Dessert

Chocolate Stout Cheesecake Fudgesicle

19.04.2013 52 Comments

Chocolate stout cheesecake Fudgesicle

Would you judge me if I tell you that I’m not a huge fan of ice cream? Clearly, I like it just fine I have several ice cream recipes on this blog, but it’s never my first choice.

Of course, I’ll eat it, although I do tend to prefer it in the winter (probably more of that inherent rebellion I told you about earlier), but there are just so many other desserts I’d rather run five miles to work off. Like, cheesecake. Or doughnuts. Or cheesecake doughnuts.

I love cheesecake. So this cheesecake version of ice cream, in pre-portioned sizes (this addresses my serious portion control issues) is just about the most perfect way to consume a frozen dessert.

And because the recipe only calls for 1/3 cup, you are going to have some stout left over that you’re going to have to figure out what to do with.

I apologize for the dilemma this creates.

Chocolate Stout Cheesecake Fudgesicle

Print Recipe

Ingredients

8 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ cup sour cream
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs whole milk
1/3 cup stout
½ cup dark chocolate chips
6 standard sized graham crackers
2 tbs melted butter

Instructions

In a bowl (or a food processor) mix together the cream cheese, sour cream and powdered sugar until well combined.
Add the milk and stout, stir to combine.
Add the chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl, microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Pour the chocolate into the cream cheese mixture, stir until combined.
Pour mixture into popsicle molds, leaving about 1 inch of the top empty for the crust (if you don’t have popsicle molds, use small paper cups and popsicle sticks) tap the molds gently on the counter to remove air bubbles.
In a food processor add the graham crackers, process until only crumbs remain.
While food processor is running, add the melted butter in a slow stream until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Divide the crust evenly between the popsicles, press down gently to compact. Insert popsicle sticks, freeze for at least 6 hours and up to 3 days.

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Lemon Cream Pie with Raspberry Beer Sauce

10.04.2013 22 Comments

I made you a summery pie with a Double IPA

Don’t be scared, this double IPA plays nice, I promise. I’m hesitant with double and triple IPA’s, over hopping a beer can result in a poorly balanced, pinchy tasting, bitter-in-a-bad-way beer that leads to my hesitation to sample the D & T IPA’s. That’s a shame, there are so many great tremendously hopped beers in our country.

Knuckle Sandwich is a fabulous entry in the DIPA category, given to us by Bootleggers, which has restored my faith in the genera. It has balance! I love malty notes in a beer, which this gives us beautifully as a framework to showcase those hops. It has great high notes of hops and citrus, but it also has the low notes of bread and malt, giving it some mad range.

Bootleggers is turning 5 this month, a newer brewery in Fullerton, California. You all know how I like to root for the Home-Brewer-Turned-Brewery-owner and this brewery could turn me into a cheerleader, especially if they keep making beer like this.

(By the way, Bootleggers, you should add this to your regular rotation, remove the Special Release designation and make sure to ship me a case when you get a chance.)

Lemon Cream Pie with Raspberry Beer Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Crust (you can also substitute a gram cracker crust):

1 ½ cups all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
8 tbs of butter cold, cut into cubes
2 tbs ice cold beer high ABV works best

Lemon Cream Filling:

2 tbs lemon zest
¾ cup lemon juice
2 tbs corn starch
5 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
5 tbs butter
2/3 cup heavy cream

Raspberry Beer Sauce:

12 wt ounces raspberries
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs corn starch
½ cup IPA

Instructions

In a food processor, add 1 cup of flour (reserving the other ½ cup) salt, sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and process until combined. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour, process until well incorporated.
Transfer to a bowl, add the beer and mix until combined. Dough will be very soft.
Form into a wide flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
While the dough is chilling, make the curd. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, cornstarch, yolks, and sugar to a saucepan off the heat. Whisk until well combined. Add the butter cubes and add to medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened, about 12 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl, chill until just below room temperature, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Once the dough has chilled, roll out on a lightly floured surface, transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, press into shape. Remove the excess.
Prick the bottom several times with a fork. Line with a sheet of parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake at 350 for 18-22 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature, remove the pie weights or beans.
Add the heavy cream to the bowl of a stand mixer, whip on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. About ½ a cup at a time, gently fold the lemon mixture into the whipped cream. Once all of the lemon mixture has been mixed into the cream, pour into the cooled crust. Chill until set, about 1 hour.
In a pot over medium high heat, add the raspberries, powdered sugar, cornstarch and beer. Stir frequently until thickened, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Pour evenly over the lemon cream layer, chill until set about 1 hour. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

Sriracha Caramel Corn

04.04.2013 33 Comments

Sriracha Caramel Corn.

For real.

And it’s everything that you want it to be. It’s so good, in fact, that I made it twice in one day. The second batch was under the guise of recipe testing and getting the heat level right, but really it was because this recipe was designated for the Leftovers Club and the first batch yielded no leftovers. Making it a very disappointing submission, thus another batch was in order. I couldn’t exactly ship Chung-Ah an empty box, so I made a second batch. And ate half of that, too.

It’s that good.

The first batch I used 2 teaspoons Sriracha, and while the heat level was deliciously high, so was that fermented garlic flavor we have all come to know and love in the savory dishes that use the Cock Sauce. On the second batch I lowered the amount to 1/2 teaspoon and added a pinch of cayenne for a kick of heat without the garlicly aftertaste that we don’t really need on our desert plates. This was perfect, the heat was there on the back-end but not overpowering, and the garlic was so subtle, it was hardly noticeable. If you want to Sriracha the hell out of it, be my guest, but I wouldn’t add more than 1 teaspoon.

If you want leftovers, or plan on sharing, make a double batch. Or maybe a triple.

If you love Sriracha as much as I do, immediately go buy The Sriracha Cookbook and The Veggie Lovers Sriracha Cookbook.

Sriracha Caramel Corn

Ingredients

1/3 cup corn kernels (7 cups popped)
1 brown paper lunch bag
½ cup brown sugar
4 tbs unsalted butter
¼ cup light corn syrup
¼ tsp salt
½ to 1 tsp sriracha
pinch cayenne

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250.
Place the corn kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold the top over. Place in the microwave (long side down), microwave on high for 4 minutes. When the popping starts to slow to about one pop per one second, remove from microwave. Measure out 7 cups of popcorn (if there is less than 7 cups, pop additional kernels in the same manner, if there are more than 7 cups, reserve the remaining popped corn for another use)
Spray a large baking pan with butter flavored cooking spray.
Add the corn kernels to the baking sheet in an even layer, place in the oven until the caramel sauce is ready.
Add the brown sugar, butter, light corn syrup and salt to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Allow to boil for 5 minutes, without stirring, or until a dark amber color is reached. Remove from heat, immediately stir in the sriracha and cayenne (use ½ tsp sriracha for a lower heat level and 1 tsp for a higher heat level).
Spray a silicon spatula with cooking spray (except the handle).
Gently pour the caramel sauce over the corn, stirring to coat.
Bake for 20 minutes at 250, stir, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and spread evenly onto a sheet of wax paper. Allow to cool, break apart, store in an air-tight container.

Beerscotti: Chocolate Beer Biscotti, Made with Beer for Beer

03.04.2013 22 Comments

Something about this just isn’t right, it’s a cookie made to dunk in your beer. Who does that? Maybe I’m trying to start a beer cookie revolution that ends with crumbs at the bottom of your pint glass. Maybe I just liked the alliteration, or maybe this just ends up working. You’ll have to judge for yourself.

For this I wanted a big beer, with lots of roasted chocolate malt. Drakes Drakonic Imperial Stout works great, it’s a malty beast, as they say, and has those dry cocoa notes that work with the cocoa nibs and hazelnuts in the Beerscotti. It’s a sippin' stout, made for lingering and conversation, it’s not a beer that wants to be ignored.

But who can ignore the guy dunking a cookie in his beer? Not me.

Chocolate Beer Biscotti

Print Recipe

Ingredients

¾ cup white sugar
4 tbs butter
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk
¼ cup stout beer
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp almond extract
2 ¼ cup all purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp espresso powder
¼ tsp salt
½ cup hazelnuts
1/3 cup coca nibs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and butter. Beat on medium high speed until well creamed.
Add the eggs and yolk, mix until mixture is pale and fluffy.
Add the stout, vanilla and almond, mix until well combined.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, corn starch, espresso powder and salt.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the butter mixture, mix on low until just incorporated. Stir in the hazelnuts and cocoa nibs.
Scoop half of the dough onto a baking sheet that has been covered with a Silpat or parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Shape into a log that is about 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. Repeat with the other half of the dough.
Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until slightly firm to the touch. Cool for about 5 minutes. Cut diagonally into ¾ inch slices. Return to the baking sheet, cut side up.
Bake until slightly crispy, about ten minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Biscotti can be made up to three days ahead of time and taste the best 24 hours after baking. Store in an air tight container.

Beer Candied Pecans

27.03.2013 38 Comments

last September I was able to visit Bear Republic. I was able to jump behind the bar, chat with brewers and sample everything from the Peter Brown Tribute to the Grand Am, right from the source. Solid beers that are becoming easier to find across the US as their distribution expands.

Maybe it was the gorgeous Northern California setting, or the charming bar managers, or the fantastically solid beer, but I became a fan of what this growing team is doing up North. And then they go and make a Black IPA, one of my favorite new styles.

Black IPA’s are becoming more common, a great trend that craft breweries are embracing all over the US. Maybe as a way to satisfy people like me, stout lovers who also adore an IPA. A hoppy beer, with a roasted malt that adds a smooth, balanced, nearly stout like flavor. The Black Racer IPA is a great example of this growing beer phenomenon.

Black Racer is just as hoppy as you want an IPA to be, but with a smoother, rounded malty finish. It has a leaning towards a traditional IPA, with high notes like citrus and pine as well as a fairly high carbonation, but with some dark beer flavors of malt and coffee.

Black IPA’s are both a great example of how the creativity of brewers are blurring the lines of beer styles, as well as another great, endless craft beer debate we all love to partake in from time to time. How do you differentiate between a hoppy stout and a dark IPA? Brewers discretion?

When it’s this good, they can call it what they want and the brewers will always have my full support.

Beer Candied Pecans

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup black IPA
1 cup golden brown sugar packed
½ tsp salt
1 tbs butter
2 cups pecan halves

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250.
In a pot over high heat add the beer and brown sugar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Clip a candy thermometer on the side of the pan. Bring liquid to 235 degrees, remove from heat.
Add the butter, stir until combined.
Add salt and pecans; stir until the pecans have all been coated.
Pour pecans on to a baking sheet that has been covered with a silicon baking mat (or parchment paper that has been sprayed with cooking spray).
Spread pecans evenly over the sheet.
Bake at 250 for 15 minutes, stir and bake for an additional 15 minutes (if the pecans look foamy, stir until the bubbles have dissolved).
Allow to cool to room temperature, break apart.

Notes

To increase the beer flavor, reduce 1 cup of beer down to 1/2 cup needed for this recipe.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

26.03.2013 35 Comments

Now that I’m home with my (soon to be) 3 year-old on most days, I’ve realized that there are a few things that no one tells you about Stay At Home Mom-hood. Maybe because we don’t want to scare the fertility out of others since we like company in this brave new world of parenthood. For instance:

You will start to dissect the relationships between cartoon characters, "Are Mickey and Minnie Mouse dating? or are they brother and sister?" You may or may not Google it.

You’ll be standing in the backyard in your bathrobe trying to hose out a potty chair that is too gross to clean by way of any other method, and it will feel strangely normal.

You’ll say things like, "Don’t drink the bathwater, it’s been on your butt."

You’ll stop noticing how messy your house is until someone unexpectedly drops by and then all of the messiness will sort of magically appear. I swear it wasn’t this gross two minutes ago.

You’ll quote your toddler like she’s a Will Ferrel movie, but only to your spouse. Because no one else would understand why you call cheddar "turtle cheese" or ask them to move by saying "step PUH side!"

At some point you will have the urge to photograph poop, either to show the pediatrician, "Is this color normal or does she have scurvy?" or to show your husband, "She took a poop today the size of Scuba Steve!" But you won’t, deciding instead to just describe it (the doctor and your husband are grateful for this).

You will start to refer to yourself in the third person, as in "Mommy needs a time out," as well as collectively, as in, "We don’t rub cheese on the window,"

You won’t even think it’s that strange when she refuses to even take one bite of the peanut butter and jelly bars you just made because they "look yucky," but then she immediately tries to eat the orange crayon, because apparently those look delicious.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp baking powder
¾ cup golden brown sugar
¾ cup smooth peanut butter
½ cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

For the Jam Filling:

2 cups strawberries (thawed if frozen)
2/3 cup powdered sugar
Yield: 9 to 12

Instructions

In a small bowl combine the flour and baking powder.
Add the peanut butter, butter and sugar to a stand mixer, mix on medium high until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla, mix until well combined.
Sprinkle with flour mixture, stir until just combined.
Line and 8×8 inch baking dish with parchment paper, making sure the paper goes up and over the edges. Add half of the peanut butter dough to the pan, press into one even layer. Add the remaining dough to the freezer, put the 8×8 pan to the fridge to chill until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 350.
In a saucepan over high heat, add the strawberries and powdered sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until thick and syrupy and the strawberries have broken down, about 10 to 15 minutes. While the strawberries are cooking, use a potato masher or spatula to smash and break up strawberries.
Pour strawberries over crust. Retrieve the remaining crust from the freezer, break into pea-sized pieces, and sprinkle over strawberries. Use as much as desired, you may have leftover peanut butter dough.
Bake at 350 until the top crust starts to turn golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool, remove from pan by grabbing the edges of the parchment paper and lifting out. Cut into squares.

Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread

22.03.2013 44 Comments

Let’s talk about chocolate stouts for a minute.

If you aren’t aquatinted with these Dark Knights, you might be under the impression that your beer will be like a tall glass of malty chocolate milk. For the most part, that isn’t the case. While I was at Hanger 24, those awesome guys let me taste some of the grains they use in their Chocolate Porter.

(By the way, neither of those hands are mine, I’m taking the photo)

It tastes, even pre-brew, more along the lines of unadulterated raw cocoa rather than a giant slice of cake. For me, this is great news. The flavors of cocoa (before the butter, cream and sugar are added) are dry and even bitter, making a great addition to the flavors of a stout. If you’re afraid of a beer flavored Yoo-Hoo, you’re in luck. For the most part, chocolate stouts grab those great dry flavors of that cocoa bean without that cloying sweetness of a dessert that you don’t really need in your pint glass.

Here are some of my favorite chocolate stouts and porters, please let me know if you have a favorite of your one:

Bison Chocolate Stout

Rogue Chocolate Stout

Hanger 24 Chocolate Porter

Ken Schmidt / Iron Fist / Stone Chocolate Mint Stout

Souther Tier Choklat (I have yet to get my hands on this on the West Coast, but it’s on my Must Drink list)

Chocolate Stout Muffin Bread

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup coca powder
1 cup white sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1 tbs cornstarch
2/3 cup chocolate chips
10 ounces stout
2 tbs vegetable oil
¼ cup melted butter divided in half

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Add the flour, salt, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, cornstarch, and chocolate chips stir to combine.
Pour in the stout, oil and 2 tbs of the melted butter, stir until just combined, some lumps are expected.
Pour into a loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Pour the remaining butter over the top.
Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs on it. Allow to cool before slicing.

Passover Dessert: Toasted Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce

21.03.2013 17 Comments

Do you ever watch Chopped on the Food Network? It’s a food competition that involves a "mystery basket" of food. The contestants are required to use every item in the basket to come up with the best dish they can. I love Chopped, and always try to think up a dish I would make, if I was in that position with those Mystery Items (think of a dish with: gummy bears, avocados and dried beans!). Culinary challenges to me, are like Scrabble to other people. I love trying to figure out what I can come up with.

When Tori asked me to contribute to her Passover Potluck, it felt a bit like Chopped in reverse, an entire basket of things you can’t use. I was excited for the challenge, and to be back again this year on Tori’s Passover Potluck (to be honest, I was hoping she would ask), but it took me a while, and a few texts to Tori, to get all the Passover Cooking rules down. You can’t use flour, or most grains, no corn, rice or peanuts. You also can’t mix meat and dairy, so if you have meat at dinner, you can’t eat dairy for dessert. I wanted to come up with a dairy free dessert so that anyone could eat it during Passover, I love an inclusive meal. I also wanted it to be great, something that didn’t feel like it would have been better with flour or milk, but something that was great without feeling like it had been created with limitations.

I love Pavlovas, so elegant and pretty, but really simple to make. It also tastes like a gigantic Girl Scout Samoa cookie. It’s gluten free, dairy free and I hope you love it as much as I do.

Get the recipe on Tori’s Site, The Shiksa In The Kitchen!

Happy Passover!

Click for the recipe:

Parve Passover Dessert: Toasted Coconut Pavlova with Cocoa Pudding and Caramel Sauce

IPA Lemon Bars

19.03.2013 42 Comments

Before I get to the lemon bars that were more than a year in the making, I need to talk about these beer glasses.

These glasses are more than just vessels of craft beer glory, they are a indicator of the thread of craft beer weaving itself through the mainstream.

Crate and Barrel, a mecca for the upwardly mobile, midwestern tract homeowners, and suburban housewives is carrying an entire line of glassware devoted to the service of well-made beer. (I need to stop to note that none of the previous descriptors were meant to be derogatory, merely an illustration of the mainstreamness of the giant housewares retail store.)

This is proof that craft beer is moving forward, growing in respect and popularity in the minds of Americans and capitalist marketers. I couldn’t be happier. I pillaged the entire line, necessitating a new shelf just for beer glasses.

The lemon bars I made for you have been in the works for over a year. There have been other recipes in the past that haven’t lives up to my expectations. The filling wasn’t creamy enough, or the crust and filling weren’t distinct layers, or other assorted issues. This recipe finally gave me the results I wanted.

A great crust with a slight flakey crispness, not too sweet, and lemony with the right touch of beer flavor.

The beer I used is from Eagle Rock Brewery, a brewery that is just down the road from me, a little over a mile in fact. It would be walking distance if it wasn’t for the hill I live on and the nasty walk home that would create.

Populist is what I think of as a gateway IPA. It’s an accessible beer with more malt that an IPA usually gives you, and a balanced hop flavor. This isn’t the palate wrecking, massively hopped flavor that most American IPA’s give you, it’s more subtle.

I love a high hoped beer, and I also love a malty balanced pale ale, the amazing thing about this mainstream-craft-beer-glass-world we live in is that there is room for both types of IPA’s. If you aren’t an IPA fan, this might convert you, it shows you hops without punching you in the mouth with them. It might even lead you to further IPA exploration.

Or maybe just some lemon flavored baked goods.

IPA Lemon Bars

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

1 cup flour
1/3 cup powdered sugar
6 tbs unsalted butter
pinch salt

Filling:

3 large eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup flour
2 tbs corn starch
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup IPA beer
Powdered sugar for dusting
Yield: 10 to 12 cookies

Instructions

In a food processor add the flour, powdered sugar, butter and salt. Process until well combined.
Press into the bottom of a greased 8X8 pan (for a 9x13 pan, double the entire recipe).Chill for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to about room temperature, about 15 minutes (this will help the crust and the filling to stay in two distinct layers.)
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour and corn starch. Add in the lemon juice and beer, stir until combined. Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Bake until the center has set, about 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before refrigerating. Chill for 2 to 3 hours before cutting. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Crust adapted from Shockingly Delicious

Smoky Chocolate Porter Ice Cream with Beer Candied Bacon

14.03.2013 19 Comments

Yesterday I was a guest on KCRW’s St. Patricks day episode of Good Food. The host was Evan Kleiman, a chef, author and Los Angeles food scene legend. She called my recipes, "smart," which if you are a home cook, sitting in front of an accomplished chef, is the best word you can hear.

We chatted about stouts, one of my favorite beer topics. Forget about pale lagers and green food dye, stouts are the life blood of St. Patrick’s day. In preparation for our stout conversation, I asked my Facebook readers what their favorite stouts are, and the response was amazing. My non-scientific poll concluded the most popular stouts among those who have clicked "like" on The Beeroness Facebook page are: Old Rasputin, Souther Tier Choklat, Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout and Founders Breakfast Stout. All of which would be amazing in this recipes, but I used Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter. Just goes to show how many amazing dark craft beers there are in this nation. If you have a stout or porter that you love, let me know about it. I’m always up for a tall glass of dark beer.

Whatever you use, don’t forget to make it a chocolate bacon beer float.

Beer Candied Bacon

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar packed
3 tbs stout
pinch cayenne
12 thick cut strips of bacon

Instructions

Combine the brown sugar, stout and cayenne until thick and syrupy.
Lay bacon on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
Brush bacon with beer syrup on both sides.
Cook at 350 for ten minutes, flip and re-brush with beer syrup.
Cook for 8 to 10 more minutes or until the bacon is an amber color.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Bacon will harden as it cools.

Beer Candied Bacon

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar packed
3 tbs stout
pinch cayenne
12 thick cut strips of bacon

Instructions

Combine the brown sugar, stout and cayenne until thick and syrupy.
Lay bacon on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
Brush bacon with beer syrup on both sides.
Cook at 350 for ten minutes, flip and re-brush with beer syrup.
Cook for 8 to 10 more minutes or until the bacon is an amber color.
Remove from oven and allow to cool. Bacon will harden as it cools.

Beer Candied Bacon Adapted from Oskar Blues via Tide and Thyme.

Chocolate Stout Waffle Sundae with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce

20.02.2013 33 Comments

In my world, this is dessert.

But that being said, I ate it at 3 in the afternoon (mostly because I wanted to make it for you, and I refuse to photograph using artificial light, necessitating a mid-day desert for picture taking purposes).

Breakfast in my land, is savory. Although I occasionally indulge in sugar loaded calorie bomb in the morning hours only because for some reason it’s socially acceptable, but if we step back and look at it objectively, this is dessert.

Since I put beer in your breakfast on multiple occasions (Like this, and this and don’t forget about this), I would never judge you for eating this pre-noon. BUT, it’s dessert. And it needs to be served with a stout that’s almost warm. Maybe a sipin' stout that’s been aged in a bourbon barrel, or a smokey porter.

But it’s definitely dessert. Even if you eat it in the middle of the day.

Chocolate Stout Waffle Sundae with Chocolate Stout Fudge Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For The Sauce

3 tbs butter
½ cup stout
2 tbs corn syrup
1 cup dark chocolate chips

For the Waffles

1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup milk
2/3 cup stout
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs divided
1/3 cup sugar
Ice Cream for serving

Instructions

Add the butter, 1/2 cup stout and corn syrup to a sauce pan. Cook over medium high heat until butter has melted and the mixture has just started to boil.
Turn off heat and stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until completely melted. Allow to cool slightly before using.
Preheat waffle iron according to manufacturers specifications.
In a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt, stir.
In a microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and milk. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Stir in the beer, vegetable oil, vanilla and only the yolks of the two eggs.
Add the whites to separate bowl, along with the sugar. Whip with a hand mixer until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the chocolate milk mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold into the egg whites until just incorporated.
Cook in waffle iron according to manufacturers specifications, using butter flavored cooking spray if indicated.
Plate waffles, top with desired amount of ice cream, drizzle with chocolate sauce. Serve with a malty stout.

Mini Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd

18.02.2013 26 Comments

Here we are again.

You & I and some blood oranges.

The season is so short, and it’s nearly impossible to get these out of season, I need to enjoy them now. It’s almost embarrassing how I’ve started to hoard them. Whole Foods had a sale this week and I left with three bags. I even bought a new fruit bowl to accommodate my citrus bounty. And if you came over to my house and commented on my large bowl of blood oranges, I may or may not gush over how gorgeous they are and offer to cut one open for you. In which you would probably respond with a slight look of shock and decline my offer and very quickly change the subject.

I made pavlovas as an edible fruit container of sorts. Don’t be intimidated by pavlovas, although they look difficult and impressive, they are actually very simple. As long as you make sure that not a single drop of fat (yolks or residual butter left over in a bowl) come in contact with the egg whites, they really don’t require much skill.

Miniature Pavlovas with Blood Orange Curd

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For The Pavlovas

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 large egg whites, room temperature (reserve the yolks for the lemon curd)
pinch of salt
1 tsp white vinegar
½ tsp vanilla extract

For The Curd:

2 tsp blood orange zest
½ cup fresh squeezed blood orange juice
1 tbs lemon juice
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp corn starch
1 whole eggs plus three yolks
¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes
Sliced fresh strawberries & whipped cream for serving, if desired

Instructions

Preheat oven to 275.
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and the cornstarch.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites and pinch of salt. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form.
Turn mixer to high and slowly add the sugar mixture, continue to beat until peaks start to firm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add the vinegar and vanilla, beat until stiff peaks form and meringue is glossy.
Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper (or a Silpat). Spoon meringue onto to parchment in 4 equal sized “nests” making an indentation in each round with a spatula. Each nest should be about 2 inches across, 1 ½ inches high and have a well in the center to hold the curd.
Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until the miniature pavlovas are dry and “crisp” on the outside, about 40 to 50 minutes (it’s OK to open the oven during cooking to peek at the pavlovas to make sure they aren’t cooking too quickly). Turn off the oven, open the oven door half way and allow the pavlovas to cool in the oven until room temperature before removing.
Add the zest, blood orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, cornstarch, whole eggs and yolks to a bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the blood orange mixture to a pan over medium/low heat along with the butter. Whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to use (can be made up to 3 days in advance, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator until ready to use).
Top each pavlova with curd (as well as berries and whipped cream, if desired) just before serving.

Baked Apple Pie Ice Cream Bowls

08.02.2013 28 Comments

Maybe this isn’t Valentinesy in that "Heart Shaped Red Velvet Conversations Heart Aphrodisiac Cheesecake " sort of way, but it is a fun way to eat ice cream.

And really, who doesn’t need that in their lives? I’m at the very end of writing this book, that’s due to my publisher in just three weeks. I vacillate between sheer panic, absolute gratitude for this opportunity, and utter exhaustion. I’m not sure which I am most looking forward to: sleeping again, being a normal human, or the ability to refer to myself as a publisher author (!!!).

In other news, my husband deserves an award. And a lot of that Valentinesy type wifeish attention that I’ll have more mental capacity for once I’m a normal human again.

We are both looking forward to that.

In the meantime, here is a not-as-bad-for-you ice cream dish. Because when your bowl is half full of fruit, it’s pretty much like health food.

3 granny smith apples (granny smith hold their shape the best, other apples will likely get soggy, but still taste great).

Cinnamon & Brown sugar

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

1 tbs butter, melted

6 scoops vanilla ice cream

Preheat oven to 375.

Cut the apples in half the wrong way (as in, the way that seems to be counter to all of your apple cutting instincts).

Use a mellon baller to remove most of the center, leaving about 1/2 inch of the walls in tact.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray.

Sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon, rub in. (really, there isn’t a need to measure the amounts but if you are a "I MUST MEASURE!" person, count on about 1/8 tsp cinnamon and 2 tsp brown sugar per apple half. But really, just sprinkle, you’ll do fine.)

Place apples, cut side down, on the baking sheet.

Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Cut into six equal sized squares.

Cover each apples with puff pastry and roll the excess pastry around the apples to resemble a pie crust.

Brush with melted butter and cut two or three small slits with a sharp knife.

Bake at 375 until puff pastry has turned golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes.

Fill with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Now, if you are a civilized human, you can go at this with a knife and fork. But if you’re me, you’ll pick it up and eat it like the ice cream filled Apple Pie Taco is was born to be. (*The second option is way better, but you’ll need napkins)

Stout Soaked Cherry Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust

08.01.2013 27 Comments

I need your help.

I’m somewhere around halfway done with this cookbook, and I need some feedback. I have about 50 recipes ready to go, but they have never been cooked outside of my kitchen.

I want to know if they work for you, if you like them (or didn’t), if the directions make sense. This part is important to me, it increases the chances that we can catch some of the flaws, some of the directions that may be misleading, or some factor I might have overlooked.

This book means so much to me, and the recipes working for as many people as possible is a high priority.

And I can’t do this on my own. If you are willing to make one (or more) of the Top Secret recipes I have in the works, keep it secret until the book goes to print, and give me your honest opinion, I need that.

If you’re at all interested, Please, check out my Book Page for more info. Please.

Stout Soaked Cherry Cheesecake with Pretzel Crust

Print Recipe

Ingredients

8 oz sweetened dried cherries about 1 ½ cups
2 cups stout
3 cups mini pretzels twists lightly crushed (about 1 ½ cups once processed)
2 tbs brown sugar
½ cup melted butter
24 ounces cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
pinch salt
2 tbs flour
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ tsp vanilla

Instructions

Place dried cherries in a bowl or tall glass. Pour stout over cherries until fully submerged. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Drain, reserving ¼ cup of the soaking liquid.
Preheat oven to 400.
In a food processor, add the pretzels and brown sugar, process until only crumbs remain, about 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly add the melted butter while the processor is running. Pour into the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking pan. Use the flat bottom of a heavy glass, measuring cup or mug to press the crust really well into a flat even layer.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese, beat on high until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sour cream and beat until well combined. Add the salt, flour and sugar, mix until well incorporated. Add the eggs and vanilla, one at a time, mixing well between additions. Add ¼ of the stout used to soak the cherries, mixing until just incorporated. Stir in the cherries.
Pour cream cheese mixture over the crust, smooth out into an even layer.
Place in the oven and reduce oven temp to 350. Bake at 350 for 28-32 minutes or until the cheesecake has puffed slightly and center no longer jiggles when you shake the rack it sits on. Don’t over bake, it will firm up once it chills. Remove from oven (allow to stand at room temp until slightly cooled, about 10 minutes) refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 4 hours and up to 24. Cut into squares for serving

Caramel Apple Galette with Champagne Whipped Cream

24.12.2012 19 Comments

I made three Galettes in the past week. This one, one I’m working for the cookbook I’m writing and a small caramelized onion and cheddar one that got devoured.

These are like a secret weapon, in a way. The crust (which you absolutely MUST be made from scratch) is one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever made. It’s soft and buttery and flakey and takes about 8 minutes to throw together.

Eight minutes and you have yourself the best homemade crust you have ever tasted. It does need at least an hour to chill, but the best part is that you can make it days ahead of time and it’s all ready to go when you need it. You can even double the recipe and freeze the extra in a ziplock freezer bag for up to a month.

It’s rustic and it’s imperfections just make it that much more charming.

It has that perfect balance of foodie without fussy and casually elegant. Perfect.

And with Champagne Whipped cream (for real!!) it’s perfect for New Years.

Oh, and I found out last year how to pronounce Galette. I really wanted to say Guh-Lay, because it sounded more elegant to me. I was wrong, I’ll put my linguist aspirations on hold. It’s pronounced Gal-Let. Either way, it’s delicious.

Caramel apple Galette with Champagne Whipped Cream

Ingredients

For The Crust:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) of butter
1/3 cup ice cold water

For The Filling:

4 large honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and sliced (about 5 cups)
3 tbs lemon juice
1 tbs Vietnamese cinnamon
1 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup water
2 tbs butter
1 tsp bourbon vanilla
1 tbs melted butter

For The Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
¼ cup champagne

Instructions

In a food processor add 1 1/3 cup flour, salt, sugar and butter, process until well combined. Add the remaining flour and process again until combined. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the water until just combined (don’t add the water while the dough is in the food processor or your dough will be brittle and cracker-like). The dough should be soft. Form dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Can be made three days ahead of time.
Preheat oven to 375.
Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice, pinch of salt and cinnamon, toss to coat. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes.
In a pot add both kinds of sugar and water, stir until combined and all sugar has been moistened. Turn burner to high, allow to boil until sauce has turned amber. Remove from heat. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Drain apples and add to caramel sauce, toss to coat. (if your sauce seizes when you add the apples, return to heat and allow to cook until the sauce has softened) Allow Apples to marinate in caramel while you prepare the crust, about 10 minutes.
Once dough has chilled, place on a well floured flat surface. Dust the top with flour. Roll into a 16 inch rustic circle. Transfer dough to a sheet or parchment paper. Using tongs, remove apples from pot (reserve sauce) and add to the center of the dough, leaving a 3-4 inch boarder empty. Fold the empty dough up over the filling leaving a hole in the center of the Galette. Using the parchment paper, transfer the Galette and the parchment to a baking sheet. Brush crust with melted butter.
Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.
While the Galette is baking, finish the caramel sauce. Return reserved caramel sauce to the stove and allow to boil until it has reached 230. Turn off heat, and while stirring continuously, add the butter and the vanilla. Drizzle sauce over galette.
To make the whipped cream, add the cream and powdered sugar to a stand mixer and beat on high until peaks form, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and slowly add champagne. Briefly return speed to high to return peaks to whipped cream. Refrigerate whipped cream until ready to use, top Galette just prior to serving.

Chocolate Stout Crinkle Cookies

06.12.2012 49 Comments

I think I want my next cookbook to be The Chocolate Stout Cookbook.

It really is my favorite beer to cook with. Not just for the Christmas Cookie of all Christmas Cookies, it’s also awesome for braising meat with.

And even in the dead of summer, in the middle of the Mojave Desert, I’d still drink me some dark beer. In fact, if I could stock my fridge with System of a Stout, I don’t think I’d ever leave my house.

If this is your first time to my little corner of the internet, and you are still a bit skeptical about adding beer to your food, I beg of you to try a chocolate dessert recipe with beer. I’d really like to take credit for cakes and cookies having a beautiful depth, a richness without being overly dense and a slight puff without being dry, but we owe it all to the stout.

Here are my notes about amending your favorite chocolate dessert recipe with stout:

Replace about 1/2 the liquid with beer.

Up the fat content (an extra egg yolk, a tbs or two of oil) if you replace a liquid, like milk or cream, that has fat in it

Up the sugar a bit (about 1 tbs per 1/4 cup beer, more if you are using an extra bitter stout)

That’s about it. Hope your next chocolate cake will include a dark beer, even if it is from a box (especially if it’s from a box).

Chocolate Stout Crinkle Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp espresso powder
¼ cup granulated sugar
12 ounces about 2 2/3 cups, chopped good quality dark chocolate (60% cocao)
1/2 stick unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 cup Chocolate Stout
2 large eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
Makes 18 to 20

Instructions

In a bowl add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, espresso powder, and sugar, mix until well combined. Set aside
In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate, the butter and the oil. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, stir and repeat until melted. Don't over heat or the chocolate will seize. Add the beer and stir.
Add the eggs to the chocolate and stir until well combined.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, some lumps are OK.
Cover and refrigerate until the dough as has set, about 3 hours and up to 36. Overnight refrigeration is recommended.
Preheat oven to 350. Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.
Using a cookie dough scoop, make balls just a bit smaller than golf balls, roll into shape with your hands. Place dough balls into powdered sugar, roll until well coated.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add cookie balls
Bake cookies at 350 for 8-11 minutes or until the edges have set but the center is still a bit soft. Don't over-bake or the cookies will be dry and crumbly.

Deep Dish Apple Streusel Pie

28.11.2012 21 Comments

This was the big winner at Thanksgiving.

It was the first to be devoured, even before the impromptu poker game ended. And, I’m not gonna lie, having every guest who ate it say, "Oh my GOD. This is so good" is really awesome.

When you are trying (fairly desperately) to wedge your way into the food world, there are certain expectations that people have when you make a dish.

The bar is pretty high.

And to be honest, I’m always nervous. Just like the feeling I get when a friend of mine says, "I’m going to make one of the recipes off your blog!"

I was so relieved when Thanksgiving turned out great. These rolls were so good they were second to be polished off, and this Beer Brined Turkey was the best I’ve ever made. Even though it was the same recipe I used last year, it was even better this year.

And the secret to the best potatoes ever is using an ungodly amount of butter. Like, several sticks. And some sour cream.

But this pie. THIS pie will now be the way I make apple pie. And making it in a spring form pan just makes it look incredibly impressive.

Deep Dish Apple Streusel Pie

Ingredients

For The Crust:

1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
1 stick of butter, cold, cut into cubes
2 tbs shortening
1/4 cup beer (or 2 tbs water and 2 tbs vodka)

For The Filling:

7 large Fuji apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced (about 9 cups)
3 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs flour
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tbs honey

For The Topping:

1 ½ cup flour
½ cup quick oats
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 ½ stick chilled butter

Instructions

In a food processor, add 1 cup of flour (reserving the other ½ cup) salt, sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and the shortening, process until combined. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour, process until well incorporated.
Transfer to a bowl, add the beer and mix until combined. Dough will be very soft. Form into a wide flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, transfer to a 9-inch spring form pan (This recipe makes way too much for a regular pie pan), press into shape. Remove the excess. Chill until ready to use.
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl combine all of the filling ingredients.
Pour into the crust.
In a food processor, add the topping ingredients, pulse until combined.
Grab handfulls and press together into a ball. Grab pea sized pieces and spread over the top.
Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Deep Dish Porter Pecan Pie

27.11.2012 30 Comments

The best thing happened on Thanksgiving.

Just about 18 hours prior to Turkey Tip-Off, my small gathering of 4 people more than tripled into a 14 person party that ended in cocktails, poker, and eating pie right out of the pan. How great is that?

I was happy with the idea of a small gathering, sometimes those can be the best nights. But the fact that I have such an over abundance of food in my kitchen right now and dozens of recipes to be cooked and tested, I could not have been happier about the influx of last minute hungry visitors.

And a Thanksgiving that morphed into a Poker Night, complete with impromptu costuming and teaching my friends 8-year-old how to bluff, was one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had. Although I was seriously caffeine deficient the next day, and zero percent productive.

I may, or may not, have consume an entire bottle of wine by myself.

I used a chocolate porter for this recipe, and of course, a stout would work well also. BUT now that I sit here staring at these photos, I wish I’d have used something that had been aged in bourbon barrels. How great would that be?

Deep Dish Porter Pecan Pie

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 tbs sugar
6 tbs of butter cold, cut into cubes
2 tbs shortening
2 tbs ice cold beer high ABV works best

For the filling:

1 cup porter beer can sub stout
2 cups brown sugar
2/3 cup light corn syrup
2 tbs flour
3 cups chopped pecans
½ cup heavy cream
1 stick butter cold, cut into cubes
4 eggs

Instructions

In a food processor, add 1 cup of flour (reserving the other ½ cup) salt, sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and the shortening, process until combined. Add the remaining ½ cup of flour, process until well incorporated.
Transfer to a bowl, add the beer and mix until combined. Dough will be very soft. Form into a wide flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, transfer to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan, press into shape. Remove the excess. Freeze crust for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350.
In a pot over medium high heat, add the beer, brown sugar and corn syrup. Allow to simmer until combined and the sugar has melted. Sprinkle with flour, whisk until well combined. Remove from heat, add pecans, heavy cream and butter. Stir until well combined and the butter has melted. Allow to cool to room temperature before adding the eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs. Slowly add the pecan mixture to the eggs, whisking the eggs the entire time.
Pour filling into crust, bake at 350 for 50 minute to an hour or until the filling no longer jiggles when you shake the rack it sits on. Chill until the filling has set, about 2 hours.
*Note: This recipe is for a deep-dish pie pan. The filling is too much for a regular pie pan.