beer, wine & culinary miscellany
Recipes
Eat Your Beet Greens: Recipe
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Organic Beets at the Farmers Market
Although I’ve long been a fan of roasting beets (not to mention pickling them), after disposing of the beet greens several times, I thought it quite wasteful and set out to make a side dish with them. I soon found that I almost enjoyed the beet tops more than the beets themselves, and I’ve never tossed them out since.
While the beetroots are certainly a healthy choice, packing quite a dose of folate, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, and fiber, the beet greens are an excellent source of iron, and provide a good serving of vitamins A, B, C, and K.
The deep violet-red betalain pigments from the beetroot and the beet stems have been shown to have high antioxidant properties and are being heavily researched in the prevention of cancers. The beet greens are a rich source of green chlorophyll which has been shown as an effective in the prevention and treatment of liver, skin, and colon cancer.
Besides all that, they’re damn delicious, and as such, it only makes sense to eat them. Plus, they’re easy to prepare and you’re not paying extra for them, so STFU and cook them already. Oh, right, you probably want a recipe… (more…)
Beeramisu Recipe: Beer + Tiramisu = Beeramisu
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Beeramisu -- My kind of dessert
I believe it was the great Archimedes that famously postulated Beer + Tiramisu = Beeramisu, thenceforth enlightening the masses to the goodness of desserts made with beer. Some historians contend with this belief, arguing that beeramisu was nothing short of divine creation, citing an obscure heretical version of the Bible which reads, “And on the seventh day, He rested… and ate some wicked awesome beeramisu.”
The fact is — the exact origins of beeramisu are unknown and shrouded in mystery. OK, so it probably didn’t derive from some mathematical theorem or antediluvian Biblical verse, but it certainly is no original creation of mine. It was Paul Barbano’s The Bartenders Beer Cookbook
About two months ago, I was asked to host a beer and dessert pairing for the first-ever LA Beer Week. I was happy to oblige, and I immediately set out to concoct the best damn beeramisu recipe I possibly could. Having experimented with porters and bocks in the past, I wanted to try an even darker beer, perhaps one brewed with coffee beans for extra depth. There it was. The little light bulb in my brain had a flicker of rare genius — AleSmith Speedway Stout. Rich with flavors of roasted chocolate and coffee, it proved an excellent complement to the espresso and cocoa powder called for in my adapted recipe.
As an added bonus, you’ll have a good few glasses of beer to wash it down with. Why not have your cake and drink it too? (more…)
Mulled Beer: Wine & Cider Be Damned
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Warm Yourself Up a Mug of Mulled Beer
After my recent postings about Beer Nog and Belgian Christmas beers, I’ve been stuck thinking about drinking throughout this holiday season. Oh, you too? Well, I don’t feel so bad then. But with as chilly as the weather has been, even here in sunny SoCal, I’m not exactly reaching for a cold one for comfort this time of year.
While I’ve certainly had my share of mulled wine and mulled cider, I wondered if mulled beer might be just what I need to help get me through this holiday season. My thought certainly wasn’t any new sort of imbibing innovation — in fact, heated, spiced beer was more or less de rigeuer for centuries. Prior to the advent of refrigeration and modern bottling, beer was quick to spoil, and as such, adding a touch of heat plus some sugar and spice helped make everything nice.
mull, v. — to heat, sweeten, and flavor with spices for drinking, as ale or wine. Origin: 1610–20; orig. uncert.
(dictionary.com)
The beauty of making such an easy drink is that you can really suit it to your tastes. And given the huge variety of craft beers on the market, it would almost be irresponsible to post one “set in stone” recipe. With that said, here are some proposed guidelines, from which you should absolutely feel free to deviate: (more…)
Beer Nog: The New Christmas Drink
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Eggnog © Tina Vega (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license)
How does anyone stomach storebought eggnog? It’s like the yuletide equivalent of candy corn — despite its gag-inducing flavor and unnatural texture, it sells like hot cakes. Certainly eggnog wasn’t always this offensive, right? I mean, if it were made fresh, it had to be exponentially better, didn’t it? Because honestly — cream, eggs, sugar, spices, and booze? How could it go wrong? (Though the craptacular cartons have already demonstrated that it very easily can.)
Years ago, I churned out my first swing at homemade eggnog, and I’ve never looked back. Sensually thick and creamy, delightfully frothy and packed with so much incredible flavor, one sip could make even Osama Bin Laden want to deck the halls with boughs of holly.
This year, however, I wanted to change it up a bit. Inspired by an old bit I’d seen on SCTV, I was determined to make a batch of Beer Nog to see if it would be as delicious as I had imagined. Armed with a bevy of eggs, a gallon or two of dairy, and a bottle of Port Brewing Old Viscosity, I set out to make a Christmas drink for the ages. I whipped up a glass and took my first sip. A skeptical friend watched on, wincing slightly having already decided that Beer Nog couldn’t possibly work. “Well? How is it?” he asked.
I extended my hand to offer a taste. “You’re welcome,” I replied. My lips parted to a smile, creasing and cracking the thickest milk mustache the world may have ever known. (more…)
Bacon Is Sent From Heaven
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Lucky Boy BLT Sandwich © Ollylain
You know, I think I could make it as a vegetarian — for a while at least. It could last a few months, hell, I might be stubborn and let the whole charade go on for a few years. But no matter how long I held out, I guarantee bacon would have something to do with my falling off the wagon.
Bacon just combines such wonderful elements — smoke, salt, fat, pork. Divine intervention had to take place somewhere in the timeline of the creation of bacon. Perhaps it was some fabled 11th Commandment that got lost along the way. “Thou shalt eat bacon” or something to that effect. For those that subscribe to a different dogma that perhaps prohibits porcine indulgences, I do sympathize. I certainly mean no disrespect, but c’mon. You mean to tell me that you wouldn’t devour a Bacon Explosion if you found out tomorrow that you had one week to live? But hey, if that’s your thing, I respect and envy your strength.
The fact is, bacon makes just about everything taste better, as the folks behind Bacon Salt set out to prove. Bacon Salt is fantastic sprinkled on eggs, french fries, popcorn, or anything your little clogged heart desires. All that sodium is likely to get you thirsty. How about a Bacon Chocolate Martini to wash it down? Making your own bacon vodka is a piece of cake.
Cake? Ah yes, the dessert world. No place for pork, right? Think again. After giggling like a schoolgirl at Boneyard Bistro upon biting into their Maple Bacon Pecan Cupcake, I’ve had bacon desserts on the brain. Apparently I wasn’t the only one. Susan Russo and NPR just yesterday put out a sinful spread of bacon gilded goodies like Chocolate-Bacon-Peanut Bark and Peanut Butter-Maple Bacon Fudge. Be careful, the beautiful pictures might even contain calories, and they could very well get you demanding bacon in every dessert. Just don’t get too crazy and start dreaming up ideas for Candied Bacon Ice Cream or anything.
Let’s not get too carried away here. We should note that bacon isn’t the healthiest item, even if it is the tastiest. As with any temptation, temperance and moderation are advised. If you feel your obsession is bordering on addiction, perhaps you might want to ration your rashers. Maybe just one package of artisan bacon delivered to your door monthly through the Bacon of the Month Club would be the best option for you?
