Entree

Beer Brined Scallops over Spinach Salad With Bacon Stout Dressing

25.07.2014 9 Comments

If you’re going to make me a salad, it better be a damn good salad. After all, you’re asking me to skip carbs and satisfying fried finger foods, I might resent you if it isn’t a really good salad.

Bacon is a good start, and so is beer. Scallops are a fan favorite as well. Let’s talk about those for a second while we’re at it. Scallops will most likely come to you via a grocery store seafood counter soaking in a milky phosphate solution (yum!) that will help keep it fresh longer as well as give it an unfortunate soapy taste and an inability to sear properly. The solution to this is beer. Well, more accurately, a brine. Soaking the scallops in a brine will flush out that unappetizing liquid and give you a great taste and a great sear. Which will help that salad taste amazing. And make people forget all about the missing french fries.

But there is beer and bacon and perfect scallops, so no one should complain. If they do, take away their beer.

Beer Brined Scallops over Spinach Salad With Bacon Stout Dressing

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Servings 2 entree portions or 4 appetizer portions

Ingredients

12 ounces pale ale
2 tbs salt
1 cup water
¼ cup lemon juice
8 jumbo scallops
salt and pepper
3 thick slices bacon
¼ cup chopped shallots
¼ cup stout beer
2 tbs brown mustard
2 tbs raw honey
3 tbs olive oil
3 tbs unsalted butter
1 lbs asparagus
3 cups baby spinach leaves
2 wt oz crumbled goat cheese

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the pale ale, salt, water and lemon juice.
Add the scallops, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the scallops from fridge and place on top of a stack of 4-5 paper towels. Add another layer of paper towels and allow to drain and dry for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with pepper on both sides.
Cook the bacon in a pan over medium high heat until cooked through, remove from pan, chop and set aside. Add the shallots to the bacon grease, cook until shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stout beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the mustard, honey and pepper, whisking to combine. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add the scallops, flat side down, and allow to cook until a dark golden brown crust forms on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until seared on the opposite side. Remove from pan when a slight hint of translucent pink still remains at the center, don’t over cook.
Trim asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces. Cook the asparagus in lightly salted boiling water for one minute, drain and allow to dry.
Plate the spinach, top with asparagus, goat cheese, and crumbled bacon, dizzle with dressing, top with scallops.

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches and Jalapeños

21.07.2014 17 Comments

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches & Jalapenos

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches and Jalapeños. Fried chicken is SOOOOO good with pickled peaches!

Slider has always been one of those skeevy words that I’ve tried to avoid. Like, well, the word "skeevy," or the unfortunate times I’m forced to use the word "moist." Like the way "wooded area" is almost always followed by "dead body" or how the word "penetrate" should never be used outside a seventh grade health class as a way to horrify kids into keeping it in their pants for a few more years.

I need a viable replacement word, something more appropriate for a miniature version of a delightful sandwich. I also need replacement words for the multitude of swear words I use on a daily basis, but one thing at a time. I’m much more motivated to find replacement words for "slider" and "moist," those are much less fun to say than my drunken sailor vocabulary.

Fried Beer Chicken Sliders with Beer Pickled Peaches and Jalapenos

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Ingredients

For the Peaches:

3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup pale ale beer
2 ice cubes about 2-3 tbs water
1 large peach slightly under ripe, firm, sliced

For the Sliders:

2 ½ lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
12 ounces pale ale
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
pinch cayenne
canola or peanut oil for frying
1 jalapeno thinly slices
¼ cup chopped green onion
¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
12 Hawaiian rolls split

Instructions

In a pot over medium high heat add the vinegar, sugar and salt, stir until the sugar and salt has dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer and ice cubes, allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Add the peaches to a bowl, pour the pickling liquid over the peaches, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to three days.
Add the chicken to a large bowl or baking dish, cover with beer and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
Heat 4 to 6 inches of oil in a large saucepan, using a deep fry thermometer, adjust heat to maintain 350 degrees.
In a shallow bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, onion powder, black pepper and cayenne.
One at a time remove the pieces of chicken from the buttermilk, toss in the flour until well coated, dip back into the buttermilk mixture and then toss again in the flour until well coated. Drop gently into the hot oil, frying until golden brown and the center reaches 165 on a meat thermometer, about 6 minutes.
In a small bowl combine the jalapeno, green onion and red onions.
Split the buns, add a piece of fried chicken, one to two pickled peaches and 1 tablespoon onion jalapeno mixture.

Beer Pesto Chicken with Creamy Parmesan Pale Ale Polenta

16.07.2014 13 Comments

Polenta makes me feel like an asshole, but I can’t stop making it. Like the way that Giada over pronounces Italian words and Midwestern transplants start using phrases like "taking holiday" once they move to Beverly Hills, it feels disingenuous. Polenta is corn grits, I live in America. I pronounce croissant and mascarpone in a way that would make Europeans cringe but it’s authentic to my California upbringing. Shouldn’t I call it grits? But I can’t. I learned how to make this bowl of creamy comfort from the back of box labeled "dry polenta" and I’m sticking with it.

Although if we really want to dissect it, I’ve trashed up this corn meal in such a way that neither the Italian or the American South would want to claim it. Beer isn’t in any recipe that any Alabama or Sicilian grandma would approve, but maybe I don’t care as much as I should. Tradition is fine for holidays and sporting events but food is meant for evolution or we would all still be putting pineapple rings on canned ham.

As a culinary man without a country, I should just make up my own term. I can let Italy and the South off the hook and just call it something entirely different. Or I can just have a beer and forget about the whole thing.

Beer Pesto Chicken with Creamy Parmesan Pale Ale Polenta

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Ingredients

For the pesto:

2 cloves garlic smashed
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup grated parmesan
3 cups fresh basil leaves
1 tsp salt
¼ cup pale ale
1/3 cup olive oil

For the Polenta:

4 tbs butter
1 cup pale ale
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup polenta also called corn grits or coarse ground corn meal
3/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

For the Chicken:

1 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Make the Pesto:

In a food processor add the garlic, pecans, parmesan, basil, and salt, process until smooth. While the processor is running, slowly add the beer and olive oil. Pesto can be made up to three days ahead of time.

Make the polenta:

In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the beer and milk, bring to a simmer.
Whisk in the polenta. Simmer until polenta is tender and thickened, whisking occasionally, about 18 minutes.
Stir in the parmesan, salt and pepper.

Make the chicken.

Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
Add the chicken, cooking on both sides until browned and chicken is cooked through.
Plate polenta, then the chicken, top with pesto.

Notes

If substituting chicken breast, filet the chicken breasts into two thin slices, rather than a thicker breasts. Season well before cooking, don't over cook, chicken breasts dry out easily.

Jalapeno Beer Cheese Burger with Beer Candied Bacon

14.07.2014 12 Comments

When I get to a new city, I always ask people what breweries they like. People answer this question in one of two ways: how much they like the beer, or how much they like the people. Sometimes, the judgement is clouded by a love for one spilling over into the other, the way you adore your friends mediocre band. Often, there is an overlap. Great beer and great people. The amazing thing about craft beer is that it’s full of people you love, people you want to root for.

Lucky for me, in this new town I’m in, Seattle has plenty of both. A few days after moving here I had drinks with a friend. I asked about Pike Brewing, "Adored. People here adore Pike, the people who work there are so great and the beer is super solid." No matter how many people I ask, craft beer new comers to genuine beer snobs, the answer seems to be the same. Seattle is rooting for this brewery.

Now that summer is here, and we get a window of heat in the Pacific Northwest, a burger and a beer are the perfect meal. Made with a beer that Seattle loves, it makes me feel like this new town is starting to become my home.

Jalapeno Beer Cheese Burger with Beer Candied Bacon

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Ingredients

For the bacon:

12 strips thick sliced bacon
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup stout
pinch cayenne

For the cheese sauce:

2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
2 tbs cornstarch
1 cup IPA
1 cup whole milk
2 cups 4 wt oz shredded cheddar cheese

For the burgers:

2 lbs ground chuck 80/20 lean to fat ratio, very cold
2 tbs stout
1 tsp onion powder
2 tbs melted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 jalapenos sliced
6 hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls

Instructions

Make the bacon:

Preheat ove the 350.
In a sauce pan over medium high heat, bring the brown sugar, stout and cayenne to boil, boil for one minute.
Place the bacon on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Brush the bacon on each side with sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, flip, re-brush with sugar mixture, bake for ten more minutes until bacon is a dark brown. Remove from oven, allow to cool. Bacon will harden as it cools.
Bacon can be made a day ahead of time.

Make the cheese:

In a pan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Sprinkle with flour and cornstarch, whisk until well combined, allow to cook until a light brown color.
Add the beer and the milk, bring to a low simmer. About ¼ cup at a time, whisk in the cheese, making sure all cheese is melted before adding more. Keep warm while you make the burgers (sauce will thicken as it cools, add additional milk or beer and add to heat if the sauce thickens too much).

Make the Burgers:

Preheat the grill.
In a medium bowl, gently mix together the beef, 2 tablespoons stout and onion powder. Make sure that you only mix as little as necessary, over working the meat will make it tough. Form into 6 patties (make sure to form patties larger than you want the final results to be, patties shrink as they cook).
Brush patties on both sides with butter, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
Grill on both sides until medium, about 4 minutes per side.
Fill the buns with patties, jalapenos, bacon and cheese sauce.

Chili Coconut Porter Braised Pork Ribs

06.07.2014 8 Comments

Forget for a second that you’ve ever had coconut. Forget about those terrible candy bars when you were a kid, and the off putting taste of processed coconut flavor. Forget about bad rum and the smell of spring break sunscreen. Try and cleanse your historical culinary palate of any negative coconut memories, because it’s good side far exceeds the trash that can be done in it’s name.

We need a coconut re-do in America. It’s a flavor that spent our youths being bastardized into a Fisher-Price version of what it was capable of. It took years for me to understand how much power and beauty is in the true taste of a real coconut. Thai food had a hand in brining me to terms with the authenticity of coconut, but it’s been surprising application of this flavor that have made me fall in love with it.

Coconut in beer is a great example of the power of coconut. Done right, a beautiful coconut porter is something that won’t just make you fall in love with coconut, it’ll make you fall in love with beer. It’s beautifully balance, bold enough to stand up to some chili ribs, and with the perfect touch of toasted coconut. The only problem is how hard it is to find a great version. But don’t stop looking, try every coconut porter you can get your hands on until you find one you fall in love with, it’ll be worth the search.

Chili Coconut Porter Braised Pork Ribs

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Ingredients

2 lb country style pork ribs
salt and pepper
1 tbs oil
1 shallot chopped
2 tbs samal oelek
3 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs sugar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
12 ounces coconut porter

Instructions

Sprinkle the ribs on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven until very hot but not smoking. Sear the ribs on all sides until browned, remove from pot.
Lower the heat, add the shallots, cook until softened. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to combine.
Add the ribs back into the pot, lower heat to maintain a low simmer.
Cook until ribs are fork tender, about 2 to 3 hours (cooking time will depend on size of ribs).
Remove ribs from the pot. Bring the braising liquid to a boil, stir frequently until thickened.
Drizzle sauce over ribs before serving.

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.

Apricot Sriracha IPA Chicken and Session IPA’s for Summer

26.05.2014 9 Comments

For what seems like decades brewers have been involved in a bit of an ABV arms race to see who can bring to the table the IPA with highest alcohol content. The Top That ABV Game seems to be waining in favor of the Full Flavor Session IPA game, to the relief of lightweights across the land.

Now that summer is around the corner and long days of eating Hot Meat off the grill and drinking all day, session beers are more important. A session beer is a beer with low alcohol that you can spend a "long drinking session" consuming without becoming a cautionary tale. Mostly, these are beers that have less than 5% alcohol by volume (ABV).

Although a low ABV session beer becomes an important part of not becoming an unintended YouTube sensation with drunk antics, we also want to continue to perpetuate our status as the Craft Beer Queen, so "lite" beer won’t be considered. Session IPA’s are what we go to. The hops we want, the low alcohol that keeps us functional all day.

Here are some to seek out. This isn’t a "top ten"list, or a "best of" list. It’s just a list. A list of great session IPA’s to seek out when you want to drink all day without embarrassing yourself. If you have a session IPA you love, let me know.

Founders: All Day IPA ABV 4.7%

Lagunitas Brewing: Day Time IPA 4.65%

Stone Brewing: Go To IPA 4.5%

Fort George Brewery: Suicide Squeeze 4.5%

Sierra Nevada: Nooner Session IPA 4.8%

Firestone Walker: Brewing: Easy Jack IPA 4.5%

Southern Tier: Farmer’s Tan IPA 4.6%

Pizza Port Brewing: Ponto S.I.P.A. 4.5%

Apricot Sriracha IPA Chicken

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Prep Time 20

Total Time 20

Ingredients

1 lb very ripe apricots pitted
1/3 cup IPA beer
1 tsp sririacha
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 lb chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs chopped shallots
3 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

In a food processor or blender add the apricots, IPA, sriracha, cornstarch, and balsamic, blend until smooth.
Salt and pepper the chicken thighs on all sides,.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Sear the chicken breasts on both sides. Add the shallots, stir until shallots have softened.
Add the apricot mixture, reduce heat to a low simmer, simmer until sauce has thickened and chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.
Remove from heat, sprinkle with parsley.

Notes

This recipe needs fully ripe, sweet apricots. If you use under-ripe apricots, the dish will be overly sour. If you don't have over ripe (almost mushy) apricots, add 2 tbs honey to combat the bitterness.

Beer Braised Pork Ribs Tacos with IPA Pickled Jicama

14.05.2014 9 Comments

We need to talk for a second about the anatomy of a taco.

It’s pretty simple when you break it down: homemade tortilla, a flavorful protein, and an acid, that’s all. When you make something so simple, you need to make each building block well. Which will start with that tortilla. If there are just a few things that you make from scratch this year, tortillas should absolutely be one of them. Three simple ingredients and five minutes and you’ll never look back. Besides, those cardboard disks labeled "Corn Tortillas" they sell at the grocery store are best used for sanding the paint of walls.

For the protein, you can use anything from your favorite meat, to a beer battered avocado, it’s your call. But if you’re feeding a diverse crowd of eaters, tacos are the way to go. Tortillas are gluten free, and east to stuff full of veggies, so you have two big food limitations covered.

Acid is important when you’re trying to balance a rich meat. Salsa is obviously the go-to, but I’m adding in some pickled jicama to mix things up.

In my world, cilantro is a must on tacos, it balances heat really well. And if you’re going to add cheese, back away from the grated cheddar. Grab a more traditional cheese like my current cheese obsession: cotija. It’s salty and crumbly and approved by Mexican grandmas for use on your tacos. That’s an important endorsement in my world.

My homemade tortilla recipe, do it. DO IT.

Beer Braised Pork Ribs Tacos with IPA Pickled Jicama

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Ingredients

1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tbs canola oil
1 cup chopped white onions
2 lbs pork country style ribs
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
12 ounces stout
3 garlic cloves smashed
1 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbs salt
1 tbs white sugar
¼ cup ice water
½ cup IPA beer
1 cup jicama peeled and cut into match stick sized strips
1 cup fresh corn kernels
2 wt oz cotija cheese
1 avocado diced
½ cup cilantro chopped
Tortillas for serving homemade corn tortillas recommended

Instructions

In a small bowl stir together the spice rub (onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, chili powder, cayenne pepper and brown sugar).
Sprinkle the pork ribs on all sides with the spice mixture.
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven until hot but not smoking. Add the pork, sear on all sides until browned. Add the onions, tomatoes stout and smashed garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, add lid at a vent.
Simmer, turning ribs occasionally until fork tender, 3 to 4 hours.
While the pork is cooking make the pickled jicama. In a pot over medium high heat add the vinegar, salt and sugar, cook just until the sugar and salt has dissolved, remove from heat. Stir in the beer and ice water, allow mixture to cool. Add the jicama to a bowl, pour pickling liquid over, cover and chill for at least 2 hours, drain.
Once pork is fork tender, turn off heat. Using two forks, shred meat and remove bones. Allow shredded pork to sit in the simmering liquid for ten minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to drain.
Fill the tacos with pork, top with pickled jicama, corn, cotija, avocado and cilantro.

Stout Meatballs with Beer Barbecue Sauce Glaze

09.05.2014 13 Comments

It’s hard to find anyone who grew up in America that doesn’t have childhood memories of meatballs. And in the grand tradition of our great country, we stole these from someone else, and no one can agree how they are really supposed to be made.

They can be in a sandwich, over pasta, by themselves, with rice, with cheese, spicy, herby, pork, or beef. But there are some things to keep in mind when making these savory little balls of meat, regardless of how you want them to taste.

First, the less you handle the meat the better, overworked meat gets tough and mealy. Second, add some flavor. Spice, or herbs or cheese, these big bites of meat need a kick. Feel free to experiment.

Lastly, if you want them to be round there are a few things you can do:

Make sure the meatballs are really cold before cooking, they’ll hold their shape better.

Boiling them in sauce or liquid will help them stay round but rob them of the nice caramelization that pan frying can give. a combination of cooking methods works best if you want both a nice caramelization as well as a nice shape. But err on the side of flavor, taste always wins over glamour.

Last, don’t be afraid to make them your own. These guys lend themselves to adventure, from chorizo mole meatballs to Bree cheese stuffed meatballs with cherry shallot sauce, these culinary gypsies can go where you send them.

And of course, they like beer. So they can stay for dinner.

For this recipe I used a Pacific Northwest treat, Ninkasi Oatis. A beautiful, creamy oatmeal stout that’s really easy to find now that I live in the Emerald City.

Stout Meatballs with Beer Barbeque Sauce Glaze

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Ingredients

For the meatballs:

1 lb ground chuck or a combination or ground pork and ground beef
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
¼ tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp salt
1 egg
¼ cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup stout beer

For the sauce:

1 tbs olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
3 tbs tomato paste
1 ½ tsp Sriracha red chili sauce
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1 cup stout
1/3 cup brown sugar

Instructions

In a large bowl add all the meatball ingredients (except the 1 tablespoon oil), stir until just combined (about two of three turns with your hands). Over handling the meat will make it tough and mealy.
Place bowl in the fridge for 1 hour and up to 1 day (this will help keep it’s shape during cooking.
While meat is chilling make the sauce.
Add the olive oil to a pot over medium high heat, add that garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining sauce ingredients, simmer until thickened and reduced, about 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400.
Using a cookie scoop, make balls just smaller than a golf ball with the chilled meat. Place on a cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper. Cook for 12 minutes.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat until very hot. Add the meat balls, pull the skillet back and forth over the burner to roll the meat balls around in the pan. Cook until meatballs are just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat and add the barbeque sauce, cooking at a simmer until meatballs are glazed and sauce is very thick.
Remove meatballs, add toothpicks to serve.

Pineapple Habanero IPA Shrimp

30.04.2014 9 Comments

There’s a beauty and effortlessness in the collaboration of beer people. It’s an illustration of the spirit of community that exists in the world of craft beer. And indicator of how brewers are fans of each others, how the idea of competition is so so faint, it almost can’t be felt, how beer people cheer each other on and push each other forward.

Beer week, regardless of the city you’re in, has a way of brining these collaborations to the years giddy apex. This year Seattle beer weeks collaboration may be the largest yet. Six different breweries, Black Raven, Pike Brewing, Naked City, Georgetown, Schooner Exact, and Elysian brewing, all came together to brew one beer. A great session IPA that has a beautifully well balanced hop flavor that’s insanely drinkable.

Lucky for beer people, as well as those just looking to explore hopped up liquors, Beer Weeks are popping up all over the country. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, check out Seattle Beer Week May 8-18th. If you aren’t make sure to check out the beer week in your area and support local brewers, local beer and local economy, with the added benefit of a day full of great beer in your pint glass.

Pineapple Habanero IPA Shrimp

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
½ lbs raw shrimp peeled and deveined
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ cup white onions diced
1 red pepper diced (stem and seeds removed)
1 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1 habanero peppers chopped, stem and seeds removed
2/3 cup plus 2 tbs IPA beer, divided
1 tbs honey
3 tbs rice wine vinegar
2 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs green onions chopped
Rice for serving

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat.
Sprinkle the shrimp all over with salt and pepper. Add to the pan, cook until pink on all sides, remove from pan, set aside.
Add the onions and red pepper, cook until softened and slightly caramelized, about 8 minutes.
Add the pineapple, pepper, 2/3 cup beer, honey, vinegar, and cornstarch, cook over a low simmer until pineapple has broken down and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.
Add the shrimp back in as well as the remaining 2 tablespoons beer, stir until combined, remove from heat. Serve over rice, sprinkle with green onions prior to serving.

Grilled Beer Marinated Prosciutto Wrapped Filet Tip Skewers

28.04.2014 5 Comments

Don’t roll your eyes at me. I’m not even sorry that I keep making you skewers.

I’m in a mood to put meat on sticks these days, and the grill is officially open. I’ve also discovered that filet tips are perfect for getting soaked in beer, stabbed with a metal skewer and thrown on a hot grill. Which makes them my new meat best friend.

Let’s talk about those tips I speak of for a second. When you decide it’s a good day to throw a Hot Meat Party (normal humans call these "barbecues") and invite your friends to partake in said hot meat for the price of some (hopefully good) beer or other edible offering, you should choose your meat carefully. You want something that’s going to impress, but feeding an army of hungry beer thieves takes a lot of meat. Tips can often be less expensive than buying a whole filet and better flavor than buying a cheap cut.

Beer marinading is a must with Hot Meat, the natural meat tenderizing properties of beer give the meat an added ability to stay tender and full of flavor even when exposed to high levels of grill induced heat. It also makes your beer bearing friends so impressed with your grill skills, they’ll bring better beer next time.

Grilled Beer Marinated Prosciutto Wrapped Filet Tip Skewers

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Ingredients

12 ounces porter
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp onion powder
½ teaspoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt, divided
1 lbs fillet tips cut into cubes
3 wt oz ounces prosciutto

Instructions

In a bowl or baking dish stir together the porter, Worcestershire, onion powder and ½ teaspoon salt.
Add the filet tips and marinate for 6 to 12 hours.
Preheat the grill.
Remove the filet tips from the marinade, discard marinade.
Place the filet tips on a stack of paper towels, top with more paper towels, allow to dry for about ten minutes.
Salt the filet tips on all sides with remaining salt.
Wrap the filet tips in prosciutto, thread onto metal skewers (or pre soaked wooden skewers)
Grill on all sides until desired level of doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium.

Yogurt and Beer Marinated Chicken Skewers

21.04.2014 15 Comments

I’ve decided that the grill is officially open. Regardless of the weather, regardless of the time constraints, regardless of the lack of Meats on Sticks occasions in my near future. The grill needs to be open. Maybe it’s the catastrophic levels of stress in my life right now, maybe it’s my severe vitamin D deficiency since leaving Southern California, or maybe the grill should never be closed at all.

There’s a therapeutic quality to the first grilled food of the season. That delicious char you’d almost forgotten about. Cooking in the great wide open with sun on your face, beer in one hand, ridiculously oversized tongs in the other. And the realization that winter has passed. It all adds up to one of the most satisfying meals of the year.

Although I am considering not closing the grill at all next winter, but I’ll report back to you once the snow hits.

Yogurt and Beer Marinated Chicken Skewers

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup pale ale
1 tsp dried crushed red peppers
1 ½ tsp sweet smoked paprika or 1 tsp sweet and ½ tsp smoked paprika
2 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 large garlic cloves grated with a microplane
2 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs or breast, cut into cubes
vegetable oil for the grill
2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the yogurt, beer, red pepper, paprika, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and garlic. Add the chicken cubes, stir until fully submerged and coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 24.
Preheat grill to medium high.
Remove chicken from marinate and thread onto metal skewers (or presoaked wood skewers), discard marinade.
Brush the grill with oil to prevent sticking.
Grill the chicken skewers on each side until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley before serving, if desired.

Chicken and Beer Cheese Stuffed Poblano

16.04.2014 7 Comments

When I was 19 I thought it was a great idea to drive a 20-year-old Ford Bronco nearly the entire length of the 5 Freeway to be my primary means of transportation.

Slow, old, unreliable, often ticketed, frequently towed, it didn’t end well. I was broke and had barely enough money to fill the gas tank, let alone maintain it. Which lead to finding creative ways to deal with the mechanical issues that arose. When one of my headlights went out, I discovered that the brights still worked just fine. So I never turned them off.

Late one night, headed to Hollywood on the 101 I was behind a well cared for vintage Cadillac, my brights reflecting off his rear view mirror. He slams on his breaks, skids slightly towards the median. I do the same. Luckily the breaks on the Bronco were still going strong and I stop inches from his bumper.

In the middle of late night Los Angeles on the far left lane of the freeway, he gets out of his car and heads toward my door, cars whizzing past us at 70 miles per hour. I was too close to him to drive around, just inches from his bumper. As he gets closer I can see he is still wearing dark sunglasses, the stems tucked under his red dew rag. I can’t see his eyes.

He walks to my window and motions for me to roll it down. As I crank the window down, heart racing blood pumping in my ears, he pushes his black and white plaid shirt back, just the top button is buttoned, the rest open. He puts his hands in the pockets of his black Dickies pants and I can see his white tank top and the butt of silver pistol in the waist band of his pants. I know instantly that he wants me to see it.

Photo via The Beeroness on Instagram

"Your brights" he says, swaying slightly so that I can see the light reflect off his gun. "They are on."

"Yeah. I’m sorry…" I don’t know what else to say.

"You need to turn them off."

"Ok." I’m frozen. I can’t move.

"Now. Turn them off now."

"Ok. Yeah." I’m shaking. I reach up and switch them off, my left headlight going dim completely.

"Thank you. Have a nice evening." He waits a beat before smiling, covering the gun and walking back to his car.

Nothing really happened, but I was shaken. I immediately got off the freeway and stopped at a roadside taco stand to catch my breath. And I asked the lady behind the counter the question I always ask at a new place, "What do you eat?" She said she eats the stuffed peppers. They aren’t on the menu, but she’d make them for me. I was grateful. I never ended up making it to The Troubadour that night, but those stuffed peppers were worth it.

Chicken and Beer Cheese Stuffed Anaheim Chilies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

5 wt oz shredded sharp cheddar (about 2 cups)
3 tbs cornstarch
¼ cup sour cream
1 cup red ale or malty pale ale
2 large chicken thighs cut into small cubes
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp salt
½ white onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 large Roma tomatoes diced
¼ cup diced green onions
4 large Poblano Chilies

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a blender or food processor add the cheese, cornstarch, sour cream, and beer. Process until smooth, set aside.
Sprinkle the chicken cubes with chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, and salt, toss until well coated.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion, cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic.
Add the chicken, cook until browned on all sides.
Pour in the cheese sauce, simmer until thickened, remove from heat, stir in the tomatoes and green onions.
Cut the stem off the chilies, remove the seeds inside. Spoon the chicken and cheese mixture into the peppers.
Place upright in oven safe coffee mugs, place coffee mugs on a baking sheet.
Bake at 400 for 15-18 minutes or until peppers have softened.

Orange Chili Porter Glazed Skillet Chicken

09.04.2014 4 Comments

I know the google stalking that goes on. But don’t think it’s one sided. I see the key word searches, or the things you post about me on Facebook, but I do the same thing.

I’ve clicked over to your page too, seen the vacation photos and the fact that you also have a mild obsession with Bill Withers too, and I’ve wondered if we’d be friends in real life. I’ve clicked over to your Pinterest page after you’ve re-pinned one of my pins and thought we could hang out. Have some beers and talk about those rustic modern houses we love but will probably never have. Or the make up tutorials that we will never even attempt.

The breweries we’ve been to and the ones still on our lists. The places we’ve been, the place we want to go and the places we wished we’d skipped. We would laugh and talk and share some beer, if we knew each other in real life. I’d tell you all the things I’m afraid to type out loud and you’d understand.

Because beer people are that way. We like each other, we get along and we root for each other. If only we knew each other in real life, we’d each pick up a round of pints and hang out in person. Beer does that, it seems to level the playing field and make us all friends.

Long live beer people.

Orange Chili Porter Glazed Skillet Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic grated with a microplane
1 cup fresh orange juice about 3 large naval or cara cara oranges
2 tbs soy sauce
½ tsp red chili sauce such as sriracha
1 tsp red chili flake
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp onion powder
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup porter
1 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs 4-6 large
salt and pepper
Rice for serving

Instructions

In a medium bowl whisk together the garlic, orange juice, soy sauce, red chili sauce, red chili flake, smoked paprika, onion powder, brown sugar and porter.
Sprinkle the chicken thighs on all sides with salt and pepper.
Add chicken to the marinade, cover and chill for at least 2 hours and up to 8 hours.
Preheat oven to 400.
Pour the chicken and the marinade into a cast iron skillet.
Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over and continue to bake until cooked through, about 15 additional minutes.
Remove chicken from the skillet and transfer to a serving platter.
Place the skillet and the marinade over high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened. Pour glaze over chicken before serving.
Note: if you don’t own a cast iron skillet, pour the chicken and marinade into a baking dish. Once the chicken is cooked through, pour marinade into a pot and cook until reduced to a glaze.
Note: If glaze becomes too thick and sticky, return to heat, stirring in a few splashes of beer to thin.

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

Print Recipe

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.

Coconut Curry Belgian Ale Chicken

31.03.2014 16 Comments

This blog has always been about pushing craft beer forward. The importance of the flavors that come with good beer, and how to explore those in a new way. From the beginning you got that and you stood next to me, exposing people to craft beer through food by sharing the recipes I’ve posted.

And today, we got a win. Just hours ago Saveur, a leader in field of culinary exploration, announced the finalist for the Best Food Blog Awards. Out of the 1.3 million food blogs world wide, The Beeroness was nominated along with just 5 others as one of the Best Original Recipe Blogs.

That’s us. You, me, good food and great beer. It’s a huge step when it comes to showing the world how important good beer is. It’s a huge indicator that "cooking with beer" is no longer seen as beer can chicken made with a pale macro lager. It’s important flavors and practical applications. It’s us pushing beer onto the same playing field as wine.

Let’s show people that craft beer is a culinary force to be reckoned with.

Vote for The Beeroness for The Best Original Recipes in the Saveur Food Blog Awards. It takes about a minute to register before you can vote. It’s a vote for craft beer, and what it does to food. It’s a way to show people who dynamic beer can be.

Coconut Curry Belgian Ale Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
½ cup chopped white onions
4 large bonesless skinless chicken thighs cut into small cubes
½ cup Belgian ale
13.5 fl oz coconut milk
3 tbs thai red curry paste
1 tbs fish sauce
1 tbs lime juice
pinch cayenne pepper
¼ cup cilantro chopped
3 tbs roasted peanuts chopped
Rice or Rice noodles for serving

Instructions

In a large skillet or wok heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft and slightly brown, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken, cooking until browned on all sides.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan.
Lower the heat, add the coconut milk, curry paste, fish sauce, lime juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Serve over rice or rice noodles, garnish with cilantro and peanuts just prior to serving.

Porter Caramelized Onion Flatbreads with Smoked Gouda and Roasted Tomatoes

26.03.2014 11 Comments

A few years ago I decided that I need unbiased proof that I was actually good at this recipe development thing. That my recipes were good, not because the photos were pretty, or because they sounded good, or because some guy on twitter said he wanted to marry me.

But that an unbiased panel of experts thought they were good.

My solution to my self-esteem crisis was to enter recipe contests. The second one I entered was a chicken cook-off. Of course I choose chicken thights, and added a chipotle béarnaise and a few months later I got a call: I was in the finals. The unbiased panel of experts had chosen my recipe, along with 4 others, out of thousands of recipes that were submitted as the best that were entered. A few weeks later they shipped me off to San Diego to compete in a Chicken Challenge that ended with a giant foam core check with my name on it. I’d won.

Of course the $1000 check and trip to San Diego was a great prize, but the real trophy was the validation that I was actually good at this thing I want to dedicate my life to. At a post Winner Winner Chicken Dinner press conference I’d asked one of the chefs who had been a part of the original selection process what he looked for in a recipe, clearly he didn’t make all thousand submitted recipes.

He told me that all great entree recipes have these elements: fat, acid, protein, and a fresh herb. That’s what he looked for. Maybe that’s why I always reach from something green to sprinkle on top of the entrees I make.

Although he didn’t say anything about beer. Maybe he should re think his strategy.

Porter Caramelized Onion Flatbreads with Smoked Gouda and Roasted Tomatoes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Crust:

1 ¾ cups flour
1 envelope yeast
1 tsp white sugar
½ tsp garlic salt
2/3 cup malty beer brown ale, beligan ale, etc

For the Onions:

2 tbs unsalted butter
2 tbs olive oil
2 sweet white onions sliced
pinch salt
pinch white sugar
1 cup porter beer

For the Toppings:

4 wt oz smoked gouda cheese sliced
1 cup grape tomatoes
2 tbs olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tbs flat leaf parsley chopped

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar and garlic salt. 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 until most of the flour has been moistened.
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 (while the dough rises, start the onions).
Remove from bowl and add to a lightly floured surface. Knead several times, cut into 6 equal sized pieces.
One at a time form the dough into 6 inch circles. Place on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.
While the dough is rising, make the onions. In a saucepan or Dutch oven melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and sugar, cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Add beer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beer has mostly evaporated and turned to a glaze about 20 minutes. Make sure to keep the heat low or the onions will burn before they caramelize.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Add the tomatoes to a small bowl. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, set aside.
Top the 6 flatbreads with slices of Gouda, then add about ¼ cup of caramelized onions, then tomatoes.
Brush exposed crust with olive oil.
Bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes or until crust has turned golden brown.
Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Brown Ale Farro Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms

24.03.2014 10 Comments

There is one thing I can’t stop doing every time I travel.

And not just when I get to leave the country, but even when I just leave the state. I just need to wander around a market. A locals only place, stocked with whatever people who live in the neighboring streets like to eat. Once while in Costa Rica, in a small and run down town, I found myself in a small market that had just lost all power.

"It happens," the shop owner told me, "We just stay open, hope the light from the door can reach to the back." I made a mental note not to buy any thing perishable, but did leave with 3 bags of coffee and an unidentifiably spice that I later used on roasted vegetables.

Sometimes these little adventures just bring me back to an ingredient that I forgot that I loved. My recent trip to a local market in a neighborhood heavily populated with Italian imigrants lead me to buy a bag of farro. I love this little grain, much more than rice, much more than quinoa and I can’t understand why it isn’t used more often. It doesn’t get mushy the way that rice can, it has a nice almost chewy texture, tons of those vitamins/protein/ health benefits that people seem to like, and much more flavor than other trendy grains.

Plus it cooks up really well with beer. Which means it wins.

Brown Ale Farro Risotto with Roasted Mushrooms

Print Recipe

Servings 4 entre sized portions, 8 side dish portions

Ingredients

For the Risotto:

2 cups 15 wt oz faro
6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
3 tbs olive oil
½ white onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tbs unsalted butter divided
1 cup plus ¼ cup brown ale, divided
¼ cup heavy cream
2 wt oz about ¾ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

For the Mushrooms:

8 wt oz assorted wild mushrooms
3 tbs olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

Add farro to a large bowl. Cover with luke warm water, let stand for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Add the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss until well coated. Roast for 15 minutes, stir and roast for an additional ten minutes. Drain the liquid off the mushrooms, set mushrooms aside.
Place the chicken broth in a saucepan and bring to a low simmer, keeping to warm, but not boiling.
In a separate pot, heat the 3 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened, but don’t allow to brown. Add the garlic and cook until you can smell it, about 20 seconds
Stir in the faro and 3 tablespoons butter, cooking until the farro is completely coated with butter and it smells slightly nutty, don’t allow to brown. About 2 minutes.
Add 1 cup of the brown ale and cook until the pan begins to dry, stirring frequently. About 6 minutes.
Add about ½ cup of broth into the farro. Stir frequently until the farro is almost dry, and then add another ½ cup and repeat until the farro is cooked. This process should take about 30 minutes. Don’t leave the risotto while it’s cooking, the farro on the bottom of the pan burns easily. (if you run out of broth, just use hot water the same way you would broth)
Once your risotto is cooked through (taste it to verify that the farro is cooked and not crunchy), turn heat to low and add the cheese, cream, remaining 3 tablespoons butter and ¼ cup brown ale and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the roasted mushrooms just prior to serving.