Peanut Butter Belgian Ale Waffles with Blackberry Gose Syrup + Four Secrets to the Perfect Waffles

I have a couple waffle secrets to share with you.

Because I like you and my obsessive food geek research should be of some use to someone other than me.

Carbonation. This isn’t a closely held secret, it’s been used for years to make tempura batter light and pancakes rise a bit higher. Lucky of us, beer is a wealth of carbonation with a little kick of yeast for good measure.

For the beer, look for something with a nice level of carbonation and more malt than hops (think brown ale flavor rather than IPA hoppiness). For best results with your carbonation secret, make sure the carbonated liquid (even if you decide to forgo the beer and use seltzer water) is ice cold.

Cornstarch. This one came from well respected recipe developer Pam Anderson (no Baywatch jokes please, she’s heard ’em all). I’ve long been a fan of how cornstarch thickens my sauces, adds amazing texture to chocolate chip cookies, as well as keeps my beer cheese sauce velvety and prevents it from separating, now we have a new reason to stock the cabinets with this magical secret ingredient. It makes your waffles crisp on the outside while the inside stays light and tender.

Meringue (egg whites PLUS sugar). Whipping egg whites separate from the batter and folding them in has long been a staple of the perfect waffle. If you don’t take the time for this extra step you’re just making pancake batter.

Which results in soggy dense waffles, so you might as well just make pancakes. As I’m sure you’ve noticed egg whites deflate in seconds, meringue doesn’t. Add some sugar to those whipped whites and you’ll have something that holds up.

Oven resting. If you’re making breakfast for a crowd there is a good chance there will be a long delay between the first waffle being born and the last. Preheat the oven to 200, add the cooked waffles to a baking sheet and keep them warm in the oven while you finish making the feast. It will also help to keep the waffles crisp.

There you go, all the beer-geek-waffle-knowledge you can handle on a Monday morning. Now go out there, open a beer, and make yourself some crispy waffles.

For the blackberry syrup I used Brombeere Blackberry Gose from Odell brewing. I love this beer, it accomplishes something very few other sours can: balance. It hits that perfect mark that gives you the beautiful funk you look for in a sour while still rounding out the flavors with a bit of malt and grain that often get lost with wild ales.

You can taste the berries nicely but it’s dry rather than sweet, giving it an insane drinkability.

Yum

Peanut Butter Stout Waffles with Blackberry Gose Syrup

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Syrup

2 cups (230g) frozen blackberries
1 cup (200g) sugar
12 ounces sour ale (gose, lambic, wild ale, Flanders)

Waffles:

1 ¾ (210g) cups all-purpose flour
½ cup (100g) sugar, divided
2 tsp (8g) baking powder
1 tsp (4g) baking soda
½ (3g) tsp salt
2 tbs (1 oz) cornstarch
1/4 cup (56g) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for waffle iron
1/3 cup (85g) creamy peanut butter
1 cup (240) buttermilk
1 cup (226) Belgian ale beer (see note)
1 tsp (4g) vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Instructions

Add the blackberries, sugar, and sour ale to a large pot (larger than you think you’ll need, it will bubble to 4X it’s volume) and boil, stirring frequently until slightly thickened and the blackberries have broken down, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. (if jam is too thick once it has cooled add more beer and simmer until it has loosened up). Jam can be made several days in advance.
Preheat a waffle iron.
Set out three bowls, one large and two small.
In the large bowl stir together the flour, half the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cornstarch.
In one of the small bowls add the melted butter and peanut butter, stir until smooth (microwave slightly if this is difficult). Add the buttermilk, beer and vanilla, stir until well combined.
Separate the eggs putting the yolks to the peanut butter bowl and the whites to the third bowl. Stir the yolks into the peanut butter until well combined.
Whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form, addd the remaining sugar and continue to whip until speaks return.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the peanut butter mixture, stir until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Brush the waffle iron with melted butter, add the batter and cook according to manufactures specifications. Place in a 200 degree oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
Serve warm with syrup.

Notes

Look for a beer that is fairly malty but with some nice carbonation like an Abby ale or Farmhouse ale or a Dubbel. Stay away from IPA's or high hop beers. A malty pale ale will work as well, or a well carbonated brown ale..

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Buttermilk Beer Pancakes & How to Make Super Fluffy Pancakes

Pancakes are my first food memory.

I’m one of 8 kids (all girls, wrap your head around that) and one of about 27 cousins (I don’t even know the actual number) which made alone time with my grandparents really special.

The spring after I turned 4, I spent a Saturday night in a My Little Pony sleeping bag on the floor of my Grandparents bedroom, falling asleep to a wall mounted TV playing Wheel of Fortune. When I woke up, my Grandpa (Papa) was already gone. He was an artist that had done quite a bit of the original artwork for the Madonna Inn, looked a lot like Desi Arnaz and had a heart of pure gold.

My Grandma packed me into her 1980′s Cadillac with overstuffed seats that felt a lot like recliners and headed for the San Luis Obispo community center’s Pancake Sunday. My Papa was the “featured chef” and the hall was packed. My Grandma shuffled me past tables of seniors, wide eyed and waving at the tiny blond 4 year old. I was like a celebrity, I was Harry Tregarthen’s granddaughter and I was a “baby” to these ladies who just wanted to pick me up and squeeze my cheeks.

My Grandma and I joined a round table with four other older ladies. “Your Papa makes the best pancakes, you know,” one of the ladies was actually talking to me, instead of about me, that was new for me as a 4 year old, “That’s why this place is so busy. Last weekend, when Sal was cooking, only half full. Today, standing room only!” I didn’t know what “standing room only” meant, but I knew it was good.

“They must be good pancakes!” It’s all I could think to say, but the thing about being 4 is that as long as you form a coherent sentence and say it with enthusiasm, people laugh. And they did, these ladies were my crowd and I was on fire.

“Do you know the secret ingredient is?” She asked, clearly as excited with the banter as I was. “Sugar?!” I said, because I’m 4, and that’s pretty much my life.

I hit again, they were rolling. I could have mic dropped. Once she caught her breath the older lady let me in on the secret, “7-up! Can you believe it? Instead of milk!” I didn’t know how to make pancakes, or even that milk was a part of the process but I did like 7-UP. He was brilliant, I couldn’t believe it. He had put soda in pancakes?! At 4 years old, before I had even seen a recipe, let alone followed one, my Papa taught me that you should experiment. Break the rules, do your own thing.

It wasn’t until years later that I realized that it was the carbonation that did it. The bubbles in a carbonated beverage gave a light and fluffy texture to the World Class Pancakes. I’ve graduated from soda to beer, but the effect is still the same. To bring that a step further, I whip the egg whites separate to give an ultimate light and fluffy texture with a slightly crispy outside.

Buttermilk Beer Super Fluffy Pancakes

Ingredients

2 eggs, divided
½ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup beer (wheat beer, pale ale, brown ale work best)
¼ cup buttermilk (or heavy cream)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
3 tbs butter

Directions

Set out a stand mixer (or a bowl and a hand mixer), a small bowl and a large bowl.
Separate the eggs, putting the whites in the stand mixer and the yolks in the small bowl.
Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and beat on high until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes.
Add the beer, buttermilk, and vanilla to the egg yolks, beat until well combined.
In the large bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
Add the yolk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until combined.
Gently fold the egg whites into the pancake batter.
Add the butter to a preheated griddle (preheated to 350) or large skillet over medium high heat, push around until melted.
About ¼ cup at a time, pour the pancake batter on the preheated surface. Allow to cook until bubbles form in the center, flip and allow to cook until golden brown on the underside.

http://thebeeroness.com/2013/12/20/buttermilk-beer-pancakes-make-super-fluffy-pancakes/

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

Let’s pretend for a second that you’ve never had biscuits and gravy.

Like you’ve never sat in good company at a crappy diner in a small town eating sub par biscuits and gravy washing it down with shitty coffee like it’s the best breakfast you’ve ever had. Like you’ve never had someones grandma make them for you so early in the morning you could hardly keep your eyes open. Like you’ve never delayed the start of day two of a road trip just so that you could have a plate of southern comfort food from that place your friend once told you about.

But we can’t do that. Because there is something about that combination of simple ingredients, done just right, that stays with us forever. The way the perfect song pouring out your car windows as you drive down a softly worn country road on a summer afternoon makes you feel like everything’s right in the world.

The food that stays with us, that comforts us, reminds us of home, is almost always simple food. It’s these dishes that are worth making, and remaking, over and over, making small adjustments that no one but us really notices, because dishes like this stay with us.

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
8 tbs unsalted cold butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup Belgian ale (or wheat beer)
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

For the gravy:

1 lb pork sausage (raw, without casing)
¼ cup finely chopped white onion
1 tbs butter
6 tbs flour
3 cups whole milk
1 cup stout
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Optional

4 large eggs, fried

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and rosemary.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you the flakey layers).
Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
To make the gravy add the sausage to a pan over medium high heat. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the onions and butter, stirring and cooking until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour. Whisk until flour is well combined. Cook until flour has browned. Add the milk, stout, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook until thickened, about 8 minutes.
Top the biscuits with gravy and fried eggs, if desired.

http://thebeeroness.com/2013/11/25/rosemary-beer-biscuits-stout-sausage-gravy/

A HUGE Thank You to my Facebook Fans who suggested I work on a Beer Biscuits and Gravy recipe. You guys are always an inspiration.

Pumpkin Ale Waffles & How To Roast A Pumpkin

Although most of you are in the giddy early stages of fall, here in Los Angeles it’s still over 90 degrees. So what the rest of the country is referring to as “Fall,” I am calling Pumpkin Season. And to curb my near constant urge to shove as much pumpkin into everything I consume, I have elected to only make pumpkin from scratch, no cans.

It’s only really helped a little. It’s pretty easy to roast a pumpkin and turn it into massive quantities of pumpkin treats.

If you haven’t roasted your own, don’t be intimidated, its pretty simple.

Start with a pie pumpkin. They go by various other names, but they are not Jack-o-Lantern pumpkins used for carving. They are small, about the size of a cantaloupe.

Preheat oven to 375.

Remove the stem by running a butter knife around the edges and then prying it off. The most stubborn one I removed by whacking it on the edge of the counter. Popped right off.

Cut the pumpkin in half, right through the hole left by the stem.

Scoop the seeds out with a spoon.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place pumpkins on baking sheets, cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast at 375 for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a fork can easily slide into the skin.

Allow to cool and sccop the flesh out.

For a smoother texture, process in a food processor for about 3 minutes.

See, that’s not so hard. You can totally do that.

Pumpkin Ale Waffles

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
4 eggs, divided
1/2 cup milk
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 stick melted butter
1 cup Pumpkin Ale

(Makes 6 to 8)

Directions

Preheat waffle iron.
Get out three bowls.
In the largest bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking power, baking soda, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon, stir until well combined.
Divide the eggs between the last two bowls, egg whites in one, yolks in the other.
In the yolks bowl, add the milk and pumpkin puree, stir until well combined. Add the melted butter and stir.
Using a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry mixture and stir until just combined, don't over mix. Add the beer and stir until combined. Gently fold in the egg whites.
Spray waffle iron with butter flavored cooking spray. Cook waffles according to manufactures directions.

http://thebeeroness.com/2012/09/25/pumpkin-ale-waffles-how-to-roast-a-pumpkin/

What To Make A Fireman For Breakfast: Beer Waffles with Amber Ale Caramel Sauce

Firefighters are a rare beast. The perfect combination of rugged bravery and compassion driven sensitivity. A sports watching, beer drinking guys-guy, who is also the first in line to pull a shivering puppy from a frozen river and then make a batch of tender homemade scones.

So what do you do if you find yourself on the daylight side of a fantastic evening, eye to eye with one these hungry beasts?

Make waffles.

Not just any waffles, beer waffles. With beer caramel sauce.

Somehow, it seems to be a rule that every fire house has at least two resident fire fighting chefs, ready for a culinary battle at all times. Making it a near certainty that the beast you woke up with is used to eating, or cooking, great food on a regular basis. Your average breakfast just won’t do.

And keep a healthy stock of Fireman’s Brew handy. Not only is it made by real life Firefighters, they even donate a portion of their profits to causes that support families of fallen Firefighters. Craft beer with a cause.

Great beer and a warm fuzzy feeling. Fireman sold separately.

Beer Waffles with Amber Ale Caramel Sauce

Yum

What To Make A Fireman For Breakfast: Beer Waffles with Amber Ale Caramel Sauce

Ingredients

Waffles:

2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
12 oz Blonde Ale or Pilsner (such as Firemans Blonde Lager)

Caramel Sauce:

12 oz Amber Ale (such as Firemans Amber Ale)
2 cups brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs butter

Instructions

Make the caramel sauce: Add the beer to a pot over high heat and bring to a strong boil, reducing the beer to about 1 cup, about 6-10 minutes.
Remove from heat and add the brown sugar, stir until dissolved. Add a thermometer with a clip to the side of you pan, submerging the tip in the liquid, but making sure it does not hit the bottom of the pan.
Boil, without stirring (swirl the pan occasionally to redistribute the caramel sauce), until the temperature reaches between 230 degrees. Remove from heat and stir until the bubbling subsides. Add the cream, vanilla and butter, stir to combine. Allow to cool.
Make the waffles:
Heat your waffle iron according to manufacture directions.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, stir together the butter, milk and egg yolks, in a third bowl add the egg whites and a pinch of salt.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture. Stir to combine. Add the Pilsner (there will be significant bubbling) stir until just combined, a few lumps are to be expected.
Whip the egg whites until light and fluffy and tripled in volume. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, whip until well combined. Stir the egg whites into the waffle batter.
Using the waffle iron, cook waffles according to manufacture directions (make sure to use butter flavored cooking spray, if called for).
Serve waffles topped with caramel sauce.

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