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Appetizer

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette

 

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette_

I took a conference call yesterday with a research firm that’s spending considerable effort studying the trends of craft beer and food. An honest look at craft beer from an outsider is an interesting pool to swim in. They asked the standard questions, thoughtful and curious, and it almost always turns in the same direction:

"Why craft beer? Why now?"

I can talk about how the locavore spirit and a push towards more thoughtful eating has naturally spilled over into beverages. I can talk about how this new generation of drinkers, those who have come of legal imbibing age in the past five years are those Facebook gernerationists that have grown up in a culture of eco-friendly, culinary aware coolness and craft beer just makes sense to them. But that really isn’t the answer.

Pour the same beverage in a pint glass, but remove the impassioned brewer who’s barley making ends meet but refuses to sacrifice quality, take away the friendly comunal tables, and the tap room jockey that can’t wait to talk about the seasonal release, strip that all away and that pint isn’t the same. Craft beer isn’t just a beverage, it’s a community. It’s a culture that’s grown around a shared fascination of a culinary art, but it’s the culture that’s the big draw. It’s the people. The beer is fantastic, the beer keeps us coming back, but it’s the people that have grown the phenomenon. It’s the fact that craft beer isn’t just something you drink, it’s something you get to live. That’s why beer.

 

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette 2

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ears of corn grilled, kernels cut off
  • 6 wt oz lump crab meat
  • ½ cup tomatoes chopped
  • 1 avocado chopped
  • for the vinaigrette:
  • ¼ cup cilantro packed
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 clove garlic smashed
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tbs lime juice
  • 3 tbs summer ale
  • 3 tbs olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Put the corn kernels, crab, tomatoes, and avocado in a large bowl, set aside.
  • In a food processor add the cilantro, brown sugar, garlic, salt, lime juice and beer, process until well combined. While the food processor is running, slowly add the olive oil in a slow steady stream, blend until smooth.
  • Drizzle the dressing over the salad, toss to combine.

Grilled Corn and Crab Salad with Summer Ale Cilantro Vinaigrette 3

 

 

 

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip: 42 Calories a Serving

 

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip: 42 Calories a Serving

 

It’s seems a cruel twist of fate that beer-drinking-burgers-dogs-dips-eating season and bikini season line up perfectly. The same time that we load our paper plates with baked beans, slow roasted ribs, chips and creamy dips, is the same part of the year that we shed our clothes and romp in the sunshine in our bikini clad bodies.

I’m a strong advocate for both summer time gluttony and semi-nude public frolicking, I refuse to chose between the two. Although I’m also an advocate for flaunting your post-lunch glow in all it’s splendor,  not everyone is quite so brave.

So here we are, bikini/beer/barbecue season in full swing and here I am as the least diet friendly blogger in all of Blogland. Yet, I’m still a girl. A girl who loves beer, has a large collection black bikinis, and not a lot of modesty. I’m trying to find some balance.

Here is my entry for Healthy Appetizer For A Back Yard Party. Although there isn’t a way to strongly argue that beer is healthy, as a replacement for the butter I would normally use to caramelize onions, it’s much lower calories and gives you a great flavor.

Plus you get to say that the healthy dips has beer in it, which is a win.

And it gives you more room for beer in your pint glass.

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip: 42 Calories a Serving

 

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip: 42 Calories a Serving

Servings 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients
  

  • 1 head garlic
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 1 sweet white onion
  • ½ cup porter beer
  • 2 cups Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • ¼ cup chopped chives

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425.
  • Place garlic on a sheet of tin foil, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil. Fold foil tightly around garlic.
  • Bake at 425 until garlic head is soft, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to cool.
  • In a saucepan over medium heat, add the remaining oil and the onions. Cook until onions have started to soften. Add ¼ cup porter beer, cook over medium/low heat until beer has reduced and pan looks dry, about 20 minutes. Repeat with the remaining ¼ cup porter beer.
  • Once the onions are a dark amber color and pan looks dry, remove from heat.
  • Add the Greek yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper and onions to a food processor. Gently squeeze the garlic until the soft cloves protrude. Add the cloves to the food processor, discard the rest of the head. Process until smooth.
  • Chill until ready to serve (dip has the best flavor the day after it’s made).
  • Top with chives prior to serving

Notes

For added flavor (and added calories) and 4 oz cream cheese to the food processor in step 6.

Porter Caramelized Onion Greek Yogurt Dip3

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

 

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts 3

Let’s talk for a second about last meals.

We’ve talk about this before while discussing Julia Childs last meal and how I defiled it with a stout. Many discussions have been had over what entrée and dessert we’d all have if we were afforded the choice. Would it be Grandmas pot roast? Sushi? A burrito from that place you used to go when you were a kid?

The conversation needs to extend to the pint glass, what’s your last beer? If it’s a true last beer, there are a few factors you no longer need to consider: price? Charge it. ABV? Doesn’t matter, hangovers won’t be felt. If it really is your last beer, the last sip you’ll take as an earthly being, you probably wont be rolling the fermented dice on something new, you’ll grab an old favorite, your comfort beer.

What is it? What do you drink? Is it the first beer you fell for, the one that got you into craft beer? Is it one with memories attached to it?

For me, it would be a stout. Probably the first craft beer I feel in love with: Old Rasputin.

But then again, maybe I would surprise myself. I might want one of those fantastic California IPA’s that felt like home for some long. Sculpin, Race 5, Pliny? Who knows, it would be a game time decision.

But one things for sure, if you’re the one flipping the switch, make sure there’s proper glassware; I can’t drink it out of a mason jar.

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts_

 

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup IPA beer
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tbs butter
  • ¼ tsp Sriracha
  • pinch cayenne
  • 2 ½ cups mixed nuts

Instructions
 

  • Add the beer and brown sugar to a large saucepan over medium heat.
  • Stir until sugar has melted.
  • Bring to a boil. Allow to boil untouched for 3 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, stir in butter, Sriracha and cayenne.
  • Add the nuts, stir until all the nuts are well coated.
  • Line a baking sheet with a silpat (or aluminum foil sprayed with cooking spray), spread the nuts in an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake at 350 for 6 minutes, stir bake for an additional 6 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool, break apart.

Beer and Sriracha Candied Nuts 2

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

 

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

Let’s say you and I get into it over pizza. We hash it out over the best pizza we’ve ever had. We talk about Naples, and LA, and both agree that New York beats Chicago, unless you want a casserole, then Chicago pizza will do.

And then I tell you that the best Ray’s pizza in New York is the one at 4th and Houston, to which (if you’re a New Yorker) you recoiler in horror that I’ve chosen said Ray’s instead of one of the 147 other Ray’s in Manhattan.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads 2

We finally just agree to get a beer and pizza and call it a day. Nowhere in our spirited conversation do we mention Seattle. Because the thing about Seattle is that beer is world class, so is the coffee and the produce can’t be beat, but the pizza…

We’ll just talk about the beer and the coffee and the produce and leave talk of the pizza out of it shall we? Similar to a discussion of the best people in the world named Joe wouldn’t include talk of either Buttafuoco or Francis. Let’s just stick to the good stuff.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads 3

Of course I have a theory about this. The same water that makes the beer fantastic and coffee legendary isn’t so kind with the pizza dough. But here is the thing about baking your pizza dough with beer, wherever you go in the world, your dough will be the same.

Water is for the weak, switch to beer and your pizza dough will become the stuff of folklore.

It might even be brought up in the New York vs Chicago debate.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads 4

 

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

Servings 4 (6-inch) flatbreads

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 1/8 tsp rapid rise yeast
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • ½ cup wheat beer or pale ale
  • 2 tbs oil
  • ½ tsp salt

Chicken:

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 1 cup wheat beer or pale ale
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • oil for the grill

Topping:

  • Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ tsp cilantro chopped
  • 2 apricots thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup red onion chopped

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast and sugar. Mix until combined.
  • In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 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 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, cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Form each piece into 6 inch circles.
  • While the dough is rising, make the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl, cover with 1 cup beer. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from beer, rinse and pat dry.
  • Preheat the grill.
  • In a small bowl combine the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin and salt.
  • Sprinkle chicken on all sides with spice mixture.
  • Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  • Remove from grill, slice.
  • Oil the grill (alternately, you can oil the flatbreads). Grill one side of the flatbread until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes, flip and very lightly grill the other side, about 30 seconds, remove from grill. Place the flatbreads on a flat surface with the well grilled side facing up. Top with barbeque sauce, cheese, chicken, sliced apricots, cilantro, and onions. Place back on the grill, close over, cook until cheese has melted.

My recipe for Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce, you have to make it.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads 5

Porter Date Jam Crostini with Prosciutto, Arugula and Goat Cheese

 

Porter Date Jam Crostini with Prosciutto, Arugula and Goat Cheese 2

If there was any doubt about how much I like self-torture, you can defer to this: I’m writing another cookbook.

My first cookbook, The Craft Beer Cookbook took four months and most of my sanity to write. And here I am, doing it again. Maybe it’s the post publisher amnesia, maybe it’s that I had such a great time on the book tour, or maybe it’s that I like self inflicted torment.

Either way I’m nearing the half way point of writing my second cookbook. The topic this time is appetizers and party food. Craft beer lends itself to party food. The community of people that beer draws, and the flavors of the great beer that those craft beer people create just have to be shared. A book about food that’s at the center of a gathering of good beer and great people is therapeutic for me right now. It’s a reminder of the good parts of these lives we live, that the Quality of Life that we all strive for has more to do with who we share it with any other peripheral accessories that the world can offer.

A book about food that’s meant to be shared with people we love, I can’t think of anything I’d rather spend my time creating.

Porter Date Jam Crostini with Prosciutto, Arugula and Goat Cheese 3

Porter Date Jam Crostini with Prosciutto, Arugula and Goat Cheese

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • ½ cup white onions
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup smoked porter
  • ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs molasses not black strap
  • 15 madjool dates about 8 wt oz, pitted and chopped
  • 1 long french baguette
  • 4 wt oz goat cheese crumbled
  • 4 wt oz prosciutto sliced
  • 1/3 cup baby arugula leaves

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft. Stir in the garlic, then the porter, vinegar, molasses and dates.
  • Simmer until the dates have softened and broken down and the beer has reduced, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about ten minutes.
  • Add to a food processor and process until mostly smooth.
  • Preheat broiler. Cut the baguette into 24, 1-inch slices. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler until golden brown. Flip the slices over and place back under the broiler until golden brown on the other side.
  • Spread each slice with porter date jam, top with crumbled goat cheese, prosciutto and arugula.

Porter Date Jam Crostini with Prosciutto, Arugula and Goat Cheese_

Porter Black Bean Dip

I’ve been told that a writer is no greater than the sum of their experiences.

Experiences, those I’ve got, more than most. More than I’ll ever admit to. But are the ones I’ve accumulated the right inlay for the foundation of the life I want? I was never anyones high school sweetheart, but I was the mysterious girl at an Italian hotel. I’m not sure I’ve been anyone’s best friend, but I was the girl drinking beer at Elton Johns birthday party.  I’ve never made cookies with my grandmother but I did learn to make a noodle kugel from a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor. I’ve never been to Disney World, but I’ve taken a taxi ride to feed monkeys in Middle Atlas. I’ll never be the person who works at the same company for 20 years, but I have taught anger management skills to gang members in South Central Los Angeles.

Are these the experiences that I’ll be glad I’ve accumulated? Are they the right ones because they’re more rare? Am I missing out on the beauty of a more traditional life? I’m not sure.

But I know that I have a gypsy soul that likes to wander, and doesn’t gravitate towards convention.

 

Porter Black Bean Dip

Ingredients
  

  • 2 15 wt oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • ½ cup 4 wt oz cream cheese
  • 2/3 cup smoked porter beer
  • ½ cup cilantro plus additional for garnish
  • 3 jalapenos chopped
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • ¼ cup cotija cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor add the beans, cream cheese, porter, cilantro, jalapenos, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and smoked paprika. Process until smooth.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour into a serving bowl, top with cotija cheese and cilantro.
  • Can be served warm or at room temperature.

Garlic Herb Beer Butter Roasted Potatoes

Garlic Herb Beer Butter Roasted Potatoes_ Cowboys and brewers aren’t that different.

I grew up on a farm, surrounded by cowboys and farms and it didn’t take long to notice how different their "job"  was from those 9 to 5’s that other people had. There were no days off, and this had nothing to do with the fact that ranches and farms never shut down, it was because you can’t keep a cowboy away. Give him a day off and he’ll still be there, boots laced up at dawn, hat pulled on as he heads out the door, driving a truck through the fields.

Give a brewer a day off and his brain will still be there. He’ll write down notes about what he wants to brew next, try to solve the problems with his last batch, wonder how the fermentation is going on what he’s brewing now, briefly considering going in to check. You can’t take the brewery out of the brewer.

Garlic Herb Beer Butter Roasted Potatoes 3

Maybe that’s what life is about. Finding a job you’d do on your off time, finding a way to earn a paycheck from your obsessions. Even if that paycheck is smaller than the one you get from that job that you can’t wait to leave when the clock hits 5:00. Maybe it just comes down to a quality of life issues. The best advice I got in grad school was "Never get paid to do a job that you wouldn’t do for free."

Maybe it isn’t the doctors and CEO’s we should be jealous of, maybe it’s really the brewers and the cowboys that really have it all figured out.

Garlic Herb Beer Butter Roasted Potatoes 2

Garlic Herb Beer Butter Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs baby red potatoes cut into quarters
  • 6 tbs unsalted butter
  • 1/4 cup brown ale
  • 2 large clove garlic grated with micropalne
  • 1 tbs chopped fresh basil minced
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme minced
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary minced
  • ½ tsp flakey sea salt smoked Maldon salt preferred

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425.
  • In a pot over medium high heat melt the butter. Stir in the beer and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
  • Stir in about half the herbs, reserve the other half.
  • Place the potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish, drizzle with butter, toss to coat.
  • Roast at 425 for ten minutes, stir, then continue cooking until fork tender, about another ten minutes.
  • Remove potatoes with a slotted spoon and add to a serving dish.
  • Sprinkle with remaining herbs and salt.

 

Creamy White Bean Beer Cheese Dip

Creamy White Bean Beer Cheese Dip 2

Let’s talk for a few minutes about why this is such a great idea.

First, you can add beer. And the ability to add beer is always a plus. And let’s be honest, being able to pump out a beer infused dip in just a few minutes without turning on your oven is always a skill we want to have in our appetizer arsenal. Did I mention that you can add beer? It’s not just for you, but for those rowdy beer friends of yours. The ones that show up at the last minute and demand to be fed, you know that guy, we all know that guy. Let’s just hope that next time he shows up at your house and you’re nice enough to throw this dip together for him, he’s at least nice enough to bring some beer. And for all your "hard work" the least he can do is bring you the good stuff, because you deserve it. After all you did take five entire minutes to make him a beer infused homemade dip.

Creamy White Bean Beer Cheese Dip 4

Creamy White Bean Beer Cheese Dip

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
  • 1 large clove garlic smashed
  • 1 wt oz fresh grated parmesan about 1/3 cup
  • 2 wt oz 1/4 cup cream cheese
  • ¼ cup IPA
  • 1 15 wt oz can Great Northern beans
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Add all ingredients to a food processor, process until smooth, about 4 to 6 minutes.
  • Add to a serving bowl.
  • Serve with chips, bread or crudités.

Creamy White Bean Beer Cheese Dip 3

Stout Meatballs with Beer Barbecue Sauce Glaze

Stout Meatballs with Beer Barbeque Sauce Glaze_

 

It’s hard to find anyone who grew up in America that doesn’t have childhood memories of meatballs. And in the grand tradition of our great country, we stole these from someone else, and no one can agree how they are really supposed to be made.

They can be in a sandwich, over pasta, by themselves, with rice, with cheese, spicy, herby, pork, or beef. But there are some things to keep in mind when making these savory little balls of meat, regardless of how you want them to taste.

First, the less you handle the meat the better, overworked meat gets tough and mealy. Second, add some flavor. Spice, or herbs or cheese, these big bites of meat need a kick. Feel free to experiment.

Stout Meatballs with Beer Barbeque Sauce Glaze 2

Lastly, if you want them to be round there are a few things you can do:

Make sure the meatballs are really cold before cooking, they’ll hold their shape better.

Boiling them in sauce or liquid will help them stay round but rob them of the nice caramelization that pan frying can give. a combination of cooking methods works best if you want both a nice caramelization as well as a nice shape. But err on the side of flavor, taste always wins over glamour.

Last, don’t be afraid to make them your own. These guys lend themselves to adventure, from chorizo mole meatballs to Bree cheese stuffed meatballs with cherry shallot sauce, these culinary gypsies can go where you send them.

And of course, they like beer. So they can stay for dinner.

For this recipe I used a Pacific Northwest treat, Ninkasi Oatis. A beautiful, creamy oatmeal stout that’s really easy to find now that I live in the Emerald City.

Stout Meatballs with Beer Barbeque Sauce Glaze 3

 

Stout Meatballs with Beer Barbeque Sauce Glaze

Ingredients
  

For the meatballs:

  • 1 lb ground chuck or a combination or ground pork and ground beef
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ¼ tsp cumin
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup breadcrumbs
  • ¼ cup stout beer

For the sauce:

  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tbs tomato paste
  • 1 ½ tsp Sriracha red chili sauce
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 cup stout
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl add all the meatball ingredients (except the 1 tablespoon oil), stir until just combined (about two of three turns with your hands). Over handling the meat will make it tough and mealy.
  • Place bowl in the fridge for 1 hour and up to 1 day (this will help keep it’s shape during cooking.
  • While meat is chilling make the sauce.
  • Add the olive oil to a pot over medium high heat, add that garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, simmer until thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • Using a cookie scoop, make balls just smaller than a golf ball with the chilled meat. Place on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Cook for 12 minutes.
  • Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add the meat balls, pull the skillet back and forth over the burner to roll the meat balls around in the pan. Cook until meatballs are just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat and add the barbeque sauce, cooking at a simmer until meatballs are glazed and sauce is very thick.
  • Remove meatballs, add toothpicks to serve.

 

Grilled Beer Soaked Rosemary Potatoes (with a grill or without)

Grilled Beer Soaked Rosemary Potatoes 5

I’m not crazy. There is an actually practical reason to soak your potatoes in a beer brine before they hit the grill.  Potatoes are mostly water, held in by the starch. Using the water extracting powder of salt you can help remove the water and give your potatoes a crispier outside with a creamy middle while cooking.

And let’s talk about that cooking. For well over a year I’ve been taunting you with grill recipes, like grilled Beer & Buttermilk Sriracha Chicken, and Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter, but what if you don’t have a grill? First, you should buy one, but if you can’t swing it, a grill pan is a great alternative. I went nearly two years without a grill and I used my grill pan weekly as a substitute.

Because no matter what life throws your way, there is something about grilled food and cold beer that makes it seem like all is right in the world again.

Grilled Beer Soaked Rosemary Potatoes 2

 

Grilled Beer Soaked Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 1 tbs kosher or sea salt
  • 2 lbs russet potatoes sliced into ¼ inch rounds
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl stir together the salt and beer. Add the potato rounds and add enough water until potatoes are fully covered.
  • Chill for at least 2 hours and up to 12.
  • Remove from the brine and allow to dry completely on a stack of paper towels.
  • Add the potatoes to a bowl or baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with spices, toss until well coated.
  • Preheat the grill (or a grill pan) to medium high.
  • Place the potatoes on the grill (working in batches if necessary), until grill marks appear, about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook until fork tender, about 3 additional minutes.

Grilled Beer Soaked Rosemary Potatoes 4

Yogurt and Beer Marinated Chicken Skewers

 

Yogurt and Beer Marinated Chicken Skewers 2

I’ve decided that the grill is officially open. Regardless of the weather, regardless of the time constraints, regardless of the lack of Meats on Sticks occasions in my near future. The grill needs to be open. Maybe it’s the catastrophic levels of stress in my life right now, maybe it’s my severe vitamin D deficiency since leaving Southern California, or maybe the grill should never be closed at all.

There’s a therapeutic quality to the first grilled food of the season. That delicious char you’d almost forgotten about. Cooking in the great wide open with sun on your face, beer in one hand, ridiculously oversized tongs in the other. And the realization that winter has passed. It all adds up to one of the most satisfying meals of the year.

Although I am considering not closing the grill at all next winter, but I’ll report back to you once the snow hits.

Yogurt and Beer Marinated Chicken Skewers_

Yogurt and Beer Marinated Chicken Skewers

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup pale ale
  • 1 tsp dried crushed red peppers
  • 1 ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika or 1 tsp sweet and ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tbs tomato paste
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 large garlic cloves grated with a microplane
  • 2 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs or breast, cut into cubes
  • vegetable oil for the grill
  • 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl stir together the yogurt, beer, red pepper, paprika, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the chicken cubes, stir until fully submerged and coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24.
  • Preheat grill to medium high.
  • Remove chicken from marinate and thread onto metal skewers (or presoaked wood skewers), discard marinade.
  • Brush the grill with oil to prevent sticking.
  • Grill the chicken skewers on each side until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
  • Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving, if desired.

 

Yogurt and Beer Marinated Chicken Skewers 3

Porter Caramelized Onion Flatbreads with Smoked Gouda and Roasted Tomatoes

Porter Caramelized Flatbreads with Smoked Gouda and Roasted Tomatoes_

A few years ago I decided that I need unbiased proof that I was actually good at this recipe development thing. That my recipes were good, not because the photos were pretty, or because they sounded good, or because some guy on twitter said he wanted to marry me.

But that an unbiased panel of experts thought they were good.

My solution to my self-esteem crisis was to enter recipe contests. The second one I entered was a chicken cook-off. Of course I choose chicken thights, and added a chipotle béarnaise and a few months later I got a call: I was in the finals. The unbiased panel of experts had chosen my recipe, along with 4 others, out of thousands of recipes that were submitted as the best that were entered. A few weeks later they shipped me off to San Diego to compete in a Chicken Challenge that ended with a giant foam core check with my name on it. I’d won.

Of course the $1000 check and trip to San Diego was a great prize, but the real trophy was the validation that I was actually good at this thing I want to dedicate my life to. At a post Winner Winner Chicken Dinner press conference I’d asked one of the chefs who had been a part of the original selection process what he looked for in a recipe, clearly he didn’t make all thousand submitted recipes.

He told me that all great entree recipes have these elements: fat, acid, protein, and a fresh herb. That’s what he looked for. Maybe that’s why I always reach from something green to sprinkle on top of the entrees I make.

Although he didn’t say anything about beer. Maybe he should re think his strategy.

Porter Caramelized Flatbreads with Smoked Gouda and Roasted Tomatoes 2

Porter Caramelized Onion Flatbreads with Smoked Gouda and Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients
  

For the Crust:

  • 1 ¾ cups flour
  • 1 envelope yeast
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • ½ tsp garlic salt
  • 2/3 cup malty beer brown ale, beligan ale, etc

For the Onions:

  • 2 tbs unsalted butter
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 2 sweet white onions sliced
  • pinch salt
  • pinch white sugar
  • 1 cup porter beer

For the Toppings:

  • 4 wt oz smoked gouda cheese sliced
  • 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 2 tbs flat leaf parsley chopped

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar and garlic salt. 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 until most of the flour has been moistened.
  • 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 (while the dough rises, start the onions).
  • Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, cut into 6 equal sized pieces.
  • One at a time form the dough into 6 inch circles. Place on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
  • While the dough is rising, make the onions. In a saucepan or Dutch oven melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and sugar, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add beer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beer has mostly evaporated and turned to a glaze about 20 minutes. Make sure to keep the heat low or the onions will burn before they caramelize.
  • Preheat the oven to 400.
  • Add the tomatoes to a small bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, set aside.
  • Top the 6 flatbreads with slices of Gouda, then add about ¼ cup of caramelized onions, then tomatoes.
  • Brush exposed crust with olive oil.
  • Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until crust has turned golden brown.
  • Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

 

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

Roasted Asparagus with Beer Béarnaise Sauce

Roasted Asparagus with Beer Bernaise 3

I’m living in a maze of boxes that seem to push up from the ground like stalagmites in a mid century modern cave. The move is just a week away, starting with a meandering drive up Highway 1 with my fat lazy bulldog. And still, it doesn’t seem real. The 78 degree days, don’t feel like the last open-the-back-door-bare-feet-outside kind of weekend for a while.

I keep forgetting that those restaurant I’ve been meaning to go to won’t be eaten at and the friends I haven’t seen in a while probably won’t be seen again.

It doesn’t quite feel like I’ll be calling Seattle home in just a handful of days. That the amazing restaurants and breweries I’ve only heard about will be my new haunts.  That those incredible oyster bars will be down the street and that I’ll be able to grab a quick drink with the friends I’ve accumulated up in the Pacific Northwest.

It still feels like I’m caught in a bit of an undertow and I’m not sure what the view will be like once I come up for air. But I do know that although I’m leaving the best produce state in the nation (California grows half of all the produce grown in the USA), I am going to a state that has an incredible amount to offer when it comes to food. Asparagus will probably become an obsession once I’m in the state that grows it best.

Asparagus, oysters, beer. I’m pretty sure I can handle the rain with a good beer and some great food.

Roasted Asparagus with Beer Bernaise 2

Roasted Asparagus with Beer Béarnaise Sauce

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lbs asparagus washed and dried
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • ½ tsp kosher or sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ cup pale ale
  • 2 tbs white wine vinegar
  • 1 tbs chopped shallots
  • 2 tbs tarragon
  • 1 tbs chervil
  • 3 egg yolks
  • ½ cup unsalted butter

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425.
  • Cut off the bottom 1 to 2 inches of asparagus (the tough woody ends).
  • Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat.
  • Roast for 8-10 minutes (longer for asparagus that’s very thick).
  • While the asparagus is cooking, start making the sauce.
  • In a pan over medium high heat, add the beer, vinegar, shallots, tarragon and chervil. Cook until reduced by about half.
  • Put the beer mixture in a blender with the egg yolks, blend on high for three minutes.
  • Heat the butter until very hot and steamy. Remove the cap from the blenders top. While the blender is running, slowly add the butter in a slow steady stream. Continue to blend on high for 2 more minutes. Sauce should resemble slightly thin mayonnaise. Plate the asparagus, pour desired amount of sauce over just before servings, or serve sauce alone side.

I start my drive up the West Coast in just one week.  Join me, it’s going to be a big move and a big adventure. I’d love to have you along for the ride.

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Roasted Asparagus with Beer Bernaise_

Goat Cheese Crostini with Beer Pickled Jalapenos and Mangos

 

Goat Cheese Crostini with Beer Pickled Jalapenos and Mangos

I told you about the time I almost died in Morocco, and the time I was in Dublin without a place to stay during St. Patricks day, but what about the time I was stuck in the drug smuggling capitol of Spain?

(As an aside, it bears mentioning that I apparently did little with my early 20’s other than accumulate ridiculous travel stories and the debt that goes along with them.  There are worse things.) 

I was on my way back from Fez, Morocco, a terrifying and beautiful experience, clutching the second half of my round trip ticket between Tarifa, Spain and Tangier, Morocco. The sun was setting over the port and I was shivering under a red fleece travel blanket with my sister, desperate to get back to Spain and still jittery from a 7-hour bus ride through the wild country side of Morocco.

And then a large white ferry boat appeared with the words TANGIER TO TARIFA 30 MINUTES painted on the side pulling into the dock in front of me. Handing my ticket to the port official, and a quick chat with him about how thrilled I was to get back to the charming Spanish town of Tarifa, walking on to that boat felt like I was being salvaged from a scrap yard.

The 30-minute ride turned into 45-minutes and then an hour. Slowly, as the time change pushed us past midnight, the TANGIER TO TARIFA boat started to pull into a port that looked nothing like the quaint Spanish town I remembered. As my sister and I met each other with puzzled looks, we heard an announcement over the crackling loudspeaker.

First in Arabic, then in Spanish, then in English, it ended with, "…Welcome to Algeciras."

It was past midnight, I’d just left a country that almost killed me twice and I had no idea where I was. My sister and I locked eyes, and burst out laughing. It was hilarious, mostly because of sleep deprivation, that I had no idea where I was but at least I probably wouldn’t be killed by a mob of young Moroccan men.

We both pull out our respective guide books.  Hers had one sentence about our new destination, "The best thing to do in Algeciras is to leave."

Mine was a bit more diplomatic, "Be careful while in Algeciras, it’s the drug smuggling capital of Spain, avoid this spot if possible. If you find yourself here, leave as quickly as you can."

Both of these commentaries on our new local added to the hilarity of our situation. We probably should have been panicked, or upset, or at the very least concerned, we were delightfully amused.

After an overly concerned inspection agent ravaged my backpack, even sniffed my shampoo bottles, I was through customs about the time the clock hit 1 am. The guide books were no help, the Algeciras chapters might as well have just said YOU’RE SCREWED on every page, we decided to wander the streets until we found a hotel or hostel that looked like we probably won’t need IV antibiotics after a nights stay.

The least terrifying place we could find apparently figured us for American drug dealers, we must have had that  Brokedown Palace look, and questioned us for twenty minutes. "Why are you in this town? Why so late? Show the passports. Open your bags."

We finally had a room. Two beds, four walls, one door and a window. Sanctuary.

After double checking the locks and climbing into the uncomfortable bed, I found sleep quicker than I ever had before or since.

The next morning I was determined to follow the advice of those who had gone before me. I wanted to leave as quickly as possible, I loved Spain and wanted to see more of it, more of the places that would imbed themselves in my soul. On the way towards the exit, the hostel looked really beautiful and peaceful by the early morning light. Before I left I found a small breakfast set out for the weary travelers. Bread, cheese and fruit. It felt perfect. It was exactly what I needed to feel renewed, like I could take on another day of uncertainty and road travel. It made me glad I was in a strange town with a strange story to tell.

Something about the right combination of good bread, cheese and fruit that makes you feel whole.

Goat Cheese Crostini with Beer Pickled Jalapenos and Mangos

Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 16 -18 crostinis

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup pale ale beer
  • 2 tbs sugar
  • 1 tbs salt
  • 2 ice cubes about 2-3 tbs water
  • 2 large jalapenos thinly sliced*
  • 1 large mango peeled and sliced julienne
  • 1 sour dough baguette sliced
  • 4 wt oz Chevre goat cheese
  • 3 tbs raw honey
  • 2 tsp smoked maldon salt

Instructions
 

  • In a pot over medium high heat add the vinegar, beer, sugar and salt. Stir until the sugar and salt have dissolved, remove from heat.
  • Add the ice cubes and stir until melted and the liquid has reached about room temperature.
  • Add the jalapenos and mangos to a small bowl (use separate bowls if you want the mangos not to be spicy, if you pickled them together the mangos will also have heat), pour the liquid over the jalapenos and mangos, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
  • Preheat the broiler on your oven.
  • Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Place under the broiler until lightly golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the slices over and place back under the broiler until browned, about an additional 2 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  • Spread each slice with goat cheese.
  • Drain the jalapenos and mangos.
  • Add two to three slices of mangos and jalapenos to each bread slice.
  • Drizzle generously with honey then sprinkle with smoked salt.

Notes

It's impossible to tell how hot a pepper will be. If you are worried about the heat level, remove the seeds. Most of the heat in a pepper is contained in the seeds and seed membrane in the middle of the pepper. Removing all or some of the seeds and membrane will give you an ability to control the heat.

Goat Cheese Crostini with Beer Pickled Jalapenos and Mangos3

Chili Lime Beer Chicken

Chili Lime Beer Chicken Wings 4

Girls are beasts.

I played Powder Puff Football in college in the free safety position, all 115 lbs of me, and saw up close and personal the kind of rule breaking brutality one girl can throw at another. Maybe it’s years of being told to sit up straight and act like a good girl, but once you strap on that waist belt of tear away flags and throw a football in the mix girls unleash a lifetime of pent up frustrations. I saw elbows to the face, cleats to the shins and pony tail pulls to the ground. None of that was me, other than one full contact body shove in the end zone, I played pretty fair. Sure that girl cried, but if you can’t handle the heat, get off the field.

The greatest part about my season of savage girl on girl football was that I now completely understand the game, which makes watching it so much more enjoyable. I’m also able to explain it in "girl language" to those ladies who missed out on being body checked by the pissed off Freshman ("downs are like chances").  Which other than the chicken wings I’ve made, is what I can bring to the Football Watching Parties I’m invited to.

And as much as I love to watch my team rattle the stadium so loudly the crowd registers on the Richter scale (raise your hand if you know who I’m talking about), I love the food that football watching requires.

This  weekend, and the very exciting game that will be happening on Sunday, will necessitate this Beer and Buttermilk Fried Chicken, probably this dip, and I’m using it as an excuse to make these Beer Doughnuts again. Because even if wrong team wins, at least I’ll have fried chicken and doughnuts. I’ll just have to find someone to body check to make myself feel better.

 

Chili Lime Beer Chicken Wings 5

Chili Lime Beer Chicken

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 3 tbs tomato paste
  • 3 tbs fresh lime juice
  • 1 tbs chili powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbs honey
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 2 tsp red chili sauce such as Sriracha
  • 2 lbs chicken wings

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl whisk together the beer, tomato paste, lime juice, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, honey, soy sauce and red chili sauce.
  • Add the chicken, stir to coat, cover and refrigerate for 3 hours and up to over night.
  • Place the oven rack at the top 1/3 of the oven. Preheat oven to 400.
  • Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly spray with cooking spray. Remove chicken from marinade, add to prepared baking sheet.
  • Add the marinade to a pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently until thickened and reduced, about 8 minutes.
  • Brush chicken on all sides with thickened marinade.
  • Bake for ten minutes, brush with marinade, repeat until chicken is cooked through, brushing with marinade and turning every ten minutes. Chicken will take 30-40 minutes to cook.

Chili Lime Beer Chicken Wings 3

Beer Soaked Oven Fries

Beer Soaked Oven Fries

People have irrational culinary fears, I get it. Some people avoid recipes using yeast like they are circus clowns in a dark alley. Some people can’t wrap their brains around the idea of plunging food into hot oil without a spotter. I have an irrational fear of mall Santas so I get it, there are just some things we tend to avoid.

Although I assure you, you’d be just fine if you wanted to fry these suckers in hot oil. I also assure you that if you bought a deep fryer your football parties will never be the same. But if you aren’t there yet, I get it.

I spent most of the summer cooking everything I ate on my backyard grill, taunting the grill-less into Sad Face reactions. One of my go-to sides was grilled french fries. I cut them large enough as not to slip through the grates and I learned that soaking them in a salt brine gave you that creamy middle and crispy outside that you really want in your french fries.

Now that most the grills in America are covered in the unsavory film of winter, I’ve switched to the oven method. The salt water soak is still the way to go when you want that creamy/crispy combo, and letting the baking sheet heat up in the oven will give you more of that golden brown outside that you’d get from that scary vat of hot oil.

Although I do promise that if you do decide to deep fry your potatoes, you’ll be fine. It’s not that scary, not like, say a grown man in a red suit that lurks near a Hollister.

Beer Soaked Oven Fries3

Beer Soaked Oven Fries

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs russet potatoes
  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 1 tbs kosher salt
  • water
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp sugar

Instructions
 

  • Cut the potatoes into ½ inch strips.
  • In a large bowl add the beer and 1 tbs kosher salt. Add the potatoes to the beer, add just enough water that the potatoes are fully submerged, about 1 to 2 cups.
  • Cover and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 12.
  • Move the oven rack to the top 1/3 of the oven, place a rimed metal baking sheet on the rack. Preheat oven to 425.
  • Drain the potatoes and rinse well. Place on a stack of paper towels and pat dry. Add to a large bowl, drizzle with canola oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, sea salt, black pepper and sugar. Toss until well coated.
  • Pour the potatoes onto the baking sheet in an even layer.
  • Bake for 20 minutes. Turn with a spatula and bake until golden brown, an additional 15-20 minutes.

Beer Soaked Oven Fries2

Beer and Bacon Dip

Beer and Bacon DipBeer and Bacon Dip

This is a cheap ploy.

Using both beer and bacon in a dip to get your attention. It’s like a video of Christopher Walken volunteering as Tribute, or a list of The Things You HAVE to Know By The Time You’re 30, or those UpWorthy videos that Facebook always tells you are a Must Watch. You can’t look away.

Beer and Bacon Dip3

But it’s the food version of those things and you won’t be able to stop eating it until you run out of chips, and briefly contemplate using your fingers. But you shouldn’t, apparently, that’s tacky.

Beer and Bacon Dip4

Beer and Bacon Dip

Servings 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 16 wt oz cream cheese full fat
  • 1/2 cup sour cream full fat
  • 5 wt oz shredded mozzarella about 1 2/3 cups
  • 2 wt oz shredded cheddar
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tbs cornstarch
  • ¾ cup IPA or Pale Ale Beer
  • 8 slices bacon cooked and chopped

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Add the cream cheese, sour cream, mozzarella, cheddar, smoked paprika, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, cornstarch and beer to a food processor. Process on high until smooth and well combined, about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in most of the copped bacon, reserving about 2 tablespoons.
  • Pour the dip into an oven safe bowl top with reserved bacon.
  • Bake at 350 until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Serve warm.

Notes

If the dip is "fluffy" out of the oven, just stir before serving.