Wheat Beer

Honey Hefeweizen Boule Loaf

09.01.2015 7 Comments

Honey Hefeweizen Boule Loaf. Simple, easy and delicious. Perfect recipe for first time bakers!

Last year, with a camera crew in my face, I interviewed the head brewer at my favorite Los Angeles brewery. "All I am is a yeast wrangler. I don’t work for the brewery, I work for the yeast." He laughed until I asked him about the times when the yeast rears its stubborn head and won’t do what it’s told. He gritted his teeth and scratched the back of his large mass of curly hair as his laughed turned painful, "How about we don’t talk about those batches?"

Fair enough. Even without experiences with failed brewers yeast, I’ve felt the soul crushing defeat of bakers yeast that has a mind of its own. There are a few things you can do to show that yeast who’s boss. Make sure the yeast isn’t expired (expired yeast is actually dead, it won’t work), make sure the temperature is exactly where you need it (it’s different for rapid rise and regular yeast, it’ll say on the package what temp is best), and let it rise in a warm room.

Even with all these safeguards, sometimes yeast just wants to be an asshole and refuses to rise, it still happens to me every once in a while. It’s rare for me to have a failed loaf, and even with the occasional baking breakdown, it’s still worth it, it’s still an obsession I indulge in on a weekly basis. It’s still incredibly gratifying.

Other than scrapping it all and starting over, there is one trick I’ve learned to revive a dead loaf. Place about a tablespoon of water in a small bowl and heat to the correct temperature. Add a package of yeast and wait for it to get foamy (this is called proofing and should happen in a few minutes), stir into a paste. Knead the yeast paste into the dough and hope for the best. If that doesn’t work, throw it in the trash, cuss like a sailor, and go get pizza. You’ve earned it.

Honey Hefeweizen Boule Loaf

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Ingredients

4 ¼ 19 wt oz cups all-purpose flour
1 package 2 ¼ tsp rapid rise yeast
¼ cup honey
pinch salt
12 ounces wheat beer*
egg wash 1 egg, 1 teaspoon water, beaten

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook add the flour and yeast, mix to combine.
Heat the beer to between 120 and 130F degrees.
Add the beer and the honey to the flour, beat on high until dough gathers around the hook and is no longer sticky, about 6 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Place a baking stone in the oven, preheat for 30 minutes prior to baking.
Once the dough has risen, place a bread peel (or a sheet of parchment paper) on a flat surface, cover in cornmeal or semolina flour. Grab the dough in your heads, folding it into itself gently a few times, then form into a tight ball. Place on the peel (or parchment paper), allowing to rise for about 30 minutes.
Brush the top with egg wash, slash an “X” on top of the loaf using a sharp knife.
Transfer the dough to the pizza stone using either the peel or by simply placing the parchment paper on top of the heated stone (if you don’t own a bread stone, just place the parchment on top of a baking sheet and set that into the oven when you are ready to bake).
Bake at 400 until top is a dark golden brown and makes a hollow “thump” sound when tapped, about 30 minutes.
Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Notes

*This recipe is for a very low IBU (low hop) beer. If all you have is a pale ale, IPA or hoppy wheat, use 3/4 cup beer and 3/4 cup hot water or the beer taste will be overpowering.

How to Make Flaky Biscuits & Sour Cream Cheddar Beer Biscuits Recipe

19.12.2014 3 Comments

How to Make Flaky Biscuits, step by step with photos, & Sour Cream Cheddar Beer Biscuits

Biscuits, the glorious tender flaky beast that they are become the subject of massive levels of debate for something with so few ingredients. Ask a Southern grandma what she thinks and she’ll tell you you’re doing it wrong, no matter what you’re doing. Everyone has an opinion and everyone has a recipe. Lard, butter, oil, buttermilk, beer, water, White Lily flour, whole wheat flour, the ingredients vary from recipe to recipe, but one technique always gives me those gorgeous flaky layers that rival that anxiety provoking poppin' fresh tube of my youth. This brilliant idea came from the geniuses at America’s Test Kitchen, and no offense to your grandma, but these guys know their shit.

Step one:

Dough on a lightly floured surface. Try to work with the dough as little as possible or it becomes tough.

Step two:

Roll out into a rectangle about 3/4 inch thick. Again, use as few strokes as possible.

Step three:

Here’s where the magic begins. Fold it into thirds, like a brochure or a letter about to go into an envelope.

Step four:

Roll back into a rectangle, using as few strokes as possible.

Step five:

Repeat the magic. Fold into thirds again.

Step six:

Roll it out again, then turn it over so that the "seam" side is down. You can also turn it over before rolling it out.

Step seven:

Using a 3 inch biscuit cutter, cut out rounds. DO NOT TWIST. You’ll want to,that sucker is begging for a good turn, but resist the urge. Twisting the biscuit cutter will seal the layers and prevent the biscuit from rising as much as it should.

Step eight:

Now you’re ready to bake according to recipe directions. If you’re following my recipe, that’s some melted butter, coarse salt and enjoying the "leftover" beer that didn’t make it into the biscuit dough. You poor thing.

Sour Cream Cheddar Beer Biscuits

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Ingredients

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup sour cream
2/3 cup pale ale or wheat beer
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
3 tbs chopped green onions
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the sour cream, cheese, green onions 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 3/4 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you the flakey layers).
Using a biscuit cutter cut out 12 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
Bake at 400 for 12 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Lemon Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks

07.11.2014 8 Comments

Lime Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks

Lemon Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks, just 20 minutes to a delicious and perfect dinner.

I’m always drawn to things I know nothing about, comfort zones make me a bit restless. While this can get me into a bit of trouble in my personal life, it has substantial benefits in my saucepans. Take me to a market in an unfamiliar city and I’ll immediately search for an ingredient I’ve never worked with. It was tea mixtures in Morocco, and spices in Costa Rica, and apparently in Seattle, it’s fish cheeks.

The texture is firm, a bit more like scallops than a regular fillet, the flavor a bit sweeter. It’s a cut of fish for people who don’t much care for fish. The crust is simple and the entire dish comes together in about 20 minutes. It’s Sunday Supper good on a weeknight time schedule.

Plus you get to open beer, that’s always a win.

Lemon Pepper Crusted Beer Steamed Sea Bass Cheeks

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Ingredients

3 tbs unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic minced
½ cup wheat beer
1 tbs lemon juice
4 large sea bass cheeks or sea bass fillets
½ tsp salt
½ cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp pepper
1 tbs melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425.
In an skillet over medium high heat melt the butter. Add the garlic, stir for 30 seconds. Add the beer and lemon juice, remove from heat. Add the fish, sprinkle with salt.
Add the pan to the oven (make sure the pan is oven safe and the handle is not plastic or rubber), bake for 12 minutes.
While the fish is baking make the crust.
Add the bread crumbs, lemon zest, pepper and melted butter to a small dish, stir until well combined.
Remove the fish from the oven, turn the broiled on.
Pack the bread crumb mixture onto each of the fish until well crusted.
Place under the broiler until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
Plate the fish, spooning the pan sauce onto the plate around the fish.

Frozen Beer Soaked Watermelon

20.06.2014 6 Comments

Summer beers have arrive, filling the shelves of our bottle shops with pale ambiguous summer refreshment. If you’re new to beer, these labels can be a bit confusing due to the comprehensive lack of cohesion with the title: summer ale. Some have a beautiful bitter hop bite, some have a nice malty flavor, some are mild and clean. I’m an advocate for an open mind and full beer cart, but if you’re a bit more leery and want a specific flavor profile when looking for beer, here are a few things to keep in mind.

"American" in front of any beer title (i.e. American Summer Ale, American Pale Ale…) means that beer will be hoppier than it’s non-patriotic counterparts.

Summer ales and summer release aren’t the same thing, but close. Summer release just means a beer that is only released that season, but can be any style. Summer ales are generally a pale ale with notes of citrus, light to medium bodies, some hops but not overwhelming, but brewers are free to run wild within a very broad definition so many summer ales taste vastly different.

Saisons are made to be served in the summer, they are often mild, fruity, generally have a bit more sweetness to them and very low hops. Sometimes these are made with wheat, but not always. This is a great style to seek out if you’re new to craft beer or looking to introduce people to craft beer.

Kolsch is a mild crisp beer, it’ll give you a bit more hops than a saison, but not as much as a pale ale. It’s a great summer beer to pair with your barbaque, it’s mild enough for the watermelon and bold enough to stand up to salsa and has a great carbonation to wash down that burger.

Session IPA's are just IPA’s with a low alcohol content, letting you drink more without embarrassing yourself. You’ll still get a great bite of hops, but without becoming an intended YouTube sensation.

To booze up these watermelon cubes, I used the summer release beer Hell or High Watermelon by 21st Amendment brewery. It’s a wheat beer made with fresh watermelons, crisp and dry and perfect for summer.

It was the obvious choice.

Frozen Beer Soaked Watermelonsicles

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Ingredients

2 lbs watermelon cut into cubes
12 ounces beer pale ale, wheat beer or IPA

Instructions

Place watermelon in a bowl. Pour beer over the watermelon. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
Remove from beer, skewer with 6 inch wooden skewers.
Place on a large plate, cover and freeze for 1 to 2 hours.
Serve frozen.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

18.06.2014 9 Comments

Let’s say you and I get into it over pizza. We hash it out over the best pizza we’ve ever had. We talk about Naples, and LA, and both agree that New York beats Chicago, unless you want a casserole, then Chicago pizza will do.

And then I tell you that the best Ray’s pizza in New York is the one at 4th and Houston, to which (if you’re a New Yorker) you recoiler in horror that I’ve chosen said Ray’s instead of one of the 147 other Ray’s in Manhattan.

We finally just agree to get a beer and pizza and call it a day. Nowhere in our spirited conversation do we mention Seattle. Because the thing about Seattle is that beer is world class, so is the coffee and the produce can’t be beat, but the pizza…

We’ll just talk about the beer and the coffee and the produce and leave talk of the pizza out of it shall we? Similar to a discussion of the best people in the world named Joe wouldn’t include talk of either Buttafuoco or Francis. Let’s just stick to the good stuff.

Of course I have a theory about this. The same water that makes the beer fantastic and coffee legendary isn’t so kind with the pizza dough. But here is the thing about baking your pizza dough with beer, wherever you go in the world, your dough will be the same.

Water is for the weak, switch to beer and your pizza dough will become the stuff of folklore.

It might even be brought up in the New York vs Chicago debate.

Grilled BBQ Beer Chicken and Apricot Flatbreads

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Servings 4 (6-inch) flatbreads

Ingredients

Crust:

1 ½ cups flour
1 1/8 tsp rapid rise yeast
1 tsp sugar
½ cup wheat beer or pale ale
2 tbs oil
½ tsp salt

Chicken:

2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup wheat beer or pale ale
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
¼ tsp salt
oil for the grill

Topping:

Stout and Sriracha BBQ Sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
¼ tsp cilantro chopped
2 apricots thinly sliced
¼ cup red onion chopped

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, add the oil and salt 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.
Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Form each piece into 6 inch circles.
While the dough is rising, make the chicken. Place the chicken in a bowl, cover with 1 cup beer. Chill for 30 to 60 minutes. Remove from beer, rinse and pat dry.
Preheat the grill.
In a small bowl combine the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, cumin and salt.
Sprinkle chicken on all sides with spice mixture.
Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Remove from grill, slice.
Oil the grill (alternately, you can oil the flatbreads). Grill one side of the flatbread until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes, flip and very lightly grill the other side, about 30 seconds, remove from grill. Place the flatbreads on a flat surface with the well grilled side facing up. Top with barbeque sauce, cheese, chicken, sliced apricots, cilantro, and onions. Place back on the grill, close over, cook until cheese has melted.

My recipe for Stout & Sriracha BBQ Sauce, you have to make it.

Jalapeno Cornbread Beer Bread Muffins with Salted Beer Honey Butter

13.06.2014 14 Comments

Jalapeno Cornbread Beer Bread Muffins, cooking with beer

There’s a contradictory element to cornbread.

It’s enough to be a meal all on it’s own, especially when you eat 4 of them, with a beer and some honey butter, but you miss the rest. You miss the ribs, and the greens, and the coleslaw and the mac n cheese and the fried chicken. You miss all those things that cornbread always sits beside on the plate. Maybe it’s just that cornbread is a social food, it just goes with everything. Or maybe it’s because your cornbread memories are accompanied by other comforting good-time food.

But either way, it’s a food that seems to be lonely all by itself. So you should probably make some beer fried chicken and some beer and bacon mac n cheese, maybe some stout BBQ sauce ribs while you’re at it.

Or just eat 4 of them with a beer and call it day.

Jalapeno Cornbread Beer Bread Muffins with Salted Beer Honey Butter

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Ingredients

For the muffins

1 1/4 cups cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
3 jalapenos chopped (remove seeds for a lower heat level)
1 ear of corn grilled (leftover grilled corn works perfect)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cup melted butter
¾ cup wheat beer
2 eggs
3 tbs vegetable oil

for the butter:

½ cup butter
2 tbs wheat beer
1 tbs honey
1 tsp Maldon salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400.
In a large bowl stir together the cornmeal, flour, jalapenos, kernels cut off the cob of corn, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the center.
Add the melted butter, beer, eggs and vegetable oil, stir until jut combined.
Scoop into the wells of a muffin tin that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake at 400 until lightly browned and top spring back when touched, about 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Slowly add the beer and honey, mix until well combined, stir in the salt.
Scrape the butter onto a sheet of plastic wrap, roll into a log, refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes.
Serve the cornbread with butter.

Orange Saison Sour Cream Ice Cream

16.05.2014 7 Comments

You need to know about Saisons.

One of my favorite summer beer styles, it’s crisp, fruity, nice carbonation and great spice. It’s prefect for those summer cookouts, it pairs well with everything from potato salad to ribs. Saisons is a style that was born out of a farm house in Belgium, and lets be honest nothing bad can ever start in a farmhouse in Belgium, it was made for consumption during the summer months. Maybe it’s just a coincidence that it also goes incredibly well with ice cream, or maybe the Belgian just knew what they were doing when they invented the perfect summer beer. It’s a great one to try if you’re new to craft beer, and after a near beer extinction, it’s back in a big way. Saisons are an easy style to find these days, and prefect for those of your friends that don’t think they like craft beer.

For this ice cream, I need an assertive saison, one that has bold flavors and good kick of spice. Of course, Stone never disappoints when you’re looking for a beer full of flavor and this Stone Saison was the perfect man for the job, the big flavors can stand up to sour cream and orange and hold their own. But I’m sure you’re not surprised, no one ever accused stone of being subtle.

Orange Saison Sour Cream Ice Cream

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2 20

Total Time 2 40

Ingredients

1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
½ tsp salt
¾ cup Saison beer
2 tbs cornstarch
3 tbs fresh orange juice
1 tbs orange zest

Instructions

Put all ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth.
Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufactures specifications until a soft serve consistency (about 15 minutes in a KitchenAid ice cream maker).
Pour into an air-tight container, freeze until set, about 2 hours.

Notes

Since the beer isn't cooked, the alcohol is still alive and well, be careful who you serve this too, it's not appropriate for children.

Beer Crepes with Beer Caramelized Apples

12.05.2014 5 Comments

Let’s just say that you want to dive into the world of craft beer. Or even that you’re curious enough that you just want to know a bit more. Or maybe you’re just as much of a geek as I am and you just like to know stuff.

Let’s also assume that you’re starting with little more knowledge than knowing what IPA stands for and that Guinness is a stout. Or maybe less.

I was there once, we all were. No one is born with a head full of beer knowledge, and unlike other adult beverages, very few people were born into the world of beer. People are born into vineyards, or distilleries, but very few are born into breweries. Most of us start out knowing nothing, wondering what’s past the pale macro lager, dabbling in craft beer, and then wondering why it’s so much better than that stuff we chugged out of kegs in college. We seek out the knowledge, and most of us self educate. So, where do you start?

My picks for the best introduction to craft beer books, great for the beer novice, or even those who claim Beer Geek status:

The Naked Pint: An Unadulterated Guide to Craft Beer, By Christina Perozzi, Hallie Beaune*

The Brewmaster’s Table ,By Garrett Oliver*

The Oxford Companion to Beer, By Garrett Oliver

The Complete Beer Course, By Joshua M. Bernstein

Tasting Beer: An Insider’s Guide to the World’s Greatest Drink, By Randy Mosher

Beer Pairing: The Essential Guide from the Pairing Pros, by Julia Herz and Gwen Conley

*two personal favorites of mine

If you know a great introduction to craft beer book let me know in the comments section.

Beer Crepes with Beer Caramelized Apples

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Ingredients

For the Crepes:

2 large eggs
3/4 cup cream ale pale ale or wheat beer
½ cup whole milk
1 cup flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbs melted butter plus additional for pan
pinch salt

For the apples:

5 tbs butter
1 lbs about 3 granny smith apples, peeled, cores and thinly sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon Vietnamese cinnamon preferred
pinch salt
¼ cup cream ale pale ale or wheat beer

Instructions

Put all the crepe ingredients in a blender, blend until combined. Put the batter in the fridge for one hour and up to 12 (can be made the night before).
To make the apples melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Add the apples, brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Cook until the apples have softened. Add the beer and simmer until the liquid has thickened to a syrup, set aside.
In a 10 inch non-stick skillet melt 1 tablespoon butter.
Add about ¼ cup batter, swirl the pan to spread the batter into a thin circle.
Cook over medium high heat until the top is dry. Flip the crepe using a spatula, cook until the underside is golden brown. Continue until all batter is used.
Fill the crepes with apples, serve warm.

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Pound Cake

05.05.2014 17 Comments

When you’re a kid, there are monsters in the closet. Monsters that terrify you, chill your blood and ice your bones. You don’t know they aren’t real, because to you they exist in a way that’s more real than death and taxes.

When we grow up the monsters don’t leave our lives, they just change shape. They come in scarier, bigger forms that exist outside our closets. Conversations that need to be had, admissions that need to see light, relationships that need to end. And what we often can’t see is that the monster is bigger when it’s in the dark, it can only control us if it stays hidden. Once we unleash the beast, and face his teeth it’s often that he’s much smaller than we would have thought. More often than not, his power isn’t what we’d imagined.

And now we have space for all those things the monster would have eaten up. I’ve faced some recently. I’ve found courage. Not without tears, not without consequence, but in a way that feels like I am finally able to figure out what I was really scared of all along.

And it wasn’t quite the monster I’d imagined.

Strawberry Lemonade Beer Pound Cake

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Ingredients

For the cake:

1 cup butter
2 ½ cups sugar
6 eggs
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup full fat sour cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cups cake flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup wheat beer
1 cup chopped fresh strawberries

For Moist Cake Infuser:

¼ cup white sugar
2 tbs very hot water or beer
2 tbs lemon juice

For the Icing:

4 cups powdered sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
¼ cup beer or lemon juice

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter and sugar until well combined. While the mixer is running add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom of the bowl between additions.
Add the canola oil, sour cream, and vanilla extract, beat until well combined.
In a medium bowl sift together both kinds of flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a small bowl add the beer and lemon juice.
Alternating between the dry ingredients and the beer, slowly add both to the mixer, a little at a time until all ingredients are just combined.
Add the strawberries, stir until incorporated.
Grease and flour two large (1.5 qt) loaf pans.
Divide batter evenly between pans.
Bake at 350 until golden brown and top springs back when lightly touched, about 28-32 minutes.
Remove from oven, allow to cool for about ten minutes.
In a small bowl stir together the hot water and ¼ cup sugar until the sugar has dissolved. If the sugar doesn’t dissolve, microwave for 20 seconds. Stir in the lemon juice.
Poke a dozen small holes in each loaf with a long wooden skewer. Drizzle the warm lemon simple syrup over both loafs (you can also brush on with a pastry brush).
Allow to sit in the pans until cooled, about 2 hours. Remove from pans and refrigerated.
Stir together all icing ingredients. Pour over cakes, chill until ready to serve.

Lime Sugared Blackberry and Coconut Pale Ale Pastry Cream Tart

11.04.2014 15 Comments

When I was a kid I thought you grew up, picked a life and that’s were you sat. You stayed in this grown-up place, and that was it. You’d found your grown-up life and you were done.

But my grown-up life seems to go through a comprehensive metamorphosis every few years. New city, new job, new people. For a natural-born gypsy with the soul of a wanderer, this isn’t a bad thing. Experiences are satisfying and change can be cleansing.

But then there are times when it seems catastrophically difficult, even when it’s necessary. Like cleaning out road rash so the wounds of a bike crash will heal. Sometimes it’s the cleaning that hurts more than the crash. But it’s part of the process, part of the evolution, part of necessity of growth that keeps us from the stagnation that will kill our souls.

Growth, change, healing, just because it hurts doesn’t mean it isn’t the right path. Keep moving forward, keep breathing, know that it isn’t selfish to fight for your own happiness. Know that it’s hard because it’s worth it.

These are the days I bake. The days I cover fruit in sugar. The days I open a beer, grab a friend and take stock of the things I’m truly grateful for. Because no matter what is on the the hard list, the good list can always be longer.

Lime Sugared Blackberry and Coconut Pale Ale Pastry Cream Tart

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Ingredients

For the Tart Crust:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
½ cup unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 egg yolk
¼ cup ice cold beer
1 tsp. vanilla extract

For the Coconut Pastry Cream:

1 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup full fat coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 egg yolks
1/3 cup Saison beer or Hefeweizen
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

For the Blackberries:

1 lbs black berries
½ cup granulated sugar
Zest from one large lime about 2 tbs

Instructions

Add ¾ cups of flour, salt and sugar to a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the butter and egg yolk, process until well combined and dough gathers around the blade.
Add the remaining flour and pulse 6-8 times or until all the flour has been coated.
Transfer to a bowl. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the beer until completely incorporated into the dough (don’t add the beer in the food processor or your dough will turn into a cracker). Dough will be very soft.
Lay a long sheets of plastic wrap on a flat surface.
Place the dough onto the plastic wrap, form into flat disks.
Wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap, chill for 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Preheat the oven to 350.
Roll the tart dough into an even circle on a lightly floured surface. Line a tart pan with the crust. Prick bottom of the tart with a fork several times, adding pie weights if desired.
Bake at 350 until lightly golden brown, about 15-18 minutes. Allow to cool.
In a sauce pan off heat add the milk, cream, coconut milk, vanilla, egg yolks, Saison, sugar and cornstarch, whisk until well combined. Add to medium heat, whisk until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Pour pastry cream into crust. Chill until set and cooled, about 3 hours.
Add the sugar and lime zest to a food processor, process until all the lime oils and sugars have been well combined, about 3 minutes (this can be done days or even weeks in advance, keep in an air tight container until ready to use.)
Just prior to serving, add the blackberries to a bowl, pour the sugar over the berries, toss until well well coated.
Top tart with the berries prior to serving.

Spicy Beer Shrimp with Smokey Creamy Saison Polenta and Lime Crema

04.04.2014 14 Comments

I’m still in shock.

A few days ago I was given word that I’m a finalist for a Saveur award for BEST Original Recipes. Best on the entire internet and in the entire world. Out of the millions of food blogs out there and out of the 30,000 they considered, they chose The Beeroness as one of the six best.

I’d love to tell you that I feel justified, or vindicated. But really, I feel humbled. I feel honored. I even feel a little overwhelmed.

I want you to like what I’m doing. I want you to make my recipes for your family, I want them to become your recipes, for these recipes to be a great excuse to explore craft beer. But I never really needed it to be more than that, more than just me and you making some beer food and sharing it over a few pints.

And the Saveur goes and makes me want this too. I want to win it, for us, for the love of beer food.

So take a second and vote for The Beeroness for the Best Original Recipes.

Because beer food really is the best.

Spicy Beer Shrimp with Smokey Creamy Saison Polenta and Lime Crema

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Ingredients

For the Polenta:

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 cup Saison beer
1 cup dry polenta corn grits
3 tbs butter
3 wt oz smoked gouda shredded
Salt and pepper

For the Shrimp:

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp red chili flake
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp salt
1 lb raw shrimp peeled and deveined
2 tbs butter
3 clives garlic minced
½ cup saison beer

For the Crema:

½ cup Mexican crema
2 tbs fresh lime juice
1 avocado sliced

Instructions

Heat the chicken broth, water and beer in a pot over medium heat. Add the polenta and cook over a low simmer, stirring occasionally, until creamy. About 30 minutes. Stir in the butter and cheese, add salt and pepper to taste.
While the polenta is cooking, make the shrimp.
In a small bowl stir together the chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red chili flavors, smoked paprika and salt, set aside.
Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the beer.
Add the shrimp, sprinkle with seasonings.
Cook the shrimp until pink, remove from heat.
In a small bowl stir together the crema and lime.
Plate the polenta, top with shrimp and avocado slices, drizzle with crema.

I use Bob’s Red Mill Polenta (affiliate link), it’s non-GMO, organic, very consistent and really high quality.

Blood Orange Beer Pound Cake

24.02.2014 16 Comments

I’m sitting in a coffee shop in a little part of East LA called Silverlake. Near the house that’s no longer my home. All of my belongings, except an oversized suitcase and some beer, are packed tightly into a moving truck somewhere along the West Coast.

It occurs to me that I don’t really live anywhere right now. My old house is gone, no longer mine, and I have yet to move in to the new place that’s waiting for me on Lake Washington. I’m no longer a resident of California and have yet to become a resident of Washington State.

It’s a strange feeling, sitting here in my quasi-homeless state, feeling like a Man Without A Country. Simultaneously excited to get to Seattle and start a new chapter of my life, and grieving the loss of my old life. It’s not a polarizing feeling, it’s both happy and sad. It’s both sweet and savory. After all, you should never live a life that you wouldn’t be sad to leave behind. And you should never go seeking a change that doesn’t both excited and terrify you.

And that’s me. As I sit here and finish my cold brewed coffee on a warm day in February in Silverlake. I’m sad, excited and terrified. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

Blood Orange Beer Pound Cake

Print Recipe

Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

For the Pound Cake

2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups sugar
zest from one blood orange
1 cup of butter softened
2 large eggs
¼ cup blood orange juice
¼ cup wheat beer
1 tbs olive oil
½ tsp vanilla extract

For the Blood Orange Glaze:

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbs blood orange juice
2 tbs beer

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325.
Stir together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer add the sugar and zest, beating until well combined.
Add the butter and mix on high until well combined and pale yellow, about 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Add the orange juice, beer, olive oil, and vanilla beat until combined (some curdling is expected after you add the beer).
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Grease and flour a 1.5 qt loaf pan.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 325 for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown and springs back when lightly touched.
Allow to cool completely before slicing.
To make the glaze, stir together all glaze ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Add additional beer or juice to thin, if desired.
Pour glaze over the cake before slicing. Refrigerate to set, if desired.

I’m on the road now! I’d love to have you along for the ride.

I’ll keep you updated here:

Instagram – Facebook – Twitter

Chicken Thighs with Rosemary Tomato Beer Sauce

18.02.2014 14 Comments

In high school I had a guidance councilor ask me what I thought I would be when I grew up. Not "what do you want to be" but "what do you think you will be," much different questions for a kid, and much more accurate window into the future.

I thought about it for a minute. What do I think I will be? I thought about the way I normally answer the question when it’s phrased the other way, I wanted to be a veterinarian. I wanted to help sick animals. But when I was asked where I thought I’d end up, it made me realize that I didn’t even believe that I’d end up as a vet.

I paused for a minute and said I thought I’d have a job that wasn’t invented yet, "You know, something that isn’t included in those check boxes in those forms," was my response. Non-comital, vague, but for the first time, I actually believed my response. He wasn’t so sure. He leaned back in his old wheeled desk chair and looked at me like I was a genuine crazy person.

"Hasn’t been invented? There are jobs that haven’t been invented? Like a robot mechanic?"

Now I got to look at him like he was the genuine crazy person, "I’m pretty sure that robot mechanic exists. And I think the world is changing enough that there are jobs that aren’t invented yet." He quickly dismissed me, apparently I had reached the maximum level of guidance that he had for the day.

I thought about this today, as I was being filmed for a feature-length documentary about the craft beer industry. Among other titles that I hold, I’m a food blogger. A job that had not been invented was I was a freshman in high school. A job that I couldn’t be happier to do. After years of forcing myself into the check boxes on the high school guidance counselors forms, there is an absolute freedom in breaking away from that. A freedom in inventing my own job, and working tirelessly to make it happen.

It took me too many years to chase this dream, and the change happened years after I left that cluttered office in the last semester of my first year of high school.

The change happened when I stopped asking, "Who am I to want a job like that?" and starting asking, "Why not me?"

Chicken Thighs with Rosemary Tomato Beer Sauce

Print Recipe

Total Time 20

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
4 chicken thighs bone in and skin on
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup chopped red onions about ½ a large onion
3 garlic cloves minced
1/2 cup wheat beer
1 14.5 wt oz can diced tomato
1 tbs minced fresh rosemary
½ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
Chopped parsley or chives for garnish optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, add the olive oil until hot but not smoking.
Sprinkle the skin of the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Place in a skillet, skin side down until skin has browned and fat has rendered, about ten minutes. Turn over and cook until the bottom has browned.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Transfer chicken to baking sheet, place in oven until sauce is ready, about 10 minutes.
Add the onions to the skillet and cook until browned, about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Cook until slightly reduced about 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, rosemary, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.
Add the chicken thighs back into the skillet, simmering until chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Sprinkle with parsley or chives before serving, if desired.

Notes

Serve over rice, mashed potatoes or pasta

I’m a big fan of this cast iron skillet, it’s amazing and I use it several times a week (affiliate link).

White Bean White Ale and Ham Soup

13.02.2014 12 Comments

Most of the phases of life we live fade in a way that we don’t really know the exact moment it ends. We don’t always know the day we stopped being children or the moment we fell out of love, or the day a big friendships started to drift away.

With moving, you know. You know the last day you lived in that house you loved so much. The last day you were a resident of city. And you know the day you started a new life in a new city.

The boxes are starting to get packed, the nonsense I’ve accumulated over the past few years has started to find it’s way to the donation centers, and my days as an LA resident are counting down. I’m saying Goodbye to things I didn’t know I’d miss, the warm weather is being reveled in, and the I’m finding more still moments to just enjoy the view. Even on the packed LA freeways.

I’m also preparing to live in a world were I’ll eat a lot of cold weather comfort food. Like slow cooked soup. I’m starting now, cooking big pots of warm soup, made with beer, and topped with fresh produce. Because some habits die hard.

White Bean White Ale and Ham Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 tbs unsalted butter
1 tbs olive oil
½ cup chopped shallots
1 lb dry great northern beans
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
12 ounces white ale
1 ham bone
2 cups chopped precooked ham
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh shaved parmesan cheese
1 cup baby arugula

Instructions

In a large Dutch oven over medium heat melt the butter with the olive oil. Add the shallots and cook until caramelized, about 15 minutes (make sure the heat is rather low, if the heat is too high and your shallots will burn before they caramelize, patience is key).
Add the beans, broth, beer and ham bone to the pot, bring to a low simmer.
Allow to simmer until the beans are cooked through, about 2 hours.
Add the ham, salt and pepper, simmer for about ten minutes.
Ladle into bowls, top with parmesan and arugula before serving.

I use my Dutch oven all the time, it’s essential in my kitchen (affiliate link).

Goodbye Los Angeles + Avocado Wit Beer Alfredo

07.02.2014 31 Comments

The photos in this post were taken with a vintage film camera

in or around Los Angeles over the past 10 years.

I took them with a 1965 Nikon F (excluding the pasta photos)

Los Angeles has become a part of me, imbedded itself into my soul and grew me into the person I have become. Leaving feels heavy. It’s hard to say goodbye, to walk away, but I’m ready. I’m excited to take the next step into a new phase of my life even with the feeling of grief I have over leaving the City I’ve been in for so long.

I’ve done more than just live here or even thrive here. LA has been more than just the backdrop to the majority of my life. She is a part of who I am and I love Los Angeles. I will fiercely defend her when outsiders can’t see past the Hollywood Portrayal of a very small side of the city I’m in love with.

I was born in LA, briefly left, making my way back in my late teens behind the wheel of an old Ford Bronco packed with little more than a suitcase.

I know LA, in a way that you can’t if you’ve never lived here. Like outsiders can never really know what it’s like to grow up in your family: it’s flawed and dirty and beautiful and yours. This is LA.

LA has been good to me. She’s seen me fall in love, become broken, find myself, find a love for food, chase my dreams. But I’ve seen her change too.

I’ve watched my friends go from homeless musicians to Grammy winners. I’ve worked with gang members in Compton. I’ve cried with holocaust survivors in Beverly Hills. I’ve smoked cigars on the roof of Chateau Marmont with literal rock stars. I’ve eaten bacon wrapped hot dogs outside The Short Stop and burritos on Sunset at 3 am. I’ve watched the sunrise over an empty beach in the middle of winter. I’ve been trapped inside a broken down car on the 405 at rush hour. I’ve watched the beer scene go from non-existent to thriving. I’ve played Guitar Hero with famous musicians at Sound City Recording Studio. I’ve worked a waitress job for a money launderer. I’ve bartended a party at a crumbling Frank Lloyd Wright house. I’ve stuck the Troubadour VIP sticker on the thigh of my jeans many, many times. I’ve spent the afternoon talking to homeless vets on the streets of Downtown. I’ve gotten lost on the worthless Metro. I taught a homeless kid how to drive a stick shift at 5am in a mall parking lot. I’ve eaten dinner on stage at The Hollywood Bowl. I’ve been an extra in a movie and witness a drive by shooting in the same day. I walked a catwalk in nearly nothing at a low-budget European designers US press show.

The moments haven’t all been pretty, but they haven’t been dull. There is this feeling in LA, that if you find the right place and stand there long enough, the entire world will walk past you. And it’s with a heavy heart that I leave. But I’m taking LA with me. The person I’ve been made into, the food I’ve fallen in love with, the beer that is a part of my story and a part of my life.

This isn’t Goodbye, LA. Not really. I’m moving North, LA, but a part of me will always be your girl.

I want you to join me on this journey. I’ll be posting on Instagram and Twitter. Follow me, give me your advice, show your support, watch me move and then explore a new city.

I’ll tell you more about where I’m going next week, come back and I’ll tell you all about the new city that I’ll be writing The Beeroness from and the great beer they have.

If you’re in Los Angeles, come join me for one last pint at Basin 141 in Montrose, February 19th from 6 to 9PM. I’ll be signing books and the kitchen will be making some of my dishes. The fantastic Eagle Rock Brewery will be there too, taking over all the taps.

Today, lets eat some pasta. With beer from one of my favorite Los Angeles breweries, Angel City, as well as Avocados, which might as well be California’s official State Fruit.

Avocado Wit Beer Alfredo

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 servings of pasta of choice about 1 pound
½ lbs avocado about 1 large or two small
½ cup cream
½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 2 wt. oz
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
3 tbs wit beer
1 cup arugula
2 large tomatoes diced

Instructions

Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain and return to pot.
In a food processor add the avocado meat, cream, parmesan, pepper, salt and beer, process until very smooth.
Add the sauce to the pasta pot, return to heat, stirring until warmed, about 3 minutes.
Plate, top with arugula and tomatoes before serving.

Like The Beeroness on Facebook and Instagram to follow all the post from my move and into my new city! I might be leaving LA, but The Beeroness is coming with me. I will continue to write, post, cook, eat and drink.

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel

08.01.2014 13 Comments

I started this adventure masked as a blog just over two years ago. I decided when I first hit publish that this wasn’t a "let’s see how this goes" endeavor. This is was a full force, every piece of my life, both feet, all chips on the table undertaking. I was all in.

My stack of "I Need To Figure This Stuff Out" was much larger than my "I’ve Got This" pile and the more I fought towards the goals I set, the larger that first stack got. Lucky for me, my reaction to "You can’t do that" has always been, "You watch me." And somewhere along the road I stop hearing people say "no" to me and started to hear them say "Someday I’ll wish I’d said yes to you."

I guess it’s working, and I have a few gold stars to show for it. The first printing of my book, The Craft Beer Cookbook (affiliate link), sold out in less than three months, I’m a regular beer expert on a radio show, I have people from all over the world share photos of the dishes they have made from my site with me over Facebook and Twitter (I LOVE this, keep doing it, highlight of my day), and in the past year I’ve been interviewed by dozens of magazines all over the world. I’m humbled by this in an enormous way, that what I’ve worked nights, weekends, poured so much time and money into is being realized. That I’m able to do this, share this love with you, and find a place in craft beer.

A few days ago an interview I did with the print magazine Imbibe hit newsstands. I stood in Barnes & Noble, trying really hard not grab the guy perusing motorcycle magazine standing next to me and yell, "THAT’S ME!" and shove page 21 in his face. I refrained.

So I’m doing it to you instead, I’m shoving page 21 in your face and yelling. But to you, I’m yelling "Thank you."

Tomato Herb and Beer Poached Cod with Caramelized Fennel

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
1 fennel bulb sliced into ¼ inch slices
3 cloves garlic mined
1 cup white ale or wheat beer
28 wt oz crushed tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red peppers
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 tbs chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp chopped fresh tarragon
½ tsp salt
4 cod fillets 4-5 ounces each
Rice potatoes or pasta for serving

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the fennel slices and cook until caramelized on each side, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Add the white ale, scraping to deglaze the pot.
Add the crushed tomatoes, red peppers, paprika, basil. tarragon and salt, bring to a low simmer.
Add the cod fillets, pushing gently to submerge.
Simmer until cod is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, about 8 minutes (Note: do not boil or fish will become tough, keep tomato sauce at a low simmer).
Using a slotted spoon, remove cod from the pot, add to a serving platter.
Bring the tomato mixture to a strong simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced about 10 minutes.
Plate the cod, top with tomato mixture.

Orange Cherry Beer Muffins

31.12.2013 4 Comments

These aren’t just muffins. They are two forms of quiet rebellion.

First, it’s beer for breakfast. And unless you’re having a brunch mimosa or in the general vicinity of Las Vegas, breakfast booze is generally frowned upon.

Second, lets be honest, muffins are basically just cupcakes.

But you and me, we’re different. We aren’t like those others. We don’t do the frowning, we do the drinking; and in the "If your friend jumped off a bridge, would you?" analogy, we are the bridge jumping friend; and we eat whatever the hell we want for breakfast, sometimes that’s baked goods made with booze; and sometimes we swear in front of old people and toddlers.

In my opinion, it’s really only that last one we need to work on.

Orange Cranberry Beer Muffins

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Muffins

1 large naval orange
2/3 cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter softened
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup buttermilk
1 tbs vegetable oil
2/3 cup wheat beer
2 cups cake flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup dried cherries

Glaze

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs wheat beer
1 tbs reserved juice from orange
1 tbs reserved orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Zest the orange, then juice it. A large orange should yield about ¼ cup juice and 3 tablespoons zest.
Add both kinds of sugar, and 2 tablespoons orange zest to a stand mixer mix on high for two minutes to release the orange oils from the zest. Add the butter and beat on high until the butter and sugar are well creamed.
Add 2 tablespoons orange juice, egg, and vanilla extract, beat on high until well combined.
Add the buttermilk, oil and beer, stir until combined (some curdling is expected).
In a sperate bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Add flour mixture to the stand mixer and stir until just combined.
Stir in the dried cherries.
Pour in the muffin tins that have either been greased or lined with muffin papers until the wells are about 2/3’s full (about ¼ cup per well).
Bake at 350 for 18-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when gently touched.

Buttermilk Beer Pancakes & How to Make Super Fluffy Pancakes

Pancakes are my first food memory. I’m one of 8 kids (all girls, wrap your head around that) and one of about 27 cousins (I don’t even know the actual number) which made alone time with my grandparents really special.