Jackie

Chocolate Chip, Stout & Beer Nut Cookies

 

If you live in the Los Angeles area, I’m going to need you to do me a favor. I’ve somehow been booked on CBS, Los Angeles mid-day news with a cooking segment this Friday, August 31st. They want me to do a quick Cooking With Beer segment on the news at noon. People will be hungry, naturally, it is lunch time, and my hope is that this will persuade them to ignore any brief moments of nervousness that I have.

But If you could tune in, and support me, that would be great. I’m not really nervous, I keep waiting for that to set in, but it hasn’t yet. When it does, I would love to know that people who have been visiting me here on this little blog for the past year are out there cheering me on.

That would be great.

In the meantime we’re going to make some cookies. These call for the classic Beer Nuts, which I found myself in possession of after a particularly round night of cards at my house. Several bags of Beer Nuts left by an anonymous donor.  And I can’t just leave them in my pantry, I need to find a use for them.

We are also going to revisit that crazy idea I have of making beer extract. Because vanilla is just too…well, vanilla.

 

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Chocolate Chip, Stout & Beer Nut Cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup stout beer
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 3/4 cup bread flour
  • 1/2 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (60%)
  • 3 oz bag Beer Nuts
    • (Makes 10-12 cookies)

Directions

  1. In a pot over medium high heat add the beer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 tbs.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and both types of sugar, beat until well creamed. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the 1 tbs of beer extract and beat until well combined, scraping the bottom to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
  3. In a sperate bowl, add both types of flour (these two types of flour are very important to the end result of your cookies, regular all purpose flour will not give you the same results), cornstarch, baking powder and salt. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix on medium/low speed until just barely combined, don't over mix. Add the chocolate chips and Beer Nuts, and stir until incorporated.
  4. Resting the dough is an important step in this recipe. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop golfball sized scoops of dough, roll them into round balls and place on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 350.
  6. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until light golden brown, don't over bake. (If you don't chill the dough, or if you make smaller sized cookies, the cooking time will be much shorter. Start to keep an eye on your cookies after about 14 minutes).
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/28/chocolate-chip-stout-beer-nut-cookies/

 

Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

There are some great elements in this world we live in that we beg the universe to some how bring together.

Like a Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series

Or an episode of The Office directed by Christopher Guest

Or Trey Parker have complete creative control over The White House Holiday Card

Or a reality show hybrid of The Bachelor and Fear Factor

Even though I have to come to terms with the fact that those things will sadly never exist, I can meld brown butter and beer cheese into the greatest of all grilled cheese sandwiches. It won’t have the cultural repercussions of any of the above unions, but it is the best sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Too bad I didn’t have the forethought, or the consumptive restraint, to create a beer tomato soup to go along for the journey.

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Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients

  • 6 oz cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup Pale Ale
  • 4 oz cheddar
  • 8 slices bread
  • 4 tbs butter

Directions

  1. In a blender or food processor add the cream cheese, mozzarella, cornstarch and beer. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Spread the beer cheese generously onto 4 slices of bread. Top with about 2 tbs of cheddar and then top with a clean slice of bread.
  2. In a skillet with a lid melt the butter over medium heat (don't allow the butter to get too hot or it will burn) until just starting to turn a golden brown. Carefully add the sandwiches, and replace the lid allowing the sandwiches to steam in the pan until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, replace the lid and allow to cook until the other side is a light golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 additional minutes.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/23/brown-butter-grilled-beer-cheese-sandwich/

 You can also use the pre-oven beer cheese from my Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip.

 

IPA Ceviche

 

As summer nears it’s inevitable end, it’s not the weather that I’ll miss the most. In fact the leather boots and chunky sweaters of colder days are starting to beckon. The produce, back yard grills, the smell of life and food floating on a late afternoon breeze will be lost in the dawning of fall.

This isn’t a recipe about avoiding the oven, or  grumbles of triple digit heat, it’s about enjoying August produce, paired with those Summer release beers and spending as much time as you can in the open air before we’re all forced to head inside, cook with squash, and drink stouts. Which I am already looking forward to.

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IPA Ceviche

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
  • 1 1/2 lb raw shrimp, shell & tail removed, chopped
  • 1/2 cup IPA Beer
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 3 cups tomatoes, diced
  • 1 large jalapeno, diced, stem and seeds removed
  • 1/2 cup cilantro
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp red pepper sauce (such as Sriracha)

Directions

  1. Add the lemon/lime juice and raw shrimp to a small bowl. (Shrimp will "cook" in the juice as it marinates.)
  2. Mix beer, onion, tomato, and jalapeño in a large bowl, allow to marinate in the fridge for at least one hour.
  3. Drain the vegetables and return to large bowl.
  4. Once the shrimp have "cooked," drain and add them to the large bowl along with the salt and pepper sauce, toss to combine.
  5. Serve cold with corn chips.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/21/ipa-ceviche/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beer Chicken Piccata

Here it is, just like I promised. Beer Chicken Piccata, to go with those beer noodles I made.

The first time I ever had Piccata I was a completely broke college student traveling through Italy. And it was cheap. It turned out to be one of the most memorable dishes I had on that trip, moving it to the top of my list of Italian Favorites. If I see it on a menu, especially those family run strip mall joints that I love so much, I can’t resist ordering it.

If you are familiar with this dish, you can see that this is a pretty standard Piccata with the white wine replaced with beer. You need to choose a low hop beer with notes of citrus, an IPA will overwhelm this sauce.

 

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Beer Chicken Piccata

Ingredients

  • 2 chicken breasts
  • about 1/4 cup flour for coating
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 3 tbs butter, Plus an additional 3 tbs, divided
  • 1 1/2 tbs flour
  • 1/3 cup pale ale
  • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup capers

Directions

  1. Filet each chicken breast in half horizontally, making each chicken breast thinner, not smaller. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and pound with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
  2. Sprinkle on all sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour until well coated.
  3. In a pan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken and cook on each side until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
  4. In a clean pan melt the remaining butter. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tbs flour and whisk until combined. Add the beer, broth and lemon juice and cook until warmed and thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the capers and stir.
  5. Add the chicken to a plate on top of a bed of rice or pasta. Top with sauce, serve immediately.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/16/beer-chicken-piccata/

 

 

 

Homemade Beer Pasta

 

 This is something everyone should do in their lives.

Like cliff jumping in Greece, restaurant week in New York City, and watching the sun rise over the Mediterranean. Although making pasta from scratch doesn’t require a passport.

Pasta isn’t as hard to make as you think and I have complete faith in your ability to pull this off. And impress your friends.

Plus this leaves you open to a wide variety of sauces. Not just my Beer Marianna, but can someone please make me a beer Alfredo sauce?

I’ll have a Beer Chicken Piccata for you later.  But in the meantime, someone needs to make me this stout bolognese. I’ll bring the noodles.

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Homemade Beer Pasta

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup wheat beer
  • 1 tbs olive oil

Directions

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add the flour and the salt and mix well. Form a well in the center, add the eggs and the beer. Mix on a low speed until the dough, eggs and beer are incorporated, about 6 minutes. Remove from the mixer and kneed on a well floured surface until smooth and elastic, at least 10 minutes to remove all air pockets. Form a ball and brush with olive oil. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  2. Cut the dough into two equal halves. Cut each half into equal thirds to give you 6 equal sized pieces. Keep all dough covered that you are not working with.
  3. Flatten each dough section into a long oval. Pass through the pasta roller at the widest setting. Close the pasta roller one notch and pass through again. Close the pasta roller again pass the pasta through again. Add flour to the pasta with each each pass through the pasta roller. Continue to do this until the pasta is thin. I used the Kitchen Aid Pasta Roller Attachment with the narrowest setting at 4.
  4. Switch to the fettuccinie cutter pasta roller and cut each flattened pasta section into fettuccinie ribbons.
  5. Allow to dry on a pasta drying rack or laid flat on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes.
  6. Add pasta to a pot of lightly salted boiling water until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/14/homemade-beer-pasta/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vanilla Bean Smoked Porter French Toast

It seems so wrong.

This urge I have to continually make breakfast with beer.

Probably reinforcement of the personality test I took in college in which I scored “surprisingly high” on the Inherent rebellion scale, as noted by the test administrator.

Because we, as a society, have decided that we shouldn’t mix alcohol with pre-noon hours. Along with a Sunday brunch mimosa or, well… Vegas in general, this should be your exception.

And while I’m ordering you around, I have to mention how much I adore this beer and demand that you seek it out:

 Stone smoked porter with vanilla bean. It’s a porter with the perfect infusion of the flavors of smoke and vanilla bean.  And even though it’s summer and I’ve been told by Beer Store Beer Guy that porters and stouts aren’t “in season,” I’ve driven all over town to stock up on this very porter, twice. More evidence of my inherent rebellion.

 

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Vanilla Bean Smoked Porter French Toast

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 2/3 cup smoked porter (recommended: Stone Smoked Porter w/ Vanilla Bean)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tbs butter (plus additional as needed)
  • 1 large loaf of crusty italian bread, cut into 1 inch thick slices

Directions

  1. In a bowl, add milk, beer, sugar, eggs and vanilla, whisk until well combined. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter.
  2. One at a time, dip the bread into the milk mixture until well coated. Add to pan and cook until browned on one side, flip and brown on the opposite side (about 2 to 3 minutes per side). Repeat for all slices. Add butter to the pan as needed.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/09/vanilla-bean-smoked-porter-french-toast/

Beer Steamed Stuffed Artichokes & How to Stuff an Artichoke

 

Here’s my artichoke. We’re going to gut him and stuff him with bacon.

And then cook him in beer.

 

 

The first step is to trim. Start with peeling off a few layers of the outside leaves They’re tough and not very good, don’t feel bad about getting rid of them.

And if your artichoke has a long stem, trim it so that it can stand upright, with its leaves pointed at the sky. That will come in handy later.

Then you are going to cut off the pointed tip of the artichoke.

 

Then use a pair a kitchen sheers, (or, lets be honest regular scissors will be fine) to trim the pointed tips off of all of the leaves.

 

Starting at the outside and working towards the inside, pull the leaves outward.

 

Once you get to the inside leaves that are yellow and purple, you are going to want to remove these. There is a lot of waste with stuffed artichokes, just accept it and move on.

This part isn’t easy. If you are having a hard time, that’s normal. The best way to do it is to dig at it with a melon baller. And swear at it a few times to put it in it’s place.

Feel the inside to make sure it’s smooth and none of that hairy choke is left behind. If it still feels fuzzy, keep digging. And swearing, if it helps.

Squeeze half a lemon into the cavity of the artichoke.

 Next you want to make the filling (recipe below).

Stuff the filling inside the middle of the artichoke. Starting at the outside, spread the leaves out and press the filling inside the leaves, work your way in until all the leaves are full.

Place in an oven safe pot, standing upright. Pour 1 1/2 cup citrusy wheat beer into the bottom of the pot.

Cover with a lid or tin foil and bake at 375 for 40-60 minutes or until the outer leaves come away easily.

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Beer Steamed Stuffed Artichokes

Ingredients

  • 4 large artichokes, prepared as above
  • 1 large lemon
  • 4 strips of bacon
  • 1/3 cup chopped shallots
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 cups bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup mozzarella
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 1/2 cups citrusy wheat beer

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375
  2. Prepare artichokes as instructed above, squeeze 1/4 lemon into the cavity of each artichoke.
  3. In a pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon until browned. Remove from pan, and chop. Drain off most of the bacon grease, leaving about 2 tbs in the pan. Add the shallots and cook until soft. Add the garlic and stir. Add the mushrooms and cook until dark brown. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients as well as the chopped bacon (other than the beer), stir until well combined.
  4. Stuff the artichokes as instructed above.
  5. Place artichokes upright in the pot, fill with 1 cup beer.
  6. Cover and cook until outer leaves come away easily, about 40-60 minutes.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/06/beer-steamed-stuffed-artichokes-how-to-stuff-an-artichoke/


Beer Chili & Cheese Dogs for IPA Day

The first Thursday in August is the unofficial holiday of that hoppy beer favorite, the IPA. There may come a day when this becomes a nationally recognized day of appreciation with parades and pageantry, paper decorations and paid holiday leave, but until then we’ll celebrate the Indian Pale Ale with a series of parties, blog posts and happy hour specials.

Increasing hops for the celebration of flavor, seems to have taken root in the American Craft Beer movement. Inventive brewers found more and more ways to add those hop flavors and not just to balance  sweetness with bitterness, but to celebrate it. Triple hopped, palette wrecking, up-the-IBU beer loving brewers began an Arms Race for the ultimate IPA. A strong counter culture to the mild “smooth” liquid inside those macro cans, this was beer that let you know who was boss. You were drinking it on purpose, not by default, and those hops would kick you in the mouth to remind you that the King of Beers can kiss their ass. The IPA is the poster child for the craft beer movement and a reminder of why it started.

A really great, well crafted IPA is a beautiful thing. It’s worth the search to find one that you love. And then you’ll get it.

May August 2nd, 2013 have even more beer lovers celebrating the IPA.

 

This is a recipe that will be intensified with an IPA. The hoppyness will be celebrated and fairly strong. If you want to tone it down, you can also use a stout instead, but you should probably wait until after the High Holiday of the High Hop Beer.

 

 

 

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Beer Chili & Cheese Dogs

Ingredients

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 cup yellow onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lb beef (80% lean/20% fat)
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 cup beer
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbs worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp cummin
  • 1 tsp red chili sauce (such as sriracha)
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 8 hot dogs
  • 8 hot dog buns

Directions

  1. In a large pot over medium high heat allow the olive oil to get hot but not smoking. Add the onions and cook until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and the beef and cook until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients (other than the hot dogs and buns) and allow to cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
  2. Spoon over warm hot dogs. Top with cheese, if desired. Enjoy with a cold IPA.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/08/02/beer-chili-cheese-dogs-for-ipa-day/

 

 

 

Maple and Bourbon Beer Glazed Salmon

Let’s talk.

If you are new to the Beer Scene you might not know about bourbon barrel aged beer. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Beer that has been aged in bourbon barrels giving it flavors of that remnant bourbon that once took up residence in that same barrel. Because bourbon is aged for years, and sometimes several decades, the flavors soak into the wood leaving their distinct flavor signature behind. When you use that same barrel to age beer, those beautiful hand-me-down flavors give an incredible depth to it’s new alcoholic vessel.

If you haven’t had a bourbon barrel aged beer, add it to your list of beers to try. You may love it. You may loath it. Either way, it’s an experience that needs to be added to your beer exploits.

Bourbon barrel aged beers aren’t the type you reach for after a long hot day of yard work. These are beers for chilly nights and dark chocolate desserts. Fireside chats and long conversations.

Among my favortites is the Barrel Aged Old Rasputin form North Coast. 

 

For this recipe I used Angels Share by Lost Abby. An intense bourbon flavor that goes very well with this recipe.

 

 

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Maple & Bourbon Beer Glazed Salmon

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup ponzu sauce
  • 3/4 cup bourbon barrel aged beer
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tbs maple syrup
  • 1 tsp sesame oil
  • 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbs lime juice (about 1 large lime, juiced)
  • 4 salmon fillets (about 4 to 6 oz each)

Directions

  1. In a bowl, add all ingredients (other than the salmon) stir until well combined. Add to a large zip top freezer bag. Add the salmon and remove as much air as possible before sealing. Place in the fridge, allowing to marinate for one to two hours, rotating at least once.
  2. Preheat broiler.
  3. Remove the salmon from the bag and place on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
  4. Place the marinade in a pot over medium high heat. Boil until reduced and thickened, stirring frequently, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  5. Brush the salmon with the marinade glaze.
  6. Place under broiler and cook until salmon flakes easily, about 6 minutes. Brush salmon with glaze several times during cooking.
  7. Serve over rice or pasta.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/07/30/maple-beer-glazed-salmon/

Chocolate Stout S’Mores Bars

I have some s’mores trivia for you. I have a fascination with useless mundane trivia, and tend to  collect and expel said facts without provocation. So, here is the s’mores trivia I promised that you are undoubtably eager to get to:

  • The recipe for s’mores was first published by the Girl Scouts in 1927. Further proof that those smug little culinary crack dealers have a long history with the creation of addicting sweet treats. (* this last sentence is not actual fact, just observation)
  • National S’Mores day is August 10th. More than enough time for you to whip up a batch of beer soaked s’more bars (*Actual fact).
  • The recipe’s original credit is given to Loretta Scott. But let’s be honest, stolen content predates blogs, no one really knows where the recipe came from. At least she didn’t steal their photo and submit it to Foodgawker. (*combination of fact, conjecture and emotional trauma resulting from web thievery)
If you have any random, little known or otherwise useless s’mores facts, I’d love to hear them.

 

 


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Chocolate Stout S’Mores Bars

Ingredients

  • 10 graham crackers
  • 3 tbs butter, melted
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2/3 cup chocolate stout
  • 3 cups standard size marshmallows

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a food processor, add the graham crackers and the brown sugar. Process until nothing is left but crumbs. Remove the stopper from the food processor lid. While the food processor is on, slowly add the 3 tbs melted butter and process until it resembles wet sand.
  3. Add to a 9 x 13 pan. Distribute evenly along the bottom, pressing firmly into place.
  4. In a bowl, beat the eggs and both sugars on high until well combined, about 3 minutes.
  5. In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and the butter. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted and well combined. Add the chocolate to the egg/sugar mixture and beat until well combined.
  6. In a separate bowl, mix the cocoa powder, salt and the flour until well combined. Add to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the beer and stir until just combined.
  7. Pour the batter over the crust.
  8. Place marshmallows in even rows across the top, leaving a 1/2 inch boarder along the edge.
  9. Bake at 350 for 22 minutes or until the marshmallows are golden brown.
  10. You still want the bars to be soft, don't over bake, they will continue to set as they cool.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/07/26/chocolate-stout-smores-bars/

Brewed Mary: Beer Bloody Mary

 

No offense to vodka, but a Bloody Mary just tastes better with beer. And an IPA is the inarguable choice for a Brewed Mary. I am, for the most part, a live and let live person.

Happy to let your differing opinions thrive right alongside mine. There are recipe choices that I would love to debate with you. I’ll take your suggestions of a pilsner over a Saison for a beer cheese dip. And I would love to debate with you Brown Ale versus a Hefeweizen for a chicken pot pie.

But with this, we have no choice, an IPA is just the best way to go. The hops blend so well with the heat and the tomato juice.

If you disagree with me, I just hope you keep it to yourself. After all, I still want to like you, and we can always spar over porter versus stouts for brownies.

For this recipe, I used Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA. At the moment, it is one of my favorite beers, and quite possibly my favorite IPA.

Note: Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. For vegetarian, use a vegan Worcestershire sauce like Annie’s Organic Worcestershire Sauce. 

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Brewed Mary: Beer Bloody Mary

Yield: 2 cocktails

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tomato juice
  • 1/2 tsp celery salt (plus additional for glass rims)
  • 1/2 tsp Chipotle Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp brine for a jar of spanish olive
  • 1/4 tsp cream style horseradish
  • 1 tbs lime juice (about 1 medium lime)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice (about 1/2 medium lemon)
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • Ice
  • 1 cup IPA beer
  • Optional garnish:
  • celery stalk, olives

Instructions

  1. Rim glasses with celery salt.
  2. Add all ingredients (except the beer) to a shaker half full of ice, shake to combine.
  3. Strain into prepared glasses, stir in the beer, garnish if desired.
Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by Yummly Rich Recipes
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/07/23/brewed-mary-beer-bloody-mary/

 

 

Jalapeno IPA Hummus

 

This recipe has been in my brain for a while.

For weeks it’s been taunting me, begging to be flushed out, poured into my food processor and immortalized in internet print.

And this weekend three failed attempts to make IPA lemon bars that never really gave me the results I was hoping for coupled with this tweet:

gave this hummus it’s shot.

And I’m so glad that the stars didn’t align and the beer cooking God’s didn’t smile upon the IPA lemon bars (which have become my culinary nemesis, mocking me with vague imperfections) because this hummus was exactly what I wanted on a hot day. It didn’t last long.

For this recipe, I used one of my favorite IPA’s, Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA. A beautiful example of an IPA, even if this one was sans Habaneros.

 

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Jalapeno IPA Hummus

Jalapeno IPA Hummus

Ingredients

  • 2 fresh jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
  • 3 tbs tahini
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans, drained
  • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 lime, juiced (about 1 tbs)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup IPA Beer (plus additional if needed)

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Add additional IPA for a thinner dip. Serve with pita or chips.
  2. *Note: most of the heat from Jalapenos are in the seeds. If you want a hotter hummus, you can leave the seeds in. If the finished dip is too mild, add 1/4 tsp chili powder for a spicier dip
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/07/19/jalapeno-ipa-hummus/

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Beer Braised Potatoes With Rosemary Beer Gravy

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A reader from Iceland emailed me last week to ask what I listen to when I’m cooking. “You seem like a music girl,” she said.

Music, food, beer, it all seems to be a different parts of the same creature and just like food can find a matched pair with beer or wine, music is the same way.

Making these potatoes I was lured to music that was timeless, earthy and effortless. Here is a bit of that list:

Something In The Way She Moves, James Taylor

Tampa To Tulsa, The Jayhawks

Torn In My Pride, The Black Crows

Fortune Teller, Robert Plant

Wicker Chair, Kings Of Leon (this was off a Demo they made before they were famous, handed to me late one night on Sunset by Nathan. I’m not sure if it is still available online, but I still listen to that Demo all the time)

Red House, Shudder To Think

Duncan, Delta Spirit

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Between prep, braise and eating, this is the music that joined me and the potatoes in the kitchen. A slow, lazy Sunday afternoon playlist that was a perfect compliment to a timeless potato dish.

And the beer that came along for the ride was Damnation by Russian River. A Belgian style beer that gave the starch in the potatoes a beautiful push forward in taste. If you’re a craft beer fan, or just starting to grow in curiosity about the subject, Russian River should be counted among the Craft Beer Meccas of the world. Seek out the beers they make, and plan to stop by the brewery if you ever find yourself in Northern California, or the West Coast, for that matter.

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Beer Braised Potatoes With Rosemary Beer Gravy

Beer Braised Potatoes With Rosemary Beer Gravy

Ingredients

    For The Potatoes:
  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1 large shallot, chopped (1/3 cup)
  • 1 lbs red potatoes, chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1 cup beer
  • 1 tsp black pepper
    • For The Gravy:
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1/3 cup chicken stock
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325. In an oven safe Dutch Oven or pot with a lid (check that all knobs are oven safe) melt butter. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the potatoes and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat, pour beer over potatoes, add rosemary, pepper and salt. Cover with lid and place pot in the oven until potatoes are fork tender, about 18-20 minutes.
  4. Remove from oven and return to stove. Using a slotted spoon, remove the potatoes and set aside.
  5. Add the flour and stock, whisk over medium high heat until thickened, about 3 minutes. Serve potatoes with gravy.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/07/18/beer-braised-potatoes-with-rosemary-beer-gravy/

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Stout Jerk Chicken

Literary Grief. This is the term I use for the moment you finish a great book and realize that it’s gone. This sort of anchor to those free moments in your life is now spent and the characters that ran behind your consciousness during the busy moments of your day, beckoning you back to the pages have run their course. You miss having more left to discover, but all mysteries have been unearthed and the plot has crescendoed. Most recently for me, that has been Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton.

Inspired writing and an intriguing story peppered with mentions of thought-provoking recipes that I couldn’t help but mark for later reference.

 One of those recipes was a reference to a Jerk marinade that Gabrielle still makes on a regular basis. Her only notes about it were just that it contained Stout, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, and Honey as well as the fact that the recipe’s ingredients totaled an upwards of 25.

The Stout Jerk marinade that I have created falls very short of the 25 ingredient threshold, but the inspiration to use stout, scotch bonnet and honey is from the above book. As fascinated as I am with Gabrielle, and grateful that I was able to eat at Prune years ago, I would bet all of my recipes on the hunch that she may have less than favorable opinions about lowly Food Bloggers.

After all, I’ve never slept on a pile of chefs coats between 12-hour shifts. I’ve never scraped mold out of a walk in. I’ve never reached calloused fingers into a deep fryer or worked one handed with a blood-soaked bandage covered with a finger cot slowing my progress. I worked as a waitress in the front of the house, but I always knew my place. I begged to be allowed do deep prep when we were slow, took the fall for wasted produce when the owner would hassle the over-worked line cooks, and made sure the cooks “water” cups were full when we were slammed. But I know my place even now, in the world of food and I am still, in so many ways, “front of the house” hoping one day to be in the kitchen doing more than just deep prep.

Here is a jerk marinade, inspired by Blood Bones & Butter and using Stout Beer for its flavor and its meat tenderizing properties.

Wanna see the updated grilled version? Check it out here

 

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Stout Jerk Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup stout beer (I used Storm King Stout, by Victory Brewing)
  • 4 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Peppers
  • 6 cloves of garlic, peeled
  • 3 tbs ponzu sauce
  • 3 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp dry mustard powder
  • 2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice powder
  • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 tbs chopped shallots
  • 1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1 tsp Kosher or Sea salt
  • 3 lbs chicken wings, legs, thighs

Directions

  1. Add all of the ingredients (other than the chicken) to a food processor and process until smooth, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add chicken to a large Ziplock style bag, pour marinade over the chicken and seal, removing as much air as possible.
  3. Allow to chill and marinate in the fridge for 8-24 hours, rotating about every 3 hours to redistribute the marinate.
  4. Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange on the sheet, spooning a bit of the remaining marinade over the chicken. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Baking time will depend on the size of chicken you use. For very small chicken wings, start to check after 12 minutes.
http://thebeeroness.com/2012/07/12/stout-jerk-chicken/

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Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs With Stout Barbecue Sauce

I hate to break it to you but you have probably never barbecued in your life. How dare I say such blasphemous things, you toss burgers and steaks on the grill every weekend?!

That’s not Barbecue, it’s grill. And I would never take away from the fantastic results we can get with a backyard grill, and the amazing flavors that can work their way into your food, but it’s not barbecue.

Barbecue is long, slow and low and the temperature is usually between 240 and 270 degrees. Grill is short, fast and hot, a nice char with a juicy middle.

I wanted to see if I could use my oven to get close the flavors of true barbecue, and while I was missing the smokey flavor, these were some of the best homemade ribs I have ever had. The trick is long, slow and low.

Meat choice is important as well, I used Choice ribs. You know that cute little sticker that sits beside the label on your steak packages, baffling you to some degree with the designation of Prime, Choice or Select, as to why they can’t just be honest and say, “Great,” or “Pretty Good,” and, “Not that great, but it’s cheap!”

Here are the Cliffs Notes:

Prime: The best and most expensive

Choice: Still great, not as good or as expensive as Prime

Select: Not good, don’t bother

Unlabeled: Bad, didn’t even earn the lowly title of Select.

Inspected By The USDA: Don’t be fooled, all meat is inspected by the USDA. Some stores use this to distract you from the fact that it is an ungraded piece of meat, and therefore not any good. Prime is obviously the best, but also the most expensive. When I experiment with a recipe, I usually go with Choice because it is a good cut of meat, but if the recipe doesn’t turn out well I didn’t waste $50 on the venture.

Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs With Stout Beer Barbecue Sauce

4 lbs Bone In Baby Back Beef Ribs (Choice or Prime)

1 tsp salt

1 batch Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce

Preheat oven to 250.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place ribs on top. Sprinkle ribs with salt on all sides. Brush with BBQ sauce and roast in the oven at 250, turning ribs and brushing with BBQ sauce every 30-45 minutes until fork tender, about 4 hours.

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Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream

(Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream)

I’m taking a huge risk here.

You may have taken one look at this post and decided that I’ve lost my magic. Chocolate beer cake is as common as Nascar sweatpants in Walmart. But unlike motor sports fashion blunders in public, I loved this dessert.

I’m combining a past evoking childhood treat with my beer loving present tense self, and topping it with beer whipped cream. Strawberry shortcakes were one of my favorite desserts as a kid, but growing up I never had them from scratch. I was raised in a very prepackaged, frozen food section, shelf-stable house, with a mom who was trying to feed all of her 8 daughters (yes, that isn’t a typo, I have 7 sisters) with no time for any culinary adventure beyond reheating and assembling. Completely understandable.

Making my childhood memory of strawberry shortcakes those pre-packaged round sponge cakes, with Cool Whip and chopped strawberries.

So this is the “I cook from scratch and add beer” version of that. Although not a traditional “shortcake,” I hope once I top it with drunken whipped cream and fresh berries you’ll forgive the misstep in terminology.

Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream

For the cake:

3 cups cake flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tsp salt

2 sticks butter (softened)

2 cups sugar

5 eggs

1 tbs vegetable oil

12 oz Porter beer

For the strawberries:

4 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped

1/2 cup sugar

For the whipped cream:

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tbs porter beer

(makes 10)

 Preheat oven to 350.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.

In the bowl of the stand mixer cream the butter and sugar. One at a time add the eggs, beating well and scraping the bowl between each addition, then add the oil. Alternating between the beer and the dry ingredients, add both a bit at a time, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, stir until just barely combined.

Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans.

Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Invert the cake pan onto a flat surface. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut out 5 circles from each cake round (you can also use a large knife to cut them into squares).

Place chopped strawberries in a bowl with sugar, stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature for ten minutes.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, powdered sugar and 2 tbs beer. Whip on high until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.

Place one cake round on a plate, top with strawberries and then with whipped cream.

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Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip2  (Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip)

There are a few ingredients that I have to restrain myself from adding to everything I make. On that list are the following: Sriracha, bacon, goat cheese and roasted garlic.

As you can clearly discern, beer is not in that line-up. Because I never try to hold back the urge to add beer.

Two of those four ingredients did manage to coerce their way into this dip, bulldozing my yearning for variety with their seductive culinary appeal. Roasted garlic is an amazing substance.

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip via @TheBeeroness Once you start to roast your own and realize that with less than a dollar and 5 minutes of active time you can create the most addictive and flavorful ingredient with your own hands, you may come to understand why I was powerless to resist.

On a side note, I served this dip at a party and was all at once horrified and flattered to find a guy I barely know licking the bowl. I’ll take that as a good sign, and a validation for submitting to the powers of roasted garlic.

For this recipe, I used  Saison du BUFF, a joint effort from Stone, Dogfish Head and Victory breweries. A Holy Trinity of Craft Beer splendor that produced a Saison Messiah to lead us into the new world of craft beer glory. It is out now, try and get your hands on a bottle, while you can.

If you can’t get your hands on the Saison du BUFF, I’ve also really loved this with an IPA.

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Roasted Garlic and Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 large heads of garlic
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 12 oz cream cheese
  • 1 1/2 cup Reggiano or Parmesan cheese, plus an additional 1/4 cup for top
  • 6 oz smoked Gouda or smoked mozzarella cheese
  • 1 cup Saison or IPA beer
  • 1 tsp red chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbs cornstarch (very important. Keeps the dip from separating)
  • 1/4 cup chopped scallions (green onions)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425.
  2. Cut the top tip of each head garlic off, just enough to expose all of the cloves. Place each head on a separate piece of tin foil. Drizzle with olive oil and seal the foil around the garlic.
  3. Place both garlic packets on a baking sheet or baking dish. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  4. Reduce oven temp to 350.
  5. In a food processor, add the cream cheese, 1 1/2 cup reggianno, gouda, beer, red chili sauce, salt, pepper and corn starch. Squeeze the roasted heads of garlic until the soft cloves comes out, add the roasted cloves to the food processor, taking care that none of the papery garlic skin is added to the food processor. Discard the empty garlic head. Process until well combined.
  6. Add to a baking dish, top with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
  7. Bake at 350 until melted and the top has started to turn a light golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven, stir (it will have puffed slightly) top with green onions, serve warm.
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http://thebeeroness.com/2012/07/03/roasted-garlic-parmesan-beer-cheese-dip/

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Stout & Sriracha Beer Barbecue Sauce

Barbecue debates rage on all over the south, even as we virtually speak. The most sweltering of all topics is Sauce versus Rub. Rub people claiming that good meat doesn’t need to be drowned in sauce, and sauce people attesting to the holy balance of flavors between sauce and meat, and then there is the apathetic middle who just shrug and use both.

And even when you eat your way across the Barbecue Belt, sampling the best of both slow cooked worlds, and finally take up residence in a meat preparation camp, the disputes don’t end. If you decide to consort with the rowdy sauce crowd, you have more decisions to make. Are you a vinegar based sauce person or tomato based? Molasses or brown sugar? Mustard sauce or chili sauce?

I’ve decided I’m a sauce girl, but I will never turn away good Slow Cooked BBQ Rubbed Spare Ribs. And although I prefer a deep sweet tomato sauce with a kick of spice, I’ll eat every last bit of a Golden Mustard Pulled Pork Sandwich.

Whether you decide on sauce, or just a great marinade, beer is an ideal addition. Beer is a natural meat tenderizer and a deeply flavored stout is a great way to go.

I used Bear Republic, Big Bear Black Stout. A fantastic stout, and as Beer Store Beer Guy told me last week, “Bear Republic’s Stout is one of the most consistent beers I’ve ever had. It always tastes the same, no matter what batch it came from.” Hard thing to accomplish.

Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce

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Stout & Sriracha Beer Barbecue Sauce

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • 2 tbs worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tsp sriracha
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cup Stout
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp onion powder

Instructions

  1. In a pot over medium heat, add the oil and allow to get hot but not smoking. Add the garlic and stir until you can smell it, about 30 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Allow to cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
  2. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.
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http://thebeeroness.com/2012/06/28/stout-sriracha-beer-barbecue-sauce/

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