Beer Styles

Glazed Doughnut Beer Cake

20.02.2015 13 Comments

Glazed Doughnut Beer Cake. A cake that tastes like a big doughnut.

I made you a cake.

It tastes like a doughnut. I knew you’d like that, which is why I made it for you before I sit here and ask you for a favor.

I’m much more comfortable when things are the other way around. When you ask me for things, like dessert recipes, or beer recommendations or ideas on how to use up a batch of particularly bitter blueberry Kolsch you have no idea what to do with. Today, that isn’t our arrangement. Sure, I’m still here for that. I’ll still help you figure out what to make for your boyfriends parents when they come for dinner. But today, I’m asking you for a few clicks in my favor.

The Beeroness was chosen by the editors of Better Homes & Gardens as one of the top ten cooking blogs on the entire internet, and now they are letting real life humans vote.

Here’s that favor I was talking about, it’s just a few clicks to vote for The Beeroness.

1. Visit the BGH Blogger Awards.

2. Click "Skip This Category" (or vote) until you get to Every Day Eats category.

3. Click "Select" under The Beeroness, which is on the right side of the middle row.

Thank you, I owe you one.

Here’s a cake that tastes like a giant doughnut, I hope you like it.

Glazed Doughnut Beer Cake

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Ingredients

Cake:

2 tbs unsalted butter softened
1/3 cup vegetable oil
½ cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
½ cup pale ale
½ cup buttermilk
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour

Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs buttermilk
2 tbs pale ale
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter, vegetable oil and both kinds of sugar. Beat until well combined, light and fluffy, about 6 minutes.
One at a time add the eggs, beating until well combined between additions.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and vanilla, beat until well combined, light and fluffy.
Turn the mixer on low, stir in the pale ale and buttermilk.
Sprinkle with flour, stir until just combined.
Grease a large loaf pan, pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until golden brown on top.
Allow to cool completely before removing from the pan.
Stir together the powdered sugar, buttermilk, pale ale, and vanilla until smooth. Pour glaze over cake before serving.

Beer Velvet Cake

16.02.2015 18 Comments

Beer Velvet Cake. No food dye, all win.

Let’s talk about red velvet for a second. It’s a cultural phenomenon with inspired spin offs that include vodka, candles, coffee, and a myriad of other head tilt inducing concoctions that lead me to wonder why exactly this dessert deserving of all this hype.

Sure, I’ve had my share. I’ve made countless recipes passed on by friends as "The Best" variation. I’ve talked to devotees that swear it’s the best cake they’ve ever had, requesting it for every birthday. I’ve had cupcakes, doughnuts, and even pie, but I’m always left wondering.

When the recipe leads me to the step that calls for two (yes TWO) bottles of red food coloring, I pause. It’s not so much the potentially toxic nature of the inclusion of such an ingredient, (for a rundown of why red food coloring is bad read this). As a recipe developer, I wonder if there is a reason for the addition of this ingredient that I’m possibly overlooking. Why is it called for in such a massive quantity?

Was there a reason I’m not aware of? Rumor has it that it just goes back to good 'ole fashion American capitalism. I’ve been told this is food folklore, I’ve been told it’s true, but even Food & Wine Magazine reports that the inclusion of two bottles of red food dye has been linked to a man in Texas trying to sell more red food dye.

Fact or fiction one thing is undeniable: the red food coloring does not add anything to the taste or texture of the cake and could potentially distract from it. But what will add to the flavor and texture of your cake? Beer. Beer is a natural leavening agent that adds a fantastic, slightly lighter texture all while gifting your cake with the beautiful flavors of roasted grains.

For this cake, I used the recipe that most variations lead back to: The Waldorf Astoria Red Cake, with the traditional white roux frosting. The only substitution I made was beer for red food dye, which, I have to say, gave me the best velvet cake I’ve made.

Beer always wins.

Beer Velvet Cake

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Ingredients

Cake:

1/4 cup chocolate stout beer
2 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 tsp baking soda

White Roux Frosting:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2 cups unsalted butter softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a small bowl whisk together the beer, cocoa powder and vanilla until well combined.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the shortening and sugar, beat until well combined.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between additions.
Add the beer mixture and the salt, beating until well combined.
Alternating between flour and buttermilk, add both a bit at a time while the mixer is at low speed. Don’t over beat.
In a small bowl stir together the baking soda and vinegar. Gently fold into the batter.
Grease and flour two 9 inch cake pans.
Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, between 25 and 30 minutes.
Allow to cool completely.
In a pot over medium high heat, warm the milk.
Gradually whisk in the flour, stirring until very thick, about 5 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl, cover and allow to rest until cooled, about 1 hour.
Add the softened butter to a stand mixer, beat on high until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla beating until well combined. Add in the white roux, beat until fluffy and resembles whipped cream, about 15 minutes.
Frost the cake adding generous amounts of frosting between layers.

Pale Ale and Baby Kale Creamy Pesto

13.02.2015 4 Comments

Pale Ale and Baby Kale Creamy Pesto, this five-minute sauce is a game-changer.

If you’ve ever waited tables, you’ve had this nightmare.

You’re slammed. Every table in your section has been sat all at once, plus the section you’re covering for the guy who was cut early. You have 17 four tops. The computer is broken and the cooks aren’t making your food. The bar isn’t making your drinks and the runner is on a smoke break. Your heart is pounding. For some reason, you also can’t move as fast as you want, as if you’re trudging through waist-high mud. You’re being yelled at by every customer.

I’ve worked with gang members in South Central Los Angeles but the only job that ever gave me nightmares was waitressing. The pathetically over reaching people pleaser in me fills with anxiety at the thought of letting people down. Which is one (of the many) reasons I always have beer in my house, liquor in my bar, and even though I don’t drink it, white wine in my fridge. This fear has also implanted in me the need to be ready to entertain at a moment’s notice. What if people come over! What if the FedEx guy is hungry! I’m like an Italian grandma, I just want to feed you. Until I figured out how easy it is to make pesto, I used to keep it stashed in my fridge for people feeding emergencies. Add it to potatoes, noodles, make a creamy pesto dip, even put it in some melted butter and serve with cocktail shrimp. It’s a got-to. It’s the most impressive thing you can make in five minutes. Unless of course, you’re too busy with serving 17 parties of 4 all at once.

Pale Ale and Baby Kale Creamy Pesto

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Ingredients

2 cups packed baby kale
½ cup basil leaves
¼ cup pecans
1 clove garlic smashed
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
3 tbs pale ale
3 tbs olive oil
½ cup sour cream

Instructions

Add the kale, basil, pecans, garlic, salt, pepper, and beer to a food processor. Process until well combined.
Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream until well combined.
Add the sour cream, pulse to combine.
Use immediately or store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Garlic Parmesan Hefeweizen Pull Apart Bread

09.02.2015 8 Comments

Garlic Parmesan Hefeweizen Pull Apart Bread

I worked for a money laundered in college. I was a waitress at a small cafe right on the Rose Parade route through Pasadena. It wasn’t until later that I was able to dissect how complicit I was in his illegal dealings. He’d call me once a day and give me totals he wanted me to ring up under my employee number that would appear to be checks for food. I’d enter in dollar amounts in the computer, anywhere from $50 dollars to $200, usually about ten to twenty separate amounts. I never asked why, I was a 19-year-old naïve farm girl that had no concept that this could be wrong. I was just doing what my boss told me to do. He’d tell me to tip myself out 15% on the amount and leave a note with the total when I cashed out.

Although I’ll never be sure what type of dirty activities the owner was washing his money of, the head chef was possibly worse. The guy who ran the kitchen looked like a greasy, short version of Tom Colicchio, dated strippers and at least once a day offered me a thousand dollars for a picture of my ass (I always declined). Six months into my stint as brunch waitress and weeknight dinner server, he offered me a side job as a bartender for his catering company.

A company that was run using food he’d charge to the restaurant and make the owner ignorantly pay for, pocketing all the money his clients assumed he’d spent on supplies. The thing about being 19 and bartending parties in Hollywood is that you don’t need more than a pair of leather pants and a few witty comebacks to make $500 a night in tips, which at the time was a small fortune that allowed me to pay my tuition and rent.

After Smarmy Chef was found out by Shady Owner, he was fired. In a staff meeting to announce the news a few days later, Shady Owner was a bit shaken. After the other employees left that day, he asked me why. His thick Middle Eastern accent obscuring the words, "Why Jackie? Why would he steal from me? I give him a good job!" Of course this was a pot and kettle situation. Of course there is no honor among thieves. Of course I had no idea what to say. I look over at the baker, a sweet man who pretended like he didn’t speak English with all of the waitresses except me, he is shaking his head, giving me a look that spells out my need to keep quiet.

So I shrugged, "Some people are just like that, it’s no one’s fault." I meant it as much about him as I did about Smarmy Chef. I quickly make my way past the half wall that was separating the baker from the restaurant and finally take a breath. I give him the look that says all the words that I don’t know how to get out, he smiles back. "I just bake the bread, it makes it ok. I bake the bread and I feed the people." I smiled and help him knead the dough. Sometimes you just have to bake bread and feed people, and then everything makes sense.

Garlic Parmesan Hefeweizen Pull Apart Bread

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Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
2 tbs sugar
3/4 cup beer wheat beer or pale ale
½ cup unsalted butter softened
1 tsp salt
10 tbs melted butter
6 cloves garlic minced
1 wt oz about 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, and sugar. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, sprinkle with the salt and add softened butter.
Turn speed to medium-high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
Add to a lightly flowered surface, knead for about 3 minutes. Cut dough into 32 pieces (cut dough in half to make 2 pieces, cut each of those in half to make 4, continue until you have 32 pieces).
Add 8 tablespoons of melted butter to a large bowl along with the garlic and parmesan, stir to combine.
Add the dough balls and gently toss until well coated.
Add the dough, and all the melted butter mixture, to a large cast iron skillet or 9 inch glass pie pan.
Preheat oven to 350.
Allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes.
Bake until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
Brush with melted butter prior to serving.

One Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce

06.02.2015 22 Comments

On Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce. One pot, five minute prep, even the pasta gets cooked in the pan.

Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce. One pot, five-minute prep, even the pasta gets cooked in the pan. One Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce

Let’s say that we changed the way we categorize food. You’d flip open a cookbook, your finger gliding down the index, and in place of familiar section titles like "breakfast," and "appetizers," you’d find what you are really looking for.

You’d see a Strawberry Basil French Toast Casserole under the "What to make for unwanted but not unpleasant overnight guests" section. You’ll find a recipe for Cilantro and Sriracha Deviled Eggs under the "what to bring to my aunts for Easter brunch" list. And in the "something to take to a friend who just moved" section, you’ll see this pasta.

Of course, chocolate cake will be listed under the "I need to eat my feelings" section, the "I’m celebrating something big" portion, as well as the "how to win at the office potluck" category.

Beer will also be listed in all the sections, especially those about unwanted guests and family brunches.

One Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce

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Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tbs tomato paste
4 wt oz cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
12 ounces wheat beer
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup shredded mozzarella
12 wt oz dried Rigatoni pasta
4 wt oz parmesan shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a blender add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cream cheese, sour cream, beer, water, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano and mozzarella. Blend until well combined.
Add the dry pasta to a 2 quart baking dish (the pasta will get cooked in the pan).
Pour the tomato mixture over the noodles, top with parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil, bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and noodles are al dente.

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup

04.02.2015 13 Comments

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup. 20 minutes, one pot, so good.

The best chicken curry I’ve ever had was in a seedy part of Van Nuys, just north of Los Angles. This was also the setting of the most awkward conversation I’ve ever had with a stranger.

The restaurant resembles a by-the-hour hotel with a history of CSI activity, flanked by a parking lot that hosts a regular rotation of drug dealers and prostitutes. It’s in a part of LA that you probably shouldn’t go to unless you have to, or really want to get a good deal on a used car or some questionable weed. I went there for the chicken panang, it was that good. Inside the place was sweet, resembling a tea house, run by a quiet family from Thailand and populated by other brave lunch time travelers, several suit and tie types that drove in from local studios.

The entire restaurant had about 11 tables, six booths and five 4 tops in the center. I sat close to the kitchen, watching what little I could see of my glorious coconut curry and sticky rice lunch come together, feeling grateful that I’d made the drive and braved the neighborhood. A few minutes after my floral ceramic dishes filled with my much anticipated lunch was set down in front of me, the agreed upon silence of the place was broken. I look up to see who is assaulting my refuge.

"Hi, I’m Pete," he looked even more smarmy than his shiny suit and slicked back hair wanted him to be, "I’m rich and I’m wondering if you’re single."

The entire restaurant stopped their quiet conversations and turned in our direction. Even the cooks stepped out of their small spaces to witness my reaction.

"Ummm….congratulations on all the cash, Pete, but I’m not available."

He gave me a confused look, as if I’d just told him that it’s actually macro beer that’s brewed "the hard way."

"Wait…but I want to take you out." He was so confused as to why exactly my panties hadn’t flow off my body at the mere mention of all his millions.

"Yeah, that’s really nice of you to offer. But I’m going to have to decline. Thank you, It’s always flattering to be asked out." I’m trying to be nice, but my "let him down easy, don’t hurt his feelings, he’s putting himself out there," knee jerk reaction to these situation was starting to wane in favor of a "who do you think you are, asshole?" sentiment.

"I have a Bentley!" He throws his hands up in frustration.

I realize at this point that the elderly woman behind me was still holding her breath and I’m fairly certain that she hadn’t blinked in several minutes.

"That’s great. But, my answer is still no."

He rolls his eyes and heads for the door. A moustached hipster in the far booth starts to laugh in a way that sounds half ironic, half nervous, and gives me an enthusiastic double thumbs up. I laugh, also nervous and ironic in nature.

I look down at my bowl of coconut curry chicken and decide that I need to learn how to make this at home, I can handle the prostitutes and drug dealers but the arrogant Bentley drivers make me uneasy.

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup

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Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

1 lbs chicken breasts cubed
salt and pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 large shallot diced (about ¼ cup)
1 jalapeno chopped
2 cups shitake mushrooms sliced (not dried)
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ tsp fresh ginger grated with a microplane
1 cup wheat beer hefeweizen, white ale
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tbs red curry paste
2 14 oz cans full fat coconut milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs fresh basil thinly sliced

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken cube on all sides with generous amounts of salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken, cooking until browned on all sides, remove chicken from the pot.
Add the bell pepper, shallots, jalapeno, and mushrooms, cooking until the vegetables have softened, about ten minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the broth, curry paste, coconut milk, chicken, and brown sugar. Allow to simmer for about ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls, top with fresh basil.

Drunk French Toast Sticks with Beer Blood Orange Syrup

02.02.2015 4 Comments

Drunk French Toast Sticks with Beer Blood Orange Syrup. Win at breakfast.

Breakfast being the most important meal has nothing to do with nurtition. It’s not about blood sugar, or enriched whole grains or jumpstarting your metabolism. It’s emotional.

Breakfast is important because of who we eat it with. The people who live in your house, the out of town guest, the friend who is worth getting up early and meeting at that overcrowded brunch place in Silverlake.

It’s OK if breakfast takes a while, and it’s OK if it doesn’t. This takes about 20 minutes, leaving you more time for coffee and conversation. Serve it with a side of eggs, or a side of beer mimosa. Dunk the sticks in your latte.

Lick the syrup off your fingers, or the other guys fingers, or your plate.

You should probably stop licking things.

Breakfast will always be my favorite meal. I can share a mid-day coffee or a late night dinner with anyone, but if you find a seat at my breakfast table, especially before I’ve showered, then you know you’ve really made my inner circle. Breakfast means you’re really important.

Drunk French Toast Sticks with Beer Blood Orange Syrup

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Ingredients

French Toast Sticks

One loaf Italian bread or Texas Toast, cut into thick slices
1 ½ cup half & half
1 cup brown ale
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs
3 tbs unsalted butter

Syrup:

1 blood orange
1 cup white sugar
½ cup beer
1 tbs cornstarch
pinch salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil sprayed with cooking spray.
In a large bowl whisk together the half & half, beer, brown sugar, salt, vanilla extract and eggs until well combined.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
One at a time dunk the bread sticks in the mixture until well saturated. Remove and allow excess to drain off.
Cook until golden brown on all sides. Place French toast sticks on the baking sheet in the oven when you finish the rest of the French toast sticks to keep warm until serving.
Zest the orange with a microplane. Juice the orange.
In a pot over medium heat whisk together the sugar, beer, cornstarch, salt, orange juice and zest. Bring to a boil, boil for three minutes without stirring. Remove from heat, allow to cool (syrup with thicken as it cools).
Serve French toast sticks drizzled with syrup.

Drunken Winter Farro Blood Orange Salad with Stout Balsamic Glaze

30.01.2015 2 Comments

Drunken Winter Farro Blood Orange Salad with Stout Balsamic Glaze

Winter citrus is like a promise. A reminder that spring is almost here. It’s not the standard beige winter produce, it’s bright and bold and completely unlike anything else that grows this time of year. For the few weeks that blood oranges gift us with their presence, I can’t stop buying them. I slice open the orange rinds to expose the deep ruby flesh, squeeze until I get every last drop of the juice that tastes like a collaboration between a raspberry and a naval orange. The color always gets it. It’s gorgeous, deep and stunning. I always make cocktails, like this one. I always figure out how to bake a blood orange dessert, and I eat it raw, my teeth pulling the segments free from the white pith. Every drop of juice that’s left I save in ice cube trays. For later, when the winter has passed and the rest of the world has moved on to peaches and apricots.

Drunken Winter Farro Blood Orange Salad with Stout Balsamic Glaze

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 cup farro
12 ounces wheat beer
1 cup water
pinch salt
4 cups baby arugula
2 blood oranges peeled and cut into segments
2 w oz goat cheese crumbled
½ cup candied pecans

For the Dressing:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
½ cup stout beer

Instructions

Add the farro, beer, water and salt to a pot over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a low simmer. Add the lid at a vent. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked but still chewy. Drain off any remaining liquid. Allow to cool.
In a pot over medium heat add the balsamic, honey and stout beer, simmer until reduced to a syrup, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl add the arugula, blood orange segments, goat cheese, pecans and cooled farro, toss to combine.
Drizzle with glaze just prior to serving.

Chocolate Stout Peanut Butter Cups

28.01.2015 19 Comments

Chocolate Stout Peanut Butter Cups. Three Ingredients, crazy good.

Let’s agree to make stuff this year. Because you and I, we like that. We like getting our hands and our kitchens dirty, ignoring the dishes that are starting to pile up as the vision we have for our edible creation taking shape. We like that sort of thing.

Of course we know that we can buy stuff at the store, but that isn’t the point. We want to make it ourselves, fill it with beer, and hand it over with a big stupid smile on our face. It’s almost Valentines day, which I loath for reasons I’ll keep to myself, but if I was going to get all gifty, I’d make something. And I’d probably fill it with beer.

My first Valentines Day post ever was my most controversial yet, and the one that has earned me the most hate mail. I suppose that if you compare and contrast blow jobs and shoe shopping, that happens. I stand by every word, now more than ever. This year, I’m too weary to be quite so feisty, I’ll just settle for filling chocolate cups with beer infused peanut butter.

I know what you’re thinking, you want to use a peanut butter stout. I can see where you’d think that, but I’m going to ask you to reconsider. The flavors are too similar and will end up getting lost. Pick a contrasting flavor that will stand out, like a smoked porter or an espresso stout. I chose the latter. This gorgeous Survival Stout by Hopworks was perfect, rich roasty flavors and sexy espresso finish. You’ll be glad you have so much leftover once you beer up a bowl of peanut butter.

Chocolate Stout Peanut Butter Cups

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Ingredients

8 wt oz about 1 ½ cups dark chocolate (60% cocoa content)
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup stout or porter espresso or smoked work best

Instructions

Add the chocolate to a microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted.
Line a mini muffin tin with mini muffin papers.
Add about 2 teaspoons of chocolate to the muffin papers (about 1/3 full). Use the back of a spoon to “paint” the sides of the mini muffin papers, making sure to cover the entire paper, but keep the walls thin,leaving more room for filling.
Chill until the chocolate has set, about ten minutes.
In a small bowl stir together the peanut butter and stout until well combined.
Fill the chocolate cups with peanut butter mixture until just below the top.
Add a small amount of melted chocolate to the top of the peanut butter, making sure to cover the entire mound of peanut butter, smoothing to make a flat top.
Chill until set, about ten minutes. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

How to Make The Creamiest Baked Mac N Cheese: Gouda Cheddar Beer Mac

26.01.2015 13 Comments

How to Make The Creamiest Baked Mac N Cheese: Gouda CheddThe Creamiest Baked Mac N Cheesear Beer Mac. Perfectly cheesy and creamy every time!

For something so seemingly simple, it’s easy to get this wrong. It’s easy to end up with dried up pan of overcooked noodles in a curdled sauce. It’s easy to spend too much time and too much money on something that you just want to toss in the trash. I’ve devised a plan, a set of rules to make sure you don’t have to endure that tragedy again. I’ve got your back.

1. Cheese choice. Expensive cheese is great, it’s my spirit animal. But it’s best eaten in it’s natural state. Save the cheese, and your money, and go with cheddar. White cheddar melts better than the yellow/orange versions giving you a creamier sauce. I also use a bit of gouda, not crazy expensive, and melts beautifully. I also dig a smoked version for a little kick.

2. Roux + cornstarch = a must. You can’t get a creamy sauce without a solid roux backbone. The flour expands in your sauce to hold it together and gives it weight and thickness. The cornstarch holds the beer in place and keeps it creamy and prevents it from separating.

3. Cook dry noodles in the cheese sauce. Don’t boil them first. Just drop your dry noodles into your sauce. The starch from the noodles with thicken the sauce and the cheese will inject flavor into the noodles. But only cook them about half way, they will continue to cook in the oven.

4. Undercook. Twice. First, undercook the noodles on the stove top. You’ll be cooking them again in the oven so you just want to give them a small head start. Second, don’t over bake in the oven or you’ll dry out the sauce.

You don’t really have anything to cook, you’re just browning the panko. Some recipes will tell you to bake for 45 minutes, all this does is turn the cheese to a solid and dry your sauce. Some people like that. Some people want to be able to cut a square of mac n cheese and place it on the plate beside the BBQ’d ribs.

If you don’t want that, if you want scoopable mac n cheese, don’t bake it too long. Just brown the panko and take it out of the oven.

5. Size matters. Look for large elbow macaroni, not those little guys. The big ones are better at trapping that creamy sauce.

You’re ready. You can do this. You’ll have the best mac n cheese on the block and it’s up to you if you want to share your secrets. Or just make them wonder how you do it.

Creamy Baked Gouda Cheddar Beer Mac

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Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter
3 tbs flour
2 tbs corn starch
3 cups whole milk
12 ounces beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
1 tsp mustard powder
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 lbs about 6 cups white cheddar, shredded
7 wt oz about 3 ½ cups gouda, shredded
4 cups large elbow macaroni
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 tbs melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Sprinkle with flour and cornstarch, whisk until a paste forms.
Add milk and beer and bring to a simmer.
Sprinkle with mustard powder, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Slowly add the cheese in, about ¼ cup at a time, whisking until well combined before adding more. Reserve about 1 cup of cheese for the topping (a mixture of both cheeses).
Add the dry noodles to the cheese sauce, allowing to cook until just before al dente, not cooked through, stirring occasionally. This will take about 8 minutes.
Pour into a 4 qt baking dish in an even layer.
Top with remaining cheese. Toss panko with melted butter until well coated. Sprinkle panko evenly on the top of the macaroni.
Bake at 400 until panko has browned, about 15 minutes.

Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sliders with Chipotle Beer Cheese Sauce

23.01.2015 17 Comments

Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sliders with Chipotle Beer Cheese Sauce. Perfect football food!

I get to do things. Fun things, cool things. This still feels new to me, these fun cool things. I spent years working with grubby, incredible, wonderful, difficult, heartbreaking kids in South Central LA.

Then I worked behind a desk, in the pencil skirts and stilettos that I couldn’t wear in Compton, working with elderly Holocaust survivors in Beverly Hills. I social worked my way through most of Los Angeles.

Now I get to work on TV shows, and I go to Vegas for awards dinners, and cook on the news. There are times when I feel selfish, for walking away from the good work to do the fun work.

But those feelings don’t last long. I’m so grateful for what I do now that I can’t sully that with feelings of guilt. I’m lucky. I’m excited. I cooked on the news again Wednesday, I made football food, talked about beer, and made a few jokes.

It’s the same in a way, social work and beer cooking. I’m solving problems. Beer cheese sauce separates? let me help you with that. Not sure how to tell if that beer is bitter or not? I’ve got the answer. Social work was solving problems and answering questions. I do that now too, although I’m not sure I’m saving anyone’s life.

I’ll always be a person who wants to help, wants to add to your table, wants to make your life better because we came in contact. Even if the only thing you gained from me is a slider recipe or a desire to visit Fremont Brewing. Beer social work is much easier, and I’m fine with bringing my work home with me now.

Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sliders with Chipotle Beer Cheese Sauce

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Ingredients

For the pork:

1 tbs kosher salt
2 tbs brown sugar
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
1 tbs black pepper
2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp dry mustard powder
4 lb Pork butt also called pork shoulder
6 cloves of garlic peeled
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cups 2, 12ounce bottles stout or smoked porter
24 slider buns

For the cheese sauce:

2 tbs unsalted butter melted
2 tbs flour
2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup beer wheat beer, blonde ale, pale ale, pilsner
2 cups shredded Cheddar do not use pre shredded
1 cup whole milk
2 chipotle chilies in adobo
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

In a small bowl stir together the salt, brown sugar onion powder, chili powder, cumin, pepper, smoked paprika and mustard powder together until combined, set aside.
Take out your pork and stab 6, 2-inch deep holes fairly evenly spaced through the meat. Push a clove of garlic into each hole until no longer visible.
Rub the entire surface of the meat with the spice mixture, using it all.
In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil until very hot. Sear all surfaces of the meat, even the sides, until browned. The entire process will probably take about 10-15 minutes. Pour the beer over the meat, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 3 hours, turning the meat over about every 30 minutes, until the meat is tender and falling apart.
Once the meat is tender remove from heat, use two forks to shred into pieces while still in the pot (or remove, shred and return to pot). Return to the pot to heat and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot and discard the liquid.
Add all cheese sauce ingredients to a blender or food processor. Process on high until very well blended, about 5-8 minutes.
Transfer contents to a saucepan over medium high heat. Whisk rapidly and continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Fill slider buns with pork, top with cheese sauce, serve warm.

Beer Crab Cake Balls

21.01.2015 6 Comments

Beer Crab Cake Balls, incredibly delicious and adictive. Perfect for game day!

We can’t over think this one. We wont.

Because if we did we would think about deep-frying, get nervous about it, wonder if people actually like crab and deep fried things as much as we do, worry about the friend who pretends to be gluten free and the guy who’s a vegetarian. And then we’d miss out on the best appetizer we’ve ever made for a football party. And that would be horrible. An actual real life First World tragedy.

Because this needs to be made for the Super Bowl. It’s crab, which can be proudly claimed with strong possession by both Seattle and New England. And so can great beer. And apparently great football teams. And amazing women (Just trust me). It’s a dish that doesn’t take sides, but it knows who’s going to win. It’s the city with the best beer. And the best women. Obviously.

Beer Crab Cake Balls

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Servings 12 to 16

Ingredients

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
½ cup flour
1 ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
½ tsp baking powder
pinch cayenne
½ cup pale ale
¼ cup green onion chopped
1 large egg + one yolk
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 teaspoon brown mustard
2 tsp hot sauce such as tapatio
1 pound lump crab meat drained well
peanut or canola oil for frying

Instructions

Stir together the panko, flour, old bay, baking powder and cayenne in a large bowl.
Add the beer, green onions, eggs and yolk, sour cream, mustard, and hot sauce, stir until combined.
Gently fold in crab meat.
Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
Prepare the oil by adding about 3 inches of oil to a pot over high heat. Add a deep fry thermometer to the side, adjusting heat to keep oil at 350 degrees.
Using a cookie scoop, roll batter into balls about the size of golf balls.
Deep fry until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set over a baking sheet until drained, about 1 minute.

Short Rib Black Bean Beer Chili

19.01.2015 30 Comments

Short Rib Black Bean Beer Chili, SO GOOD. It’s eat-it-out-of-the-pot-before-anyone-else-can-have-any good.

The only food that really comforts me is the food I make myself. The food I serve to people I love, even just one person, in my small kitchen, over an exchanging of words that are hard to speak. I don’t want to order a pizza, I want to make bread, watch it rise, smell it baking and know that I did it. I don’t want take-out in little white containers, I want a slow cooked bowl of short ribs that I can both laugh and cry over with someone who looks into my heart and likes what he sees. Sure, I love a big steamy bowl of Ramen, or perfectly creamy pile of baked Mac n Cheese, but it doesn’t comfort the same way as when I lose myself in the process of making it. I’ll look for recipes that take a while, that give me the excuse to stay in my kitchen for a few hours, recipes that aren’t hard but take some time to bring out the best of what they can do. That’s comfort food. A beer and a few pint glasses doesn’t hurt the situation either.

Short Rib Black Bean Beer Chili

Print Recipe

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
3 lbs beef short ribs
salt and pepper
2 white onions diced
6 wt oz tomato paste
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 dried ancho chili pod stem and seeds removed, torn into pieces
2 chipotle chilies in adobo
12 ounces coffee stout
2 cups beef broth
2 cans black beans drained
½ cup cilantro chopped
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325.
Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven.
Sprinkle the ribs with salt and pepper on all sides. Sear ribs in the pan until golden brown, remove from the pan, set aside.
Low heat to medium, add the onions, cooking until starting to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
Add the onions, tomato paste, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, dried chili pod, chipotles and ¼ cup beer to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth.
Return the pot to heat, add the remaining beer, scraping to deglaze the pot.
Stir in the broth, chili paste mixture from the blender and beans. Add the ribs back in the pot.
Cover and cook in the oven for 3 hours or until the ribs are tender and falling off the bone.
Using two forks shred the ribs, remove any large pieces of fat and the bones.
Serve the chili topped with cilantro and cheese.

Baked Buttermilk Beer Popcorn Chicken with Honey Beer Dipping Sauce

16.01.2015 5 Comments

Baked Buttermilk Beer Popcorn Chicken with Honey Beer Dipping Sauce. So easy and even freezer friendly!

When I was 22 I worked at a locked down level 14 facility that housed juvenile delinquents. I was only there to work with one. A baby faced 12-year-old named Tyrell with dark chocolate skin and big brown eyes. His sweet spirit and quiet voice made it impossible for me to believe that this was the kid that had been locked up in Baby Jail for 6 months due to assault, then moved to locked down half-way house before he could go back into foster care. He was just way too gentle.

Filling out the initial forms I asked him about himself. I asked him to pick three words that described himself. He didn’t hesitate, "Male. Athletic. Japanese." He might not have thought twice but I did, he was clearly African-American.

"Umm…Japanese?"

"Oh. Yeah. I’ve been in foster care since birth and no one knows who my bio parents are. So it’s possible. I could be Japanese. It’s possible. And I feel Japanese. konichiwa!" The last word was accompanied by an exaggerated bow.

"It’s definitely possible," I smiled at how completely endearing it was.

I made a deal with him. If he agreed to work with me on anger management skills, on Fridays I’d bring him something to explore his Japanese culture. He was thrilled. We tried out Origami, we went through an English-Japanese dictionary to learn words, we played mahjong and drew Japanese cartoons. Then we came to the idea of food. I explained different dishes, each of which were met by a horrified expressions. "I only been eating group home food. I never heard of none of that." Despite his completely institutionalized palate, he wanted to try some japanese flavors. After a lengthy discussion we decided to just try some sauces, sampled with his favorite food: chicken nuggets.

The following week I brought him 16 chicken nuggets along with Ponzu sauce, Wasabi mayonnaise, Hoisin sauce, taberu rayu, and a variety of other condiments. He wasn’t impressed. Other than the hoisin, he didn’t sample any more than once. He was disappointed that his taste buds rejected the idea that his relatives were from Japan, "Well," he sighed, "Maybe I’m only half Japanese."

Baked Buttermilk Beer Popcorn Chicken with Honey Beer Dipping Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 lbs chicken breast cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup pale ale
½ cup flour
1 cup panko
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tbs Olive oil
Olive oil spray

For the sauce:

½ tsp chili powder
¼ cup honey
2 tbs pale ale
1 tbs garlic chili sauce

Instructions

Place the chicken in a large bowl.
Cover with buttermilk and 1 cup beer, stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 8.
Prepare a baking sheet by covering with aluminum foil and dizzling with an even layer of 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Preheat oven to 425.
In a small bowl stir together the flour, panko, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
One at a time remove the chicken cubes from the buttermilk, toss in the panko mixture until well coated. Gently dip back in the butter milk mixture and then toss again in the panko mixture.
Place on a prepared baking sheet.
Spray gently with olive oil spray.
Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over, bake until cooked through about an additional 10 minutes.
In a small bowl stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons beer, ¼ cup honey and garlic chili sauce.
Serve the chicken bites with sauce on the side.

Notes

These freeze well. Just cook them completely, allow them to cool and then transfer to a gallon sized freezer zip lock bag. Freeze for up to three weeks.
Once ready to eat, cook for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven or until warmed through.

I use the Chili Garlic Sauce from Huy Fong foods, it can be found in most supermarkets in the Asian foods section (affiliate link).

I also use this Olive Oil Sprayer, it’s perfect if you want to avoid using cooking spray. (affiliate links)

Stout Harissa Chicken Thighs

14.01.2015 4 Comments

Stout Harissa Chicken Thighs. Crazy good one pot chicken.

Let’s talk about an interesting question. A specifically head-tilt inducing question I’ve been asked a few dozen times over the past few months, "How do I get people to try craft beer?"

My furrowed-brow-blank-stared response is usually as simple as, "Why wouldn’t they?" The logic for trying something new is simple: To see if you like it. The request to sample anything isn’t a contractual obligation to fall in love, we don’t want you to propose to beer, to have babies with beer, we are asking for a first date. A quick meet over coffee at a strip mall Starbucks to see if there are sparks. A few sips of a flight of diverse beers to see if something strikes your fancy. Hate hoppy beers? Lots of people do, try a Belgian or a white ale. Can’t get past that stale Miller Light from college? Neither can we, it’s not what we serve here. Saying you don’t like beer based on a few run-ins with off balanced brews a few years ago is like saying you hate California and won’t visit Napa Valley because you didn’t like the traffic in Anaheim when you went to Disneyland when you were 7.

Beer is broader that most people realize with a flavor database that is arguably larger than any other alcoholic beverage on the market. A few tactics to try? Sure, let’s talk strategy. Peer pressure? We all know from 8th grade health class and high school parties that it works like magic, use it to your advantage. Shame and guilt! I grew up with Catholic grandparents and can attest to the effectiveness of this approach. Tease them and call them afraid? If Marty McFly taught us anything it’s that being called a chicken will get people to take on any dare regardless of personal consequences.

We do need to delve a little deeper in this discussion. Why do you want this specific human to fall in love with your adult beverage of choice? Because you want a brewery buddy for on location beer mecca visitation? Do you want someone to talk to about beer? Or are you just being bossy and controlling? Once you isolate your reasons for wanting to push beer on others, you’re at a better jumping off point for negotiations (unless you’re being bossy, then you just have to let it go). Regardless of the outcome, we still have to respect the fact that some people just don’t like any beer. Which isn’t always a bad thing. More for us, right?

Stout Harissa Chicken Thighs

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Harissa Paste:

8 dried guajillo chiles stem and seeds removed, broken into pieces
2 dried ancho chilies stem and seeds removed, broken into pieces
1 cup room temperature stout or porter
1 cup warm water
3 cloves garlic grated with a microplane
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon cumin

For the Chicken:

6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
salt and pepper
1 tbs olive oil
½ white onion chopped (about 1 cup)
1 can 14.5 wt oz diced tomatoes
½ cup stout beer
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Make the Harissa:

In a small bowl add the guajillo chilies and ancho chilies. Pour the beer and the water over the chilies. Use a heavy object such as a coffee mug to make sure the chilies are submerged. Allow to sit at room temperature for one hour. Drain the chilies reserving 2 tablespoon soaking liquid.
Add the chilies, 2 tablespoons soaking liquid, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, coriander, caraway and cumin to a food processor. Process until the mixture is a paste. Harissa can be made up to a week ahead of time and the flavors develop over time. Make at least one day ahead if possible, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to use.

Make the chicken:

Salt and pepper the chicken on all sides.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet until very hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook until skin has browned, turn over and brown on the other side. Remove from pan (chicken will not be cooked through).
Add the onions, cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Stir in 1/3 cup harissa and tomatoes. Add the chicken back in the pan, skin side up.
Roast at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from oven, preheat the broiler.
Place pan under the broiler until skin has crisped, about 2 minutes.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley prior to serving.

Garlic Beer Butter Cod with Pale Ale Romesco

12.01.2015 9 Comments

Garlic Beer Butter Cod with Pale Ale Romesco. So easy and SO good. The Romesco is insanely amazing.

Cod needs to be made with butter. It needs the beautiful richness to pull itself up through the firm flesh of this gorgeous fish and have it’s way with the flavors. Cod needs to be seduced by the warm golden pool that’s melted beneath it. Cod’s underrated, overlooked as people reach past these thick white filets to grab a brilliantly pink salmon. The texture is just as good and the flavor is better, it’s more accessible, it makes you want another helping, even when you’ve finished the entire pan. A flavor mellow enough to tease you into begging for more, but strong enough to stand up to a bold romesco. Romesco is the touch that runs the perfect line between rough and gentle. It’s bold, warms, spicy, delicious and demands to be remembered in an effortless-cool sort of way. These two make the perfect partners, add in a beer and some good company and you never know where the night will take you.

Garlic Beer Butter Cod with Pale Ale Romesco

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Ingredients

Romesco Sauce:

2/3 cup 2.8 wt oz sliced almonds
1 large bell pepper roasted (from a jar is fine)
1 cloves garlic smashed
6 wt oz tomato puree
2 tbs chopped Italian parsley
3 tbs pale ale
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup olive oil

For the Cod:

4 cod filets
salt and pepper
6 tbs unsalted butter
5 cloves garlic smashed
2 tbs pale ale

Instructions

Put the almonds in a pan over medium high heat. Pull the pan back and forth across the burner to toss the almonds until the almonds have lightly toasted, about 3 minutes (keep a close eye, they burn quickly).
Add the almonds, red pepper, garlic, tomato puree, parsley, beer, red pepper flakes, smoked paprika salt and pepper to a food processor. Process for about one minute, then slowly add the olive oil until well combined.
Dry the cod well then salt and pepper on each side.
Heat the butter over medium heat until melted, add the garlic and beer, stirring until slightly reduced and thickened (about 5 minutes) making sure to the heat isn’t too high or the garlic will burn.
Add the cod, cooking on each side until cod is cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Plate the fish with some of the beer butter drizzled around the fish.
Top each filet with 2 to 3 tablespoons of Romesco sauce.

Honey Hefeweizen Boule Loaf

09.01.2015 7 Comments

Honey Hefeweizen Boule Loaf. Simple, easy and delicious. Perfect recipe for first time bakers!

Last year, with a camera crew in my face, I interviewed the head brewer at my favorite Los Angeles brewery. "All I am is a yeast wrangler. I don’t work for the brewery, I work for the yeast." He laughed until I asked him about the times when the yeast rears its stubborn head and won’t do what it’s told. He gritted his teeth and scratched the back of his large mass of curly hair as his laughed turned painful, "How about we don’t talk about those batches?"

Fair enough. Even without experiences with failed brewers yeast, I’ve felt the soul crushing defeat of bakers yeast that has a mind of its own. There are a few things you can do to show that yeast who’s boss. Make sure the yeast isn’t expired (expired yeast is actually dead, it won’t work), make sure the temperature is exactly where you need it (it’s different for rapid rise and regular yeast, it’ll say on the package what temp is best), and let it rise in a warm room.

Even with all these safeguards, sometimes yeast just wants to be an asshole and refuses to rise, it still happens to me every once in a while. It’s rare for me to have a failed loaf, and even with the occasional baking breakdown, it’s still worth it, it’s still an obsession I indulge in on a weekly basis. It’s still incredibly gratifying.

Other than scrapping it all and starting over, there is one trick I’ve learned to revive a dead loaf. Place about a tablespoon of water in a small bowl and heat to the correct temperature. Add a package of yeast and wait for it to get foamy (this is called proofing and should happen in a few minutes), stir into a paste. Knead the yeast paste into the dough and hope for the best. If that doesn’t work, throw it in the trash, cuss like a sailor, and go get pizza. You’ve earned it.

Honey Hefeweizen Boule Loaf

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 ¼ 19 wt oz cups all-purpose flour
1 package 2 ¼ tsp rapid rise yeast
¼ cup honey
pinch salt
12 ounces wheat beer*
egg wash 1 egg, 1 teaspoon water, beaten

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the flour and yeast, mix to combine.
Heat the beer to between 120 and 130F degrees.
Add the beer and the honey to the flour, beat on high until dough gathers around the hook and is no longer sticky, about 6 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Place a baking stone in the oven, preheat for 30 minutes prior to baking.
Once the dough has risen, place a bread peel (or a sheet of parchment paper) on a flat surface, cover in cornmeal or semolina flour. Grab the dough in your heads, folding it into itself gently a few times, then form into a tight ball. Place on the peel (or parchment paper), allowing to rise for about 30 minutes.
Brush the top with egg wash, slash an “X” on top of the loaf using a sharp knife.
Transfer the dough to the pizza stone using either the peel or by simply placing the parchment paper on top of the heated stone (if you don’t own a bread stone, just place the parchment on top of a baking sheet and set that into the oven when you are ready to bake).
Bake at 400 until top is a dark golden brown and makes a hollow “thump” sound when tapped, about 30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Notes

*This recipe is for a very low IBU (low hop) beer. If all you have is a pale ale, IPA or hoppy wheat, use 3/4 cup beer and 3/4 cup hot water or the beer taste will be overpowering.

Apple Pie with Pale Ale Mascarpone Cream and Beer Pie Dough

07.01.2015 8 Comments

Apple Pie with Pale Ale Mascarpone Cream and Beer Pie Dough

There are always these things that I keep coming back to. Faded destroyed jeans, vintage rock t-shirts, Van Morrison, Old Rasputin, the first Back to the Future movie, apple pie. It was one of those recipes that always felt perfect, even when it wasn’t. Even when the edges of the crusts were brunt, or the filling was runny, or the apples turned mushy, it was still apple pie.

The tartness, the sugar, the cinnamon, the flaky crust, it was all there reminding me that it has been there all along. Through my lust for a complicated soufflé, my affair with Crème brûlée, that summer I was obsessed with pavlovas, apple pie has always been there. Always perfect, even when it’s not. Classic but never boring. Just as perfect at 8am as it is at midnight.

Perfect with a cold beer, and even better made with one. Or both. Always both.

Apple Pie with Pale Ale Mascarpone Cream and Beer Pie Dough

Print Recipe

Servings 1 pie

Ingredients

Pie Dough

2 1/2 cups 12 ½ wt oz all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tbs cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
8 tbs vegetable shortening
1/3 cup ice cold pale ale
2 tbs melted butter

Filling

1 ¼ lbs 2-3 large Honey Crisp (or Fuji) apples peeled and sliced
1 ¼ lbs 2-3 large Granny Smith apples peeled and sliced
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup flour
1 tsp Vietnamese cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs pale ale
3 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce

Cream

8 wt ounces mascarpone
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tablespoons pale ale

Instructions

Make the crust:

Add 1 ½ cups of flour, salt and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter and shortening, 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 (don’t add the beer in the food processor or your dough will turn into a cracker). Dough will be very soft.
Lay two long sheets of plastic wrap on a flat surface.
Divide the dough evenly between the two sheets, Form into flat disks.
Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap, chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Make the filling:

Add the apples (about 8 cups total) to a large bowl. Sprinkle with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon beer and apple sauce, toss until coated.
Roll out one of the pastry disks out on a lightly floured surface, line a 9-inch pie pan, trim off the excess.
Pour the filling into the prepared crust.
Roll out the remaining pie dough, cut with a small cookie cutter, layering the shapes over the filling. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar.
Place pie in the freezer for ten minutes while the oven preheats.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake the pie at 350 for 40 minutes or until the pie is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least an hour before cutting.
In a small bowl combine the mascarpone, powdered sugar, vanilla and pale ale until well combined. Top the pie with cream prior to serving.