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Monatsarchive: October 2013

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Apples3

I grew up just feet from an apple orchard on a farm in Easter Washington. Although not as idyllic and charming as one may be led to imagine, I did walk away with an above average ability to name an apples variety just by looking at it. I’ve also learned a thing or two about which apples to use for what, and more importantly, why.

Apples not only run the spectrum of sour to candy like sweetness, but texture is also a huge issue. If a recipe calls for a Granny Smith and you use a Gala don’t be surprised if you end up with an overly sweet pie pan full of mush. Some apples hold up really well to high heat, others don’t. Some need more sugar, while others need very little. If a recipe calls for a specific type of apple, try your best to find that type, the recipes success may depend on it.

Red Delicious: This is the most popular apple in America and I have little idea why, other than it looks so beautiful in a fruit basket. The flesh easily turns to mush when cooked and texture is grainy. Try to avoid this when cooking and use it only raw, like in salads.

Granny Smith: Very popular baking apple because it holds up to high heat, keeping it’s shape during baking. It is also on the sour side, so if you’re substituting a different apple for recipe that calls for a Granny Smith, you might want to pull back on the sugar a bit.  Still a great choice for baking, pies especially, but it tends to be best when mixed with another sweeter apple (like a Braeburn or Golden Delicious).

Honeycrisp: with a beautiful red and green skin, this apples has had a rapid rise in popularity among bakers in the past decade. With a snappy crispness, well balanced sweet-tart flavor and a flesh that wont let you down once baked, this is a variety to seek out when making an apple tart, apple pie or apple tart Tatin. If you can’t find the popular Honey Crisp, look for the Rome Beauty or a SweeTango. With similar qualities, these an excellent stand in.

McIntosh: This is another large red and green marbled beauty. It isn’t the best choice for baking because it tends to fall apart, but because of it’s strong apple flavors it’s a great choice for apple sauce makin'.

Cortland: This is one of the few apples that has tannins. Tannins are most often talked about when discussing wine, they give you that pucker feeling in the back of your throat when drinking a glass of vino. Because of that, Cortlands make a great addition to cider making.

Just be aware that "apple" is not one size fits all when it comes to baking. Making sure you have the right man for the job will help make sure you hit the mark when making those holiday pies.

AP Bread pudding

Apple Pie Bread Pudding

Ingredients

  • 4 tbs butter
  • 3 large Honeycrisp apples, peeled and chopped (about 4 ½ cups)
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp cinnamon, divided
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 loaf Italian bread, cut into cubes (about 8 cups)
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 ½ cups milk
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup chopped pecans
  • Whipped cream (optional)

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and ½ tsp salt. Allow to come to a low boil, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has turn thick and syrupy, about 15 minutes.
  2. Spray a 7×11 (or 9×9) baking dish with cooking spray. Pour the apple mixture into the pan, avoiding the outer edges.
  3. Top with bread cubes and pecans.
  4. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla and remaining ½ tsp salt. Pour evenly over the bread.
  5. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to overnight.
  6. Preheat oven to 375.
  7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the bread starts to brown too early, cover with aluminum foil and continue to bake until cooked through.
  8. Invert onto a serving tray, slice and served topped with whipped cream, if desired.

 

Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili & Is Beer Vegan?


Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili, vegan and gluten free

 Is Beer Vegan?

From an outsiders perspective, the question might seems silly. Beer, after all, is made from plants and water. At its most basic, the ingredients to make beer are simple: water, malt, hops, yeast; all of which are clearly non-animal. And while brewmasters have a way of working everything from bacon to whole chickens into their beer, the biggest culprits are more subtle.

 Is Beer Vegan?-2

Sometimes, the de-veganized beers are easy to spot, a milk stout that uses lactose, or a honey kolsch, but more often than not, our veggie loving beer friends are in the dark as to whether an animal part has made its way into their pints. Since the CDC, the TTB, the FDA and all the other acronym loving agencies that have their grubby paws in what we consume do not require anyone to disclose the use of animal byproducts in the processing of food or beverages, it often gets left off the label (in fact, almost always).

The biggest offenders are what brewers use to clarify beer. While the need for clarifying is often done with non animal ingredients, or replaced with a centrifuge machine, it’s still common for breweries to use ingredients like gelatin or fish bladders as clarifying agents rendering beer not only non-vegan but non-vegetarian. There is also the foam control issue, and I’m not talking about the frothing of the mouth that occurs when your favorite stout is on Nitro, but the desire brewers have to give you that perfect level of foam head on your pints. To gain control on that lovely can’t-you-settle-yet-I-need-a-drink-now head on your beer, brewers have been known to use pepsin (made from pigs) or albium (made from animal blood) to give you the perfect pour.

Is Beer Vegan?

But if you are one of the growing numbers of craft beer loving veggie devotees, don’t despair. Many, many breweries are hip to your vibe, vegan beer is a concern for many. When it comes to finding out if your beer is sans-beasts, google is your friend. Also, websites like Barnivore give a great and growing list of vegan friendly breweries and beers.

For this recipe I used Sierra Nevada Porter, a vegan beer. In fact, as a company, Sierra Nevada is 100% vegan friendly.

Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili, vegan and gluten free

As an addendum to this, it needs to be mentioned that there is nothing wrong with the use of animal products in beer. Milk stout is a favorite of mine, and a good honey kolsch is great to pair with a summer cook out. However, disclosure is key and giving people the information they need to keep the diet they choose is a way to keep us all friends in this craft beer community.

Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbs olive oil
  • 8 ounces crimini mushrooms minced
  • ½ cup onions chopped
  • ½ cup diced carrots
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/4 cups broth
  • 1 cup porter or stout beer divided
  • ½ cup red quinoa dry
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • ½ cup corn kernels
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1 jalapeno diced
  • 2 cups tomatoes chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Sriracha or other red chili sauce
  • 1 avocado diced
  • ½ cup green onion chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped

Instructions
 

  • Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat, add the mushroom, sauté until darkened and softened, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the onions and carrots and cook until softened about 5 minutes.
  • Stir in the garlic then add the broth and ½ cup beer. Stir in the dry quinoa, allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until quinoa is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  • Add the beans, bell pepper, corn, smoked paprika, pepper, salt, cumin and garlic powder, allow to simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Add the remaining beer, jalapenos, tomatoes, and sriracha, simmer for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened and reduced.
  • Ladle into bowls, top with avocado, green onion and cilantro.

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

 Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are naturally dairy and gluten free, take 5 minutes and one bowl to throw together. 

flourless peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chips cookies 2

 

There is really nothing simple about my life these days. Between two blogs, freelance work, a book, a book tour, another super secret project I hope to tell you about soon, and (oh yeah) a family, I’ve officially crossed over into complex living. As a result, my food has become more simple. Beautifully simple. Fewer (but better) ingredients, less waste, more time with that family who gives me so much support. These cookies are a great example. My favorite cookie recipe ever (on the planet) takes 3 days to make, inspiring the name Thursday Night Cookies because if I want them for the weekend, I need to start making them Thursday night.

But right now, in this crazy phase of my life, I want something that can give me near instant comfort and gratification with just a few ingredients I already have. So that someday I can get back to those lazy days and Thursday Night Cookies.

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

Yield: 12 cookies

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 cup whole oats
  • ½ cup chocolate chips
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350
  2. In a large bowl gently stir together all ingredients.
  3. Using a cookie scoop, add golf ball size mounds to a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper, evenly spaced. Flatten to one-inch circles using your hand.
  4. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Pull the parchment paper off the cookie sheet and onto a flat surface. Allow to cool.

Notes

A lot of oat companies process their oats with machines that also come in contact with gluten, making the contamination rate high for store bought oats. If you need these to be gluten free, make sure to buy oats labeled "gluten free."

flourless peanut butter oatmeal chocolate chips cookies 3

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart2

Why beer?

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

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

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

That’s why beer.

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart3

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients
  

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

Instructions
 

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

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

Mushroom Steak Pasta with Garlic Beer Cream Sauce

Mushroom Steak Pasta with Garlic Beer Cream Sauce 2

I’ve spent the past few weeks making my way up the West Coast, traveling from brewery to brewery, enjoying the company of Craft Beer’s finest. A journey much less about scribbling my name inside a few hundred books with a black Sharpie marker than it’s been about connecting to this community I’ve fallen in love with. This world I feel so grateful to be a part of is glad to count me as one of it’s own, and I’m incredibly honored that’s the case.

This gypsy soul that I own doesn’t want the travel to end, but being able to get back in the kitchen is consoling. I didn’t miss my bed, but I missed my knives. I didn’t care about living out of a suitcase, but living without my pans was hard. I didn’t want the shoes I left behind, but I did want my spice cabinet. Other than the open road headed North, there isn’t many placed I’d rather spend a day than in a familiar kitchen.

This is a meal that doesn’t require the full day that I’d like to spend in the kitchen, it can even be accomplished after work. But with warm flavors of beer, garlic and mushrooms it has a Sunday Supper feeling.

Mushroom Steak Pasta with Garlic Beer Cream Sauce 4

Mushroom Steak Pasta with Garlic Beer Cream Sauce

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb flat iron steak
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 6 tbs butter divided in half
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 10 wt oz crimini mushrooms baby bellas, quartered
  • 1 cup white ale
  • ¼ cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp minced fresh rosemary
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Pasta cooked al dente and drained

Instructions
 

  • Cut the steak into 1/8 inch strips. Sprinkle on all sides with salt and pepper.
  • Melt 3 tbs butter in a cast iron skillet until hot. Add steak and cook until browned, removed from pan.
  • Add the remaining 3 tbs butter, mushrooms and garlic, cook until the mushrooms have darkened, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the white ale and cook until the beer and butter has reduced by about half, about ten minutes.
  • Turn off heat, stir in the cream.
  • Add back in the steak and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8 minutes.
  • Season with rosemary, salt and pepper.
  • Serve over pasta.

Mushroom Steak Pasta with Garlic Beer Cream Sauce 3

Beer Cheese Skillet Potatoes

skillet beer cheese potatoes_

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

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

skillet beer cheese potatoes 5

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

Stone Sublimely Self Righteous2

Beer Cheese Skillet Potatoes

Ingredients
  

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

Instructions
 

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

skillet beer cheese potatoes 3

Mile High Chocolate Stout Pie

This past Sunday, as I stood at a podium in the middle of a convention center talking about the glorious interplay of beer & chocolate  and how to pair the two, I was asked which chocolate stout I recommend.

read more

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls

 

 

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls

 

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

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

 

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

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

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls2

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls

Ingredients
  

For the Dough

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

For the Filling:

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

For the Topping:

  • 3 wt oz cheddar shredded (about 1 cup)

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar and garlic powder. Mix until combined.
  • In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, add the oil and sprinkle with the salt while the mixer is still running.
  • Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
  • Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, roll out into a rectangle about 10 inches by 18 inches.
  • Add all of the filling ingredients to a food processor, process until smooth and well combined, about 5 minutes.
  • Spread the filling evenly across the dough. Starting at the long edge roll the dough into a log. Cut the dough into 8 rolls, each about 2 inches wide. Place cut side down into a baking dish. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
  • Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese.
  • Bake uncovered at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown. Serve warm.

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

Garlic Beer Cheese Rolls3

Moroccan Stout Chicken

Moroccan Stout Chicken 6Moroccan food will always feel a bit dangerous to me because I almost died in Morocco. At least that’s how it felt.

A few years ago, after a plane ride, several trains, and a multi-hour bus ride through the back woods of Morocco, I found myself in the middle of the city of Fez with my sister. After a sleepless week filled with a mazed of a walled city, a ride through Middle Atlas with a Moroccan drug dealer, wild monkeys, and dimly lit back rooms in rug factories, it was time to head back to Spain. The night before the long bus ride back to the ferry dock, it made sense to find the bus station, a dry run to see how far of a walk it was, sans backpacks, to give ourselves enough time the next morning.

After a longer than anticipate walk, we found ourselves at the dusty entrance to a dilapidated bus terminal that would be the exit door to a traumatic but eye opening trip. Just before dusk we start to walk back to our hotel, instinctively walking faster as the sun began to dip below the horizon. Trying to remain strong for the other, each of us tried to lighten the mood with jokes and small talk but an old Peugeot hatch back fill with Moroccan men broke all pretense that was possible.

We ran. They followed. Driving onto sidewalks, down alleys, cat calls and Arabic slang floating out the windows. The darkness that had fallen echoed the feeling of panic rising inside me as I tried to remember the route back to the hotel. Just get back to the hotel, inside the doors, just get back. But I was lost. I had no idea where we were, nothing looked familiar.

As we rounded a corner, too small for the little car to make, the four men abandoned their vehicle and began to chase on foot. I turned down the nearest alley, only to see two other men, their backs to us. They had machine guns. We stopped dead, frozen.

As they slowly turned towards us, I could feel our hunters stop as well, a few yards behind us. That moment, which was probably only mere seconds, seemed to last forever. The Peugeot Crew behind us, the Machine Gun Two in front. Either they save us, or they kill is. This either works out fine, or it’s about to get really bad. Frozen, silently begging them to help, willing them to be good.

The Machine Gun Two yelled in Arabic, shooing the men back into their car. The sound of the Peugeot driving away came just seconds later. "We are police. We will help you." A relief, mixed with the reality that we weren’t safe yet, came over me. They knew exactly where our hotel was, just a few blocks away.

As we began the walk back to our temporary sanctuary, the Moroccan cops began a friendly chat that ended with,"You girls are very pretty. Can we show you the town?" Lucky for us, they were gentleman, taking the rejection in stride as they deposited us at the door of our hotel. Kindly waving goodbye as we disappeared inside.

Later that night, after we’d decompressed, we braved the streets for a nearby cafe. A literal hole in the wall that had been carved out a century earlier to include a clay oven that made the most incredible chicken. For just the equivalent of 4 American dollars total, we each had a metal plate with roasted Moroccan chicken and saffron rice. It very well may have been the intensity of the situation, but that was the best damn chicken I’ve ever had. Now Moroccan chicken just tastes incredible, especially when it doesn’t come after seeing machine guns.

Want to know what happened next? Read about what happened on the boat ride out of Morocco. 

Moroccan Stout Chicken

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • ¼ cup flour plus 2 tbs, divided
  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 2 large shallots chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup stout
  • ¼ tsp ground ginger
  • ¼ tsp turmeric
  • pinch cayenne
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 3 tbs lemon juice
  • ½ lb medjool dates pitted (about 12)
  • ¼ cup almonds
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • rice or couscous for serving

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper and ¼ cup flour, set aside.
  • Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet until hot by not smoking.
  • Dredge the chicken thighs in the flour mixture, sear in the hot pan until browned on all sides. Remove from pan (the chicken will not be cooked through at this time).
  • Add the shallots, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
  • Stir in the chicken broth, stout, ginger, cayenne, cumin, brown sugar and lemon juice.
  • Return the chicken to the pan, reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Cover loosely and cook until the chicken is cooked through and registers 160F on a cooking thermometer.
  • Transfer chicken to a serving platter.
  • Sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons flour over the sauce, whisking to combine. Add pitted dates.
  • Increase heat to a strong simmer and allow to cook, stirring occasionally until reduced and thickened, about 8 minutes.
  • Serve chicken over rice or couscous with dates and sauce, sprinkled with parsley and almonds.

Moroccan Stout Chicken 5