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General => The Common Room => The Lighter Side => Topic started by: Ros Fornaro on Thursday 07 April 05 05:01 BST (UK)

Title: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Ros Fornaro on Thursday 07 April 05 05:01 BST (UK)
I am typing a biography of a County Clare lady.  she say "this day was celebrated with barm brack and wild fruits".

Any ideas?

Ros
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Darcy on Thursday 07 April 05 05:13 BST (UK)

Hi Ros,

Irish barm brack is a type of bread made with dried fruit. Circular in shape, with a flat shiny top. The outside is cooked to a lovely dark brown.

I suppose it's a kind of teacake - scrumptious with lots of butter.

Now I want some!

Darcy ;)
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Darcy on Thursday 07 April 05 05:19 BST (UK)
Hi again Ros,

I should have thought of this instead of trying to describe it-


http://www.foodireland.com/recipes/Bakery/Irish_Barm_Brack.htm

Cheers
darcy
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Ros Fornaro on Thursday 07 April 05 05:45 BST (UK)
Hi Darcy,

Thanks very much.  It sounds delicious.

Ros

Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: moscan on Thursday 07 April 05 09:21 BST (UK)
Hello Darcy and Ros... thought as well as the brack you both might like this recipe

Irish Coffee Cake

Black Coffee
Whisky
3-4 packets of Choc chip cookies
1 pint Fresh cream (whipped)
Grated chocolate for decoration



Make up a medium jug of warm coffee and add Irish whisky to taste.

Whip cream and leave to one side


Dip cookies one at a time in the Irish coffee mixture and sandwich together with whipped cream.
Place cookie sandwiches upright in rows (3) on a platter, add cookies until there is 3 rows on the base then 2 rows above them then one final row on top.
Cover the whole cookie mound with whipped cream and place in the fridge for 3-4 hours.  Just before serving sprinkle some grated chocolate on top of the cream and serve by slicing like a cake.

And I am not responsible for any weight gain  ;D


Best wishes

Mo
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Mobo on Thursday 07 April 05 09:33 BST (UK)
 ;D ;D ;D

Will you all giveover with all this talk of lovely food - jeez !!

 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: moscan on Thursday 07 April 05 09:35 BST (UK)
awwwwwwww Poor Mobo;  Making you hungry at 9.34 in the morning... sorry... but you don't need to worry about putting on weight...

Mo  :o
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Paul E on Thursday 07 April 05 11:14 BST (UK)
Moscan ... I notice that the recipe doesn;t specify how much whiskey to put in ;D
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Berlin-Bob on Thursday 07 April 05 11:24 BST (UK)
Quote
And I am not responsible for any weight gain 


Best wishes

Mo

and what about hangovers   :o   ;D   ;D
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Willow 4873 on Thursday 07 April 05 11:39 BST (UK)
You can use any type of spirit in that recipe - its especially nice with Quantro  ;D

Willow x
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: DebbieG on Thursday 07 April 05 12:11 BST (UK)
Back to original subject - Barm Brack as I know it is a fruit cake made with dried fruit which had been soaked overnight in cold tea - at least in the midlands it is

Debbie
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Llwyd on Thursday 07 April 05 16:41 BST (UK)
Is barm brack better with whisky or whiskey or is it just a matter of taste?.
Debbie---your recipe sounds similar to bara brith or a version of it anyway.
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Su on Thursday 07 April 05 18:15 BST (UK)
Darcy/Mo

All Red Cross parcels gratefully received ...

Su  :-*
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Darcy on Friday 08 April 05 15:35 BST (UK)
Su, :)

Krissesjoint beat you to it and she's closer to me - geographically speaking of course ;D ;D

Llwyd - It's Irish barm brack so it's whisky. If is was haggis it would be whiskey ;D

Darcy ;)
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Su on Friday 08 April 05 16:59 BST (UK)
My Wabbit doesn't care how it's spelt hic ! If it's Irish or Scottish he''ll drink it ... or suck it out of a piece of barm brack .. ish all the shame to him ....  ;)

Darcy knock that glass of wine back and it's off to bed with you....enjoy the Frog chorus !!  ;D ;D

Su
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: matty on Friday 08 April 05 21:37 BST (UK)
Well everybody do you know how hard it is sitting in front of a computer with all this talk of food and drink!!!!!, I will have to close it down can't stand it any longer what with the smell of the baking and the thought of the drink ----------- good night all


Matty ::) ::) ;D ;D  Cheers hickup
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: moscan on Saturday 09 April 05 00:37 BST (UK)
Paul.... amount is dependant on how much you like in your Irish Coffees... when we are in York I will buy you a proper one and see if you like it :D

Su.... food parcels?? whatever about a brack... my dessert really does not travel well... sorry hun... :'(

Llwed..... sipping a drop of the smooth stuff while nibbling on a bit of brack is good... but its made with tea... :D

Matty.... sorry if we made you hungry... and thirsty....

and finally Bob.... hmmmm hangovers.. never get 'em... not on the Irish coffee anyway... its marvellous stuff... can drink them all night and no after  effects... you should try it sometime lol... but no not taking any responsibility for that either....:D


Best wishes to all

Mo

Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: davierj on Monday 11 April 05 23:37 BST (UK)
You could try the Welsh version - Bara Brith - recipe is at http://www.britainexpress.com/articles/Food/bara-brith.htm  Before they invented tea the recipe must have been http://www.red4.co.uk/Recipes/bara-brith.htm Both are improved with a good slug of Penderyn single malt (Aur Cymraeg) the pure Welsh gold
Dave
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Siani Powys on Sunday 16 October 05 00:45 BST (UK)
As you can see, I am reading your Chatter to see if there might be anything else in Montgomeryshire of interest.

I tasted some of this Penderyn last month at our North American Welsh Gymanfa Ganu in Orlando, FL. It IS very good -- but a bit dear at $75/bottle or so. I do love single malts!

SianiPowys

PS: I use tea in my bara brith, too, for soaking the dried fruit.
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: giving up for a while on Sunday 16 October 05 01:53 BST (UK)
Barn Brack is also eaten on halloween night here in Ireland with a few extra things added a ring, a pea, a bean, a stick, a peice of cloth and a coin. they all have meanings
the ring you will marry
thecloth you will be poor
the coin you will be rich
the stick you will beat your wife/husband
I cant remember what the pea and the bean stand for

Love Anne
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Siani Powys on Sunday 16 October 05 01:59 BST (UK)
" I cant remember what the pea and the bean stand for "javascript:replaceText('%20???',%20document.postmodify.message);

We say here:
    'A bean is only a bean but a 'pee' is a darn good relief'

SianiPowys   javascript:replaceText('%20;)',%20document.postmodify.message);
Title: Re: What is Barm Brack?
Post by: Headbanger Veron on Sunday 16 October 05 20:21 BST (UK)
I buy Barm Brack in Tesco's regularly - it's delicious - very tasty and extremely addictive! It's made by a firm called Rankins of Portadown.... I was just eating some at teatime today!  ;D

Cheers (yum yum) Veron

(Oh and it says on the back of the packet.. the pea meant you were going to be an old maid, the bean meant you were going to stay a bachelor) - amazing what you can buy at Tesco's these days!  ;D