In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat into the egg mixture.

Irish & Elegant
Irish cuisine isn't what you think it is. Today the native ingredients include oysters, freshwater seafood and farmhouse cheeses.

Sift the flour and cocoa together and beat into the chocolate mixture. Whisk in the Guinness.

Pour into the pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out almost clean. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.

To serve, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar and cut into squares.

Serves 8 to 10.

Times testing note: This is a dense, moist brownie. We used semisweet chocolate rather than bittersweet. The results were delicious, especially when served with mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Source: "The New Irish Table" by Margaret M. Johnson (Chronicle Books, $24.95).

Champ

2 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 cup half-and-half
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups minced fresh chives or green onions (including green parts)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the half-and-half and 4 tablespoons of the butter. Heat until the butter is melted. Add the chives or green onions, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the chives or green onions are soft.

Add the potatoes, salt and pepper to the milk mixture and stir until blended.

To serve, spoon the champ into a deep bowl, make a well in the center and top with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter.

Serves 4.

Garlic mashed potatoes: Substitute 1 cup finely chopped onions and 3 tablespoons finely minced garlic sauteed in 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter for the chives or green onions. Add the onion mixture to the mashed potatoes, stir in the half-and-half and season with salt and pepper.

Source: "The New Irish Table" by Margaret M. Johnson (Chronicle Books, $24.95).

Braised Lamb Shanks With Roasted Garden Vegetables

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 lamb shanks (3/4 to 1 pound each)
1 large carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
4 to 5 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Roasted Garden Vegetables:

1 small turnip, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 parsnip, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, quartered
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the lamb on all sides until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a Dutch oven or oven-proof casserole dish. Add the diced vegetables to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, or until soft. Add the white wine and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the wine is reduced by half.

Transfer the vegetables and cooking liquid to the Dutch oven or casserole.

Add the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, garlic, water, salt and pepper to the Dutch oven or casserole. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, or until the lamb is fork-tender.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the turnip, carrot, parsnip and onion in a single layer in the bottom of a roasting pan. Toss with the olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the vegetables are soft and lightly browned.

Using a slotted metal spatula, transfer the lamb shanks to a platter, cover and keep warm. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing the vegetables through with the back of a large spoon.

Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Set aside and keep warm.

To serve, place a lamb shank in the center of each serving plate, spoon the sauce over and surround with the roasted vegetables.

Serves 4.

Source: "The New Irish Table" by Margaret M. Johnson (Chronicle Books, $24.95).

Baked Oysters With Bacon, Cabbage and Guinness Sabayon

Guinness Sabayon:

2 egg yolks
1/2 cup Guinness stout
Dash of fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
4 outer green cabbage leaves, finely shredded
1 teaspoon canola oil
4 slices traditional Irish bacon or Canadian bacon, chopped
24 oysters in the shell

To make the sabayon: In a double boiler, whisk the egg yolks, Guinness, lemon juice, salt and pepper together. Place over barely simmering water and whisk for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from the heat and gradually drizzle in the melted butter until the sauce is well blended.

Cook the cabbage in salted boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes, or until slightly wilted. Drain and immerse in cold water. Drain again. In a small skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.

Preheat the broiler. Shuck the oysters over a small bowl. Reserve the deeper half of each shell and rinse them under cold water. Place the shells on a bed of rock salt in a small, sided baking sheet. Divide the cabbage among the shells, put an oyster on top of each and sprinkle the bacon over the oysters. Spoon some of the sabayon over each.

Place under the broiler 4 inches from the heat source and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the sauce is browned and bubbling. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Note: To shuck oysters, insert the tip of a strong knife between the halves of the shell just behind the hinge or muscle. Cut through the muscle. Lift off the shallow shell. Loosen the oyster from the shell with the point of the knife.

Times testing note: We shucked our own Apalachicola oysters, but when we make this recipe again, we will consider buying a pint of shucked oysters. Instead of cooking them on the shell, we will use coquille St. Jacques baking dishes, the ones that look like shells. Small, shallow ramekins would also work. This dish sounds fussy, but it comes together in less than 30 minutes. It makes a splashy presentation.

Source: "The New Irish Table" by Margaret M. Johnson (Chronicle Books, $24.95).

Seashore Delicacy

Fresh parsley
1 medium onion
1/2 pound bay scallops
1/2 pound of small shrimp, peeled
8 teaspoons sherry (or white wine)
Salt and black pepper
Dill or fennel
Garlic salt or powder
8 tablespoons sour cream
Garlic salt or garlic powder
4 tablespoons fine bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter

Use four deep shell-shaped dishes, one for each serving, or shallow ramekins. Chop onions and some fresh parsley. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Melt the butter and spoon a little into each shell or ramekin. Divide the chopped onion into the shells/ramekins. Cut the scallops into small pieces and put equal amounts of shrimp and scallops into each shell. Put 2 teaspoons sherry over the fish. Season with salt, black pepper, dill or fennel and garlic salt or garlic powder.

Mix ingredients well. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the sour cream over the top of each shell, and 1 tablespoon of the fine bread crumbs over the sour cream.

Bake in moderate oven for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with more chopped parsley if desired.

Serves 4.

Source: Noreen Kinney, St. Petersburg.

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