It's St. Patrick's Day and you are probably either planning on eating corned beef and cabbage, drinking a cold one or indulging in a little Irish soda bread. All worthwhile endeavors, but today Patch is going to take you to a possibly lesser known March dessert, the St. Joseph Day cake. Happily, both were found at
St. Joseph Day is celebrated on March 19th and is a Catholic holiday honoring St. Joseph. Growing up in an Irish and Italian household, the holdiays got equal billing. My father never content to let my mother have her own Irish celebration insisted on celebrating his namesake holiday with St. Joseph Day cakes and so the battle began.
Today I wear the green and feast on cannoli cream. Here is my take on these sweet treats.
St. Joseph Day cakes come filled with either cannoli cream or custard. In an effort of fairness and porkiness, today I have eaten them both. I am in the canoli camp, but both treats are quite good. Keep them refrigerated, no buttercream here. Truthfully, Park Bake Shop excells at both, so eat both if it suits you, you won't be disappointed.
Irish soda bread, a traditional, and in the case of today green, treat, normally has a rise in consumption this time of year. I prefer a loaf with raisins and don't mind a little green in the form of food coloring. Pair it with a little butter for a perfect match.
I have to say that I went into this contest thinking for sure that St. Joe would kick a little Irish butt. I usually find Irish soda bread to be dry and somwhat crumbly. I am pleased to report that this was not the case and an entire loaf of the stuff will probably be consumed by the day's end. The loaf was moist, the raisins plump and a wonderful underlying flavor of what I am not sure really make this a standout.
Park Bakery owner, Lucy Shtanko says that she sells the bread year round, but due to a line out the door, could not share with Patch what the trade secret was. Patch will stay on this story until the editor can no longer fit into her pants.
Salute and Slainte to all.
