One Bowl Cinnamon Sugar Beer Muffins

One Bowl Cinnamon Sugar Beer Muffins

There is a feeling in the depths of winter that the quiet will swallow you whole if you don’t keep moving. As if you’d just be that misplaced bracelet that never gets found, disappearing behind furniture and then just ceasing to exist.

I’m not used to this. Born and grown in California, the winter was hardly different from the summer other than a lower flow of tourist, grabbing a sweater for Cinespia, and the absence of Vin Scully’s voice. You’d have to stop and think, just for a second, when you wanted to reference what season you were in. Like being on a vacation where the actual days of the week lose meaning and you have to stop to figure out if it’s Tuesday or Wednesday. Winter just meant a different set of activities, not an entirely different wardrobe and lifestyle.

Winters up North are different. There is a beauty in those clear crisp days when it feels like your voice and the sound of your footsteps on wet pavement will travel forever. The perpetually dewy trees, the misty morning fog, the light and unobtrusive snow fall, even the rain. It’s all majestic in a way that feels intensely calming. What they don’t tell you, when you plan to move a thousand miles North, is that it’s dark. Really dark. The cloud cover mid-day that blocks the sunlight from ever hitting the grass out front, and the sun finally calling it quits around 4PM.

Baking has become a winter activity. It fits in the culture of this newly acquired season in a way that makes me appreciate it so much more than the sun filled, warm day baking I used to do. Just the smell and the warmth from the oven seems like a missing piece of furniture finally being put back into place . Spring is on it’s way, and I’ve a few trips planned between now and then, but for the next few months I’ll be warming the days with baked goods.

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One Bowl Cinnamon Sugar Beer Muffins

Ingredients

For the muffins:

2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp (4g) baking powder
1 tsp (4g) baking soda
3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
½ tsp (3g) salt
½ tsp (2g) cinnamon
1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
2/3 cup (150g) wheat beer
1/3 cup (75g) whole milk
2 large eggs

For the topping:

2 tbs (15g) cinnamon
¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
3 tbs (42g) butter, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt and cinnamon.
Make a well in the center, add the vanilla, wheat beer, milk, and eggs. Stir until just combined.
Line muffin tin with muffin papers, spray lightly with cooking spray.
Place the muffins in the oven, lower temperature to 325. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until tops spring back when lightly touched. Allow to cool.
Stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
Dip the muffin tops in melted butter, then roll gently in the cinnamon sugar mixture.

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No Yeast Vanilla Brown Sugar Beer Cinnamon Rolls

No Yeast Vanilla Brown Sugar Beer Cinnamon Rolls

Every Christmas I make cinnamon rolls. Yeasty, gorgeous, giant rolls with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting. A recipe that took years to prefect into the soft, tender, sweet and cinnamony treat with the thick ribbon of sugary butter center and tangy frosting. I make it the night before allowing the second rise to take place overnight in the fridge. It’s the first recipe in my first cookbook, The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link).

But I also understand that taking two days to make breakfast might not be ideal for most people. And there may even be some of you that found your way to this post because yeast terrifies and baffles you the way some people think it takes a wizard to make velvety cheese sauce that doesn’t separate. I’m afraid of mall Santas, we all have our thing.

These rolls were awesome. Soft, tender, a bit more on the cakey side than the yeast rolls I’m so in love with, but still a fantastic way to throw together a dessert or a holiday breakfast. The yeast in the yogurt and the beer reacts with the leavening powers of the baking powder and basking soda to do a fabulous job of mimicking yeast dough. The way I try to do a fabulous job of mimicking a normal person when I see a middle aged man in a red suit and fake beard lurking near a Hollister.

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No Yeast Vanilla Brown Sugar Beer Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 8-10 rolls

Ingredients

Dough:

3 cups (360g) all purpose flour
1 tsp (4g) baking soda
½ tsp (3g) baking powder
pinch of salt
½ cup (107g) brown sugar
2 tbs (18) olive oil
2 tsp (8g) vanilla extract
½ cup (150g) vanilla Greek yogurt (not non-fat)
¾ cup (190g) wheat beer, room temperate

Filling:

½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup (142g) brown sugar
2tsp (4g) cinnamon
¼ tsp (0.5g) nutmeg
pinch salt

Frosting:

8 wt oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup (113g) powdered sugar
½ cup (119g) heavy cream
1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350.
In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and brown sugar making sure to break up any brown sugar lumps.
Make a well in the center, add the oil, vanilla extract, yogurt and beer, stir until combined.
Add to a lightly floured surface, knead lightly until the dough comes together and is much less sticky (it will still be slightly sticky). Cover loosely and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes
Roll into a large rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
In a small bowl stir together the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Spread the filling evenly over the dough. Starting at the long edge, roll the dough into a long log.
Slice into 2 inch rings, place in a baking dish with the swirl side up.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Using a hand mixer beat together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and salt until well combined, light and fluffy.
Spread the cinnamon rolls with the frosting before serving.

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20-Minute Garlic Cheddar Beer Biscuit Rolls

20-Minute Garlic Cheddar Beer Biscuit Rolls

This is an early warning sign.

Some people have a nicotine itch when the stress starts to climb up their insides, some people get aggressive and angry, but I make bread. It’s a strange feeling, “I just want to make some bread,” being my pressure release valve. Biscuits are the yellow light before it turns red and I break out the yeast packets and KitchenAid.

It’s also one of my favorite ways to use beer. The biscuits give you flakey, almost creamy layers when you give them a bit of beer. Even if you abusively roll them into a large rectangle, smear them with butter and cheese, roll them up and cut them, they still stay light and fluffy. Which is good because with an open bottle of beer and a plate full of cheese carbs around, the last thing you need is more stress.

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20-Minute Garlic Cheddar Beer Biscuit Rolls

Yield: 8-10 rolls

Ingredients

3 ½ (420g)cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp (8g) baking powder
1 ½ tsp (8g) baking soda
1 tsp (6g) salt
1 tsp (5g) sugar
10 tbs (146g) unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
¾ cup (190g) pale ale or wheat beer
1/3 cup (76g) buttermilk
8 tbs (110g) softened butter
1 large clove garlic, grated with a microplane
½ tsp (1g) garlic powder
pinch (1g) salt
2 cups (226g) grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a food processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin gently roll into a large rectangle, about 3/4 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
In a small bowl stir together the softened butter, garlic, garlic powder and pinch of salt.
Spread the dough with the butter mixture (reserving 2 tablespoons), sprinkle with grated cheese.
Starting at the long end, roll into a tight log. Cut 2-inch rounds, place in a baking dish.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons garlic butter, brush the top of the rolls with the melted butter.
Bake at 400 for 14 to 16 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
Serve warm.

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Chipotle White Ale Cranberry Sauce

Chipotle White Ale Cranberry Sauce

This is a game changer.

It’s the “best cranberry sauce ever” for cranberry sauce people, also for I-don’t-like-that-stuff people, and even for “don’t judge, but I like the phallic looking, ridged, gelatinous, canned version, don’t hate” people.

It’s smokey, spicy, and has a slight hint of beer. A recipe that requires you to open a beer, then “figure out” what you should do with the remaining 1/2 cup.

It’s also a make ahead, one step, one pot, fifteen minute dish that makes holiday prep easy.

We can do this. We can make it through the holidays. Although we may need much more than 1/2 cup beer to helps us get that job done.

Yum

Chipotle White Ale Cranberry Sauce

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

12 wt oz fresh cranberries
1 cup white ale*
1 cup sugar
1 medium sized chipotle chili in adobo, minced
1 tbs adobo sauce
pinch salt

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a pot, bring to a low boil.
Boil, stirring frequently, until thickened, about fifteen minutes.
Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.
Can be made three days in advance.

Notes

*Use a white ale, Belgian ale, Hefeweizen, or craft cider

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Hefeweizen Mozzarella Bombs

Hefeweizen Mozzarella Bombs

You should do an experiment.

Before you become so dismissive of the impact of beer in baking (or, as a marinade for chicken), do a side by side. Sometime we beer-cook because of the flavor, but not always. Do you taste the baking soda in your cake? Of course not. But if it’s missing you can tell right away. If you marinate chicken in beer and then grill it, it stays juicy. If you don’t, it will dry out on your grill. If you can’t taste the beer, but the chicken is still juicy, congratulate the beer because it did it’s job.

Bread is the same way. I spent the summer making these beer doughnuts for just about every backyard soirée I was invited too (it was too much, honestly, but I couldn’t stop). One of those excessive doughnut making adventures came at a time when I was short on beer, so I used something else and the doughnuts suffered. Same recipe, same amount of liquid, but the doughnuts tasted flat, a little more dense and little tougher. This is how beer shines in baking. It’s amazing baking-super-concoction of yeast, grains and carbonation gives you an amazing texture.

So, maybe you can’t taste the beer every time. And maybe you aren’t supposed to. But maybe it tastes better because of the beer, and you should give thanks to the beer that did all the work and got none of the credit. Some of us can relate to that.

Yum

Hefeweizen Mozzarella Bombs

Yield: 16 Mozzarella Bombs

Ingredients

3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
1 envelope (7g) rapid rise yeast
2 tbs sugar
3/4 cup (186g) wheat beer
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
1 (6g) tsp salt
16 ciliegine sized Mozzarealla balls
topping:
1 tbs melted butter
1 tsp coarse or flakey salt (I used smoked Maldon)
1 tsp garlic powder

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 130 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 16 pieces.
One at a time press the dough into a small circle, add the mozzarealla ball to the center and form the dough tightly around the cheese. Make sure the dough isn’t too thin in any place, and the mozzarella is completely covered.
Add to a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter, sprinkle with garlic powder and salt.
Allow to rest for 15minutes while the oven heats.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Bake for 18-22 minutes or until a light golden brown.

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Coconut Beer Steamer Clam Chowder

Coconut Beer Steamer Clam Chowder

I remember the walls were dirty. Before he tried to push the glass table through my torso, I could only focus on the stains spread like a grease constellation across the Navajo White walls of the government subsidized apartment I was trapped in. His mom’s girlfriend wrapped her dark, sinewy arms around him, pinning his arms to his sides. Their tandem screams, dulled by the shock that had numbed my brain, tumbled together like puppies rolling down a hill…

I have these narratives rolling around inside me, fighting to get to the surface. They wake me up at night. Sentences form out of nowhere that take me back to a forgotten time and place.

Mostly, it’s repressed memories from my days in Hollywood, and the times I worked with gang members in South Central Los Angeles. It’s parts, mostly, of experiences I can’t remember entirely. Feelings searching for words. But the thing is, experiences are made up of an amalgamation of your senses. It’s a big ball of touch, smell, taste, sight, and sound. Words don’t fit well in that sensation cocktail. Even when the words leave me, I know they are so small, so inadequate. But it’s all I have. It has me, more than I have it. I’ll never claim that editing and technical writing is my calling in life, it’s always been a struggle. But creative expressions via words and images has sucked me into it’s undertow.

So, please. Give me a pass when the verbs and tenses don’t stand in a perfect line, and typos come en masse. I’m trying to turn feelings into words, and there is only one part of that I can do at a time.

Yum

Coconut Beer Steamer Clam Chowder

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

4 wt oz (114g) pancetta, diced
1 large (43g) shallot, diced
1 large (110g) carrot, diced
3 tbs (22g) flour
1 cup (236g) wheat beer
1 ½ cup (360 mL) chicken broth
13.5 fl oz (400 mL) coconut milk
½ tsp (4g) salt
½ tsp (1.3g) black pepper
½ tsp (1.3g) garlic powder
½ tsp (1.3g) smoked paprika
3 medium sized (300g) red potatoes, diced
1 lbs manila clams
2 cups (44g) sliced Swiss chard (or spinach)

Instructions

Add the pancetta to a large pot or Dutch oven (add pancetta to a cold pan, it will render better than if you add it to a hot pan). Cook over medium high heat until crispy, remove with a slotted spoon.
Pour off about half of the fat in the pot, leaving about 2 tablespoons.
Return to medium heat, add the shallots and carrots, cooking until very soft and slightly caramelized, about 15 minutes (if the pan dries too much, add a bit of olive oil).
Sprinkle flour on top, whisking until the flour turns slightly brown.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the bottom of the pot.
Stir in the broth, coconut milk, potatoes, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika and red potatoes. Simmer until slightly thickened and potatoes have softened, about 15 minutes.
Reduce heat to low, add the clams and chard, cover and allow to cook for 6 minutes. Discard any clams that have not opened. Serve immediately.

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10-Minute Tater Tot Beer Cheese and Chives Soup

10-Minute Tater Tot Beer Cheese and Chives Soup

You don’t have to make a decision.

There’s no pressure to decide if you really want to give this a try, or if you think it’s a new deviant low in beer cooking. It can always be both. More than anything, its a reminder. Don’t look both ways before crossing the food trend street. Don’t check the paper next to you when searching for the right answer to whether or not something is desirable. Blink. What’s your blink reaction? There needs to be no further explanation. There needs to be no additional analysis. This seems to be difficult. It’s hard, in a way, to just like what we like because we like it. We seem to need constant validation as to our decision making and preferences.

Let’s just stop. Let’s just like stuff, because, well, we like it. Let’s drink without checking reviews on Untapped or Beer Advocate. Let us eat, cook with, order and enjoy stuff regardless of trending hashtags. Just for a while, just to see how it feels.

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10-Minute Tater Tot Beer Cheese and Chives Soup

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups (450g) wheat beer or pale ale
3 tbs (30g) cornstarch
16 ounces (450g) sharp white cheddar, grated
1 cup (240g) broth (vegetable or chicken)
½ cup (120g) heavy cream
1 tsp (4g) red pepper sauce
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped chives
2 cup (200g) tater tots, cooked according to package directions*

Instructions

Add the beer, cornstarch, cheddar, broth, heavy cream, and red pepper sauce to a blender. Blend on high until very well combined, about 5 minutes.
Add to a pot over medium high heat, simmer until warmed and slightly thickened.
Season with salt and pepper to taste, stir in chives.
Ladle into serving bowls, top with tater tots, serve immediately.

Notes

*To bake crispy tater tots, rather than soft ones, drizzle with oil just prior to baking.

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BBQ Beer Brat Tailgate Pizza & How To Prep A Grilled Pizza For Tailgating

I grill pizza more often than I grill anything else. Unless you have a pizza oven in your backyard, it’s likely your best option when it comes to at home pizza cooking. Or, in this case, parking-lot-back-of-a-truck-with-a-portable-grill cooking. You get those lovely grilled char marks that you want when open flames are cooking your food, and it’s easy to modify to your guest eating persuasions.

Tailgate Pizza Tips:

Prep as much as you can ahead of time. If you’re making more than one pizza, write down the toppings you want for each, prep them all and store them in small containers to take with you. The dough can, and should, be made in advance. Just make sure to punch down the dough every 12 hours (literally just punch the middle of it to deflate, you can also grab the sides and pull to deflate). Pizza dough is best if it’s able to cold ferment in the fridge for a few days.

Don’t forget to bring a surface to roll out the dough. Some people like to use a rolling pin, while others think hand shaping the dough is the only way to go, it’s your call.

Brush the grates with olive oil to keep the dough from sticking. I sometimes oil the dough and flip it onto the grill like a giant pancake, but that’s just me.

You only want to grill the underside until it holds shape. It’s going back on the grill to heat the toppings and melt the cheese, undercooking it the first time will prevent overcooking it the second time.

Pizzas take about 8 minutes to cook, so they are easy to make as-needed. Plus they don’t take up too much room in the cooler, leaving you way more space for beer. Which, really, is the most important part.

I used Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce

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BBQ Beer Brat Tailgate Pizza & How To Prep A Grilled Pizza For Tailgating

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the Pizza Dough:

3 cups (360g) bread flour
1 packet (2 ¼ tsp, or 21g) rapid rise yeast
2 tsp (8g) sugar
1 cup (226g) wheat beer
3 tbs (42g) whole milk
1 tbs (14g) olive oil, plus 2 tbs (28g), divided
1/2 (2g) tsp salt

Toppings:

2 to 3 large beer brats, raw
24 ounces beer (wheat, pale ale, or brown ale)
Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce (link above)
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped (from a jar is OK)
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley (or cilantro)
Oil for the grill

Instructions

Directions:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the bread flour, yeast, and sugar, stir until well combined. In a microwave safe bowl, add the beer. Heat until 120F. Add the beer to the flour and stir until incorporated. Add the milk, salt and 1 tablespoon oil, stir with the dough hook until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Allow to rise in a warm room until doubles in size, about one hour. You can bake the dough at this point, but it’s best to punch down the dough, cover and allow it to rise again in the fridge from 12-18 hours.
Make the beer brats. In a pan with a lid add the brats and the beer, cover and simmer until the brats are cooked through, remove from pan.
Preheat the grill to medium high. Grill the brats until grill marks appear on all sides, about 3 minutes. Remove and slice.
Brush the grates with oil to prevent sticking . Place the dough on the grill (a pizza peel coated in flour or cornmeal will help) until grill marks start to appear. Flip the dough and very lightly grill on the underside, just until the dough holds shape. Remove from the grill, place on a work surface with the lightly grilled side down. Spread an even layer of BBQ sauce over the crust, top evenly with cheese, add sliced brats and red pepper.
Return to the grill, close the lid and cook until the cheese has melted, 3-5 minutes. Remove from grill, sprinkle with parsley (or cilantro), slice and serve.

Notes

Pre-prep (tailgating tips): • Make the dough the night before, let it do a second rise in the fridge. You’ll have to have a space to roll it out when you get to the venue, so bring a large cutting board if needed. It’ll be best if you let it come to room temp before trying to roll out. 10 minutes in a car with the heater on should be fine. • Boil the brats ahead of time, pack them in the cooler, grill and slice them on site. • Have all your ingredients prepped and stored in small containers, ready to go when you need them, it’ll help make the process much easier.

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Gochujang Beer Cheese Dip and Is Gochujang The New Sriracha?

Gochujang Beer Cheese Dip and Is Gochujang The New Sriracha?

There are similarities, I’ll be honest.

Spicy red sauces, with fermented ingredients, originally from the Far East. Americans “discovered” these sauces, that have been around for generations in other countries, and decide they are the hot “new” thing. Clearly, Sriracha and Gochujang have a lot in common. Although the latter doesn’t have its own documentary and two best-selling cookbooks, but there’s still time.

So what is Gochujang? It’s a spicy, slightly sweet sauce with a nice acidic backbone. It’s also so popular that it’s now found at Target. It’s a way to branch out, to try something new, to expand the pantry of flavors that you go to when you want to add some heat, or some big flavors. It’s best added to something else – it’s pretty intense on it’s own – not unlike Sriracha, a little goes a long way. It’s a great way to add some spice to your favorite homemade BBQ sauce, or transform a standard chicken recipe. It’s absolutely a sauce you should seek out and figure out how to use. But until Rogue Ales makes a beer with it, it’ll always take second place to the Rooster Sauce.

Yum

Gochujang Beer Cheese Dip and Is Gochujang The New Sriracha?

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Calories per serving: A lot

Ingredients

16 wt oz cream cheese
6 wt oz shredded mozzarella (about 1 ¾ cups)
3.5 wt oz shredded white cheddar (about 1 cup)
¼ cup Gochujang Korean hot sauce*
2 tbs cornstarch
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
1 cup IPA or Pale Ale Beer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
Add all ingredients to a blender or food processor, process until smooth.
Add to an oven safe dish.
Bake for 20 minutes or until warmed through.

Notes

-Dip can be made a day or two ahead, the flavors continue to deepen as the dip chills. Refrigerate until ready to serve, bake just prior to serving. -Look for Gochujang in the Asian section of your local market, or buy online.

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Beer Brined Faux-tisserie Roast Chicken

Fill your glass. Fill your stomach. Fill your heart.

Roast chicken, accompanied by an opened bottled of hard to find beer, is the way to communicate comfort from the kitchen. It’s a dish that’s been made billions of times, with just as many variations, a dish that can grace the silk covered tables of the finest dinning establishments, as well as the wobbly legged formica tables of the humblest of houses. It’s beautiful, perfect in its simplicity, comforting, and elegant without being pretentious. It’s a last meal, a lazy Sunday supper, and a first date dish. It’s a meal I’ll make over and over until I’m hardly able to lift myself into a kitchen to cook anything, well into my 90’s. I do, after all, plan to live to be 100, cooking the entire time.

Roast chicken is a classic dish that every home cook should master. It’s a recipe to make in a traditional fashion, and then after you’ve master the preparation, find your own variation. Maybe the first recipe you invent all on your own. The recipe that you’ll become known for, the one you’ll pass on, as you make your way towards living to be 100.

Yum

Beer Brined Faux-tisserie Roast Chicken

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tbs whole peppercorns
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 cups ice
22 oz wheat beer (or brown ale)
1 (5 lb) whole chicken, inside cavity cleared
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp baking powder (this will help crisp the skin)
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt (plus additional for potatoes)
½ tsp black pepper (plus additional for potatoes)
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp brown sugar
1 lbs red potatoes, quartered
1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts, cut in half
1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Add the water, cloves, peppercorns, and salt to a large stock pot or Dutch oven (this will eventually be the brining vessel for your chicken, make sure it’s large enough to accommodate). Bring to a simmer, stirring just until the salt has dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the ice, and ale. Allow to cool to room temperate.
Add the chicken to the pot (make sure the liquid has cooled first), cover and refrigerate for 12 hours and up to 3 days (to save time, this step can be done as soon as you return from the market with the chicken, and the chicken can be stored in the brine until ready to use, up to three days).
Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well, inside and out, pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperate for 20 minuets, to drain and dry.
Preheat oven to 300.
In a small bowl stir together the paprika, baking powder, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and brown sugar, set aside.
Add the potatoes and Brussels sprouts in an even layer in the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet, cut side down. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken to the skillet on top of the vegetables. Rub chicken well with the spice mixture on all sides, coating the skin.
Cook the chicken at 300 for 40 minutes (this low heat will help render fat and crisp the skin).
Turn heat to 425, cook for 20-30 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperate of the chicken reaches 165. Remove from oven, allow to rest for five minutes before carving.

Notes

The vegetables act as a rack in this recipe, as well as a nice side dish. If you are going to skip them, cook the chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet, or in a roasting rack in a roasting pan. This will keep the bottom of the skin from getting soggy.

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Lemon Beer Pound Cake

I’ve always been an adventurous eater.

I ate ants in Colombia, snake meat in Greece, mint tea made with a brown liquid I couldn’t identify in Morocco. If it’s new to me, I want to try it. I want to eat all the things, even if I know I’ll hate them. Even the few things I can’t stand, like pears, bananas, and raw celery, if you make them in a way that’s new and exciting, I’ll dive right in. Even if I know with every ounce of certainty that I’ll hate it. Curiosity rules my decision making at time. Even in the midst of my eat-all-the-things ambition, I have a true love for simple food done well.

It took years for me to figure out how to make the perfect steak, and how to cook ribs at home that taste like a southern BBQ, and how to make mac n cheese that’s creamy out of the oven. Sometimes, simple is the most beautiful.

Lemon pound cake is a simple but beautiful food. It’s perfect early in the morning with coffee, or late at night with a beer or a classic rye Old Fashioned. My main goal was the perfect icing. I wanted that thick layer that sits on top like a crown, not dripping down that side. I wanted coffee shop style icing. I figured out that a thick paste, spread on while the cake was still in the pan, then chilled for an hour gave me that gorgeous look. Although I do think this version is better for late-night-with-booze consumption than those cakes served in the morning. But it’s your call.

Yum

Lemon Beer Pound Cake

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 tbs lemon zest
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 tbs butter, softened
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup wheat beer
3 tbs olive oil
1 ¾ cups flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Glaze:
2 cups (1/2 lbs) powdered sugar
pinch salt
2 tsp lemon juice*
½ tsp water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the lemon zest and sugar. Beat for about 2 minutes on high to release the lemon 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 lemon juice, beer and olive oil , beating until well combined, scraping the bottom of the mixer to insure all ingredients are well incorporated.
Stop the mixer and sprinkle with flour baking powder, baking soda and salt, sitr until just combined.
Pour into a large loaf pan that has been greased.
Bake at 325 for 55 o 60 minutes or until cake is golden brown and tooth pick inserted in the center comes back with just a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool completely.
Stir together the powdered sugar lemon 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.
Substitute all of some of the beer to increase the beer flavor.

Notes

Substitute all of some of the lemon juice in the glaze to increase the beer flavor.

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Sugar Beer Doughnut Holes

Sugar Beer Doughnut Holes

This is my go-to.

It’s been my summer backyard party staple. It’s what I’ve been making for months when I get the invite to “come over, we’re making food, just bring whatever.” It’s all the things I look for in bring-to-a-party food.

It transports well, it sits at room temperature for a long time without concern, and it’s impressive. I know that last part makes me a bit of an over-foodie asshole, but I can’t change now.

If you’ve never made doughnuts, it’s really pretty simple, and there is only one major concern: temperature. Twice, you have to concern yourself with temperate in order for these to turn out perfect, but other than that, it’s pretty simple.

First is yeast temperate. For rapid rise yeast, the liquid (in this case beer) needs to be between 120F and 130F, too low and it won’t get a good rise, too high and you’ll kill the yeast. If you aren’t sure what temperate to use, always (always) use the temperate listed on the package of yeast, not the temperate listed in the recipe. Always.

Second, you’ll have to worry about the deep fry oil. I own a small deep fryer, because of course I own a deep fryer, and it maintains the temperate all on its own. But before I did, I just used the Dutch oven filled with a few inches of canola oil.

Clip a deep-fry thermometer onto the side, make sure the tip doesn’t touch the bottom (not even for a second, just to see how it feels), and adjust the oil temperate to keep it between 350F and 375F.

Those are the big battles, and really, it’s not that bad. And at the end of it all, you get to show up with 36 homemade doughnut holes, and that’s worth all that temperate worry. You deserve a beer.

Yum

Sugar Beer Doughnut Holes

Yield: 36 doughnut holes

Ingredients

3cups (360g) all purpose flour
¼ cup, plus 1 cup, granulated sugar, divided
1 packet rapid rise yeast (2 ¼ tsp)
¾ cup wheat beer
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 large egg yolk (room temperature)
¼ cup heavy cream (room temperature)
1 tsp salt
oil for frying

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the flour, ¼ cup sugar and yeast.
Add the beer to a microwave safe bowl, microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperate and repeat until beer reaches between 120 and 130 degrees F.
Add the beer to the stand mixer, mix until most of the flour has been moistened.
Add the vanilla then the yolks, one at a time. Add the cream and salt.
Building up speed, beat on high until the dough comes together and gathers around the blade.
The dough will be very soft.
Add dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and knead lightly to remove any air bubbles. Place dough in the fridge and allow to rest for 1 hour.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1-inch thickness. Cut doughnuts into circles using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter.
Place doughnuts on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Loosly cover with a towel.
Allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Fill a large heavy bottomed saucepan with canola oil until about 4 inches deep. Add a deep fry thermometer and bring oil to about 360 degrees, adjusting heat to maintain temperature.
Working in batches, fry the doughnuts on each side until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from oil and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Place remaining 1 cup sugar in a small bowl. One at a time roll the cooled doughnuts in the sugar, add to a serving tray. Serve immediately.

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Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

It’s a hectic Wednesday morning and I’m trying to get it all straight in my head. I have emails to answer, deliverables to finishes, calls to make. It makes me want to shut down. I’m not organized, that side of this slightly insane job that I’ve chosen for myself makes me want to crawl under a pile of coats, shut my eyes and pretend like it doesn’t exist. So I do what I do when I’m stressed out, I bake. Fortunately for my skinny jeans, I’m not a stress eater, I’m just a stress baker. I just want to make it, the process calms me down. It’s a small win for me when other things in my life have weighted me down, this tips the boat back upright, even if just for a few minutes.

Chicken and biscuits do it every time. Nothing soothes like an emotional salve the way the comfort food miracle cure of fried chicken does. Of course biscuits have been my go-to for years, just about 8 minutes and the smell of homemade biscuits starts to solve minor emotional problems. You can keep the lavender bath salts and the vanilla scented candles, I’ll take the smell of fried chicken, hot biscuits and a hoppy beer. Someone needs to make bath salts that smell like that. It’s way better than pumpkin spice.

Yum

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

Yield: 8 biscuits

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
8 tbs unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

For the chicken

1 cup pale ale
2 cups whole milk
1tbs hot pepper sauce (I used Chipotle Tabasco)
1 lbs boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 2 inch strips
2 cups flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
Honey (optional)

Instructions

Make the biscuits:

Preheat oven to 425F.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and sugar.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you flakey layers).
Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Make the chicken:

Add the pale ale, milk and Tabasco to a bowl. Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least one hour and up to over night.
Add 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil to a pot, clip a deep fry thermometer onto the side, heat oil to 375. Adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
In a medium sized bowl stir together the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and salt.
One at a time remove the chicken from the marinade. Add to the flour bowl, tossing to coat, place it back into the milk bowl until covered with milk, then back into the flour bowl until well coated with flour.
Add chicken to a wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the chicken pieces. Then add to the fryer. Fryer until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.Return to the wire rack (this will kip it cripsy on all sides, Placing on a paper towel will make the under side soggy. Place in a 175F oven for up to 2 hours to make ahead.)
Split the biscuits adding one chicken per biscuit, drizzle chicken with honey (if desired) before adding top biscuit. .

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Blackberry Beer Cheesecake Tart

I’m sitting at a bar in Bogota, Colombia, communicating the best I can through broken Spanish. Laughing with several kitchen’s worth of chef’s, trying to convince them that, even though I nearly passed out from the altitude, and I’m in fact, not pregnant. They motion with their hands to create invisible fake bellies, then laugh. They point at my beer, “No, no! No good for baby!” we all laugh.

I’d spent most of the week with them, redoing the menus at the Bogota Brewing Company’s pubs. A trip that I can’t wait to tell you more about, a trip that was nothing short of life changing. I’m sitting at the bar, finishing a Champinero Porter, one of the best porters I’ve had in a long time and I think about the choices I’ve made that lead me down this rabbit hole. I must have done something right. I’ve made strange choices in my life, some terrible, some mediocre, some harmful, but I must have done something right. Grateful isn’t a strong enough word. I can’t find the right way to express how I’m feeling, not in English, certainly not in Spanish. So I finish my beer, laugh at the implication that I’m pregnant, hug them all and thank them. It’s been an incredible trip, an unforgettable country, and outstanding people.

Yum

Blackberry Beer Cheesecake Tart

Ingredients

For the cheesecake tart:

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
24 ounces cream cheese
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs flour
2 tbs corn starch
1 tsp salt
½ cup saison beer (or wheat beer)

For the blackberry layer:

3 cups (12 wt oz) blackberries
1 cup saison (or wheat beer)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300.
Add the blackberries, saison, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt to a pot over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently until thickened, about ten minutes. Set aside.
Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-inch spring form pan, letting the less hang over the sides. .
Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add the flour, cornstarch, salt and beer, stir on low speed until well combined.
Add to the spring form pan in an even layer.
Pour the blackberry sauce evenly over the cheesecake layer. Fold the excess puff pastry over the top of the tart.
Bake at 300 for 1 hour or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to over night.

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No-Yeast 20-Minute Beer Flat Bread

No Yeast 20-minute Beer Flat Bread

I was trapped in the back of a rug factory in Morocco when I realized how relative things are.

I was sitting on a stool made out of a block of wood, walls made of thick adobe all around me, the large wooden door had been slammed shut and locked with a steel bar. Mid-day sunlight fell through the window at the very top of the wall behind me. Two men threw rugs on the ground in front of me and my sister, yelling obscene prices at us in strong ascents. “Only seven thousand! This one, good deal, it’s only three thousand five hundred. This one, it’s for you, just six thousand!”

I’m in shock. It took me six months to save for the trip, there was no way I could afford a rug that cost about a third the retail value of my car. They stop the rapid rug toss to pressure me about buying one.

“Listen, I can’t afford this. I just started paying off my student loans, I have rent, car payment, I don’t have the money to spend seven grand on a rug. Plus shipping.”

They laugh. “You’re saying you’re poor? You’re American! You are RICH,” they pick up an empty leather pouf, “You buy this, stuff it with dollar bills!”

I was as scared as I was offended. There were two men and a steel bar between me and freedom. “I’m not rich! Do you know how much rent is in the US? Groceries? Gas? I’m not rich,”

They laugh even harder, “You have a place to live? Yes? with more than one room and a bathroom, too? You have a car? And you have a refrigerator full of food? You buy new clothes every month, and you have lots of shoes? Am I correct? Look at me,” He pauses for dramatic effect, “Little girl, you are rich. Walk out that door, look around, and then you tell me you are not rich.” He was right.

I was still sacred but no longer offended. I realized how relative everything is, one persons broke is another persons rich. I ended the day in a beautiful restaurant, a thing only the richest people in the Medina of Fez, Morocco have ever done. There was chicken in a creamy red sauce, saffron rice, vegetables, small metal bowls of sauces, and a soft, homemade bread. There was a beautiful comfort in warm homemade bread. This recipe only takes about 20 minutes, perfect for the next time you need a little gluten comfort.

Yum

No Yeast 20-Minute Beer Flat Bread

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 8 flatbreads

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tbs olive oil
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt (not non-fat)
¾ cup wheat beer, room temperate

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the center, add the oil, yogurt and beer.
Stir until the dough comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, knead for about 6 minutes.
Cut into 8 sections, form into balls. Cover and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Lightly oil a cast iron skillet, heat to medium high.
Press the balls into 6 inch disks.
Cook the disks in the skillet until lightly browned on each side and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Serve warm.

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Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling

Sometimes I just need a second.

A second to take a breath. Of course I love the tumbling-forward-faster-than-I-can-keep-up-with pace that my life takes, but I need a second. Spring is the season to pause. The season to sit on the porch, long conversations with friends, favorites rediscovered, season. Maybe it isn’t a season to find out what new things you haven’t heard of yet, it’s a season to remember the things you already love and not even care why you love them.

It’s a vanilla cake, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, grilled chicken, favorite sunglasses, faded jeans kind of season. Sure, I love the new stuff constantly being thrown into my consciousness, but the old favorites have earned their space.

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-1

This is my season to take a breath and rediscover my favorites. Not justify why I like them, but to just sit and enjoy. In the spirit of this take a breath and remember to enjoy what you like, and to like what you like because you like it, here are my old favorites, the beers that have been with me since the beginning of this craft beer journey, the ones that will still be there when the dust settles on all the new trends. These are the craft beer equivalent of the guy who drives you to the airport at 5am and shows up to help you move.

Allgash // White

Deschutes // Black Butte Porter

Sierra Nevada // Pale Ale

Ballast Point // Sculpin

North Coast // Old Rasputin

Rogue Ales // Shakespeare Stout

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-2

Yum

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling

Yield: 12-18

Ingredients

Cake

½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cups white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs canola oil
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup pale ale (or wheat beer)
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbs corn starch
¼ cup pale ale (or wheat beer or blueberry beer)
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.
Add the butter and both kinds of sugar to a stand mixer. Mix on high until well creamed, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla, stopping several times to scrape the bottom to insure everything is well combined.
Add the oil, cream and beer, mixing until well combined.
Stop the mixer, sprinkle with flour, baking powder and salt, stir until just combined.
Pour into a 9X13 baking pan that has been greased and floured.
Bake until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, 23-26 minutes.
While the cake bakes, make the blueberry filling. In a pot over medium high heat add the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch and beer. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until thickened. About 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Allow cake to cool completely, transfer to a flat surface. Using a 1 to 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out 12-18 shapes.
IN a stand mixer add the heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat on high until medium peaks form.
Slice the shapes in half, like splitting a hamburger bun (alternately you can use one shape for the top and another for the bottom).
Fill the shapes with blueberry filling and whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.

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Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-3

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth IPA I sampled this weekend, I realized something.

Trying my best to taste the beer I was in charge of judging through a hop wrecked palate I realized that I love citrus. I love the bright, fresh flavors of citra hops, grapefruit peels, orange zest, and I love how beautifully they play with the flavors of hops.

I’d bravely accepted the challenge of judging a stadium full of IPAs this past weekend at a beer festival, and along with a co-judge, picking one standout winner. We had different palates, him and I. I fell hard and fast for the citrus spiked beers, he favored the IPA’s with a strong malt backbone. It took us a while to come to an agreement on a favorite. Left only in my hands, I’d have given out ten awards, all to grapefruit and orange tainted beers. But I was in no shape for large scale decision making after sampling 31 beers.

If you also like a little bit of a citrus molested beer, here are a few to seek out:

Hop Valley // Citrus Mistress

Balast Point // Grapefruit Sculpin

Snoqualime Falls // Sunny Si IPA

Terrapin // Hopzilla

Green Flash // Soul Style IPA

Yum

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Yield: 8 hot dog buns

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs sugar
1 packet RAPID RISE yeast
1 tsp salt
½ cup wheat beer
¾ cups whole milk
1 tbs olive oil
Egg wash (1 egg, 1 tbs water, beaten)
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds.

Instructions

Add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix to combine.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer and milk. Microwave on high until the liquid reaches 125 degrees, about 60 seconds.
Add the liquid and the oil to the stand mixer, mix on high until dough gathers around the hook and is no longer sticky, about 8 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for about a minute. Divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 5 inches long. Place buns on a baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with salt, pepper and sesame seeds.
Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes.

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Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

I’m standing in the middle of a craft store talking quietly on my phone to an 87-year-old woman who wants to ship me weed.

I’m acutely aware of the fact that I’m actually embarrassed to tell her that I’ve never really been into weed. Not ever. Not even in high school, or when I ran around Hollywood with rock stars, it was just never my thing. I’ll just have a beer, thanks.

I don’t want to seem prude to a woman in her 80’s. I also don’t want to hurt her feelings, she’s sweet enough to offer me some of the stash she grows for her legal medicinal marijuana business.

I’d met her a few weeks prior at a beer conference. She’s smart and sweet and genuinely interesting and I gave her my card, telling her to stay in touch. She calls me to offer to ship me some weed and instead of being up front with her, I’m evasive. I don’t want her to go to all that trouble for someone who doesn’t smoke. It’s like shipping Pliny to someone who only drinks Captain and Cokes. I’m trying to find a way to say no. I’m also starting to become aware of the side eye I’m getting from the girl in the aisle next to me, not sure if she’s judging me for talking on a phone in a quiet store, or if it’s about the weed. I decided that since it’s Seattle, she really can’t be that uptight about a conversation about pot.

I finally come out with it, “I’m sorry, I just don’t smoke. It’s so nice of you to offer, it’s just not for me.”

There is a long pause and I’m sure that I’ve offended her. “but….” she sounds confused, “You always make pot smoker food on your blog. I just figured….never mind.”

She has a point. I mean, who eats beer pancakes in the middle of the day? It’s a logical assumption.

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

Ingredients

For the pancakes

2 ¼ cups All purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups wheat beer
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the syrup

8 wt oz (about 2 cups sliced) strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup saison (or hefeweizen) beer

Directions

In a blender add the flour, sugar, cream cheese, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, beer and vanilla extract. Blend until just smooth. (batter can be made up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerate until ready to use.)
Heat a griddle to 350 or a skillet over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray or grease with melted butter.
Pour 3 inch circles onto hot surface. Once bubbles appear in the center and the edges look dry, flip pancakes. Cook until underside is golden brown.
Add all the syrup ingredients to a pot over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat, allow to cool before using.

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