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Pilsner/Pale Ale

Beer and Bacon Jam

22.05.2012 53 Comments

Beer and bacon in a spreadable form, this may be the best thing to ever come out of my kitchen. It is a simple food, a few ingredients that over time become large with flavor and possibilities.  A conversation piece, something your guest won’t forget, or a handmade gift for those carnivorous beer lovers in your life. Although the cooking time is long, your active time is relatively short.

This is the perfect way to spend a lazy sunday afternoon: The smell of bacon welling up around you in a sun soaked kitchen with Delta Spirit rising from the speakers and the rest of the demanding world no longer existing. Just you, music and the transformation of ingredients happening on your stove. Cooking, creating, lingering in my kitchen gives a very grounded feeling to my over extend life. A reminder that I need to slow down and enjoy, just be. A recipe that ask little of me other that the time it takes to simply simmer is a reminder of that, just be.


Beer & Bacon Jam

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 12 oz thick sliced bacon 8-10 thick strips
  • 4 cloves of garlic smashed
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion chopped
  • 1 1/4 cups amber ale or imperial stout divided
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot or dutch oven, cook the bacon, working in batches if neccessary. Remove the bacon from the pan and allow to cool and then roughly chop. Drain off the bacon grease from the pot, leaving only about 1 tbs bacon drippings in the bottom of the pot. Return the pot to heat and cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup beer and both vinegars, scraping to deglaze the bottom of the pot. Add the brown sugar and the bacon, reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Place the lid on the pot at an angle, allowing to vent the steam. Cook until reduced to a thick and syrupy consistency, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Transfer to a food processor along with remaining 1/4 cup beer and pulse until most of the large pieces have been chopped.
  • Serve at room temperature.

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Beer Popsicles: Lemon Pale Ale

17.05.2012 15 Comments

As summer heats up, so does my longing to add beer to everything I consume. I linger on the idea of changing classic recipes into beer recipes far longer than my busy day should allow. How would I add beer to a Tarte Tatin? What about an Blueberry pie? Or Eggs benedict? What beer would I use? Although I get lost in recipe development several times a day, it tends to make a long commute on a Los Angeles freeway that much more bareable.

Due to recent move, I’ve been a bit handicapped by my lack of access to a familiar kitchen and all of my culinary tools. I’m slowly working my way back to feeling normal, that slight feeling of alien unfamiliarity when I get home  has begun to subside and my subconcious is starting to accept that the new place that I sleep, is now my home.

Beer popsicles are a fun addition in any adult party. You can play with flavor combinations (strawberry basil, orange jalapeno, blueberry lime) or just use plain 'ole untouched beer. If you have little ones around, make sure to keep these labeled well and separated from the kiddie ones.  If you are worried about a tiny human being handed the wrong flavor, use colored popsicle sticks for the kids and plain boring wood ones for the grown ups. You can buy popsicle sticks, colored and plain at most craft stores or on Amazon. This is the popsicle mold I used, but just about any hollow vessel will work.

I used Pike Brewing Naughty Nellie for these. With flavors of hops, grapefruit and citrus, it gave a sour punch that I really loved. This is a recipe that can take a hoppier beer because there is no cooking involved. Experiment with your favorite pale ale, you have a summer full of back yard barbecues to get it just right.

Beer Popsicles: Lemon Pale Ale

Print Recipe
Servings 6 popsicles

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice about 4 large lemons
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup pale ale or IPA

Instructions
 

  • Mix all ingredients together in a pitcher or measuring cup with a spout, stir until sugar has dissolved.
  • Pour into popsicle molds and freeze for at least 6 hours.
  • Run molds under hot water until the popsicles release.

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Strawberry Beer Lemonade

Summer is almost here. Barbecues, lazy afternoons on the porch swing, long days at the beach, music and card games on the patio until dawn. I realize that a fridge full of craft beer doesn’t always please the masses, but I do want to impart those flavors that are so beautiful anyone can enjoy them, into nearly everything that comes out of my kitchen.

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Beer Braised Chicken Sliders With Hoisin Beer Barbecue Sauce

10.05.2012 39 Comments

There’s a good chance that when you think about cooking with beer, a meat recipe comes to mind. Your Dad’s beer marinated ribs? Beer can chicken? Beer braised pork? There’s a good reason for that.

Not just for the spectacular flavors that craft beer can impart on the meat, but because beer, especially high acid beer, acts as a meat tenderizer by breaking down tissue.

For this recipe you are free to run the spectrum of beer styles. Most recipes I write will be accompanied by stern warning about using any beer other than the type called for, this isn’t one of those recipes. That IPA I keep shaming you into avoiding? You can even give that a try. My gut instinct with a recipe like this was to use a light, high acid beer with herb notes (basil, sage, oregano) but I opted for a porter to test my "Any Beer Goes" theory.

The porter effect, as I am now calling it, gave a "meatier" quality to the chicken. Which turned out wonderfully, and gave this a bit of a pork taste.

The beer I used for this recipe was the Payback Porter by Speakeasy. It’s a fantastic choice for a porter because the notes are similar to those I see in barbecue sauces and rubs: smoke, coffee, cocoa, and molasses.

Next time I’ll use a beer with a high acid content for a little contrast, but as far as the beer that you pick, experiment and let me know how it goes.

 

Beer Braised Chicken Sliders With Hoisin Beer Barbecue Sauce

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Ingredients
  

For the Barbecue Sacue:

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 cloves fresh garlic minced
  • 1 cup hoisin sauce
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 cup beer

For The Braised Chicken:

  • 2 tbs canola oil
  • 3 chicken breasts boneless and skinless
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups beer
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 15 mini Hawaiian bread rolls

Yield: 15 sliders

    Instructions
     

    • Heat 2 tbs canola oil in large pot or Dutch oven. Sprinkle the chicken with salt on all sides. Place in the pot and cook on each side until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Cover with 1 1/2 cups of beer and 1/2 cup chicken broth, cover and cook for 15 – 20 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked.
    • While chicken is cooking, prepare barbeque sauce by warming olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds; add 1 cup beer, hoisin sauce, chili powder and soy sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until thickened and reduced, remove from heat.
    • When chicken is cooked, remove from pot and allow to cool. Using two forks, shred chicken to as thin slices as possible, then add to hoisin barbeque sauce pan, tossing well to coat.
    • Split rolls in half across the middle to resemble small sandwich buns, fill with chicken.

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    Beer Brined Roast Chicken

    25.04.2012 6 Comments

    Why do I cook with beer? What is it about this fantastic beverage that drives me to create recipe after recipe with beer as a star ingredients? Flavor. Beautiful and complex flavors that take months, even years to perfect by brewers. Aside from that, beer is a natural meat tenderizer, making it the perfect choice for a brining liquid and explaining that Beer Can Chicken recipe you keep seeing at tailgate parties. Due in no small part to the beer in the brine, it’s flavors and tendering properties, this recipe gives you a juicy bird, crispy skin and the perfect level of beer taste. That’s why I can’t stop cooking with beer, it’s just so perfect.

     For this recipe I used Alaskan Brewing Company White Ale due to the flavors of citrus, coriander, and a slight sweetness, this beer is a fantastic choice. Choose a beer with similar flavors and low hops, please no IPA’s.

    Beer Brined Roast Chicken

    5 lb whole roasting chicken

    4 cups water

    3, 12 oz Alaskan White (or similar white ale with citrus notes, and low hops)

    1 tsp whole cloves

    1 tbs whole black peppercorns

    1/2 cup kosher or sea salt

    1/2 red onion

    1 whole lemon

    1 tsp black pepper

    In a pot over medium heat, combine the water, beer, cloves, peppercorn and salt. Cook until the salt has dissolved, and the liquid starts steaming, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool, adding a raw chicken to hot brine will start to cook it prematurely.

    Rinse the raw chicken, removing anything that is in the cavity. Place in a large stock pot, bucket or dutch oven that is just taller than the top of the chicken. Pour the cooled brine over the chicken until submerged. Place in the fridge and allow to soak for 12 hours. If the chicken isn’t fully submerge, turn every 4-6 hours to re-distribute the brine.

    After 12 hours, remove from brine and rinse thoroughly, pat dry. Place in a roasting rack in a roasting pan and allow to sit, uncovered in the refrigerator until the skin has dried, about 12 to 24 hours. This final step will allow the skin to become crispy during cooking, while the meat is juicy.

    Preheat oven to 450.

    Squeeze the juice from the lemon over the chicken, place the spent lemons inside the chicken cavity along with 1/2 an onion. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with pepper.

    Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 degrees, or the breast meat is at 180 degrees. If the chicken starts to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.


    Beer and Brown Sugar Pancakes

    17.04.2012 24 Comments

    I’m in the process of developing a beer scale for the recipes I write. A scale that lets you know how much beer flavor comes through upon the final result. From the low end being, "Mild Hints of Beer Flavors" to the high end of "Strong Bold Forward Beer Taste."

    Some people want to be smacked in the mouth with the flavor of beer, while others want the flavors to fly under the radar, yielding a treat they serve to unwitting non-beer lovers. This pancake recipe falls right in the middle. Beer that is tastable, but mild.

    The difficulty with a scale such as this is that the type of beer you use has a direct result on the "beery-ness" of your final product. While the most important aspect of choosing a beer for your recipes is matching flavor profiles between your beer and the recipe, the second aspect is finding the right level to suit your desired level of beer taste.

    There are a few tricks you can use to adjust the levels of beer taste to suit your needs. If you want to increase the amount of beer you taste, simply adding more beer may not work due to the fact that you will be increasing the amount of liquid in the recipe by doing so. If the recipe calls for "1 cup of beer" then try putting two cups of beer in a pot on the stove and cooking until it has reduced to 1 cup. This will remove water from the beer and intensify the beer flavors. One thing to keep in mind is that beer is often used as a leavening agent and cooking your beer prior to adding it to a recipe can remove those effects.

    If you want to decrease the beer taste, substitute some of the beer for a non-beer liquid such as broth, water or juice, depending on the recipe. Or, if the beer is being used as a leavening agent (as in this pancake recipe) try to substitute with carbonated soda water.

    If you want to increase the flavor of beer, look for beers that have a strong "malt forward" or "hop forward" taste notes, but beware of too hoppy beers (Such as IPA’s) because when reduced, they are very bitter.

    Cooking and baking with craft beer is a journey, there will be a certain level of experimentation, success and failures that you should expect when trying forage ahead in a field that is growing with huge popularity, but with very few who have gone before us. In a lot of ways, this is uncharted water. We should learn from every batch, making note of what works and what doesn’t. Thanks for joining along the road.

    For this recipe, I choose Mission Amber Ale because it has notes of caramel and malt, but with a balanced hop flavor. If you want to make this recipe and can’t find Mission Amber Ale, look for an amber with notes of caramel, maple, brown sugar, cloves, or cinnamon with low or balance hop notes.

    Beer and Brown Sugar Pancakes

    1 cup all purpose flour

    1/3 cup brown sugar

    1 tsp cinnamon

    1 tsp baking powder

    1 egg plus 1 additional yolk

    2 tbs canola oil

    1/2 tsp vanilla

    1 cup Amber Ale Beer

    (makes 10-12)

    In a bowl add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking powder, whisk to combine.

    In a small bowl, add the egg, the additional yolk, vanilla and the oil whisk until well combined.

    Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the egg mixture and beer to the center and whisk to combine.

    Heat a skillet or griddle until hot. Spray with butter flavored cooking spray or brush with melted butter. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter onto the hot griddle. Once bubbles appear in the middle of the pancakes and the edges start to look dry, flip the pancakes and cook on the other side until cooked through, about 5 minutes total (2.5 minutes per side).

    *For this recipe, plain Grade A Syrup just didn’t seem to be enough for me. I put 3/4 cup of syrup and 1/2 cup of the Amber Ale in a pot on the stove over high heat for about 10 minutes and it thickened and reduced to a caramely syrup that was perfect. 

    Amber Ale Beer Hot Sauce

    05.04.2012 11 Comments

    I have an analog soul, still shooting with a film camera.

    I like to read real life paper books.

    I write letters with pen and paper.

    I like to listen to the scratchy sound of Robert Plants voice spun out of a vinyl record.

    I guess I was born too late to enjoy all the good stuff. And little by little my antiquated habits are being digitized. I own a DSLR, an iPod, an iPhone and of course, a MacBook. But I will always shoot with my medium format Yashica, and I will hold out strong with my paper words inside real life pages, and I will always say Thank You with ink and a stamp.

    It’s probably my primitive spirit that draws me to beers that have been around a while, staying true to what they have always been. Full Sail Amber Ale has been a pioneer in the Craft Beer world since the 1980’s, earning the distinction of the first craft beer bottled in Oregon. And just as you should all have a fierce respect for film cameras, vinyl records and paper books, you should also put Craft Beer Pioneers among those ranks.

    All Hail Full Sail.

    Amber Ale Hot Sauce

    2 tbs olive oil

    5 red jalapenos, stems removed, chopped

    2 serrano chillies, stems removed, chopped

    5 cloves of garlic, minced

    12 oz Amber Ale (Reccomended: Full Sail Amber)

    1/2 tsp smoked paprika

    1/2 tsp salt

    1 tbs rice wine vinegar

    1/2 tsp white sugar

    In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the jalapenos and Serrano, cook until soften, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, add the beer and then the remaining ingredients. Allow to simmer for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add the blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.

    Saison Caramelized Pineapple Beer Shortcakes

    27.03.2012 6 Comments

    Beer people are so often missunderstood and stereotyped.

    Don’t mistake our inherent low maintenance for a lack of opinion. Don’t think that our love of indulgence translates to a lack of self-control. Just because we have a adoration for a high calorie beverage, doesn’t mean that we aren’t concerned with healthy living. And our love for a good ole fashion dive bar doesn’t tarnish out Mensa standings.

    And as much as we would love for you to understand exactly why we drive 20 minutes out of our way on Friday afternoon to make sure that we have an exciting stash of Craft Beer for the weekend, we also want you to drink what you want. If you love wine, or whiskey, or even a famous Macro brew, that’s ok. More of the good stuff for us.

    And if everyone else in the world stopped drinking Lost Abbey Carnevale Ale, or if it became so fervently distributed to every home in America that it was dubbed the new King of Beers and the Beer Snobs decided it was no longer desirable, it wouldn’t matter one bit. I would still drive to Northridge on Fridays to make sure I could find a bottle or two for the weekend, if need be.

    I’m pretty sure that it was just a coincidence that the first time I was able to get my hands on this Special Release from Lost Abbey, was also the same day that I saw fresh pineapple at my local market for the first time this year, but it could also be fate. The flavors mixed so beautifully that I’ll have a hard time ever baking with pineapple again and not having the urge to reaching for this beer.

    Saison Caramelized Pineapple Beer Shortcakes

    For the Beer Shortcakes:

    2 cups all purpose flour

    2 tsp baking powder

    1/4 tsp salt

    1/2 cup sugar

    1/2 cup butter

    1 egg, beaten

    1/2 cup Saison Beer(Los Abbey Carnevale recommended)

    For the Saison Caramelized Pineapples:

    4 cups fresh pineapple, chopped

    1/2 cup brown sugar

    1/2 cup white sugar

    1 stick butter

    1 cup Saison beer (Los Abbey Carnevale recommended)

    For the Ale Chantilly Cream:

    1 1/3 cup heavy cream

    2/3 cup powdered sugar

    2 tbs Saison Beer (Los Abbey Carnevale recommended)

    (6-8 servings)

    Preheat oven to 425

    In a food processor, add the flour, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup sugar, pulse to combine. Add the butter and process until it resembles coarse meal. Add the beaten egg and the beer and process until just barely combined, abut 30 seconds. Don’t over process or your shortcakes will be tough.

    The shortcakes will be very moist, and have more of a "drop biscuit" style than those that you roll out.

    Place a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet. Using your hands, or two spoons, place about 1/4 cup of the dough onto the parchment paper and form into a loose ball. Dough should make between 6 and 8 shortcakes, depending on the size you want.

    Bake for 12-15 minutes of until the shortcakes have turned a light golden brown and a tooth pick in the center comes out clean. Slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet and onto a flat surface and allow to cool.

    Add all of the Caramelized Pineapple ingredients to a pan over high heat. Stir frequently (or continuously) until the liquid has reduced so much that the pan seems to only contain pineapples and frothy bubbles, about 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature.

    Just prior to serving, make the whiped cream.

    Add all of the ingredients to a stand mixer and beat on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes.

    To assemble, just split the shortcakes in half down the center, add the whipped cream, then the pineapples. Serve with a cold glass of Lost Abbey Carnevale.

    Irish Beer Brownies With Mint Sour Cream Frosting

    13.03.2012 8 Comments

    This week will be full of recipes for Guinness. Although I will always favor local craft beer, I do harbor a soft spot for Ireland and their World Famous Brewery. Just out of college I scraped together enough money to put myself on a flight from LAX to Dublin.  I landed in Ireland on a drizzly morning, jet lagged and confused. I had no idea where to go, or how to get there. Before I really knew what was happening, I was being dragged though the streets of Dublin by a charming Irishman, clad in a newsboy cap and green wool sweater.  Through his thick accent I was able to discern that he was taking me to a youth hostel at the foot of the Guinness brewery.  Once we arrived at our destination, he said goodbye with a smile and a cheerful wave and he was on his way, leaving me to realized that this kind stranger had walked at least a mile in the wrong direction just to make sure I found a bed for the evening.

    Although most of you will be breaking out the famous Irish Stout this weekend, I will be sticking with beer brewed a little closer to home. Rogue Brewery makes several beers that would be perfect for this recipe, including the Chocolate Stout, the Double Chocolate Stout, or even the Hazelnut Brown Nectar, I choose to go with the Mocha Porter although the idea of the Irish Lager almost drew me in.

    Whatever you decide to consume on St. Patrick’s day, just remember:

    Good beer does not need green food dye.

    Drink well.

    Irish Beer Brownies With Mint Sour Cream Frosting

    For the brownies:

    12 ounces dark beer, such as Rouge Mocha Porter

    1 stick unsalted butter

    10 ounces dark chocolate

    3 whole eggs plus 2 additional egg whites

    1 1/2 cups sugar

    1 tsp vanilla

    1 cup flour

    For the Mint Sour Cream Frosting:

    2 sticks of butter, softened

    1/2 cup sour cream

    2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

    1/2 tsp mint extract

    In a sauce pan over medium high heat, cook the beer until reduced to about 3/4 of a cup, about 10 minutes.

    Add the butter, stir until melted. Remove from heat and add the chocolate, stirring until melted, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs, additional whites and sugar. Beat on high until very light and frothy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix until combined. While the mixer is still on high, slowly add the chocolate mixture in a slow stream. Once about half the chocolate mixture has been added to the egg mixture, dump the remaining chocolate into the stand mixer allowing to mix until combined. Add the flour mixture and stir on low until just combined, don’t over mix once the flour has been added or your brownies will be tough.

    Generously spray a 9×12 inch glass baking dish with butter flavored cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until the surface of the brownies begin to look dry and cracked and a tester inserted into center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

    Make the frosting:

    Softened butter is important to this process. If you use cold butter your frosting will have the consistency of ground beef, but melted butter will give you frosting that is too soft.

    Add the softened butter and the sour cream to a stand mixer and beat until well combined. Add the sugar and beat on low until the sugar is mostly mixed in. Add the mint and beat on high until frosting is light and fluff.

    Allow the brownies to cool before frosting.


    Lemon Pilsner Cake

    08.03.2012 7 Comments

     If you have ever had the opportunity to talk to a brewmaster, you have seen it. You’ve seen that look that lets you know that there is an art and a respect for what they do that goes far past what most Americans experience at their day jobs. The look that tells you that the paycheck isn’t the reason he does the job. The flavors, the journey, the solving of the problems that yield to an end result of a drinkable, shareable masterpiece. You’ve seen that look.

    It’s because of that look that I try to create recipes that respect the years of love and hard work that go into the process of making Craft Beer. I had the idea of making a lemon cake with pilsner, but the issue is always the hops. Hops are a hard ingredient to cook and bake with, given that they often reduce to a very bitter product. Scrimshaw Pilsner, while still a pilsner, has a low, and well balanced hop taste. It is also from one of my favorite breweries, North Coast, that produces an incredible variety of craft beer. And you can bet that if you are ever lucky enough to take a tour of the brewery, you will see that look I’m talking about, all over the place.

    Lemon Pilsner Cake

    1 1/2 cups cake flour

    1 tsp baking powder

    1/2 tsp baking soda

    1/3 tsp salt

    2 tbs lemon zest

    1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

    1 1/4 cup sugar

    3 eggs

    1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

    1/2 cup Pilsner

    Icing:

    4 oz cream cheese, softened (cold cream cheese will result in lumpy icing)

    1 cup powdered sugar

    1/4 cup heavy cream

    1/4 cup Pilsner

    1/2 tsp vanilla

    Direction:

    Preheat oven to 350.

    Spray a large loaf pan with butter flavored cooking spray.

    In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and lemon zest until well mixed.

    In the bowl of  stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl between additions. Add the lemon juice and mix until well combined. Turn the mixer on low and add the flour a bit at a time until just barely combined, do not over mix.

    Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and add the pilsner, stirring with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until the top turns a light golden brown and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

    In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the cream cheese and the powdered sugar, beating until well combined. Add the remaining ingredients and whip until smooth.

    Top the cake with the icing, chill prior to serving.

     Cooking and baking with craft beer. 

    Jalapeno Pale Ale Cornbread

    21.02.2012 10 Comments

    The past few weeks I’ve been craving summer. I live in Los Angeles, so feel free to laugh at my inability to cope with a mild seasonal chill. It isn’t so much the weather of the Summer months that I miss, but the culture of the season. Backyard barbecues, a slower life pace, vacations and water related activities. There is something about the way that summer feels in my bones, the feeling of endless possibilities that the days bring that I miss. Cornbread is an epicurean reminder of what I’m missing out on, and brings a comfort that the Summer isn’t too far away.

    Beer is a great way to add a new dimension to cornbread. Not only is it a leavening agent, insuring that your bread won’t be overly dense, it is also a preservative, giving you a few extra days to consume it. But I don’t think you’ll need them.

    I chose Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale because it has a beautiful chili flavor, without the heat, a hard thing to accomplish. It also has a bit of a cinnamon and spice finish that pairs very well with a recipe that runs the line between savory and sweet.

    If you can’t get your hands on this beer, look for a pale ale with strong, bold flavors of chili and spice.

    Jalapeno Pale Ale Cornbread 

    Jalapeno Pale Ale Cornbread

    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • 3 tbs unsalted butter
    • 1 tbs chopped fresh jalapenos seeds removed
    • ¾ cup whole milk
    • ¾ cup dry polenta course corn meal
    • ¾ cup flour
    • 2 tsp baking powder
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ½ cup brown sugar
    • ½ tsp salt
    • ¾ cup pale ale with notes of spice I used Stone 11.11.11 Vertical Epic Ale
    • 2 eggs
    • 1 tbs raw honey
    • 1 cup corn kernels fresh is better. If you use frozen, make sure they are thawed
    • 2 tbs melted unsalted butter

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350.
    • Spray a large, deep dish loaf pan generously with butter flavored cooking spray.
    • In a sauce pan over medium/heat, add the butter and the jalapenos and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
    • Add the milk and polenta and stir until the milk starts to bubble and is well combined with the polenta. Cover and remove from heat, allowing to rest for about 20 minutes.
    • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt.
    • In another bowl, whisk the eggs and the honey until well combined.
    • Add the egg mixture to the polenta pan and stir. Add the dry ingredients and stir until incorperated. Add the beer and the corn kernels, stirring until just combined.
    • Add to the prepared baking dish and pour the 2 tbs of melted butter over the top.
    • Bake at 350 until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 45-55 minutes.

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

    13.01.2012 4 Comments

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

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

    Make waffles.

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

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

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

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

    Beer Waffles with Amber Ale Caramel Sauce

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

    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    Waffles:

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

    Caramel Sauce:

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

    Instructions
     

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

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    Craft Ale Risotto

    05.01.2012 2 Comments

    Risotto is the first recipe that I ever mastered. To this day, I count this among my favorite comfort food, downing giant bowls whenever the opportunity arises.

    The classic recipe is made with white wine, but the substitution of a citrusy, medium-bodied craft beer only adds to the profile of flavors. I used another California beer: Telegraph California Ale, although this recipe would lend itself very well to the Telegraph White Ale.

    Craft Ale Risotto 
    4 cups chicken broth
    3 Tbsp unsalted butter
    1 tbs chopped shallots
    3 cloves of garlic, minced
    1½ cups arborio rice
    1 Tbsp vegetable oil
    8 oz Telegraph Ale
    ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1/4 cup heavy cream
    Salt and Pepper
    1. Place the chicken broth in a sauce pan and bring to a mild simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
    2. In a separate pot, add the butter and allow to melt over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until transparent, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell them, about 20 seconds
    3. Stir in the rice and the oil, cooking until the rice is completely coated with oil and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
    4. Add the beer and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
    5. Add a ladle full (about 2/3 cups) of broth into the rice. Stir frequently until the broth is almost dry, and then add another ladle full and repeat. This process should take about 20 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the rice on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
    6. Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the rice is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the cheese, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Risotto should be soft and wet, not dry like typical rice. It should be firm enough to be served as a side on a plate, but soft enough to jiggle when the plate is shaken.
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    IPA Sweet Potato Mash

    20.12.2011 1 Comment

    IPA’s make difficult cooking subjects. The bitterness is high maintenance. But then a beer comes along that is just so worth the effort of figutring out how to work those flavors into my food.

    Like Le Freak, by Green Flash Brewing out of San Diego.

    It’s a non traditional American IPA meets Belgium style IPA. Not your run of the mill hoppy beer. I love this. LOVED it so much, I drank it mid-morning as I was cooking up this little dish for you all. And, it turns out, sweet potatoes are an amazing vessel for hops. Or maybe the other way around.

    IPA Sweet Potato Mash

    2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 4 cups)

    2 tbs butter, chopped into cubes

    1/4 cup maple syrup

    1/2 cup brown sugar

    1/2 tsp salt

    1 tsp cinnamon

    1/2 tsp nutmeg

    1/4 cup pecans

    1/2 cup Green Flash by Le Freak

    Preheat oven to 400.

    Place your chopped yams in a large loaf pan, sprinkle the top with cubes of butter. Drizzle with the maple syrup, then the beer and then top with the brown sugar.

    Bake, uncovered at 400 for about 40 minutes or until the yams are fork tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Drain off most of the liquid (leaving about 2 tbs in the bottom of the pan). Sprinkle with nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt then mash with a potato masher until creamy, add the pecans and stir.

    Serve warm.

    Beer Brined Turkey

    Beer Brined Turkey will give you the juiciest, tastiest bird you’ve ever had! This recipe also tells you how to also get a crispy skin. You’ll never make it another way again!

    read more

    Beer Poached Apples With An Amber Ale Caramel Sauce

    01.11.2011 2 Comments

    I came across Albion Amber Ale, from Marin Brewing Co this week. It isn’t a traditional Amber, but the flavors are bright and complex. One taste of this brown ale, and a caramel sauce immediately came to mind. The rich toffee and nut flavors paired beautifully with this recipe and the strong caramel and malt flavors came through in the sauce in such an amazing way.

    Even if you skip the apple, this sauce is so incredible you can eat it right out of the jar with your fingers.

    Beer Poached Apples with Amber Ale Caramel Sauce

    4 fuji apples

    2 1/2 cups (20 oz) Amber Ale

    2-4 cups hot water

    2 cups brown sugar, packed

    3/4 cup heavy cream

    2 tbs butter

    Peel all four apples with a vegetable peeler. With an apple corer remove the core of the apples. Place in a large sauce pan or pot, cover with the beer. Add enough water so that the apples are no longer touching the bottom of the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a strong simmer. Roll the apples with a fork frequently to insure that all side of the apples are evenly cooked. Poach for 20 minutes or until the apples are fork tender. Use a slotted spoon to remove the apples.

    Raise the heat to a strong boil and reduce the liquid to 1 cup. Depending on how much water you added, this should take about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and add the brown sugar, stir until dissolved. Add a thermometer with a clip to the side of you pan, submerging the tip in the liquid, but making sure it does not hit the bottom of the pan.

    Boil, without stirring, until the temperature reaches between 225-230 degrees. Remove from heat and stir until the bubbling subsides. Add the cream and butter, stir to combine. Allow to cool.

    Top the apples with the caramel and the chopped nuts.

    Another fabulous way to serve this is to chop the apples, and serve the apples, nuts and caramel over vanilla ice cream. Amazing.

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    Gingerbread Ale Beer Bread

    28.10.2011 5 Comments

    Beer bread is simple. A few ingredients creates a soft, but dense bread. The basic principle is to use the beer as the yeast. Although beer is great in this capacity, adding a leavening agent like baking soda, or self rising flour, is important to help keep the bread from becoming too dense. The simple ingredients open the possibility to so many different types of flavorings. Beer bread can be sweet or savory.

    I got my hands on a few bottles of the Gingerbread Ale from Bison Brewery for this batch of beer bread. The gingerbread flavors worked so well with the recipe, leaving a mild but distinct flavors of ginger and beer.

    Gingerbread Beer Bread

    3 cups all purpose flour

    2/3 cup brown sugar

    2 tsp baking powder

    1 tsp cinamon

    1/2 tsp nutmeg

    1/2 tsp ginger

    1/2 cup chopped pecans

    12 oz Bison Gingerbread Ale

    TOPPING:

    2 tbs melted butter

    2 tbs brown sugar

     

    Preheat oven to 375. Spray a large loaf pan with butter flavored cooking spray.

    In a large bowl, combine the flour, 2/3 cup brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and pecans. Stir until well combined.  Add the beer all at once. It will foam up. Stir quickly to combine. Don’t worry about lumps, thats normal.

    Add to your batter greased loaf pan. Pour the melted butter on top of your loaf and sprinkle with the brown sugar.

    Bake for 40 minutes or until the butter has completely absorbed into your loaf and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of your loaf comes out clean.