Wheat Beer

Beer Brined Faux-tisserie Roast Chicken

26.08.2015 7 Comments

Fill your glass. Fill your stomach. Fill your heart.

Roast chicken, accompanied by an opened bottled of hard to find beer, is the way to communicate comfort from the kitchen. It’s a dish that’s been made billions of times, with just as many variations, a dish that can grace the silk covered tables of the finest dinning establishments, as well as the wobbly legged formica tables of the humblest of houses. It’s beautiful, perfect in its simplicity, comforting, and elegant without being pretentious. It’s a last meal, a lazy Sunday supper, and a first date dish. It’s a meal I’ll make over and over until I’m hardly able to lift myself into a kitchen to cook anything, well into my 90’s. I do, after all, plan to live to be 100, cooking the entire time.

Roast chicken is a classic dish that every home cook should master. It’s a recipe to make in a traditional fashion, and then after you’ve master the preparation, find your own variation. Maybe the first recipe you invent all on your own. The recipe that you’ll become known for, the one you’ll pass on, as you make your way towards living to be 100.

Beer Brined Faux-tisserie Roast Chicken

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tbs whole peppercorns
1/3 cup kosher salt
2 cups ice
22 oz wheat beer or brown ale
1 5 lb whole chicken, inside cavity cleared
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp baking powder this will help crisp the skin
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt plus additional for potatoes
½ tsp black pepper plus additional for potatoes
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp brown sugar
1 lbs red potatoes quartered
1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts cut in half
1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Add the water, cloves, peppercorns, and salt to a large stock pot or Dutch oven (this will eventually be the brining vessel for your chicken, make sure it’s large enough to accommodate). Bring to a simmer, stirring just until the salt has dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the ice, and ale. Allow to cool to room temperate.
Add the chicken to the pot (make sure the liquid has cooled first), cover and refrigerate for 12 hours and up to 3 days (to save time, this step can be done as soon as you return from the market with the chicken, and the chicken can be stored in the brine until ready to use, up to three days).
Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse well, inside and out, pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperate for 20 minuets, to drain and dry.
Preheat oven to 300.
In a small bowl stir together the paprika, baking powder, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and brown sugar, set aside.
Add the potatoes and Brussels sprouts in an even layer in the bottom of a 10-inch cast iron skillet, cut side down. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add the chicken to the skillet on top of the vegetables. Rub chicken well with the spice mixture on all sides, coating the skin.
Cook the chicken at 300 for 40 minutes (this low heat will help render fat and crisp the skin).
Turn heat to 425, cook for 20-30 minutes or until the skin is golden brown and the internal temperate of the chicken reaches 165. Remove from oven, allow to rest for five minutes before carving.

Notes

The vegetables act as a rack in this recipe, as well as a nice side dish. If you are going to skip them, cook the chicken on a wire rack over a baking sheet, or in a roasting rack in a roasting pan. This will keep the bottom of the skin from getting soggy.

Lemon Beer Pound Cake

14.08.2015 5 Comments

I’ve always been an adventurous eater.

I ate ants in Colombia, snake meat in Greece, mint tea made with a brown liquid I couldn’t identify in Morocco. If it’s new to me, I want to try it. I want to eat all the things, even if I know I’ll hate them. Even the few things I can’t stand, like pears, bananas, and raw celery, if you make them in a way that’s new and exciting, I’ll dive right in. Even if I know with every ounce of certainty that I’ll hate it. Curiosity rules my decision making at time. Even in the midst of my eat-all-the-things ambition, I have a true love for simple food done well.

It took years for me to figure out how to make the perfect steak, and how to cook ribs at home that taste like a southern BBQ, and how to make mac n cheese that’s creamy out of the oven. Sometimes, simple is the most beautiful.

Lemon pound cake is a simple but beautiful food. It’s perfect early in the morning with coffee, or late at night with a beer or a classic rye Old Fashioned. My main goal was the perfect icing. I wanted that thick layer that sits on top like a crown, not dripping down that side. I wanted coffee shop style icing. I figured out that a thick paste, spread on while the cake was still in the pan, then chilled for an hour gave me that gorgeous look. Although I do think this version is better for late-night-with-booze consumption than those cakes served in the morning. But it’s your call.

Lemon Beer Pound Cake

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Servings 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 tbs lemon zest
1 ¼ cup sugar
2 tbs butter softened
3 eggs room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup wheat beer
3 tbs olive oil
1 ¾ cups flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Glaze:
2 cups 1/2 lbs powdered sugar
pinch salt
2 tsp lemon juice*
½ tsp water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the lemon zest and sugar. Beat for about 2 minutes on high to release the lemon oils into the sugar.
Add the butter, beat until well combined.
Add the eggs and vanilla, one at a time, beating well between additions.
Add the lemon juice, beer and olive oil , beating until well combined, scraping the bottom of the mixer to insure all ingredients are well incorporated.
Stop the mixer and sprinkle with flour baking powder, baking soda and salt, sitr until just combined.
Pour into a large loaf pan that has been greased.
Bake at 325 for 55 o 60 minutes or until cake is golden brown and tooth pick inserted in the center comes back with just a few crumbs attached. Allow to cool completely.
Stir together the powdered sugar lemon juice and salt to make a thick paste. Spread over the top of the cake, chill until set about 3 hours. Cake is best made a day ahead of time.
Substitute all of some of the beer to increase the beer flavor.

Notes

Substitute all of some of the lemon juice in the glaze to increase the beer flavor.

Sugar Beer Doughnut Holes

12.08.2015 5 Comments

Sugar Beer Doughnut Holes

This is my go-to.

It’s been my summer backyard party staple. It’s what I’ve been making for months when I get the invite to "come over, we’re making food, just bring whatever." It’s all the things I look for in bring-to-a-party food.

It transports well, it sits at room temperature for a long time without concern, and it’s impressive. I know that last part makes me a bit of an over-foodie asshole, but I can’t change now.

If you’ve never made doughnuts, it’s really pretty simple, and there is only one major concern: temperature. Twice, you have to concern yourself with temperate in order for these to turn out perfect, but other than that, it’s pretty simple.

First is yeast temperate. For rapid rise yeast, the liquid (in this case beer) needs to be between 120F and 130F, too low and it won’t get a good rise, too high and you’ll kill the yeast. If you aren’t sure what temperate to use, always (always) use the temperate listed on the package of yeast, not the temperate listed in the recipe. Always.

Second, you’ll have to worry about the deep fry oil. I own a small deep fryer, because of course I own a deep fryer, and it maintains the temperate all on its own. But before I did, I just used the Dutch oven filled with a few inches of canola oil.

Clip a deep-fry thermometer onto the side, make sure the tip doesn’t touch the bottom (not even for a second, just to see how it feels), and adjust the oil temperate to keep it between 350F and 375F.

Those are the big battles, and really, it’s not that bad. And at the end of it all, you get to show up with 36 homemade doughnut holes, and that’s worth all that temperate worry. You deserve a beer.

Sugar Beer Doughnut Holes

Print Recipe

Servings 36 doughnut holes

Ingredients

3 cups 360g all purpose flour
¼ cup plus 1 cup, granulated sugar, divided
1 packet rapid rise yeast 2 ¼ tsp
¾ cup wheat beer
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 large egg yolk room temperature
¼ cup heavy cream room temperature
1 tsp salt
oil for frying

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the flour, ¼ cup sugar and yeast.
Add the beer to a microwave safe bowl, microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperate and repeat until beer reaches between 120 and 130 degrees F.
Add the beer to the stand mixer, mix until most of the flour has been moistened.
Add the vanilla then the yolks, one at a time. Add the cream and salt.
Building up speed, beat on high until the dough comes together and gathers around the blade.
The dough will be very soft.
Add dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Punch down the dough and knead lightly to remove any air bubbles. Place dough in the fridge and allow to rest for 1 hour.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface to 1-inch thickness. Cut doughnuts into circles using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter.
Place doughnuts on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Loosly cover with a towel.
Allow to rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Fill a large heavy bottomed saucepan with canola oil until about 4 inches deep. Add a deep fry thermometer and bring oil to about 360 degrees, adjusting heat to maintain temperature.
Working in batches, fry the doughnuts on each side until golden brown, about 1-2 minutes per side. Remove from oil and allow to cool on a wire rack.
Place remaining 1 cup sugar in a small bowl. One at a time roll the cooled doughnuts in the sugar, add to a serving tray. Serve immediately.

Sriracha Honey Beer Brussels Sprouts

05.08.2015 8 Comments

Beer Is For Everyone: A Party Theme

Summer is rapidly hurling towards Fall, and your barefoot in the backyard days are numbered, it’s time to actually host a party instead of just saying, "we should" until the moment passes. It’s that moment. The one that you usually let get away from you, and then wonder why.

Here’s how you do it, step by step:

1. Invite people. This is the first step because it forces you to take the rest, you’re locked in. Plus it only takes a second (unless you’re like me and you prefer to hand-make invites. Which would make you a crazy person, and you’re not. Be grateful.) Choose a mix of people, and don’t let the "doesn’t drink beer" designation deter you from inviting anyone. They will like something, and it will surprise them.

2. Beer selection. You want a huge variety of beer, not just the beer you like. Go to a large bottle shop, the bigger the better, the selection will be the best and the knowledge of the sales people will likely be the most broad. Hit several major categories, and a few out of the box beers, like this: a wet hopped IPA, a double IPA, a balanced pale ale, a cream ale, a saison, a wheat beer, a brown ale, a porter, Belgian dubbel, sour beer, a fruit beer (like one brewed with peaches—perfect for summer), a spicy beer, a smoked beer and a craft cider. Sounds like a lot, but a bomber of each beer will give everyone a taste, just enough to know if they want more. Try to get 2 bombers (22 ounce, large bottle)of beers per person. Err on the side of more, you can always keep what you don’t open.

3. Glassware. There are often things we do that are just to wallow in our own craft-beer-geek-infatuations, this isn’t one of them. Glassware makes a huge difference. Have you ever drank wine out of a coffee mug? That’s the difference between proper glassware and a shaker pint. For a beer tasting, get half pint glasses, perfect for sampling. I use these ones.

4. Food. It’s important. It’s a way to balance the flavors and explore pairings. More importantly, eating is essential when drinking as a way to stay on the controlled end of the drunk/sober spectrum. You want to serve a few things that pair well with a variety of beers and that can sit at room temperate for a while. A few to consider: Porter Caramelized Onion Flatbreads with Smoked Gouda and Roasted Tomatoes, Goat Cheese Crostini with Beer Pickled Jalapenos and Mangos, Beer Braised Pulled Pork Sliders with Chipotle Beer Cheese Sauce, Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads, Beer and Bacon Dip.

5. Judge away. Save all those judgmental thoughts that you want to pour inappropriately onto your Facebook friends and strangers at the market, for beer. It’s ok to judge beer, just reserve your feelings until after you’ve tasted it. Here are beer-judge rules for people new to beer: before tasting you can only state facts not opinions (it’s dark, it smells like fruit, it’s more carbonated that the other beers), once you’ve tasted it state three observations, decide if it makes you want more even if you don’t know why. Let your guests decide what they like best, and what they like least, even if they can’t explain why.

Now you’re ready to throw a craft beer party, and prove that beer really is for everyone.

Sriracha Honey Beer Brussels Sprouts

Print Recipe

Total Time 15

Servings 4 side dish portions

Ingredients

2 tbs honey
1 tbs sririacha
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tbs olive oil
1 lbs Brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half
1/3 cup wheat beer

Instructions

In a small bowl stir together the honey, sriracha, salt, and pepper, set aside.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet, add the Brussels sprouts, cut side down. Cook until just starting to brown.
Lower heat to medium low, drizzle with sriracha mixture, then pour the beer over. Simmer until sprouts are fork tender and beer has cooked off, about 8 minutes.

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

24.07.2015 5 Comments

It’s a hectic Wednesday morning and I’m trying to get it all straight in my head. I have emails to answer, deliverables to finishes, calls to make. It makes me want to shut down. I’m not organized, that side of this slightly insane job that I’ve chosen for myself makes me want to crawl under a pile of coats, shut my eyes and pretend like it doesn’t exist. So I do what I do when I’m stressed out, I bake. Fortunately for my skinny jeans, I’m not a stress eater, I’m just a stress baker. I just want to make it, the process calms me down. It’s a small win for me when other things in my life have weighted me down, this tips the boat back upright, even if just for a few minutes.

Chicken and biscuits do it every time. Nothing soothes like an emotional salve the way the comfort food miracle cure of fried chicken does. Of course biscuits have been my go-to for years, just about 8 minutes and the smell of homemade biscuits starts to solve minor emotional problems. You can keep the lavender bath salts and the vanilla scented candles, I’ll take the smell of fried chicken, hot biscuits and a hoppy beer. Someone needs to make bath salts that smell like that. It’s way better than pumpkin spice.

Hot Beer Fried Chicken and Pepper Biscuits

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Servings 8 biscuits

Ingredients

For the biscuits:

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sugar
8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

For the chicken

1 cup pale ale
2 cups whole milk
1 tbs hot pepper sauce I used Chipotle Tabasco
1 lbs boneless skinless chicken, cut into 2 inch strips
2 cups flour
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp salt
Honey optional

Instructions

Make the biscuits:

Preheat oven to 425F.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pepper and sugar.
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 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 425 for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Make the chicken:

Add the pale ale, milk and Tabasco to a bowl. Add the chicken, cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least one hour and up to over night.
Add 3 to 4 inches of vegetable oil to a pot, clip a deep fry thermometer onto the side, heat oil to 375. Adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
In a medium sized bowl stir together the flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder and salt.
One at a time remove the chicken from the marinade. Add to the flour bowl, tossing to coat, place it back into the milk bowl until covered with milk, then back into the flour bowl until well coated with flour.
Add chicken to a wire rack that has been placed over a baking sheet. Repeat for the rest of the chicken pieces. Then add to the fryer. Fryer until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.Return to the wire rack (this will kip it cripsy on all sides, Placing on a paper towel will make the under side soggy. Place in a 175F oven for up to 2 hours to make ahead.)
Split the biscuits adding one chicken per biscuit, drizzle chicken with honey (if desired) before adding top biscuit. .

Blackberry Beer Cheesecake Tart

17.07.2015 14 Comments

I’m sitting at a bar in Bogota, Colombia, communicating the best I can through broken Spanish. Laughing with several kitchen’s worth of chef’s, trying to convince them that, even though I nearly passed out from the altitude, and I’m in fact, not pregnant. They motion with their hands to create invisible fake bellies, then laugh. They point at my beer, "No, no! No good for baby!" we all laugh.

I’d spent most of the week with them, redoing the menus at the Bogota Brewing Company's pubs. A trip that I can’t wait to tell you more about, a trip that was nothing short of life changing. I’m sitting at the bar, finishing a Champinero Porter, one of the best porters I’ve had in a long time and I think about the choices I’ve made that lead me down this rabbit hole. I must have done something right. I’ve made strange choices in my life, some terrible, some mediocre, some harmful, but I must have done something right. Grateful isn’t a strong enough word. I can’t find the right way to express how I’m feeling, not in English, certainly not in Spanish. So I finish my beer, laugh at the implication that I’m pregnant, hug them all and thank them. It’s been an incredible trip, an unforgettable country, and outstanding people.

Blackberry Beer Cheesecake Tart

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Ingredients

For the cheesecake tart:

1 sheet puff pastry thawed
24 ounces cream cheese
1 ½ cups sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs flour
2 tbs corn starch
1 tsp salt
½ cup saison beer or wheat beer

For the blackberry layer:

3 cups 12 wt oz blackberries
1 cup saison or wheat beer
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbs cornstarch
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300.
Add the blackberries, saison, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt to a pot over medium high heat. Bring to a low boil, stirring frequently until thickened, about ten minutes. Set aside.
Roll out puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-inch spring form pan, letting the less hang over the sides. .
Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, egg and vanilla, beating until well combined. Add the flour, cornstarch, salt and beer, stir on low speed until well combined.
Add to the spring form pan in an even layer.
Pour the blackberry sauce evenly over the cheesecake layer. Fold the excess puff pastry over the top of the tart.
Bake at 300 for 1 hour or until the puff pastry is golden brown. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to over night.

No-Yeast 20-Minute Beer Flatbread

08.07.2015 13 Comments

No Yeast 20-minute Beer Flatbread

I was trapped in the back of a rug factory in Morocco when I realized how relative things are.

I was sitting on a stool made out of a block of wood, walls made of thick adobe all around me, the large wooden door had been slammed shut and locked with a steel bar. Mid-day sunlight fell through the window at the very top of the wall behind me. Two men threw rugs on the ground in front of me and my sister, yelling obscene prices at us in strong ascents. "Only seven thousand! This one, good deal, it’s only three thousand five hundred. This one, it’s for you, just six thousand!"

I’m in shock. It took me six months to save for the trip, there was no way I could afford a rug that cost about a third the retail value of my car. They stop the rapid rug toss to pressure me about buying one.

"Listen, I can’t afford this. I just started paying off my student loans, I have rent, car payment, I don’t have the money to spend seven grand on a rug. Plus shipping."

They laugh. "You’re saying you’re poor? You’re American! You are RICH," they pick up an empty leather pouf, "You buy this, stuff it with dollar bills!"

I was as scared as I was offended. There were two men and a steel bar between me and freedom. "I’m not rich! Do you know how much rent is in the US? Groceries? Gas? I’m not rich,"

They laugh even harder, "You have a place to live? Yes? With more than one room and a bathroom, too? You have a car? And you have a refrigerator full of food? You buy new clothes every month, and you have lots of shoes? Am I correct? Look at me," He pauses for dramatic effect, "Little girl, you are rich. Walk out that door, look around, and then you tell me you are not rich." He was right.

I was still scared but no longer offended. I realized how relative everything is, one person’s broke is another person’s rich. I ended the day in a beautiful restaurant, a thing only the richest people in the Medina of Fez, Morocco have ever done. There was chicken in a creamy red sauce, saffron rice, vegetables, small metal bowls of sauces, and soft, homemade bread. There was a beautiful comfort in warm homemade bread. This recipe only takes about 20 minutes, perfect for the next time you need a little gluten comfort.

No Yeast 20-Minute Beer Flatbread

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Servings 8 flatbreads

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tbs olive oil
¾ cup plain Greek yogurt not non-fat
¾ cup wheat beer room temperate

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the center, add the oil, yogurt and beer.
Stir until the dough comes together. Transfer to a lightly floured surface, knead for about 6 minutes.
Cut into 8 sections, form into balls. Cover and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
Lightly oil a cast iron skillet, heat to medium high.
Press the balls into 6 inch disks.
Cook the disks in the skillet until lightly browned on each side and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
Serve warm.

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling

08.05.2015 7 Comments

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling

Sometimes I just need a second.

A second to take a breath. Of course I love the tumbling-forward-faster-than-I-can-keep-up-with pace that my life takes, but I need a second. Spring is the season to pause. The season to sit on the porch, long conversations with friends, favorites rediscovered, season. Maybe it isn’t a season to find out what new things you haven’t heard of yet, it’s a season to remember the things you already love and not even care why you love them.

It’s a vanilla cake, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, grilled chicken, favorite sunglasses, faded jeans kind of season. Sure, I love the new stuff constantly being thrown into my consciousness, but the old favorites have earned their space.

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-1

This is my season to take a breath and rediscover my favorites. Not justify why I like them, but to just sit and enjoy. In the spirit of this take a breath and remember to enjoy what you like, and to like what you like because you like it, here are my old favorites, the beers that have been with me since the beginning of this craft beer journey, the ones that will still be there when the dust settles on all the new trends. These are the craft beer equivalent of the guy who drives you to the airport at 5am and shows up to help you move.

Allgash // White

Deschutes // Black Butte Porter

Sierra Nevada // Pale Ale

Ballast Point // Sculpin

North Coast // Old Rasputin

Rogue Ales // Shakespeare Stout

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-2

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Blueberry Filling

Print Recipe

Servings 12 -18

Ingredients

Cake

½ cup unsalted butter softened
1 cups white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbs canola oil
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup pale ale or wheat beer
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

Filling:

1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tbs corn starch
¼ cup pale ale or wheat beer or blueberry beer
¾ cup heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.
Add the butter and both kinds of sugar to a stand mixer. Mix on high until well creamed, about 3 minutes.
Add the eggs and vanilla, stopping several times to scrape the bottom to insure everything is well combined.
Add the oil, cream and beer, mixing until well combined.
Stop the mixer, sprinkle with flour, baking powder and salt, stir until just combined.
Pour into a 9X13 baking pan that has been greased and floured.
Bake until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched, 23-26 minutes.
While the cake bakes, make the blueberry filling. In a pot over medium high heat add the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch and beer. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until thickened. About 8 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
Allow cake to cool completely, transfer to a flat surface. Using a 1 to 2 inch cookie cutter, cut out 12-18 shapes.
IN a stand mixer add the heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat on high until medium peaks form.
Slice the shapes in half, like splitting a hamburger bun (alternately you can use one shape for the top and another for the bottom).
Fill the shapes with blueberry filling and whipped cream. Chill until ready to serve.

Vanilla Beer Cake Bites with Bluberry Filling-3

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

06.05.2015 3 Comments

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Somewhere between the tenth and fifteenth IPA I sampled this weekend, I realized something.

Trying my best to taste the beer I was in charge of judging through a hop wrecked palate I realized that I love citrus. I love the bright, fresh flavors of citra hops, grapefruit peels, orange zest, and I love how beautifully they play with the flavors of hops.

I’d bravely accepted the challenge of judging a stadium full of IPAs this past weekend at a beer festival, and along with a co-judge, picking one standout winner. We had different palates, him and I. I fell hard and fast for the citrus spiked beers, he favored the IPA’s with a strong malt backbone. It took us a while to come to an agreement on a favorite. Left only in my hands, I’d have given out ten awards, all to grapefruit and orange tainted beers. But I was in no shape for large scale decision making after sampling 31 beers.

If you also like a little bit of a citrus molested beer, here are a few to seek out:

Hop Valley // Citrus Mistress

Balast Point // Grapefruit Sculpin

Snoqualime Falls // Sunny Si IPA

Terrapin // Hopzilla

Green Flash // Soul Style IPA

Homemade Beer Hot Dog Buns

Print Recipe

Servings 8 hot dog buns

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tbs sugar
1 packet RAPID RISE yeast
1 tsp salt
½ cup wheat beer
¾ cups whole milk
1 tbs olive oil
Egg wash 1 egg, 1 tbs water, beaten
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sesame seeds.

Instructions

Add the flour, sugar, yeast and salt to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix to combine.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer and milk. Microwave on high until the liquid reaches 125 degrees, about 60 seconds.
Add the liquid and the oil to the stand mixer, mix on high until dough gathers around the hook and is no longer sticky, about 8 minutes.
Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to sit in a warm room until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350.
Knead on a lightly floured surface for about a minute. Divide into 8 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a log about 5 inches long. Place buns on a baking sheet. Cover and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with salt, pepper and sesame seeds.
Bake until golden brown, about 18 minutes.

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

25.03.2015 10 Comments

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

I’m standing in the middle of a craft store talking quietly on my phone to an 87-year-old woman who wants to ship me weed.

I’m acutely aware of the fact that I’m actually embarrassed to tell her that I’ve never really been into weed. Not ever. Not even in high school, or when I ran around Hollywood with rock stars, it was just never my thing. I’ll just have a beer, thanks.

I don’t want to seem prude to a woman in her 80’s. I also don’t want to hurt her feelings, she’s sweet enough to offer me some of the stash she grows for her legal medicinal marijuana business.

I’d met her a few weeks prior at a beer conference. She’s smart and sweet and genuinely interesting and I gave her my card, telling her to stay in touch. She calls me to offer to ship me some weed and instead of being up front with her, I’m evasive.

I don’t want her to go to all that trouble for someone who doesn’t smoke. It’s like shipping Pliny to someone who only drinks Captain and Cokes. I’m trying to find a way to say no. I’m also starting to become aware of the side-eye I’m getting from the girl in the aisle next to me, not sure if she’s judging me for talking on a phone in a quiet store, or if it’s about the weed. I decided that since it’s Seattle, she really can’t be that uptight about a conversation about pot.

I finally come out with it, "I’m sorry, I just don’t smoke. It’s so nice of you to offer, it’s just not for me."

There is a long pause and I’m sure that I’ve offended her. "but…." she sounds confused, "You always make pot smoker food on your blog. I just figured….never mind."

She has a point. I mean, who eats beer pancakes in the middle of the day? It’s a logical assumption.

Cream Cheese Beer Pancakes with Strawberry Saison Syrup

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Ingredients

For the pancakes

1/3 cup sugar
4 oz cream cheese
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups wheat beer
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 ¼ cups All purpose flour

For the syrup

8 wt oz about 2 cups sliced strawberries
1 cup granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup saison or hefeweizen beer

Instructions

In a blender add the sugar, cream cheese, baking soda, baking powder, salt, eggs, beer and vanilla extract. Blend until just smooth. Add the flour, pulse until just combined (batter can be made up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerate until ready to use.)
Heat a griddle to 350°F or a skillet over medium high heat, spray with cooking spray or grease with melted butter.
Pour 3 inch circles onto hot surface. Once bubbles appear in the center and the edges look dry, flip pancakes. Cook until underside is golden brown.
Add all the syrup ingredients to a pot over high heat. Boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced by about 1/3. Remove from heat, allow to cool before using.

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones

11.03.2015 5 Comments

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones. Your new favorite grill recipe.

Sure, you can grill meat. You can throw hot dogs on the grill, and a couple burgers. You can have yourself a hot meat party and invite your friends over.

Meat just scratches the grilled-food surface. It’s the obvious choice, the blended margarita on taco Tuesday, the teddy bear holding a heart on Valentines day. Other foods needs a sharp heat and a quick char. Have you grilled fruit yet? Or salad? Ice cream?! Maybe that’s too far. Let’s start with pizza, and pizza like hand held beer and cheese filled pies. Grilled pizza, as well as adjacent pizza like items, are my favorite ways to indulge in fire seared foods.

Plus, beer is essential when you stand near an open flame and cook your dinner. It’s not even up for negotiations.

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones

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Servings 12 calzones

Ingredients

1 can 14.5 wt oz diced tomatoes
6 wt oz tomato paste
1/3 cup wheat beer
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried basil
2 lbs raw pizza dough enough for two large pizzas
8 wt oz chicken cooked and chopped
4 wt oz parmesan cheese fresh grated
4 wt ounces mozzarella grated
oil for grill

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium high.
In a blender add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and basil. Blend until smooth.
Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces.
One at a time doll the dough balls into flat 6 inch circles.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons sauce in the center, top with chicken, about 1 tablespoon each of mozzarella and parmesan.
Fold the dough over into a crescent shape, rolling and pinching the edges to seal.
Brush each side with olive oil.
Place the calzones on the hot grill, close lid. Grill on each side until strong grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. ‘

My favorite pizza dough recipe: Beer Pizza Dough

My favorite quick dough recipe: One Hour Rosemary Beer Pizza Dough

Maple Bacon Beer Waffles

04.03.2015 11 Comments

Maple Bacon Beer Waffles. Win at breakfast.

Every day you have a flight. A flight of meals that starts with breakfast. Maybe it’s a hastily consumed piece of toast as your rush out the door, or a Grande cup of caffeine, or maybe you miss out in favor of a few extra minutes of sleep.

Then there are those days when you invite over those few special people you know that are worthy of a meal eaten around your table just past dawn. Maybe it’s overnight guests, maybe it’s out of towners, maybe it’s brunch for people that you don’t see nearly enough. Breakfast people, these are the special ones.

Let’s say we started to categorize meals according to how much we like people we are willing to share them with. At the bottom of the pyramid would be the mid-day coffee meet up, then slightly more important people get a lunch date, we are more inclined to share evening drinks with people we like a bit more than the lunch set, then we have those that earn the time we can linger over dinner, but it’s the ones we share breakfast with that are the most important. Because I’ll pretty much have coffee or a beer with anyone, but if you can get me out of bed in the morning to make you breakfast, then you’re really important. But you better buy me a beer later for my trouble.

Maple Bacon Beer Waffles

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Ingredients

3 eggs separated
150 ml 5 oz pilsner beer (can sub sparkling water)
360 ml 12 0z milk
½ cup 114g butter, melted
2 tablespoons 28g real maple syrup
2 teaspoon 4g vanilla extract
3 1/3 cups 400g all-purpose flour
3 tablespoon 27g cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoon 5g baking powder
1 teaspoon 5g baking soda
1 teaspoon 6g salt
1/4 cup 50g sugar, plus 2 tablespoon for egg whites
4 strips bacon cooked and chopped

Instructions

Set out three medium mixing bowls.
Add the egg whites to one bowl, yolks to another.
Add the beer, milk, melted butter, maple syrup, and vanilla to the yolks, beat until well combined, light and fluffy.
In the third bowl (make sure this is the largest bowl, all ingredients will end up in this bowl) stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, bacon, and ¼ cup sugar.
Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, beat in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
Make a well in the dry ingredients, add the yolk mixture, stir until well combined.
Gently fold in the egg whites. Cook in your waffle iron according to manufactures specifications (make sure to use cooking spray or melted butter if indicated).

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes

27.02.2015 6 Comments

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes. Just one pot and dinner is done.

I once tried to help a homeless woman get an apartment.

She’d wondered into the lobby of the building I was working at in Beverly Hills. She was sweet, well over 70-years-old, and seemed quite healthy for the life she was living. I was given the task of "dealing" with her and decided that she was far more fascinating that paperwork that I’d previously been laboring through.

She handed me a stained envelope of papers, ID cards, receipts and bus passes, "I’m too old for this," She collapses in a leather chair near the window, "I think it’s time for me to have a place to live."

I got her a cup of coffee and asked her questions, most of which were purely to satisfy my own curiosity. She’d been homeless for 30 years, since her mid 40’s, she was once a waitress, then a secretary. She has a daughter who now lives in Chicago, they don’t talk. I didn’t pull at that thread. She spent most of her days in the Library, reading mystery novels, or at the park watching the people. She made homelessness seem almost charming.

I made some calls. Local shelters, community centers, soup kitchens. I googled searched the city looking for housing. After an hour, I struck gold. I found a HUD funded apartment complex that had a vacant unit that was designated for a formerly homeless senior citizen. I ran to the lobby to tell her the news.

"An open apartment? Where is it?' She was much less thrilled than I was.

"It’s on Adams and La Brea."

"Mmmm, child…. Honey…. I’d rather be homeless than live east of the 405." She slowly eased herself out of the chair and walked right out the door. Not even a goodbye.

You’d think I’d be irritated, or frustrated, but I found it so entreatingly hilarious that I called everyone I knew who lived in Santa Monica. To this day I’m asked to tell the story any time I’m at a party in the home of anyone who lives WEST of the 405.

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes

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Ingredients

2 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
3 tbs olive oil divided
1 tbs stone ground mustard
1 tbs honey
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 cup beer pale ale, brown ale, hefeweizen
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1.5 lbs small red potatoes quartered

Instructions

Add the rosemary, 2 tablespoons olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, pepper and beer to a large bowl or baking dish. Add the chicken, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil in a cast iron skillet until hot but not smoking. Add the potatoes, cook until browned on cut sides, but not cooked through, about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
Place the chicken on top of the potatoes, pour ½ cup of the chicken marinate over the chicken.
Bake at 375 until chicken and potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Garlic Parmesan Hefeweizen Pull Apart Bread

09.02.2015 8 Comments

Garlic Parmesan Hefeweizen Pull Apart Bread

I worked for a money laundered in college. I was a waitress at a small cafe right on the Rose Parade route through Pasadena. It wasn’t until later that I was able to dissect how complicit I was in his illegal dealings. He’d call me once a day and give me totals he wanted me to ring up under my employee number that would appear to be checks for food. I’d enter in dollar amounts in the computer, anywhere from $50 dollars to $200, usually about ten to twenty separate amounts. I never asked why, I was a 19-year-old naïve farm girl that had no concept that this could be wrong. I was just doing what my boss told me to do. He’d tell me to tip myself out 15% on the amount and leave a note with the total when I cashed out.

Although I’ll never be sure what type of dirty activities the owner was washing his money of, the head chef was possibly worse. The guy who ran the kitchen looked like a greasy, short version of Tom Colicchio, dated strippers and at least once a day offered me a thousand dollars for a picture of my ass (I always declined). Six months into my stint as brunch waitress and weeknight dinner server, he offered me a side job as a bartender for his catering company.

A company that was run using food he’d charge to the restaurant and make the owner ignorantly pay for, pocketing all the money his clients assumed he’d spent on supplies. The thing about being 19 and bartending parties in Hollywood is that you don’t need more than a pair of leather pants and a few witty comebacks to make $500 a night in tips, which at the time was a small fortune that allowed me to pay my tuition and rent.

After Smarmy Chef was found out by Shady Owner, he was fired. In a staff meeting to announce the news a few days later, Shady Owner was a bit shaken. After the other employees left that day, he asked me why. His thick Middle Eastern accent obscuring the words, "Why Jackie? Why would he steal from me? I give him a good job!" Of course this was a pot and kettle situation. Of course there is no honor among thieves. Of course I had no idea what to say. I look over at the baker, a sweet man who pretended like he didn’t speak English with all of the waitresses except me, he is shaking his head, giving me a look that spells out my need to keep quiet.

So I shrugged, "Some people are just like that, it’s no one’s fault." I meant it as much about him as I did about Smarmy Chef. I quickly make my way past the half wall that was separating the baker from the restaurant and finally take a breath. I give him the look that says all the words that I don’t know how to get out, he smiles back. "I just bake the bread, it makes it ok. I bake the bread and I feed the people." I smiled and help him knead the dough. Sometimes you just have to bake bread and feed people, and then everything makes sense.

Garlic Parmesan Hefeweizen Pull Apart Bread

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Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 envelope rapid rise yeast
2 tbs sugar
3/4 cup beer wheat beer or pale ale
½ cup unsalted butter softened
1 tsp salt
10 tbs melted butter
6 cloves garlic minced
1 wt oz about 1 cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, and sugar. Mix until combined.
In a microwave safe bowl add the beer. Microwave on high for 20 seconds, test temperature with a cooking thermometer and repeat until temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit.
Add the beer to the stand mixer and mix on medium speed. Once most of the dough has been moistened, sprinkle with the salt and add softened butter.
Turn speed to medium-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.
Add to a lightly flowered surface, knead for about 3 minutes. Cut dough into 32 pieces (cut dough in half to make 2 pieces, cut each of those in half to make 4, continue until you have 32 pieces).
Add 8 tablespoons of melted butter to a large bowl along with the garlic and parmesan, stir to combine.
Add the dough balls and gently toss until well coated.
Add the dough, and all the melted butter mixture, to a large cast iron skillet or 9 inch glass pie pan.
Preheat oven to 350.
Allow the dough to rise for 20 minutes.
Bake until golden brown, about 30-40 minutes.
Brush with melted butter prior to serving.

One Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce

06.02.2015 22 Comments

On Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce. One pot, five minute prep, even the pasta gets cooked in the pan.

Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce. One pot, five-minute prep, even the pasta gets cooked in the pan. One Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce

Let’s say that we changed the way we categorize food. You’d flip open a cookbook, your finger gliding down the index, and in place of familiar section titles like "breakfast," and "appetizers," you’d find what you are really looking for.

You’d see a Strawberry Basil French Toast Casserole under the "What to make for unwanted but not unpleasant overnight guests" section. You’ll find a recipe for Cilantro and Sriracha Deviled Eggs under the "what to bring to my aunts for Easter brunch" list. And in the "something to take to a friend who just moved" section, you’ll see this pasta.

Of course, chocolate cake will be listed under the "I need to eat my feelings" section, the "I’m celebrating something big" portion, as well as the "how to win at the office potluck" category.

Beer will also be listed in all the sections, especially those about unwanted guests and family brunches.

One Pot Baked Rigatoni Pasta in Beer Tomato Cream Sauce

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Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
3 tbs tomato paste
4 wt oz cream cheese
½ cup sour cream
12 ounces wheat beer
1 cup water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 cup shredded mozzarella
12 wt oz dried Rigatoni pasta
4 wt oz parmesan shredded

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F.
In a blender add the tomatoes, tomato paste, cream cheese, sour cream, beer, water, salt, pepper, garlic powder, basil, oregano and mozzarella. Blend until well combined.
Add the dry pasta to a 2 quart baking dish (the pasta will get cooked in the pan).
Pour the tomato mixture over the noodles, top with parmesan cheese.
Cover with aluminum foil, bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and noodles are al dente.

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup

04.02.2015 13 Comments

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup. 20 minutes, one pot, so good.

The best chicken curry I’ve ever had was in a seedy part of Van Nuys, just north of Los Angles. This was also the setting of the most awkward conversation I’ve ever had with a stranger.

The restaurant resembles a by-the-hour hotel with a history of CSI activity, flanked by a parking lot that hosts a regular rotation of drug dealers and prostitutes. It’s in a part of LA that you probably shouldn’t go to unless you have to, or really want to get a good deal on a used car or some questionable weed. I went there for the chicken panang, it was that good. Inside the place was sweet, resembling a tea house, run by a quiet family from Thailand and populated by other brave lunch time travelers, several suit and tie types that drove in from local studios.

The entire restaurant had about 11 tables, six booths and five 4 tops in the center. I sat close to the kitchen, watching what little I could see of my glorious coconut curry and sticky rice lunch come together, feeling grateful that I’d made the drive and braved the neighborhood. A few minutes after my floral ceramic dishes filled with my much anticipated lunch was set down in front of me, the agreed upon silence of the place was broken. I look up to see who is assaulting my refuge.

"Hi, I’m Pete," he looked even more smarmy than his shiny suit and slicked back hair wanted him to be, "I’m rich and I’m wondering if you’re single."

The entire restaurant stopped their quiet conversations and turned in our direction. Even the cooks stepped out of their small spaces to witness my reaction.

"Ummm….congratulations on all the cash, Pete, but I’m not available."

He gave me a confused look, as if I’d just told him that it’s actually macro beer that’s brewed "the hard way."

"Wait…but I want to take you out." He was so confused as to why exactly my panties hadn’t flow off my body at the mere mention of all his millions.

"Yeah, that’s really nice of you to offer. But I’m going to have to decline. Thank you, It’s always flattering to be asked out." I’m trying to be nice, but my "let him down easy, don’t hurt his feelings, he’s putting himself out there," knee jerk reaction to these situation was starting to wane in favor of a "who do you think you are, asshole?" sentiment.

"I have a Bentley!" He throws his hands up in frustration.

I realize at this point that the elderly woman behind me was still holding her breath and I’m fairly certain that she hadn’t blinked in several minutes.

"That’s great. But, my answer is still no."

He rolls his eyes and heads for the door. A moustached hipster in the far booth starts to laugh in a way that sounds half ironic, half nervous, and gives me an enthusiastic double thumbs up. I laugh, also nervous and ironic in nature.

I look down at my bowl of coconut curry chicken and decide that I need to learn how to make this at home, I can handle the prostitutes and drug dealers but the arrogant Bentley drivers make me uneasy.

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup

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Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

1 lbs chicken breasts cubed
salt and pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 large shallot diced (about ¼ cup)
1 jalapeno chopped
2 cups shitake mushrooms sliced (not dried)
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ tsp fresh ginger grated with a microplane
1 cup wheat beer hefeweizen, white ale
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tbs red curry paste
2 14 oz cans full fat coconut milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs fresh basil thinly sliced

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken cube on all sides with generous amounts of salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken, cooking until browned on all sides, remove chicken from the pot.
Add the bell pepper, shallots, jalapeno, and mushrooms, cooking until the vegetables have softened, about ten minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the broth, curry paste, coconut milk, chicken, and brown sugar. Allow to simmer for about ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls, top with fresh basil.

Drunken Winter Farro Blood Orange Salad with Stout Balsamic Glaze

30.01.2015 2 Comments

Drunken Winter Farro Blood Orange Salad with Stout Balsamic Glaze

Winter citrus is like a promise. A reminder that spring is almost here. It’s not the standard beige winter produce, it’s bright and bold and completely unlike anything else that grows this time of year. For the few weeks that blood oranges gift us with their presence, I can’t stop buying them. I slice open the orange rinds to expose the deep ruby flesh, squeeze until I get every last drop of the juice that tastes like a collaboration between a raspberry and a naval orange. The color always gets it. It’s gorgeous, deep and stunning. I always make cocktails, like this one. I always figure out how to bake a blood orange dessert, and I eat it raw, my teeth pulling the segments free from the white pith. Every drop of juice that’s left I save in ice cube trays. For later, when the winter has passed and the rest of the world has moved on to peaches and apricots.

Drunken Winter Farro Blood Orange Salad with Stout Balsamic Glaze

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Ingredients

For the Salad:

1 cup farro
12 ounces wheat beer
1 cup water
pinch salt
4 cups baby arugula
2 blood oranges peeled and cut into segments
2 w oz goat cheese crumbled
½ cup candied pecans

For the Dressing:

1 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons honey
½ cup stout beer

Instructions

Add the farro, beer, water and salt to a pot over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a low simmer. Add the lid at a vent. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until cooked but still chewy. Drain off any remaining liquid. Allow to cool.
In a pot over medium heat add the balsamic, honey and stout beer, simmer until reduced to a syrup, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
In a large bowl add the arugula, blood orange segments, goat cheese, pecans and cooled farro, toss to combine.
Drizzle with glaze just prior to serving.

How to Make The Creamiest Baked Mac N Cheese: Gouda Cheddar Beer Mac

26.01.2015 13 Comments

How to Make The Creamiest Baked Mac N Cheese: Gouda CheddThe Creamiest Baked Mac N Cheesear Beer Mac. Perfectly cheesy and creamy every time!

For something so seemingly simple, it’s easy to get this wrong. It’s easy to end up with dried up pan of overcooked noodles in a curdled sauce. It’s easy to spend too much time and too much money on something that you just want to toss in the trash. I’ve devised a plan, a set of rules to make sure you don’t have to endure that tragedy again. I’ve got your back.

1. Cheese choice. Expensive cheese is great, it’s my spirit animal. But it’s best eaten in it’s natural state. Save the cheese, and your money, and go with cheddar. White cheddar melts better than the yellow/orange versions giving you a creamier sauce. I also use a bit of gouda, not crazy expensive, and melts beautifully. I also dig a smoked version for a little kick.

2. Roux + cornstarch = a must. You can’t get a creamy sauce without a solid roux backbone. The flour expands in your sauce to hold it together and gives it weight and thickness. The cornstarch holds the beer in place and keeps it creamy and prevents it from separating.

3. Cook dry noodles in the cheese sauce. Don’t boil them first. Just drop your dry noodles into your sauce. The starch from the noodles with thicken the sauce and the cheese will inject flavor into the noodles. But only cook them about half way, they will continue to cook in the oven.

4. Undercook. Twice. First, undercook the noodles on the stove top. You’ll be cooking them again in the oven so you just want to give them a small head start. Second, don’t over bake in the oven or you’ll dry out the sauce.

You don’t really have anything to cook, you’re just browning the panko. Some recipes will tell you to bake for 45 minutes, all this does is turn the cheese to a solid and dry your sauce. Some people like that. Some people want to be able to cut a square of mac n cheese and place it on the plate beside the BBQ’d ribs.

If you don’t want that, if you want scoopable mac n cheese, don’t bake it too long. Just brown the panko and take it out of the oven.

5. Size matters. Look for large elbow macaroni, not those little guys. The big ones are better at trapping that creamy sauce.

You’re ready. You can do this. You’ll have the best mac n cheese on the block and it’s up to you if you want to share your secrets. Or just make them wonder how you do it.

Creamy Baked Gouda Cheddar Beer Mac

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Ingredients

½ cup unsalted butter
3 tbs flour
2 tbs corn starch
3 cups whole milk
12 ounces beer pale ale, pilsner, wheat beer
1 tsp mustard powder
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 lbs about 6 cups white cheddar, shredded
7 wt oz about 3 ½ cups gouda, shredded
4 cups large elbow macaroni
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
3 tbs melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a large pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Sprinkle with flour and cornstarch, whisk until a paste forms.
Add milk and beer and bring to a simmer.
Sprinkle with mustard powder, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Slowly add the cheese in, about ¼ cup at a time, whisking until well combined before adding more. Reserve about 1 cup of cheese for the topping (a mixture of both cheeses).
Add the dry noodles to the cheese sauce, allowing to cook until just before al dente, not cooked through, stirring occasionally. This will take about 8 minutes.
Pour into a 4 qt baking dish in an even layer.
Top with remaining cheese. Toss panko with melted butter until well coated. Sprinkle panko evenly on the top of the macaroni.
Bake at 400 until panko has browned, about 15 minutes.