in one. For dessert, a
birthday cake and ice cream. I would do a rye bread/dill dip and assorted cheese tray/crackers
beforehand. Serve beer and any other drinks you like and make sure you have what the birthday person
likes to drink, on hand. Oh, and make a horseradish sauce or have fresh grated horseradish on hand
for the corned beef.

Michael
 
Sheryl Rosen <[email protected]> deliciously posted in
news:BC3D2F9E.44CE6%[email protected]:

> in article [email protected], Wayne Boatwright at
> [email protected] wrote on 1/27/04
> 11:01 PM:
>
>> snip for space<< I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday.
>> Now I'm in a quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad,
>> additional sides, desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-
>> planned.
>>
>> Suggestions? Thanks!
>>
>> Wayne
>

> snip for space< I would serve a hearty seeded rye bread, for sure. Perhaps a niced composed salad
> incorporating fruit as a "before" course.
>

This time of year potato soup or pea and ham soup would be nice. For dessert along with a birthday
cake I'd make an apple ****. Irish soda bread would be nice during the meal.

Soda Bread:

4 cups plain flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon sugar (optional) 2 cups
buttermilk

Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Scoop up handfuls and allow to drop back into the bowl
to aerate the mixture. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Work quickly, the buttermilk and
soda are already reacting. Knead the dough lightly - too much handling will toughen it and too
little will keep it from rising properly.

Form a round loaf, about the size of your fist. Place it on a lightly floured baking sheet. With a
floured knife, cut a cross in the top. Bake in preheated oven at 425 degrees near the top of the
oven. Bake about 30 to 45 minutes. When finished the bread will sound hollow if you rap on the
bottom of the loaf with your knuckles. Wrap loaf in a teatowel to keep from hardening too much.

Michael
 
Well i'm from Newfoundland, or our idea of CB&C is a little different. We don't really use the
corned beef, we go with salt brined riblets or salt meat. The traditional additions include the
cabbage of course, carrots, potatoes and turnip. As well, peas pudding, and a steamed pudding made
with molasses, or a lighter steamed pudding with raisins or blueberries is common. Peas pudding is
basically just yellow split peas tied very tightly in a pudding bag (just a piece of sturdy cloth)
and boiled with the rest of the dinner till soft. Then you mash it with a little butter and some
black pepper. Sounds boring, but done right it's yummy

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
> with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always
> have some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but
> usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
>
> I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
> quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
> desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
>
> Suggestions? Thanks!
>
> Wayne
 
A special thanks to all of you for posting so many great ideas and tips!

I have to agree that CB&C stands very well on its own and doesn't really need the support of too
many accompaniments. I will probably offer some cheeses and crackers, but no major appetizer.

Lynn, the mustard pickles are a great idea and, luckily, a regional brand is still sold in our
markets here. Your tip for making them is handy, though, and to be kept. I also have other
pickles that are homemade as well as pickled beets that I put up last Fall. Also the parsnips
added to the pot

I would really like to try making a pease pudding someday, having read many times about them.
However, I don't want to experiment with anything this time around. Glad to know the technique!

Neil, I won't be leaving out the celery, onions, or garlic. I add all of those to my CB&C, however,
I cook them for the flavor and not usually the table. That is, except for the onions. If I can find
really nice sized boiling onions I add those a bit later and serve with the other veggies.

We usually have ale, beer, and stout around and those will all be offered. The guest of honor will
probably indulge in the stout!

Sheryl, you always have great ideas, and you've outdone yourself this time! So many good things. I
love the idea of figs with the cheese, and fresh figs are easy to get here right now so that's a
definite. I may forego a salad altogether, but if I make one I think I'll copy your ideas! All the
flavors I like.

Michael, thanks for a good soda bread recipe! I will definitely bake that, as well as a good bakery
seeded rye. Nice to have choices and I love both. I have horseradish root on my shopping list.
They're always big, so think I will make a creamy sauce and also offer it grated plain. (I'll do all
the grating outside, thank you!) I also have several good mustards, both coarse and smooth, so there
should be ample condiments.

I forgot who mentioned green and wax beans, but I like the idea of making a slad of these, probably
with fresh dill.

Dessert... Gotta have both pie and cake! I will bake a crumb-topped apple pie (one less crust to
roll). <G> Then, one of the things I do really well, a Schwarzwälder Kirsch Torte, that I can work
on the day before.

Thanks, again, everybody!

Wayne
 
tintalle <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> Well i'm from Newfoundland, or our idea of CB&C is a little different. We don't really use the
> corned beef, we go with salt brined riblets or salt meat. The traditional additions include the
> cabbage of course, carrots, potatoes and turnip. As well, peas pudding, and a steamed pudding made
> with molasses, or a lighter steamed pudding with raisins or blueberries is common. Peas pudding is
> basically just yellow split peas tied very tightly in a pudding bag (just a piece of sturdy cloth)
> and boiled with the rest of the dinner till soft. Then you mash it with a little butter and some
> black pepper. Sounds boring, but done right it's yummy

That's sounds so good! Do you salt brine the meat yourself, or can you buy it ready to cook?

If I were to try the pease pudding, how long would I expect it to cook? I love split pea soup, so
I'm sure that I'd really like this.

Steamed puddings...ummm good! Using blueberies in one sounds delicious.

Thank you!

Wayne

> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>> We have a Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner 5-6 times a year, but it's always just the family. Along
>> with the cabbage I also add red potatoes, carrots, and occasionally chunks of rutabaga. We always
>> have some type of hearty bread with butter, and any beverages of choice. Desserts are random, but
>> usually just family favorites, a pie or cake, etc.
>>
>> I recently had a request from friends for a CB&C dinner to celebrate a birthday. Now I'm in a
>> quandary about a company CB&C dinner, i.e., appropriate appetizers, salad, additional sides,
>> desserts, etc. I'd like this to be a special occasion that has been well-planned.
>>
>> Suggestions? Thanks!
>>
>> Wayne
 
[email protected] (Jean Clarke) wrote in news:9665-401CAB8E-619@storefull-
3193.bay.webtv.net:

> I just purchased a nice piece pf corned beef, and rather than adding the cabbage this time, I hand-
> picked a bunch of beautiful unblemished Brussels sprouts, just to knock it up a notch! Bring on
> the Grolsch in frozen steins, and Go Patriots!
>
> Just a Jeanie

That sounds like a great substitution! I will definitely try that sometime.

Wayne