Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor

Chocolate Stout Caramel Tart with Pretzel Crust

11.08.2014 6 Comments

I was stuck in an elevator once.

I was in college, on my way to a job interview. The elevator was supposed to deposit me on the 9th floor a perfect 6 minutes before my interview time. But somewhere between the 4th and 5th floor, the elevator jolted to a stop, the doors slightly ajar, revealing my position of being stuck between floors. Frustrated that my plan to arrive at the perfect time was being hacked to pieces, I reach for my phone. No service.

I push the "door close" button, the 9th floor button again, and the lobby button again. Nothing.

I press the button with a phone on it. "Security" I hear coming from a circle of holes in the metal plate above the elevator buttons.

"Ummm, yeah. I’m in the elevator on the East side of the building, and it’s stuck. It stopped between the 4th and 5th floor."

"uuhhhhh….really? Did you push the buttons?"

"Yes I pushed the buttons! That’s the best you’ve got? Get me out of here!"

About 45 minutes later I hear sirens, a fire truck had come to my rescue. I hear low rumbling chatter and I can’t make out what the voices are saying, but within minutes the elevator doors close and the metal box I’d been trapped in slowly moves towards the lobby. When the doors open I’m met by a group of 5 firemen, who all cheer when the doors open. I laugh.

"How’d you get stuck?!" A charming young fireman says with a slight smile, "Did you push the buttons?"

"Yes I pushed the buttons, it didn’t help,"

I thanked them, and quickly left. Making my way to the 9th floor, hoping that my interview was still salvageable after an hour, I decide to take the stairs in spite of the 5 inch heels I’d chosen to wear that day.

Finally in front of the hiring manager who had written me off when I didn’t show up on time, I plead my case. After all, it really was a great excuse for being late.

"That was you?! I heard about that," He said after I’d explained the past hour, "Did you push the buttons?"

"Yes I pushed the buttons!"

Needless to say, I did not get the job.

Chocolate Stout Caramel Tart with Pretzel Crust

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Crust:

3 ½ cup 4.5 wt oz mini pretzel twists
2 tbs brown sugar
8 tbs melted butter

For the Chocolate Layer:

10 wt oz dark chocolate 62% cocoa content
1/3 cup chocolate stout
3 tbs heavy cream

For the Caramel Layer:

2 cups white sugar
12 tbs unsalted butter cut into cubes
1/3 cup heavy cream
¼ cup chocolate stout

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Add the pretzels and the brown sugar to a food processor, process until just crumbs.
While the food processors is running, add the melted butter, process until well combined.
Add the mixture to a 9-inch tart pan. Starting with the sides, press the pretzel mixture into an even layer.
Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until dark golden brown.
Remove from oven, allow to cool.
In the top of a double boiler add the chocolate, stout, and cream. Stir until melted and well combined. Pour into the crust in an even layer, chill until set.
In a sauce pan add the sugar. Stir until melted. The sugar will clump before it melts, just keep stirring. Once the sugar has melted, stop stirring (you can swirl the pan to prevent burning) and allow to boil until the sugar reaches 350 on a candy thermometer. This happens quickly, stay close.
Remove from heat and immediately stir in the butter, cream and stout. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour over chocolate lay, refrigerate until set, about 3 hours. Chill until ready to serve. Tart is best made a day ahead of time.

Notes

The caramel layer melts into a caramel sauce at room temperature. For a less messy tart, add about half the caramel to the top of the tart, reserving the rest for an alternate use, like ice cream. Store unused caramel in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Caramel will keep for up to three weeks.

Beer Brined Pepper Lime Chicken with Gorgonzola and Blackberries

06.08.2014 7 Comments

I was once asked to be in a porn movie. I was 21.

I was a social worker for gang members, working with a rough crowd of teenagers in an unsavory section of Los Angeles. On a particularly frustrating day of trying to convince a hot-tempered kid why punching his teacher wasn’t a "dope idea," I decide to take a break and walk a few blocks to the nearby by mini-mart for a soda and some breathing room. As a way to exagerate the few small years that stood between my age and theirs, I always came to work a bit overdressed. As a way to look like I wasn’t still at the tail-end of my teens, I was wearing black pants, red heels and a crisp white button down. Which wasn’t the usual wardrobe choice for this particular area of the Southland.

On the way back, sucking down a Diet Coke and trying to formulate a response to angry-teen-guy logic, a brand new BMW pulled up beside me. The overly tinted window rolled down and I hear a voice asking for my attention. I was completely unsurprised to see an overly tan, overly hair gelled guy in an undersized tank top. He passed me his card and told me he was a producer. Now, we need to pause for a second to explain a little bit of the LA culture. While you should ALWAYS be skeptical of anyone who tries this line on you, and under no circumstances should you meet this person in an area that isn’t highly public, it’s not the strangest situation. I was cast as an extra in two TV shows and a movie that all started with similar conversations.

I keep a safe distance from Tan Hair Gel Baby Gap Tank Top Guy, while grabbing the business card he passed across his passenger’s seat. "I need to let you know it is an adult film, we can negotiate the sex" he says with a smarmy wink.

"Ahhh, ok," I drop the card on the passenger seat, "I’m good, but thanks for the offer." I quickly make my way back to work as he yells dollar amounts at me. Which, in case you’re wondering, isn’t at ALL degrading.

Upon returning to the office I tell the office manager what happened. She was a 50-year-old former nun, and still in practice as far as the celibacy goes, and I was a little worried about her reaction to something so tawdry. "That’s so offensive!" she yells. I knew it would disgust her and I was a little embarrassed to have told her, "I walk to that QuickMart every day and I’ve never been asked to be in a porno movie! What’s wrong with me!? I’m offended."

Not the reaction I was expecting but somehow it make the entire interaction worth it.

Beer Brined Pepper Lime Chicken with Gorgonzola and Blackberries

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
12 ounces pale ale
1 tbs lime zest
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
2 wt oz gorgonzola
½ cup fresh blackberries

Instructions

Add the chicken thighs to a large bowl or baking dish, pour beer over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove from beer, pat dry.
In a small bowl stir together the lime zest, flour, pepper and salt.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture until well coated.
Cook the chicken until golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
Plate the chicken, top with a sprinkle of gorgonzola cheese and blackberries.

Porter Marinated Steak Skewers with Cilantro Horseradish Cream

30.07.2014 9 Comments

We have caveman like instincts, I have lots.

I have this nearly uncontrollable urge to knock over that giant tower of perfectly stacked wine glasses in Crate & Barrel. I walk past, barely glancing at the shimmering tower that’s mocking me from it’s white square pedestal as I clutch my purse tightly and imagine swinging it right through the center, sending it all crashing to the ground. And I promise you that if I’m ever on the receiving end of a giant cash filled windfall, it’s the first thing I’ll do. Some people will buy a car, or that ridiculously overpriced pair of shoes, but for me: walk right into the nearest Crate & Barrel, swing my purse right through a six foot tower of glassware, throw down a wad of hundreds and walk right out, completely satisfied. Don’t think I wont.

Until I’m a millionaire, I’ll have to control myself. I’ll just sublimate my destructive urges by eating meat off a stick. It’s caveman like, and it’s less expensive.

But If I ever win the lottery, you should alert all of the nearest high end house-ware retail chains, just to be safe.

Porter Marinated Steak Skewers with Cilantro Horseradish Cream

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Ingredients

For the Steak:

2 lbs thin slices flank steak
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt plus 1 tsp divided
1 tsp black pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1 cup porter
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 cloves garlic chopped

For the cream sauce:

1/3 cup sour cream
1 tbs cream style horseradish
2 tbs chopped cilantro
1 tbs lemon juice
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp garlic powder

Instructions

Place the flank steak in a baking dish or wide bowl. Sprinkle all over with brown sugar, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and black pepper. Drizzle with olive oil, rub oil and spices into the meat.
Pour porter, Worcestershire, soy and garlic over the steak. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
Remove steak from marinade, cut into 2 inch strips, thread through metal skewers (or pre-soaked wooden skewers). Sprinkle with remaining salt.
Grill until desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium rare (depending on thickness.
In a small bowl stir together the sour cream, horseradish, cilantro, ¼ tsp salt, lemon juice, and garlic powder (can be made up to a day ahead of time, flavors develop after a few hours).
Serve skewers with sauce on the side.

Beer Brat Dogs with Grilled Peach Salsa and Fried Onions

28.07.2014 7 Comments

I tried to make sausage from scratch once.

I went to Lindy & Grundy and had along talk with the gorgeous Sausage Making Queen of Los Angeles, Amelia. Armed with sausage casings, several different types of pork and pork fat to be ground, and tips for success from the pros who instruct the pros, I was confident. I spent hours grinding meat, adding spices, filling casings and turning my dining room light fixture into a drying rack.

Then, it was time to fry up the profits of my labor.

It didn’t go well. The casings split, the filling was mealy and dry. Turns out, unless you make sausages in a meat locker you’re not headed for success, sausages need frigid temperatures to turn out perfectly. Which explains why the best sausages come from cold climates as opposed to tropical locations.

I’ll always make as much as I can from scratch, but some things just need to be left to the pros. I’ll never buy pre-made tortillas, I’ll always make my own whipped cream and canned frosting makes baby Jesus cry. But sausage making needs to be left to the pros, it’s an art. It takes years to get right, and talent to make perfect. I’ll make the buns from scratch, and the toppings, but I’ll always be on the look out for a butcher shop that makes the best sausages, and when I find it I’ll trade beer for sausages. I know my place.

Beer Brat Dogs with Grilled Peach Salsa and Fried Onions

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Ingredients

1/3 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
½ white onions sliced
canola oil for frying
6 raw bratwursts
24 ounces pale ale
2 ripe but firm peaches sliced
¼ red onion cut in half
2 red jalapenos sliced in half lengthwise
¼ cup chopped cilantro
6 hot dog buns

Instructions

Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl, add the onion, toss until well coated.
Add 3 to 4 inches of oil to a saucepan, use a deep fry thermometer to bring the oil to 375, adjusting heat to maintain that temperature.
Drop the onions in the oil, fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
Remove from oil, drain on a wire rack or paper towels.
In a pan with a lid add the brats and the beer, cover and simmer until the brats are cooked through, remove from pan.
Preheat the grill to medium high.
Add the brats, peaches, red onion and jalapenos, grilling all until grill marks appear on all sides.
Chop the peaches, onion and cilantro, add to a bowl along with the cilantro, toss to combine.
Add the brats to the buns, top with peach salsa and fried onions.

Beer Brined Scallops over Spinach Salad With Bacon Stout Dressing

25.07.2014 9 Comments

If you’re going to make me a salad, it better be a damn good salad. After all, you’re asking me to skip carbs and satisfying fried finger foods, I might resent you if it isn’t a really good salad.

Bacon is a good start, and so is beer. Scallops are a fan favorite as well. Let’s talk about those for a second while we’re at it. Scallops will most likely come to you via a grocery store seafood counter soaking in a milky phosphate solution (yum!) that will help keep it fresh longer as well as give it an unfortunate soapy taste and an inability to sear properly. The solution to this is beer. Well, more accurately, a brine. Soaking the scallops in a brine will flush out that unappetizing liquid and give you a great taste and a great sear. Which will help that salad taste amazing. And make people forget all about the missing french fries.

But there is beer and bacon and perfect scallops, so no one should complain. If they do, take away their beer.

Beer Brined Scallops over Spinach Salad With Bacon Stout Dressing

Print Recipe

Servings 2 entree portions or 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients

12 ounces pale ale
2 tbs salt
1 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
8 jumbo scallops
salt and pepper
3 thick slices bacon
¼ cup chopped shallots
¼ cup stout beer
2 tbs brown mustard
2 tbs raw honey
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs unsalted butter
1 lbs asparagus
3 cups baby spinach leaves
2 wt oz crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the pale ale, salt, water and lemon juice.
Add the scallops, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the scallops from fridge and place on top of a stack of 4-5 paper towels. Add another layer of paper towels and allow to drain and dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper on both sides.
Cook the bacon in a pan over medium high heat until cooked through, remove from pan, chop and set aside. Add the shallots to the bacon grease, cook until shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stout beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the mustard, honey and pepper, whisking to combine. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add the scallops, flat side down, and allow to cook until a dark golden brown crust forms on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until seared on the opposite side. Remove from pan when a slight hint of translucent pink still remains at the center, don’t over cook.
Trim asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces. Cook the asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for one minute, drain and allow to dry.
Plate the spinach, top with asparagus, goat cheese, and crumbled bacon, dizzle with dressing, top with scallops.

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches and Jalapeños

21.07.2014 17 Comments

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches & Jalapenos

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches and Jalapeños. Fried chicken is SOOOOO good with pickled peaches!

Slider has always been one of those skeevy words that I’ve tried to avoid. Like, well, the word "skeevy," or the unfortunate times I’m forced to use the word "moist." Like the way "wooded area" is almost always followed by "dead body" or how the word "penetrate" should never be used outside a seventh grade health class as a way to horrify kids into keeping it in their pants for a few more years.

I need a viable replacement word, something more appropriate for a miniature version of a delightful sandwich. I also need replacement words for the multitude of swear words I use on a daily basis, but one thing at a time. I’m much more motivated to find replacement words for "slider" and "moist," those are much less fun to say than my drunken sailor vocabulary.

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches and Jalapenos

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Peaches:

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup pale ale beer
2 ice cubes about 2-3 tbs water
1 large peach slightly under ripe, firm, sliced

For the Sliders:

2 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
12 ounces pale ale
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
pinch cayenne
canola or peanut oil for frying
1 jalapeno thinly slices
¼ cup chopped green onion
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
12 Hawaiian rolls split

Instructions

In a pot over medium high heat add the vinegar, sugar and salt, stir until the sugar and salt has dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer and ice cubes, allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Add the peaches to a bowl, pour the pickling liquid over the peaches, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to three days.
Add the chicken to a large bowl or baking dish, cover with beer and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
Heat 4 to 6 inches of oil in a large saucepan, using a deep fry thermometer, adjust heat to maintain 350 degrees.
In a shallow bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne.
One at a time remove the pieces of chicken from the buttermilk, toss in the flour until well coated, dip back into the buttermilk mixture and then toss again in the flour until well coated. Drop gently into the hot oil, frying until golden brown and the center reaches 165 on a meat thermometer, about 6 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the jalapeno, green onion and red onions.
Split the buns, add a piece of fried chicken, one to two pickled peaches and 1 tablespoon onion jalapeno mixture.

Cherry Vanilla Pale Ale Party Cake

18.07.2014 12 Comments

I’m a huge fan of ridiculous cakes.

My Epic Chocolate Stout Cake has three layers of cake and three layers of chocolate fudge. My Lemon Dream Cake is similar. I even spent years making obnoxiously large cakes shaped like hamburgers and sharks, and by the way, who cares if a cake is shaped like a burrito? Now, I just care if it tastes good.

I’m overly concerned with the presentations of my food, which I completely blame on instagram and my current career path which has resulted in an obsession with presenting the world (or maybe just my neighbors) with an impressive plateful of edible art. I’m an asshole, we established this earlier this week with the polenta discussion. Sometimes I want a break from all this self-inflicted baking demand and I just want to make something that’s casual and easy to take to a party. I want the cake equivalent of the perfect pair of jeans, it looks great in a laid back sort of way.

Sheet cakes remind me of childhood, but with three homemade layers it’s fancy enough for something that you probably shouldn’t wear jeans to. Although if this fancy soiree thinks it’s too good for a bottle of beer, then you should just take your casual-yet-elegant cake and move on. Jeans are case by case, but beer should always be invited.

Cherry Vanilla Pale Ale Party Cake

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Servings 9 -12 servings

Ingredients

For The Cake Layer:

½ cup unsalted butter
1 cups sugar
¼ cup raw honey
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
¼ cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup pale ale
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

For The Cherries Layer:

¼ cup cornstarch
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 lbs cherries pitted
½ cup beer

For The Whipped Cream layer

3 cups heavy cream
½ cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F.
In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar and honey 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, buttermilk, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
In a medium bowl, sift together 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 the ingredients are just combined.
Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake at 325°F until light golden brown, 23–26 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Stir together the cornstarch and sugar in a saucepan. Stir in ½ cup pale ale until dissolved, stir in the cherries. Simmer over medium high heat until cherries have started to break down and sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.
Pour the cherries over the cake in an even layer. Chill until set, about 1 hour.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the heavy cream, powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, beat until medium peaks form, about 5 minutes. Spread the whipped cream in an even layer over the cake. Chill until ready to serve.

Beer Pesto Chicken with Creamy Parmesan Pale Ale Polenta

16.07.2014 13 Comments

Polenta makes me feel like an asshole, but I can’t stop making it. Like the way that Giada over pronounces Italian words and Midwestern transplants start using phrases like "taking holiday" once they move to Beverly Hills, it feels disingenuous. Polenta is corn grits, I live in America. I pronounce croissant and mascarpone in a way that would make Europeans cringe but it’s authentic to my California upbringing. Shouldn’t I call it grits? But I can’t. I learned how to make this bowl of creamy comfort from the back of box labeled "dry polenta" and I’m sticking with it.

Although if we really want to dissect it, I’ve trashed up this corn meal in such a way that neither the Italian or the American South would want to claim it. Beer isn’t in any recipe that any Alabama or Sicilian grandma would approve, but maybe I don’t care as much as I should. Tradition is fine for holidays and sporting events but food is meant for evolution or we would all still be putting pineapple rings on canned ham.

As a culinary man without a country, I should just make up my own term. I can let Italy and the South off the hook and just call it something entirely different. Or I can just have a beer and forget about the whole thing.

Beer Pesto Chicken with Creamy Parmesan Pale Ale Polenta

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Ingredients

For the pesto:

2 cloves garlic smashed
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup grated parmesan
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tsp salt
¼ cup pale ale
1/3 cup olive oil

For the Polenta:

4 tbs butter
1 cup pale ale
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup polenta also called corn grits or coarse ground corn meal
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

For the Chicken:

1 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Make the Pesto:

In a food processor add the garlic, pecans, parmesan, basil, and salt, process until smooth. While the processor is running, slowly add the beer and olive oil. Pesto can be made up to three days ahead of time.

Make the polenta:

In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the beer and milk, bring to a simmer.
Whisk in the polenta. Simmer until polenta is tender and thickened, whisking occasionally, about 18 minutes.
Stir in the parmesan, salt and pepper.

Make the chicken.

Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
Add the chicken, cooking on both sides until browned and chicken is cooked through.
Plate polenta, then the chicken, top with pesto.

Notes

If substituting chicken breast, filet the chicken breasts into two thin slices, rather than a thicker breasts. Season well before cooking, don't over cook, chicken breasts dry out easily.

Jalapeno Beer Cheese Burger with Beer Candied Bacon

14.07.2014 12 Comments

When I get to a new city, I always ask people what breweries they like. People answer this question in one of two ways: how much they like the beer, or how much they like the people. Sometimes, the judgement is clouded by a love for one spilling over into the other, the way you adore your friends mediocre band. Often, there is an overlap. Great beer and great people. The amazing thing about craft beer is that it’s full of people you love, people you want to root for.

Lucky for me, in this new town I’m in, Seattle has plenty of both. A few days after moving here I had drinks with a friend. I asked about Pike Brewing, "Adored. People here adore Pike, the people who work there are so great and the beer is super solid." No matter how many people I ask, craft beer new comers to genuine beer snobs, the answer seems to be the same. Seattle is rooting for this brewery.

Now that summer is here, and we get a window of heat in the Pacific Northwest, a burger and a beer are the perfect meal. Made with a beer that Seattle loves, it makes me feel like this new town is starting to become my home.

Jalapeno Beer Cheese Burger with Beer Candied Bacon

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the bacon:

12 strips thick sliced bacon
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup stout
pinch cayenne

For the cheese sauce:

2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup IPA
1 cup whole milk
2 cups 4 wt oz shredded cheddar cheese

For the burgers:

2 lbs ground chuck 80/20 lean to fat ratio, very cold
2 tbs stout
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbs melted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 jalapenos sliced
6 hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls

Instructions

Make the bacon:

Preheat ove the 350.
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, bring the brown sugar, stout and cayenne to boil, boil for one minute.
Place the bacon on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Brush the bacon on each side with sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, flip, re-brush with sugar mixture, bake for ten more minutes until bacon is a dark brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Bacon will harden as it cools.
Bacon can be made a day ahead of time.

Make the cheese:

In a pan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle with flour and cornstarch, whisk until well combined, allow to cook until a light brown color.
Add the beer and the milk, bring to a low simmer. About ¼ cup at a time, whisk in the cheese, making sure all cheese is melted before adding more. Keep warm while you make the burgers (sauce will thicken as it cools, add additional milk or beer and add to heat if the sauce thickens too much).

Make the Burgers:

Preheat the grill.
In a medium bowl, gently mix together the beef, 2 tablespoons stout and onion powder. Make sure that you only mix as little as necessary, over working the meat will make it tough. Form into 6 patties (make sure to form patties larger than you want the final results to be, patties shrink as they cook).
Brush patties on both sides with butter, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Grill on both sides until medium, about 4 minutes per side.
Fill the buns with patties, jalapenos, bacon and cheese sauce.

Triple Chile Beer Cheese Dip

11.07.2014 11 Comments

I’ve always been a bit of a heat freak. I’ll always order the spiciest version of any dish on the menu, and then add hot sauce. I’ve had to tamp down the fiery ingredients when writing recipes for mass consumption, but when it’s just me and a few other capsaicin worshipers, I’ll triple the power of the chiles.

When it comes to peppers, there is no way to look at them and tell how hot they are. Jalapeno’s for instance can range for a semi-mild heat level to a knock your socks off fire that can be three times the socville units of their milder counterparts. The scoville scale measures the heat level in chiles, giving them a number that correlates to how spicy those little devils are. Other than the peppers that earn no units (like the bell pepper), most peppers get a range rather than a specific number. For instance, the jalapeno ranges from 2,500-8,000. But you’ll never be able to tell just by looking at them if that pepper is mild or wild.

If you want to temper the heat a bit, most of the heat is held in the seeds and that white membrane that keeps the seeds attached to the inside of the pepper. Remove some or all to control the heat a bit. Too mild? Add beer. Alcohol intensifies heat so adding a high ABV brew will kick that heat up a notch of two. Adding another kick of heat to my spicy food is just another reason for me to love beer.

Triple Chile Beer Cheese Dip

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 poblano pepper
8 ounces cream cheese
¼ cup sour cream
2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella
1 chipotle chili in adobo
1 jalapeno diced
1 cup IPA beer
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp salt

Instructions

Move oven rack to top position and second oven rack to the middle position.
Preheat oven broiler.
Place poblano pepper on a baking sheet. Place under broiler until blackened, flip over, bake on other side until blackened. Remove from oven, lower oven heat to 350.
Place pobalno in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, steam for ten minutes. Remove from bowl, rub off the black skin and remove the stem.
Add the pobalno and remaining ingredients to a food processor. Process until smooth, pour into a baking dish.
Bake at 350 on the middle rack until warm and bubbly, about 20 minutes, serve warm.

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette

09.07.2014 10 Comments

I took a conference call yesterday with a research firm that’s spending considerable effort studying the trends of craft beer and food. An honest look at craft beer from an outsider is an interesting pool to swim in. They asked the standard questions, thoughtful and curious, and it almost always turns in the same direction:

"Why craft beer? Why now?"

I can talk about how the locavore spirit and a push towards more thoughtful eating has naturally spilled over into beverages. I can talk about how this new generation of drinkers, those who have come of legal imbibing age in the past five years are those Facebook gernerationists that have grown up in a culture of eco-friendly, culinary aware coolness and craft beer just makes sense to them. But that really isn’t the answer.

Pour the same beverage in a pint glass, but remove the impassioned brewer who’s barley making ends meet but refuses to sacrifice quality, take away the friendly comunal tables, and the tap room jockey that can’t wait to talk about the seasonal release, strip that all away and that pint isn’t the same. Craft beer isn’t just a beverage, it’s a community. It’s a culture that’s grown around a shared fascination of a culinary art, but it’s the culture that’s the big draw. It’s the people. The beer is fantastic, the beer keeps us coming back, but it’s the people that have grown the phenomenon. It’s the fact that craft beer isn’t just something you drink, it’s something you get to live. That’s why beer.

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette

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Ingredients

2 ears of corn grilled, kernels cut off
6 wt oz lump crab meat
½ cup tomatoes chopped
1 avocado chopped
for the vinaigrette:
¼ cup cilantro packed
1 tsp brown sugar
1 clove garlic smashed
pinch salt
1 tbs lime juice
3 tbs summer ale
3 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Put the corn kernels, crab, tomatoes, and avocado in a large bowl, set aside.
In a food processor add the cilantro, brown sugar, garlic, salt, lime juice and beer, process until well combined. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, blend until smooth.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss to combine.

Chili Coconut Porter Braised Pork Ribs

06.07.2014 8 Comments

Forget for a second that you’ve ever had coconut. Forget about those terrible candy bars when you were a kid, and the off putting taste of processed coconut flavor. Forget about bad rum and the smell of spring break sunscreen. Try and cleanse your historical culinary palate of any negative coconut memories, because it’s good side far exceeds the trash that can be done in it’s name.

We need a coconut re-do in America. It’s a flavor that spent our youths being bastardized into a Fisher-Price version of what it was capable of. It took years for me to understand how much power and beauty is in the true taste of a real coconut. Thai food had a hand in brining me to terms with the authenticity of coconut, but it’s been surprising application of this flavor that have made me fall in love with it.

Coconut in beer is a great example of the power of coconut. Done right, a beautiful coconut porter is something that won’t just make you fall in love with coconut, it’ll make you fall in love with beer. It’s beautifully balance, bold enough to stand up to some chili ribs, and with the perfect touch of toasted coconut. The only problem is how hard it is to find a great version. But don’t stop looking, try every coconut porter you can get your hands on until you find one you fall in love with, it’ll be worth the search.

Chili Coconut Porter Braised Pork Ribs

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 lb country style pork ribs
salt and pepper
1 tbs oil
1 shallot chopped
2 tbs samal oelek
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces coconut porter

Instructions

Sprinkle the ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven until very hot but not smoking. Sear the ribs on all sides until browned, remove from pot.
Lower the heat, add the shallots, cook until softened. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine.
Add the ribs back into the pot, lower heat to maintain a low simmer.
Cook until ribs are fork tender, about 2 to 3 hours (cooking time will depend on size of ribs).
Remove ribs from the pot. Bring the braising liquid to a boil, stir frequently until thickened.
Drizzle sauce over ribs before serving.

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip: 42 Calories a Serving

02.07.2014 9 Comments

It’s seems a cruel twist of fate that beer-drinking-burgers-dogs-dips-eating season and bikini season line up perfectly. The same time that we load our paper plates with baked beans, slow roasted ribs, chips and creamy dips, is the same part of the year that we shed our clothes and romp in the sunshine in our bikini clad bodies.

I’m a strong advocate for both summer time gluttony and semi-nude public frolicking, I refuse to chose between the two. Although I’m also an advocate for flaunting your post-lunch glow in all it’s splendor, not everyone is quite so brave.

So here we are, bikini/beer/barbecue season in full swing and here I am as the least diet friendly blogger in all of Blogland. Yet, I’m still a girl. A girl who loves beer, has a large collection black bikinis, and not a lot of modesty. I’m trying to find some balance.

Here is my entry for Healthy Appetizer For A Back Yard Party. Although there isn’t a way to strongly argue that beer is healthy, as a replacement for the butter I would normally use to caramelize onions, it’s much lower calories and gives you a great flavor.

Plus you get to say that the healthy dips has beer in it, which is a win.

And it gives you more room for beer in your pint glass.

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip: 42 Calories a Serving

Print Recipe

Servings 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 head garlic
1 tbs olive oil
1 sweet white onion
½ cup porter beer
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup chopped chives

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
Place garlic on a sheet of tin foil, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Fold foil tightly around garlic.
Bake at 425 until garlic head is soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining oil and the onions. Cook until onions have started to soften. Add ¼ cup porter beer, cook over medium/low heat until beer has reduced and pan looks dry, about 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining ¼ cup porter beer.
Once the onions are a dark amber color and pan looks dry, remove from heat.
Add the Greek yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and onions to a food processor. Gently squeeze the garlic until the soft cloves protrude. Add the cloves to the food processor, discard the rest of the head. Process until smooth.
Chill until ready to serve (dip has the best flavor the day after it’s made).
Top with chives prior to serving

Notes

For added flavor (and added calories) and 4 oz cream cheese to the food processor in step 6.

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

30.06.2014 16 Comments

Let’s talk for a second about last meals.

We’ve talk about this before while discussing Julia Childs last meal and how I defiled it with a stout. Many discussions have been had over what entrée and dessert we’d all have if we were afforded the choice. Would it be Grandmas pot roast? Sushi? A burrito from that place you used to go when you were a kid?

The conversation needs to extend to the pint glass, what’s your last beer? If it’s a true last beer, there are a few factors you no longer need to consider: price? Charge it. ABV? Doesn’t matter, hangovers won’t be felt. If it really is your last beer, the last sip you’ll take as an earthly being, you probably wont be rolling the fermented dice on something new, you’ll grab an old favorite, your comfort beer.

What is it? What do you drink? Is it the first beer you fell for, the one that got you into craft beer? Is it one with memories attached to it?

For me, it would be a stout. Probably the first craft beer I feel in love with: Old Rasputin.

But then again, maybe I would surprise myself. I might want one of those fantastic California IPA’s that felt like home for some long. Sculpin, Race 5, Pliny? Who knows, it would be a game time decision.

But one things for sure, if you’re the one flipping the switch, make sure there’s proper glassware; I can’t drink it out of a mason jar.

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1/3 cup IPA beer
½ cup brown sugar
1 tbs butter
¼ tsp Sriracha
pinch cayenne
2 ½ cups mixed nuts

Instructions

Add the beer and brown sugar to a large saucepan over medium heat.
Stir until sugar has melted.
Bring to a boil. Allow to boil untouched for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in butter, Sriracha and cayenne.
Add the nuts, stir until all the nuts are well coated.
Line a baking sheet with a silpat (or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray), spread the nuts in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 6 minutes, stir bake for an additional 6 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool, break apart.

Coconut Cake with Pale Ale Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

27.06.2014 8 Comments

Beer and fruit have a bit of a sordid past. From the ill-advised orange slice served on the side of a hefeweizen, to the cringe inducing Bud Light Lime. Thankfully, plenty of remarkable unions have a sordid pasts. Beer and fruit just needed a few takes to get it right. The current state of beer and fruit, in the hands of remarkable brewers, is exciting.

Craft brewers have pushed the limits of what these two can do, bringing us remarkable examples like Festina Peche from Dogfish Head, and Orange Wheat from Hangar 24. Those brilliant brewers make beer with watermelon, cherries, marionberries, and pretty much everything else they can get their hands on.

It’s evidence of what beer can do, what it’s capable of. Think for a second of the first beer you ever tasted, probably a pale lager poured from a keg out of the back of a pick-up truck. The flavors in that beer were small, a ground floor offering, a beer made to vaguely satiate the masses. Craft beer being made now is being made to get people excited, make us think. Love it or hate it, it’s beer you remember.

It’s why beer and food go so well together. It’s the only alcoholic beverage that’s made with just about any ingredient in that meal on your plate. It was only a matter of time, and dozens of brilliant brewers, before beer and fruit started to make sense. And that was only the begining. You should see what those brewers do with chai, and chocolate, and carrots, and everything else you can throw at them.

Coconut Cake with Pale Ale Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cake

4 eggs divided
1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup full fat coconut milk from can, shaken
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp coconut extract
1 cup pale ale beer
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ cup dried coconut flakes

For the Frosting:

1 ½ cup unsalted butter softened
8 wt oz cream cheese softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs lime juice
3 tbs pale ale beer
1/2 cup toasted coconut optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 .
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites, reserve the yolks.
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Remove whites from mixer, add to a medium bowl, chill until ready to use.
In the mixer bowl add the butter and sugar, beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, beat until well combined.
Add the coconut milk, vanilla extract, coconut extract and beer, beat until well combined.
Lift the mixer heat, sprinkle with flour, baking soda and salt, stir until just combined. Add the egg whites, stir until just combined.
Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan.
Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely.
In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, beat until well combined. Add the powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
While the mixer is running mix in the beer and the lime juice.
Frost the cake with the frosting, chill until ready to serve.
Garnish with toasted coconut just prior to serving, if desired.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stout Chocolate Chip Cookies

25.06.2014 9 Comments

I have this theme in my life right now about fear.

Not the kind of fear that keeps you from jumping out of airplanes (which I’ve done), or the fear that comes when you hear a noise in the middle of the night which clearly means a murderer is in your living room.

But a fear that you don’t even realize you have, the you don’t realize is controlling you. Like this video of fear disguised as practicality. Or the fear that keeps you from standing up for yourself. Or the fear that keeps you from going after your dream. Or the fear that keeps you locked in a harmful relationship.

Talk to any sucessful person and you’ll hear a story of failing. A failure that got them closer to the goal, with more information and more drive. Fear is just part of it. Brewers know this. Every brewer will tell you about how much fear there was in the early years.

When it comes to brewing, or dreams, or needs, or relationships, success isn’t about being fearless, it’s about being fear tolerant. Accept that the fear won’t hurt you and move forward in spite of it. Learn to tolerate the feeling of fear and it won’t be able to control you.

Now let’s enjoy the spoils of that success and go drink some great beer.

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stout Chocolate Chip Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup creamy peanut butter
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup stout
½ tsp baking soda
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup chocolate chips

For the chocolate dip

1 cup dark chocolate chips 60% coca content
1/3 cup stout
1 tsp flaky sea salt like Maldon sea salt

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the peanut butter, egg, and vanilla extract, beating until well combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl to insure all ingredients are well combined. Add the beer, mixing until well combined.
Lift the head of the stand mixer, sprinkle flour, baking soda, mix until just combined, stir in chocolate chips.
Using a cookie scoop, scoop onto a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
Refrigerated for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Bake at 350 for 13-16 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before dipping.
In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate and remaining 1/3 cup stout beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, stir and repeat until melted.
One at a time, dip the cookies. Sprinkle with sea salt. Chill until chocolate has set.

Frozen Beer Soaked Watermelon

20.06.2014 6 Comments

Summer beers have arrive, filling the shelves of our bottle shops with pale ambiguous summer refreshment. If you’re new to beer, these labels can be a bit confusing due to the comprehensive lack of cohesion with the title: summer ale. Some have a beautiful bitter hop bite, some have a nice malty flavor, some are mild and clean. I’m an advocate for an open mind and full beer cart, but if you’re a bit more leery and want a specific flavor profile when looking for beer, here are a few things to keep in mind.

"American" in front of any beer title (i.e. American Summer Ale, American Pale Ale…) means that beer will be hoppier than it’s non-patriotic counterparts.

Summer ales and summer release aren’t the same thing, but close. Summer release just means a beer that is only released that season, but can be any style. Summer ales are generally a pale ale with notes of citrus, light to medium bodies, some hops but not overwhelming, but brewers are free to run wild within a very broad definition so many summer ales taste vastly different.

Saisons are made to be served in the summer, they are often mild, fruity, generally have a bit more sweetness to them and very low hops. Sometimes these are made with wheat, but not always. This is a great style to seek out if you’re new to craft beer or looking to introduce people to craft beer.

Kolsch is a mild crisp beer, it’ll give you a bit more hops than a saison, but not as much as a pale ale. It’s a great summer beer to pair with your barbaque, it’s mild enough for the watermelon and bold enough to stand up to salsa and has a great carbonation to wash down that burger.

Session IPA's are just IPA’s with a low alcohol content, letting you drink more without embarrassing yourself. You’ll still get a great bite of hops, but without becoming an intended YouTube sensation.

To booze up these watermelon cubes, I used the summer release beer Hell or High Watermelon by 21st Amendment brewery. It’s a wheat beer made with fresh watermelons, crisp and dry and perfect for summer.

It was the obvious choice.

Frozen Beer Soaked Watermelonsicles

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 lbs watermelon cut into cubes
12 ounces beer pale ale, wheat beer or IPA

Instructions

Place watermelon in a bowl. Pour beer over the watermelon. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove from beer, skewer with 6 inch wooden skewers.
Place on a large plate, cover and freeze for 1 to 2 hours.
Serve frozen.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

18.06.2014 9 Comments

Let’s say you and I get into it over pizza. We hash it out over the best pizza we’ve ever had. We talk about Naples, and LA, and both agree that New York beats Chicago, unless you want a casserole, then Chicago pizza will do.

And then I tell you that the best Ray’s pizza in New York is the one at 4th and Houston, to which (if you’re a New Yorker) you recoiler in horror that I’ve chosen said Ray’s instead of one of the 147 other Ray’s in Manhattan.

We finally just agree to get a beer and pizza and call it a day. Nowhere in our spirited conversation do we mention Seattle. Because the thing about Seattle is that beer is world class, so is the coffee and the produce can’t be beat, but the pizza…

We’ll just talk about the beer and the coffee and the produce and leave talk of the pizza out of it shall we? Similar to a discussion of the best people in the world named Joe wouldn’t include talk of either Buttafuoco or Francis. Let’s just stick to the good stuff.

Of course I have a theory about this. The same water that makes the beer fantastic and coffee legendary isn’t so kind with the pizza dough. But here is the thing about baking your pizza dough with beer, wherever you go in the world, your dough will be the same.

Water is for the weak, switch to beer and your pizza dough will become the stuff of folklore.

It might even be brought up in the New York vs Chicago debate.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

Print Recipe

Servings 4 (6-inch) flatbreads

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ½ cups flour
1 1/8 tsp rapid rise yeast
1 tsp sugar
½ cup wheat beer or pale ale
2 tbs oil
½ tsp salt

Chicken:

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup wheat beer or pale ale
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
oil for the grill

Topping:

Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ tsp cilantro chopped
2 apricots thinly sliced
¼ cup red onion chopped

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast and sugar. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, add the oil and salt while the mixer is still running.
Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Form each piece into 6 inch circles.
While the dough is rising, make the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl, cover with 1 cup beer. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from beer, rinse and pat dry.
Preheat the grill.
In a small bowl combine the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin and salt.
Sprinkle chicken on all sides with spice mixture.
Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Remove from grill, slice.
Oil the grill (alternately, you can oil the flatbreads). Grill one side of the flatbread until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes, flip and very lightly grill the other side, about 30 seconds, remove from grill. Place the flatbreads on a flat surface with the well grilled side facing up. Top with barbeque sauce, cheese, chicken, sliced apricots, cilantro, and onions. Place back on the grill, close over, cook until cheese has melted.

My recipe for Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce, you have to make it.

Jackie Dodd-Mallory Senior Editor

Chocolate Stout Caramel Tart with Pretzel Crust

Ingredients

For the Crust:

For the Chocolate Layer:

For the Caramel Layer:

Instructions

Notes

Beer Brined Pepper Lime Chicken with Gorgonzola and Blackberries

Ingredients

Instructions

Porter Marinated Steak Skewers with Cilantro Horseradish Cream

Ingredients

For the Steak:

For the cream sauce:

Instructions

Beer Brat Dogs with Grilled Peach Salsa and Fried Onions

Ingredients

Instructions

Beer Brined Scallops over Spinach Salad With Bacon Stout Dressing

Ingredients

Instructions

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches and Jalapenos

Ingredients

For the Peaches:

For the Sliders:

Instructions

Cherry Vanilla Pale Ale Party Cake

Ingredients

For The Cake Layer:

For The Cherries Layer:

For The Whipped Cream layer

Instructions

Beer Pesto Chicken with Creamy Parmesan Pale Ale Polenta

Ingredients

For the pesto:

For the Polenta:

For the Chicken:

Instructions

Make the Pesto:

Make the polenta:

Make the chicken.

Notes

Jalapeno Beer Cheese Burger with Beer Candied Bacon

Ingredients

For the bacon:

For the cheese sauce:

For the burgers:

Instructions

Make the bacon:

Make the cheese:

Make the Burgers:

Triple Chile Beer Cheese Dip

Ingredients

Instructions

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Instructions

Chili Coconut Porter Braised Pork Ribs

Ingredients

Instructions

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip: 42 Calories a Serving

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

Ingredients

Instructions

Coconut Cake with Pale Ale Lime Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

For the Cake

For the Frosting:

Instructions

Chocolate Dipped Peanut Butter Stout Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

For the Cookies:

For the chocolate dip

Instructions

Frozen Beer Soaked Watermelonsicles

Ingredients

Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor