IPA

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

25.10.2013 10 Comments

Why beer?

I’ve been asked a lot of questions about why I’ve tried so feverishly to squeeze myself into this world. After all, there are a lot of ingredients that make great culinary obsessions. So, why beer?

To explain that, we’ll have to talk about collaboration. Craft beer is the only major market that does this regularly, with breweries constantly teaming up to co-create a beer. Nike and Adidas will never team up for a collaboration shoe. Nor has Ford and Chevy ever co-produced a truck. Wineries don’t do it, or bike makers, or creameries. Brewers do. All the time.

Beer people, big and small, are wide-eyed, unabashed, gushy, groupie style fans of one another. Unafraid to share that mutual adoration. This leads not just to collaborations but deep and meaningful relationships that can be felt widely across the entire industry. It’s common to see the one brewery owner helping another, lending a hand. It isn’t rare for a one head brewery to call another and say, "I’m short a few bags of malt, can I borrow some from you?" and a truck of grains to be immediately sent over. It’s common for a breweries pubs to pour beer besides their own, unheard of any other liquor industry. It’s a community that favors connections over competition. Beer people have a rising tide lifts all ships mentality, the rivalries friendly, pats on the back and cheering each other’s successes. It’s unlike any other industry. And sure the beer is great, but the people are even better.

That’s why beer.

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

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Ingredients

1 white onion
1 tbs butter
2 tbs olive oil
1/3 cup porter beer
4 wt oz goat cheese
1 tbs cornstarch
¼ cup IPA
1 russet potato thinly sliced
2 tbs butter
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 pastry crust
½ cup baby arugula

Instructions

Slice the onion into 1/8 inch rings. In a pot over medium heat add the butter and olive oil. Add the onions and cook until the onions start to soften, about 5 minutes (do not cook the onions at too high heat or they will burn). Add the porter and cook until the beer has evaporated and the onions are a dark golden color, about 15 minutes.
In a small food processor add the goat cheese, cornstarch and IPA, blend until smooth.
In a cast iron skillet melt the butter, add the potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook until the potatoes have browned.
Preheat oven to 350.
Roll the pastry crust out to a 10 inch circle, transfer to a baking sheet that has been covered with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Spread the beer goat cheese evenly across the tart, avoiding the outer 1 inch edge.
Top the cheese with caramelized onions then with the potatoes.
Fold the outer edge up over the filling of the tart.
Bake at 350 until the crust has turned golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Top with arugula before serving.

Beer Cheese Skillet Potatoes

15.10.2013 17 Comments

I’m on a book tour as I write this, traveling the West Coast somewhere between Mexico and Canada, hoping my way from brewery to brewery. Nothing like a good old fashion beer pilgrimage to inspired patriotism and re-ignite the wanderlust in my gypsy soul. From the backwoods of wine country, to small towns that defy identification from Google Mapping, to orchards in the Pacific Northwest, to the beer lovers whom I’ve shared pints with, this has been an incredible journey that is nowhere near over.

In the process of writing this blog, falling in love with craft beer and her people, I’ve had the incredible fortune to count some of the fine folks at Stone Brewing among my fans. In fact, Stone was the first supporter to share my posts with their fans when I started this blog, an incredible honor. And now, if that wasn’t enough, they even want to host a stop on my book tour. Lucky for me, and for anyone who wants to grab a pint with me, Stone Brewing is an amazing place for some beer tasting with an incredible selection of beer that’s hard to come by. Making those who are able to grab a pint on location all the more fortunate.

For this recipe, I grabbed two great Stone beers that will both work equally well. I’ve made it with both beers (although you only need to choose one) and both gave excellent results. Beer cheese can be made with any type of beer, but for that great big bold beer punch a high hopped beer works best. And no one knows there way around a hopped up beer like Stone Brewing. First I used the get-it-while-its-hot Enjoy By 11.12.13 IPA, a beer with a manic following and Must Drink Now warning label. Grab one if you see it in a beer store, they won’t last. I also grabbed Stone Brewing's black IPA the Sublimely Self Righteous, a great beer for those of us that love when those roasted malt flavors make their way into a higher IBU beers. Either way, it’s a recipe for those of us who love the bitterness that only a well made IPA can bring.

Beer Cheese Skillet Potatoes

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Ingredients

2/3 cup beer IPA, hoppy pale ale, or black IPA
2 cups 6 wt oz shredded sharp cheddar, plus ¼ cup divided
½ cup whole milk
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs butter
1.5 lbs russet potatoes sliced
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a food processor add the beer, 2 cups cheese, milk, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cornstarch. Process until very smooth, about 3 minutes. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add the potato slices and cook until browned. Spread the potatoes out until farily evenly distributed around the pan.
Pour cheese sauce over the potatoes and allow to simmer for ten minutes.
Add the remaining 1.4 cup cheese and panko bread crumbs to the top. Transfer to the oven and allow to cook until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are fork tender, about 30 minutes.

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls

02.10.2013 17 Comments

My book tour kicks off in a few days and one of my first stops is at Bear Republic, one of my favorite California breweries. On October 10th, from 6:30 to 8:30 I’ll be at the pub in Healdsburg hanging out, signing books, hoping to meet some of you and gleefully consuming some Bourbon Smokey Bear Stout. Join me, if you’re in the area, sit down and have a beer with me.

It was the beauty of Racer 5 IPA that introduced me to Bear Republic, quickly becoming a go-to favorite of mine, one I always have on hand at parties. It’s a crowd pleaser with just the right amount of hops to give you what you want but not overwhelm, it gives a perfect balance.

Because of that perfectly balanced hop kick, it’s a great beer-cheese-beer. Even more perfect to stuff that beer cheese inside a tender garlic filled roll for an awesomely beer flavored garlic cheese roll that can be a meal all in itself. But really, it’s just about being responsible when drinking, you need to eat something to soak up all that fantastic Racer 5 you be able to put down.

Join me October 10th, 2013 6:30-8:30, at Bear Republic!

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls

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Ingredients

For the Dough

3 cups all purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast 2 ¼ tsp
1 tbs white sugar
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup IPA beer
1 tsp salt
¼ cup olive oil

For the Filling:

4 ounces cream cheese
6 wt oz cheddar cheese shredded (about 2 cups)
½ cup IPA
3 cloves garlic grated with a microplane
½ tsp salt

For the Topping:

3 wt oz cheddar shredded (about 1 cup)

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar and garlic powder. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, add the oil and sprinkle with the salt while the mixer is still running.
Turn speed to 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. Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, roll out into a rectangle about 10 inches by 18 inches.
Add all of the filling ingredients to a food processor, process until smooth and well combined, about 5 minutes.
Spread the filling evenly across the dough. Starting at the long edge roll the dough into a log. Cut the dough into 8 rolls, each about 2 inches wide. Place cut side down into a baking dish. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.
Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve warm.

I use this Microplane to turn a clove of garlic into paste in a second. (Affiliate link)

Homemade Beer Mustard and Gateway Beers: Best Introductory Craft Beers

06.08.2013 19 Comments

I’ve made mention of Gateway Beers before, beer that serves as an easy introduction to craft beer as well as offers a fine example of the flavor profiles available. Beer that eases the curious into the pool of craft beer flavor, while giving a preview of what’s to come once you decide to wind yourself down the labyrinth of craft beer exploration. I’ve scoured my beer drinking past to present to you my favorite, accessible, easy to drink and hard to forget craft beers.

Wheat Beer

The most readily available wheat beers will most likely have the designation of Hefeweizen or White Ale. With a smooth, mellow, drinkability, this is a great first stop on the train to full blown beer obsession. For the craft beer newbie, these are a great palce to start.

1. Allagash White. This is a beautifully balanced example of a white ale. It’s bright, crisp, fruity and citrusy. Of all the beer I recommend as Gateway Beer, this is at the top of my list. It’s also very well distributed, look for it at most major supermarkets with craft beer selections.

2. Hangar 24 Orange Wheat. This is a vibrant and clean wheat beer from a rapidly growing brewery out of Redlands California. It’s well balanced with a mild, not overly sweet, orange taste pulled from groves right in the breweries own back yard. Hangar is very well distributed on the West Coast, and with a motivated team, that distribution is growing daily. (Available in both bottles and cans)

3. Dogfish Head, Festina Peche. This is just fun beer. It packs a peach punch, and while it may be a bit on the sweet side for those lovers of bitter beer, it’s a great way to show off what beer can do to those have never ventured inside the beer world.

IPA’s and Other Pales

Although "pale ale" is a bit of a broad stroke when it comes to the spectrum of craft beer, it seems to be where most newbies want to begin. With flavors that range wildly from citrus to caramel, it’s a great place to hang out for while when exploring craft beer.

1. Eagle Rock Populist. The IPA is the corner stone of the craft beer movement, the poster child for Beer Drinkers Beer, but with high levels of intensity and bitterness, a beer style that should be approached with caution for those new to the scene. Look for an IPA that has a strong malt backbone to balance the hops and lower level IBU’s (international bitterness units). While the Populist kicks you quite a few hops, the low notes of malt and caramel give a nice smooth balance that’s rounded out with citrus and pineapple. It’s a great one for those who have a taste for craft beer, but have yet to venture into the higher hop end of the scale.

2. North Coast Scrimshaw. This is a fantastic example of a pilsner from one of my favorite breweries, North Coast. It’s the perfect beer to give to the Macro Beer Drinker in your life to show them a clean and drinkable beer that also has tons of flavor. It’s really well distributed on the West Coast, but worth seeking out if you’re farther East.

3. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Sierra Nevada deserves a lot of credit when it comes to the ground work that was laid for the current Craft Beer movement. While the macro breweries spent millions to convince the 1990’s beer drinking public that "bitter beer face" was the fate worse than death, Sierra Nevada persevered, holding tight to the beauty of a well bittered beer. Sierra Nevada’s Pale Ale was the Gateway Beer for a nation, a way to open the door and pave a foundation for what is taking place now.

The Dark Beers

Those new to the beer scene are always afraid of the inky black beers, assuming that the color is an indication of harsh taste. The color comes from roasting the malt and/or barley before brewing, making these beers surprisingly smooth and mellow. Nearly all dark beers have lower hop profiles and a smooth drinkability. If you are a coffee or bourbon drinker (and especially those naughty few who like the bourbon coffee), a nice stout will be right up your alley. The two most common dark beers are Stouts and Porters, the differences are relatively minor and often debated. When cooking, stouts and porters are completely interchangeable.

1. Left Hand Milk Stout. I was lucky enough to get my grubby paws on one of these in Boston, a truly unforgettable experience for a beer lover. This is a fantastic beer to seek out for craft beer devotees as well as those new to craft beer, the velvety creamy taste will make you a believer in the dark side. Unfortunately for me (and other West Coasters), it’s biggest distribution is on the East Coast.

2. North Coast Old Rasputin. I have a weakness for this one, especially when it’s on nitro. If you know someone who loves bourbon, but claims to hate beer, seek out the Old Rasputin Bourbon Barrel Aged bottle to change their mind about what beer tastes like. It’ll turn a brown liquor drinker into a beer drinker in a second.

3. Rogue Chocolate Stout. Chocolate beer is so many guilty pleasures all in one, and few people can resist the idea of drinking their chocolate. This version is easy to recommend due to it’s wide availability and impressive distribution. I hear those who work for Rogue are smooth talking geniuses, which may be why it’s easy to find anywhere from Kentucky to Korea.

Mustard is a great way to introduce people to the flavors of craft beer in the kitchen. Because of the relatively small amount of beer called for in this recipe I like a strong IPA with low notes of malt, caramel and nuts.

Homemade Beer Mustard

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Ingredients

¼ cup mustard seeds
2 tbs mustard powder
½ cup IPA
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoons salt
pinch cayenne
2 tsp cream style horseradish
½ tsp honey

Instructions

Add mustard seeds, mustard powder, IPA, vinegar, salt and cayenne in a glass bowl, stir until well combined.
Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.
Add to a small food processor or blender along with the horseradish and honey, process until mostly smooth but some whole seeds remain.
Transfer to an airtight container, store in the fridge.

Lemon Beer Dream Cake

02.08.2013 26 Comments

As I type this, I stand firmly on the waining end of National IPA Day (August 1st). With two different bottles of IPA rattling around in my bones, I blame all levels of grammatical inaccuracies and typos on higher than average ABV’s.

IPA day was started by bloggers, with nothing to gain but promoting the hoptastic end of craft beer sepctructrum. It wasn’t a cooperate game, a marketing strategy, or a way to promote a single beer. It’s a rally cry, a voice from within this community I’ve come to love that just says, "join us." A way to celebrate the beer that’s at the cornerstone of a movement that identifies us as a community and a way to pull others into the pot. Drink the Dry Hopped Kool-Aid with us, we want you here. No singular voice benefits from this, it’s just a fun, rising tide, that lifts all craft beer ships.

For these reasons, I’ll always participate. Until it gains sponsors, then I may have to reconsider.

As I spent a day in and out of comprehensive distraction, I did what I do in this corner of Craft Beer Land, I cooked. I baked. I made a cake that served as a bit of therapy for a strange time in a strange life. I wanted to pay homage to the Beer of the Hour, but that IPA can temperamental. Cooking and reducing an IPA in any capacity can be a bit hit or miss. Higher IBU beer (IBU stands from International Bitterness Units, it’s how to tell how hoppy or bitter a beer is), reduce to a very bitter product. I generally use them when the beer won’t beer cooked (or at least not cooked for an extended period of time), or when I want a little beer to go along way, flavor wise.

A fringe benefit of beer blogging is surprise shipments of beer from great breweries. A recent shipment was graciously sent over from a brewery out of Athens, Georgia called Terrapin. Although most of the time I’ve spent in Georgia should go lavishly unrecorded, I would like to take a trip back to visit this place.

Terrpain’s dedication to diversity of brew, as well as a steadfast determination to provide Beer For All, makes this a place I want to hang out. Sampling the beer sent all the way to the far reaches of the West Coast, I found beer that I can give to the Craft Beer Seekers in my life as well as beer that I consider to be Gateway Beer. Gateway beer is a favorite category of mine, and often hard to fill. It’s beer that will rest well on the palates of those in the Craft Beer know, as well as easy beer to serve to people who, "don’t really like beer." It’s my way of pulling a few vodka drinkers and inBev devotees over to the Craft Beer side.

Only hours after a stash from Terrapin landed on my doorstep, I weighed my options. For this cake, I needed a lower hop beer for the cake and wanted an IPA for the filling and the frosting. I choose Maggie’s Peach Farmhouse ale (great gateway beer) for the cake and Hopzilla (beautiful, well balanced IPA) for the frosting.

If you’re new to craft beer, or want a beer that’s easy to serve to people on the beer fringes, the Maggie’s Farmhouse is a great one to offer. It would also be a great choice for my Beer Sangria.

The Hopzilla I really liked, it was well balanced and in my world of flavor profiles and balanced tastes, that’s a win. A nice malt finish after a hoppy start always wins me over.

Lemon Beer Dream Cake

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Ingredients

For the cake:

2 ½ cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
2 tbs lemon zest
¾ cup unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup buttermilk
½ cup Saison pale ale or White ale beer
5 egg whites reserve yolks for curd
¼ tsp cream or tartar

For the filling:

2 whole eggs plus five yolks
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice about 6 large lemons
1 tbs lemon zest
½ cup IPA beer
2 tbs corn starch
½ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes

For the Frosting:

1 cup butter softened
2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tbs lemon zest
2 tbs lemon juice
3 tbs IPA beer
3 tbs whole milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, stir together the cake flour, baking powder, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the butter, sugar, and lemon zest, beat on high until very well combined, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, add the beer and buttermilk (it’s ok if it curdles).
Alternating between the flour and the beer mixture, add a bit of each to the stand mixer while it runs on low speed, until all ingredients are combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are well combined.
Remove the batter, add to a large bowl. Clean the mixer very well (using a hand mixer or a separate mixer is fine as well).
Add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the clean bowl of a stand mixer, any amount of fat and the egg whites will not whip properly.
Whip on high until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Add about 1/3 of the egg whites to the cake batter mixture, gently fold to combine. Once combined, gently fold in half of the remaining egg whites, then the final egg whites, stir until combined.
Grease and flour three 9-inch cake pans very well (8 inch cake pans will work as well), divide the batter between the three pans.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until the tops have just started to brown.
Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from pans.
While the cake is baking, make the curd.
In a pan off heat, whisk together the eggs, yolks, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, beer, and corn starch. Add the butter cubes, place the pan over medium high heat. Whisk frequently until thicken to a pudding like consistency, about 10 minutes.
Remove from heat, add to a bowl and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
To make the butter cream, add the butter, sugar, and zest to a stand mixer, building up speed, beat on high until very well combined, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
One tablespoon at a time, slowly add the lemon juice, beer and milk, allowing to re-mix to a fluff consistency between additions, this should take no less than 8 minutes total. Make sure the frosting is very well whipped.
To assemble the cake, add one layer of cake to a cake plate. Top with half of the lemon mixture, then with another layer and then with the rest of the lemon mixture before adding the final layer of cake. Top the final layer of cake with the butter cream. If you want to frost the entire cake with buttercream, double the buttercream recipe, assemble the layers and chill the cake for at least one hour before attempting to frost.
Chill until ready to serve.

IPA Ceviche Lettuce Wraps

18.07.2013 11 Comments

We tend to feminize or masculinize food. Beer is man food, as is bacon, grilled red meat and bourbon. While tea, lavender, scones and blueberries tend to been feminine. Chocolate seems to be neutral go-between, grabbing it’s gender label once the final product is presented. Chocolate Stout Cake with Maple Bacon Frosting: Man Cake. Chocolate Strawberry Mousse: Girly.

Although I don’t ascribe gender to my food, I can clearly see the lines drawn in the sanding sugar. These daintly looking no-cook treats will fool you like the little vixens they are. One look at these mango and shellfish filled lettuce cups and you firmly place these in the Chick Food category. But with a sharp bite of beer and a punch of spicy heat, they would beg to differ.

Along the lines of my I think now is a really good time to tell everyone minor motorcycle crash story, It’s past time to tell you that alcohol intensifies heat. While there is no way to tell the precise Scoville Units in any given jalapeno pepper, I can tell you that number will be dramatically increase after those suckers have spent an hour soaking in a high ABV IPA. So if you don’t want to turn on the oven, and don’t mind a little capsasin abuse to the mouth, this is a great meal.

If you’re man enough.

IPA Ceviche Lettuce Wraps

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Ingredients

1 lb raw shrimp diced
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup lime juice
1 manila mango peeled and diced
1 tomato diced
½ red onion diced
1 jalapeno diced, seeds removed
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup lemon juice
1 tsp sriracha
2/3 cup IPA beer
4 heads endive
1 head radicchio

Instructions

Place the shrimp in a small bowl. Cover with ½ cup lime juice and ½ cup lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate until the shrimp have turned pink, about 2 hours.
In a separate bowl combine the remaining ingredients (except the radicchio and the endive), allow to marinate for at least one hour.
Just prior to serving, drain the shrimp, add to the mango bowl and toss to combine.
Scoop a few tablespoons of the ceviche into the leaves of the endive and the radicchio, serve chilled

Notes

For a lower heat level, reduce Sriracha to 1/4 or 1/2 tsp.

Grilled Romaine Salad with IPA Caesar Dressing

02.07.2013 28 Comments

In the world of salad dressing, there isn’t a more fiercely debated member than Caesar. Some swear that the only way to make it is by hand, table side, others claim blasphemy if not strictly adhering to the original recipe, invited in the 1920’s in Tijuana Mexico by Caesar Cardini, while some insist that it’s not Caesar dressing without anchovies. All of these camps, win or lose, are still people who get riled up over a sauce that goes over lettuce, therefore I can’t fully respect any of them. It’s a condiment, lighten up.

My version, by sheer inclusion of the beer, can never really be held up as a true Caesar dressing. And while anchovies aren’t in the original version, the anchovy heavy Worcestershire sauce that was use is no longer available, making them essential to grab that true taste.

The inspiration for this dish came from a guy who used to frequent the restaurant I work at in college. He would order a Caesar salad, no grilled chicken thank-you-very-much, a shot of IPA, and a chocolate milk shake made with equal parts stout and milk. He would then pour about a tablespoon of the IPA on his salad and drink the rest. At the time I thought it was really strange, but he was a good tipper and I was a good smiler (all you need when you’re 19 and bring guys beer and food) so I encouraged his habits. The more I saw him, watched his obvious excitement when his beer flavored meal arrived, the more I understood how all those flavors worked (although I’m not sure I’d pair a milk shake with a Caesar salad).

It stayed with me, this beer-salad-beer-milk-shake diet he seemed to live on, and now I’m on board. He was on to something.

Grilled Romaine Salad with IPA Caesar Dressing

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

2 Romaine hearts cut lengthwise
2 tbs olive oil
½ cup parmesan
Croutons

For the Dressing:

6 anchovies filets packed in oil
1 clove garlic smashed
2 egg yolks room temperature
½ tsp Dijon mustard
¼ cup IPA room temperature
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat the grill to medium high heat.
Brush the cut side of the lettuce with olive oil. Place on the grill, cut side down, until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes.
In a blender or food processor add the anchovies, garlic, egg yolks, mustard, and beer. Blend until well combined and light and frothy, about 3 minutes.
Heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking (20 seconds in a microwave is sufficient). While the food processor is running, slowly add the oil, drop by drop, until an emulsion forms. Add the salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese, pulse to combine.
Place each Romaine half on a plate, drizzle with dressing, top with remaining Parmesan and croutons. Serve with knife and fork.

This is how I make homemade croutons.

Grilled Beer and Buttermilk Chicken with Sriracha Glaze

26.06.2013 45 Comments

The above picture is pretty strong illustration of what I did nearly the entire weekend. Along with spicing up my beer wings, I also made a Sriracha butter for grilled corn. In other news,I ran out of Sriracha.

Maybe it’s the new grill that found it’s way into my backyard, or maybe it was eyeing this chicken recipe, or this one, but I really wasn’t able to think about anything but beering up some chicken and giving it a good grilled char.

I’m also trying to figure out how to grill a pie, but more on that later.

Grilled Beer and Buttermilk Chicken with Sriracha Glaze

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Ingredients

For the Chicken:

2 cups Buttermilk
12 ounces IPA beer
2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoons smoked paprika
¼ teaspoons cayenne
½ teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 white onion sliced
2 lbs chicken drumsticks and wings
Cilantro minced (optional)

For The Glaze:

¼ cup Sriracha
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoons salt
2 cloves garlic minced
¼ cup tomato paste
½ cup IPA beer
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/3 cup mirin

Instructions

In a large bowl whisk together the buttermilk, 12 ounces beer, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne, cumin, and brown sugar. Add the onions and chicken to the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to 12.
Just prior to grilling, make the glaze. In a saucepan over medium high heat, whisk together all the glaze ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 8 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the marinade, discard marinade.
Place the chicken on a preheated grill, brush with glaze, cook for about 2 minutes, flip and brush with glaze. Continue to flip and brush with glaze every 2-4 minutes until chicken is cooked through, about 20-25 minutes (depending on the size of your chicken). Transfer chicken to a serving platter and sprinkle with cilantro.

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Warm Duck Fat Roasted Potato Salad with IPA Mustard Vinaigrette (with vegetarian option)

18.06.2013 11 Comments

The anemic looking, plastic tub dwelling potato salads of my youth put a pervasive distain in my culinary soul for the union of the words "potato" and "salad." It wasn’t until I found a non-mayo based version that I really started to see potential. While I’ve used sour cream, blue cheese dressing and even bacon garlic aioli, the mustard vinaigrette edition is a fun twist. I also like to roast the potatoes rather than boil them, it prevents the possibility of the over cooked mush and it brings out flavors that might otherwise be washed away in boiling salted water.

For the vinaigrette I used an IPA from a brewery not to far from me, Noble Ale Works out of San Diego. A newer brewery that, rumor has it, just celebrated their second anniversary. Like most brewers I’ve been lucky enough to come across, this team seems profoundly dedicated to what they do, fiercely loyal to to their community, and in near constant pursuit of the perfect brew.

Big Whig IPA is a fine example of a West Coast IPA, with a bold hoppyness that’s balance with a pale male, citrus notes, a bit of caramel and some pine. The accessibility of this beer makes it perfect to add to your summer beer rotation and the light seasonally appropriate flavors make it perfect for a salad dressing.

Warm Duck Fat Roasted Potato Salad with IPA Mustard Vinaigrette (with vegetarian option)

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Ingredients

2 lbs red potatoes cut into small cubes
2 tbs duck fat use olive oil for vegetarian
1 tsp salt
¼ cup chopped shallots
1 clove garlic smashed
¼ cup stone ground mustard
1 tbs honey
¼ cup IPA
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped green onions
2 weight ounces crumbled Roquefort cheese about 1/3 cup
¼ cup flat leaf parsley chopped
½ cup shelled peas

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
Heat the duck fat (or olive oil for vegetarian) in a large oven safe skillet (cast iron preferred). Add potato cubes and 1 tsp salt, tossing to coat. Cook until potatoes start to brown, about 5 mintues. Transfer skillet to oven and roast for 20 minutes or until fork tender.
In a blender or small food processor, add the shallots, garlic, mustard, honey, IPA, smoked paprika, pepper and ½ tsp salt, process until well combined, about 2 minutes.
In a large bowl add the potatoes, mustard vinaigrette, green onions, blue cheese, parsley and peas, toss to coat. Serve warm.

I use this Duck Fat because it’s well priced and good quality. A little goes a long way so one jar will last a while. (Affiliate Link)

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Beer Battered Avocado Tacos with Fresh Corn Salsa

11.06.2013 25 Comments

Nothing in life should be qualified by what is left out. You shouldn’t stand in the warm, golden, tropical, sun, toes digging into the sand, asking where the snow is.

You shouldn’t visit Machu Picchu and think, "It’s pretty good for a place that doesn’t have a mall."

Lazy Sunday afternoons spent reading Down and Out in Paris and London while gently swaying in a hammock aren’t known as That Day I Didn’t Go To A Rock Show.

Unfortunately for us all, we tend to filter everything though a check list of our own normality, fact checked by what we’re used to. Food shouldn’t be though of by what isn’t in it, but by what is. Vegan food shouldn’t be thought of meatless food, but food that celebrates produce.

Even though I am a meat-loving bacon-devotee, I love the challenge that produce- celebrating-food presents. Because I never want to serve food that’s described as "good for [vegan, parve, gluten free, healthy, etc.]" I want it to be damn awesome regardless of what’s put in or left out.

These tacos were every bit the shockingly fantastic bites that I wanted them to be. It just so happens that I didn’t need any meat or dairy to accomplish this feat.

I can’t take all the credit, you could beer batter anything and wrap it in a beer corn tortilla and you pretty much have a winner on your hands.

For the love of God, make your own tortillas. Once you realize that corn tortillas take about 5 minutes and three ingredients to make, not to mention taste a thousand times better than store-bought (plus cost only pennies), you’ll never go back.

Beer Battered Avocado Tacos with Fresh Corn Salsa

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings 12 tacos

Ingredients

For the Tortillas:

2 cups masa harina
½ tsp salt
1 1/3 cup warm IPA

For the Avocados:

Canola oil for frying
2 cups flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp black pepper
12 ounces IPA
3 avocados ripe but still firm

For the Corn Salsa:

1 ear of fresh sweet corn kernels cut off
1 jalapeno stem and seeds removed, chopped
¼ cup red onions diced
¼ cup chopped cilantro
2 tbs chopped scallions
juice from one lime
¼ cup chopped tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Make the tortillas:In a large bowl, add the Masa and the salt, stir to combine. Add the beer and stir to combine. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional beer or water. If it is too wet, add more Masa. It should be the consistency of Play-Doh.
Form into balls a bit larger than golf balls. Prepare a tortillas press by wrapping in plastic wrap or covering with parchment paper (you can place tortilla ball between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin). Place one ball in the center. Press, rotate, press again.
Heat a griddle (or cast iron skillet) to a medium high heat (about 350 for electric griddles). Cook until slightly brown on the bottom (about 30 seconds to a minute) flip and cook on the other side. Don’t overcook.
Make the Avocados:Add about 4 inches of oil to a saucepan, clip a deep-fry thermometer onto the side (make sure the needle is not touching the bottom of the pot. Bring to 375-400 degrees (adjust heat to maintain that temperature).
In a large bowl stir together the flour, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Add the beer and stir until combined (should have the consistency of pancake batter).
Cut the avocados into thick slices (about 4-5 per half) making sure the skin and seed is removed.
Dip the avocado slices into the batter and fry for about 1 minutes, flip and fry until golden brown, about an additional 2 minutes. Remove from fryer and allow to drain on a stack of paper towels. (only fry 2-3 slices at a time or the oil temp will drop and batter will become overly oily).
Make the salsa: Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine.
Assemble tacos and serve.

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Drunken Chipotle Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

24.05.2013 17 Comments

I don’t make a lot of sandwiches that I want to post about. But this is a sandwich I could eat every day. One that I would even serve at a party, especially one revolving around sports viewing or card playing. It’s spicy, beery, cheesy, and totally necessitates several napkins.

I used a beer that seems to be in regular rotation in my "beer cellar" (which is currently the bottom shelf of my fridge). If you live outside the Southern California area, you might not be familiar with the San Diego brewery Greenflash, but it’s hard to ignore this well distributed craft beer in these parts of the world.

Greenflash has an unapologetic love of the hops, wielding the bitterness with brute force. Which suits the hop frenzied California craft beer crowd. I’m a little choosier about my IPA’s than the average Los Angeles beer girl, and Greenflash gets it right when it comes to hopping the hell out of a beer. The Imperial IPA is really solid example of a West Coast IPA, well bittered, notes of pine, citrus, grapefruit, pineapple and a mild malty finish.

All of those flavor notes balance well with the spicy sauce I covered this giant sandwich with. A sandwich that also pairs very well with a nice cold IPA. But be careful, alcohol intensifies heat so that spicy sandwich may end up hotter than you wanted because of that same beer. And, please, get the good bread, none of that hot dog bun nonsense.

Drunken Chipotle Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 small white onions chopped
2 tbs olive oil
3 lbs tomatoes beefsteak or heirloom
2 clove garlic chopped
1 cup IPA
¼ cup tomato paste
1 large chipotle pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp smoked paprika
5 large basil leaves chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
2 chicken breasts
2 eggs
Salt
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
¼ cup fresh shredded or fresh grated parmesan cheese plus additional if desired
1 cup flour
3 tbs olive oil
4 crust Italian sandwich rolls split
1 ball whole milk mozzarella sliced into 4 slices

Instructions

In a sauce pan cook the onions in the olive oil over medium high heat until softened. Add the tomatoes, cook until the skins starts to peel, about 5 minutes.
Ad the garlic, cook for 30 seconds.
Add the beer and tomato paste. Allow to simmer until most of the tomatoes have broken down, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a large food processor or blender along with the chipotle pepper, basil, salt, smoked paprika and oregano, process until smooth. Taste the sauce at this point, add additional chipotle peppers for a higher heat level, if desired. Sauce can be made up to three days in advance (If the sauce is too watery, return to the stove and simmer until it has reduced and thickened).
Preheat oven to 400.
Filet the chicken breasts in half, creating two thin slices per each chicken breast for a total of four, pound to an even thickness using a meat mallet, heavy rolling pin or heavy skillet.
Pat the chicken dry. Place eggs in a bowl, beat well. Place the flour in a separate bowl. Mix the bread crumbs with the parmesan in a third bowl.
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat until shimmery but not smoking.
Sprinkle chicken with salt on all sides.
Dredge in the flour shaking off excess.
Dip in the egg bowl, turning to coat, then dredge in the breadcrumbs until fully coated.
Fry chicken in hot oil until golden brown on the underside, about 3 minutes, turn and cook until cooked through (try not to turn the chicken more than once).
Place rolls on a baking sheet, spoon generous amounts of sauce into the rolls. Cut the chicken fillets in half lengthwise so they better fit into the rolls.
Fill each roll with chicken, top with mozzarella. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired.
Cook in a 400 oven until cheese has melted, serve immediately.

Citrus Cooked Scallops with Smoky IPA Parsnip Puree and Beer Pickled Jalapenos

02.05.2013 59 Comments

I’ve finally found some clarity when it comes to this struggle that’s been twisting around inside me over the past few weeks.

I told you about that feeling of creative stagnation, and the realization that I’ve been pandering to the masses rather than cooking what I love.

Both of these feelings, that I figured were separate, came into sharp focus this past weekend as originating from the same issue.

A very dynamic woman, a catalyst of inspiration, stood in front of me saying, "But what do you want? But what do YOU want?"

What do I want? Looking around at people who inspire me, who make incredible, insightful, layered and important food, thoughts began to form. I want to write things that matter. I want to make food that feels compelling and substantial. And in the midst of this realization, someone mentioned my Cheesecake Fudgesicles, and I cringed.

I want to stop making stupid food.

The issue is that stupid food gets shared, pinned, and trafficked. Smart food is scary, intimidating and gets ignored.

But what do I want? I want to be taken seriously, I want to be respected and I want to grow as a cook.

I have to stop making stupid food.

The conflict is that I need to pay my bills, and stupid gets noticed. This is just how the world works, in almost every area. InBev makes billions more than Russian River, Carly Rae Jepsen sells more records than Delta Spirit and Oreo Funfeti Cake Batter Fudge will get more traffic than homemade Duck Confit Raviolis with Stout Cherry Sauce.

Although I can eat nachos like a champ, and I’ll never pass up a good brownie, when it comes to building a food resume I need to ask myself: what do I want?

I want to make smart food, I want write things that matter.

Taking a step back from the trenches of Google Analytics and the Traffic Trap of caring more about numbers than content, I thought about what I love when it comes to writing and food.

Writing: The piece I wrote on Homeboy Industries for Honest Cooking iPad magazine is the best thing I’ve ever written and possibly the only thing I’ve ever written that is truly important.

Food: Even though a food blog may never really matter in any real way, I used to cook food that a friend once described as “with food.” He said I could never just make a cake, it had to be a Chocolate Stout Cake with Orange Mascarpone Filling and Smoky Chocolate Ganache, everything I made had a “with” somewhere in the middle of the tittle. Layers, flavors, thought, and time spent on the food I really love somehow got replaced with Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes and Green Beer Cheese Soup.

Everything I’ve made for the blog is delicious; the issue isn’t really with the recipes, but with me. Cupcakes are fine, so are Beer Cheese Nachos and Oreo Funfetti Slutty Nutella Red Velvet Brownie Cake Pops, especially if that is what you want to make, then do that. It’s not about “right” food and “wrong” food, it’s about finding what I want, and figuring out how to get there.

There is a magnetism to the S’mOreo Cake Pop posts, because it brings in readers, and seems to make people happy, things that I care more about than I should when it comes to what do I want?.

I’ll lose traffic, I can guarantee that. I can promise that my numbers will go down.

But I can also promise that nothing that I post will be difficult. Maybe you want to come on this journey with me and make layered “with” food, even if it doesn’t sounds as sparkly as those Red Velvet M&M S’mores Krispy Treats.

I just need to have faith in what I want, faith that the Universe will conspire in my favor, faith that this will lead to path in which traffic won’t matter, faith that seeking the answer to what do I want? will lead me down the right rabbit hole.

Beer Pickled Jalapenos

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbs sugar
1 tbs salt
½ cup vinegar
2 tbs water
1 cup beer I used an IPA
6 large jalapenos thinly sliced

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the sugar, salt, vinegar and water. Stir just until the salt and sugar have dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer, pour into a jar.
Refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes.
Add the jalapenos to the jar, replace the lid and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
Jalapenos will last for several weeks.

Beer Pickled Jalapenos

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbs sugar
1 tbs salt
½ cup vinegar
2 tbs water
1 cup beer I used an IPA
6 large jalapenos thinly sliced

Instructions

In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the sugar, salt, vinegar and water. Stir just until the salt and sugar have dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer, pour into a jar.
Refrigerate until cold, about 20 minutes.
Add the jalapenos to the jar, replace the lid and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.
Jalapenos will last for several weeks.

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.

Hawaiian IPA Pineapple Pulled Pork Sliders

02.04.2013 28 Comments

I finally made friends with my slow cooker again. It took awhile, we haven’t been on speaking terms since that guy ruined several attempts at vegetarian chili earlier in the year. But he likes meat, that slow cooker, and so do I. I think this is the common ground that we’ll share. Slow and low is the best way to cook pork shoulder, making it a perfect slow cooker job. Although I loved the way this turned out, I do still vastly prefer my Le Creuset Dutch Oven, although that guy is much higher maintenance, he can’t be left alone like Slow Cooker can.

Speaking of IPA’s, I’ve been on the hunt for Schlafly’s American IPA, out of Missouri. I’m incredibly fortunate to live on the West Coat of these United States, a hot bed of fantastic IPA’s. I really don’t ever need to wander far to find incredible beer, but sometimes I just want to see what the rest of the USA has to offer. I’ve heard great things about this special release IPA and I want to get one in my pint glasses. If you can sneak me one, let me know, I’ll be forever grateful.

Hawaiian IPA Pulled Pork Sliders

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 cloves of garlic rough chopped
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tsp sriracha
2 tbs brown sugar
2 cup chopped pineapple
3.5 lb pork shoulder
salt and pepper
12 ounces IPA
24 Hawaiian rolls split

Yield: 24 sliders

Instructions

In a food processor or blender add the garlic, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, sriracha, brown sugar and pineapple. Process until well combined.
Place the pork shoulder inside a slow cooker, salt and pepper all sides liberally.
Pour the pineapple mixture and the IPA beer over the pork.
Cook on low for 8 hours.
Using two forks, shred while still in the slow cooker, discarding any large pieces of fat.
Allow to marinate in the juices for about ten minutes, drain well. Serve inside split Hawaiian rolls.

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.

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

Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons

07.03.2013 22 Comments

I promise you that this is the last St. Patricks day post. Until next year when I will further assault you with recipes for celebrating my love 'o the Irish, and forcing you to read more stories of my visit to Dublin.

Until then, here is a Green Beer cheese soup that contains not a drop of food dye, relying on the natural pigment of broccoli to get the job done. Although I don’t know who’s to blame for fouling up beer with green dye, I can’t imagine the Irish, with their deliciously dark stouts, are to blame. I’d wager the fault goes to America. No matter how you choose to celebrate, green beer-food just feels festive. I just wish I had some shamrock shaped soup bowls for the occasion.

To up the Irish in this dish, I used Kerrygold Dubliner cheese. I’ve been using Kerrygold for years, and not just because I have a soft spot for Ireland. Kerrygold uses natural, sustainable methods, uses co-op farmers, grass-fed cows, and zero artificial colors or flavors (not sponsored post, I swear!). While at a pub in Dublin, I met the son of a sheep farmer.

We talked for hours about farming (I also grew up on a farm) and even when he wanted to change the subject to his love of Eddie Murphy, I kept steering the conversation back to farming in Ireland. Irish farmers are unlike any farmers I’ve ever met. Because the herds are always small, due to land limitations, the relationships between farmers and animals is unusually devoted and affectionate. Although Kerrygold is readily available at most grocery stores, it has a small farm feel to it.

Even if you do end up throwing in some green food dye to up the color, I hope you love this soup as much as I do, and raise your pint to Ireland.

Green Beer Cheese Soup (Broccoli Cheddar) with Pesto Croutons

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For The Soup

3 cups broccoli florets chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ large sweet onion finely diced
1 large carrot peeled and diced
2 ribs celery chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups wheat beer or pale ale
2 tablespoons cornstarch
7 ounces Dubliner cheese grated (or sharp white cheddar)
8 ounces gouda grated
1 cup vegetable broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

For the Croutons:

1 French baguette cut into cubes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons pesto

Instructions

In a large pot of lightly salted water, cook the broccoli until very soft, drain and set aside.
In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt 4 tbs butter. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook until the carrots are very soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for about 30 seconds, remove from heat.
In a large food processor or blender, add 1 cup beer, cornstarch, both kids of cheese and as well as the carrot and celery mixture, process until very smooth, about 5 to 8 minutes. Return mixture to the pot along with the remaining beer.
In the same food processor (no need to clean between jobs) add the broccoli and the broth, process until very smooth. Add pureed broccoli, as well as the cream, to the soup.
Bring the soup to a low simmer, stirring occasionally until warmed and slightly thickened. Salt and pepper to taste.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tbs butter. Add the bread cubes and toss until browned. Remove from heat and immediately add in the pesto, toss to coat.
Serve the soup topped with croutons.

*This is not a sponsored post. I actually feel this way.

Buffalo Chicken Beer Cheese Dip

03.01.2013 83 Comments

This needs to be made with an IPA. The buffalo sauce (which has to be Franks, let’s just get that out of the way) needs a big kick to the face. The only beer up for that job is an IPA. read more