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Pilsner/Pale Ale

Beer Chicken Shawarma with Sweet Potato cakes and Tahini Aoili

Beer Chicken Shawarma with Sweet Potato cakes and Tahini Aoili

This has been a hard month, for all of us. We aren’t even two weeks in and this month has already had an impact on the world in profound ways. It leaves us all feeling helpless and scared, worried and frightened. I wish I had something to offer you other than a recipe that might help your self-quarantine time seem a little less terrible, but I don’t.

But I can give you this: don’t forget to focus on what you’re grateful for, a little each day. It sounds trite and quaint, but it really does help. I’m ok because: I’m not sick, I can work from home, I have people who love me who will help me if I need it.

Whatever it is, just make sure you take stock of it.

And don’t forget that we are all in this together, and there are people who don’t have those things you just listed. Stop panicking and start helping. Maybe it’s just to offer some help to a stranger, some assistance to someone who needs it. We do have enough, we just need to remember that we are all in it together. We will be ok, we will get through this, and we will do it together. And I’m fairly certain a few beers will only help the situation. 

Beer Chicken Shawarma with Sweet Potato cakes and Tahini Aoili

5 from 2 votes
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Chicken:

  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon turmeric powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika or a teaspoon of each
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/3 cup (78g) beer pale ale, IPA, pilsner, wheat beer
  • 1.5 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless, cut into strips
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  • 1.5 lbs 1 large or 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, grated with a box grater
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • Oil for frying

For the Aioli:

  • ½ cup (112g) real mayonnaise (homemade or store-bought)
  • ½ cup (56g) tahini
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) lemon juice
  • 1 clove garlic grated with a Microplane
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 tablespoons beer pale ale, IPA, pilsner, wheat beer

Topping:

  • Chopped parsley
  • Grape tomatoes quartered
  • Mixed greens

Instructions
 

  • Stir together all the Shawarma ingredients (except the chicken and olive oil) in a large bowl. Add the chicken, toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 1 day.
  • Heat the oven to 200°F, place a baking sheet in the oven.
  • Stir together the sweet potato ingredients (other than the oil).
  • Heat about ½ inch of oil in a skillet.
  • Grab a handful of the sweet potatoes, form into a patty, making sure to press it together well. Place in the pan (two or three patties may be able to fit into the pan at a time).
  • Cook unit the underside is browned (flipping too soon will result in the patties falling apart) then carefully flip the patties, press the top with the flat side of the spatula. Cook until browned on the other side.
  • Remove the cooked patties and place them on the baking sheet in the oven until all the patties are done.
  • Heat the remaining olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the chicken, cooking on all sides until browned and cooked through.
  • Plate the patties, top tomatoes, greens and then with chicken.
  • Stir together all the aioli ingredients.
  • Drizzle the chicken with desired amount of aioli, sprinkle with parsley.

Tandoori Beer Lamb Wraps with Mango Mint Salsa and Harissa Feta Sauce

Tandoori Beer Lamb Wraps with Mango Mint Salsa and Harissa Feta Sauce

Do you remember the first time you had lamb? or Naan? Maybe you don’t, that’s ok. Maybe you grew up traipsing around the Middle East, or with parents who would regularly bring home take out from exotic places. I did not. 

My mom’s idea of international cuisine was Taco Bell and Costco Lasagna. The good part of this (other than the fact that mom was able to feed 8 kids on a small income, thanks mom!) is that I have very, very clear memories of the first time I had the foods most people grew up with at least a passing experience with. 

Prior to eating Naan for the first time, when I was 19-years-old,  I actually said this sentence: "What do you mean NON-bread? Like, it’s not bread?"

I know. I KNOW. THAT girl grew up to write cookbooks. I suppose anything is possible. But that meal I had, of naan and tandoori lamb, in a small restaurant in Pasadena, taught me that I love curry, and I love new food. It really inspired me to try things, all things, whenever I could. Sure, there were misses, lots of them. Restaurants I’d never revisit, terrible meals, poorly executed dishes, but in spite of that, I wouldn’t change a thing I’ve eaten. You just have to go out, try things, see what sticks. You can’t find what you love without finding things you don’t. But it’s always worth the trip. 

Tandoori Beer Lamb Wraps with Mango Mint Salsa and Harissa Feta Sauce

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the lamb:

  • 2 lbs boneless leg of lamb
  • ½ cup (113g) Greek yogurt
  • ¼ cup (58g) pale ale or IPA beer
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) lemon juice
  • 2 large garlic cloves grated with a Microplane
  • ¼ teaspoon ginger grated with a Microplane
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon dry mustard
  • pinch ground cloves
  • pinch cayenne

For the harissa sauce:

  • ¼ cup (56g) Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) harissa
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons feta

For the mango mint salsa:

  • 1 medium red mango diced
  • ½ large red onion diced
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon (14g) lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

For the wraps:

  • 4 pieces Naan bread
  • Additional feta and cilantro optional

Instructions
 

  • Add a long sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface. Add the lamb to the center, fat side up.
  • Score the lamb in a diamond pattern on the top, just cutting through the fat layer.
  • In a medium-sized bowl stir together all of the remaining lamb ingredients.
  • Pour the mixture over the lamb. Gather up the plastic wrap and wrap the lamb tightly, using additional plastic wrap if needed.
  • Refrigerate for 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Remove lamb from plastic wrap, place the lamb on a wire rack over a baking sheet, place in the bottom 1/3 of the oven.
  • Roast until the internal temperature of the lamb is 135°F in the thickest part (use an oven-safe meat thermometer if possible), about 45 to 75 minutes. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes (internal temp will rise to 140°F while it rests) before slicing into ½ inch strips.
  • In a small bowl, stir together all the mango salsa ingredients, set aside.
  • In a separate bowl stir together the harissa sauce ingredients, set aside.
  • Divide the lamb evenly between the four naan pieces. Top with desired amount of salsa, harissa sauce, and additional fetta and cilantro (if using). Serve immediately.

Burrata, Mango, Arugula Pizza with Hot Chili Oil and Overnight Beer Pizza Crust

Burrata, Mango, Arugula Pizza with Hot Chili Oil and Overnight Beer Pizza Crust

I’m going to give you some advice about general safety and well being. If you ever meet a person who doesn’t like pizza: run. Run fast, and far because this is a person who can not be trusted. It’s the core of our society, like puppies, democracy, and a brand new hoodie. But seriously, is there anything better than wearing a brand new, super-soft, hoodie? While eating pizza? and petting a puppy? With a beer? 

Unfortunately, all I can help you with right now is the pizza part. You’ll have to supply your own hoddies and puppies. Sorry to disappoint. 

This dough is my current favorite. It’s really easy, super simple, and requires very little active time. Although you will need to know 24 hours in advance that you want pizza, but I’m going to tell you now that tomorrow you want pizza. Problem solved. 

It’s also a really agreeable dough. It can sit on your counter for 24 hours, 36 hours, even 48 hours. Just make sure to fold it again if you decide to push pizza-making off a day. Or even put it in the fridge for a few days if life is forcing you to neglect pizza for a while. 

It’s also not super picky about temperature. I heated my beer to be about lukewarm, but not hot. But if you just used room temperature beer, you’d probably be fine. Just no extreme temps here, nothing cold or hot, just in the general vicinity of warm. 

And these toppings are my idea of the perfect pizza, I could eat this every single day. If there is ever a menu item that includes burrata, mango, and chili oil, it’s hard for me to pass it up, no matter what else is included. 

You can make the crust with a pilsner, pale ale, or wheat beer. Nothing too hoppy or dark. But when you eat it, I highly recommend doing so with an IPA. The chili and mango will thank you, this is truth. I was lucky enough to have a Poor Mans Galaxy from 10 Torr,  If you can get your hands on one, I highly recommend it.

I’ve always said that the best beer comes from the convergence of art and science, that engineers and scientists with a creative side always put out the best, most consistent beer and 10 Torr is a perfect example of that. Two badass women and an engineering company came together to give us some amazing beer. 

And then I decide to drink it with pizza. Hopefully, all that art and science will forgive my casual approach to art appreciation, but I also have the idea that this is exactly the sort of activity it was made for. 

Burrata, Mango, Arugula Pizza with Hot Chili Oil and Overnight Beer Pizza Crust

5 from 4 votes
Servings 2 small pizzas

Ingredients
  

For the dough:

  • 2 cups (240g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 cup (6oz) lukewarm beer (pilsner, pale ale, wheat beer)

For the topping:

  • ¼ cup red pizza sauce
  • ¼ cup shredded mozzarella
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 mini (2 oz each) balls of burrata
  • 1 red mango diced
  • ½ cup arugula leaves
  • 2 tablespoons hot chili oil

Instructions
 

  • The night before you plan to make pizza, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Stir in the beer with a fork or your hands until a tight ball forms.
  • Add to an oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap. Allow to sit at room temperature for 12-18 hours.
  • The next morning (12 to 18 hours later) fold the dough by pulling the sides into the center until a tight ball forms. This should only take about 5 minutes.
  • Cover and allow to rise for another 6 to 12 hours. (if you decide to wait another day to make pizza, just fold again every 12 hours. If it'll be longer, keep in the fridge and fold every 24 hours). 
  • Place a pizza stone or pizza steel in the bottom third of your oven. Preheat your oven to 550°F, allow to heat for one full hour.
  • While your oven heats, cut your dough ball into two balls, form into tight balls on a heavily floured surface, using more flour if the dough is too sticky.
  • Cover and allow to rest for 30-45 minutes while your oven heats (make sure to cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, you want to prevent a crust from forming on your dough because this will impede the rise).
  • After 30-45 minutes, shape the balls into 8-10 inch crust by pulling and stretching. DO NOT use a roller. Avoid touching the outer inch where the outer crust ring will be, you don’t want to disrupt the air bubbles to allow your outer crust to bubble up.
  • Place on a heavily floured pizza peel, top with sauce and mozzarella. Brush the outer crust ring with olive oil.
  • Transfer to the pizza stone or steel. Bake for 8-10 minutes, remove from oven with a pizza peel. 
  • Top with burrata, mango, arugula and chili oil. Repeat for remaining crust.

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit (dairy and egg-free)

I have a theory. I really believe that breakfast being touted as the most important meal of the day has nothing to do with nutrition. It’s because we cook breakfast for the most important people in our lives. We’ll have a mid-day coffee, or a quick lunch, with just about anyone. But if you’ve earned the "let me cook you breakfast" spot in the day, it’s because you’re the most important. 

Sure, waffles and eggs benedict are awesome, but I also like having recipes for all the humans in my life, like the ones who don’t eat eggs or dairy. One of my go-to substitutions when replacing butter is olive oil, but like beer, it isn’t all the same. Good olive oil has nuances of flavor that other olive oils don’t. 

The beautiful flavors of both the beer and the olive oil come through in these biscuits, so use an olive oil you really like. I used my favorite olive oil on the planet, and it’s owned by some of my favorite people on the planet. The space it comes from in the world is so gorgeous, you’ll want to keep a piece of it in your kitchen. It’s called Rastrello, and it’s not just a small craft olive oil producer, it’s also a gorgeous boutique hotel, just 8 rooms on the edge of an olive grove in a small town in Italy owned by a family I adore. If you’re looking for an unforgettable Italian getaway, add this small boutique hotel to the top of your list.  

Until we can all jump on a plane to Italy, let’s sublimate our wanderlust with some confit tomatoes. Don’t let the word "confit" intimidate you, it just means to cook something at a low temperature in a fat, like olive oil. It’s nearly impossible to screw up, and it’s very forgiving. Forget it for a few hours and when you come back, it’ll be warm and bursting with flavor. 

These biscuits are the quickest and easiest biscuits I’ve ever made, with a texture that’s soft and light and a flavor that’s almost buttery. They’re ready to go in the oven before your oven has finished heating up, perfect for last-minute breakfast guests and lazy Sunday mornings. 

Just spread the tomatoes and garlic on the biscuits like jam and don’t forget to share with your favorite person as you convince them to run away to Italy with you this summer. I’ll be there, you should be too. 

Rosemary Olive Oil Beer Biscuits with Tomato Garlic Confit

5 from 1 vote
Servings 12 biscuits

Ingredients
  

For the confit:

  • 2 cups (16oz) cherry tomatoes
  • 2 large heads garlic cloves remove from the head
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • Olive oil

For the Biscuits:

  • 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • ½ cup (114g) beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
  • ½ cup (114g) extra-virgin olive oil (plus additional for brushing)
  • Flakey sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 275°F.
  • Add the tomatoes, garlic cloves, salt, pepper and rosemary to a small dish (ideally, you want the tomatoes and garlic to be in a tight layer.Drizzle with olive oil until the tomatoes are about 2/3 of the way covered.
  • Bake until the tomatoes have shriveled and the garlic has browned, about 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven. The confit can be covered and stored in the fridge for several weeks until ready to use. Make sure to heat prior to serving.
  • Preheat oven to 450° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and rosemary. Gently stir in the beer and olive oil until just combined. Don't over-mix.
  • Drop mounds of dough (slightly larger than golf balls) on prepared baking sheet (for smaller sized biscuits use a cookie scoop, for larger an ice cream scoop works well). Brush the top with olive oil, sprinkle with flakey sea salt.
  • Bake 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through and starting to turn brown on the tops.

Notes

Anything beer that's really hoppy, like an IPA, will be too intense for this recipe. 

White Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Filling and Russian Imperial Buttercream

White Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Filling and Russian Imperial Buttercream

The most frustrated I have even gotten while cooking, came at the hands of a cake. Not just a little frustrated, but throwing an actual tantrum in the kitchen all by myself. This is the ugly truth, people, if you can’t handle it, please look away! 

Certainly, this is all my fault. I have these unreasonably high expectations for the cakes I bring places, as if the entire enjoyment of these treats will be ruined if they don’t look flawless and the crowd of party-goers don’t gasp and ask "did you really make that?!" I know, this is insane and I should be in some sort of baked goods related therapy to cure myself. 

But because of my aforementioned baking-induced-trauma, I have learned some things that I hope make the path a little less rocky for you, my friend. You don’t deserve a cake meltdown. 

First rule of cake making, we don’t talk about cake making! Wait, nope that’s another club. The first rule is: do not, I REPEAT DO NOT, under any circumstances, ever, never, ever attempt to make a cake the day you intend to eat it. It will not end well, for several reasons. Cold cake is much easier to work with, warm cake is an asshole and it will slide all over and collapse and taunt you. Make all the components the day before (unless the frosting is super easy, then you can make it the day of) and store it all covered in the fridge.  

The second rule is sorta along the same lines, but since I already said "first rule" I’m going to need to continue this line of thinking and make this the second rule: temperature matters. A LOT. First, the cake needs to be cold, and the frosting components need to be warm. When you’re making a butter-based frosting the "softened" or "room temperature" butter indicator is not a suggestion. It’s literally the only way that stuff will work. If you try to use cold butter and trick your frosting into working, it will laugh at you and then turn into a mixture that resembles cottage cheese. It’s really sad. 

Making a nice little drip down the side of your cake covers a myriad of sins, I think we can call this the third rule. Or just literally throw a bunch of chocolate chips on the top, it’ll look good and people will like it. If you’re new to chocolate drips, they’re super easy but I’m going to let Chelsweets tell you about that, she’s way better at it than I am. 

The next rule is this: if you’re worried about your cake being dry, just brush the cake layers with a simple syrup (a mixture of sugar and water) and bam! Moist cake. 

The last rule is to remember that people will just be happy that you brought cake, no one cares nearly as much about how it looks as you do, so let it go if it’s not perfect. You’re perfect, and you brought beer and cake so everyone will love you. Even without the beer and cake, you’re the best. Don’t forget that. 

White Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Filling and Russian Imperial Buttercream

Ingredients
  

For the Filling:

  • 1 tablespoon blood orange zest
  • 6 egg yolks
  • 1 ¼ cup (250g) white sugar
  • 1 cup (8oz) fresh-squeezed blood orange juice
  • ¼ cup (2oz) IPA beer
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter, cut into cubes

For the Chocolate Cake:

  • 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • ½ cup (112g) vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (4oz) beer pilsner, pale ale, lager
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 6 oz (about 1 cup) white chocolate chips, melted
  • ½ cup (114g) melted butter, melted and slightly cooled

For the Frosting:

  • 1 cup (228g) butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup (205g) vegetable shortening
  • 1 (14oz) can sweeten condensed milk, chilled
  • 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Add the zest, orange juice, beer, sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks to a saucepan off the heat and whisk until well combined. Add the butter and place the pan over medium/low heat. Whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature. Add to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F (if you haven’t done so, set your butter out to come to room temp, and put your sweetened condensed milk in the fridge to prepare to make the frosting!).
  • Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk to combine.
  • Add the oil, beer, vanilla, and eggs. Stir on low speed until just combined, then drizzle in the melted white chocolate and melted butter (do not over mix).
  • Grease and flour 3 (9-inch) cake pans. Divide the cake equally between the pans.
  • Bake until the top springs back when lightly touched, 28-32 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from the pans.
  • Layer the cooled cake with the blood orange mixture spread between the layers. Cover loosely and refrigerate until chilled (cold cakes are much easier to work with), ideally overnight. 
  • Add the room temperature butter and shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer, beat on high until the mixture is very white, light and fluffy. This will take about 5 full minutes, but it’s an important step in getting enough air into the frosting to make it light. Lower the mixer speed to medium, add the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla extract. Turn off the mixer, add the powdered sugar, then mix until well combined.
  • Spread with about 2/3 of the frosting mixture on the outside of the cake, refrigerate until chilled and the frosting is set.
  • Add the remaining frosting on to the outside of the cake in a smooth layer and as decoration.

Hot Honey Beer Prawns

Hot Honey Beer Prawns

I have a confession. This was supposed to be for dinner but instead I ate it over the sink and called it "lunch" as if I hadn’t already eaten. This would drive you crazy if you had to put up with me on a daily basis, I have no ability to plan or follow through with plans, because sometimes I just want to eat prawns over the sink. 

Hot Honey is a fairly new discovery for me. I started my hot honey journey the exact way you should: with a slice of pizza eaten over a paper plate on the street in Manhattan with my friend. Even if the pizza isn’t better with Hot Honey, this should be your first introduction, it’s just the way the world should work when everything is perfect. By the time I arrived here, Hot Honey was already a thing, which made me feel like I had nothing to offer. If I can’t feed you new and weird food, what good am I?! 

But I will still feed you, even if you’ve already had hot honey somewhere else in the world. I will still hot-up some honey, beerify (this is a word, look away, autocorrect) the dish, and serve it to you on a silver platter. Or out of the skillet over the sink. Whatever. 

Hot Honey Beer Prawns

Ingredients
  

  • 4 tablespoons (57g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 4 tablespoons (84g) honey
  • 3 tablespoons (62g) Asian hot chili oil see note
  • 3 cloves garlic grated with a Microplane
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon (2g) ginger grated with a Microplane
  • 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
  • ¼ cup beer pilsner, pale ale, lager
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil*
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 lbs prawns or large shrimp deveined (peeled if desired)
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl stir together the butter, honey, chili oil, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, salt, and beer, set aside.
  • Rub the inside of your cast iron skillet with olive oil (*you can skip this step if you know for sure your cast iron skillet is well seasoned, but it won’t hurt to do this either way. If your skillet isn’t well seasoned the honey may stick without the oil).
  • Heat the sesame seed oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the prawns.
  • Pour in the butter mixture, allow to boil, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened and the prawns are cooked through.
  • Remove from heat, top with green onions. Serve with rice, polenta, or crusty bread.

Notes

  • Asian chili oil, or hot chili oil, is sold in the Asian section of the market near the Sriracha. My favorite brands are Judy Fu's, Lao Gan Ma, and Din Tai Fung. 
  • You can either remove the shells to cook, or cut them down the entire length of the prawn when you remove the vein and serve them as peel-and-eat, but either way, don't neglect the sauce, it's delicious! 
 

Homemade Beer Pasta Recipe: Pilsner Pappardelle with Harissa Brown Butter, Burrata, and Crispy Basil

Pilsner Pappardelle with Harissa Brown Butter, Burrata, and Crispy Basil

Is January an asshole, or is it just me? Every year of my life up to this moment, January has been the worst month. It’s soggy and heavy and sad. We’ve just got to keep moving through it as if it doesn’t exist, it’s just a vestibule to the rest of the year. 

My current means of coping is throwing myself into long cooking projects, it helps. Don’t fight me on this, just sit there and look pretty. This week it’s homemade pasta, something every single person who has hands and a mouth should attempt at least once in their lives. If I didn’t hate the term "bucket list" I would tell you to add this endeavor to yours. 

It isn’t hard, and it isn’t complicated, it’s just a few simple ingredients and some time. If you have a stand mixer and a pasta roller, even better. But if you don’t, it’s still completely possible. Remember, Italian grandmas didn’t have those things a hundred years ago and their pasta didn’t suffer. 

Instead of a stand mixer, just use your hands. It will give you an arm workout and take three times as long, but your pasta will be well worth it, a carb load after the upper body training. If you don’t have a pasta roller, just use a rolling pin. Or a bomber of beer. 

And everything is better with burrata, this is a fact. I don’t care what you serve me, if you say, "Do you want burrata with that?" the answer will be yes. Cake, cereal, pizza, I don’t care, put a big ball of burrata on it and it’s happy. I’m happy. I’m less January-y. 

Add in some harissa and a beer and it already feels like February. 

Pilsner Pappardelle with Harissa Brown Butter, Burrata, and Crispy Basil

Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients
  

For The Pasta:

  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup (2oz) beer pilsner, wheat beer, pale ale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the Browned Butter:

  • ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter*
  • ¼ cup prepared harissa
  • ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt

For the Dish:

  • olive oil for frying
  • 8-10 large basil leaves chopped
  • 4 (2 oz each) mini balls of burrata
  • Black pepper

Instructions
 

Make the pasta:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook attachment, add the flour and the salt and mix well. Form a well in the center, add the eggs and the beer. Mix on low speed until the dough, eggs, and beer are incorporated, about 6 minutes. 
  • Turn the mixer to medium speed and allow the mixer to knead the dough until it's elastic (stretches when pulled rather than breaks right away) about 8 minutes. Form a ball and brush with olive oil. Cover and allow to rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • Cut the dough into two equal halves. Cut each half into equal thirds to give you 6 equal-sized pieces. Keep all dough covered that you are not working with.
  • Flatten each dough section into a long oval. Pass through the pasta roller at the widest setting. Close the pasta roller one notch and pass through again. Close the pasta roller again pass the pasta through again. Add flour to the pasta with each pass through the pasta roller. Continue to do this until the pasta sheets are thin (about 3 stops from the smallest setting).
  • Using a sharp knife, cut each sheet of pasta into 1-inch-wide slices, and approximately 8-10 inches long. 
  • Allow to air dry on a flat surface covered in flour for about 20 minutes.
  • Cook pasta in heavily salted water until al dente, about 4 minutes.

Make the sauce:

  • Add the butter to a saucepan, allow to simmer over medium heat until toasty brown and starting to smell nutty. Remove from heat, stir in harissa and salt.

Make the Basil:

  • Heat about 2 inches of oil in a pan or pot until very hot. Using a slotted spoon, lower the herbs into the oil. Fry them for about 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer to a plate lined with a towel.

Plate the pasta:

  • Divide the noodles between four bowls. Drizzle with sauce. Add a ball of burrata to each bowl. Sprinkle with basil and black pepper.

Notes

 Why would you call for unsalted buttter and then have me add salt?! Why would you do such things?! Great question! Salt is not added to all brands of butter in the same amounts. Some sticks of salted butter have less than an 1/8 of a teaspoon, some as much as a full teaspoon. The only way to know how much salt is in the dish is to add it yourself. 

Michelada Marinated Steak Tacos with Chipotle Avocado Sauce and Beer Pickled Onions

Michelada Marinated Steak Tacos with Chipotle Avocado Sauce and Beer Pickled Onions

If anyone tells you they don’t like tacos they are incorrect. Yes, I know, liking something is technically an opinion, and those can’t be correct or incorrect, except about tacos. I’ll even let those "I don’t really like ice cream" people have their inferior preferences but with tacos, I’m just going to say no, absolutely not, you are wrong. 

Because the truth is, you just haven’t had the right taco. Maybe street tacos are your jam, or maybe it’s what I call "trash tacos" which are the ones our moms made with ground beef and cheddar and pre-packaged hard taco shells, or MAYBE you like a hybrid of both like the ones Malo in LA used to make. 

OR you could just be a dessert taco guy, like a ChocoTaco sort of human. But the truth is, tacos are for everyone, and everyone is for tacos. 

These tacos just happen to be my sort of tacos: GOOD corn tortilla (not those cardboard disks that pretend to be tortillas), steak, pickled onions, and a sauce of sorts.

I will ride or die for all types of cheese, but not on my tacos, save that for a burrito. Or a burger. No lettuce, thank-you-very-much, and no premade hard shells. Just a protein, a corn tortilla, onions or one sort or another, and a spicy sauce. And a beer, tacos and beer are always better together. 

For homemade tortillas, use this recipe for Beer Corn Tortillas

For store-bought, the only ones I ever buy are La Tortilla Factory 

Michelada Marinated Steak Tacos with Chipotle Avocado Sauce and Beer Pickled Onions

5 from 2 votes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Steak:

  • 2 lbs skirt or flank steak
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon Sriracha
  • 2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon cream-style horseradish
  • 1 large lime juiced
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 12 ounces beer pale ale, lager, pilsner
  • 1 ½ cups 12 ounces tomato juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Beer Pickled Onions:

  • 12 oz of IPA beer
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 large red onion thinly sliced

Chipotle Avocado Sauce:

  • 1 large chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
  • 1 large avocado pit and skin removed
  • ¼ cup chicken broth
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon chopped green onions

For the tacos:

  • 12 small corn tortillas homemade recipe link above, for store-bought, see note
  • ¼ cup chopped green onions

Instructions
 

Marinate the steak:

  • Sprinkle the flank steak liberally on all sides, place in a gallon-sized Ziplock bag or a large bowl with an airtight lid.
  • In a large bowl stir together the sriracha, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish, lime juice, pepper, beer, and tomato juice. Pour over the steak, remove as much air as possible before sealing the bag.
  • Refrigerate overnight.

Make the onions:

  • In a pot over medium-high heat add the beer, vinegar, sugar, salt, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer, stirring just until the sugar and salt dissolve, remove from heat.
  • Add the onions to a jar or storage container. Pour brine over the onions. Allow to sit at room temperate until cooled, cover and refrigerate overnight and up to several weeks.

Cook the steak:

  • Remove the steak from the marinade, allowing the liquid to drain off as much as possible. Place the steak on a clean kitchen towel or a stack of paper towels, add more to the top of the steak drying it as well as possible (this is how you will be able to achieve a good sear, too much liquid will ruin the sear).
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet with a lid until very hot. Add the steak, allowing to brown and sear for 3-5 minutes, flip and cover with a slight vent to the lid until cooked through, another 4-6 minutes (depending on the thickness of your steak).
  • Remove from pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing against the grain.

Make the sauce:

  • Add all the ingredients for the chipotle avocado sauce to a small blender or food processor, process until well combined.

Make the tacos:

  • Add steak, avocado cream, onions, and green onions in desired proportions to tortillas.

Notes

*The only store bought tortillas that I ever buy are La Tortilla factory (this is not a paid mention, I have no relationship with them), all other store-bought tortillas are bland and dry in my experience. If you can’t find La Tortilla Factory corn tortillas, try to make them at home, it really is rather simple.

Beer Bread Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Beer Bread Cinnamon Roll Muffins, just twenty minutes to get these in your oven!

Do you get really uncomfortable when you have to open gifts in front of the gifter or is it just me? Should I smile more? Am I appropriately excited or should I be louder? Was "wow" enough or should it have been an "oh my god!" what was the expectation?!

The last time I hosted a baby shower for a friend my only rule was "don’t make her open presents, it’s so uncomfortable!" Does that make me almost the worst or just sort of a little terrible? Because I sorta hate it.

I would literally (no, not figuratively actual literally) rather cook you breakfast than open a gift you gave me. Even if I love it. Especially if I love it. So these are the "Instead of opening presents, can I make you breakfast? Quick way to get yourself out of opening gifts in front of people" dish.

 

Also, you need to know that you have to un-think these. It’s batter, not dough. it will not behave like dough. It will not stretch. You have to pat it into shape, slowly roll (or pile it) and then cut. If you need to scoop the rolls into the muffin tin, that is FINE. they will taste great. And then your friend will be the one wondering if WOW is enough or if maybe these called for an OH, MY GOD.

HOW THE TABLES HAVE TURNED!!

Beer Bread Cinnamon Roll Muffins

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 12 rolls

Ingredients
  

Muffins:

  • 4 (540g) cups flour
  • 2 teaspoons (9g) baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons (9g) baking powder
  • 1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon (5g) salt
  • 12 ounces beer*

For the filling:

  • ½ cup (114g) butter, softened
  • 2 tablespoons (14g) cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon (0.5g) nutmeg
  • ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) white sugar

Icing:

  • 4 tablespoons (57g) butter, softened
  • 4 tablespoons (2oz) cream cheese
  • 2 cups (220g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon whole milk

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, salt, and beer until a ball of dough forms.
  •  Add to a very well-floured surface. Gently press or roll into a large rectangle. It won’t be like regular dough, it will be soft. Just push it into shape.  (Don’t overwork the dough, it’s OK if it has to be pushed into shape)
  • In a small bowl stir together the butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown and white sugar until a paste forms.
  • Spread the paste in an even layer on top of the dough rectangle. Gently roll along the long edge to form a long log, it won’t be perfect, that’s OK.
  • Cut into 10-12 rings. Place cut side up in a muffin tin that has been lightly greased or sprayed.
  • Bake for 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
  • In a small bowl beat together the butter and cream cheese until well combined. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk, beat until well combined.
  • Pour the icing over the cinnamon rolls in an even layer, serve immediately.

Notes

The beer can make a big impact in this recipe. For a big beer flavor use a barleywine, holiday ale, or winter ale. Stay away from super hoppy beers. For a lower beer flavor use a pale lager, Mexican lager, pilsner or wheat beer. 

Apricot Streusel Beer Loaf Cake

Apricot Streusel Beer Loaf Cake (vegan)

I do this every time. I see an ingredient and I can’t let it go like a normal person. Most people would arrive at house flanked with apricot trees and think that sampling a couple right off the tree sounds like a good idea. I don’t let the barrels of ripe apricots lie after that, I become just so slightly obsessed that I feel as if making something with them is an actual need.

Cake? Pie? Homemade Poptarts?! I can’t just be normal and eat them.  I also don’t want to spend the entire day making my typical disastrous cooking mess in a kitchen that isn’t mine so I have to keep this obsession in check. So I made this Apricot Streusel Beer Loaf Cake, because everyone loves a loaf cake since we can just pretend it’s bread and eat it without guilt. It’s apricot bread! 

This one also has fruit so it’s totally healthy(ish). Just trust me 😉. Also, you should have a beer, you deserve a beer.  

Apricot Streusel Beer Loaf Cake (vegan)

Ingredients
  

Cake:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup pilsner or pale lager beer
  • ½ cup coconut oil melted
  • 1 ½ cups chopped apricots
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Streusel Topping:

  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • ½ cup chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup rolled oats
  • 1/3 coconut oil melted

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar to a mixing bowl, stir to combine. Add the beer, coconut oil, apricots and vanilla, stir to combine.
  • Pour into a 1.5 quart loaf pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  • In a small bowl stir together all the streusel ingredients. Add the streusel to the top of the loaf in an even layer.
  • Bake for 60 -70 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly pressed.
  • Allow to cool before removing from the pan, slicing and serving.

Grilled Beer Butter Scallops with Cherry Salsa

Grilled Beer Butter Scallops with Cherry Salsa, with a grill or a grill pan!

Let’s talk scallops for a second. I know, I’ve given you this lecture before but it’s been a while. And I can’t just go around assuming you remember everything I say, I forget half of what I say on a daily basis. 

I know the reason your home-cooked scallops don’t taste as good as the ones you buy at a restaurant, and it’s a really easy fix. There are two ways to buy scallops: “wet” and “dry.” A wet scallop with be soaked in a phosphate solution to preserve it. This makes it taste soapy and gives it a bit of a rubbery texture. Unfortunately, the vast majority of scallops sold in US markets are wet. Dry scallops are more expensive, harder to come by, but infinitely tastier.

If you can’t find dry scallops, the best way to treat a wet scallops is a quick brine. If you aren’t sure if your scallops are wet or dry (or your fish guy gives you a vacant stare when you ask) they’re probably wet. Just assume they’re wet unless you know for sure they aren’t. 

Have you ever been cooking scallops, just minding your own business, and they start weeping out a milky liquid like they hate you? That’s the phosphate solution we need to get rid of, the extra step is well worth it. 

You don’t even have to tell anyone that you know the secret. You can just cook the best scallops they’ve ever had and just pretend like it’s your magic shellfish touch. I won’t tell. 

Grilled Beer Butter Scallops with Cherry Salsa

5 from 1 vote

Ingredients
  

Scallops:

  • 1 lbs colossal or jumbo scallops
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 cup (8oz) beer pale lager, pilsner, wheat beer
  • 4 tablespoons (57g) butter, melted
  • ¼ cup (2oz) beer
  • Creamy polenta or rice for serving

Salsa:

  • cup (½ lbs) pitted and quartered Bing cherries
  • 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
  • 2 tablespoons (25g) minced shallots
  • 2 tablespoons (4g) minced cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) lime juice
  • pinch salt

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl add the scallops. Fill with water, drain. Repeat until the water is no longer milky. Drain the water off, leave the scallops in the bowl.
  • Sprinkle with salt and cover with beer. Refrigerate for 2 to 12 hours. Rinse and drain. Add to a stack of paper towels to fully dry the scallops.
  • Combine all the salsa ingredients in a bowl, chill until ready to use.
  • Preheat a grill (or grill pan) to medium high.
  • Stir together the butter and the beer. Brush the scallops liberally.
  • Place on the grill (or grill pan), brush again with butter. Flip when grill marks appear, cook on the other side until grill marks appear.
  • Serve topped with cherry salsa.

Lemon Artichoke Skillet Beer Chicken

Lemon Artichoke Skillet Beer Chicken

Life is too short for soggy chicken skin, this is a fact. Crispy chicken skin is the only way to live life, and I have the secret. It’s a cold pan. Not a "put in the fridge" cold, but now that you say that, I do want to try that. It’s "cold" as in: not on a heat source. That’s the secret, and once you trust me and cook your chicken in a cold-not-cold pan, you won’t turn back.

Letting the chicken skin cook as the pan heats up slowly renders the fat and allows the skin to slowly crisp and turn golden (I like a DARK golden, but feel free to aim for the medium gold) and this will rid your life of that gross, chewy, gummy skin with pieces of fat that you pretend aren’t there in order to enjoy the rest of your meal.

After you begin with your cold pan, don’t rush it. Just let that sucker sit at medium heat  (invest in a splatter guard if you don’t already have one. Trust!) until it’s ready, not letting it get too hot or the chicken will burn before it’s done crisping and rendering. It’s a job that it does all on its own while you are free to do other things, like make sauce, or a cocktail, or impulse buy sequin pants on Amazon. You know, whatever strikes your fancy.

Now that you are in on this crispy-skinned secret, it’s time to give it a try. You can even add your own favorite sauce or spice rub, or just eat it over the sink in your yoga pants while drinking your cocktail. It’s your world, and it now has crispy skin chicken for life.

Lemon Artichoke Skillet Beer Chicken

5 from 1 vote

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ cup (56g) chicken broth
  • ¼ cup (56g) pale ale
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ cup (56g) lemon juice
  • ¼ cup (60g) sundried tomatoes in oil
  • ½ cup (130g) quartered artichoke hearts
  • Chopped fresh parsley for serving
  • Rice or pasta for serving

Instructions
 

  • Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt. Place in a skillet, off heat, skin side down.
  • Add to the stove over medium heat (if the heat is too high the skin will burn before it is able to render the fat, slower cooking will allow for crispier skin). Add a splatter guard if you have one.
  • Cook until the skin has browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn over, cooking on the other side until chicken is cooked through.
  • While the chicken cooks, make the sauce.
  • Add the chicken broth, beer and cornstarch to a large bowl, whisk to combine. Add the remaining ingredients (except the parsley and rice), stir to combine.
  • Remove the chicken thighs from the pan, pour off all the rendered fat. Return the pan to heat, raise the heat to medium high. Add the sauce, stir to remove the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir until the sauce has thickened.
  • Add the chicken back to the pan, cooking until the chicken has warmed. Add to a serving plate, sprinkle with parsley, serve over rice or pasta.

Honey Beer Glazed Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa

Honey Beer Glazed Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa

I need this, it’s rather necessary. Since I spend my life contractually obligated to drink beer and eat foods like this and this, I need recipes like this Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa. For the sake of my liver and my skinny jeans, it’s important. But I can also act like a spoiled child when it comes to food and really need something that tastes fun and indulgent.

So I make these recipes that I get really excited about and hope that I don’t notice that it’s also rather healthy, much in the same way you smuggle cauliflower into your toddler’s mashed potatoes and hope they don’t notice. I do this with myself, I’m really good it. I don’t even notice that I’ve made a healthy meal because I got so excited to make it in the first place.

I know, it’s ridiculous. But I have to do what I can before my liver figures out how to call the cops on me for widespread abuse.

Honey Beer Glazed Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Salmon

  • 4 salmon fillets
  • ¼ cup 85g honey
  • ½ cup 115g pale ale beer
  • 1 teaspoon 6g salt
  • 1 teaspoon 1g red pepper flakes

For the salsa:

  • 1 large mango peeled, pitted and diced
  • 1 large avocado peeled pitted and diced
  • ½ 1 large red onion diced
  • 1 jalapeno diced
  • 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
  • ¼ cup cilantro chopped
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions
 

  • Add the honey, beer, salt, and pepper to a wide, shallow bowl. Stir to combine (heat slightly if the honey is resisting combining with the beer. Make sure to cool before adding salmon to prevent the marinate cooking the salmon).
  • Add the salmon, turn over a few times to fully coat the fish. Cover and chill for 1 to 24 hours.
  • Preheat the grill to medium-high.
  • Add the salsa ingredients to a large bowl, toss to combine.
  • Place the salmon on the grill, skin side down. Close the cover, cooking until the salmon is cooked through (no need to flip over, the salmon will cook with the grill cover closed).
  • Remove from grill, add to a serving plate. Top with salsa before serving.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Beer Chicken

Grilled Cilantro Lime Beer Chicken

I go through phases of grilling all the things. And by ALL, I pretty much mean it. I once grilled garlic. Nothing edible is safe when I’m in this phase. I always grill my homemade pizza, all fruit is better grilled, I’ve even grilled all the ingredients for guacamole, and then did it all again with all the ingredients for sangria (except the wine, but I thought about it!) because "guac, chips, and sangria" are better as "grilled guac, chips, and grilled sangria". I promise.

If you’re between grills right now, don’t sad-face me. Figure out how to get your grubby paws on one. Craigslist (ok, but be careful!), Facebook Market Place (way better, you can facebook stalk for safety), Amazon (really safe as long as your delivery guy is cool). It’ll be worth it when you’re finally able to grill all your things, too.

You can stop at normal things like meat and veggies. But if you want to grill pie or salad, I would approve. Just make sure to share it with me on Instagram.

Grilled Cilantro Lime Beer Chicken

5 from 1 vote
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 3 lbs chicken thighs bone in, skin on
  • 2 large limes juiced
  • ½ cup (9g) cilantro leaves, packed
  • 1 tablespoon (18g) kosher salt
  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 2 large cloves of garlic peeled

Instructions
 

  • Add the chicken to a large Ziplock bag or bowl with a lid.
  • Add the remaining ingredients to a blender or food processor, process on high until well combined.
  • Pour the mixture over the chicken, seal (or cover). Refridgerate for 2 to 12 hours.
  • Pre heat a grill to medium-high.
  • Remove chicken from the marinade. Grill on all sides until cooked through, about 6 minutes per side.

Coconut Raspberry Pilsner Cake

 Coconut Raspberry Pilsner Cake. Simple and delicious one-bowl cake with AMAZING frosting!

Cake is the cornerstone of our society. Wait, it’s not? Freedom and democracy are? Ok, fine. But can cake be second? We all disagree on a lot these days, but we all agree that cake is one of the most superior foods on the planet. It’s why we eat it when celebrate surviving another year on the planet, or when we celebrate finding our person and have a ceremony to let everyone know we found our forever person so we are going to eat cake and be happy. Right?

If not, I’ve been doing life wrong for a long time. Cake has been present at all the celebrations worth remembering in my life, far before beer joined the party. Beer can be late, we’ll let it slide.

Coconut feels like spring. It feels like we’re willing the weather to warm up, forgetting that soon it will be too hot to handle and we’ll curse the sky and drink all the session beer we can get our hands on. But right now we eat cake and curse the rain and hope for sun and tank tops.

Coconut screams sun and tank tops. This cake was exactly how I like it, moist without being dense, airy enough but not overly light. I’ve learned to love coconut flakes after years of swearing I hated them because I found out that GOOD flakes are very different from what seems like uninformed white shredded cardboard that comes in clear and blue plastic bags in the grocery store (stop buying that, it’s gross). Now, with a little help from Panang  I love coconut everything.

Especially this Raspberry Beer Tank Tops and Sun cake. It’s also the perfect size for a small gathering, for those times when you just need to feed 6 people without having a half eaten cake taunting you from the fridge.

Coconut Raspberry Pilsner Cake

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the cake:

  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (38g) unsweetened coconut flakes (I used Bob’s Red Mill)
  • 3/4 cup (183g) coconut milk (from shaken can)
  • ½ cup (4oz) pilsner
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon coconut extract

For the frosting:

  • 8 oz cream cheese room temperature
  • 1 cup (230g) heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (125g) powdered sugar
  • 6 oz raspberries
  • Toasted coconut for garnish optional

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Add the flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and coconut flakes to a bowl, stir to combine.
  • Add the coconut milk, pilsner, eggs, oil, vanilla, and coconut extracts. Whisk together until just combined.
  • Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray, add the batter. Bake for 60 minutes or until the top has started to brown and the cake springs back when lightly touched.
  • Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from the pan.
  • Add the cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides several times to make sure all cream cheese is mixed.
  • Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract. Starting on a low speed and building up speed to medium-high, beat until the cream and cream cheese are well combined, light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, stir to combine.
  • Cut the cake in half horizontally to make two layers. Add half the frosting in an even layer on the cut side of one of the loaves. Top with raspberries.
  • Add the other layer, cut side down. Top with remaining frosting. Sprinkle with toasted coconut flakes.

Notes

*To toast coconut, add to a dry pan over high heat. Pull back and forth over the burner, tossing until just toasted. Be careful, it burns quickly.

Maple Beer Glazed Crispy Pork Belly

Maple Beer Glazed Crispy Pork Belly, the easiest and tastiest pork belly I’ve ever made! 

Pork belly is an investment. Not financially—it’s actually pretty inexpensive—it’s a time investment. One that’s well worth the effort with the right recipe. I’ve made pork belly so many times over the years and I’ve learned that patience is key to getting what you want. That is if what you want is juicy pork with crispy skin.

I usually source my pork belly from a local restaurant supply store, it’s a great place to shop if you want to buy your body weight in pork products. Why yes, yes I do want more pork belly than I can safely lift without a spotter! With a recipe that takes this much time, I want to test it to make sure it’s right when you finally make the investment of time it takes to get this done.

If you do find that an overly ambitious trip to a pork belly purveyor straddled you with more pork than anyone can safely eat in a lifetime, just remember that it freezes really well. Just wrap it better than you think is necessary and it should be fine for a few months.

After several rounds of testing, this was the winner. Juciy meat: check. Crispy skin: so much. Easy recipe that doesn’t involve scoring, poking, vinegar or excessive steps: absolutly.

Maple Beer Glazed Crispy Pork Belly

Ingredients
  

For the pork

  • 1 (4.5 lbs) pork belly, rind on
  • 2 cups very warm water
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 1 tablespoon whole cloves
  • 1 tablespoon whole allspice
  • 2 (12 ounce) beers (wheat beer, pilsner, pale ale)
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

For the glaze

  • 3 tablespoons real maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons beer wheat beer, pilsner, pale ale
  • 2 tablespoon spicy brown mustard

Instructions
 

  • Add the pork belly to a large bowl or baking dish.
  • In a large bowl stir together the hot water, salt, cloves, and allspice, make sure the salt is completely dissolved. Pour in the cold beer. Make sure the brine temperature is below room temperature to avoid prematurely cooking the pork.
  • Pour the brine over the pork. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 300°F
  • Remove the pork from the brine, add to a stack of paper towels, rind side down for 10 minutes to dry the skin.
  • In a small bowl stir together the kosher salt and egg whites until well combined.
  • Place a wire rack over a baking sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil. Place the pork on the rack, rind side up.
  • Pack the salt on top of the rind until completely covered and slightly compacted.
  • Bake for 3 hours. Remove from oven, raise temperature to 400°F. Gently pull the salt pack off the pork. It will be a hard crust at this point and should remove easily in a few large chunks.
  • Brush off any remaining salt with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel. Brush with olive oil.
  • Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the rind is a dark golden brown.
  • Stir together the maple syrup, 2 tablespoons beer, and mustard. Brush the top liberally with glaze.
  • Turn the broiler to high. Broil in the top 1/3 of the oven (a few rungs down from the very top) until the glaze has caramelized. Re-brush every 5 minutes. Broil until caramelized and dark.
  • Remove from oven, cut into cubes for serving

Notes

Can be served as an appetizer or an entree.

Coconut Pilsner Mango Cream Pie

Coconut Pilsner Mango Cream Pie

Mango Cream Pie

We’ve already talked about how much I hate bananas because they’re basically portable baby food and you need to eat fruit like a grownup who has teeth. Unless you don’t have teeth, then you get a pass.

I don’t get jealous of people eating them raw like a jungle creature, but I DO get jealous when I see the pie. YOU KNOW THE PIE. The one that’s creamy and looks so delicious, until you get close enough to smell it and it smells like baby food and jungle creatures. It’s usually served at those diners that your grandma frequents that serves food that tastes like hangovers and road trips but in a good way.

So, I decided to make a [that one fruit] cream pie, but with far, far superior food. One that takes physical and mental dexterity because it’s so tricky to get to the fruit meat. If you ranked fruit according to how easy it was to get into your mouth without pit or peel, mango would be a solid 8 out of ten. Not as hard as a lychee, but MUCH harder than a banana. But SO worth it because while bananas taste like what it would be like if fruit had assholes, mangos taste like a beach vacation with unicorns.

And I think we can all agree, no matter where you stand on the idea of putting a banana in your face, mango is just way better. So let’s make a mango pie and drink some beer.

Mango Cream Pie

Coconut Pilsner Mango Cream Pie

5 from 2 votes
Servings 8 slices

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoons sugar
  • 10 tablespoons (142g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • 3 tablespoons cup ice-cold pale ale or pilsner

Filling:

  • 1 large mango Tommy Atkins, Palmer
  • 1 can (15oz) full fat coconut milk
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • ¼ cup (2oz) beer (pilsner or hefeweizen)
  • 1 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 ¼ cups (250g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon salt

For the whipped cream:

  • 2 cups (460g) heavy cream
  • ¼ cup (30g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • pinch salt

Instructions
 

Make the crust

  • Add ¾ cup of flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter, process until well combined and dough gathers around the blade.
  • Add the remaining flour and pulse 6-8 times or until all the flour has been coated.
  • Transfer to a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the beer until completely incorporated into the dough. Dough will be very soft.
  • Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface.
    Add the dough to the center of the sheet, Form into flat disks.
    Wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap, chill until firm, about 1 hour and up to 5 days. 

Make the filling

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
    Add the flesh of the mango (peel and pit removed) to a food processor, process until smooth. 
  • Add the mango puree along with the remaining filling ingredients to a pot, off heat. Whisk until well combined. 
  • Add the pot to medium-high heat, bring to a boil, whisking continuously. Boil until thickened, about 6 minutes, remove from heat. 
  • Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large circle. Line the pie plate evenly with the dough.
    Pour the filling into the piecrust. 
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust has turned golden brown.
    Remove from oven, allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to the fridge, chill until set, about 3 hours and up to 24. 
  • Make the whipped cream
  • Add the whipped cream ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer, mix on high until well-combined and soft peaks form.
  • Top the pie with whipped cream, slice and serve. 

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Cookie Bars

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Bars

Let’s talk unpopular opinions, shall we? We haven’t fought about anything in a while so let’s jump in. Starting with food-related topics that will most likely piss you off, but it’s your turn next, so just hang on.

Milk chocolate is not worth the calories, but dark chocolate deserves its own holiday.

Red velvet cake is an abomination because 1/4 cup of food dye is not a flavor.

Anything you make with mayonnaise is better if you make it with sour cream because mayo is the most disgusting man-made substance on the planet.

Bananas should not be eaten after childhood. It’s basically portable baby food and it makes me gag. Eat an apple like a grown-up who has teeth.

Boba tea. Didn’t we get over this in the early 2000’s? Is it a beverage? Is it food? Why is my drink chewy but it tastes like sadness?

Cookie bars are always better with frosting.

Buttercream frosting is gross. Ok, ALMOST all buttercream is gross and tastes like slightly sweetened butter and coats your mouth in the most unappealing way. When it’s made with JUST butter, vanilla, and sugar it is a big pile of loser paste.

And cream cheese frosting is superior to all other types of frosting because it’s foolproof, quick and delicious.

Ok, there it is. My real, true feelings about the food you probably love and I just told you how much I hate it. But we can still be friends, right? Just don’t make me eat a banana to prove it.

What about you? It’s your turn!! Tell me your unpopular food opinions.

 

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Cookie Bars

5 from 1 vote
Servings 9 bars

Ingredients
  

For the bars:

  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest (grated with a microplane)
  • ¾ cups (150g) white sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
  • ½ cup (114g) butter softened
  • 1 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2 tablespoon (28g) lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoon beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
  • ¼ teaspoon pure lemon extract optional
  • 1 ¼ cups (150g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoons salt

For the frosting:

  • 8 oz cream cheese softened
  • 1/3 cup (55g) chopped strawberries
  • 1/2 cup (63g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (30g) heavy cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    Add the lemon zest, white and brown sugar, and butter to a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high until well combined and creamy. 
  • Add the egg, beating until well combined and resembles frosting, about 3 minutes.
    Stir in the lemon juice, beer and lemon extract (if using). The mixture may look a little curdled, this is fine. 
  • Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined. 
  • Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment so that it comes up and over the sides (this makes for easy removal). 
  • Spread the batter into the prepared pan in an even layer. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges just start to turn golden brown (do not overbake, the bars will set as they cool). Allow to cool before removing from the pan.
  • Add the cream cheese and strawberries to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until the strawberries are well combined with the cream cheese and mixture is light and fluffy. Stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. 
  • Add the cream, beating well to combine. Add the powdered sugar, stir until combined.
  • Frost the bars, cut into squares. Chill until ready to serve.