Butter Makes It Better: Cathal Armstrong's St. Paddy's Day Feast

For the Irish Dairy Board's annual pre-St. Patrick's Day lunch, chef Cathal Armstrong went all-out, with a rich menu that highlighted Kerrygold butter and cheese, Irish smoked salmon, and other native dishes. ("Americans are patriotic at home," he said, "but the Irish are patriotic when they're away from home.") Armstrong uses Kerrygold exclusively at Eve, his much-celebrated restaurant in Alexandria, VA, and jokes that the saying in his kitchen is "Butter makes it better." At lunch, he made a convincing argument for giving that olive oil a rest: tender brown bread biscuits paired with smoked salmon and roasted rack of Virginia lamb over a fluffy Duhallow cheese grits souffle. The highlight, though, was Armstrong's Bakewell tart, made the way his mother used to: flaky crust, pink lady apple jam, and a custardy poundcake topping. It was the most satisfying dessert I've had in a long time and I've already emailed Armstrong for the recipe. I'll be sure to share it. In the meantime, I can guess what the main ingredient is: butter.