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Hosting A Global Dinner That Says Get On The Move

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

This recipe for Irish Rosie's Irish soda bread produces a bread that's yeast-less and light. The caraway seeds and raisins give it an excellent flavor and texture. It's a keeper.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 9, 2008

Have you ever suspected that someone could be secretly observing unusual items you drop into your supermarket shopping basket?

If you don't believe that's possible, just ask Apollo Beach resident Debbie Rossmiller.

On a recent morning trip to the grocery store, I spied Debbie carefully scrutinizing an item she had selected in the dairy aisle.

Moving closer, I saw it was a box of Irish butter.

Call it harmless curiosity or just plain nosiness, I blurted out, "Do you mind if I ask you what you're going to do with that butter?"

Debbie graciously replied she was helping stage an around-the-world progressive dinner that evening. She had selected Ireland.

Her menu would include several Irish recipes, including Irish soda bread, bread pudding and a corned beef-and-Swiss cheese canape. She agreed to call me afterward and fill me in on the outcome of the moveable feast. As promised, several days later, she called to share the details.

The five hosts, including Debbie and her husband, Mark, all lived within several blocks of each other. They had agreed to serve a few appetizers and drinks representing the country they chose. In this international gathering, Ireland, Australia, the Bahamas, Italy and Thailand were visited.

Diners had one hour to eat before being signaled to dash to the next home. Call it a combination of speed dating and attention-deficit dining.

"The progressive dinner was better than I thought it would be, and everyone had a really good time," Debbie said.

The team effort involved in producing a progressive dinner assures that nobody gets stuck with all the work. Debbie said it was a relaxed way to entertain without the pressure of a big production, even though 26 guests attended the house-to-house party. Everyone shared in the expense, the planning, the cleaning and, of course, the dishes.

Besides Epcot, I can't think of a better way to experience food from multiple countries without ever boarding a plane, cruise ship, gondola or rickshaw.

Irish Rosie's Irish soda bread is one of the recipes Debbie served to her guests. It's the lightest Irish soda bread I've ever tasted. The caraway seeds and raisins give it an excellent flavor and texture. I'll be making this yeast-less and impressive bread again. It's a keeper.

IRISH ROSIE'S IRISH SODA BREAD

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 pint sour cream

2 eggs

2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)

3/4 cup raisins

Combine dry ingredients together in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat eggs and stir in sour cream. Add the egg and sour cream mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Batter will be thick. Add the raisins and caraway seeds and stir well with a wooden spoon or knead with your hands. Place the batter in a greased, 9-inch cake pan. Dust the top with enough flour so that you can pat the batter like bread dough evenly in the pan without it sticking to your hands. With a knife, make a shallow crisscross on the top. Bake 50 minutes in a preheated 350-degree oven.

Source: www.recipezaar.com

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0286. For more of her recipes, go to southshore .tbo.com and enter keyword: Lynn Kessel. Readers are invited to send in their favorite recipes, comments and suggestions.

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