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Wheat Beer

Beery Berry Skillet Cake

Beery Berry Skillet Cake, super quick and easy! One bowl and ten minutes and it’s ready to bake. 

You guys, I’m moving again. I know. I KNOW. In case you’re scoring at home, that will be 6 houses I’ve lived in since I started this weird "let’s see if I can cook all the things with beer" journey.  I’m only moving a few miles away, which is much easier than the time I moved from LA to Seattle and tore my entire life apart. This is just moving stuff from one place to another so it’s fine. IT’S FINE EVERYTHING IS FINE. 

I am living out of a box-filled house which looks slightly like an organized hoarding situation. I also have packed most of my kitchen stuff so I am limited in my ability to cook the things. Which means I made a cake in a skillet like a weirdo. This is also fine because it tasted amazing and it only looks like 7.5 minutes to get it in the oven. So if you have a limited kitchen situation or just a limited desire for long cooking projects situation, but still want a yummy cake you can eat out of the pan with a fork in one hand and a beer in the other, do I have a recipe for you my friend!



Beery Berry Skillet Cake

Ingredients
  

  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter plus 2 tablespoons (29g), divided
  • 1/3 cup (80g) beer Pilsner, wheat beer, pale lager
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cup (160g) AP flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups (335g) frozen berries
  • Whipped cream for serving

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400°F
  • Melt 6 tablespoons of butter and allow to cool slightly. Add to a mixing bowl, stir in the beer.
  • Whisk in the egg, sugar, and vanilla.
  • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt, stir until just combined.
  • Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Add to the oven until the butter is melted.
  • Remove the skillet and swirl to distribute the butter.
  • Pour the batter into the pan in an even layer. Top with the frozen berries.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the center has set and the edges are a dark golden brown.
  • Remove from oven allow to cool.
  • Top with whipped cream for serving.

Oven Baked Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomato Beer Pasta

 

This week is a crossover, it’s a convergence of seasons and it’s my favorite part of the seasonal Venn diagram that makes up the year. We have cozy-fall-fireplace weather but we also still have summer produce in abundance. Including but not limited to the absurd amount of tomatoes in my garden that didn’t get around to ripening until this very moment after being tortuously green for about 137 months. 

The idea of having several pounds of beautiful homegrown tomatoes in my kitchen with a ticking life expectancy countdown clock kept me up at night. I wish that was a metaphor but it’s not, because I’m that strange. You also need to factor in that it’s getting colder and the summer produce needs to fit into fall dishes in order to make sense in my current world. There are a lot of things to consider when you’re slightly crazy in food-related ways. 

Then when you factor in a beer like Odells Kindling, that tastes like summer but has a name that reminds me of a late autumn night fireplace it all just falls together. Now I can sleep in my carb-induced stupor and all is right in the world again. 

 

Fresh  Homemade Beer Pasta Recipe

 

Oven Baked Goat Cheese and Cherry Tomato Beer Pasta

Ingredients
  

  • 9 oz fresh linguine pasta* not dried
  • 3 lbs. cherry tomatoes
  • 4 large cloves garlic smashed
  • 4 oz goat cheese
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • ¼ cup (2oz) good quality olive oil
  • ¼ cup (2oz) beer golden ale, pale lager, pilsner
  • 6 leaves fresh basil minced

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Add the cherry tomatoes, garlic, goat cheese, salt and pepper to a baking dish, drizzle with olive oil.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the tomatoes are bursting.
  • Remove from oven, stir in the beer.
  • Add the pasta, stir until well coated, sprinkle with basil.
  • Plate, serve warm.

Notes

*You can either make the pasta yourself or you can easily buy it in the refrigerator section of almost any grocery store, it’s usually near the cheese.
If you only have dried, make sure to cook to al dente first, drain, then add to the dish. 

The Bend Ale Trail and a recipe for Grilled Beer Crust Pizza with Peaches, Burrata, and Pesto

This post is sponsored by Vist Bend. All the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Before we get to my new favorite pizza, let’s talk about one of my favorite beer cities on the planet! Bend, Oregon is a city for beer lovers, dog lovers, nature lovers,  so add it to your list, my friends. If you’re Pacific Northwest-based, it’s not more than a drive away, and if you aren’t then you obviously need a good reason to travel this way. 

Bend is a place where everything seems both exciting and slow-paced. There is a lot you CAN do, and nothing you NEED to do. Right on the Deschutes River, in the shadow of the Cascade mountains with water perfect for brewing, mountains that need to be climbed, slopes that beg to be conquered. But If you’re like me and you’re just in it for the beer drinking and the dog petting, it’s also a perfect getaway. 

My recommendations for breweries to add to your list for the aforementioned dog-petting-beer-drinking good time:

Monkless brewing. Not just for the Abby ale inspired Belgian beers (no monks required) but also for the space. GABF named it mid-sized brewpub of the year (that’s a big deal for those who don’t know), and it’s easy to see why with its river views, great food, and complex yet accessible beer. 

Crux Fermentation Project:

It’s not a conversation about Bend beer without a mention of Crux. One of the most popular spots to grab a beer in the entire city (possibly the state) because of its flawless beer, large open outdoor space, live music, food trucks, and pettable dog visitors. It’s really a must-visit. 


Bend Brewing: There may not be a better place to have a beer in the city than the edge of the river outside of Bend Brewing. The taproom isn’t super large but the outdoor space is mighty and expansive. It’s located right in downtown Bend and is walkable from the most popular part of the city. Sitting by the river with a Bend Brewing beer might just be the perfect afternoon. 

10 Barrel:

10 Barrel is a popular pub and an easy place to hang out if you can find a spot. It’s also a great place to sample the sneak peek R&D beers you won’t be able to get anywhere else while filling up on their handmade pizza. 

Sunriver Brewing: They have a beer that tastes like coca puffs. THEY HAVE A BEER THAT TASTES LIKE COCA PUFFS! All by itself Sunriver’s Cocoa Cow is reason enough to visit. It’s probably my favorite beer in Bend. It’s also a quick walk from 10 Barrel, so make this a joint adventure. 

On Tap: While not a brewery, this space is perfect to catch all the beers from the breweries you didn’t get to visit in town, all while chowing down on some food truck grub. The tap list is extensive with tons of local favorites. 

 

For my new favorite pizza, I used an IPA from Bend’s Silvermoon, a local favorite and one of the first breweries to start in Bend many (silver) moons ago. 

Grilled Beer Crust Pizza with Peaches, Burrata, and Pesto

Ingredients
  

For the Crust:

  • 2 ½ cups 300g bread flour
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons 1 envelope rapid rise yeast
  • ½ teaspoon 1.5g garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon 5g granulated sugar
  • ¾ cup 6oz wheat beer
  • ½ teaspoon 3g kosher salt
  • ¼ cup 60g olive oil

For the Toppings:

  • Olive oil
  • ¼ cup prepared pesto sauce
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 large ripe, yellow peach, sliced
  • 6-8 leaves basil sliced
  • 2 4oz balls of burrata cheese
  • ½ cup baby arugula
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic glaze

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, garlic powder and sugar.
  • Mix until combined. Heat the beer until the temperature reaches between 120°F and 125°F (double check your yeast package to confirm this is the temperature your yeast needs. Default to the temperature listed on the package).
  • Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the flour has been moistened, slowly add the salt and oil while the mixer is still running. Turn speed to high and beat until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Transfer dough to a lightly oiled bowl, tightly wrap with plastic wrap. Allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 45 to 60 minutes.
  • Preheat the grill to 500°F.
  • Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 10-inches in diameter, add to a pizza peel covered with flour or cornmeal. Brush with olive oil.
  • Add to the grates of the grill, oiled side down. Close the lid and allow to cook until grill marks appear, use the pizza peel to remove the crust, transfer to a work station.
  • Cover with pesto sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
  • Return the pizza to the grill.
  • Shut the lid and allow to cook until the top of the crust is bubbly and starting to brown, about 6-8 minutes.
  • Remove from the grill, transfer to a serving platter, top with peaches, basil, burrata (pulled the burrata apart and distribute across the pizza), arugula, and balsamic glaze.
  • Slice and serve.

 

Dulce de Leche Beer Cinnamon Roll Knots

Dulce de Leche Beer Cinnamon Roll Knots (step-by-step) with photos

I know, I KNOW! I am the actual worst. Here you are, trying to be healthy in the New Year and I do THIS to you. This is because I am a world-class enabler and I like people to be happy. And these make people happy. It’s flawed logic, I know this as well, but I will continue along this path as if I don’t know this. Please look away, nothing to see here.

You can also use these for inspiration, for "pin it and make it later", for "this is what I will make when I’m not as concerned with health and fitness". Which, let’s be honest, will probably be in like 2.5 weeks.

I will tell you this, they are fantastic. Perfect for you to save for that day when you can have all your people over for brunch, and let’s all hope that day is SOON.

Dulce de Leche Beer Cinnamon Roll Knots

Course Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert
Servings 12 knots

Ingredients
  

Dough:

  • 2 ¾ cups (330g) flour, plus more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 packet 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise yeast
  • 1 cup beer pilsner, pale ale, wheat beer
  • 6 tablespoons (85.5g) melted butter
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

  • 1 cup (138g) dulce de leche for homemade, see note below
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar divided

Icing:

  • 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dulce de leche
  • 2 tablespoons water

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, sugar, and yeast to a stand mixer. Mix until just combined.
  • Heat the beer and melted butter to 120°-130°F (always defer to the liquid temperature listed on the package of yeast, regardless of what the recipe says. Your yeast package says 105°F? Heat the liquid to that temperature) add the beer to the stand mixer, mixing until all the flour has been moistened.
  • Add the salt, beat until the dough comes together and gathers around the blade. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size.
  • Add the dough to a lightly floured surface, roll into a rectangle about 8 inches wide and 20-24 inches in length.
  • Cut in half.
  • Spread dulce de leche on half (warm if necessary to make it more spreadable) sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ cup brown sugar.
  • Place the other dough half on top of the dulce de leche half to sandwich the filling between the two pieces of dough.
  • Cut into 10-12 strips.
  • Twist the strips.
  • Form into a loose loop.
  • Place one end over the top with the end in the center of the loop.
  • Place the other end underneath the loop to meet up with the first end.
  • Place knots on a baking sheet covered with parchment.
  • Sprinkle with brown sugar.
  • Allow knots to rest while you heat the oven to 350°F, about 20 minutes. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until golden brown. 
  • Stir together all the icing ingredients. Drizzle knots with icing, allow to cool until the icing has set. 

Notes

*I made dulce de leche in a pressure cooker, it just takes one ingredient (or three if you want to add salt and vanilla but that's optional) and about 3 minutes of active time. You can also make it on the stovetop. For full instructions see this post:
Chocolate Stout Cookies with Salted Dulce De Leche Filling
Keyword dulce de leche, knots, dough

Beer Cheese Fondue

 

The LAST thing we need is to end the year with a cooking fail. And 2020 is just the jerk to make your cheese sauce break right when it’s about to end. If you plan to continue the New Years' tradition of dipping all the things in melted cheese, here are some tips to make sure you show that cheese sauce who’s boss (it’s you, you’re the boss). 

Fondue’s and Dont’s of the Perfect Cheese Sauce:

Do break out the immersion blender if your sauce separates. Cheese sauce can be a tricky beast, it’s prone to separating or becoming chunky. No worries, just blend it into submission and your sauce will be perfectly velvety. 

Don’t forget the cornstarch. This is what will keep your sauce intact, it prevents the cheese, oils, and beer from separating into a stringy mess all while thickening it up to the perfect consistency. 

Do stir in a figure 8, or a zig-zag pattern. Might sound a little silly, but it helps to keep your sauce blending well. If you stir in a circular pattern around the edges of the pot it will create a whirlpool that can suck cheese into the center of the pot and promote clumping before it’s melted and combined. 

Don’t boil your sauce. Bring your sauce to a simmer, and adjust the heat to keep it at a low simmer. A boil will encourage your sauce to break, burn, and separate. 

Do experiment with spices. Add sriracha, gochujang, herbs, or roasted garlic to give the sauce your own signature twist.

Beer Cheese Fondue

Ingredients
  

Sauce:

  • 12 ounces beer*
  • 6 wt oz Gruyère cheese shredded
  • 8 wt oz Smoked gouda shredded
  • 2 tbs cornstarch
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper

For serving:

  • 1 cup mushrooms quartered
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 French baguette cut into cubes
  • ½ lbs flank steak cooked and sliced
  • 1 Granny smith apple sliced

Instructions
 

  • Add the beer to a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a low simmer, do not boil.
  • In a medium-sized bowl toss together both types of cheese and the cornstarch.
  • A small handful at a time adds the cheese to the beer, stirring until the cheese is melted before adding more.
  • Once all the cheese has been melted, stir in the Dijon, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper until well combined. Add the sauce to a warm fondue pot.
  • Serve with bread, vegetables, and meat.

Notes

*Note: Use a lighter-colored beer for best results. For a stronger beer flavor use a hoppier beer like an IPA or an American pale ale. For a milder beer flavor use a wheat beer, pale lager, Kolsch, or pilsner.

Beer Butter Garlic Knots

Beer Butter Garlic Knots, one hour and so delicious! 

You know how the word "slather" is really gross but we say it anyway? And how it’s really unfortunate that it goes so well with a phrase as gorgeous as "garlic butter"? I just have to apologize because both of those words are important to this recipe. But the end result is very close to the ravishing feeling of saying "garlic butter" and nowhere near "slather." 

Did you know that garlic knots were once used as a form of currency in lower Manhattan during the Great Depression? They weren’t, I lied. This is my reminder not to believe everything you read on the internet. You should do your own research. As in, don’t believe me when I say these are delicious, I could totally be lying. Just make them and eat them all in one sitting, maybe with a little marinara dip, and then you’ll know the real truth. 

Beer Butter Garlic Knots

5 from 2 votes

Ingredients
  

For the dough:

  • 4 cups (520g) bread flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 envelope 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise yeast
  • 1 ½ cups (1, 12-ounce bottle) wheat beer
  • 2 tablespoons butter room temperature
  • 1 teaspoons salt

For the butter top:

  • 1 cup (228g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 6 cloves garlic grated with a microplane
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ¼ cup (22g) Parmesan cheese freshly grated
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Add the flour, sugar, and yeast to a stand mixer. Mix until just combined. Heat the beer to 120°F (always defer to the liquid temperature listed on the package of yeast, regardless of what the recipe says. Your yeast package says 105°F? Heat the liquid to that temperature) add the beer to the stand mixer, mixing until all the flour has been moistened.
  • Add the salt and butter, beat until the dough comes together and gathers around the blade. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until doubled in size.
  • Stir together the butter, garlic, garlic powder, salt, and parmesan.
  • Add the dough to a lightly floured surface, cut into 16 equal-sized portions.
  • Roll each portion into an 8-inch log.
  • Brush with butter.
  • Tie each strip of dough into a knot, add to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Allow dough to rise for about 20 minutes while the oven preheats.
  • Brush knots with butter, sprinkle with black pepper.
  • Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from oven, brush with remaining butter. Serve warm

Beer Butter and Potato Dinner Rolls

Beer Butter and Potato Dinner Rolls, using potato flakes instead of mashed potatoes make these super easy, light and fluff! My favorite dinner rolls! 

THESE! They are new favorite dinner rolls ever. So super soft, melt in your mouth, you HAVE to make these. And this year is the perfect year since it’ll be smaller than normal. Which means more for you, and I promise you’re gonna be glad you don’t have to share too many. 

I have to admit that I resist making potato rolls because I’m kinda lazy. This is a fact. Unless I already have leftover mashed potatoes on hand, I don’t want to take that extra step. So my laziness has brought us all the idea of using potato flakes, which is not only easier, it’s more consistent. Mashed potatoes have varying levels of moisture and dairy, flakes are always consistent (as long as you always buy the same brand). See, look at how good I am at justifying my laziness and finding legitimate reasons to continue to indulge it, if you need any help with this I am at your service. Just don’t expect me to get back to you right away. 

Beer Butter and Potato Dinner Rolls

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup (114g) butter
  • ½ cup (114g) whole milk
  • ½ cup (114g) wheat beer
  • 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 packet 2 ¼ teaspoonsRapid Rise yeast
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • cup (40g) potato flakes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • Egg wash 1 egg, 1 tablespoon water, beaten
  • Flakey sea salt

Instructions
 

  • Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl. Add the milk and beer. Heat until 120°-130°F (if your yeast packet mentions a different temperature, use that temperature instead).
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the flour, yeast, sugar and potato flakes.
  • Add the beer mixture, stirring on medium speed until most of the flour has been moistened. Add the salt and egg, stir until well combined and the dough gathers around the blade.
  • Oil a large bowl. Using wet hands, move the dough to the bowl. The dough will be very soft and sticky.
  • Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 45-60 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • On a well-floured surface add the dough. Cut into 12 equal sized pieces.
  • Roll into tight balls, add to a baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Cover and allow to rest until doubled in size.
  • Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with salt.
  • Bake uncovered until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
  • Serve warm.

 

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Upside Down Beer Cake

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Upside Down Beer Cake, one bowl, super easy, crazy moist. 

This is NOT the week to pretend like you’re on a diet.  It’s a week to stress bake and eat your weight in cake, it’s the patriotic thing to do. Baking does help, it gives you something to do that results in good news in your day and tasty treats in your mouth. Win-win-win. Because it’s hard to be in a bad mood when you can open a beer and eat some cake, it’s just science. 

It’s also time to start baking with cranberries and remember how much we actually like them even though we pretty much forget about them the rest of the year. And I don’t care what you believe in the rest of your life, we all like cake. It’s the reason we use it to celebrate all the things. Cake is a unifying force and I think we all need that right now. 

Cranberry Chocolate Chip Hazelnut Upside Down Beer Cake

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ cups fresh cranberries
  • 2 cups (400g) granulated sugar, plus ¼ cup (50g) divided
  • ½ cups (114g) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ½ cup (4oz) beer pilsner, pale ale
  • 2 ¾ (340g) cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup crushed hazelnuts
  • ¾ cup chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 325°F.
  • Line the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan with a round of parchment paper. Spray with cooking spray.
  • Toss the cranberries in ¼ cup sugar, add in an even layer to the prepared pan.
  • Add the butter and remaining 2 cups sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, beat on high until well combined.
  • One at a time, add the eggs and vanilla, scraping the bottom of the bowl between additions, beat until well combined. Add the sour cream and oil, mix until well combined.
  • Stir in the beer.
  • Stop the mixer, sprinkle with flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Stir until just combined.
  • Stir in the hazelnuts and chocolate chips.
  • Add to the pan over the cranberries.
  • Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched. If the cake starts to brown too much before the baking is completed, cover with foil. 
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool completely before removing from pan. 
  • Invert on a serving plate before removing spring form pan so that bottom of the cake is on the top. 

Notes

*If you only have a 9-inch spring for pan, you will likely have too much batter. Fill the pan to about ¾ full and use the remaining batter to make muffins.

Salted Espresso Beer Chocolate Chip Muffins

Salted Espresso Beer Chocolate Chip Muffins

These days, when time seems to run together, and every day is blursday the 37th of Septober, it just makes sense to have something that tastes like coffee and beer. It’s morning and night and each day seems indistinguishable from the last, beer and coffee should coexist. So also can a breakfast meal, a snack, and a dessert be the same muffin. 

Anything you can do these days to make your life happier and simpler, do that thing. Eating muffins all day is that thing. It’s small wins right now, celebrate the small stuff and let the rest go. Write that on a river stone and sell it at Target. Or make some muffins and drink a beer, whatever gets you thought the day.

Salted Espresso Beer Chocolate Chip Muffins

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • ½ cup (114g) unsalted butter room temperature
  • 1 cup (200g) sugar plus additional for top
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup (80g) beer pilsner, wheat beer, brown ale, nothing too hoppy
  • ¼ cup (57g) olive oil
  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • Flakey sea salt such as maldon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Add the butter to a stand mixer, mix until creamy. Add 1 cup sugar and mix until well combined.
  • Add the vanilla and eggs, mix on high until very creamy.
  • Lower the mixer speed to low, add the beer and oil, mix until combined.
  • Stop the mixer and sprinkle with flour, baking powder, espresso, and ½ teaspoon salt, mix until just combined, scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure it’s all combined.
  • Stir in the chocolate chips.
  • Line a muffin tin with cupcake papers.
  • Fill the cupcake papers with batter until ¾ full (an ice cream scoop will give you the perfect amount).
  • Sprinkle each with about ¼ teaspoon sugar and then sprinkle with sea salt.
  • Bake for 22-26 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly touched.

Beer Caramelized Leeks, Corn and Bacon Chowder

Beer Caramelized Leeks, Corn and Bacon Chowder

It’s that time of the year again when we need to put beer in our soup. It’s getting darker and colder and I’m not even talking about the political news, I mean it more literally. Since you’re home all day, making a big pot of soup to keep you warm makes sense, especially when it necessitates opening a beer to do so. 

No, honey, I’m opening a beer because cooking! I’m cooking for YOU! I’m opening a beer for your wellbeing and so you don’t have to make dinner! 

See, you look like a thoughtful and loving partner and you can do so while holding an open beer! See the things I bring to your life? A beer soup recipe, and a far-off enabler encouraging your day drinking!

Beer Caramelized Leeks, Corn and Bacon Soup

5 from 1 vote
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 6 strips thick cut bacon chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 cleaned and trimmed leeks white and light green parts only, sliced
  • 1/3 cup pilsner pale ale, or wheat beer
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 large about ¾ of a lbs russet potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup fire roasted corn divided
  • 2 tablespoons chopped chives

Instructions
 

  • Add the bacon to a large pot over medium heat. Cook until the bacon has crisped, remove with a slotted spoon, set aside (cooking at medium heat rather than high heat will allow the bacon to crisp better and render more fat, high heat will burn the meat before the fat has rendered).
  • Add the olive oil and leeks, cooking over medium heat until starting to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
  • Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan.
  • Add the broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, and potatoes. Simmer until potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove from heat, stir in the cream and allow to cool slightly.
  • Add to a blender (or use and immersion blender) along with half the bacon, and ½ cup corn. Blend until smooth.
  • Return to the pan along with the remaining corn, simmer until warmed. Ladle into bowls, top with remaining bacon and chopped chives.

Beer Brined Lamb Chops with Herb Sauce over Fried Goat Cheese

 Beer Brined Lamb Chops with Herb Sauce over Fried Goat Cheese

Let’s say you made a playlist, but for food. Except I’m going to call it a mixed tape because it makes me happy. On my Mixed Tape of Food I would have to include goat cheese. You can’t have complete dishes on your Mixed Tape, because I make the rules and I said so, just ingredients. It’s a list of foods that make you happy and you always seem to get just a little more excited about a meal when it includes said food. Those hit words you read on a menu that makes you realize that you don’t just want to order the dish, you need to. 

 I’d add in some fresh English shelling peas, Bing cherries, yellowtail, and potatoes because Papas Rellenas and gnocchi, this gives us 5 tracks and I’m pretty sure we need to stop at 12. This is when it gets harder, it’s down to the last few spots. Salted caramel makes the list, and so does burrata and capicola. This leads us to short ribs and lamb. 

So now, anytime you’re at a restaurant and you look at the menu, you will probably be able to guess what I’d order. Just don’t forget to order me a beer, you know I want one of those, too. 

Beer Brined Lamb Chops with Herb Sauce over Fried Goat Cheese

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

Lamb chops:

  • 12 ounces beer pale ale, pale lager, wheat beer
  • 4 lamb loin chops
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 cups mixed greens

Goat Cheese:

  • 4- ounces goat cheese
  • ½ cup panko bread crumbs
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons milk
  • Oil for frying

Herb sauce:

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 small bunch chives
  • Several sprigs parsley
  • 5-6 large leaves fresh mint
  • 5-6 large leaves fresh basil
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Add the lamb to a baking dish or bowl, sprinkle with salt, and minced garlic. Pour the beer over the lamb, cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
  • Slice the goat cheese into 1-inch thick slices. Add to a plate, and freeze for 20-30 minutes.
  • Add the panko to one bowl, flour to another, and whisk together the milk and egg in another.
  • Heat about ½ inch of oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat.
  • One at a time, dredge the cheese in flour, then in the egg wash, then coat completely with panko.
  • Add to the oil, frying on each side until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Allow to drain and dry on a stack of paper towels.
  • Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat.
  • Remove the lamb from the marinade, dry completely with paper towels.
  • Add to the hot oil, cooking on both sides until seared on both sides and cooked to 140°F in the center, about 3 minutes per side.
  • Add all the sauce ingredients to a small blender or food processor, blend on high until well combined.
  • Divide the mixed greens between 4 plates. Top with goat cheese and lamb, drizzle with sauce.

Beer and Berry Cobbler Bars

Beer and Berry Cobbler Bars

Cobbler doesn’t make sense to me. It’s delicious, obviously, but it looks like a mistake. Like an upside-down pie that fell into a pan someone just pretended it was supposed to be that way and we all just went along with it because we still wanted to eat it. 

Which is understandable, it’s still dessert, I’m not gonna kick it outta bed. But it feels unfinished, halfway to being really done. So I made it a bottom crust, because let’s be honest, crust is always the best part. 

You can still scoop it into a bowl, heat it up, and top it with a big 'ole scoop of ice cream. It’s still great that way. But it’s also a cobbler you can eat with one hand (or no hands if you’re brave enough), and it has beer in it. So, what I’m trying to say, is that it’s not really cobbler at all. It’s a cookie bar inspired by my cobbler induced confusion that’s made with beer. Because nothing makes sense anymore and we all need more excuses to open a beer. 

Beer and Berry Cobbler Bars

Servings 9 bars

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 1 cup (228 grams) butter at room temperature
  • ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup (75g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour

Filling:

  • 2 ½ cups (475g) fresh berries (I used half blueberries, half blackberries)
  • 1/3 cup (66g) sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • ¼ cup (57g) beer wheat beer, pale ale, pilsner

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Add the butter, powdered sugar, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract to the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until well combined.
  • Stir in the flour until just combined.
  • Line an 8X8 pan with parchment paper.
  • Press about ¾ of the mixture into the bottom of the pan in an even layer.
  • In a separate bowl stir together the berries, sugar, cornstarch, and beer.
  • Add the berry mixture in an even layer to the pan.
  • Crumble the remaining crust on top of the berry layer.
  • Bake until the top is golden brown, 55-65 minutes.
  • Allow to cool completely before cutting, the filling will set as it cools.

Cherry Ale Ricotta Crostata

I know what you’re thinking. You’re looking at this thinking, "Why you say crostata when this is clearly a galette?"  No? You weren’t thinking that because you’re normal and not a huge nerd like me? Sorry. But now I have to address this issue. This is what happens when I create a problem that didn’t exist. 

You see, it’s like crisps and chips. Or pants and trousers. Or The Rock and Dwayne Johnson. They are the same thing, it’s just different people call them different things. Specifically French people and Italian people. The French like to say galette ("guh-let", in case you wondered and googled it so you won’t sound like an idiot at the dinner party you brought what you thought was pronounced a "gal-lay" but it isn’t and then you’re super relieved you looked it up because you were already embarrassed for yourself. Just me again? Geesh). And the Italians like to say Crostata (which is pronounced exactly how you’d think because I looked it up too because I was scared to make the same mistake twice). 

So why, you ask, did I choose crostata instead of galette? Because I liked the way it sounded with "ricotta" and if you don’t believe that is a 100% true story, you clearly don’t know me well enough. Come on! Ricotta Crostata is just way more fun that Ricotta Galette. You know this to be true. 

And your final question is OBVIOUSLY "what beer did you use" because you always have the best questions. The answer is Firestone Walkers Cherry Barrel Blossom, a super-rich and drinkable barrel-aged-cherry-bitters-infused beer. It’s also a great dessert beer. You can use which ever beer you want, pretty much any beer will work when you’re making beer ricotta, as long as you like it, the flavor will come through. I will advise against anything too hoppy because those hops don’t mess around once you boil them, but it’s your world. If you want a hoppy ricotta crostata, who am I to stop you?

 

Cherry Ale Ricotta Crostata

Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

Crust:

  • 1 ½ cups (180g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
  • 1 tablespoon (15g) sugar
  • ½ cup (114g) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
  • ¼ cup (48g) ice-cold beer (pale ale, Saison, wheat beer)
  • 1 tablespoon melted butter
  • 1 teaspoon sanding sugar or granulated sugar (optional)

Ricotta:

  • 3 cups (24oz) whole milk pasteurized is fine but do not use Ultra-Pasteurized, it won’t work
  • ½ cup (4oz) heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup (2oz) beer* Plus 2 tablespoons divided
  • 3 tablespoons (36g) lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Cherries:

  • ¾ lbs (12oz) pitted fresh dark sweet cherries (such as Bing, Jubilee, Chinook)
  • 1 tablespoons (12g) lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons (38g) granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions
 

Make the crust:

  • Add ¾ cup of flour (reserve the other 3/4 cup), salt and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter, process until well combined.
  • Add the remaining flour and pulse 6-8 times or until all the flour has been combined.
  • Add the beer, pulse until just combined. Lay a long sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface, add the dough to the center.
  • Form into a flat disk. Wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 3 hours, and up to three days.

Make the ricotta:

  • In a pot over medium-high heat (do not use an aluminum pan) add the milk, cream, salt, and 1/3 cup beer.
  • Clip a cooking thermometer onto the side of the pan.
  • Bring the liquid to 190°F degrees, stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching. Keep a close eye on it, the liquid reaches and passes 190 very quickly and you don’t want it rising above 200°F.
  • Remove from heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons beer and then the lemon juice, and stir gently once or twice. It should curdle immediately. Allow sit undisturbed for about 5 minutes.
  • Line a large strainer with 1 or 2 layers of cheesecloth; place the strainer in the sink over a large bowl.
  • Pour the ricotta into the strainer and allow to drain for 15 to 30 minutes and up to an hour (the longer it drains, the firmer the consistency).
  • Place in an air-tight container, Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract, and store in the fridge can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Prep the cherries:

  • Add the cherries, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to a large bowl, toss to coat.

Assemble to Crostata:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • On a well-floured surface roll the crust out into a large circle. Add the crust to a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet. In the center add the ricotta, leaving about 3 inches on the edges bare. Top with cherries in a large pile. Fold the edges of the crust up over the filling.
  • Brush the edges with melted butter, sprinkle with sugar.
  • Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.

Notes

*Any beer will work for the ricotta, but the ricotta will take on the flavor of the beer. A more intense beer will bring a more intense flavor. If you want a more mellow beer flavor use a Hefeweizen, Pilsner, or pale lager. I used Firestone Walker's Cherry Barrel Blossom barrel-aged ale. 

Breakfast Beer Focaccia

Breakfast Beer Focaccia

Do you have a favorite meal? Is it breakfast? Say it’s breakfast so that we can be the same. I like it when we agree. My love for breakfast really doesn’t have as much to do with the food as it does with the Breakfast People. 

These are always your favorite people, the ones you’ve made breakfast for. These are the ride-or-die-friends, the 5-am-airport-pick-up-friends, the help-them-move-a-couch -or-bury-a-body-friends. Because you can have lunch with anyone, but breakfast is special. 

I don’t even think you can list someone as a favorite until you’ve had breakfast with them, I will file a formal decree on this because that’s how strongly I feel about it. All of my favorite people are ones with whom I’ve shared a pre-noon meal. And most of those are ones I would actually wake up early to cook for, and I am not a "wake up early" sort of person. But I’ll do it for my Breakfast People. I might even make breakfast for you, but you’ll have to tell me why you want me to help you bury a body. I’m not saying no, I’m just saying I need some details. 

Breakfast Beer Focaccia

5 from 1 vote

Ingredients
  

  • 4 cups (590g) All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary chopped
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 package (2 ¼ teaspoons or 7g) rapid rise yeast
  • 1 ½ (12 oz) cups beer (pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer)
  • ¼ cup (57g) olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 slices of bacon cooked and chopped
  • ½ cup (3oz) shredded cheddar cheese
  • 6 large eggs
  • ½ teaspoon flakey sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • Chopped chives optional

Instructions
 

  • In a bowl of a stand mixer fitter with a dough hook, stir together half the flour, sugar, rosemary, garlic powder, and yeast.
  • Heat the beer to 120°F to 125°F degrees (check the temperature guidelines on your yeast, always default to that).
  • Add the beer to the stand mixer, turn the mixer to medium, mix until combined.
  • Add the remaining flour, ¼ cup olive oil, and 1 teaspoon salt.
  • Turn the mixer to medium-high, beat for 5 to 6 minutes.
  • Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
  • Lightly oil a 9x13 pan. Transfer the dough to the pan, pulling to cover the entire pan. Press your fingers into the dough making holes across the entire loaf (if the dough is sticky, oil your hands or get them wet).
  • Oil the bottom 6 small oven-safe round prep bowls or ramekins (you can also use balls of aluminum foil just larger than golf balls), press them into the dough to form wells (this will be where the eggs go).
  • Cover and allow to rise for 20 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Bake until light brown, about 11-15 minutes.
  • Remove from the oven. Remove the bowls (the dough will not be cooked through, this is OK) add the eggs to the wells left by the bowls.
  • Sprinkle with cheese, bacon, salt, and pepper.
  • Put back in the oven and bake until the egg whites have set but the yolks are still soft, about another 15 minutes (if bread browns too quickly and eggs need more time, cover with foil and cook until whites are done to your likeness). 
  • Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving. Sprinkle with chives before serving (optional). 

Sourdough Beer Biscuits

Sourdough Beer Biscuits

I know I told you that it would be DAYS before I posted this recipe, and in reality, it’s been like 30 hours, but that’s the nature of our existance right now, right? 30 quarantine hours seem like days. Quarantine days are like dog years, each one is equal to seven regular days, I think this is a scientific fact.

But this is a recipe that doesn’t need an overnight proof like the Sourdough Beer Waffles (but those waffles are SO worth the wait), so you don’t have to wait days to get these biscuits into your face,  just minutes. And we also need to normalize biscuits at every meal because dinner needs them and breakfast shouldn’t have all the fun. It’s my pandemic mission. 

Sourdough Beer Biscuits

5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 14 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
Servings 8 biscuits

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cold
  • ½ cup (114g) sourdough starter, active
  • ¼ cup (57g) heavy cream
  • ½ cup (114g) pale ale beer
  • melted butter and Kosher Salt for top

Instructions
 

  • Add the butter to the freezer for 6 to 8 minutes.
  • Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Grate the butter with the small holes of a cheese grater into the flour mixture. Press into the flour with your fingers until it’s well combined.
  • Stir in the sourdough, cream, and beer with a fork.
  • Add to a well-floured surface, pat into a rectangle. 
  • Fold into thirds like a letter about to go into an envelope. 
  • Roll or pat the dough until it’s about an inch thick, then repeat (this will give you flakey layers).
  • Using a biscuit cutter, cut into 8 biscuits.
  • Add to a buttered or greased baking dish.
  • Add to the freezer for ten minutes while your oven preheats.
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  • Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with kosher salt.
  • Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the biscuits have puffed and are golden brown on top.

Mixed Berry Beer For Breakfast Pastries

Mixed Berry Beer-For-Breakfast Pastries

I am here to normalize beer for breakfast. Although I’m fairly certain the pandemic has already done that. The hours, days, weeks just sort of run together like a watercolor painting. The upside is beer for breakfast so let us focus on that for now. 

You’re probably thinking "why did you use a mango beer in a recipe that doesn’t have mango?" You weren’t thinking that, but you are now, amirite? 

There is a reason for that, I promise. Although a recipe with mango wouldn’t be a bad pairing for this beer, it wouldn’t be ideal. You’d lose all the mango flavors in the beer to the flavors of mango in the dish. BUT if you drink the beer with a lovely little breakfast tart that has berries, mint, and nice little cream cheese spread those flavors will bring out the mango in the beer. See? I’ve learned a thing or two over the past I-can’t-even-count-the-number of years of cooking with beer. 

I used Mango Tree Shaker from Odell because I love those guys and I need them to remain open during "these uncertain times" until I can actually visit them in person. Which may be a while, but it must happen at some point. 

Mixed Berry Beer For Breakfast Pastries

5 from 1 vote

Ingredients
  

  • 1 sheet puff pastry
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup (57g) beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
  • 4 oz (½ of a standard brick) cream cheese
  • 3 tablespoons (42g) granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons (16g) flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup mixed berries raspberry, blackberry, blueberry
  • minced mint or basil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Roll out the puff pastry on a lightly floured surface a few times in each direction.
  • Cut the puff pastry into 12 equal squares. 
  • Score each square with a ½ inch broader (do not cut all the way through, just add a lightly scored line) then prick the center of each pastry with a fork a few times.
  • Transfer to a baking sheet (or two) that has been covered with parchment paper.
  • In a small bowl stir together the egg and beer with a fork until well combined.
  • In another bowl add the cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, salt, and half of the beer-egg mixture (about ¼ cup or 54g) reserving the remaining beer mixture. Beat with a hand mixer until well combined.
  • Drop 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture into the center of each pastry. Top with berries.
  • Brush the edges of the pastry with the remaining beer-egg mixture.
  • Bake for 12-16 minutes or until the puff pastry edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before serving.
  • Sprinkle with mint (or basil) prior to serving.