An Irish Country Welcome Page 36
Barry saw Barbara pick up a DeLee universal retractor, a stainless steel handle with a wide and deep blunt curved blade to hand to Fred. He’d use that to hold the lower part of the incision out of the way.
“Pack.”
That was the only other swab used. It was a three-foot-long strip of nine-inch gauze that Harith would stuff into the space on the right aside of Sue’s uterus, bring across her body, and repeat on the left side. Its tape would be clipped to the sterile towel so no matter how bloody it might become it would be easy to find before closing.
“Uterine peritoneum.”
A loose fold of peritoneum in front of the uterus and above the bladder was being incised so the bladder could be pushed down and off the lower uterine segment, the part of the uterus that did not contract during labour, but rather thinned.
“Bladder’s off.”
Barry tensed. This was the critical moment. Harith would be using a scalpel to make a small incision in the lower segment and puncture the amniotic membrane, the odour of which filled Barry’s nostrils. He heard the gurgling of a suction apparatus that Fred would be using to keep the abdominal cavity as dry as possible.
“Curved scissors.”
“Harith’s going to open your uterus, Sue, and then he’ll deliver our baby.”
“Please, God. Please.” Her grip on his hand increased and he squeezed back.
“Soon, love. Very soon.”
“We’re in luck,” Harith said. “There’s no placenta beneath the uterine incision, but clamp that uterine bleeder, Fred. Thanks. Now I’m turning the baby’s head so it’s facing me.”
The pressure on Barry’s hand increased. He hauled in a great breath. Held it.
“Obstetric forceps.”
Barry knew that the easiest way to deliver the baby’s head was to use them. He was aware that Betty Rae, holding a sterile green towel, was standing between him and Barbara. It was the paediatrician’s duty to accept and care for the newborn immediately after delivery.
“Head’s out. Suck out the naso-pharynx, Fred.”
Barry heard a very loud cry. He exhaled and looked at a smiling, tearful Sue.
“Both shoulders are out. Ergometrine.”
The drug that provokes powerful uterine contraction and helps control postpartum bleeding.
Fred said, “I’ll give point five milligrams directly into the uterine muscle.”
Another shrill yell from Baby Laverty.
“Ergometrine given.”
Sue asked, “Where’s our baby? Why is Harith waiting?”
“It’s okay, Sue. Waiting gives the ergometrine, the drug Fred just gave you, time to work. It’ll reduce the amount of bleeding once the baby’s out. It’s an important step.”
“I see.”
Another yell.
Barry felt Sue squeeze his hand. “Barry, is—is everything okay?”
Barry smiled. “All babies yell when they’re born. They’ve been in a warm, dark, comfy place all their lives. Now it’s blinding, cold, and noisy.”
“Fine lungs on that one, Mrs. Laverty,” Dennis said. “That’s a very good sign.”
“I’m delivering the rest of the body. You’ve a little girl.”
Sue said nothing, but her grin was vast through her tears.
Barry choked up. It seemed neither of them had words.
“Right, Fred. Clamp and cut the cord and start gentle traction on it once you’ve given the baby to Betty. I’ll control the bleeding from the uterine incision.”
“Here you are, Betty.”
The paediatrician said, “Hello wee one. Welcome to the world.”
Barry could not see the transfer because of the screen.
Barry stood up and got himself and the stool out of Betty’s way as she stood over Sue, holding their baby wrapped in a green towel. All that could be seen was its face with its tiny eyebrows, wrinkled shut eyes, button nose, and puckered lips.
“Sue. Barry. You have a beautiful baby girl and I want you to be patient. I need to get her cleaned up, and examine her, and keep her warm. I’ll bring her back. I promise.”
Sue said, “Don’t be long. I want to hold her. Feed her.” She smiled up at Barry as she started to slip one side of her gown down off her shoulder.
Barry watched as Sue’s gaze never left the back of the paediatrician.
He’d forgotten how many babies he’d delivered since the twenty they’d had to do under supervision as students. He’d always felt joy, but never joy like this.
In moments Betty called, “One-minute Apgar is eight. This one’s in very good shape.”
“Thanks, Betty,” Harith called back.
Barry bent and kissed Sue. “She’s beautiful, darling. Takes after her mother.”
“Flatterer. But oh, Barry, I can’t believe it’s true. We waited so long. Then I thought, I really thought, I was going to lose her. Twice. And now she’s here. I’m so happy. So happy.” Sue tried to raise herself up.
“Just rest, pet. Just rest. You’ll be holding her soon.”
Sue smiled, nodded, closed her eyes, and heaved a great sigh of satisfaction.
Barry sat looking at his wife, paying little attention to the gurgling of the suction apparatus, and the remarks coming over the screen and from the paediatrician.
“Placenta’s out and intact.”
“Uterine incision closed in two layers.”
“Five-minute Apgar’s nine.”
“Bladder peritoneum closed.”
The suction fell silent.
“Rectus fascia repaired.”
“She weighs in at seven and a half pounds.”
Betty came back with a blanket-wrapped Baby Laverty wearing a tube-gauze hat to keep her head warm. Betty handed her to Sue, who immediately let the wee one latch onto her left nipple, where the baby began to suck.
Betty said, “I’ve examined her. She has no difficulty breathing, has all her fingers and toes, and she has passed meconium.”
“She’s had her first bowel movement, Sue,” Barry said. “Green stuff called meconium.”
“And if you’re going to breastfeed, Sue, and I gather you are, she’s well enough to room in with you.”
Barry watched Sue holding her daughter in the crook of one arm while supporting her head with a maternal hand. The pair of them, he thought, could have posed for a Renaissance painting of the Madonna and child. He’d always thought seeing a mother feeding her newborn was one of the most moving of moments. Now, the beauty of watching his wife feed their baby had him almost in tears.
“Skin’s closed. Dressing please, Barbara.”
“Nearly finished, Sue,” Dennis said. “We’ll have you in recovery and back to your room soon after that. And congratulations and health to your wee one.”
“Thank you, Dennis, for everything.”
He shrugged and asked, “Have you any names picked out?”
“Yes,” she said, “Ella for my favourite aunt.”
“And Hope,” Barry said. “We’ve been clinging on to it for so long and now it’s been realised.” He looked at the perfectly serene look on Sue’s face. “Hope fulfilled is a wonderful thing.”
AFTERWORD
Hello there. It’s me again, Mrs. Maureen “Kinky” Auchinleck, so. You’d’ve thought that after all the recipes I put in 2017’s Irish Country Cookbook with help from Dorothy Tinman, Doctor O’Reilly himself would let a body rest. Divil the bit. He’s just after saying to me, “Kinky, you did a great job with five recipes for An Irish Country Cottage in 2018, and six more for An Irish Country Family in 2019. Now your man Patrick Taylor has done it again and written a fifteenth Irish Country story for 2020.” That man could charm the birds from the trees, so, and as usual, here I sit, pen in fist to give you six more. Mushroom puffs, fisherman’s pie, and roast goose breast with sage and onion stuffing are the savouries. Victoria sandwich cake, meringues with lemon curd and fresh cream topping, and chocolate truffles are the sweets. I hope you’ll try them all and enjoy them
.
Maureen Auchinleck, lately Kincaid, née O’Hanlon
Number One, Main Street, Ballybucklebo
MUSHROOM PUFFS
Makes about 30 to 40
1 tablespoon of canola oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
455 g. / 1 lb. mushrooms (any variety), chopped
Pinch of salt and a little black pepper
455 g. / 1 lb. cream cheese, softened
2 teaspoons of Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce
455 g. / 1 lb. packaged puff pastry
1 egg yolk and a little milk
Preheat the oven 200°C / 400°F.
Heat the oil in a deep skillet and gently sauté the chopped shallots. Add the crushed garlic and fry gently until cooked through but still transparent.
Now add the chopped mushrooms and pepper and when cooked, season with salt to taste.
Drain the liquid from the mushroom mixture. Combine the mushroom, shallots, and garlic with the softened cream cheese and the Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce.
Roll each piece of puff pastry out into 2 rectangles and cut each in half lengthwise.
Place a layer of mushroom and cheese mixture down the middle of each pastry rectangle, then brush each with beaten egg wash on one side edge.
Now fold the unwashed pastry edge over to the other side and press the 2 edges together to seal.
Brush the top with the remaining beaten egg to make a glaze and cut into 8 to 10 bite-size pieces.
Bake for about 15 minutes until puffed up and golden.
FISHERMAN’S PIE
Doctor O’Reilly told me how much he had enjoyed this when he had lunch at the Royal Ulster Yacht Club recently, and asked me to make it for him.
Serves 4
FILLING
590 mL / 20 oz. milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 or 2 bay leaves
455 g. / 1 lb. mixed fish such as halibut and salmon, snapper, or cod
113 g. / 4 oz. Dublin Bay prawns, peeled
113 g. / 4 oz. scallops without corals
56 g. / 2 oz. butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
TOPPING
910 g. / 2 lb. floury potatoes (for example, King Edward, Desirée, or Maris Piper) peeled and quartered
150 mL / 5 oz. light cream
28 g. / 1 oz. butter
2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200°C / 400°F. Grease a 25-by-20-cm / 10-by-8-inch pie dish.
For the filling: Bring the milk, seasonings, and bay leaves to the boil in a large saucepan and add the uncooked fish and shellfish, omitting the prawns if they have been precooked. Simmer very gently for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and set aside while you prepare the topping.
For the topping: Boil the potatoes until soft, drain, and mash well with the cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Next, drain the fish, reserving the milk, and discard the bay leaf. Remove any skin or bones from the fish, break into bite-size pieces. You can leave the prawns and scallops whole unless they are very big. Spread all the fish and shellfish together in the buttered pie dish.
Melt the butter in a saucepan and carefully stir in the flour. Cook gently for a couple of minutes without letting the roux (a fancy French word for the flour and butter mixture) brown. Now add the milk to the roux very gradually with the parsley and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and simmer gently for 3 or 4 minutes, stirring all the time. Then pour the sauce over the fish.
It’s time now to cover with the potato topping. Just spread it across the top of the fish and sauce mixture, pressing down lightly with a fork and covering it from edge to edge. Dot it all over with butter and the grated cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned. Serve with fresh garden peas and a crisp salad.
ROAST GOOSE BREAST WITH SAGE AND ONION STUFFING
1 goose breast
Splash of canola oil
Salt and black pepper
STUFFING
15 g. / ½ oz. butter
1 large onion, chopped finely
½ lemon, zest only
4 or 5 sage leaves, finely chopped, or ½ teaspoon of dried sage
100 g. / 3 ½ oz. bread crumbs
1 egg
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 400°F.
Score the goose skin with a sharp knife in a crisscross fashion to release the fat.
Sear the breast in a sauté pan in a little oil for a few minutes. Set aside.
For the stuffing: Melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat, add the onion, and cook until soft and translucent. Put the onion in a bowl and allow to cool, then mix in the lemon zest, sage, and bread crumbs. Add the egg and season well with salt and pepper, mixing thoroughly.
Stuff the breast with the stuffing.
Put the goose breast top-side down on a rack over a deep baking tin and, depending on size, cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Cover with foil and a dry tea cloth and leave to rest for 30 minutes before carving.
Kinky’s Note: Keep the goose fat for roasting potatoes
VICTORIA SANDWICH CAKE
Now here is the recipe for one of the cakes that I baked for the Harvest Fair. It’s very easy to make and is probably the very first cake that I ever baked for Doctor O’Reilly.
225 g. / 8 oz. flour
2 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
225 g. / 8 oz. butter or good-quality margarine softened to room temperature
225 g. / 8 oz. sugar
4 eggs
A splash of milk
Raspberry or strawberry jam
Heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350F°.
Grease and line 2 circular cake tins, 20 cm. / 8 inches in diameter, and 5 cm. / 2 inches deep, with baking paper.
Sift together the flour and the baking powder until well blended.
Using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and the sugar together in a separate bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time. To prevent the mixture from curdling, add a spoonful of flour after each egg has been added.
Carefully fold in the flour mixture using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.
Divide the mixture between the 2 tins and spread out evenly with a knife or a spatula.
Bake for 20–25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack and cover with a dry tea towel.
Whip the cream with an electric mixer until it forms soft peaks when the beater is removed.
Sandwich the cakes together with the whipped cream and jam. Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar.
You can make this beautiful sandwich with a variety of flavours: 1) add grated orange or lemon zest and a little juice instead of milk. 2) add a little made-up strong black coffee and fill with a buttercream icing.
RECIPE FOR BUTTERCREAM ICING
After the ingredients add
140 g. / 5 oz. butter, softened
280 g. / 10 oz. confectioner’s sugar
1–2 tablespoons milk or other flavouring such as coffee
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat the ingredients together.
MERINGUES WITH LEMON CURD AND FRESH CREAM TOPPING
8 egg whites
200 g. / 7 oz. of sugar
FILLING
115 mL / 4 oz. lemon curd
285 mL / 10 oz. heavy cream
1 tablespoon of confectioners’ sugar
Preheat the oven to 100°C / 200°F.
Line a baking tray with parchment.
&n
bsp; Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks have formed. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat until the mixture has reached the stiff-peak stage.
Now you can either spoon the mixture into a piping bag or just use a spoon to make circles of meringue on the parchment in the baking tin.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes, then turn off the oven and leave there to dry out and become crisp for about 2 hours.
When cold, spread a little lemon curd on each meringue.
Beat the cream and confectioners’ sugar together until thick, and spread on top of the curd on each meringue. Now you can either leave them as halves or sandwich together.
Kinky’s note: The secret of successful meringue is to make sure that your bowl and beaters are perfectly clean and completely free of grease by rubbing a splash of vinegar on a paper towel round the bowl and beaters.
CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Makes 12 to 18
340 g. / 12 oz. good-quality dark chocolate (at least 70 percent cocoa), chopped
265 mL / 9 oz. heavy cream
113 g. / 4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon brandy
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
Melt the chocolate in a large bowl over a saucepan containing just simmering hot water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the hot water. Blend in the cream, butter, and brandy using an electric mixer. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Sift the cocoa onto a plate. Using a teaspoon or a melon baller, scoop out balls of the mixture and roll between your palms, then in the cocoa. Place each ball in a paper case.
If the mixture is too firm to work with, just warm it up a bit. If it gets too soft, let it chill and start again. Keep the truffles in the fridge until you are ready to serve them.
Kinky’s Note: You can, of course, vary the flavour by adding chopped nuts, rum, whiskey, or vanilla essence.
If you are making them for children, you could roll them in hundreds and thousands (called sprinkles in North America) and of course omit the alcohol.
GLOSSARY