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Jackie Dodd-Mallory
Senior Editor

Jackie Dodd-Mallory

Oven Roasted Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs

24.03.2020 4 Comments

There is a lot of uncertainty right now, but let’s talk about what is certain. Yoga pants and pajamas are socially acceptable all day.  Cake can now be eaten at all meals without guilt. And the government has officially declared brewery staff to be considered essential during the shelter in place lockdown. But we already knew that, you didn’t have to tell us that they’re essential. 

So you’re cooking all day, wearing pajamas until noon, and drinking probably more beer than you should. You’re officially living my life right now. Not as glamourous as you thought? I know, I know. But there are worse things. And I made you some chicken. 

I realize that for me, this list of ingredients is all "pantry staples" and that might not be the case for everyone. But also, the grocery store is one of the only places you CAN go right now so maybe put on a dress and some heels and make an event out of it. I didn’t think so, pajamas with boots and messy bun? That sounds more like it. 

We’ll get through this, you know that right?

And when we do we will appreciate traffic, coworkers, crowded bars and long waits to be seated at restaurants so much more. Maybe we all just needed to take a step back and remember that the small stuff is really big stuff if you don’t have it, and once we get it back we won’t forget that. For now, we still have beer and pajamas and those are pretty good right now. 

Oven Roasted Coconut Curry Chicken Thighs

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 shallot or white onion, chopped (about ¼ cup)
  • ½ cup (4oz) pale ale
  • 1 (13.5 oz) can coconut milk (full fat)
  • 1 tablespoon red curry paste
  • 2 teaspoons sriracha
  • 1 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 cups Swiss chard spinach, or kale, rough chopped
  • 2 lbs chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Rice and chopped chives for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 450°F.
  • In a mixing bowl stir together the shallots, beer, coconut milk, curry paste, sriracha, and fish sauce.
  • In a 9x13 baking dish add the chard (or kale or spinach) in an even layer. Add the chicken thighs on top, skin side up. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle evenly with salt, pepper, basil and garlic powder.
  • Pour the coconut milk around the chicken, avoiding the top of the chicken thighs.
  • Bake, uncovered for 30 minutes. Rotate the pan and continue to cook until skin has browned and the chicken is cooked through, about another 15 minutes.
  • Serve over rice, sprinkle with chopped chives.

Chocolate Stout Brownie Bread

20.03.2020 10 Comments

Chocolate Stout Brownie Bread, one bowl and just a few minutes!

I’ve been inundation you with posts lately, please give me a pass. You’re my therapy, truly. Cooking you things, and baking you a loaf cake that I call "bread" because it doesn’t sound as bad calling it a cake, is the way I’m coping with all of this. 

I’m sitting here in Seattle, the hotbed of uncertainty, and all I can think about is keeping busy while not leaving my house. So this equals cooking and baking. Baking all the things, and spoiling myself with a beerified-chocolate cake that’s masquerading as bread. 

 

But this is what we have to do. We have to spoil ourselves and those sheltered in place with us with things we wouldn’t normally let ourselves indulge in. Everything is suspended: events, concerts, office life, diets, low self-esteem. 

Indulging in chocolate is not suspended, it’s back on the air and bigger than ever. This bread-not-cake-I-swear is super easy, it takes about 5 minutes to get it into your oven and about an hour to get it into your face. And you have earned yourself a loaf of this stuff, and you are not allowed to feel guilty about it because that has been suspended, too. 

Chocolate Stout Brownie Bread

4.67 from 3 votes
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (50g) cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup (150g) sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup (120g) full-fat sour cream
  • ¼ cup (60g) vegetable oil
  • ¾ cup (6oz) stout beer
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, cornstarch, salt and sugar to a bowl, stir to combine. Add the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, vegetable oil, beer, and chocolate chips. Stir to combine.
  • Pour into an 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan.
  • Bake until the top has puffed and is hard, about 40-50 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool to room temperature. Cut into slices to serve.

Hoisin Pineapple Beer Pork over Coconut Lime Rice

19.03.2020 14 Comments

Hoisin Pineapple Beer Pork over Coconut Lime Rice

How are you out there? Are you ok?

If you’re like me, and I kind of think you are, you have two opposite feelings, nearly back to back, and it’s unsettling. 

My thoughts jump from "Everyone needs to settle down, you are all overreacting!" to "Are we all going to die and is our society going to collapse and I need to form a post-apocalypse tribe immediately," 

and 

"Self-quarantine is great, and my neighbors are the best and I want to stay like this forever," and then the next minute: "Will I ever travel again, I need to be on a virus-free plane immediately or I’ll die because my wanderlust is killing me, and I need my local bars and restaurants to re-open soon, I miss them so much,"

It’s all so disorienting. Just know that you’re not alone, we are all in this together even if it feels lonely. 

My favorite part of pre-apocalypse grocery shopping is the "weird" ingredients are always left. The chicken breast and pork chops are long gone but the more obscure meat is in abundance and on sale. My particular grocery store had rows and rows of oxtails, shanks, and boneless pork ribs, and I’m hoping yours does too. So I made you something. It’s easy and since you’ll be home all day, you should make it. It’s really good and you’ll only want coconut rice from now on, so make sure to add cans and cans of coconut milk to your next venture out in your hazmat suit. 

Hoisin Pineapple Beer Pork over Coconut Lime Rice

5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the pork:

  • 3 lbs boneless country pork ribs or pork shoulder cut into chunks
  • 1 tablespoon salt kosher
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • ¼ cup (62g) low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup (66g) hoisin sauce
  • 2 teaspoons (10g) sriracha
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) brown sugar
  • 2 cup (310g) pineapple chunks drained if using canned
  • 1 cup (8oz) beer stout, porter, brown ale

For the rice:

  • 1 (14oz) can full-fat coconut milk
  • 1 ¼ cup (10oz) water
  • 1 ½ cups long-grain or jasmine rice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 3 tablespoons green onion chopped

Instructions
 

To make the pork:

  • Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  • Sprinkle the pork on all sides with salt, add to a large Dutch oven or covered baking dish.
  • Add the remaining ingredients (from the pork list) to a blender, blend on high until well combined. Pour the liquid over the pork. Cover and bake for one hour.
  • Remove the lid, turn the pork over, then continue to bake, uncovered, for 2 ½ more hours, turning the pork every 30 minutes or so until the pork is fork-tender (total of 3 1/2 hours of cooking time). 
  • Remove the pork from the pot, set aside.
  • Place the pot over a burner over high heat (if you used a baking dish, transfer the remaining liquid to a pot), boil, stirring frequently, until thickened.
  • Pour the thickened glaze over the pork.

To make the rice:

  • Add the coconut milk, water, rice, and salt to a large pot, stirring to combine.
  • Add to a burner over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low for 18 minutes. Once the 18 minutes is up, remove from heat but allow to sit for 2 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and stir in the lime juice and green onions.
  • Serve the pork over the rice.

Key Lime Pilsner Loaf Cake with Mezcal Icing

17.03.2020 No Comments

Key Lime Pilsner Loaf Cake with Mezcal Icing

We all need cake right now, we do. It helps. Apparently so does social distancing and hand washing. And don’t forget that alcohol kills all germs. Where does that leave us? Washing our hands and drinking alone. There are worse things, I suppose, especially when you have a cake. A cake made specifically for social distancing due to its relatively small size. 

It’s dessert on day one, with a few beers. Then it’s breakfast the following day, which you can get to around late morning because, let’s be honest, you’ve got nowhere to go. 

And you’ll still have enough left to eat for dinner, I mean dessert, on day two. This is my plan for the next few weeks: baking, beer, and weird internet searches. Because apparently knowing the best dive bar in every state, and if "Hi-Way Heaven Fried Chicken" in The Outsider is a real place is important to my emotional well being.

We all have our things. 

Key Lime Pilsner Loaf Cake with Mezcal Icing

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the cake:

  • 1 tablespoon lime zest
  • 1 ¼ cup (250g) sugar
  • 2 tablespoon butter softened
  • 3 eggs room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup key lime juice
  • ¼ cup beer pilsner, pale ale, wheat beer
  • 3 tablespoon (42g) olive oil
  • 1 ¾ cups (210g) flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the Mezcal icing:

  • 2 cups ½ lbs powdered sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 ½ tablespoon Mezcal
  • 1 ½ tablespoon lime juice

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 325°F.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add the lime zest and sugar. Beat for about 2 minutes on high to release the lime oils into the sugar.
  • Add the butter, beat until well combined.
  • Add the eggs and vanilla, one at a time, beating well between additions.
  • Add the lime juice, beer, and olive oil, beating until well combined, scraping the bottom of the mixer to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Stop the mixer and sprinkle with flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stir until just combined.
  • Pour into an 8-inch loaf pan that has been greased.
  • Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until cake is golden brown and toothpick inserted in the center comes back with just a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool completely.
  • Stir together the powdered sugar, mezcal, lime juice, and salt to make a thick paste. Spread over the top of the cake, chill until set about 3 hours. Cake is best made a day ahead of time.

Bulgogi Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Pickled Mint Slaw

16.03.2020 No Comments

Bulgogi Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Pickled Mint Slaw

There are days when I feel this is my only useful skill. Feed people. Make food. Cook and bake. So, that’s what I’ll do. I don’t have anything else to offer right now, but I can make you some food that tastes good, a small distraction and something to look forward to. 

It’s like practical self-care, food that you want to eat, want to serve to people. Something to plan for that you know won’t get canceled. Even if that plan is just dinner and a beer with the person you’re quarantined with. It’s time to take joy in small things, and do what you can to spread it around. It’s the good kind of contagious. 

Bulgogi Portobello Mushroom Wraps with Pickled Mint Slaw

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the mushrooms:

  • ½ cup (129g) low-sodium soy sauce (regular soy sauce will be too salty)
  • 1/4 cup (57g) stout beer
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) brown sugar
  • 5 garlic cloves grated with a Microplane
  • 2 tablespoons ginger grated with a Microplane
  • 3 tablespoons (46g) rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon (30g) toasted sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon gochujang Korean hot sauce
  • 1 lbs portobello mushrooms thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the slaw:

  • 2 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 cup (8oz) hot water
  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 cup (8oz) apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • ¼ a large red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped mint
  • 2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 2 green onions chopped

For the wraps:

  • 1 head butter lettuce cleaned, leaves removed
  • Thinly sliced chilies optional

Instructions
 

  • Add the soy sauce, beer, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, vinegar, sesame oil and gochujang to a bowl, mix until well combined.
  • Add the mushrooms to a large Ziplock bag, add the mixture on top, remove all the air. Add to the fridge, marinate for one hour and up to overnight.
  • Add the sugar, salt, hot water, cloves and peppercorn to a large bowl. Stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Add the vinegar and allow to rest for 5 minutes, remove the cloves and peppercorns.
  • Add the cabbage, onion, mint, cilantro and green onion. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to several days.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Add the mushrooms and marinade. Cook until the marinade has thickened, and the mushrooms have softened about 10 minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms to the lettuce leaves, top with slaw and chilies (if using). 

Dive Bars: Beer, Chocolate, Pretzel, and Potato Chip Cookie Bars

13.03.2020 2 Comments

Dive Bars: Beer, Chocolate, Pretzel, and Potato Chip Cookie Bars

 

We need this right now, the self-care of treats. The idea that although we are home, and a little sick with worry, we still need to live. We need to be present, more now that ever. 

Before I started this adventure of cooking with beer and making it a weird job, I worked in mental health. I actually have a Master’s degree in feelings, or psychology, whatever. One of the truly valuable lessons I’ve learned is how to manage anxiety. 

It’s overwhelming at times, the thoughts that pull you under, the things that aren’t actually happening but being forced to live in a brain and a body that’s convincing you that it IS happening. 

 

This is the trick, and it sounds so stupid, so silly, but it works: be present. Stay in the moment you are in, the room you are in, be there. Find something to keep you anchored to this moment. "Right now, I’m OK," and "Right now, nothing is happening. I’m warm and safe and healthy and I have food in the fridge." I once had a client who would count ceiling tiles to stay present, it works. 

It’s called core mindfulness, but really it’s just a way to quiet the storm. The "what ifs" that are threatening to pull you apart. Because the truth is, the things that your brain is asking you to worry about, the problems that you can’t solve that seem insurmountable, haven’t happened and most likely will never happen and as a result, you’re ruining the moments that could be still and quiet. 

Pull yourself back, be here, be now, and remind yourself that you’re ok. 

I’m not sure that I will ever have the courage to tell you about the time when this trick quite literally saved my life. It’s hard to think about and it’s hard to talk about. But I will tell you that it works. You need to be your own lighthouse sometimes and pull yourself back to dry land. Right now you are OK. Right now you are safe. And we all just have to "one day at a time" this thing. 

Baking helps me, cooking helps me. It helps me stay in the moment and solve small problems like "I want cookies," or "I need to make dinner," and that accomplishment can go a long way. 

I know it’s been a hard few weeks for all of us, and we may be in the eye of the storm, but for the most part, most of us are safe. We are OK, and we will all get to the other side. 

Dive Bars: Beer, Chocolate, Pretzel, and Potato Chip Cookie Bars

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • ¾ cups (150g) white sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
  • ½ cup (114g) butter softened
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup (2oz) beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/3 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoons salt
  • ½ cup (85g) caramel chips or butterscotch chips
  • 1 cup (170g) chocolate chips any will work, I used dark chocolate
  • ¼ cup crumbled potato chips
  • ¼ cup crumbled pretzels

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Add the white and brown sugar, and butter to a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until well combined and creamy.
  • Add the egg, beating until well combined and resembles frosting, about 5 minutes (beat this longer than you think you need to, it helps add structure to the bars).
  • Stir in the beer and vanilla. The mixture may look a little curdled, this is fine.
  • Stir in the flour, baking powder, caramel or butterscotch chips and salt until just combined.
  • Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment so that it comes up and over the sides (this makes for easy removal).
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer (it will be about the consistency of peanut butter). Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown.
  • While the bars are still hot, sprinkle with chocolate chips then put back into the oven for 1 to 2 minutes or until the chips have just melted. Use the back of a spoon to gently spread the chocolate in an even layer.
  • Immediately sprinkle with pretzels and potato chips. Allow to cool until set and the chocolate has hardened. 

Beer Chicken Shawarma with Sweet Potato cakes and Tahini Aoili

12.03.2020 2 Comments

Beer Chicken Shawarma with Sweet Potato cakes and Tahini Aoili

This has been a hard month, for all of us. We aren’t even two weeks in and this month has already had an impact on the world in profound ways. It leaves us all feeling helpless and scared, worried and frightened. I wish I had something to offer you other than a recipe that might help your self-quarantine time seem a little less terrible, but I don’t.

But I can give you this: don’t forget to focus on what you’re grateful for, a little each day. It sounds trite and quaint, but it really does help. I’m ok because: I’m not sick, I can work from home, I have people who love me who will help me if I need it.

Whatever it is, just make sure you take stock of it.

And don’t forget that we are all in this together, and there are people who don’t have those things you just listed. Stop panicking and start helping. Maybe it’s just to offer some help to a stranger, some assistance to someone who needs it. We do have enough, we just need to remember that we are all in it together. We will be ok, we will get through this, and we will do it together. And I’m fairly certain a few beers will only help the situation. 

Beer Chicken Shawarma with Sweet Potato cakes and Tahini Aoili

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken:

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika or a teaspoon of each
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/3 cup (78g) beer pale ale, IPA, pilsner, wheat beer
  • 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut into strips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  • 1.5 lbs 1 large or 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, grated with a box grater
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Oil for frying

For the Aioli:

  • ½ cup (112g) real mayonnaise (homemade or store-bought)
  • ½ cup (56g) tahini
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic grated with a Microplane
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons beer pale ale, IPA, pilsner, wheat beer

Topping:

  • Chopped parsley
  • Grape tomatoes quartered
  • Mixed greens

Instructions
 

  • Stir together all the Shawarma ingredients (except the chicken and olive oil) in a large bowl. Add the chicken, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 1 day.
  • Heat the oven to 200°F, place a baking sheet in the oven.
  • Stir together the sweet potato ingredients (other than the oil).
  • Heat about ½ inch of oil in a skillet.
  • Grab a handful of the sweet potatoes, form into a patty, making sure to press it together well. Place in the pan (two or three patties may be able to fit into the pan at a time).
  • Cook unit the underside is browned (flipping too soon will result in the patties falling apart) then carefully flip the patties, press the top with the flat side of the spatula. Cook until browned on the other side.
  • Remove the cooked patties and place them on the baking sheet in the oven until all the patties are done.
  • Heat the remaining olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the chicken, cooking on all sides until browned and cooked through.
  • Plate the patties, top tomatoes, greens and then with chicken.
  • Stir together all the aioli ingredients.
  • Drizzle the chicken with desired amount of aioli, sprinkle with parsley.

Guinness Corned Beef Tacos with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

10.03.2020 5 Comments

Guinness Corned Beef Tacos with Pickled Cabbage Slaw Diageo Beer Company USA, sponsored this post. Partnerships with The Beeroness and outside companies only occur when the company’s products are ones I use and enjoy myself. All ideas, words, and opinions are my  own.

Every once in a while the stars align and a holiday falls on just the right day. Like when Halloween is on a Saturday or Cinco De Mayo is on Thirsty Thursday, it just clicks it up a notch. 

This year, Saint Patricks Day is on Taco Tuesday, which will obviously necessitate Irish Tacos. What are Irish Tacos, you say?! Great question. Corned Beef and beer tacos, of course. 

Guinness is the unofficial, official beer of Saint Patrick’s day so I teamed up with them to give a beered up corned beef taco to make all your Saint Patrick Taco Tuesday dreams come true. 

Guinness Corned Beef Tacos with Pickled Cabbage Slaw

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 12 tacos

Ingredients
  

For the Corned Beef *

  • 4 lbs beef brisket
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons curing salt this will make the meat pink
  • 3 tablespoon whole allspice berries
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 tablespoon mustard seeds
  • 2 tablespoon whole peppercorns
  • 3 cups of water
  • 3 (12 ounces) bottles of Guinness Extra stout
  • 4 cups ice
  • 1 yellow onion quartered

Pickled slaw:

  • 2 cup red cabbage shredded
  • 2 cup savoy cabbage shredded
  • ½ red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoon whole cloves
  • 2 teaspoon black peppercorns

For the Tacos

  • 12 corn tortillas

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot or Dutch oven, add brown sugar, curing salt, kosher salt, allspice berries, cloves, ginger, mustard seeds, peppercorns, along with the water.
  • Cook on high just until the salt and sugar dissolve, remove from heat. Add 2 bottles of stout (reserve the last bottle for cooking) and  ice, stir until ice has melted and brine is cool.
  • Add the brisket, cover with a lid and refrigerate for 5 days and up to 10.
  • Remove from brine and rinse well. Discard the brine and clean the Dutch oven.
  • Place the brisket back in the cleaned pot, along with the onion, pour the remaining bottle of stout and then cover with cold water until the brisket is fully cover with about one inch of water above the beef.
  • Bring to a low boil, cover and reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 3 hours or until the meat is fork-tender. Move to a carving board, thinly slice against the grain.
  • While the brisket cooks, make the pickled slaw. In a saucepan over medium heat, add the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, sugar, ginger, allspice, cloves and peppercorns in a pot.
  •  Bring to simmer just until the salt and sugar dissolve, remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature. 
  • In a large bowl, add the cabbage and onion. Pour the cooled pickling liquid over the cabbage and onion, refrigerate for one hour and up to a week (this can be done well in advance).
  • Fill the tortillas with beef and top with pickled slaw.

Notes

To use a pre-cured corned beef, skip the curing step and go right to the cooking part in step 5 step.
You’ll only need one bottle of Guinness Extra Stout, an onion  from the list of ingredients in the “for the corned beef” section, plus a cured, uncooked, corned beef brisket. 

Tandoori Beer Lamb Wraps with Mango Mint Salsa and Harissa Feta Sauce

06.03.2020 4 Comments

Tandoori Beer Lamb Wraps with Mango Mint Salsa and Harissa Feta Sauce

Do you remember the first time you had lamb? or Naan? Maybe you don’t, that’s ok. Maybe you grew up traipsing around the Middle East, or with parents who would regularly bring home take out from exotic places. I did not. 

My mom’s idea of international cuisine was Taco Bell and Costco Lasagna. The good part of this (other than the fact that mom was able to feed 8 kids on a small income, thanks mom!) is that I have very, very clear memories of the first time I had the foods most people grew up with at least a passing experience with. 

Prior to eating Naan for the first time, when I was 19-years-old,  I actually said this sentence: "What do you mean NON-bread? Like, it’s not bread?"

I know. I KNOW. THAT girl grew up to write cookbooks. I suppose anything is possible. But that meal I had, of naan and tandoori lamb, in a small restaurant in Pasadena, taught me that I love curry, and I love new food. It really inspired me to try things, all things, whenever I could. Sure, there were misses, lots of them. Restaurants I’d never revisit, terrible meals, poorly executed dishes, but in spite of that, I wouldn’t change a thing I’ve eaten. You just have to go out, try things, see what sticks. You can’t find what you love without finding things you don’t. But it’s always worth the trip. 

Tandoori Beer Lamb Wraps with Mango Mint Salsa and Harissa Feta Sauce

Print Recipe
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the lamb:

  • 2 lbs boneless leg of lamb
  • ½ cup (113g) Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup (58g) pale ale or IPA beer
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) lemon juice
  • 2 large garlic cloves grated with a Microplane
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger grated with a Microplane
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
  • pinch ground cloves
  • pinch cayenne

For the harissa sauce:

  • ¼ cup (56g) Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) harissa
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons feta

For the mango mint salsa:

  • 1 medium red mango diced
  • ½ large red onion diced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the wraps:

  • 4 pieces Naan bread
  • Additional feta and cilantro optional

Instructions
 

  • Add a long sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Add the lamb to the center, fat side up.
  • Score the lamb in a diamond pattern on the top, just cutting through the fat layer.
  • In a medium-sized bowl stir together all of the remaining lamb ingredients.
  • Pour the mixture over the lamb. Gather up the plastic wrap and wrap the lamb tightly, using additional plastic wrap if needed.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Remove lamb from plastic wrap, place the lamb on a wire rack over a baking sheet, place in the bottom 1/3 of the oven.
  • Roast until the internal temperature of the lamb is 135°F in the thickest part (use an oven-safe meat thermometer if possible), about 45 to 75 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes (internal temp will rise to 140°F while it rests) before slicing into ½ inch strips.
  • In a small bowl, stir together all the mango salsa ingredients, set aside.
  • In a separate bowl stir together the harissa sauce ingredients, set aside.
  • Divide the lamb evenly between the four naan pieces. Top with desired amount of salsa, harissa sauce, and additional fetta and cilantro (if using). Serve immediately.

Burrata, Mango, Arugula Pizza with Hot Chili Oil and Overnight Beer Pizza Crust

04.03.2020 2 Comments

Burrata, Mango, Arugula Pizza with Hot Chili Oil and Overnight Beer Pizza Crust

I’m going to give you some advice about general safety and well being. If you ever meet a person who doesn’t like pizza: run. Run fast, and far because this is a person who can not be trusted. It’s the core of our society, like puppies, democracy, and a brand new hoodie. But seriously, is there anything better than wearing a brand new, super-soft, hoodie? While eating pizza? and petting a puppy? With a beer? 

Unfortunately, all I can help you with right now is the pizza part. You’ll have to supply your own hoddies and puppies. Sorry to disappoint. 

This dough is my current favorite. It’s really easy, super simple, and requires very little active time. Although you will need to know 24 hours in advance that you want pizza, but I’m going to tell you now that tomorrow you want pizza. Problem solved. 

It’s also a really agreeable dough. It can sit on your counter for 24 hours, 36 hours, even 48 hours. Just make sure to fold it again if you decide to push pizza-making off a day. Or even put it in the fridge for a few days if life is forcing you to neglect pizza for a while. 

It’s also not super picky about temperature. I heated my beer to be about lukewarm, but not hot. But if you just used room temperature beer, you’d probably be fine. Just no extreme temps here, nothing cold or hot, just in the general vicinity of warm. 

And these toppings are my idea of the perfect pizza, I could eat this every single day. If there is ever a menu item that includes burrata, mango, and chili oil, it’s hard for me to pass it up, no matter what else is included. 

You can make the crust with a pilsner, pale ale, or wheat beer. Nothing too hoppy or dark. But when you eat it, I highly recommend doing so with an IPA. The chili and mango will thank you, this is truth. I was lucky enough to have a Poor Mans Galaxy from 10 Torr,  If you can get your hands on one, I highly recommend it.

I’ve always said that the best beer comes from the convergence of art and science, that engineers and scientists with a creative side always put out the best, most consistent beer and 10 Torr is a perfect example of that. Two badass women and an engineering company came together to give us some amazing beer. 

And then I decide to drink it with pizza. Hopefully, all that art and science will forgive my casual approach to art appreciation, but I also have the idea that this is exactly the sort of activity it was made for. 

Burrata, Mango, Arugula Pizza with Hot Chili Oil and Overnight Beer Pizza Crust

5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe
Servings 2 small pizzas

Ingredients
  

For the dough:

  • 2 cups (240g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 cup (6oz) lukewarm beer (pilsner, pale ale, wheat beer)

For the topping:

  • ¼ cup red pizza sauce
  • ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 mini (2 oz each) balls of burrata
  • 1 red mango diced
  • ½ cup arugula leaves
  • 2 tablespoons hot chili oil

Instructions
 

  • The night before you plan to make pizza, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir in the beer with a fork or your hands until a tight ball forms.
  • Add to an oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours.
  • The next morning (12 to 18 hours later) fold the dough by pulling the sides into the center until a tight ball forms. This should only take about 5 minutes.
  • Cover and allow to rise for another 6 to 12 hours. (if you decide to wait another day to make pizza, just fold again every 12 hours. If it'll be longer, keep in the fridge and fold every 24 hours). 
  • Place a pizza stone or pizza steel in the bottom third of your oven. Preheat your oven to 550°F, allow to heat for one full hour.
  • While your oven heats, cut your dough ball into two balls, form into tight balls on a heavily floured surface, using more flour if the dough is too sticky.
  • Cover and allow to rest for 30-45 minutes while your oven heats (make sure to cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, you want to prevent a crust from forming on your dough because this will impede the rise).
  • After 30-45 minutes, shape the balls into 8-10 inch crust by pulling and stretching. DO NOT use a roller. Avoid touching the outer inch where the outer crust ring will be, you don’t want to disrupt the air bubbles to allow your outer crust to bubble up.
  • Place on a heavily floured pizza peel, top with sauce and mozzarella. Brush the outer crust ring with olive oil.
  • Transfer to the pizza stone or steel. Bake for 8-10 minutes, remove from oven with a pizza peel. 
  • Top with burrata, mango, arugula and chili oil. Repeat for remaining crust.

Golden Milk Tart with Honey Beer Caramel Sauce and Maple Whipped Cream

26.02.2020 3 Comments

 

 
There are two ways to look at the fact that I took one of the healthiest drink trends and beered it up. First, some of you might eye-roll this and wonder why I’d add sugar and delicious beer to Golden Milk when most people drink it for all the health benefits. 

Others of you (otherwise known as: my people) will look at a delicious tart filled with spices and beer and other such things and think how awesome it is that something this delightful also has health benefits. Glass half full, tart half healthy. It’s all in how you look at it. 

I didn’t really care about golden milk for its health benefits, I care because it’s yummy. It reminds me of a vanilla churro in liquid form and turmeric is a vastly underused spice in American cooking. Also, I like to think that it balances out the beer in a way that gives me a net zero when it comes to bad stuff. Don’t question this, just pick up a fork. It’s better that way.

For this tart I really needed something malty, something too hoppy would just bulldoze those lovely golden milk flavors. I used Known Presence, a Belgian from Von Ebert Brewing out of Portland Oregon, a beer that worked well in the recipes as well as paired with the recipe. It’s all about harmony. 

Golden Milk Tart with Honey Beer Caramel Sauce and Maple Whipped Cream

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 8 slices

Ingredients
  

Tart Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup (50g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 1 egg yolk
  • ¼ cup ice-cold beer Belgian ale, pilsner, lager

For the filling:

  • 1 cup (228g) whole milk
  • ¾ cup (172g) heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • 3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ cup beer Belgian ale, pilsner, lager

Caramel:

  • ½ cup (170g) raw honey
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (115g) beer Belgian ale, pilsner, lager
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons butter

Whipped Cream:

  • 1 ½ cups (334g) heavy cream
  • ¼ cup (83g) real maple syrup

Instructions
 

  • Add half of the flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter and egg yolk, process until well combined and dough gathers around the blade.
  • Add the remaining flour and pulse 6-8 times or until all the flour has been coated.
  • Transfer to a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the beer until completely incorporated into the dough. 
  • Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  • Roll the tart dough into an even circle on a lightly floured surface. Line a 10-inch tart pan with the crust.
  • Place the tart crust in the fridge while you make the filling.
  • Combine all the filling ingredients in a pan off the heat, whisk until well combined.
  • Add to a burner over medium-high heat, whisking frequently, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
  • Pour into the chilled pie crust.
  • Add to the oven, bake until the crust has browned and the top of the tart has puffed about 30-40 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool then refrigerate.
  • Add the heavy cream to a stand mixer, beat on high until starting to thicken. Slowly add the maple syrup until well combined.
  • Top the tart with whipped cream, chill until ready to serve.
  • Add the honey, brown sugar, and beer to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the mixture comes together, then stop stirring.
  • When the mixture boils (not just the edges, but the center as well) set a timer for 3 minutes. Boil for three minutes, remove from heat and then add the butter and vanilla, stir until well combined.
  • Allow to cool. Drizzle the tart with the caramel sauce prior to serve.

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit

21.02.2020 3 Comments

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit (dairy and egg-free)

I have a theory. I really believe that breakfast being touted as the most important meal of the day has nothing to do with nutrition. It’s because we cook breakfast for the most important people in our lives. We’ll have a mid-day coffee, or a quick lunch, with just about anyone. But if you’ve earned the "let me cook you breakfast" spot in the day, it’s because you’re the most important. 

Sure, waffles and eggs benedict are awesome, but I also like having recipes for all the humans in my life, like the ones who don’t eat eggs or dairy. One of my go-to substitutions when replacing butter is olive oil, but like beer, it isn’t all the same. Good olive oil has nuances of flavor that other olive oils don’t. 

The beautiful flavors of both the beer and the olive oil come through in these biscuits, so use an olive oil you really like. I used my favorite olive oil on the planet, and it’s owned by some of my favorite people on the planet. The space it comes from in the world is so gorgeous, you’ll want to keep a piece of it in your kitchen. It’s called Rastrello, and it’s not just a small craft olive oil producer, it’s also a gorgeous boutique hotel, just 8 rooms on the edge of an olive grove in a small town in Italy owned by a family I adore. If you’re looking for an unforgettable Italian getaway, add this small boutique hotel to the top of your list.  

Until we can all jump on a plane to Italy, let’s sublimate our wanderlust with some confit tomatoes. Don’t let the word "confit" intimidate you, it just means to cook something at a low temperature in a fat, like olive oil. It’s nearly impossible to screw up, and it’s very forgiving. Forget it for a few hours and when you come back, it’ll be warm and bursting with flavor. 

These biscuits are the quickest and easiest biscuits I’ve ever made, with a texture that’s soft and light and a flavor that’s almost buttery. They’re ready to go in the oven before your oven has finished heating up, perfect for last-minute breakfast guests and lazy Sunday mornings. 

Just spread the tomatoes and garlic on the biscuits like jam and don’t forget to share with your favorite person as you convince them to run away to Italy with you this summer. I’ll be there, you should be too. 

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings 12 biscuits

Ingredients
  

For the confit:

  • 2 cups (16oz) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 large heads garlic cloves remove from the head
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • Olive oil

For the Biscuits:

  • 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • ½ cup (114g) beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
  • ½ cup (114g) extra-virgin olive oil (plus additional for brushing)
  • Flakey sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 275°F.
  • Add the tomatoes, garlic cloves, salt, pepper and rosemary to a small dish (ideally, you want the tomatoes and garlic to be in a tight layer.Drizzle with olive oil until the tomatoes are about 2/3 of the way covered.
  • Bake until the tomatoes have shriveled and the garlic has browned, about 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven. The confit can be covered and stored in the fridge for several weeks until ready to use. Make sure to heat prior to serving.
  • Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rosemary. Gently stir in the beer and olive oil until just combined. Don't over-mix.
  • Drop mounds of dough (slightly larger than golf balls) on prepared baking sheet (for smaller sized biscuits use a cookie scoop, for larger an ice cream scoop works well). Brush the top with olive oil, sprinkle with flakey sea salt.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through and starting to turn brown on the tops.

Notes

Anything beer that's really hoppy, like an IPA, will be too intense for this recipe. 

White Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Filling and Russian Imperial Buttercream

13.02.2020 7 Comments

White Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Filling and Russian Imperial Buttercream

The most frustrated I have even gotten while cooking, came at the hands of a cake. Not just a little frustrated, but throwing an actual tantrum in the kitchen all by myself. This is the ugly truth, people, if you can’t handle it, please look away! 

Certainly, this is all my fault. I have these unreasonably high expectations for the cakes I bring places, as if the entire enjoyment of these treats will be ruined if they don’t look flawless and the crowd of party-goers don’t gasp and ask "did you really make that?!" I know, this is insane and I should be in some sort of baked goods related therapy to cure myself. 

But because of my aforementioned baking-induced-trauma, I have learned some things that I hope make the path a little less rocky for you, my friend. You don’t deserve a cake meltdown. 

First rule of cake making, we don’t talk about cake making! Wait, nope that’s another club. The first rule is: do not, I REPEAT DO NOT, under any circumstances, ever, never, ever attempt to make a cake the day you intend to eat it. It will not end well, for several reasons. Cold cake is much easier to work with, warm cake is an asshole and it will slide all over and collapse and taunt you. Make all the components the day before (unless the frosting is super easy, then you can make it the day of) and store it all covered in the fridge.  

The second rule is sorta along the same lines, but since I already said "first rule" I’m going to need to continue this line of thinking and make this the second rule: temperature matters. A LOT. First, the cake needs to be cold, and the frosting components need to be warm. When you’re making a butter-based frosting the "softened" or "room temperature" butter indicator is not a suggestion. It’s literally the only way that stuff will work. If you try to use cold butter and trick your frosting into working, it will laugh at you and then turn into a mixture that resembles cottage cheese. It’s really sad. 

Making a nice little drip down the side of your cake covers a myriad of sins, I think we can call this the third rule. Or just literally throw a bunch of chocolate chips on the top, it’ll look good and people will like it. If you’re new to chocolate drips, they’re super easy but I’m going to let Chelsweets tell you about that, she’s way better at it than I am. 

The next rule is this: if you’re worried about your cake being dry, just brush the cake layers with a simple syrup (a mixture of sugar and water) and bam! Moist cake. 

The last rule is to remember that people will just be happy that you brought cake, no one cares nearly as much about how it looks as you do, so let it go if it’s not perfect. You’re perfect, and you brought beer and cake so everyone will love you. Even without the beer and cake, you’re the best. Don’t forget that. 

White Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Filling and Russian Imperial Buttercream

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon blood orange zest
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 ¼ cup (250g) white sugar
  • 1 cup (8oz) fresh-squeezed blood orange juice
  • ¼ cup (2oz) IPA beer
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the Chocolate Cake:

  • 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup (112g) vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (4oz) beer pilsner, pale ale, lager
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 6 oz (about 1 cup) white chocolate chips, melted
  • ½ cup (114g) melted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the Frosting:

  • 1 cup (228g) butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (205g) vegetable shortening
  • 1 (14oz) can sweeten condensed milk, chilled
  • 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Add the zest, orange juice, beer, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks to a saucepan off the heat and whisk until well combined. Add the butter and place the pan over medium/low heat. Whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F (if you haven’t done so, set your butter out to come to room temp, and put your sweetened condensed milk in the fridge to prepare to make the frosting!).
  • Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk to combine.
  • Add the oil, beer, vanilla, and eggs. Stir on low speed until just combined, then drizzle in the melted white chocolate and melted butter (do not over mix).
  • Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Divide the cake equally between the pans.
  • Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, 28-32 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the pans.
  • Layer the cooled cake with the blood orange mixture spread between the layers. Cover loosely and refrigerate until chilled (cold cakes are much easier to work with), ideally overnight. 
  • Add the room temperature butter and shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer, beat on high until the mixture is very white, light and fluffy. This will take about 5 full minutes, but it’s an important step in getting enough air into the frosting to make it light. Lower the mixer speed to medium, add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Turn off the mixer, add the powdered sugar, then mix until well combined.
  • Spread with about 2/3 of the frosting mixture on the outside of the cake, refrigerate until chilled and the frosting is set.
  • Add the remaining frosting on to the outside of the cake in a smooth layer and as decoration.

Beer Battered Kung Pao Cauliflower Tacos

10.02.2020 2 Comments

Beer Battered Kung Pao Cauliflower Tacos

I like to taco things that shouldn’t be tacoed. Speaking of, "tacoed" is another one of those words that Autocorrect and I disagree on the validity of, like beerified and hangry. 

And while we are on the topic of things people will disagree with me on, I’m fairly certain there is more than one person who would disagree with my decision to put all the things into tortillas and call them tacos. These are not my people. 

You’re on my side with this, I’m pretty sure. Because if I put anything in a homemade tortilla, hand it to you with a beer, you’ll eat it. And you’ll let me call it a taco even if it’s fairly ridiculous to do so. "You made me a cake taco!" you would say, and eat it even if it’s pretty insane. That’s why you’re my people, nothing is off-limits when it comes to handheld dinners and beer. 

These tacos do happen to be my new favorite accidentally vegan meal so anyone against my tacoing kung pao cauliflower doesn’t get any. It’s harsh but necessary, we need to have some limits with those people anyway. 

My recipe for Homemade Beer Tortillas 

Beer Battered Kung Pao Cauliflower Tacos

5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the cauliflower:

  • Canola oil for frying
  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 12 ounces pale ale beer
  • 3 cups cauliflower florets stems removed

For the Kung Pao sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons (45g) rice wine vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons (34g) hoisin sauce
  • 1/4 cup (58g) porter or stout beer
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil or sesame chili oil
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger grater with a Microplane
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 4-5 dried chili Arbol pods chopped (more chilies will make it hotter)

For the tacos:

  • 12 corn tortillas homemade, or La Tortilla Factory if store-bought
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions
  • 3 tablespoons nuts shelled peanuts, pistachios, or cashews

Instructions
 

  • Heat 4 inches of canola oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Clip a deep-fry thermometer on the side and bring oil to 350F, adjust heat to maintain this temperature.
  • In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, garlic powder, soda, black pepper, and cornstarch.
  • Stir the beer into the flour bowl, whisk until combined adding additional beer or flour until the batter is just slightly thinner than that of pancake batter.
  • Turn the oven to 175F. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, add the baking sheet to the oven.
  • One at a time dip the florets into the batter until well coated, allow the excess to slip off back into the bowl, then add to the hot oil. Fry until golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes, then transfer to the baking sheet in the oven to keep warm until all cauliflower is done.
  • Add all the sauce ingredients to a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 3 minutes
  • Add the cauliflower to the tortillas, drizzle with sauce, sprinkle with green onions and nuts. Serve immediately.

Hot Honey Beer Prawns

05.02.2020 3 Comments

Hot Honey Beer Prawns

I have a confession. This was supposed to be for dinner but instead I ate it over the sink and called it "lunch" as if I hadn’t already eaten. This would drive you crazy if you had to put up with me on a daily basis, I have no ability to plan or follow through with plans, because sometimes I just want to eat prawns over the sink. 

Hot Honey is a fairly new discovery for me. I started my hot honey journey the exact way you should: with a slice of pizza eaten over a paper plate on the street in Manhattan with my friend. Even if the pizza isn’t better with Hot Honey, this should be your first introduction, it’s just the way the world should work when everything is perfect. By the time I arrived here, Hot Honey was already a thing, which made me feel like I had nothing to offer. If I can’t feed you new and weird food, what good am I?! 

But I will still feed you, even if you’ve already had hot honey somewhere else in the world. I will still hot-up some honey, beerify (this is a word, look away, autocorrect) the dish, and serve it to you on a silver platter. Or out of the skillet over the sink. Whatever. 

Hot Honey Beer Prawns

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 tablespoons (84g) honey
  • 3 tablespoons (62g) Asian hot chili oil see note
  • 3 cloves garlic grated with a Microplane
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) ginger grated with a Microplane
  • 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
  • ¼ cup beer pilsner, pale ale, lager
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil*
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 lbs prawns or large shrimp deveined (peeled if desired)
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl stir together the butter, honey, chili oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, salt, and beer, set aside.
  • Rub the inside of your cast iron skillet with olive oil (*you can skip this step if you know for sure your cast iron skillet is well seasoned, but it won’t hurt to do this either way. If your skillet isn’t well seasoned the honey may stick without the oil).
  • Heat the sesame seed oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the prawns.
  • Pour in the butter mixture, allow to boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and the prawns are cooked through.
  • Remove from heat, top with green onions. Serve with rice, polenta, or crusty bread.

Notes

  • Asian chili oil, or hot chili oil, is sold in the Asian section of the market near the Sriracha. My favorite brands are Judy Fu's, Lao Gan Ma, and Din Tai Fung. 
  • You can either remove the shells to cook, or cut them down the entire length of the prawn when you remove the vein and serve them as peel-and-eat, but either way, don't neglect the sauce, it's delicious! 
 

Homemade Beer Pasta Recipe: Pilsner Pappardelle with Harissa Brown Butter, Burrata, and Crispy Basil

29.01.2020 No Comments

Pilsner Pappardelle with Harissa Brown Butter, Burrata, and Crispy Basil

Is January an asshole, or is it just me? Every year of my life up to this moment, January has been the worst month. It’s soggy and heavy and sad. We’ve just got to keep moving through it as if it doesn’t exist, it’s just a vestibule to the rest of the year. 

My current means of coping is throwing myself into long cooking projects, it helps. Don’t fight me on this, just sit there and look pretty. This week it’s homemade pasta, something every single person who has hands and a mouth should attempt at least once in their lives. If I didn’t hate the term "bucket list" I would tell you to add this endeavor to yours. 

It isn’t hard, and it isn’t complicated, it’s just a few simple ingredients and some time. If you have a stand mixer and a pasta roller, even better. But if you don’t, it’s still completely possible. Remember, Italian grandmas didn’t have those things a hundred years ago and their pasta didn’t suffer. 

Instead of a stand mixer, just use your hands. It will give you an arm workout and take three times as long, but your pasta will be well worth it, a carb load after the upper body training. If you don’t have a pasta roller, just use a rolling pin. Or a bomber of beer. 

And everything is better with burrata, this is a fact. I don’t care what you serve me, if you say, "Do you want burrata with that?" the answer will be yes. Cake, cereal, pizza, I don’t care, put a big ball of burrata on it and it’s happy. I’m happy. I’m less January-y. 

Add in some harissa and a beer and it already feels like February. 

Pilsner Pappardelle with Harissa Brown Butter, Burrata, and Crispy Basil

Print Recipe
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients
  

For The Pasta:

  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup (2oz) beer pilsner, wheat beer, pale ale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Browned Butter:

  • ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter*
  • ¼ cup prepared harissa
  • ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

For the Dish:

  • olive oil for frying
  • 8-10 large basil leaves chopped
  • 4 (2 oz each) mini balls of burrata
  • Black pepper

Instructions
 

Make the pasta:

  • 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 low speed until the dough, eggs, and beer are incorporated, about 6 minutes. 
  • Turn the mixer to medium speed and allow the mixer to knead the dough until it's elastic (stretches when pulled rather than breaks right away) about 8 minutes. Form a ball and brush with olive oil. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • 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.
  • 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 pass through the pasta roller. Continue to do this until the pasta sheets are thin (about 3 stops from the smallest setting).
  • Using a sharp knife, cut each sheet of pasta into 1-inch-wide slices, and approximately 8-10 inches long. 
  • Allow to air dry on a flat surface covered in flour for about 20 minutes.
  • Cook pasta in heavily salted water until al dente, about 4 minutes.

Make the sauce:

  • Add the butter to a saucepan, allow to simmer over medium heat until toasty brown and starting to smell nutty. Remove from heat, stir in harissa and salt.

Make the Basil:

  • Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pan or pot until very hot. Using a slotted spoon, lower the herbs into the oil. Fry them for about 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer to a plate lined with a towel.

Plate the pasta:

  • Divide the noodles between four bowls. Drizzle with sauce. Add a ball of burrata to each bowl. Sprinkle with basil and black pepper.

Notes

 Why would you call for unsalted buttter and then have me add salt?! Why would you do such things?! Great question! Salt is not added to all brands of butter in the same amounts. Some sticks of salted butter have less than an 1/8 of a teaspoon, some as much as a full teaspoon. The only way to know how much salt is in the dish is to add it yourself. 

Gochujang Stout BBQ Burger with Fried Shallots and Blistered Shishitos

15.01.2020 4 Comments

 Gochujang Stout BBQ Burger with Fried Shallots and Blistered Shishitos

This is basically an amalgamation of my neurosis, it’s true. First came my full-blown obsession with Shishito peppers that turned in me making them for a dinner party, then for myself, eating all alone over the sink, THEN I had to make something for you because the world needs shishito peppers right now! But it doesn’t end there. 

From there the snow started falling into my life with a vengeance and my California blood started to panic since I’m basically a lizard on a rock and I need all the sun all the time, and this led me—no, FORCED me— to make burgers. I became what is the human equivalent of a labrador left alone too long chewing on the curtains and my cabin fever was convinced that summertime food was the only answer. And that means burgers, obviously. 

So basically, what I’m trying to say in my rambling way, is that this burger, THIS BURGER, is the indoor cooking cure to the wintertime blues that we all need in our lives right now. It’s true, make it and you will feel better. Or at least full, and that’s always better than hungry. 

Gochujang Stout BBQ Burger with Fried Shallots and Blistered Shishitos

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Servings 4 burgers

Ingredients
  

For the beef patty:

  • 1 lbs 80/20 ground chuck beef
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 3 tablespoons butter

For the Gochuchang BBQ:

  • ⅔ cup (160 g) apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup (4 oz) stout
  • ½ cup (100g) dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1/3 cup (98g) gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For the Shallots:

  • 1 large shallot blub peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch slices (about 1/3 cup)
  • ¼ cup (30g) flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • Oil for frying

For the Shihitos:

  • ½ lbs shishito peppers
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon flakey sea salt

For the burgers:

  • 4 kaiser rolls split
  • 1 small bunch cilantro

Instructions
 

Prep the beef:

  • Form the beef into 4 equal-sized patties, wider than the bun (it will shrink as it cooks) and fairly thin. Add to a plate, refrigerate until very cold, about 1 hour (can be done up to 24 hours in advance).

Make the barbeque sauce:

  • Add all the barbeque sauce to a pan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, until thickened. Set aside.

Make the shallots:

  • Add the flour, salt and pepper to a small bowl, stir to combine. Add the sliced shallots, toss to coat. Remove with a fork, shaking off the excess flour.
  • Add about ½ inch of oil to a pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the shallots, reduce heat to medium, cooking on both sides until crispy, and browned, about 10 minutes (make sure the oil isn’t too hot or the shallots will burn). Remove from oil, allow to drain on a stack of paper towels.

Make the shishitos:

  • Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet until very hot. Add the shishitos, allowing to blister on one side before turning with tongs (be careful, the oil will pop), allow to drain on a stack of paper towels, sprinkle with salt while still hot.

Make the patty:

  • Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Salt and pepper the patties liberally on all sides. Add to the skillet, cook on both sides until the meat is medium-rare, about 3 minutes on each side.

Assemble the burgers:

  • Add the patty, top with barbecue sauce, shishitos, shallots and cilantro, serve immediately

Michelada Marinated Steak Tacos with Chipotle Avocado Sauce and Beer Pickled Onions

08.01.2020 3 Comments

Michelada Marinated Steak Tacos with Chipotle Avocado Sauce and Beer Pickled Onions

If anyone tells you they don’t like tacos they are incorrect. Yes, I know, liking something is technically an opinion, and those can’t be correct or incorrect, except about tacos. I’ll even let those "I don’t really like ice cream" people have their inferior preferences but with tacos, I’m just going to say no, absolutely not, you are wrong. 

Because the truth is, you just haven’t had the right taco. Maybe street tacos are your jam, or maybe it’s what I call "trash tacos" which are the ones our moms made with ground beef and cheddar and pre-packaged hard taco shells, or MAYBE you like a hybrid of both like the ones Malo in LA used to make. 

OR you could just be a dessert taco guy, like a ChocoTaco sort of human. But the truth is, tacos are for everyone, and everyone is for tacos. 

These tacos just happen to be my sort of tacos: GOOD corn tortilla (not those cardboard disks that pretend to be tortillas), steak, pickled onions, and a sauce of sorts.

I will ride or die for all types of cheese, but not on my tacos, save that for a burrito. Or a burger. No lettuce, thank-you-very-much, and no premade hard shells. Just a protein, a corn tortilla, onions or one sort or another, and a spicy sauce. And a beer, tacos and beer are always better together. 

For homemade tortillas, use this recipe for Beer Corn Tortillas

For store-bought, the only ones I ever buy are La Tortilla Factory 

Michelada Marinated Steak Tacos with Chipotle Avocado Sauce and Beer Pickled Onions

5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Steak:

  • 2 lbs skirt or flank steak
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cream-style horseradish
  • 1 large lime juiced
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 ounces beer pale ale, lager, pilsner
  • 1 ½ cups 12 ounces tomato juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Beer Pickled Onions:

  • 12 oz of IPA beer
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 large red onion thinly sliced

Chipotle Avocado Sauce:

  • 1 large chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
  • 1 large avocado pit and skin removed
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon chopped green onions

For the tacos:

  • 12 small corn tortillas homemade recipe link above, for store-bought, see note
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions

Instructions
 

Marinate the steak:

  • Sprinkle the flank steak liberally on all sides, place in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag or a large bowl with an airtight lid.
  • In a large bowl stir together the sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, lime juice, pepper, beer, and tomato juice. Pour over the steak, remove as much air as possible before sealing the bag.
  • Refrigerate overnight.

Make the onions:

  • In a pot over medium-high heat add the beer, vinegar, sugar, salt, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer, stirring just until the sugar and salt dissolve, remove from heat.
  • Add the onions to a jar or storage container. Pour brine over the onions. Allow to sit at room temperate until cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight and up to several weeks.

Cook the steak:

  • Remove the steak from the marinade, allowing the liquid to drain off as much as possible. Place the steak on a clean kitchen towel or a stack of paper towels, add more to the top of the steak drying it as well as possible (this is how you will be able to achieve a good sear, too much liquid will ruin the sear).
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid until very hot. Add the steak, allowing to brown and sear for 3-5 minutes, flip and cover with a slight vent to the lid until cooked through, another 4-6 minutes (depending on the thickness of your steak).
  • Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Make the sauce:

  • Add all the ingredients for the chipotle avocado sauce to a small blender or food processor, process until well combined.

Make the tacos:

  • Add steak, avocado cream, onions, and green onions in desired proportions to tortillas.

Notes

*The only store bought tortillas that I ever buy are La Tortilla factory (this is not a paid mention, I have no relationship with them), all other store-bought tortillas are bland and dry in my experience. If you can’t find La Tortilla Factory corn tortillas, try to make them at home, it really is rather simple.