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Porter/Stout

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy4

Let’s pretend for a second that you’ve never had biscuits and gravy.

Like you’ve never sat in good company at a crappy diner in a small town eating sub par biscuits and gravy washing it down with shitty coffee like it’s the best breakfast you’ve ever had. Like you’ve never had someones grandma make them for you so early in the morning you could hardly keep your eyes open. Like you’ve never delayed the start of day two of a road trip just so that you could have a plate of southern comfort food from that place your friend once told you about.

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

But we can’t do that. Because there is something about that combination of simple ingredients, done just right, that stays with us forever. The way the perfect song pouring out your car windows as you drive down a softly worn country road on a summer afternoon makes you feel like everything’s right in the world.

The food that stays with us, that comforts us, reminds us of home, is almost always simple food. It’s these dishes that are worth making, and remaking, over and over, making small adjustments that no one but us really notices, because dishes like this stay with us.

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy2

 

 

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy

Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients
  

For the biscuits:

  • 3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup Belgian ale or wheat beer
  • 2 tbs melted butter
  • ¼ tsp course sea salt

For the gravy:

  • 1 lb pork sausage raw, without casing
  • ¼ cup finely chopped white onion
  • 1 tbs butter
  • 6 tbs flour
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup stout
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Optional

  • 4 large eggs fried

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400.
  • In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, and rosemary.
  • Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
  • Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
  • Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
  • Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you the flakey layers).
  • Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
  • Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
  • To make the gravy add the sausage to a pan over medium high heat. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until browned. Add the onions and butter, stirring and cooking until onions are browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with flour. Whisk until flour is well combined. Cook until flour has browned. Add the milk, stout, Worcestershire, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook until thickened, about 8 minutes.
  • Top the biscuits with gravy and fried eggs, if desired.

A HUGE Thank You to my Facebook Fans who suggested I work on a Beer Biscuits and Gravy recipe. You guys are always an inspiration.

Rosemary Beer Biscuits with Stout Sausage Gravy3

Duck Confit on IPA Potato Cakes with Stout Pomegranate Sauce

Duck Confit over Pale Ale Potato Cakes and Stout Pomegranate sauce2

 What the hell does Confit mean, anyway?

The culinary world is full of high brow words that can be used to dazzle and confuse the mainstream masses, that in reality just define simple principles.

Charcuterie? Just a meat plate.

Crutites? Just raw vegetables.

Braise? Sear in hot pan then cook slow and low in liquid.

Canapé? Any type of finger food.

And that brings us to confit. Sounds difficult and intimidating but it just means to cook in oil or fat at a low temperature for a long time. It was originally invented as a way to preserve meat and chefs quickly found that it worked wonders on duck and goose. The greatest gift that the Confit Inventor gave to the modern day busy entertainer is that it can be made a week (some say months) ahead of time. The flavors just keep getting better.  It’s an easy and nearly foolproof way of cooking like a Culinary Superhero even if you only have a few successful meals under your cookin' belt.

I made this twice, the second time I just served the duck over a pile IPA mashed potatoes (rather than making the cakes) with the stout pomegranate sauce and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds, turned out beautifully. It was so good I’m already planning on making it again. It’s my new Go-To fancy dinner party meal.

Don’t let the deluxe title fool you, use it as a way to dazzle and impress others. Just don’t let them know how easy it was.

Duck Confit on IPA Potato Cakes with Stout Pomegranate Sauce

Ingredients
  

For the Duck:

  • 8 duck legs
  • ¼ cup kosher salt
  • 6 garlic cloves peeled
  • 2 tbs fresh thyme chopped
  • 3 cups duck fat
  • ¼ cup olive oil

For the Stout Pomegranate Sauce:

  • 16 fl oz pomegranate juice
  • 1 cup imperial stout
  • ¼ cup balsamic
  • ½ cup pomegranate seeds

For the Potato Cakes:

  • 4 lbs potatoes peeled, sliced
  • 8 tbs butter cut into cubes
  • 1/3 cup cream
  • 1/3 cup IPA beer
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 cups Challah bread crumbs see note
  • 3 tbs olive oil

Instructions
 

To make the duck:

  • Sprinkle a thin layer of kosher salt in a baking pan. Arrange the duck legs in an even layer over the salt. Sprinkle with chopped thyme, press the garlic cloves onto the duck legs. Sprinkle with remaining salt. Cover and chill for 24 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 275.
  • Remove duck from pan, rinse well, return to a clean, salt free pan.
  • Cover with duck fat and olive oil.
  • Cook at 275 until duck is falling off the bone, about 3 hours.
  • Cover and chill for 24 hours and up to a week (some chefs state that duck confit can last up to two month chilled in fat, and flavor gets better over time. However, there is a slight increased risk of food born illness after 8 days).
  • When ready to serve, return to 300 degree oven until warmed through. Gently shred, remove from oil to drain.

To make the Sauce:

  • Add the pomegranate juice, stout and balsamic to a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes. (Can be made a week ahead of time. Chill until ready to use, heat slightly under warm running water before drizzling. I store this in a plastic squeeze bottle).

To make the potato cakes:

  • Cook the potatoes in lightly salted boiling water until fork tender. Drain and add potatoes to a stand mixer along with butter, cream, IPA, salt and pepper, mix on medium speed until well combined.
  • Form into 4 inch wide by one inch high cakes, place on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Chill for one hour and up to 24.
  • In a small bowl Wisk together the egg and milk. In a separate bowl add the flour. In a third bowl add the breadcrumbs.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. One at a time dredge the cakes in flour, then dip in milk mixture, then coat with breadcrumbs.
  • Fry in hot olive oil until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan, allow to drain on a stack of paper towels.
  • To plate add the cakes to serving plates, top with duck meat, drizzle with stout pomegranate sauce, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

Notes

To make Challah breadcrumbs, add ½ a challah loaf to a food processor and process until just crumbs. Pour crumbs in on a baking sheet in an even layer. Bake at 350 until golden brown, about 6 minutes.

I use the Duck Fat  you can also find it at Sur La Table and it also works wonders with potatoes. (Affiliate Link)

Duck Confit over Pale Ale Potato Cakes and Stout Pomegranate sauce

French Mushroom Stout Cheddar Soup

Mushroom Stout Cheddar Soup

Let’s pretend this didn’t happen.

Like I didn’t put beer in your soup again. Like I didn’t just take this soup that I love so much, change up a few ingredients and pretend like it’s an entirely new guy. Let’s pretend like I’m more creative than that. Shall we?

Even though this is a closely related cousin of Stout French Onion, the flavors are completely different. Plus I gave you some melty cheddar, and some fresh thyme. Does that help you forget my momentary lack of creativity?

Or do I need to buy you a beer?

Mushroom Stout Cheddar Soup3

French Mushroom Stout Cheddar Soup

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 Servings

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tbs butter
  • 1 cup sweet white onions chopped
  • 1 tbs olive oil
  • 16 wt oz mushrooms crimini or white button
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup stout
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 4 slices italian bread toasted
  • 4 slices cheddar cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a pot over medium heat melt the butter.
  • Add the onions and sauté until starting to caramelize, about 10 minutes (make sure the heat isn’t too high or the onions will burn).
  • Add the olive oil and mushrooms and cook until dark and soft, about 10 additional minutes.
  • Add the broth, stout, black pepper, and thyme, simmer for ten minutes.
  • Preheat the broiler.
  • Ladle the soup into 4 oven safe bowls.
  • Top with bread, then cheese.
  • Place under the broiler until cheese has melted.

Notes

young cheddar melts better than aged cheddar, don't be afraid to save the expensive stuff for something else and use the younger, cheaper cheese for this soup.

Mushroom Stout Cheddar Soup4

Stout French Onion Soup

Stout French Onion Soup 6

French Onion Soup was Julia Child’s last meal. Seems fitting for a woman known for French classics. And who wants to mess with a classic dish that America’s Culinary Grandma chose as her last meal?

Me. That’s who.

Stout French Onion Soup 4

Although I do like to stick to classic methods when it comes to cooking this warm bowl of cheese-topped-comfort, the addition of a malty stout gives a new dimension and depth of flavor. While most French Onion Soup recipes all have nearly the same ingredients, the results vary widely depending on how you treat the onions, the star ingredient.

Stout French Onion Soup 7

Stick with sweet onions when making this dish, the higher sugar content gives you a better caramelization. Cook them for a long time. Then cook them longer.

Caramelized onions will actually give off a "beefy" flavor when cooked slow and low for an extended period of time. This is one of the major key factors in bringing a soup from "good" to "great".

Although I’m sure Julia would have wanted to throw a copy of The Way To Cook at my head for putting beer in her soup, I’ll just have to make peace with that. I love a beerified soup.

Stout French Onion Soup_

 

Stout French Onion Soup

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 tbs butter
  • 2 lb sweet white onion sliced into ¼ inch rings
  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 cups stout divided
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • ½ tsp fresh cracker black pepper
  • 4 slices French bread toasted
  • 8 ounces shredded or sliced Gruyère cheese about 2 1/2 cups

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot over medium high heat melt the butter. Add the onions, brown sugar and salt, allow to simmer over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are a dark golden brown, at least 30 minutes and up to one hour (the longer onions cook the more flavor develops).
  • Add ½ cup stout beer, simmer until the beer is reduced and the pan is almost dry.
  • Add the remaining beer, beef stock and black pepper. Simmer for ten minutes.
  • Pre heat the broiler on your oven.
  • Ladle soup into bowls, top with slices of French bread toast and then cheese.
  • Broil until the cheese has melted.

 

 

Slow Cooker Beer and Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken Sliders

Slow Cooker Beer and Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken Sliders. Perfect for a football game!

Slow Cooker Beer and Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken Sliders3

For all of the FanBoy love that seems to be sent to the Slow Cooker, it’s my least favorite way to produce a meal. Flavors tend to muddy, its hard to develop layers of flavor, and this culinary contraption seems to render a thinking cook obsolete: dump it in and turn it on.

Meat seems to be the best use, especially when you introduce beer into the mix. Both a low and slow cooking method and the alcohol in beer are meat tenderizers giving you a great final product.

I can concede that it’s convenient for those of you who don’t prefer to spend all day in the kitchen babying a sauce or teasing a sourdough starter back to life, I tend to favor the high maintenance meals.

Slow Cooker Beer and Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken Sliders1Given my skepticism of a Slow Cooker meal, I was thrilled with how this came out. I made it twice, once with a stout with about 4% ABV (Alcohol By Volume, it should be listed on the label of your beer) and the second time with a porter with 9% ABV.

Because it’s the alcohol in the beer that gives it it’s tenderizing power, the higher ABV did the best job. Look for a beer that packs a punch, and you’ll have a fantastic crowd-pleasing meal that takes only about five minutes of active time.

I’ll just have to satisfy my need for involved cooking tasks with homemade beer slider buns.

Slow Cooker Beer and Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken Sliders2

 

Slow Cooker Beer and Brown Sugar Pulled Chicken Sliders

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 3 tbs soy sauce
  • 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar packed
  • 12 ounces porter beer high ABV dark beer works best
  • 6 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
  • 18-20 slider buns

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl whisk together the tomato paste, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and brown sugar.
  • Add the sauce, chicken and beer to a slow cooker. Cook on low for 4 hours or until chicken pulls apart easy with a fork.
  • Using two forks, shred chicken.
  • Scoop chicken into slider buns.

 

Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili & Is Beer Vegan?


Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili, vegan and gluten free

 Is Beer Vegan?

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

 Is Beer Vegan?-2

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

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

Is Beer Vegan?

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

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

Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili, vegan and gluten free

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

Mushroom Quinoa Porter Chili

Ingredients
  

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

Instructions
 

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

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart2

Why beer?

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

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

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

That’s why beer.

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart3

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

Ingredients
  

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

Instructions
 

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

Potato, Porter Caramelized Onions & Beer Goat Cheese Tart

Mile High Chocolate Stout Pie

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

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Moroccan Stout Chicken

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Moroccan Stout Chicken

Ingredients
  

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

Instructions
 

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

Moroccan Stout Chicken 5

Stout Braised Pulled Pork Chili

Stout Pulled Pork Chili

If you want to watch a culinary sports crowd get rilled up, ask what the "right way to make chili" really is. Just meat? Beans? No beans? Pork, vegetables, beef? Tomatoes? Because if you do it "wrong" you might was well be at  Morton’s and ask for ketchup with your steak. Or waltz yourself in the kitchen of a southern Grandma and boss her biscuit making ways around: you might get yourself punched.

I happen to be a bit more of a wandering chili Gypsy, the only requirement that I see necessary is a kick of heat. Some days I want beans, some days I want to pack it full of pork, chipotle stout, hold the beans and top it with pork rinds.

Regardless of your "right" way to make chili, I hope your take away from this recipe is that the braising liquid, what is left after a pork shoulder simmers in beer for 4 hours, is the perfect liquid to use in chili. It’s packed with flavor, beer, broth, spices, and meaty goodness. Don’t wash it down the drain, strain it and save it for making soup and chili. Even freezing it if you have to.

It’s like a free secret ingredient, even if you still have to fight with your brother in law about why you want to add beans.

Stout Pulled Pork Chili 2

Stout Braised Pulled Pork Chili

Ingredients
  

For the Pork

  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tbs salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2.5-3 lb pork butt pork shoulder
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 24 ounces stout beer or porter
  • 2 cups beef stock

For the Chili

  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 red onion diced
  • 1 red pepper diced
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 14.5 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 14.5 ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 14.5 ounce can stewed tomatoes
  • 3-4 chipotle peppers in adobo minced
  • 2 tsp adobo sauce from chipotle can

Garnish:

  • 1 cup sharp cheddar shredded
  • ½ cup cilantro chopped
  • ½ cup red onion chopped
  • 1 large tomato chopped

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.
  • Sprinkle pork on all sides with spice mixture.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven until hot but not smoking. Sear pork on all sides until browned.
  • Pour the beer and beef stock over the pork.. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Add a lid at a vent and allow to cook until pork is very tender and shreds easily, about 4 hours. Remove from the pot, shred using two forks, return to the pot and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove meat from the pot with a slotted spoon to drain off excess moisture (reserve braising liquid).
  • In a separate pot heat 2 tbs olive oil, cook the onions and red pepper until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic. Add 1 ½ cups of the pork braising liquid, black beans, kidney beans, tomatoes, chipotle pepper and adobo sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Serve topped with cheddar, cilantro, red onion, tomatoes and pulled pork.

Stout Pulled Pork Chili 3

 

Salted Beer Caramel Corn

Salted Beer Caramel Corn

Today is the day.

Today, September 18th,  the book I spent months creating, turning myself into a figurative nightmare, pouring blood, sweat, tears and beer into each recipe, hits mailboxes and store shelves across the land. While I should be feeling excessively accomplished now that I can officially slap a Publish Author tittle after my name, there is also a thin film of vulnerability draped over today. Because more than I want it sell like Funfetti Cronuts, I want it to be well received, I want you to love it. I wish all the recipes to be Home Runs, every step to make sense to ever cook, and every Amazon reviews to be glowing.

What you think matters to me, probably more than it should. So if you buy this little book of mine, The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link), and you have a question about a recipe, email me: [email protected]. If you make a recipe and love it, tweet a picture to me @TheBeeroness. If you make a recipe on your own blog, share it on my Facebook page. I want to know what you think (let’s be honest) especially if it’s good.

While I spent the weekend worried about the release of cookbook, and working out the details of the book tour, I decided it was a great idea to stress eat caramel corn. I even made two batches.  The first batch I used a hoppy brown ale, which gave the caramel a mild beer flavor that was a bit lost once it coated the corn. The next batch I used an imperial stout, a big bold beer with enough monster taste to give the caramel corn notes of beer in every bite.

Caramel corn and a cookbook, not a bad Wednesday.

Salted Beer Caramel Corn

Salted Beer Caramel Corn

Ingredients
  

  • 1/3 cup corn kernels
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tbs light corn syrup
  • ½ cup imperial stout plus 2 tbs, divided
  • 4 tbs butter
  • 1 tsp coarse sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250.
  • Place the corn kernels in a brown paper bag. Fold the top over. Place in the microwave (long side down), microwave on high for 4 minutes. When the popping starts to slow to about one pop per one second, remove from microwave. Measure out 7 cups of popcorn (if there is less than 7 cups, pop additional kernels in the same manner, if there are more than 7 cups, reserve the remaining popped corn for another use).
  • Spray a large baking pan with cooking spray.
  • Add the corn kernels to the baking sheet in an even layer, place in the oven until the caramel sauce is ready.
  • Add the brown sugar, light corn syrup, ½ cup stout and butter to a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Allow to boil for 7 minutes, without stirring. Remove from heat, immediately stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons stout.
  • Spray a silicon spatula with cooking spray (except the handle).
  • Gently pour the caramel sauce over the corn, stirring to coat.
  • Bake for 20 minutes at 250, stir, and bake for an additional 20 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and spread evenly onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper, sprinkle immediately with salt. Allow to cool, until hardened. Store in an air-tight container.

 

Salted Beer Caramel Corn 2

 

Pub Cookies

Pub Cookies made with beer, pretzels, chocolate chips and peanuts

I want to put a beer cooking trick up your sleeve. A secret skill to help maneuver the beer cooking universe with deft dexterity. I like to call this a Beer Extract, made by reducing that bottle of beer to a small but mighty beer syrup that fits nicely into a recipe that wants some beer flavor but is without the capacity to handle large volumes of beer right out of the bottle.

Pub Cookies made with beer, pretzels, chocolate chips and peanuts

It’s easy, really. Just simmer the beer long enough to remove the water, leaving all those other great flavors in a compact bite of beer essence. When a recipe, like these Pub Cookies, can only take a little bit of liquid and you want a bit o' that beer flavor to come through at the end, all you need to do is reduce the beer to remove the water and you’re all set.

While this might not bring you the large amounts of beer taste you might want, there is a subtle malty finish to the end flavor, along with those pretzels that always seem to love to tag along for the beer flavored ride.

Pub Cookies made with beer, pretzels, chocolate chips and peanuts

Pub Cookies

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 4 hours 35 minutes

Ingredients
  

  • 12 ounces imperial stout or porter beer
  • 3/4 cup butter cut into cubes
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg plus 1 yolk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup bread flour this will make them chewy
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips 60%
  • 2/3 cup mini pretzel twists broken into pieces
  • ¼ cup honey roasted peanuts

Instructions
 

  • In a pot over medium high heat add the beer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 tbs, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the butter and both types of sugar, beat until well creamed. Add the egg and the yolk, beat until well combined. Add the 1 tbs of beer, and vanilla extract and beat until well combined, scraping the bottom to make sure all the ingredients are well combined.
  • In a separate bowl, add both types of flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. Mix well. Add dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix on medium/low speed until just barely combined, don't over mix. Add the chocolate chips, pretzel pieces, and peanuts, and stir until incorporated.
  • Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, scoop golfball sized scoops of dough, roll them into round balls and place on the baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours.
  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Bake for 18-22 minutes or until light golden brown, don't over bake. (If you don't chill the dough, or if you make smaller sized cookies, the cooking time will be much shorter. Start to keep an eye on your cookies after about 12 minutes.)

 

Mediterranean Beer Braised Pork Burgers

Beer Braised Pork Burgers2

We could never manage to get ourselves through an entire conversation about cooking with beer without talking about meat. Sure, the magical leavening powers of beer give bread that awesome texture, and after making a chocolate stout cake none of my cakes will ever be sober again, but meat is where it all begins.

There is no hard data on the inception of beer cooking, but my educated guess leans me towards meat. Not just for the incedible meat tenderizing properties of beer, but also due to the fact that it’s a mild preservative, important in those pre-Frigidare days of trying to feed a crowd. These days, meat and beer just seem to have found a seamless connection, a perfect marriage that leads to the birth of outstanding crowd pleasing meals. This union is due in no small part to the fact that beer gives meat an amazingly tender texture while infusing it with a little bit of that beer flavor we all know and love.

So, what beer with what meat, you ask? Great question. Here are my recommendations:

Beef: Imperial Stout

Pork: Smoked Porter

Chicken & Turkey: Brown Ale

Fish: White Ale

 In my history of beer cooking, those are the pairings that have proven the most successful. Also, don’t forget to save some of that beer for drinking.

Beer Braised Pork Burgers

For this recipe I used my Homemade Beer Burger Buns, which was a fantastic idea.

Mediterranean Beer Braised Pork Burgers

Ingredients
  

For the Meat:

  • 1 tbs brown sugar
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 3 lbs country style pork ribs
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 14.5 wt. oz. stewed tomatoes
  • 12 oz smoked porter
  • 1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 white onion chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic chopped

For the topping:

  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbs dill chopped
  • ½ cup red onion very thinly sliced
  • 1 English cucumber dices
  • 1 cup firm tomatoes chopped
  • 8 Homemade Beer Burger Buns

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and cumin.
  • Sprinkle pork on all sides with spice mixture.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven until hot but not smoking. Sear pork on all sides, working in batches in necessary.
  • Pour the stewed tomatoes and beer over the pork. Add the Worcestershire, onions and garlic. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Add a lid at a vent and allow to cook until pork is very tender and falling off the bone, about 4 hours. Shred using two forks, removing the bones from the pot. Remove meat from the pot with a slotted spoon to drain off excess moisture.
  • To make the sauce, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, dill and red onion. Chill until ready to serve.
  • Split the burger buns and fill with pork, top with cucumber, tomatoes and yogurt sauce.

Beer Braised Pork Burgers3

Epic Chocolate Stout Cake with Chocolate Bourbon Sour Cream Frosting

Epic Chocolate Stout Cake

Epic Chocolate Stout Cake3

Although I may be shattering illusion with this admission, I don’t always cook with beer. I often create very sober meals with teetotaling side dishes, not a whisper of booze in sight.

However, over the years of carving out a niche in this corner of Craft Beer Land, I have found that beer is an essential and non-replaceable ingredient in several dishes, it just does the best job.

Epic Chocolate Stout Cake2

My Thanksgiving Turkey will always be brined with a brown ale, the meat tenderizing properties of beer have no match. If you want a juicy bird, it’s the best way to get there.

My dinner rolls will always be made with wheat beer, the leaving agents are just too good.

My steak will always be given a good soak in a dark craft beer, it gives the best results.

Epic Chocolate Stout Cake5And my chocolate cake will always be made with a nice chocolate stout. The first recipe I ever made with beer was a stout cake, it was by far the best homemade chocolate cake I had ever made, wooing me to the boozy side of baking.

The taste was both rich and light, smooth and bold. It may have been a gateway recipe that lead me down a path of beer cooking obsession.

Epic Chocolate Stout Cake4

Epic Chocolate Stout Cake with Chocolate Bourbon Sour Cream Frosting

Ingredients
  

For the Cake:

  • 7 wt oz 72% dark chocolate chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 12 ounces Chocolate Stout
  • 3 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 eggs + 2 yolks
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 2/3 cup sour cream
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 tbs baking powder
  • 1 tbs espresso powder
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp kosher salt

For the Frosting:

  • 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 cup dark chocolate chips melted & slightly cooled
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar
  • 1/4 cup bourbon
  • ½ cup heavy cream

Instructions
 

For the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In the top of a double boiler (or a bowl set over gently simmering water), add the dark chocolate, and butter, stirring frequently until just melted. Stir in the chocolate stout.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the sugar, eggs and yolks until well combined, light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • Add the oil and sour cream, beat until well combined.
  • Slowly add the chocolate, beating until all ingredients are well incorporated, scraping the bottom to make sure all us well combined.
  • In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, espresso powder, cocoa powder, and kosher salt.
  • Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients, stir until just combined.
  • Grease and flour 3, 9-inch cake pans (or two cake pans, and 12 cupcake tins).
  • Pour the batter evenly between the pans.
  • Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched, (15-17 minutes for cupcakes).
  • Allow to cool, remove from pans (it’s easiest to transfer to a plate lined with parchment paper.)
  • To assemble a tall cake it’s easiest if all ingredients are cold, warm cake and frosting tend to slide. For best results chill the cake layers for 1 hour prior to assembling.
  • Chill assembled cake until ready to serve.

For the frosting:

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer beat the softened butter on high until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the sour cream, beat until light and fluffy.
  • Slowly pour the melted chocolate into the mixer, beating until well combined with the butter mixture.
  • Add the powdered sugar and slowly building up speed, beat on high until well combined.
  • A few tablespoons at a time add the bourbon and the cream, allowing to fully incorporate before adding more. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
  • Cover bowl and refrigerate until set, about 20-30 minutes.

 

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs & What Are Hops?

Craft Beer 101: What are hops? via @TheBeeroness

Chances are, if you’ve spent anytime within stumbling distance of a Craft Beer Lover, you’ve heard the word "hops" thrown around like a rag doll. You may have been leery asking the "What are hops?" question for fear that you’ll be subjected to the mad beer-geek ramblings of your semi-inebriated friend. So, here I am to save you from the possibility of a lecture on beta, delta, and gamma resins whist trying to hide your shell shocked expression, with a quick and dirty introduction to this essential beer ingredient.

Hops are a flower that comes from a plant in the marijuana family. It’s believed that they were originally added as a preservative when trying to make water safe to drink, but due to their uniquely bitter flavor, the use became more about taste than preservation.

Craft Beer 101: What are hops? via @TheBeeroness

Hops have a very specific taste that comes from the oil and gives beer it’s bitterness. These levels of bitterness are measured along a scale called the International Bitterness (or bittering) Units, that we just refer to as a beers "IBU’s." Generally, the higher the IBU’s, the more bitter the beer. That bitterness is used to counter the sweetness in the sugars used to feed the yeast, and it’s that balance that dictates how "hoppy" or bitter a beer tastes, more so than the amount of hops used. For instance, most stouts have a very malty taste (malt, essentially, is the opposite taste of hops), but can have a very high IBU rating. Think of this like weather, the same temperature feels much colder with the wind chill factor. Beer tastes much more bitter without a malty balance. IBU’s are only one indicator of what’s in store for you, bitterness wise, but isn’t always a linear expression of experience.

Hops can be added at various phases of the brewing process and are often added more than once while the beer is being made. If you hear the term "dry hopping" it really has nothing to do with the hops being actually dry, it means that the hops were added at the end of the brewing process and steeped like tea, giving a bright floral taste to the beer, rather than a strictly cooked hop flavor. Most likely, the hops were also added previously in that brewing process and the dry hopping was purely for that bright hop flavor and an extra kick of bitterness.

Hops can be used in the flower state, but are commonly used after being compressed into a pellet that looks like food for a small furry pet. The highest concentration of US hops are grown in the Pacific Northwest. If you’re driving through Oregon and see long green vines strung up on tall wires, you are probably looking at the makings of beer’s most notable ingredient.

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs via @TheBeeronessOh, and hey, I have some food for you. Thank you for indulging my need to Beer Geek Out for a few paragraphs. Because I’m so nice, I gave you both the oven and grill methods as not to taunt the grill-less causing Sad Face reactions across the world.

This chicken was great from the oven, but I have a huge crush on my grill right now so the win goes to grilled.

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 2 tbs salt
  • 3 lbs chicken legs
  • 2 tbs sesame oil
  • 2 cloves garlic grated with a microplane (or minced)
  • 2/3 cup stout beer
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 3 tbs honey
  • 7.4 ounce jar Hoisin sauce about ¾ cup
  • ¼ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp sriracha hot sauce
  • 2 tbs olive oil

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl whisk together the buttermilk, 12 ounces pale ale and salt. Add chicken, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (if all ingredients are cold from the fridge, this is not long enough from any foodborne pathogens to form). Alternately, chicken can also be allowed to soak in the fridge for 3 to 6 hours.
  • Rinse chicken well with cold water, pat dry.
  • While the chicken is soaking, make the glaze. Add the sesame oil to a pot over medium high heat, add the garlic, stir. Add the stout, soy sauce, honey, hoisin, smoked paprika and sriracha, bring to a boil, stirring frequently until thickened, about 8 minutes.

Oven method:

  • Preheat oven to 425.
  • Heat olive oil in a skillet over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add the chicken (working in batches if necessary) and sear on all sides until browned, transfer to a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper or aluminum foil. (note: browning the chicken before the oven will help you to avoid rubbery, chewy, skin on your chicken).
  • Brush the chicken on all sides with glaze. Cook for thirty minutes, removing chicken from the oven and re-glazing every ten minutes. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165.

Grill method:

  • Preheat grill to medium high.
  • Brush the grates with olive oil.
  • Brush chicken on all sides with glaze.
  • Place on hot grill, close the lid.
  • Turn and brush with glaze every 2 minutes until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.

Hoisin Stout Chicken Legs via @TheBeeroness

Chocolate Stout Mousse Brownies and What The Heck Is A Stout?

Craft beer 101: What The Heck Is A Stout?

Dark beers, with their inky good looks and sinister darkness have a way of scaring away those new to the brew. But what is a stout? and what makes it so dark?

Don’t let the color fool you, these gentle giants offer a smooth, malty, drinkability with much lower hop bitterness than their lighter counterpoints. Stouts were born from another dark beer, the Porter. Porters and stouts are both made with grains that have been roasted to a dark blackness, giving them their inky color and toasted flavors. Porters came first, gaining wide popularity across Europe in the 18th century. Once brewers started to tinker with the formula (as they often do) and the ABV (alcohol by volume) was raised, the term Stout Porter was born, referring to a stronger version of a porter. Although over time, the ABV of a dark beer has no bearing on weather a it will earn a stout or a porter designation, it’s no longer part of the equation. For example, a Guinness, the worlds most popular stout, has an ABV of only 4.2%, very few porters are at or below that level.

To this day the differences between stouts and porters are well debated and the lines have been aggressively muddied. For the sake of cooking, stouts and porters are interchangeable. The difference between a stout and porter: what ever the brewer wants it to be. Try not to spend too much time on the differences of stouts and porters, for the most part, it just doesn’t matter.

If you are a coffee drinker, or tend to favor the bourbon, the dark beers should be on your Must Try list. The flavor profiles in a stout often have notes of cocoa, espresso, and spices. They have richness that’s easy to enjoy. Although within the genera, several styles exist.

Chocolate Stout Mousse Brownies and What The Heck Is A Stout?

Imperial Stout (or Russian Imperial Stout): These days the term means a big bold stout, full of larger than life flavors and a higher than average ABV. These are generally sippin' stouts, made to savor and share. Don’t be afraid of these giant beasts, brewers can pack some fantastic flavors in these beers.

A few to try: Old Rasputin Imperial StoutFounders Imperial Stout, Rogue Imperial Stout

Milk Stout (or Sweet Stouts): These are beers made with the lactose from milk, one of the exceptions to the Beer is Vegan rule. The sweetness of the lactose gives a creaminess and a velvety texture to a tall glass of dark brew.

a few to try: Left Hand Milk Stout, 3 Floyds Moloko, Revolution Brewing Mad Cow Milk Stout

Smoked Porter: The mild hints of smoke in these beers make them great for a cold winters evening by the fire, as well as the perfect braising liquid of a large pork shoulder. This is my go-to style when braising beef or pork, and also adds a meatiness when cooking chicken or mushrooms.

A few to try: Alaskan Smoked Porter, Stone Smoked Porter with Vanilla BeanDeschutes Imperial Smoked Porter

 

Chocolate Stout Mousse Brownies. Rich and chocolaty with the texture of a fluffy, creamy mousse.

These brownies are a hybrid of the Chocolate Stout Mousse that will be in my Cookbook and my favorite brownie recipe. There is a light, mousse-like texture and deep richness all over a crispy chocolate shortbread crust.

Chocolate Stout Mousse Brownies

Ingredients
  

For the Crust:

  • 3/4 cup flour
  • ¼ cup cocoa
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 6 tbs unsalted butter

For the Filling:

  • 8 tbs butter 1 stick
  • 8 wt ounes bittersweet chocolate 62% cocoa content about 1 ½ cups
  • 5 eggs separated
  • ¼ tsp cream tartar
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup stout
  • 2 tbs cornstarch
  • 2 tbs flour

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven 375.
  • In a food processor add the flour, cocoa powder, salt and powdered sugar, pulse a few times to combine.
  • Add the butter cubes and process until well combined.
  • Spray a deep dish 8x8 inch baking dish (for 9x13, double the recipe) with cooking spray.
  • Dump crust in the prepared dish, press firmly into an even layer.
  • Place 8 tablespoons of butter, stout and chocolate in the top of a double boiler (or a metal bowl set over a pot of water) over medium heat. Stir frequently until melted, remove from heat.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer add the egg whites and cream of tartar, building up speed, beat on high until soft peaks form.
  • Move whites to a large bowl.
  • In the stand mixer bowl (no need to clean between jobs), add the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Beat on high until light and slightly fluffy.
  • Slowly pour the chocolate mixture into the egg yolk mixture, beating until completely combined, scraping the bottom to make sure the mixture is well incorporated.
  • About 1/3 at a time, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture using a spatula. Stir until egg whites are well combined with the chocolate mixture. Add filling in an even layer on top of the crust.
  • Bake at 375 for thirty minutes or until the top has puffed and looks dry. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature before cutting.

Chocolate Stout Mousse Brownies. Rich and chocolaty with the texture of a fluffy, creamy mousse.

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

 

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

While flavor may be a great go-to reason to cook with beer, don’t overlook the more practical applications of beer cooking. One of the cornerstones of Practical Beer Cooking is the inherent meat tenderizing properties of beer, making it the perfect brining liquid. While infusing the meat with flavor and uping the juiciness factor, beer also lends it’s powers to giving you extra tender meat. While land dwelling meat is often the target of brining, most scallops need a good long soak in a hoppy brine.

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

Scallops are a deceptive beast. For the most part, these sweet and mild little sea treats look simple to prepare. But a few minor issues could be robbing you of that restaurant quality greatness. The first, and most damaging issue is that the majority of grocery store scallops will come soaked in a phosphate solution that, while whitening and preserving, infuses the scallop with a soapy taste. This phosphate solution also permeates the meat, leaking out during cooking and preventing you from getting a good sear. So, really, you need to flush the beast to get a great meal out of it. The phosphate soaked scallops are generally referred to as "wet" scallops and those that are not soaked in anything are referred to as "dry" scallops. While dry scallops are still available, they are harder to come by, more expensive, and much more rare the farther you get from the water. If your scallop is white and sitting in a pool of milky liquid, it’s a wet guy. If it isn’t labeled "dry packed" you can bet your dinner that your new found culinary delight has been hanging out in phosphates for a while.

The cure to this is really simple, and relying on those meat tenderizing properties of beer will give you a great wash to get your scallop back to a dry pack quality. Allowing the scallops to brine will work the phosphates out, giving you the ability to sear those beautiful scallops without that nasty milky liquid seeping out in the pan, ruining that beautiful sear you want. Make sure to allow them to dry really well before searing to get that great golden crust that always drives us crazy.

For this recipe I used a smokey stout for the sauce (the Sauce of Dreams, that I sort of want to take a bath in), the slight notes of smoke are really beautiful and add a bit of a Texas Barbecue flavor to these nicely seared scallops. I used Still Life by Beachwood Brewing, a really nice stout, with beautifully layered flavors. Look for a stout or a porter (both dark beers that are interchangeable when cooking) that have notes of smoke or espresso.

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

Ingredients
  

For the Scallops:

  • 12 ounces pale ale
  • 2 tbs salt
  • 1 cup water
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 12 jumbo scallops
  • 2 tbs unsalted butter
  • 2 tbs olive oil

For the Corn Puree

  • 4 ears of corn
  • 5 tbs butter
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 cup cream or half and half

For the Sauce

  • 1 cup stout
  • 1 tbs molasses don't use Blackstrap
  • 3 tbs balsamic
  • 1 tbs soy

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl stir together the pale ale, salt, water and lemon juice.
  • Add the scallops, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • While the scallops brine, make the puree. Cut the kernels off the corn cob, set aside.
  • In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the kernels, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cream. Allow to simmer until corn has softened, about 8 minutes. Add to a blender or food process and process until smooth, about 5 minutes. Pass through a fine mesh strainer or chinois (this will remove any fibers and give you a really creamy puree).
  • Make the sauce: Add the stout, molasses, balsamic and soy to a sauce pan over high heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to maintain a strong simmer, cooking until reduced and slightly thickened, about 10 minutes (should easily coat a spoon). Sauce can be made three days ahead of time and stored in the fridge, but with thicken as it cools. Heat slightly to thin.
  • Remove the scallops from fridge and place on top of a stack of 4-5 paper towels. Add another layer of paper towels and allow to drain and dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper on both sides.
  • Add the butter and olive oil to a pan over high heat. Allow the butter to melt and get very hot, nearly smoking.
  • Add the scallops, flat side down, and allow to cook until a dark golden brown crust forms on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until seared on the opposite side. Remove from pan when a slight hint of translucent pink still remains at the center, don’t over cook.

Beer Brined Scallops over Smokey Corn Puree and Stout Molasses Sauce

Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter

Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter via @TheBeeroness

Falling into the world of craft beer, I lacked a full grasp of the type of people this obsession attracts. Over the years I never cease to be amazed at the warmth and heart that exists in the gatherings of the Craft Beer Enthusiasts, the salt of the earth types that dwell here. It’s hard to explain to people who are outside, how to really articulate how golden the souls, how quickly we connect to one another over a shared fascination. How our celebrities brew beer, and our Mecca lives in various 750 ml bottles.

Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter via @TheBeeroness

Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to spend a truly unforgettable weekend in Boston, courtesy of Attune Foods, to marinate in the company of the Craft Beer Crowd. The final night gave me a clear tableau of the heart of this community. In the middle of a large conference space, in the bottom of a Boston hotel, was an impromptu potluck of rare beer, a spontaneous gathering spread out by strangers. People from all over the country packed bottles of beer, rare beer, sacred beer, hard to track down beer, beer that people dream of, in order to share it with strangers. They pulled from their stash of beer that took them months, even years to track down, in order to share it with people they have never met.

Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter via @TheBeeroness

I was honored, and so grateful, to be handed beer I’ve only read about, from people I’d never met. "I though you’d like this," or "I brought this to share, do you want some?" It was touching, and even a bit overwhelming, that people who didn’t know me would share, with such enthusiasm, what is often rare and hard to come by. Some bottles weren’t even replaceable, aged for several years. This is craft beer. People who just want to share, in community, what they have come to love.

Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter via @TheBeeroness

 

And all I have to offer in return is my gratitude, and some knowledge about food, and a few recipes. Let’s start with steak. A few tips can give you an unforgettable meal, to serve with that rare beer.

First, is the selection process. Have you ever noticed those stickers on the packages of steak in the grocery store? Prime, Choice and Select? While they should put: Great, Pretty Good and Don’t Bother, they leave it a bit ambiguous. If you know what to buy, you’ll be ahead of the game.

Prime is the best, but of course, most expensive. Choice is runner up to prime, not as good as Prime, but it’s often much less expensive. Select should be labeled: Please Don’t Select, it’s poor quality. If a steak isn’t labeled, it probably was so poor, it didn’t even earn a Select designation. If you see an unlabeled piece of meat that has a sticker that says, Inspected by the USDA, don’t fall for it, all meat is inspected by the USDA. Look for a well marbled steak, about an inch in thickness that’s labeled Prime or Choice.

Second: marinate and dry. Beer is a natural meat tenderizer, using it in a marinade gives steak an amazing texture. Drying the meat well, while it feels counter intuitive, is the only way to get a good sear and avoid 50 shades of gray meat.

Third: excessively salt your meat. Don’t be shy with the salt, it’s imperative. Liberally salt the steak on all sides, it’s pretty difficult to over salt a steak and salt is extremely important to the final flavor.

Fourth: buy a meat thermometer. If you cook meat a lot, you get used to the feel test and you can vibe it. But until then, testing with an inexpensive meat thermometer is a foolproof way to get the exact doneness that you want. You really don’t want to spend all that time and money only to over cook your steak because you didn’t want to spring for the $7 meat thermometer.

For this recipe I love a smoked porter, it’s one of my favorite go-to beers when it comes to cooking with beef.

Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter

Ingredients
  

For the Steak:

  • 1 ½ cups stout or porter
  • 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 4 New York Steaks or Tri Tip Steaks choice or prime
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 2 tbs olive oil

For The Butter:

  • ½ cup unsalted butter softened
  • ½ cup porter
  • ¼ cup crumbled Gorgonzola

Instructions
 

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the beer, Worcestershire, onion powder, paprika and salt.
  • Place the steaks in a baking dish, cover with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours, turning at least once while marinating.
  • While the steak is marinating, make the butter. In a saucepan over medium high heat, add the ½ cup porter. Cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to 2 tbs, 8-10 minutes.
  • In a food processor add the butter and reduced beer, process until well combined. Add the Gorgonzola and pulse to combine.
  • Add butter to a sheet of plastic wrap, roll into a log and refrigerate until solid, about 1 hour.
  • Fifteen minutes before cooking, remove the steaks from the marinade. Place on a stack of paper towels, top with additional paper towels, pressing down firmly. Allow to dry for about ten minutes.

Grill Method:

  • Preheat the grill to medium high.
  • Salt and pepper the steak liberally on all sides.
  • Brush the grill with olive oil.
  • Place the steaks on the hottest part of the grill until grill marks appear, flip. Once grill marks appear on the other side, flip again. Flip a total of 4 times to create a diamond grill pattern, keeping the grill closed between flipping. Test the temperature and remove when desired doneness is achieved.
  • Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
  • Slice the butter into 1 inch pats, add one pat to each steak.

Oven Method:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Salt and pepper the steak liberally on all sides.
  • In a pan over medium high heat add the olive oil, heat until hot but not smoking. Add the steaks (two at a time) and cook on each side until a brown seared crust has formed, about 2 minutes per side. Avoid crowding the pan, cook in batches if necessary. Move steaks to a sheet pan or baking dish.
  • Cook in the oven for 5-7 minutes, or until desired level of doneness. Allow to rest for at least 5 minutes.
  • Slice the butter into 1 inch pats, add one pat to each steak.

Notes

Temperatures for doneness:
126°F Rare,
131°F Medium Rare,
145°F Medium,
154°F Medium Well,

Beer Marinated Steak with Porter Gorgonzola Butter via @TheBeeroness