Chocolate Guinness Cake & Dingle Pies

Posted on | March 23, 2011 | 5 Comments

Last week, I had a craving for Agnes’s Dingles pies from The Village Tearoom in New Paltz, New York. Ok let’s all laugh about the word, Dingle before we move on. I read all your jokes last week on twitter while I was making them, so childish! Ok, I’ll admit…I chuckled too.

Agnes’s Dingle pies are a lamb variation of a traditional rustic Mutton pie from the Dingle Peninsula in Ireland. The pies typically look like a large round ravioli, Agnes’s pies have taken on the shape of an English Cornish pastry. The Valley Table did a great interview with her back in 2007 explaining her inspiration.

I tweaked her recipe a little adding my staple soup spices: marjoram and this herb/salt mix I put in anything with carrots and celery. The crust is made with butter and cream cheese which makes it a really tangy, flaky delight. You could use the crust for a hundred different fillings. Maybe chicken pot pies or a mushroom/spring greens/ground turkey variation?

The process is pretty simple but I would recommend making them the night before or making the entire recipe over the weekend and freezing the rest for future quick weeknight dinners. I’m not the greatest with pastry and get really intimated by folding the crust and being gently. I really can’t remember if Agnes folds her pies in half or has the crust meet at the center like mine—my crust style was inspired by an englishmen—Paul from Foodie’s Feast in Marblehead. I tried to be take my time and by the 6th or 7th pie I got the hang of it.

I also whipped up a Chocolate Guinness Cake; recipe also courtesy of Agnes. I’m not a huge fan of chocolate cake but this version is a bit more grown-up, moist with cocoa that doesn’t go overboard. I paired it with a simple whip cream.

The recipes can be found below but you can also pick up both treats at The Village Tearoom in New Paltz. If you pop in, tell Agnes I said hello!

Recipe: Dingle Pies
Recipe: Chocolate Guinness Cake

The Village Tearoom
10 Plattekill Avenue
New Paltz, NY
(845) 255-3434

Category: recipes

Comments

5 Responses to “Chocolate Guinness Cake & Dingle Pies”

Jordan
March 23rd, 2011 @ 12:05 pm
Just lovely! I am intimidated by pastry crusts as well, but this meal might be the perfect entree into late winter/early spring comfort food.

I was just at Foodie’s Feast a few weeks ago and fell in love with their rock cakes!
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Suegene Lee
March 23rd, 2011 @ 1:11 pm
this looks amazing. I think I’ll try and make one this week!
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evencleveland
March 23rd, 2011 @ 1:17 pm
Oh man. I wish I had crashed this dinner. It looks amazing.
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cara
March 24th, 2011 @ 8:51 am
thank you for the introduction to dingle pies! Never heard of them before!
PS. love your blog darling!
<3 Cara
Lilac and Grey
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Gabriella
March 27th, 2011 @ 5:31 am
These both look super delicious! And your blog is amazing! Can’t wait to see what you have in store for the next few weeks and months! xo
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