beer, wine & culinary miscellany
Posts tagged recipe
French Country Boule Recipe
8
French Country Boule & Rosemary Potato Focaccia
I’ve been writing and working up a storm this week, and sadly haven’t had time to share pics and recipes of the bread I baked for my buddy Dean’s birthday. He’d been harassing me for bread for years, and I finally caved in. (You’d think a guy with a license plate frame that says “I’d Rather Be Baking Bread” wouldn’t take so damn long to throw a loaf or two in the oven for a friend!)
His questions to me online were:
- Are you coming to my birthday party?
- Are you bringing bread?
Suffice it to say that I needed to get my ass in the kitchen. I decided to bake two different breads, not sure exactly what he wanted and not wanting to ruin the surprise, since I told him that I didn’t have time to make any bread, even though I’d already made the starters a few hours before he’d asked. (I know. Slick, right?) (more…)
Eat Your Beet Greens: Recipe
5
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
11
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
0
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
13
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…)
