Two delicious St Patrick's Day recipes from Guinness

Guinness honeycomb ice cream

No one would guess that this beautiful pale coffee-coloured ice cream contains Guinness if they did not know. Keep them guessing – it is utterly delicious.

Preparation time 30 minutes, plus freezing

Cooking time 15–25 minutes

Serves 4

6 egg yolks

125 g (4 oz) light muscovado sugar

300 ml (½ pint) single cream

150 ml (¼ pint) draught Guinness

2 x 40 g (2 x 1½ oz) chocolate-covered honeycomb bars, chopped

step 1  Put the egg yolks and sugar in a large heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the base of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then remove from the heat.

step 2  Heat the cream and Guinness in a nonstick saucepan to just below boiling point – don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly curdled at this point. Pour over the egg yolk and sugar mixture, beating well with a balloon whisk.

step 3  Return the mixture to the nonstick pan and cook over the lowest possible heat, stirring constantly, until the custard starts to thicken and coats the back of the spoon. This will take at least 10 minutes and up to 20 minutes.

step 4  Pour the mixture back into the heatproof bowl and leave to cool completely, then stir in the chopped chocolate-covered honeycomb bars. Turn the ice cream into a shallow plastic container and freeze for 2 hours, then remove it from the freezer and stir well. Return to the freezer until completely frozen.

step 5  Remove the ice cream from the freezer and leave at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly before serving.

Steak & Guinness burgers with rosemary & garlic butter

Minced beef is marinated overnight in Guinness, then mixed with roasted red onions, griddled and served topped with rosemary and garlic butter to make a memorable burger.

Preparation time 20 minutes, plus marinating, chilling & freezing

Cooking time 10 minutes

Makes 6 burgers

500 g (1 lb) top-quality lean minced beef, ideally from grass-fed Irish beef

150 ml (¼ pint) draught Guinness

1 large red onion, finely diced

olive oil, for drizzling and oiling

3 smoked streaky bacon rashers,

finely diced

1 teaspoon creamed horseradish

1 free-range egg, beaten

½ teaspoon paprika

2 heaped tablespoons plain flour

1 rosemary sprig

75 g (3 oz) butter, softened

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

salt and pepper

step 1  Lay the minced beef out in a shallow dish and cover with the Guinness. Using your hands, massage the Guinness into the meat, cover with clingfilm and leave to marinate in the bottom of the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.

step 2  When ready to make the burgers, spread the onion out in a baking dish, sprinkle lightly with salt and drizzle with oil. Scatter the bacon

on top. Roast in a preheated oven, 150°C (300°F), Gas Mark 2, for

15 minutes. Leave to cool.

step 3  Lift the beef out of its marinade, gently squeeze out any excess liquid and put the beef in a large bowl. Add the roasted onion and bacon, the horseradish, egg and paprika, season with pepper and sprinkle the flour over. Using your hands, mix together well. Divide the mixture into

6 equal portions and form into round patties about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Carefully lay the patties on a baking sheet lined with greaseproof paper, cover with a second sheet of greaseproof paper and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours to firm up.

step 4  Meanwhile, pluck the rosemary leaves from the stem and plunge into boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, then chop as finely as possible. Add to the softened butter and garlic in a small bowl and beat together well. Lay a piece of clingfilm on a flat surface, form the butter into a sausage about 3.5 cm (1½ inches) in diameter and roll up in the clingfilm. Freeze for 20 minutes until set.

step 5  Lightly oil a griddle pan. Heat until just beginning to smoke, add the burgers and cook over a high heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until well browned on the outside and just pink inside. Serve immediately, each burger topped with a slice of the rosemary and garlic butter.