(Looking for older or more traditional Irish desserts? Please click here.)

You could probably make a case that all Irish desserts can be divided into two periods, B.B. and A.B.: Before Baileys and After Baileys. Devised by the Irish distilling company Gilbeys in 1972 as a way to exploit two abundant local resources -- Irish cream and Irish whiskey -- Baileys Irish Cream became the world's number 1 selling liqueur within a decade of its invention. As a result, it has since been stuffed into almost every kind of dessert preparation imaginable, some of them much better than others.

It's uncertain how much effort other drinks manufacturers might previously have made to try to get the whiskey and the cream to stay mixed together -- probably the single factor which kept a commercial cream/whiskey blend from coming on the market much sooner. But after several years of intensive research, Gilbeys solved the problem, producing a creamy, rich drink with just the right balance of sweetness, smoothness and booze... and one which contained no preservatives except the alcohol. Even now, people sometimes need to be reminded that Baileys has a shelf life of only two years. But inside those two years, it's possible to do all kinds of things with it besides just drink it. And rich, creamy desserts are a favorite way to go.

Here we offer you three recipes that we've found most successful at setting off Baileys' unique characteristics to best advantage. Two of them are big favorites of visitors to our website, and have recently been broken out onto their own pages. The third is perhaps a little more traditional than the others: a Baileys-based pudding which contains the unique Irish natural gelling agent, carrageen.

Creamy Baileys Mousse Pie

Baileys Marble Cheesecake

Baileys Carrageen Pudding

Carrageen, or carrageenan -- sometimes also known as "Irish moss" -- is a purplish seaweed found all along the west coast of Ireland. For centuries it's been gathered, bleached (normally in the sun) and sold as a natural thickening agent which also imparts a delicate flavor to puddings, ice creams and gelatin desserts. Health food stores often carry it, as do some large groceries or food stores that specialize in imports.

To serve 8-10 people:

• 15g / 1/2 ounce carrageen
• 1.5 liters / 2 1/2 UK pints / 6 1/4 cups milk
• 300ml / 1/2 UK pint / 1 1/4 cups Baileys Irish Cream
• 2 eggs, separated
• 4 tablespoons caster / superfine sugar

Soak the carrageen in tepid water for 10 minutes. Put the milk into a pan with the drained carrageen. Bring to the boil and simmer very gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Strain the mixture and rub all the jelly through the strainer; discard anything remaining in the sieve. Rinse out the pan and return the mixture to it, over a very low heat. Blend in the Baileys.

Heat the mixture very gently to just below boiling point. Then remove immediately from the heat.

Mix the egg yolks and sugar together and blend a little of the hot milk mixture into them. Then stir or whisk the egg yolk / sugar / milk mixture into the remaining milk. When the sugar has dissolved, leave the mixture to cool a little. Then whisk the egg whites until stiff, and fold in gently.

Turn the whole business into a serving bowl; leave in the refrigerator to set. Serve alone, or with fruit.

(Note: because some people do spell the name of the Irish creme liqueur as Bailyes or Bailys, or even Baylies or Bailies, we're adding those spellings here to help them find this page more easily.)