Skip to main content

craft beer recipes

Brown Ale Farro Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms

Brown Ale Farro Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms

 There is one thing I can’t stop doing every time I travel.

And not just when I get to leave the country, but even when I just leave the state. I just need to wander around a market. A locals only place, stocked with whatever people who live in the neighboring streets like to eat. Once while in Costa Rica, in a small and run down town, I found myself in a small market that had just lost all power.

Farro Beer Risotto with Roasted Wild Mushrooms3

"It happens," the shop owner told me, "We just stay open, hope the light from the door can reach to the back." I made a mental note not to buy any thing perishable, but did leave with 3 bags of coffee and an unidentifiably spice that I later used on roasted vegetables.

Sometimes these little adventures just bring me back to an ingredient that I forgot that I loved. My recent trip to a local market in a neighborhood heavily populated with Italian imigrants lead me to buy a bag of farro. I love this little grain, much more than rice, much more than quinoa and I can’t understand why it isn’t used more often. It doesn’t get mushy the way that rice can, it has a nice almost chewy texture, tons of those vitamins/protein/ health benefits that people seem to like, and much more flavor than other trendy grains.

Plus it cooks up really well with beer. Which means it wins.

Brown Ale Farro Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms

 

Brown Ale Farro Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms

Servings 4 entre sized portions, 8 side dish portions

Ingredients
  

For the Risotto:

  • 2 cups 15 wt oz faro
  • 6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • ½ white onion chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tbs unsalted butter divided
  • 1 cup plus ¼ cup brown ale, divided
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 2 wt oz about ¾ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

For the Mushrooms:

  • 8 wt oz assorted wild mushrooms
  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions
 

  • Add farro to a large bowl. Cover with luke warm water, let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain well.
  • Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss until well coated. Roast for 15 minutes, stir and roast for an additional ten minutes. Drain the liquid off the mushrooms, set mushrooms aside.
  • Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
  • In a separate pot, heat the 3 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 20 seconds
  • Stir in the faro and 3 tablespoons butter, cooking until the farro is completely coated with butter and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
  • Add 1 cup of the brown ale and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
  • Add about ½ cup of broth into the farro. Stir frequently until the farro is almost dry, and then add another ½ cup and repeat until the farro is cooked. This process should take about 30 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the farro on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
  • Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the farro is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the cheese, cream, remaining 3 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup brown ale and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the roasted mushrooms just prior to serving.

Brown Ale Farro Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms

Irish Red Ale Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate

Irish Red Ale Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate

When you write a cookbook, you fall in love with some of the recipe. You don’t love them all the same, you don’t even remember them all the same. Recipes aren’t like children, you’re completely allowed to have favorites.

When I wrote The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link), there were a few recipes I immediately feel love with, like Hefeweizen Brioche Pull Apart Bread (page 82), and the Porter Osso Buco (page129), and Amber Ale Carrot Cake with Mascarpone & Beer Spiked Cream Cheese Frosting (page 179) and a few I added because I was already in love with them, like the Beer Pecan Cinnamon Rolls (SO GOOD! page 26) and this soup.

craft beer cook

This was a soup that I’d been making for years, with and without beer. Gleefully sprinkling the bowls with two of my culinary guilty pelasures: goat cheese and pomegranate seeds. Adding in the hop bitterness of an Irish red ale gave a great balance to the creamy decadence.

Now that we are around the corner from Saint Patricks day, I’m sharing this recipe with you. It’s a new way to celebrate the Irish, and a vegetarian friendly one at that (if that’s your thing). After all, corned beef isn’t even a tradition in Ireland. But beer always is.

Irish Red Ale Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate

Ingredients
  

  • 1 3.5 to 4 lb butternut squash
  • 1 head garlic
  • 6 tbs olive oil divided
  • 2 shallots sliced
  • 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
  • 1 cup red ale
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • pinch cayenne
  • ½ cup cream
  • 3 ounces goat cheese
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Cut the squash down the middle lengthwise, scoop out and discard the seeds. Place cut side up on a baking sheet, drizzle with 2 tbs olive oil.
  • Rub most of the white papery skin off the garlic head. Cut the tip off the head of garlic, exposing the cloves. Place garlic on a small square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with 1 tbs olive oil, fold aluminum foil up over the garlic to form a tight packet. Place garlic on baking sheet with the squash.
  • Place baking sheet in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the garlic and allow to cool. Continue to roast the squash until fork tender, about an addition 20-30 minutes (total of about 1 hour). Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to handle. Gently scoop out the flesh (should be between 4 and 4 1/2 cups).
  • In a pot over medium heat, add the remaining 3 tbs olive oil and the shallots. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have caramelized, about 15 to 20 minutes (do not cook at too high heat or the shallots will burn). Add the broth and the beer and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the roasted squash, add the soft garlic cloves (discard the rest of the head) and stir until well combined.
  • Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth (you can also work in batches to puree in a food processor or blender). Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, cayenne and cream, allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
  • Ladle into serving bowls, garnish with goat cheese and pomegranate.

You can buy The Craft Beer Cookbook at cookbookBarnes & Noble and Urban Outfitters.

Irish Red Ale Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese and Pomegranate

Beer Marshmallows with Chocolate Mint Beer Sauce

Beer Marshmallows with Mint Chocolate Stout Sauce

I told you last year that I wouldn’t further assault you with tales of my trip to Ireland for Saint Patrick’s day, until it was close to Saint Patrick’s Day.

Beer Marshmallows with Mint Chocolate Stout Sauce2

But here we are, just a week away. So I’ll force another story of Ireland down your throat. But I made you some beer marshmallows so I hope we can call it even.

The night after I arrived in Dublin, still jet-lagged and a bit shaky, I found myself at a table in the back of an old Irish pub with a couple of Irish farmers in their early twenties. A scrawny, fair-haired, Irish boy, who admitted that he’d never left the mossy soil of Mother Ireland, asked me about life in the famed Los Angeles. "So…you’ve, like, met famous people. Like movie stars? and people in bands?"

Beer Marshmallows with Mint Chocolate Stout Sauce3I said that I had. Just part of living in LA and having friends who work in music. It wasn’t a big deal. His eyes widened, he bought the next round and pressed me for details, "WHO HAVE YOU MET?!"

I was felt slightly pushed back and delved into the database of my past celebrity meetings. I wasn’t sure who he’d like to hear about so I started to go with my favorites, "Ummm. I met James Brown once. He told me I was pretty and did a spin for me."

He was confused. "Who’s that? Who else have you met? Do you know Madonna"

"No. But I did go to Elton Johns birthday party. It was small, only a handful of people but I was too nervous to talk to him. But I did spend the night talking with-"

"Let me cut to the chase." He turned serious, he wanted to get right to the information he was looking for, "I want to know if you’ve met THE GUY."

I was blank. Who was the GUY? Which guy?

Beer Marshmallows with Mint Chocolate Stout Sauce4

 

"You know!" The dozen Guinnesses he’d had since he’d left the sheep farm were starting to settle into his demeanor.

"I really don’t know. Who’s THE GUY in Hollywood?" I was more curious than confused.

Exasperated he finally spit it out, "EDDIE MURPHY!"

"Oh. No." If I’d had one million guesses I wouldn’t have pulled that name, "I haven’t met him."

"That’s too bad. But you know, he lives in LA. So, you might. Right? At some point, like at Starbucks or something?"

"Ummm, yeah. I guess there’s still hope."

Beer Marshmallows with Mint Chocolate Stout Sauce5

But, sadly I did leave LA  never having met Eddie Murphy. So unless he’s a Seahawks fan, we may never meet. But I do suspect that if he’s a beer drinker, he might like beer marshmallows. With stout chocolate sauce. And if he doesn’t, then it’s probably a good thing we never met.

Beer Marshmallows with Mint Chocolate Stout Sauce6

 

Beer Marshmallows with Chocolate Mint Beer Sauce

Ingredients
  

For The Marshmallows

  • Powdered sugar
  • 3 ½ envelopes unflavored gelatin such as Knox
  • 1 cup beer flat and cold*
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup light corn syrup
  • 2 large egg whites
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 3 tsp vanilla extract

For the Chocolate Sauce

  • 10 wt oz dark mint chocolate I used Green & Blacks
  • 1/3 cup chocolate stout

Instructions
 

  • Grease a 9x13 baking pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar until well coated, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add ½ cup cold flat beer. Sprinkle with gelatin. Allow to stand while the sugar is being prepared.
  • In a large saucepan (mixture will bubble up considerably) over medium heat, add the remaining ½ cup beer, sugar and corn syrup. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Raise heat to high and allow to boil until the mixture reads 240F on a candy thermometer (about 6-8 minutes).
  • Once the temperature has been reached, turn off heat.
  • Turn the mixer on low and slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the gelatin. Once all the sugar has been added turn the mixer on high until light and fluffy and tripled in volume, about 6 minutes.
  • While the mixer is running, prepare the egg whites. Add the egg whites to a bowl with the salt. Beat on high with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.
  • Gently fold the egg whites and vanilla extract into the stand mixer ingredients until just combined.
  • Pour the marshmallows into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Allow to set at room temperature until set, about 2 hours. Remove from pan, cut into squares.
  • To make the chocolate sauce, add all chocolate sauce ingredients to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted.
  • Dip the marshmallows into the chocolate, remove with a fork, set on wax paper until set. Or just pour it on in a ridiculous but photogenic stream to make a delicious mess.

Notes

*The beer in these marshmallows can be very present. Pick a beer you like. Try to avoid really high hop beers, they can get really bitter. If you want a low beer flavor, pick a pilsner, pale lager, or wheat beer. You can also use a malty belgian or a brown ale. If you LOVE hops, you can use an IPA but take note that the beer bitterness will be very present.

 

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes2

No matter how often you move, there are things that you forget. Every time. You forget that you won’t know which drawer to put Sharpie markers and batteries in (they always end up in the same drawer), you’ll turn to grab the knife from where is "used to be," you won’t know where the Target is, or where to take your dry cleaning, or where to buy the best prosciutto and you can forget about that guy who offered to sharpen your knives for free if you bring him cookies THAT guy doesn’t exist in your new land.

I have a gypsy soul, I’ve never missed my own bed, I don’t have the home sick gene, I’m never nervous about new roads or new words or new food. I look forward to building a new database of people and place. But there is a learning curve with a new place. Things I didn’t know that I didn’t know. I’ve had to adapt to a new climate, one that was not 80 degrees on Christmas, and involves a near wardrobe change when I need to run out to the car to grab the beer I left in the back.

But the upside is that beer would have been overly warm in my old land, in this place, it was the perfect 43 degrees and ready to drink.

Now I just need to find a guy to trade knife sharpening for baked goods and I’ll be half way there.

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients
  

For The Potatoes

  • 2 lbs russet potatoes peeled and chopped
  • 6 tbs unsalted butter
  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp sage minced
  • ½ tsp thyme. minced
  • ½ tsp rosemary minced
  • 3 tbs IPA beer

For the Salmon

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • ¼ cup shallots
  • 2 tbs soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup stout
  • 2 tbs molasses not blackstrap
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp onion powder
  • 4 4-6 ounce Salmon fillets

Instructions
 

To Make the Potatoes:

  • Add the potatoes to a pot of lightly salted boiling water. Allow to boil until fork tender. Drain and return to pot.
  • Add the remaining potato ingredients, stir and mash with a potato masher until well combined.

To Make The Salmon:

  • Preheat oven broiler.
  • Add the oil to a pot over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
  • Add the shallots, cook until softened and slightly browned, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the soy, stout, molasses, smoked paprika,onion powder and chili powder. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes.
  • Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray (or drizzle with vegetable oil.
  • Place salmon on the foil, skin side down.
  • Brush liberally with glaze.
  • Broil for 3 minutes, re-brush with glaze, and place under the broiler for 3 more minutes. Repeat (re-brushing and broiling) until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork.
  • Serve over potatoes.

Molasses Stout Glazed Salmon with Herb IPA Mashed Potatoes_

Stout Soaked Mushrooms and Herbed Goat Cheese Crostinis

LA to SEA

Photos from my Instagram account 

I made it.

From LA to Seattle, up Highway 1. Past fat lazy seals, miles of winding coastlines, epic Redwoods, and into an unusually sunny Seattle. Although the sun has now given way to the typical rain, it’s somehow comforting.

Although figuring out how to wield a camera in low light has been a bit challenging.

Stout Soaked Mushroom & Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini

But the food isn’t. This part of the word has gorgeous produce, fantastic seafood, incredible beer. I’m starting to get familiar with the Northwest breweries and the beautiful beer that I’m now so close to. If you know of a local brewery I should go to, please, I’m all ears.

Stout Soaked Mushroom & Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini4

As I unpack the boxes, rely heavily on my navigation to get around, figure out what local stations to set my car radio to,  and try to amend my ill-equipped wardrobe (warm socks?? I need new socks?), I’m excited to be here. My Gypsy Soul gets to wander a new city.

Stout Soaked Mushroom & Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini3

Stout Soaked Mushrooms and Herbed Goat Cheese Crostinis

Ingredients
  

  • 1 wt oz 1 ½ cups assorted dried mushrooms (I used Porcini, Shiitake & Chanterelle)
  • 12 ounces stout beer
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 2 tbs unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup chopped shallots
  • ½ tsp kosher or sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1 baguette sourdough or French
  • 4 ounces chevre goat cheese softened
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions
 

  • Put the mushrooms in a small bowl or jar. Cover with the stout beer. Leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours or until the mushrooms are soft and have reconstituted.
  • Drain the mushrooms and rinse well to remove any residual grit.
  • Slice the mushrooms into thin slices (unless mushrooms were pre sliced).
  • In a pan over medium high heat melt the butter with the olive oil.
  • Add the shallots and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the mushrooms to the pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, cook until most of the oil and butter has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
  • Preheat the boiler on the oven.
  • Slice the baguette into 18-24 slices.
  • Place the slices on a baking sheet. Place until the broiler until golden brown, about 2 minutes, flip over and place under the broiler until golden brown the opposite side.
  • In a small bowl stir together the goat cheese, thyme, sage and rosemary.
  • Spread each slice with goat cheese, top with mushrooms.
  • Serve immediately.

Stout Soaked Mushroom & Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini5

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel_

I started this adventure masked as a blog just over two years ago. I decided when I first hit publish that this wasn’t a "let’s see how this goes" endeavor. This is was a full force, every piece of my life, both feet, all chips on the table undertaking. I was all in.

My stack of "I Need To Figure This Stuff Out" was much larger than my "I’ve Got This" pile and the more I fought towards the goals I set, the larger that first stack got. Lucky for me, my reaction to "You can’t do that" has always been, "You watch me." And somewhere along the road I stop hearing people say "no" to me and started to hear them say "Someday I’ll wish I’d said yes to you."

I guess it’s working, and I have a few gold stars to show for it. The first printing of my book,  The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link), sold out in less than three months, I’m a regular beer expert on a radio show, I have people from all over the world share photos of the dishes they have made from my site with me over Facebook and Twitter (I LOVE this, keep doing it, highlight of my day), and in the past year I’ve been interviewed by dozens of magazines all over the world. I’m humbled by this in an enormous way, that what I’ve worked nights, weekends, poured so much time and money into is being realized. That I’m able to do this, share this love with you, and find a place in craft beer.

A few days ago an interview I did with the print magazine Imbibe hit newsstands. I stood in Barnes & Noble, trying really hard not grab the guy perusing motorcycle magazine standing next to me and yell, "THAT’S ME!" and shove page 21 in his face. I refrained.

So I’m doing it to you instead, I’m shoving page 21 in your face and yelling. But to you, I’m yelling "Thank you."

Beeroness in Imbibe_

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 fennel bulb sliced into ¼ inch slices
  • 3 cloves garlic mined
  • 1 cup white ale or wheat beer
  • 28 wt oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1 tsp crushed red peppers
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbs chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 cod fillets 4-5 ounces each
  • Rice potatoes or pasta for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the fennel slices and cook until caramelized on each side, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Add the white ale, scraping to deglaze the pot.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, red peppers, paprika, basil. tarragon and salt, bring to a low simmer.
  • Add the cod fillets, pushing gently to submerge.
  • Simmer until cod is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 8 minutes (Note: do not boil or fish will become tough, keep tomato sauce at a low simmer).
  • Using a slotted spoon, remove cod from the pot, add to a serving platter.
  • Bring the tomato mixture to a strong simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced about 10 minutes.
  • Plate the cod, top with tomato mixture.

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel 3

Beer Cheese Ball

 

Beer Cheese Ball

I was a lifeguard for three years in college. Mostly at summer camps, poorly run water slide parks and a bad summer on floating dock in the middle of a dirty lake.

Late one night at a summer camp in Western Canada the guys who ran the camp decided to let the pre-teen campers, hopped up on Sysco ice cream and fudge sauce, jump into the pool. For about two hours I watched as they seemed to instinctively go from one side of the pool to the other, cheering, waving their hands, jumping up and down. When that got boring, they just did it all on the other side of the pool.

The following week, after Ice Cream Social Night, the pool was opened again, and the same thing happened again with a completely different group of adolescents doped up on saccharine. Every week after was the same routine. "WE LOVE THIS SIDE OF THE POOL!" they all seemed to be cheering, and a few minutes later, "NO THIS SIDE OF THE POOL IS THE BEST!"

We don’t grow out of that by the way, we just find more adult ways of shifting from one side of the pool to the other, "WE LIKE MINI SKIRTS!"  no, wait, "WE LOVE MAXI SKIRTS!" And as cool as we think we are in the beer community, we do it too. "WE LOVE HOPS A LOT!" but, wait, "MALTY BELGIANS ARE THE BEST EVER!" While hops and malt, opposing forces that could never live without each other, will always be held in equal regard when it comes to importance in the beer making process, the "in beer" seems to favor one or the other. We have made a bit of a shift in the past year, from the Hop The Crap Out Of This Quadruple IPA to the Malty Sweetness Deep And Roasty Belgian ales. To celebrate this shift, I used a red ale that has tons of malt but didn’t forget the hops. A common ground in the middle of that Hops vs Malt pool.

I’m up for either, as long as you don’t trash talk the other side of the pool, you know you’re going to be back there in a few minutes.

Beer Cheese Ball2

Beer Cheese Ball

Ingredients
  

  • 5 wt oz cream cheese
  • 2 wt oz goat cheese about ¼ cup
  • 4 wt oz shredded Asiago cheese about 1 cup
  • 4 wt oz shredded parmesan cheese about 1 cup
  • 1/3 cup red ale
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ cup chopped chives
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions
 

  • Add the cream cheese, goat cheese, Asiago cheese, parmesan cheese, beer, and garlic powder to the food processor, process until well combined. Add the chives and pulse until just combined.
  • Place on a sheet of plastic wrap, form into a ball, wrapping with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours and up to 24 (flavors develop overnight, don’t be afraid to make this a day ahead of time).
  • Remove from the plastic wrap, gently roll in chopped walnuts until coated.
  • Serve with pretzels or crackers.

Beer Cheese Ball3

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy4

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.

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

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 Gravy2

 

 

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

Servings 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

Instructions
 

  • 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.

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.

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy3

Pub Cookies

Pub Cookies made with beer, pretzels, chocolate chips and peanuts

I want to put a beer cooking trick up your sleeve. A secret skill to help maneuver the beer cooking universe with deft dexterity. I like to call this a Beer Extract, made by reducing that bottle of beer to a small but mighty beer syrup that fits nicely into a recipe that wants some beer flavor but is without the capacity to handle large volumes of beer right out of the bottle.

Pub Cookies made with beer, pretzels, chocolate chips and peanuts

It’s easy, really. Just simmer the beer long enough to remove the water, leaving all those other great flavors in a compact bite of beer essence. When a recipe, like these Pub Cookies, can only take a little bit of liquid and you want a bit o' that beer flavor to come through at the end, all you need to do is reduce the beer to remove the water and you’re all set.

While this might not bring you the large amounts of beer taste you might want, there is a subtle malty finish to the end flavor, along with those pretzels that always seem to love to tag along for the beer flavored ride.

Pub Cookies made with beer, pretzels, chocolate chips and peanuts

Pub Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces imperial stout or porter beer
  • 3/4 cup butter cut into cubes
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg plus 1 yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup bread flour this will make them chewy
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips 60%
  • 2/3 cup mini pretzel twists broken into pieces
  • ¼ cup honey roasted peanuts

Instructions
 

  • In a pot over medium high heat add the beer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 tbs, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and both types of sugar, beat until well creamed. Add the egg and the yolk, beat until well combined. Add the 1 tbs of beer, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined, scraping the bottom to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
  • In a separate bowl, add both types of flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix on medium/low speed until just barely combined, don't over mix. Add the chocolate chips, pretzel pieces, and peanuts, and stir until incorporated.
  • Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop golfball sized scoops of dough, roll them into round balls and place on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes or until light golden brown, don't over bake. (If you don't chill the dough, or if you make smaller sized cookies, the cooking time will be much shorter. Start to keep an eye on your cookies after about 12 minutes.)

 

Italian Beer Bread Sticks & Tips for Beer and Food Pairing

 

Italian Beer Bread Sticks & Tips for Beer and Food Pairing via @TheBeeroness

Before we jump in to my treasure trove of beer and food pairing tips, we need to dispel one myth: there are no rules. Drink what you  prefer and eat likewise. If YOU like it, it’s a good pairing, there are no hard and fast rules, just considerations and principles to keep in mind.

1. Consider intensity. When subjecting your tasters to a palate wrecking chipotle dish or 1000 IBU IPA, consider the delicacy of what you’re pairing that monster with. Mild works well with mild, and strong holds up next to strong. If you really want to pair an intense food or beer, you may consider equally intense counterpart that can take a punch.

2. What flavors linger should be what is paired. Consider what flavors stick around on your palate after the bite when you think about what you pair it with. Making a steak with a garlicky cream sauce? That sauce will probably linger more than the meat. Pair to that rather than the steak.

3. Alcohol intensifies heat. This can be good or bad, but a factor that should be considered. Was that curry a little more mellow than you intended? Grab a high ABV (alcohol by volume) beer to kick the heat up a notch. On the other hand, that jalapeno and Habanero chili might need a low alcohol session beer.

4. Don’t forget texture. I will spare you from a lecture using my least favorite beer term, "mouth feel," with just a mention of the idea that carbonation cuts through grease and fat. A great compliment to a triple cheese pizza isn’t as much a flavor but a texture, bubbles add a cleansing balance to a rich greasy meal. While a smooth stout, with low carbonation levels, will match the silkiness of a creamy chocolate mousse. Consider carbonation levels when paring, not just flavors.

5. Think of all the flavors being in one bowl. The ingredients should be able to coexist simultaneously, and although the argument can be made for contrasting, the best place to start is complimenting. The best way to do this is thinking about all the flavors together. Let’s just pretend that you made yourself a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. What do you want to throw in that pot? a beer with notes of caramel and molasses or a beer with lemon and basil. I don’t know about you but that last beer is looking like a much better man for that job.

Italian Beer Bread Sticks & Tips for Beer and Food Pairing via @TheBeeroness

When it comes to cooking and beer, it’s always a fairly safe bet to pair with the beer you used to make the dish. I used a higher hop wheat beer for this, a good beer for pairing as well. The wheat matches the flavors in the breadsticks (obviously) and the slightly higher than average hops can keep up with the kick of garlic.

Italian Beer Bread Sticks

Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 breadsticks

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 envelope rapid rise yeast
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp fresh rosemary minced
  • 1 tbs sugar
  • 3/4 cup beer wheat beer or pale ale
  • ¼ cup butter softened
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Topping:
  • 3 tbs melted butter
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp course salt

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, garlic powder, sugar and rosemary. Mix until combined.
  • In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, sprinkle with the salt and add softened butter.
  • Turn speed to medium-high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  • Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Cut into 8 equal sized pieces.
  • Roll each piece of dough into a 7-inch breadsticks. Transfer to a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
  • IN a small bowl whisk together the melted butter and garlic powder. Brush breadsticks with the butter mixture, reserving any leftover.
  • Sprinkle with coarse salt (I used smoked Maldon salt)
  • Bake at 400 for 12 minutes or until a light golden brown.
  • Brush with remaining butter prior to serving, if desired.

Italian Beer Bread Sticks & Tips for Beer and Food Pairing via @TheBeeroness

Chocolate Stout and Dulce de Leche Ice Box Pie

Chocolate Stout and Dulce de Leche Ice Box Pie via @TheBeeroness

There are a few buzz words that seem to grab peoples attention and promote a recipe to Social Media Sharing Gangbusters status. These words include: Skinny, Quick, Easy, No Bake, Only 3 Ingredients, You’ll Never Guess The Secret Ingredient!  None of these phrases are the type to attract my attention on their own.

I like a recipe that takes time, uses fat and sugar, and I’m not scared of a long list of ingredients or complicated directions.

Sometimes, however, I do invent a recipe that inadvertently falls into one of those Gangbusters categories that people seem to like. This, for example, takes 15 minutes and zero baking. It also tastes amazing in a way that seems to contradict the short amount of time it took to make.

Chocolate Stout and Dulce de Leche Ice Box Pie via @TheBeeroness

You can buy Dulce de Leche, or make it from scratch (here is a really great post on How to Make Dulce de Leche from a blogger I have a girl-crush on). It’s simple to make from scratch, but if that doesn’t fit your time schedule, or intimidates you, it’s fairly easy to find in markets.

I found myself in ownership of a batch of Dulce de Leche after spending a 100 degree day knee deep in Holiday Cheer while making and shooting Christmas Cocktails for the Holiday Issue of a print magazine. Nothing screams July like Brandied Hot Chocolate with Candy Cane Whipped Cream or Dulce de Leche Eggnog. Although I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity, I can’t say that I really wanted to consume hot buttered rum or mulled wine on triple digit summer day.

Ice box pie was in order.

 

Chocolate Stout and Dulce de Leche Ice Box Pie

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

For the Crust:

  • 12 graham cracker rectangles
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 4 tbs melted butter

For the Chocolate Stout Layer:

  • 1/3 cup stout
  • 1 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips 8 wt ounces
  • 1 ½ cups heavy cream
  • ¼ cup powdered sugar

For the Dulce de Leche Layer:

  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tbs powdered sugar
  • ½ cup Dulce de Leche
  • Additional Dulce de Leche for serving if desired.

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor add the graham crackers and brown sugar, process until reduced to fine crumbs.
  • While the food processor is running, add the melted butter, process until combined.
  • Add crust to a 9 inch spring form pan. Using a heavy, flat bottom glass, press very well into the sides and bottom of the pan (starting with the sides), make sure to press very well until the crust is very compacted into the sides and bottom of the pan.
  • Add the chocolate chips to a small bowl. Heat the stout until very hot (about 170 degrees), pour stout over the chocolate chips, stir until well combined and creamy. Allow to cool to room temperature.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 ½ cups heavy cream and ¼ cup powdered sugar, beat on high until soft peaks form. While the mixer is running, slowly drizzle the cooled chocolate mixture into the mixer. Once it has all been added, turn off the mixer and gently stir until all of the cream and chocolate has been combined an no white streaks or dark chocolate streaks remain. Pour into the crust. Place in the freezer while you work on the Dulce de Leche layer.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add 1 cup heavy cream and 3 tablespoons powdered sugar. Beat on high until soft peaks form. While the mixer is running, slowly drizzle the Dulce de Leche into the mixer. Once it has all been added, turn off the mixer and gently stir until all of the Dulce de Leche and whipped cream have been combined.
  • Add the Dulce de Leche cream on top of the chocolate layer, smooth into an even layer.
  • Freeze until set, about 1 hour. Remove from freezer 10 minute prior to serving and allow to warm slightly before cutting. To remove from pan, run a sharp knife under very hot water, then run the knife between the crust and the side of the spring form pan to release.
  • Heat remaining Dulce de Leche and drizzle over slices prior to serving.

Chocolate Stout and Dulce de Leche Ice Box Pie via @TheBeeroness

Join me: FacebookTwitter

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp


Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

None of us really know what we’re getting into when we launch that very first blog post, that Hello World! salute that enters us into the abyss of Blogland. We start these little cubbyholes in the internet Universe out of curiosity, desperation, boredom or just the hope that maybe our lives will take a dramatic tilt. We see the Holy Trinity of blog talent, the online mistress Trifecta we have to master when it comes to blog success: Food, Photos & Writing.

This by itself is a huge undertaking, the hope to be really fantastically,mind-blowingly amazing at three really specific careers, wrapped up in one title, delivered to you at our chosen URL. But that, unfortunately is just the perfectly placed cherry on top of the seasonally appropriate Sundae. Beneath that homemade cardamom whipped cream and strategically placed sprinkles melts an amalgamation of skills that we don’t just need to attempt, we need to master.

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

Of course we need to be a skillful recipe developer, photographer, food stylist, culinary-guru and engaging author. But that’s not all, your plate isn’t nearly full enough, pull yourself up to the buffet of online careers and load your platter. You will also need to add to the aforementioned list: SEO expert, web designer, social media darling, PR pro, marketing expert, branding aficionado, and business manager. After all, if you hired someone for each of those positions you’d be in the hole for over 200K.

But who else is going to register the LLC, build the website, apply for a trademark, get a PO box, take those gorgeous photos, not to mention edit them, write the posts, send DMCA take down notice, answer the emails, write the recipes, cook the food, do the interviews, fix that broken code, install the right plugin, promote the content, network with the right people and ohmygodican’tdoitall!

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

We need to give ourselves a break. These are ten really difficult jobs, ten careers for which colleges all over the land offer 4 year degrees. We can’t be good at them all and we can’t really afford to hire them all out.

We need to learn to make peace with it the things that aren’t were we want them to be. It’s a triage in a way, the biggest blood loss goes to the front, the rest can wait. In the midst of these panics, we need to remember the list of thing we are really good at is longer than the list of things we shame ourselves for. Because, odds are, there is someone out there wishing to be as good as you are at something.

Don’t forget that when you start to panic about creating a newsletter or figuring out copyright laws. You are really good at more that you are really bad at, the ship will float, it just takes time.

Smokey Hot Beer Shrimp

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 5 cloves garlic grated with a microplane (or minced)
  • 1 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp red chili flake
  • 3 tbs tomato paste
  • 1/3 cup wheat beer
  • 4 tbs butter cut into cubes
  • 1 tbs honey
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • pinch salt
  • 1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 2 tbs olive oil

Instructions
 

  • In a saucepan over medium high heat stir together the smoked paprika, garlic, cayenne, chili powder, red chili flake, tomato paste, beer, honey, pepper and salt. Add the butter and bring to a strong simmer, stirring frequently until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes.
  • In a separate pan heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp and cook until ust starting to turn pink, about 2 minutes. Pour the sauce into the shrimp pan, cook until the sauce thickens and shrimp are cooked through.

Spicy Beer Shrimp5

Grilled Romaine Salad with IPA Caesar Dressing

Grilled Romaine Salad with IPA Caesar Dressing

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.

Grilled Romaine Salad with IPA Caesar Dressing

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

Grilled Romaine Salad with IPA Caesar Dressing

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. 

 

Beer and Peach Potpie

 

Peach and Beer Potpie2

This bowl embodies a bit of culinary contradiction. It’s a bit of soup, and it’s a bit of a dessert, two genres of  menu items that don’t seem to be easily meshed. But I have a love for soupy pies, given to me by a young kid I met in the back of a squad car.

I used to work with propation kids, I’ve told you that before, all from different parts of Los Angeles, some with gang ties, some without families, all wanting help in one form or another. Peter (*Name changed) was a walking contradiction to what most people assume was inside this big kid with a criminal record.

Peach and Beer Potpie

He was a sweet, honest, hard working kid that had never so much as been tardy from any class he’d taken. He had, however, stolen some food when his mom was too drunk to buy groceries and his little sister needed to eat, this earned him a all expense paid trip to Juvenile hall and then a spot in a Group Home. His grades were good enough, he always stayed out of trouble, and I was able to find him part time work at a Jewish deli & bakery in the Valley. When his birthday rolled around I asked what he wanted, the company I worked for had a small budget for special occasions that I was able to access for a present for him. "Pie making…stuff." He’d been working in a kitchen for weeks, fell in love with his ability to produce really great food, but outside work he’d never made food that didn’t require a microwave. I bought him a pie pan, a rolling pin, pie weights and pie cookbook. His reaction to the gift was much more shy and reserved that I’d expected. When I asked him why he was quiet, he said, "This is the first birthday present I ever got. Thank you."

I had to immediately whisk him to the kitchen to put said gift to use or I would have cried all over him. Instead we made a pie. The crust was gorgeous, but with limited ingredients in the state funded Group Home, the pie turned out a bit more watery than I had intended. I was deflated. He didn’t notice. He took one bite and a huge smile lit up his big face. It tasted great, and he had no preconceived ideas about what homemade pie looked like because he’d never seen one. Now, soupy pie makes me happy.

Peach and Beer Potpie4

I found out a few years ago that Peter is doing really well, he’d put himself through culinary school, works as a chef and teaches classes at the community college.

Long live pie.

Beer and Peach Potpie

Ingredients
  

  • 6 cups 6-8 large peaches yellow peaches, sliced (peeled if desired)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup white sugar
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 tbs cornstarch
  • pinch salt
  • 1/3 cup hoppy wheat beer
  • 1 sheet puff pastry thawed
  • Egg wash 1 egg, 1 table spoon water, beaten

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Add the peaches to a large bowl. Sprinkle with brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Use your hands to stir the peaches until they are fully coated with the dry ingredients and all of the dry ingredients have been moistened.
  • Pour the beer over the peaches, gently stir to combine.
  • Place 4 oven safe bowls (1 cup size) on a baking sheet. Divide the filling evenly among the bowls.
  • Roll the puff pastry out on a lightly floured surface, cut into 4 squares. Cover each bowl with a square of puff pastry. Brush with egg wash.
  • Bake at 400 for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown.

Peach and Beer Potpie5

Join me: FacebookTwitter

Grilled Beer and Buttermilk Chicken with Sriracha Glaze

Beer & Buttermilk Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze

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.

Beer & Buttermilk Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze3

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

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.

Join me: Facebook, Twitter

Beer & Buttermilk Grilled Chicken with Sriracha Glaze4

Chicken and Beer Summer Stew

Chicken and Beer Summer Stew3

Recently I read a response that a famous food personality had to the aggressive criticism of what is arguable to the worst food show on TV. She said that people who expect American households to cook with real, whole, unprocessed ingredients just don’t understand how real US households function, that it isn’t realistic to expect people to cook food that isn’t mostly can-and-box, defrost-and-feed type food.

I can’t underscore enough how much I not only disagree with this mentality, but how that line of thinking devalues food and the abilities of working America. I grew up in a family of ten, a family that was pay check to pay check on our best months, I’m not naive to what American households face when it comes to limited time and money.

Chicken and Beer Summer Stew2

I also have more faith in America, in food, and the resources we all have access to that can empower people to cook for their families in ways that don’t necessitate can openers and microwaves. The mentality that the best we can do is a jazzed up Hungry Man and a can of apple pie filling in the middle of a pre-made cake is demeaning. We can do better, regardless of budget. Corn is inexpensive, it’s easy to grow herbs in even the windowsill of an apartment, and inexpensive meat like chicken thighs have more flavor than their light meat counterparts. We can buy vegetables in season, when they are the least expensive, and freeze batches for months. We have options and abilities that extent far past what may be expected of us. Some of the best food I’ve ever had was handmade food in the poorest parts of the world, made with simple, inexpensive ingredients. America isn’t old enough to have  a rich culinary history, but it isn’t too late to start building one that doesn’t begin with yelling a food order out of a car window into a metal speaker.

We can do this, I have faith in us.

Chicken and Beer Summer Stew

 

Chicken and Beer Summer Stew

Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 18 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 4 chicken thighs cut into cubes
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 red pepper julienned
  • 2 carrots peeled and sliced into coins
  • 1 shallot minced about 1/4 cup
  • 1 tbs flour
  • 1 cup white ale
  • 1 ear of corn
  • ½ cup shelled English peas
  • 1 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 5 leaves of basil sliced into ribbons
  • 1 loaf crusty Italian bread for serving

Instructions
 

  • Heat olive oil in an enamel cast iron pot or Dutch oven.
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper on chicken cubes.
  • Once the oil is hot but not smoking add the chicken, cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from pot.
  • Add red peppers, carrots and shallots (plus additional oil if the pan is dry), cook until vegetables have started to soften, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
  • Sprinkle with flour, add the beer, scrapping to deglaze the pot, making sure the flour is well combined without lumps.
  • Add the chicken back into the pot along with the corn and peas.
  • Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, cover with the lid at a vent and allow to simmer for ten minutes.
  • Stir in the lemon juice, remove from heat.
  • Stir in the cream, turmeric, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with basil.
  • Serve with bread.

Chicken and Beer Summer Stew5

Join me: FacebookTwitter 

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


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

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 Potato Salad with IPA Mustard Vinaigrette bottle

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

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)

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

Join me: FacebookTwitter

Chocolate Stout Cherry Pie

Chocolate Stout Cherry Pie3

 

This is a baking PSA, a result of an ongoing panic attack I’ve been having since I turned my book into the publisher. I’ve been convinced that most people who attempt to make my Chocolate Stout Cake with Raspberry Chocolate Ganche won’t know there is a difference between weight ounces and fluid ounces, confuse the two and end up with a failure. These things keep me up at night. Because if you make a recipe of mine and it fails, I feel awful, even if the recipe isn’t to blame. Even if you are totaly to blame for the failure, I still feel terrible.

Weight ounces and fluid ounces are not the same thing. In fact, for the most part, they have nothing to do with one another.

Weight ounces measure weight, fluid ounces measure volume. One does not equal the other.

Take a bag of chocolate chips, for example. It will probably list on the package: 12 weight ounces (often abbreviated as just "wt oz"). Pour those chocolate chips into a measuring cups and you’re bound to see it reach about 2 cups, or 16 fluid ounces.

12 weight ounces of chocolate equals about 16 fluid ounces.

Cheese is the same. 8 weight ounces of shredded cheese is about 16 fluid ounces.

Flour is even worse. Most bakers weigh their flour rather than measure it in cups (although most recipes will say cups) but  if you see a baker call for ounces of flour, she probably means weight, not volume. Have I lost you yet?

Generally, 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) of flour is only 4 weight ounces.

Most of the time, the difference is easy to distinguish, and lucky for us, beer is equal when it comes to fluid ounces and weight ounce. 8 fluid ounces of beer equals 8 weight ounces (one less thing to worry about!)

The biggest worry in the cooking and baking world are generally cheese and chocolate. Mostly because they are sold in weight ounces, but recipes vary when it comes to what they call for. Recipes should call for those items in weight ounces, but if you aren’t familiar, and just load up your measuring cup with shredded cheese or chocolate chips and think you’re looking for fluid ounces, you’ll most likely have a recipe disaster on your hands.

The take away:

When you see a recipe calling for ounces: figure out what type of ounces or your recipe may not work.

Thank you for letting me get that off my chest, I feel better. Although I still want to kick the crap out of the a-hole who decided to use the same word for both.

Chocolate Stout Cherry Pie2

And take moment to check out those glorious cherries in the middle of that pie.

Chocolate Stout Cherry Pie

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pie crust
  • 2 3.5 ounce bars 60% chocolate (total 7 weight ounces)
  • 3 tbs unsalted butter cut into cubes.
  • 2 tbs light corn syrup
  • 1/3 cup stout
  • 3 tbs heavy cream
  • 2 1/2 cups pitted dark sweet cherries such as Bing, about 16 wt ounces pitted

For the Whipped Cream

  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbs stout optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Rough out pie dough, transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, trim off excess. Prick several holes in the bottom.
  • Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until a light golden brown. Allow to cool.
  • Break the chocolate into chunks and add to the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water along with the butter, corn syrup and stout. Stir frequently until the chocolate has melted. Add the cream and stir until completely incorporated. Add the cherries, stir until all of the cherries are well coated. Pour into the crust. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours and up to 24.
  • Once the pie has cooled make the whipped cream. Add the heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract (and stout, if using) to a stand mixer. Beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.

Notes

Note about chocolate: you can use up to 70%, but the higher the percentage (which indicates the amount of cocoa in the bar) the more bitter the chocolate, therefore the more bitter the pie. If you use a really low cocoa content, like a 30%, the pie may have a harder time setting up because of the lower cocoa content, and higher milk content. I would stay between 55% and 70%.

Join me: FacebookTwitter

Chocolate Stout Cherry Pie