Ireland's Hottest TV Chef Shares Bread Pudding Recipe for St. Patrick's Day

When Rachel Allen left home at 18 to pursue a culinary arts education at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland, she never expected to become one of the hottest TV chefs in Ireland and the United Kingdom, and one of its most beloved food personalities.

Allen burst onto the broadcast scene with her first series in September 2004 on RTE (Ireland's national TV station). Called Rachel's Favourite Food, it was also screened on BBC 2 and has been seen in Australia, Italy, Africa and various other countries. The successful series was followed by Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends, Rachel's Favourite Food at Home, Rachel's Favourite Food for Living, and the current season's Bake! Each series has been accompanied by a best-selling companion cookbook.

Allen's popular TV shows reflect her philosophy about food and cooking. "I believe good ingredients simply prepared will give great results," she said. Allen cooks with home-grown ingredients: fish from local waters, farm-fresh vegetables and Irish butter, made with milk from cooperatives of small family farmers. The butter is widely available in the United States, sold under the Kerrygold label.

A mother of three, Allen also is a food writer and a teacher at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, the internationally acclaimed school where she learned to cook. While Allen's tastes and culinary skills are both regional and global, for St. Patrick's Day, she provided American audiences with a comforting bread and butter pudding, recommending Kerrygold Butter for this recipe. "Butter just tastes different in Ireland because cows graze on lush pastures, giving the milk and the butter a distinctive flavor," she said. "Using Irish ingredients like Kerrygold Butter and cheeses will really make your dishes authentically Irish for St. Patrick's Day."

Recipe

Bread and Butter Pudding

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