Skip to main content

cooking with craft beer

Triple Berry Blueberry Beer Cobbler

04.10.2012 18 Comments

You inspire me. You really do. One of my favorite moments of my day is reading emails from you, those of you who read my blog and like what I’m doing.

And sometimes,the emails have a common theme. A thread that runs through out the world, across the internet, and remind me of how we are all connected, in one way or another, and more similar than we all think.

In the past month I’ve received four emails from all over the world about blueberry beer. Not so much along the avenue of, "I love this, you MUST try it!" but more in the vein of, "This is interesting, but not totally drinkable, what do I do with it?"

And to be honest, I feel the same way. At a beer event six months ago, an overly zealous beer server shoved a glass of Shipyards Smashed Blueberry into my hand. And, as one who will never let a beer go untasted, I began to drink. It was interesting. The presence of blueberry with bready, toasty notes that where really well balanced. It wanted to love it, but it just wasn’t for me. It’s a great example of a blueberry beer, one that you should go out and drink, if fruit beers are your thing, but just not for me. Even still, it stayed with me, because in my world there is a different place for cooking beers. And this was a great cooking beer. One that I believe in, in theory, a well crafted beer with great flavors, but one that I wasn’t eager to run home and drink.

So here we are, me and you, with blueberry beers that we find interesting but not necessarily ones we want to fill our glasses with.

So here is what I propose: an easy berry cobbler made with this intriguing beer. And here are some great ones to go out and try:

SLO Brewing Blueberry

Dark Horse Tres Blueberry Beer

Bluepoint Blueberry Ale

Shipyard Smashed Blueberry

Triple Berry Blueberry Beer Cobbler

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Six cups of berries I used 2 cups each blackberries, strawberrries, and blueberries Frozen is fine
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar plus 2 tbs divided
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs corn starch
  • 1 1/2 cups blueberry beer
  • 2 cups cake flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 12 tbs butter 1 1/2 sticks cut into small cubes
  • 1/2 cup beer
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs beer

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 450.
  • In a pot over medium high heat, add 4 cups berries (reserve 2 cups mixed berries for the end), 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, corn starch and beer. Allow to simmer until reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, add reserved 2 cups of berries, stir to combine. Add to a deep dish pie pan.
  • In a bowl, add 2 tbs brown sugar, flour, baking powder, salt and stir to combine.
  • Add the butter, rub into the flour until well combined and resembles course meal.
  • Add the milk and 1/2 cup beer, stir until combined.
  • Gently add the flour topping, a bit at a time, to the pie pan until the berries are covered.
  • Bake at 450 until the topping has turned a light golden brown, about 18 minutes.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 2 tbs beer. Whip on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.
  • Serve the cobbler topped with whipped cream.

 

Beer Braised Chicken and Hefeweizen Cornmeal Dumpling Soup

02.10.2012 6 Comments

Although most of you are starting to pull out those wool sweaters you neatly packed away a few months ago, here in Los Angeles we are in the throws of a record heat wave that drug us into 108 degree heat yesterday. While most of the sane people of LA stayed indoors and avoided the oven, I spent the morning interviewing ex-cons turn foodies, and then came home and made soup.

Like i’ve mentioned before, my inherent rebellion pushes me to buck tradition and even reason. I drink stouts in the summer, eat ice cream in the winter and make soup in triple digit heat.

Beer Braised Chicken and Hefeweizen Cornmeal Dumpling Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For The Soup

  • 4 tbs butter
  • 4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets cup into bite sized peices
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup white onions chopped
  • 1/2 cup celery chopped
  • 1/2 cup carrots chopped
  • 1 cup sweet white corn kernels fresh is best, frozen is acceptable, canned is disgusting
  • 2 cups Hefeweizen Beer
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 tbs flour
  • 1/4 cup cream

For The Dumplings

  • 1/2 cup Masa Harina corn flour used to make corn tortillas
  • 1/2 cup fine ground corn meal
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 tbs butter cut into small cubes
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup Hefeweizen beer

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot with a lid, like a dutch oven or enamel cast iron pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until seared on all sides, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, onions, celery, carrots and corn, stir. Add the beer and broth, stir. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the pot and whisk until combined. Remove from heat and slowly add the cream while stiring. Return to medium/low heat.
  • In a large bowl, add the masa, cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and rosemary, stir to combine. Add the butter and rub into the flour with your fingers until completely combined.
  • Add the milk and hefeweizen and stir until combined. You don't want the dough too thin or it will fall apart during cooking, you want a biscuit like consistency.
  • Drop mounds of dough, about 3 tbs in size, equally spaced on top of the pot until all dough has been used. Cover the pot and cook on low heat until the tops of the dumplings are dry, about 15 to 20 minutes.

 

Pumpkin Ale Waffles & How To Roast A Pumpkin

25.09.2012 33 Comments

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

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

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

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

Preheat oven to 375.

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

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

Scoop the seeds out with a spoon.

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

 Allow to cool and sccop the flesh out.

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

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

Pumpkin Ale Waffles

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

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

(Makes 6 to 8)

    Instructions
     

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

     

     

    The Dirty Girl Scout: Chocolate Mint Beer Float

    19.09.2012 18 Comments

     

    This isn’t a recipe. Not really, it’s more like assembly instructions for how to make a float that tastes like a Girl Scout Thin Mint, but with beer.

    Boozy, chocolatey, minty.

    But there really isn’t a recipe involved. Add more ice cream if that’s what you like. Add more beer, if that suits you.

    I used my homemade Chocolate Mint Stout Ice Cream & a lot of Bison Chocolate Stout.

    It tastes like beer. In case you were hoping for one of those overly sweet concoctions they sell at diners.

    But, more or less, this is how you do it:

     

    Step one:

    Add a few scoops of chocolate mint ice cream to the bottom of a mug.

     

    Grab some beer, chocolate stout is preferable.

    Pour beer over ice cream.

     

    Enjoy.

     


    Chocolate Mint Stout Ice Cream

    18.09.2012 25 Comments

    There are two ways to look at this.

    It’s either the summer death rattle manifesting itself in an ice cream during the first week of fall, or it’s the nexus of the best of summer treats and the best of fall beers joining forces at the perfect moment.

    For this, I used Bison Chocolate Stout. Rich, dark and beautiful. Although I did try and hold out for the Stone Chocolate Mint Stout that I’ve been teased with for months now, I may have to give this recipe another try when the red tape is lifted and the world is able to indulge in that.

    I also used Green & Blacks Mint Dark Chocolate, adding a smooth peppermint flavor.

    Resulting in a rich, smooth ice cream that’s like a Girl Scout Thin Mint, but with beer. And, that’s really what those cookies need: beer.

     

     

    Chocolate Mint Stout Ice Cream

    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups whole milk
    • 3 fresh mint leaves
    • 1 cup heavy cream
    • 1 cup chocolate stout or chocolate mint stout
    • 7 ounces of 60% dark chocolate with peppermint oil such as Dark Chocolate Mint from Green & Blacks, broken into chunks
    • 4 egg yolks
    • 1 1/4 cup white sugar

    Instructions
     

    • In a pot over medium high heat, add the cream, milk, mint leaves cream and stout. Bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from heat, remove and discard mint leaves, and stir in the chocolate until melted.
    • In a separate bowl, add the egg yolks and the sugar, whisk until well combined. Slowly add the chocolate milk, whisking continually, until about 1/2 the mixture has been added to the egg yolks. Add the egg yolk mixture back into pot, whisk until well combined. Return pot to heat and bring to a mild simmer.
    • Refrigerator until chilled, about 3 hours.
    • Churn in ice cream maker according to manufactures directions. Chill until firm.

     

     

     

    Green & Blacks provided me with a sample of chocolates used in this post. I was not monetarily compensated for this recipe. All thoughts, opinions and ideas are my own. 

    Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

    13.09.2012 24 Comments

     

    When it seems like your entire life revolves around a food blog, small things make you really excited.

    Like making homemade tortillas with beer and realizing how much better they are than any other tortilla you’ve ever had.

    Or getting a shout out from The Cooking Channel as if they knew just how to fuel your obsession with them.

    Or realizing that because Foster Farms is willing to fly you into Napa a few days early for the National Cook-Off Finals, you get to visit the following breweries: Laguanitas, Russian River, and Bear Republic.

    And then your Aunt tells you that your Grandma and Guy Fieri’s Grandma where roommates in college, which sounds like a Mad Lib, but turns out to be true.

    Small wins that make me so excited, you’d think I won a Beer Cooking Oscar. This is what keeps us playing the Man Behind the Curtain on these little blogs we are so dedicated to. Bloggers are easily excitable, which maybe why we spend so much time on the other side of these computer. Sometimes our excitement isn’t fit for public consumption.

    Back to these tortillas. Homemade tortillas are a completely different animal from those cardboard disks they sell in supermarkets. Soft, slightly sweet, and they only take 5 minutes to make. To use a beer analogy fit for an SAT exam:

    Coors Light is to Pliny as Store Bought Tortillas are to Homemade Tortillas

    I’m not kidding, that much different. If you don’t believe me, and really, why should you, I’m just the overly excited girl behind the screen, try it and report back. I really think you’ll be amazed.

    For this recipe, I used Lagunaitas IPA. And like I’ve mentioned before, IPA’s give you a huge punch of beer flavor. If you want a milder beer flavor, grab a traditional Pale Ale, a Blonde or a Wheat Beer.

     

     

    Beer Braised Chicken Tacos with Beer Corn Tortillas

    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    For the Tortillas

    • 2 cup Masa
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 1 1/4 cup room temperature beer
    • 2 Tbs melted butter or olive oil

    For the Chicken

    • 4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
    • 1 tsp garlic powder
    • 1 tsp black pepper
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp chili powder
    • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
    • 2 tbs olive oil
    • 1 cup beer

    Recommended Garnishes

    • 1/4 cup chopped onion
    • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
    • 1 avocado chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Chop Chicken thighs into small, bite sized pieces. In a bowl, place all spices and mix well. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.
    • Heat olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the pieces and sear quickly. Reduce heat, add beer, cover and cook until cooked through, about 10 to 15 minutes.
    • In a large bowl, add the Masa and the salt, stir to combine.
    • Add the beer and butter, stir to combine. If the dough is too dry to hold together, add additional beer or water. If it is too wet, add more Masa.
    • Form into balls a bit larger than golf balls.
    • Prepare a tortillas press by wrapping in plastic wrap or covering with parchment paper (you can place tortilla ball between two sheets of parchment and use a rolling pin). Place one ball in the center.
    • Press, rotate and press again until thin.
    • Heat a griddle (or cast iron skillet) to a medium high heat (about 350 for electric griddles).
    • Cook until slightly brown on the bottom (about 30 seconds to a minute) flip and cook on the other side. Don’t overcook.
    • Fill tortillas with chicken, garnish and serve.

     

     

    Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

    11.09.2012 35 Comments

     

    I have a confession to make. Before starting this blog, I tried to make beer cheese soup and failed. I was baffled, at first, but figured out that a combination of my lack of patience (manifesting itself in my cheese dumping rather than slow adding) and a furious boil, resulted in a sloppy mess.

    Second confession of the day (just call yourself a priest, and I’ll say a few Hail Mary’s on my way out) is that even though I love this recipe, I think I may love the photos more. Because right after I took them I was reminded via ping of my first post and how on their best day, those photos are hideously below average. I’ve worked really hard to bring my photography up to an acceptable standard and these photos reminded me of how my work is paying off.

    Third confession, I won a state-wide Cook-Off on Friday. Ok, not really a confession, but I’m excited, so I thought I would share.

    Fourth confession, I still have  a crush on Luke Perry. And Val Kilmer’s character in Real Genius. Looks like I went one confession too far.

    Mac And Beer Cheese Soup

    Note: Cheese sauce separates easily if the mixture is brought to a boil, or if pre shredded cheese is used. If the mixture does separates, try to puree the cheese sauce with a hand blender before you add the noodles.
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 tbs olive oil
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 1 fresh jalapeno stemmed, seeded and chopped
    • 3 cloves garlic chopped
    • 4 tbs butter
    • 1/4 cup flour
    • 1 tbs corn starch
    • 12 ounces Hefeweizen
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 1/4 cup heavy cream
    • 2 cups cheddar cheese thinly grated, don't use pre shredded
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp pepper
    • 1 tsp smoked paprika
    • 1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni noodles

    Instructions
     

    • In a large pot heat the olive oil. Add the onions and jalapenos, cook until softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
    • Add the butter stir until melted.
    • Sprinkle the flour and corn starch on top of the melted butter and whisk until combined.
    • Add the beer, broth and cream bring to a low simmer.
    • 1/4 a cup at at time, add the cheese and stir until completely melted before adding more (do not boil or cheese will separate). Repeat until all the cheese is incorporated into the soup.
    • Add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and stir to combine.
    • Add the macaroni noodles and cook until noodles are al dente.
    • Add additional beer or broth to thin to desired consistency.

    Beer & Bacon Pecan Bars

    06.09.2012 56 Comments

     

     

    Clearly, I’m ready for fall. And in Los Angeles, that just means that Dodgers games are starting to end and I get to wear a light sweater. If I feel like it. Oh, and fall produce. If I haven’t mentioned to you before my favorite part of living in Southern California, its this: Farmers Markets.

    This Golden State that I live in grows half of all the produce grown in the United States (that’s a lot) and we get to have Farmers Markets nearly every day of the year. And although mid-rant I realize that this post doesn’t even contain any produce, it does contain those fabulous flavors of fall. With bacon. And beer. And fall farmers markets are my favorite. No matter what day of the week, somewhere in Los Angeles there is a Farmers Market in which I can unnecessarily bundle up and walk from stall to stall with a cup of coffee buying local vegetables in the "chilly" mid 60 degree weather.

    Pecan pie will always remind me of fall and for nearly a year I’ve wondered what it would be like to add bacon. And of course, beer.

    Turns out, these are the best damn pecan pie bars I’ve ever had.

     

    Beer & Bacon Pecan Bars

    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    For The Crust:

    • 1 stick plus 2 tbs 10 tbs unsalted butter
    • 2 cups flour
    • 1/4 cup brown sugar
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 2 tbs water

    For the Filling

    • 1 cup stout
    • 1 stick butter
    • 2 cups chopped pecan
    • 2 cups brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup light corn syrup
    • 1/4 cup heavy cream
    • 2 eggs
    • 5 strips of bacon cooked and chopped

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350
    • In a food processor add the flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and salt, pulse to combine. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the food processor. Process until butter is incorporated into the flour mixture. Add the water and process to combine. Add additional water, 1 tsp at a time if there is flour that still hasn't been dampened.
    • line a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with parchment paper (this will make it easier to remove from the pan) and dump the shortbread into the pan. Press into the bottom of the baking pan in one even layer.
    • Bake at 350 for 12 minutes of until a light golden brown. Allow to cool before adding the filling or the crust and filling will mesh together.
    • In a pot over medium high heat, add the stout, cook until reduced by half. Add the butter and stir until melted, remove from heat. Add the sugar, pecans, cream, corn syrup and stir until melted. Once the mixture has cooled to room temperature, add the eggs and stir until combined.
    • Pour the filling over the crust, sprinkle with cooked bacon and bake at 350 until the filling no longer jiggles when you gently shake the pan, about 25-30 minutes.

     

     

     

     

     

    Chocolate Chip, Stout & Beer Nut Cookies

    28.08.2012 18 Comments

     

    If you live in the Los Angeles area, I’m going to need you to do me a favor. I’ve somehow been booked on CBS, Los Angeles mid-day news with a cooking segment this Friday, August 31st. They want me to do a quick Cooking With Beer segment on the news at noon. People will be hungry, naturally, it is lunch time, and my hope is that this will persuade them to ignore any brief moments of nervousness that I have.

    But If you could tune in, and support me, that would be great. I’m not really nervous, I keep waiting for that to set in, but it hasn’t yet. When it does, I would love to know that people who have been visiting me here on this little blog for the past year are out there cheering me on.

    That would be great.

    In the meantime we’re going to make some cookies. These call for the classic Beer Nuts, which I found myself in possession of after a particularly round night of cards at my house. Several bags of Beer Nuts left by an anonymous donor.  And I can’t just leave them in my pantry, I need to find a use for them.

    We are also going to revisit that crazy idea I have of making beer extract. Because vanilla is just too…well, vanilla.

     

    Chocolate Chip, Stout & Beer Nut Cookies

    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • 3/4 cup stout beer
    • 1 cup cake flour
    • 3/4 cup bread flour
    • 1/2 tsp cornstarch
    • 1 tsp baking powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 3/4 cup butter
    • 2/3 cup brown sugar
    • 1/2 cup white sugar
    • 1 egg
    • 1 cup dark chocolate chips 60%
    • 3 oz bag Beer Nuts

    (Makes 10-12 cookies)

      Instructions
       

      • In a pot over medium high heat add the beer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 tbs.
      • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and both types of sugar, beat until well creamed. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Add the 1 tbs of beer extract and beat until well combined, scraping the bottom to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
      • In a sperate bowl, add both types of flour (these two types of flour are very important to the end result of your cookies, regular all purpose flour will not give you the same results), cornstarch, baking powder 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 and Beer Nuts, and stir until incorporated.
      • Resting the dough is an important step in this recipe. 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 20-22 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 14 minutes).

       

      Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

      23.08.2012 27 Comments

      There are some great elements in this world we live in that we beg the universe to some how bring together.

      Like a Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series

      Or an episode of The Office directed by Christopher Guest

      Or Trey Parker have complete creative control over The White House Holiday Card

      Or a reality show hybrid of The Bachelor and Fear Factor

      Even though I have to come to terms with the fact that those things will sadly never exist, I can meld brown butter and beer cheese into the greatest of all grilled cheese sandwiches. It won’t have the cultural repercussions of any of the above unions, but it is the best sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Too bad I didn’t have the forethought, or the consumptive restraint, to create a beer tomato soup to go along for the journey.

      Brown Butter Grilled Beer Cheese Sandwich

      Print Recipe

      Ingredients
        

      • 6 oz cream cheese
      • 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
      • 1 tsp cornstarch
      • 1/4 cup Pale Ale
      • 4 oz cheddar
      • 8 slices bread
      • 4 tbs butter

      Instructions
       

      • In a blender or food processor add the cream cheese, mozzarella, cornstarch and beer. Blend until smooth, about 3 minutes. Spread the beer cheese generously onto 4 slices of bread. Top with about 2 tbs of cheddar and then top with a clean slice of bread.
      • In a skillet with a lid melt the butter over medium heat (don't allow the butter to get too hot or it will burn) until just starting to turn a golden brown. Carefully add the sandwiches, and replace the lid allowing the sandwiches to steam in the pan until the underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the sandwiches, replace the lid and allow to cook until the other side is a light golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 3 additional minutes.

       You can also use the pre-oven beer cheese from my Roasted Garlic & Parmesan Beer Cheese Dip.

       

      Beer Chicken Piccata

      16.08.2012 14 Comments

      Here it is, just like I promised. Beer Chicken Piccata, to go with those beer noodles I made.

      The first time I ever had Piccata I was a completely broke college student traveling through Italy. And it was cheap. It turned out to be one of the most memorable dishes I had on that trip, moving it to the top of my list of Italian Favorites. If I see it on a menu, especially those family run strip mall joints that I love so much, I can’t resist ordering it.

      If you are familiar with this dish, you can see that this is a pretty standard Piccata with the white wine replaced with beer. You need to choose a low hop beer with notes of citrus, an IPA will overwhelm this sauce.

       

      Beer Chicken Piccata

      Print Recipe

      Ingredients
        

      • 2 chicken breasts
      • about 1/4 cup flour for coating
      • 1 tsp salt
      • 1 tsp pepper
      • 3 tbs butter Plus an additional 3 tbs, divided
      • 1 1/2 tbs flour
      • 1/3 cup pale ale
      • 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
      • 1/3 cup chicken broth
      • 1/4 cup capers

      Instructions
       

      • Filet each chicken breast in half horizontally, making each chicken breast thinner, not smaller. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the chicken and pound with a meat mallet or a rolling pin until about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
      • Sprinkle on all sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour until well coated.
      • In a pan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken and cook on each side until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
      • In a clean pan melt the remaining butter. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 tbs flour and whisk until combined. Add the beer, broth and lemon juice and cook until warmed and thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the capers and stir.
      • Add the chicken to a plate on top of a bed of rice or pasta. Top with sauce, serve immediately.

       

       

       

      Beer Steamed Stuffed Artichokes & How to Stuff an Artichoke

      06.08.2012 11 Comments

       

      Here’s my artichoke. We’re going to gut him and stuff him with bacon.

      And then cook him in beer.

       

       

      The first step is to trim. Start with peeling off a few layers of the outside leaves They’re tough and not very good, don’t feel bad about getting rid of them.

      And if your artichoke has a long stem, trim it so that it can stand upright, with its leaves pointed at the sky. That will come in handy later.

      Then you are going to cut off the pointed tip of the artichoke.

       

      Then use a pair a kitchen sheers, (or, lets be honest regular scissors will be fine) to trim the pointed tips off of all of the leaves.

       

      Starting at the outside and working towards the inside, pull the leaves outward.

       

      Once you get to the inside leaves that are yellow and purple, you are going to want to remove these. There is a lot of waste with stuffed artichokes, just accept it and move on.

      This part isn’t easy. If you are having a hard time, that’s normal. The best way to do it is to dig at it with a melon baller. And swear at it a few times to put it in it’s place.

      Feel the inside to make sure it’s smooth and none of that hairy choke is left behind. If it still feels fuzzy, keep digging. And swearing, if it helps.

      Squeeze half a lemon into the cavity of the artichoke.

       Next you want to make the filling (recipe below).

      Stuff the filling inside the middle of the artichoke. Starting at the outside, spread the leaves out and press the filling inside the leaves, work your way in until all the leaves are full.

      Place in an oven safe pot, standing upright. Pour 1 1/2 cup citrusy wheat beer into the bottom of the pot.

      Cover with a lid or tin foil and bake at 375 for 40-60 minutes or until the outer leaves come away easily.

      Beer Steamed Stuffed Artichokes

      Print Recipe

      Ingredients
        

      • 4 large artichokes prepared as above
      • 1 large lemon
      • 4 strips of bacon
      • 1/3 cup chopped shallots
      • 4 cloves garlic minced
      • 1 cup mushrooms chopped
      • 1 cups bread crumbs
      • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
      • 1/2 cup mozzarella
      • 2 tbs olive oil
      • 1 1/2 cups citrusy wheat beer

      Instructions
       

      • Preheat oven to 375
      • Prepare artichokes as instructed above, squeeze 1/4 lemon into the cavity of each artichoke.
      • In a pan over medium high heat, cook the bacon until browned. Remove from pan, and chop. Drain off most of the bacon grease, leaving about 2 tbs in the pan. Add the shallots and cook until soft. Add the garlic and stir. Add the mushrooms and cook until dark brown. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients as well as the chopped bacon (other than the beer), stir until well combined.
      • Stuff the artichokes as instructed above.
      • Place artichokes upright in the pot, fill with 1 cup beer.
      • Cover and cook until outer leaves come away easily, about 40-60 minutes.


      Jalapeno IPA Hummus

      19.07.2012 23 Comments

       

      This recipe has been in my brain for a while.

      For weeks it’s been taunting me, begging to be flushed out, poured into my food processor and immortalized in internet print.

      And this weekend three failed attempts to make IPA lemon bars that never really gave me the results I was hoping for coupled with this tweet:

      gave this hummus it’s shot.

      And I’m so glad that the stars didn’t align and the beer cooking God’s didn’t smile upon the IPA lemon bars (which have become my culinary nemesis, mocking me with vague imperfections) because this hummus was exactly what I wanted on a hot day. It didn’t last long.

      For this recipe, I used one of my favorite IPA’s, Ballast Point’s Sculpin IPA. A beautiful example of an IPA, even if this one was sans Habaneros.

       

      Jalapeno IPA Hummus

      Print Recipe Pin Recipe

      Ingredients
        

      • 2 fresh jalapenos stemmed, seeded and chopped (about 1/4 cup)
      • 3 tbs tahini
      • 1 1/2 cups cooked garbanzo beans drained
      • 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
      • 1 tbs olive oil
      • 1 lime juiced (about 1 tbs)
      • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1/3 cup IPA Beer plus additional if needed

      Instructions
       

      • Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Add additional IPA for a thinner dip. Serve with pita or chips.
      • *Note: most of the heat from Jalapenos are in the seeds. If you want a hotter hummus, you can leave the seeds in. If the finished dip is too mild, add 1/4 tsp chili powder for a spicier dip

      Join me: Facebook, Twitter

      Stout Jerk Chicken

      12.07.2012 11 Comments

      Literary Grief. This is the term I use for the moment you finish a great book and realize that it’s gone. This sort of anchor to those free moments in your life is now spent and the characters that ran behind your consciousness during the busy moments of your day, beckoning you back to the pages have run their course. You miss having more left to discover, but all mysteries have been unearthed and the plot has crescendoed. Most recently for me, that has been Blood, Bones and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton.

      Inspired writing and an intriguing story peppered with mentions of thought-provoking recipes that I couldn’t help but mark for later reference.

       One of those recipes was a reference to a Jerk marinade that Gabrielle still makes on a regular basis. Her only notes about it were just that it contained Stout, Scotch Bonnet Peppers, and Honey as well as the fact that the recipe’s ingredients totaled an upwards of 25.

      The Stout Jerk marinade that I have created falls very short of the 25 ingredient threshold, but the inspiration to use stout, scotch bonnet and honey is from the above book. As fascinated as I am with Gabrielle, and grateful that I was able to eat at Prune years ago, I would bet all of my recipes on the hunch that she may have less than favorable opinions about lowly Food Bloggers.

      After all, I’ve never slept on a pile of chefs coats between 12-hour shifts. I’ve never scraped mold out of a walk in. I’ve never reached calloused fingers into a deep fryer or worked one handed with a blood-soaked bandage covered with a finger cot slowing my progress. I worked as a waitress in the front of the house, but I always knew my place. I begged to be allowed do deep prep when we were slow, took the fall for wasted produce when the owner would hassle the over-worked line cooks, and made sure the cooks "water" cups were full when we were slammed. But I know my place even now, in the world of food and I am still, in so many ways, "front of the house" hoping one day to be in the kitchen doing more than just deep prep.

      Here is a jerk marinade, inspired by Blood Bones & Butter and using Stout Beer for its flavor and its meat tenderizing properties.

      Wanna see the updated grilled version? Check it out here

       

      Stout Jerk Chicken

      Print Recipe

      Ingredients
        

      • 1/2 cup stout beer I used Storm King Stout, by Victory Brewing
      • 4 Scotch Bonnet or Habanero Peppers
      • 6 cloves of garlic peeled
      • 3 tbs ponzu sauce
      • 3 tbs brown sugar
      • 1 tsp dry mustard powder
      • 2 tsp Chinese 5 Spice powder
      • 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
      • 3 tbs chopped shallots
      • 1 tbs fresh squeezed lemon juice
      • 2 tbs honey
      • 1 tsp Kosher or Sea salt
      • 3 lbs chicken wings legs, thighs

      Instructions
       

      • Add all of the ingredients (other than the chicken) to a food processor and process until smooth, about 2 minutes.
      • Add chicken to a large Ziplock style bag, pour marinade over the chicken and seal, removing as much air as possible.
      • Allow to chill and marinate in the fridge for 8-24 hours, rotating about every 3 hours to redistribute the marinate.
      • Preheat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange on the sheet, spooning a bit of the remaining marinade over the chicken. Bake at 375 for 18-22 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Baking time will depend on the size of chicken you use. For very small chicken wings, start to check after 12 minutes.

      Join me: Facebook, Twitter

       

      Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs With Stout Barbecue Sauce

      10.07.2012 11 Comments

      I hate to break it to you but you have probably never barbecued in your life. How dare I say such blasphemous things, you toss burgers and steaks on the grill every weekend?!

      That’s not Barbecue, it’s grill. And I would never take away from the fantastic results we can get with a backyard grill, and the amazing flavors that can work their way into your food, but it’s not barbecue.

      Barbecue is long, slow and low and the temperature is usually between 240 and 270 degrees. Grill is short, fast and hot, a nice char with a juicy middle.

      I wanted to see if I could use my oven to get close the flavors of true barbecue, and while I was missing the smokey flavor, these were some of the best homemade ribs I have ever had. The trick is long, slow and low.

      Meat choice is important as well, I used Choice ribs. You know that cute little sticker that sits beside the label on your steak packages, baffling you to some degree with the designation of Prime, Choice or Select, as to why they can’t just be honest and say, "Great," or "Pretty Good," and, "Not that great, but it’s cheap!"

      Here are the Cliffs Notes:

      Prime: The best and most expensive

      Choice: Still great, not as good or as expensive as Prime

      Select: Not good, don’t bother

      Unlabeled: Bad, didn’t even earn the lowly title of Select.

      Inspected By The USDA: Don’t be fooled, all meat is inspected by the USDA. Some stores use this to distract you from the fact that it is an ungraded piece of meat, and therefore not any good. Prime is obviously the best, but also the most expensive. When I experiment with a recipe, I usually go with Choice because it is a good cut of meat, but if the recipe doesn’t turn out well I didn’t waste $50 on the venture.

      Oven Roasted BBQ Ribs With Stout Beer Barbecue Sauce

      4 lbs Bone In Baby Back Beef Ribs (Choice or Prime)

      1 tsp salt

      1 batch Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce

      Preheat oven to 250.

      Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place ribs on top. Sprinkle ribs with salt on all sides. Brush with BBQ sauce and roast in the oven at 250, turning ribs and brushing with BBQ sauce every 30-45 minutes until fork tender, about 4 hours.

      Join me: Facebook, Twitter

      Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream

      05.07.2012 7 Comments

      (Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream)

      I’m taking a huge risk here.

      You may have taken one look at this post and decided that I’ve lost my magic. Chocolate beer cake is as common as Nascar sweatpants in Walmart. But unlike motor sports fashion blunders in public, I loved this dessert.

      I’m combining a past evoking childhood treat with my beer loving present tense self, and topping it with beer whipped cream. Strawberry shortcakes were one of my favorite desserts as a kid, but growing up I never had them from scratch. I was raised in a very prepackaged, frozen food section, shelf-stable house, with a mom who was trying to feed all of her 8 daughters (yes, that isn’t a typo, I have 7 sisters) with no time for any culinary adventure beyond reheating and assembling. Completely understandable.

      Making my childhood memory of strawberry shortcakes those pre-packaged round sponge cakes, with Cool Whip and chopped strawberries.

      So this is the "I cook from scratch and add beer" version of that. Although not a traditional "shortcake," I hope once I top it with drunken whipped cream and fresh berries you’ll forgive the misstep in terminology.

      Chocolate Porter Strawberry Shortcakes With Beer Whipped Cream

      For the cake:

      3 cups cake flour

      2 tsp baking soda

      1 tsp baking powder

      3/4 cup cocoa powder

      1 tsp salt

      2 sticks butter (softened)

      2 cups sugar

      5 eggs

      1 tbs vegetable oil

      12 oz Porter beer

      For the strawberries:

      4 cups strawberries, hulled and chopped

      1/2 cup sugar

      For the whipped cream:

      2 cups heavy cream

      1/2 cup powdered sugar

      2 tbs porter beer

      (makes 10)

       Preheat oven to 350.

      In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder.

      In the bowl of the stand mixer cream the butter and sugar. One at a time add the eggs, beating well and scraping the bowl between each addition, then add the oil. Alternating between the beer and the dry ingredients, add both a bit at a time, starting and ending with the dry ingredients, stir until just barely combined.

      Grease and flour two 8 inch cake pans.

      Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

      Invert the cake pan onto a flat surface. Using a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter, cut out 5 circles from each cake round (you can also use a large knife to cut them into squares).

      Place chopped strawberries in a bowl with sugar, stir to combine. Allow to sit at room temperature for ten minutes.

      In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream, powdered sugar and 2 tbs beer. Whip on high until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes.

      Place one cake round on a plate, top with strawberries and then with whipped cream.

      Join me: Facebook, Twitter 

      Homemade Beer Marinara From Scratch

      14.06.2012 12 Comments

       

      The first time I made marinara was a complete accident.

      Just a few months after I nearly accidentally graduated college, I got a job working with teenage gang members in South Central Los Angeles. You are free to laugh at the idea of a very white girl, who grew up on a farm in Eastern Washington, working in South Central. With gang kids.

      I sat on one side of a light oak dining table in a small Group Home, a transitional respite for kids who had been released from jail but who were still on probation, to talk with Dominick. He was from a rough area of Compton, and had found his way to the seat across from me via a GTA charge and a hot temper. But to me, he was a baby faced 14-year-old who secretly liked Whitney Houston. This was our first meeting, and part of my job was to compile a list of his "Triggers." Anything that made him angry enough to lash out, to do something that could land his ass back in jail. We both had the same goal: get him back home. Most kids, in my short 4 months of experience all had a very similar trigger. This usually centered around someone "talking shit" about them, their mom, or their crew. Maybe a handful of other miscellaneous and understandable offenses.

      When I asked Dominick what triggered him, what drove him to a rage that welled up in him a feeling of violence that once caused him to send a chair on a journey through a class room window, his face fell flat.

      "What?" I was so curious, "What makes you that mad?"

      He took a deep breath and lowered his voice, "When those mother fuckin' girls make human pyramids."

      I laughed so hard I felt bad about it. His young face broke open into a sweet smile, "Jackie, I’m not gonna lie.." He started to giggle, "Pisses me the fuck off, I have no idea why. I want to push those chicks right over."

      Fair enough. My job was to teach him how to deal with his anger, no matter what triggered it.

      He wanted to learn how to cook, and he wanted to make Spaghetti. He thought that cooking might help him channel his anger. We didn’t have any sauce, but his group home staff had just come into ownership of 10 pounds of tomatoes, so we made do.

      Because of Dominick, and his human pyramid hating ways, I will always love a good, homemade, can free, marinara.

      Homemade Beer Marinara From Scratch

      3 lbs tomatoes

      1 large head of garlic

      1 tbs olive oil, plus 2 additional tbs, divided

      1 large white onion, chopped

      1 large carrot, peeled and diced

      16 ounces wheat beer (Golden Road Hefeweizen is a great choice)

      1/3 cup chopped basil leaves

      1 tsp salt

      1 tsp pepper

      Preheat oven to 400.

      Rub the head of garlic until about half of the papery white skin comes off. Cut a small amount of the tip off the head of the garlic, just enough to expose all of the cloves. Place on a small piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with about 1 tbs of olive oil. Fold the foil tightly around the garlic, place on a baking sheet. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and place them on the baking sheet along with the garlic packet.

      Roast the tomatoes and the garlic at 400 for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are soft and the skin starts to peel back from the flesh. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

      The skin of the tomatoes should be very easy to remove at this point, peel the skin off the tomatoes and discard. Place a fine mesh sieve or strainer over a bowl. Scoop the seeds into the strainer and place the remaining part of the peeled and seeded tomato into a bowl, repeat until all of the tomatoes have been seeded. Allow the seeds to continue to drain while you make the rest of the sauce.

      In a pot over medium high heat, add 2 tbs olive oil. Add the onions and carrots, sauté until carrots are soft and onions are translucent. Add the beer, seeded and peeled tomatoes and whatever juice has accumulated in the bowl beneath the tomato seeds. Discard the seeds. Remove the head of garlic from the foil packet and squeeze the soft head until the cloves comes out and into the sauce. Add the salt, pepper and basil.

      Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer, allow to cook and reduce until thickened, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

      If you want a smoother sauce, add to a food processor and process until smooth.

      Use this with my Homemade Beer Ricotta to make a beer infused Lasagna or stuffed Rigatoni.

       Join me: Facebook, Twitter