Today is St. Patrick's Day, when the Irish celebrate the feast day of their patron saint.

Part of the celebrations, of course, will include eating some of the traditional dishes of Ireland.

While not all of the following dishes are "Irish traditional,'' they have all been devised by Darina Allen, one of Ireland's most noted cookery school proprietors, television presenters and cookbook authors.

Passionately proud of the superb quality of Irish raw ingredients, Miss Allen has devised these recipes to take full advantage of them. Since Bermuda's raw ingredients are equally fine, local cooks should have no trouble in enjoying a similar taste of Ireland.

BALLYMALOE CHICKEN LIVER PATE m WITH MELBA TOAST 8 ozs. chicken livers 1 cup brandy 1-2 cups butter (depending on how strong the chicken livers are) 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves 1 lge. clove of garlic Salt and freshly-ground pepper Clarified butter to seal the top WASH livers and remove any membrane or green tinged bits. Melt a little butter in a frying pan; when butter foams add livers and cook over a gentle heat. Be careful not to overcook or outsides will get crusty; all trace of pink should be gone. Put livers through a sieve or into a food processor. De-glaze the pan with brandy, allow to flame, add garlic, then scrape off with a spatula and add to the livers. Puree m for a few seconds. Allow to cool, then add 1 cup butter and fresh thyme leaves. Season carefully, taste, and add more butter if necessary. Pate m should taste fairly mild and be quite smooth in texture.

Clarify some butter (see method below) and run a little over the top of the pate m which can the be put into little pots or into one large terrine. Serve with Melba toast or hot white bread. This pate m will keep for 4 or 5 days in a refrigerator. Serves 10-12, depending on how it is served.

Note: It is essential to cover Chicken Liver Pate m with a layer of clarified, or even just melted butter, otherwise it will oxidise and become bitter in taste and grey in colour.

SPRING CABBAGE SOUP 4 tbsp. butter 1 cup onions 1 cup chopped potatoes 3 cups chopped spring cabbage leaves (stalks removed) 5 cups light chicken stock salt and freshly-ground pepper 1 cup cream or creamy milk MELT butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add potatoes and onions and run them in the butter until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Add stock and boil until potatoes are soft, then add cabbage and cook with lid off until cabbage is cooked. Keep lid off to retain the green colour. Do not overcook or vegetables will lose both their fresh flavour and colour. Puree the soup in a liquidiser or blender, taste and adjust seasoning. Add 1 cup cream or creamy milk before serving. Serves 6.

If soup is to be reheated, just bring it to the boil and serve. Prolonged boiling spoils the colour and flavour of green soups.

BALLYMALOE IRISH STEW 2 1 -3 lbs. mutton or lamb chops, 1 inch thick 5 med. or 12 baby carrots 5 med. or 12 baby onions 8 potatoes, or more if you like 2 1 cups stock (mutton stock if possible) or water 1 sprig of thyme 1 tbsp. roux (optional) Garnish: 1 tbsp freshly-chopped parsley 1 tbsp freshly-chopped chives PRE-HEAT oven to 350 0 F. Cut chops in half and trim off some of the excess fat. Set aside. Render down the fat on a gentle heat in a heavy pan (discard the rendered down pieces).

Peel onions and carrots. Cut carrots into large chunks, or if they are young leave them whole. If onions are large, cut them small; if they are small leave whole.

Toss meat in hot fat in the pan until slightly brown, then transfer to a casserole. Quickly toss onions and carrots in the fat. Build the meat, carrots and onions up in layers in the casserole, seasoning each layer with pepper and salt. De-glaze pan with mutton stock and pour into the casserole. Lay peeled potatoes on top of the casserole to steam while stew cooks. Season potatoes, add a sprig of thyme, bring to a boil on top of the stove, cover and transfer to a moderate oven or allow to simmer on stove until stew is cooked -- 1-1 1 hours approximately -- depending on whether it is being made with lamb or mutton.

When cooked, pour off cooking liquid, de-grease and reheat in another saucepan. Slightly thicken it with a little roux if you like. Check seasoning, then add chopped parsley and chives and pour it back over the stew. Bring back to boiling point and serve from the pot or in a large pottery dish. Serves 4-6.

Feast the Irish way on St Patrick's Day From Page 26 BALLYMALOE VANILLA ICE CREAM Ballymaloe ice-creams are very rich and very delicious, made on an egg mousse base with softly-whipped cream and flavouring added. Ice-creams made in this way have a smooth texture and do not need further whisking during the freezing period. Remove from the freezer at least 10 minutes before serving.

2 tbsp. sugar 1 cup water 2 egg yolks 1 tsp pure vanilla essence 2 1 cups whipped cream PUT egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy (keep whites for meringues). Combine sugar and water in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, stir over heat until sugar is completely dissolved, then remove spoon and boil the syrup until it reaches the `thread' stage, 223-236 0 F. It will look thick and syrupy; when a metal spoon is dipped in, the last drops of syrup will form thin threads. Pour boiling syrup in a steady stream onto the egg yolks, whisking all the time. Add vanilla essence and continue to whisk until it becomes a thick, creamy white mousse. Softly whip the cream -- it should just hold the print of the whisk. Measure and make sure you have 10 oz. of whipped cream. Fold whipped cream into mousse, pour into a bowl, cover and freeze.

Serves 6-8.

BALLYMALOE COFFEE ICE CREAM WITH IRISH COFFEE SAUCE 8 tsp. sugar 1 cup water 2 egg yolks 1 tsp. vanilla essence 2 1 cups whipped cream 3 tsps instant coffee 1 tsp boiling water Irish Coffee 1 cup sugar 1 cup water 1 cup coffee 1 tbsp. Irish whiskey PUT egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy. Put sugar and water into a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan on a low heat. Stir until all sugar is dissolved and then remove spoon and do not stir again until syrup reaches the thread stage, 223-226 0 F. Continue to whisk until it fluffs up to a light mousse which will hold a figure of 8. Mix instant coffee powder with just 1 teaspoon of boiling water. Add some mousse to paste and then fold mixtures together. Carefully fold in softly-whipped cream. Pour into a bowl, cover and freeze.

Irish Coffee Sauce PUT sugar and water in a heavy-bottomed saucepan; stir until sugar dissolves and water comes to a boil. Remove spoon and do not stir again until syrup turns a pale golden caramel. Then add coffee and put back on heat to dissolve.

Allow to cool and add the whiskey. Serves 6-8.

WHITE SODA BREAD AND SCONES 3 1 cups flour 1 tsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda, sieved Sour milk or buttermilk to mix -- 1 1 -2 scant cups approx.

FULLY pre-heat oven to 450 0 F. Sieve dry ingredients. Make a well in the centre. Pour most of the milk in at once. Using one hand, mix in flour from the sides of the bowl, adding more milk if necessary. Dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. When it all comes together, turn out onto a floured board, knead lightly for a few seconds. Pat dough into a round about 1 1 inches deep and cut a deep cross on it to let the fairies out! Let the cuts go over the sides of the bread to make sure of this. Bake in a hot oven (450 0 F) for 15 minutes, then turn down heat to 400 0 F for 30 minutes, or until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread: if it is cooked it will sound hollow.

White Soda Scones MAKE the dough as above but flatten into a round 1 inch deep approx. Cut into scones. Cook for 20 minutes approx. in a hot oven.

BALLYMALOE BROWN YEAST BREAD Have ingredients and equipment at blood heat. The yeast will rise on sugar or treacle. At Ballymaloe we use treacle. The dough rises more rapidly with 4 ozs. of yeast then with only 2 ozs. yeast.

This recipe calls for stone-ground wholemeal. Different flours produce breads of different textures. The amount of natural moisture in flour varies according to atmospheric conditions. The quantity of water should be altered accordingly. The dough should be just too wet to knead - in fact it does not require kneading.

1 lb. wholemeal flour 1 1 -2 scant cups water at blood heat (mix yeast with 5 fl. ozs. lukewarm water approx.) 1 tsp. black treacle 1 tsp. salt 1 oz. fresh yeast Sesame seeds (optional) PRE-HEAT oven to 450 0 F. Mix flour with salt and warm it very slightly in the oven when it is starting to heat. In a bowl, mix treacle with some of the water (5 fl. ozs.) and crumble in the yeast. Put bowl in a warm place such as the back of the stove. Grease bread tin and put it to warm, also warm a clean cloth. Check to see if the yeast is rising. It will take 5 minutes approx. to do so and will have a creamy and slightly frothy appearance on top.

When ready, stir it well and pour it, with most of the remaining water, into the flour to make a wettish dough. It should be too wet to knead. Put mixture into a greased, warmed loaf tin loaf tin 5 x 8 inches approx. and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you like. Put tin back in the same position as used previously to raise the yeast and cover with a cloth. In 20 minutes approx.

the loaf will have risen to double its size. Remove cloth and bake loaf in a hot oven (450 0 F) 45-50 minutes, or until it looks nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped. Yield: 1 loaf.

Notes: 1.To crisp loaf all round, remove from tin about 10 minutes before end of cooking time and put it back in the oven. For a softer crust, don't do this. 2. Dried yeast can be substituted for baker's yeast. Follow same method but use only half the weight as given for fresh yeast. Allow longer to rise.

Savour the flavour of Ireland From Page 28 COD BAKED WITH CREAM AND DUCHESSE POTATOES 6 portions of cod (approx. 6 oz. filleted fish per person) 1 tbsp. finely chopped onion salt and freshly ground pepper stick butter 3-4 fresh bay leaves Light cream to cover the fish (approx.10 fl. ozs) Roux Enrichment: 1 oz. butter or 1-2 tbsp. Hollandaise Sauce (optional) MELT butter in a pan. Fry onion gently for a few minutes until soft but not coloured. Put cod in pan, cook on both sides 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Add bay leaves. Cover with cream or creamy milk and simmer, covered, 5-10 minutes, until fish is cooked. Remove fish to a serving dish. Bring cooking liquid to a boil and lightly thicken with roux (butter and flour paste). Whisk in remaining butter or Hollandaise as an enrichment, check seasoning. Coat fish with sauce and serve immediately.

Dish can be prepared ahead and reheated. It also freezes well. Reheat in a moderate oven (350 0 F.) between 10 and 30 minutes, depending on container size. Serves 6.

Duchesse Potatoes 2 lbs. unpeeled potatoes 10 fl. ozs. creamy milk 1-2 egg yolks OR 1 whole egg and 1 egg yolk 1 to 1 stick butter SCRUB potatoes well. Bring to a boil in water lightly salted. When half cooked (15 minutes approx. for old potatoes), strain off two-thirds of the water, replace lid, put onto a gentle heat and allow potatoes to steam until cooked.

Peel immediately by just pulling off the skins. Wash while hot (see note below).

While potatoes are being peeled, bring about 10 ozs. of milk to a boil. Beat eggs into hot mashed potatoes, and add enough boiling, creamy milk to mix to a soft, light consistency suitable for piping. Beat in butter -- amount depends on how rich you like your potatoes. Taste and season with salt and freshly-ground pepper. Serves 4.

Note: If potatoes are not peeled and mashed while hot and if the boiling milk is not added immediately, the Duchesse Potatoes will be lumpy and gluey. If you only have egg whites they will be fine and will make a delicious light mashed potato also.

PHEASANT WITH CELERY AND PORT Chicken or guinea fowl may also be used 1 plump pheasant 3 level tbsp. butter 1 finely-chopped onion 1 lb. streaky bacon 1 cup port 1 1 cups chicken or pheasant giblet stock salt and freshly-ground pepper 1 head of celery 3 cups cream Squeeze of lemon juice, if necessary Roux (optional) Garnish: chopped parsley PRE-HEAT oven to 350 0 F. Cut bacon into 1 -inch pieces. Melt butter in a casserole, add bacon and onion and cook for a few minutes. Remove to a plate.

Smear a little butter on pheasant breast and brown in casserole over a gentle heat. Return onion and bacon to casserole, add port and stock. Bring to a boil, cover and cook in oven for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice celery into 1 -inch pieces. Add to casserole, packing it all around the pheasant. Season with salt and pepper; replace lid. Cook a further 30-35 minutes. Remove pheasant as soon as it is cooked, strain and de-grease cooking liquid. Arrange celery and bacon in a serving dish, carve pheasant into 4 portions and arrange on top.

Bring cooking liquid back to the boil, add cream and simmer for 4 or 5 minutes to intensify flavour. Thicken with a little roux if necessary. Taste for seasoning and sharpen with a little lemon juice. Spoon sauce over the pheasant and celery, and serve scattered with chopped parsley. Serves 4.

Clarified Butter MELT 1 cup of butter gently in a saucepan. Allow to stand for a few minutes, then spoon the crusty white layer of salt particles off the top. Underneath this crust there is clear liquid butter which is called clarified butter. The milky liquid at the bottom can be discarded or used in a white sauce.

Clarified butter is excellent for cooking because it can withstand a higher temperature when the salt and milk particles are removed. It will keep covered in a refrigerator for several weeks.