St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration enjoyed by the Irish and Irish wannabes alike. From coast to coast, at the core of the fun is satisfying, easy-to-prepare fare. Thumbing through Kevin Dundon’s book, “Modern Irish Food” (Beazley), sparked devilish hunger pangs. Dundon, an award-winning Irish chef and PBS television personality, features recipes for what he calls modern Irish house cooking. He explores the classic dishes of his homeland, updating them with appealing twists.

I love his beautiful-but-simple apple tart. Use refrigerated prepared dough, such as Pillsbury pie crusts, and then layer thin apple slices on top, slightly overlapping them in concentric circles to cover the dough. The flavor of the tart-sweet apples shines through in this finale, the crust offering a texture contrast that compliments the fruit and corrals the rich juices.

But before the dessert, a traditional Irish stew is a must. To accompany the cozy dish, Irish Guinness Brown Bread is a good choice. Cookbook maven and Food Network star Ina Garten has a recipe that comes close to the real deal. Her formula calls for a 9-by-5-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan. My pan has the same depth but is only 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches. So I make two, the second one baked in a tiny loaf pan. That puny loaf is for this baker’s secret pleasure.

Simple Apple Tart

Yield: 6 to 8 servings. Source: “Modern Irish Food,” by Kevin Dundon.

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie crusts (2 rolled crusts in rectangular box), chilled

Juice of 1 lemon

5 to 6 medium-size Pink Lady apples; see cook’s notes

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted, divided use

1/3 cup turbinado sugar, divided use2 tablespoons honey

For serving: Whipped cream or ice cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll one of the pie crusts and place on parchment paper. Unroll second pie crust and cut out a ring 1/2-inch-wide around the edge. Cut crosswise into three pieces to make them easier to transfer. Transfer to edge of crust that is on the pan and press in place (so now you have a double layer of crust around the edge). Pinch to make a ridge around the edge about 1/2-inch high. Prick with tines of a fork at 2-inch intervals. Place in refrigerator.

2. Squeeze lemon juice into a medium-large bowl. Peel, core and cut apples into thin slices, placing them as you work in the bowl with the juice, tossing from time to time to prevent browning.

3. Remove crust from refrigerator and lightly brush with butter. Arrange apple slices in two concentric circles, overlapping them slightly (start with the outside circle). Brush with half of the remaining melted butter. Remove 1 tablespoon of the sugar and set aside to use as garnish; sprinkle remaining sugar over apples. Bake 12 minutes.

4. Remove from oven (and shut oven door). Brush apples and rim of tart with remaining butter. Drizzle apples with honey. Return to oven and bake 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving. If desired, serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Notes: I sometimes find Pink Lady apples at my local supermarket, but if you prefer, substitute Gala. Turbinado sugar is raw sugar that has been steam-cleaned. The coarse crystals are a honey-brown color and have a subtle molasses flavor. It’s often sold in the natural food section of the supermarket and is available at natural food stores. Also, the leftover pie crust isn’t used in this recipe. So I spread it with butter and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar. Roll it up, slice it into 3/4 inch crosswise discs and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet until they are lightly browned in a 350 degree oven. The kids love these little leftover cookies.

Irish Stew

Irish stew often calls for lamb, generally hearty chunks of lamb shoulder. This recipe uses pieces of beef; they attain tenderness with long simmering. The stew can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Cool, cover and then refrigerate it. Bring to a simmer before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings. Source: Bon Appetit magazine

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 large garlic cloves, minced

7 cups beef stock or canned beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped, see cook’s notes

2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh parsley

Cook’s notes: If you wish, substitute pearl onions for the chopped onion. Peeled and frozen, they are available in many supermarkets. Or peel fresh pearl onions by boiling in water with the skin in place for 1 1/2 minutes, then transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process; once cool, the skins should easily come off by squeezing the onion between your fingers.

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef broth, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine and scrape up browned bits on the pot. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 10 minutes. Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt the pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Ina’s Irish Guinness Brown Bread

Serve this bread with honey butter. To make the honey butter, combine room temperature unsalted butter with honey to taste; you can use a mixer to do this or stir by hand with muscle and determination. My favorite combination is unsalted Irish Kerrygold butter mixed with clover honey and topped with coarse salt.

Yield: 1 loaf (see text above). Source: Adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup McCann’s quick-cooking oats (not instant), plus extra for sprinkling

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 (11- to 12-ounce) bottle Guinness extra stout beer, at room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, shaken before measuring

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing pan

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For serving: Honey butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, place oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir with whisk to combine. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together beer, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into the well. With your clean fingers, stir batter from middle of bowl to the outside, until it is well mixed. It will look more like cake batter then bread dough.

3. Brush a 9-by-5-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan with melted butter. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle top with oats. Put the bread in the oven, immediately turn the temperature down to 400 degrees and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn bread out onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Slice and serve with honey butter.