I’m writing this from a hotel room 26 floors above the Las Vegas strip.
I’m nearing the end of the second day of the Saveur Magazine Best Food Blog Awards party and the feeling of gratefulness is still growing. The fact that such an important food magazine recognized what I’m doing as Best of the Best brings a validation to what I’ve been stumbling towards. It’s humbling to know who many millions of food blogs are out there, and how just a handful of us are here. To feel in a small way that there must have been a mistake made, wondering if I really am good enough to be sitting in a room so full of talent.
But I’ll take it, with a smile and renewed sense of purpose. Closer to the goals I set when I started this journey, and closer to feeling like I belong here.
And that feeling of gratefulness, that feeling that I’m incredibly lucky to do what I do, that’ll just keep growing.
Cream ales found their way into the American beer system during prohibition, an ironic time for many great alcoholic beverages to have gotten their start. The name is a bit misleading, cream isn’t involved in the brewing process, but the taste is smooth and even a bit creamy which is where the name comes from.
As we hurdle towards summer, and events which center around our tub of craft beer offerings, cream ales are a great style to include when trying to satisfy the masses. These are easy to drink beers that have low hop character, smooth crispy flavors and some hints of fruit.
I used a cream ale from the Pacific Northwest, from a brewery that has become a mainstay in my fridge since I moved north. Nuptiale from Ninkasi is a great beer to stock up on for those summer get togethers, it’s what I refer to as a Gateway Beer. Perfect for the craft beer snobs, and just what a craft beer newbie needs to get hooked.
Roll the pie crust out on a flat surface, line a deep dish 9.5 inch pie pan, trim the excess.
In a blender or a food processor add the cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, egg, 2/3 cup cream ale, vanilla, flour and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Blend until smooth, pour into pie crust.
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, add the peaches, cornstarch, sugar, butter and cream ale. Simmer until thickened, about ten minutes.
Pour the peaches over the cream cheese.
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the edges of the filling has set but the center still jiggles when shaken, about 40 minutes.
Chill until set, about 4 hours.
Notes
This requires a very deep dish pie pan. 9 1/2 inches, 1.8 to 2 qt.
If you use a small pie pan you will have far too much filling.
For what seems like decades brewers have been involved in a bit of an ABV arms race to see who can bring to the table the IPA with highest alcohol content. The Top That ABV Game seems to be waining in favor of the Full Flavor Session IPA game, to the relief of lightweights across the land.
Now that summer is around the corner and long days of eating Hot Meat off the grill and drinking all day, session beers are more important. A session beer is a beer with low alcohol that you can spend a "long drinking session" consuming without becoming a cautionary tale. Mostly, these are beers that have less than 5% alcohol by volume (ABV).
Although a low ABV session beer becomes an important part of not becoming an unintended YouTube sensation with drunk antics, we also want to continue to perpetuate our status as the Craft Beer Queen, so "lite" beer won’t be considered. Session IPA’s are what we go to. The hops we want, the low alcohol that keeps us functional all day.
Here are some to seek out. This isn’t a "top ten"list, or a "best of" list. It’s just a list. A list of great session IPA’s to seek out when you want to drink all day without embarrassing yourself. If you have a session IPA you love, let me know.
In a food processor or blender add the apricots, IPA, sriracha, cornstarch, and balsamic, blend until smooth.
Salt and pepper the chicken thighs on all sides,.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Sear the chicken breasts on both sides. Add the shallots, stir until shallots have softened.
Add the apricot mixture, reduce heat to a low simmer, simmer until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley.
Notes
This recipe needs fully ripe, sweet apricots. If you use under-ripe apricots, the dish will be overly sour. If you don't have over ripe (almost mushy) apricots, add 2 tbs honey to combat the bitterness.
I grew up on a farm, surrounded by cowboys and farms and it didn’t take long to notice how different their "job" was from those 9 to 5’s that other people had. There were no days off, and this had nothing to do with the fact that ranches and farms never shut down, it was because you can’t keep a cowboy away. Give him a day off and he’ll still be there, boots laced up at dawn, hat pulled on as he heads out the door, driving a truck through the fields.
Give a brewer a day off and his brain will still be there. He’ll write down notes about what he wants to brew next, try to solve the problems with his last batch, wonder how the fermentation is going on what he’s brewing now, briefly considering going in to check. You can’t take the brewery out of the brewer.
Maybe that’s what life is about. Finding a job you’d do on your off time, finding a way to earn a paycheck from your obsessions. Even if that paycheck is smaller than the one you get from that job that you can’t wait to leave when the clock hits 5:00. Maybe it just comes down to a quality of life issues. The best advice I got in grad school was "Never get paid to do a job that you wouldn’t do for free."
Maybe it isn’t the doctors and CEO’s we should be jealous of, maybe it’s really the brewers and the cowboys that really have it all figured out.
Let’s talk for a few minutes about why this is such a great idea.
First, you can add beer. And the ability to add beer is always a plus. And let’s be honest, being able to pump out a beer infused dip in just a few minutes without turning on your oven is always a skill we want to have in our appetizer arsenal. Did I mention that you can add beer? It’s not just for you, but for those rowdy beer friends of yours. The ones that show up at the last minute and demand to be fed, you know that guy, we all know that guy. Let’s just hope that next time he shows up at your house and you’re nice enough to throw this dip together for him, he’s at least nice enough to bring some beer. And for all your "hard work" the least he can do is bring you the good stuff, because you deserve it. After all you did take five entire minutes to make him a beer infused homemade dip.
One of my favorite summer beer styles, it’s crisp, fruity, nice carbonation and great spice. It’s prefect for those summer cookouts, it pairs well with everything from potato salad to ribs. Saisons is a style that was born out of a farm house in Belgium, and lets be honest nothing bad can ever start in a farmhouse in Belgium, it was made for consumption during the summer months. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it also goes incredibly well with ice cream, or maybe the Belgian just knew what they were doing when they invented the perfect summer beer. It’s a great one to try if you’re new to craft beer, and after a near beer extinction, it’s back in a big way. Saisons are an easy style to find these days, and prefect for those of your friends that don’t think they like craft beer.
For this ice cream, I need an assertive saison, one that has bold flavors and good kick of spice. Of course, Stone never disappoints when you’re looking for a beer full of flavor and this Stone Saison was the perfect man for the job, the big flavors can stand up to sour cream and orange and hold their own. But I’m sure you’re not surprised, no one ever accused stone of being subtle.
Put all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufactures specifications until a soft serve consistency (about 15 minutes in a KitchenAid ice cream maker).
Pour into an air-tight container, freeze until set, about 2 hours.
Notes
Since the beer isn't cooked, the alcohol is still alive and well, be careful who you serve this too, it's not appropriate for children.
We need to talk for a second about the anatomy of a taco.
It’s pretty simple when you break it down: homemade tortilla, a flavorful protein, and an acid, that’s all. When you make something so simple, you need to make each building block well. Which will start with that tortilla. If there are just a few things that you make from scratch this year, tortillas should absolutely be one of them. Three simple ingredients and five minutes and you’ll never look back. Besides, those cardboard disks labeled "Corn Tortillas" they sell at the grocery store are best used for sanding the paint of walls.
For the protein, you can use anything from your favorite meat, to a beer battered avocado, it’s your call. But if you’re feeding a diverse crowd of eaters, tacos are the way to go. Tortillas are gluten free, and east to stuff full of veggies, so you have two big food limitations covered.
Acid is important when you’re trying to balance a rich meat. Salsa is obviously the go-to, but I’m adding in some pickled jicama to mix things up.
In my world, cilantro is a must on tacos, it balances heat really well. And if you’re going to add cheese, back away from the grated cheddar. Grab a more traditional cheese like my current cheese obsession: cotija. It’s salty and crumbly and approved by Mexican grandmas for use on your tacos. That’s an important endorsement in my world.
1cupjicamapeeled and cut into match stick sized strips
1cupfresh corn kernels
2wt oz cotija cheese
1avocadodiced
½cupcilantrochopped
Tortillas for servinghomemade corn tortillas recommended
Instructions
In a small bowl stir together the spice rub (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper and brown sugar).
Sprinkle the pork ribs on all sides with the spice mixture.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven until hot but not smoking. Add the pork, sear on all sides until browned. Add the onions, tomatoes stout and smashed garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, add lid at a vent.
Simmer, turning ribs occasionally until fork tender, 3 to 4 hours.
While the pork is cooking make the pickled jicama. In a pot over medium high heat add the vinegar, salt and sugar, cook just until the sugar and salt has dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer and ice water, allow mixture to cool. Add the jicama to a bowl, pour pickling liquid over, cover and chill for at least 2 hours, drain.
Once pork is fork tender, turn off heat. Using two forks, shred meat and remove bones. Allow shredded pork to sit in the simmering liquid for ten minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain.
Fill the tacos with pork, top with pickled jicama, corn, cotija, avocado and cilantro.
Let’s just say that you want to dive into the world of craft beer. Or even that you’re curious enough that you just want to know a bit more. Or maybe you’re just as much of a geek as I am and you just like to know stuff.
Let’s also assume that you’re starting with little more knowledge than knowing what IPA stands for and that Guinness is a stout. Or maybe less.
I was there once, we all were. No one is born with a head full of beer knowledge, and unlike other adult beverages, very few people were born into the world of beer. People are born into vineyards, or distilleries, but very few are born into breweries. Most of us start out knowing nothing, wondering what’s past the pale macro lager, dabbling in craft beer, and then wondering why it’s so much better than that stuff we chugged out of kegs in college. We seek out the knowledge, and most of us self educate. So, where do you start?
My picks for the best introduction to craft beer books, great for the beer novice, or even those who claim Beer Geek status:
The Naked Pint: An Unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer,By Christina Perozzi, Hallie Beaune*
The Brewmaster’s Table ,By Garrett Oliver*
The Oxford Companion to Beer, By Garrett Oliver
The Complete Beer Course, By Joshua M. Bernstein
Tasting Beer: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink, By Randy Mosher
Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros, by Julia Herz and Gwen Conley
*two personal favorites of mine
If you know a great introduction to craft beer book let me know in the comments section.
1lbsabout 3 granny smith apples, peeled, cores and thinly sliced
1/3cupbrown sugar
½tspcinnamonVietnamese cinnamon preferred
pinchsalt
¼cupcream alepale ale or wheat beer
Instructions
Put all the crepe ingredients in a blender, blend until combined. Put the batter in the fridge for one hour and up to 12 (can be made the night before).
To make the apples melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cook until the apples have softened. Add the beer and simmer until the liquid has thickened to a syrup, set aside.
In a 10 inch non-stick skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter.
Add about ¼ cup batter, swirl the pan to spread the batter into a thin circle.
Cook over medium high heat until the top is dry. Flip the crepe using a spatula, cook until the underside is golden brown. Continue until all batter is used.
It’s hard to find anyone who grew up in America that doesn’t have childhood memories of meatballs. And in the grand tradition of our great country, we stole these from someone else, and no one can agree how they are really supposed to be made.
They can be in a sandwich, over pasta, by themselves, with rice, with cheese, spicy, herby, pork, or beef. But there are some things to keep in mind when making these savory little balls of meat, regardless of how you want them to taste.
First, the less you handle the meat the better, overworked meat gets tough and mealy. Second, add some flavor. Spice, or herbs or cheese, these big bites of meat need a kick. Feel free to experiment.
Lastly, if you want them to be round there are a few things you can do:
Make sure the meatballs are really cold before cooking, they’ll hold their shape better.
Boiling them in sauce or liquid will help them stay round but rob them of the nice caramelization that pan frying can give. a combination of cooking methods works best if you want both a nice caramelization as well as a nice shape. But err on the side of flavor, taste always wins over glamour.
Last, don’t be afraid to make them your own. These guys lend themselves to adventure, from chorizo mole meatballs to Bree cheese stuffed meatballs with cherry shallot sauce, these culinary gypsies can go where you send them.
And of course, they like beer. So they can stay for dinner.
For this recipe I used a Pacific Northwest treat, Ninkasi Oatis. A beautiful, creamy oatmeal stout that’s really easy to find now that I live in the Emerald City.
1lbground chuckor a combination or ground pork and ground beef
1tspgarlic powder
1tsponion powder
¼tspcumin
1/8tspcayenne pepper
½tspsalt
1egg
¼cupbreadcrumbs
¼cupstout beer
For the sauce:
1tbsolive oil
4clovesgarlicminced
1/3cuplow sodium soy sauce
2tbsWorcestershire sauce
3tbstomato paste
1 ½tspSrirachared chili sauce
2tspsmoked paprika
1tsponion powder
1cupstout
1/3cupbrown sugar
Instructions
In a large bowl add all the meatball ingredients (except the 1 tablespoon oil), stir until just combined (about two of three turns with your hands). Over handling the meat will make it tough and mealy.
Place bowl in the fridge for 1 hour and up to 1 day (this will help keep it’s shape during cooking.
While meat is chilling make the sauce.
Add the olive oil to a pot over medium high heat, add that garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, simmer until thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400.
Using a cookie scoop, make balls just smaller than a golf ball with the chilled meat. Place on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Cook for 12 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add the meat balls, pull the skillet back and forth over the burner to roll the meat balls around in the pan. Cook until meatballs are just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat and add the barbeque sauce, cooking at a simmer until meatballs are glazed and sauce is very thick.
I’m not crazy. There is an actually practical reason to soak your potatoes in a beer brine before they hit the grill. Potatoes are mostly water, held in by the starch. Using the water extracting powder of salt you can help remove the water and give your potatoes a crispier outside with a creamy middle while cooking.
And let’s talk about that cooking. For well over a year I’ve been taunting you with grill recipes, like grilled Beer & Buttermilk Sriracha Chicken, and Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter, but what if you don’t have a grill? First, you should buy one, but if you can’t swing it, a grill pan is a great alternative. I went nearly two years without a grill and I used my grill pan weekly as a substitute.
Because no matter what life throws your way, there is something about grilled food and cold beer that makes it seem like all is right in the world again.
In a large bowl stir together the salt and beer. Add the potato rounds and add enough water until potatoes are fully covered.
Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 12.
Remove from the brine and allow to dry completely on a stack of paper towels.
Add the potatoes to a bowl or baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices, toss until well coated.
Preheat the grill (or a grill pan) to medium high.
Place the potatoes on the grill (working in batches if necessary), until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until fork tender, about 3 additional minutes.
When you’re a kid, there are monsters in the closet. Monsters that terrify you, chill your blood and ice your bones. You don’t know they aren’t real, because to you they exist in a way that’s more real than death and taxes.
When we grow up the monsters don’t leave our lives, they just change shape. They come in scarier, bigger forms that exist outside our closets. Conversations that need to be had, admissions that need to see light, relationships that need to end. And what we often can’t see is that the monster is bigger when it’s in the dark, it can only control us if it stays hidden. Once we unleash the beast, and face his teeth it’s often that he’s much smaller than we would have thought. More often than not, his power isn’t what we’d imagined.
And now we have space for all those things the monster would have eaten up. I’ve faced some recently. I’ve found courage. Not without tears, not without consequence, but in a way that feels like I am finally able to figure out what I was really scared of all along.
In a bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until well combined. While the mixer is running add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl between additions.
Add the canola oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract, beat until well combined.
In a medium bowl sift together both kinds of flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a small bowl add the beer and lemon juice.
Alternating between the dry ingredients and the beer, slowly add both to the mixer, a little at a time until all ingredients are just combined.
Add the strawberries, stir until incorporated.
Grease and flour two large (1.5 qt) loaf pans.
Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake at 350 until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched, about 28-32 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for about ten minutes.
In a small bowl stir together the hot water and ¼ cup sugar until the sugar has dissolved. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice.
Poke a dozen small holes in each loaf with a long wooden skewer. Drizzle the warm lemon simple syrup over both loafs (you can also brush on with a pastry brush).
Allow to sit in the pans until cooled, about 2 hours. Remove from pans and refrigerated.
Stir together all icing ingredients. Pour over cakes, chill until ready to serve.
I’d give up most of the cooking equipment in my house in exchange for my grill.
I went two years without one and once I bit the bullet and bought a new one, even I’m amazed at the sheer magnitude of food that can grilled. Clearly cake is a good illustration of that. But I’m also fairly smitten with grilled corn with sriracha butter, and grilled salad (for real), and even pizza (especially pizza).
Because grilling isn’t just about the food, it’s about the process, it’s about the atmosphere, and it’s about the fact that you can. Winter has lifted, you are now free to cook your food outdoors over an open flame. It’s healthy, but that’s not the point. And of all the beer related food, grilling just demands beer.
Grilled Angel Food Cake with Beer Macerated Strawberries