Beer is Delicious: Stout and Pretzel Truffles

I believe we discussed the similarities between stout and dark chocolate not too long ago? 

I was in St. Louis at the Schlafly Tap Room two weeks ago and I happened to meet the beer soulmate of dark chocolate: Raspberry Coffee Stout. It has the richness of stout, the bitterness of good coffee and the sweet fruity aroma of raspberries to finish. Needless to say, I love it. 

So this past weekend my new favorite stout got together with some 75% dark Olive & Sinclair chocolate and made truffle babies. It was a beautiful, beautiful thing, as you can see.  

Beer and Pretzel Truffles:

(based on this recipe from Honest Cooking)

3 bars (just under 9oz) Olive & Sinclair dark chocolate

1/2 cup heavy cream

2t coffee flavoring or raspberry flavoring (available at Whole Foods)

3T stout 

3/4 cup salted pretzels, crushed (or cocoa powder) 

Warm cream in pot over medium low. Add chopped chocolate and coffee flavoring and whisk to combine. Remove from heat and add stout. Whisk until the mixture looks like very thick ganache. Place in the fridge in a shallow dish for about three hours or until firm. Scoop into 1/2t balls and roll in crushed pretzels or cocoa powder. 

*Serve IMMEDIATELY if rolling truffles in pretzels. The pretzels WILL go stale in the fridge no matter how well you cover them. 

*Can't find this very special Schlafly beer? Try a milk stout. 

Beer is Delicious: Beer Steamed Burgers

Since there's a three day weekend coming up, I decided to share with you an American backyard dinner: burgers, potatoes and slaw!

Now, to be perfectly honest, I usually feel like crap after this kind of meal. Traditionally, it is heavy and unhealthy. Granted, that's partially on me. I mean, if I'm going to get a burger, I'm going to go all out: Benton's bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, garlic aioli. But it just doesn't have to be like that. 

If you steam your burger, you can use up to 96% lean ground beef. The moisture from the steam keeps the burger juicy and moist. And what better to steam it in than beer? I used The Better Beer Project's prototype for American Pale Ale. 

As for the sides, I baked the potatoes with red pepper flakes and thyme. They are crunchy on the top, soft in the middle and downright addictive. I also didn't use mayonnaise on the slaw. A 1:1 ratio of Greek yogurt and avocado make a dressing that is just as rich and thick. 

Check back later this week for a post about how to end this meal: Horchata Ice Cream. 

OH! And special thanks to my friend Stephen for inspiring this burger recipe. 

I hope you all have a happy and healthy long weekend!

The recipe for Accordion Potatoes can be found here. They are SO delicious, but be warned: they are also a little bit of a pain to make.

Beer Steamed Burgers:
-serves four
1lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup cooked quinoa
1T honey
2T olive oil
2T unsalted seasoning mix (I used Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute)
salt to taste (I used a scant teaspoon)
1/3 cup beer (try to use something that is neither too sweet nor too hoppy; stick with the pale ale family)

Mix beef, quinoa, honey olive oil, salt and seasoning together and form into four patties. Let come to room temperature. Heat a pan over medium with about 1T oil in the bottom. Cook on one side uncovered. When you flip the burgers, add the beer and cover for the remainder of the cooking process. Top with cheese before covering if desired.

*Tips: Cook quinoa in something flavorful, like vegetable stock with a pinch of red pepper flakes. Do not over mix the meat; this can make it tough. Lightly butter your buns and warm them at 300 for about 10 minutes. No one likes a dry bun any more than they like a dry burger!

My burger is pictured with Simple Guacamole:
2 large, ripe avocados
1/2 a red onion
juice of two limes
2 medium jalapenoes
salt to taste

Carrot Salad:
-serves eight 
6 oz Greek yogurt
1 avocado
2T fresh mint, chopped
2T sugar
juice of one lime
20 oz carrots, shredded
salt to taste (just a pinch should do it)
1/2 cup golden raisins (I think regular raisins look like dead bugs in my food!)
*I also added one bulb fennel and one granny smith apple, but the salad is just as good without them!

Place yogurt, avocado, mint, sugar, salt and lime juice in blender and pulse until very smooth. Toss with carrots and raisins. This is best if it has time to rest for a couple hours before serving.

Beer is Delicious: Brown Ale Sauce

Tomatoes are out and beer is back in- vive la Brewsday! 

There are four things that all college kids have in their kitchen: spaghetti, onions, beer and cheese. Yes my friends, I used to make dinner out of only those four things. I'd caramelize onions, reduce beer, mix with pasta and top with cheese. Easy peasy lemon squeezy, as the other Hannah would say.

When I was cooking in college I'd grab whatever beer was leftover from the weekend before. It didn't always work out very well (Bud Light Lime is not good to eat or drink). The best beer to use in a sauce like this is a medium brown English style ale (try BBC Nut Brown Ale or Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale). The toasty flavor of the dark malts marry with the sugar in the onions and well, they form a very happy union.

This sauce is a dressed up version of my college dinner. I still like to toss it with spaghetti and top it with cheese, but I add a few vegetables and herbs in there too.

Here I've tossed the Brown Ale Sauce with spaghetti and arugula. I've topped it with pepper, Pecorino Romano cheese and a grilled artichoke. But you don't have to limit Brown Ale Sauce to pasta; it is delicious in so many ways. Other recommended uses include: using it as a spread on a chicken sandwich, marinating steak in it before grilling and dipping potato wedges in it. Mmm.

Brown Ale Sauce:
- serves four to six, depending on your portion size
3 large sweet onions
one small head garlic
1T balsamic vinegar
1T raw honey
1/4 cup nut brown ale
1/2 cup beef stock
1 heaping Tablespoon thyme, roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 400. Wrap garlic in tin foil and top with olive oil and a big pinch of kosher salt. Roast until your whole house smells like garlic (about 30 minutes). Meanwhile, dice onions and cook over medium heat with olive oil and two big pinches of kosher salt. When onions are caramelized, add vinegar and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Add beer and cook for another 3-5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add stock and honey and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add thyme.

At this point, you can either chop the garlic (squeezed out of skins) and mix it in, then serve as is or you can throw everything into a food processor and pulse until smooth.

Happy eating and drinking to you all!

Beer is Delicious: Chocolate Stout Sorbet

Stout and chocolate have so very much in common. For starters, I love them both dearly. They are thick, smooth, creamy, nutty and, if you're dealing with the good stuff, bittersweet. When combined they make an intensely deep and rich flavor.

For the last few weeks I haven't been able to get enough frozen treats. The weather has been hovering around 100 degrees every day and I'm certain I get sunburned just by looking out the window. Yesterday I made chocolate stout sorbet and we ate it just as the sun was going down. I put the first bite in my mouth and breathed a sigh of relief; for the first time in ages, I was cold!

The best part about chocolate stout sorbet is it's simplicity. It has only three ingredients: chocolate syrup, espresso, and stout. I used Rogue Chocolate Stout for extra chocolaty goodness.

The sorbet comes out looking like frozen brownie batter. It is not overly sweet, so I topped it with a light drizzle of sweetened condensed milk. 

Chocolate Stout Sorbet:

-serves four

1 1/4 cups chocolate stout 

1 1/2 cups of your favorite chocolate syrup 

1 shot espresso 

Make sure all ingredients are VERY cold. Whisk to combine. Follow manufacturer instructions for your ice cream machine. Let sorbet set in freezer for at least eight hours before serving. 

Beer is Delicious: Beersicles

This is a story about beer and happiness.

It's funny to think about the fact that a little over a year ago, Coy and I were overwhelmed by the number of unfamiliar beers on the menu at The Flying Saucer.  We were on our first date. I was nervous and I wanted the beer I ordered to make me look cool. The kind of beer a girl orders on a first date really says a lot about her, don't you think?

Budweiser, Coors, PBR, Miller, Keystone or even Corona definitely scream "SLUT!"

Cider of any kind, Smirnoff Ice and Blue Moon subtly imply that a girl is high maintenance.

Something heavy, yet familiar like a Guinness does suggest a certain level of coolness. However, it also suggests that the girl can fart the alphabet.

So you see the dilemma. I decided to order a Yazoo Pale Ale. To my relief, Coy did too. We were mutually impressed with one another.

It was all uphill from there. In the last year, we have spent many happy Friday nights together at the 12th South Taproom, sampling new and unique brews. We have gone to the East Nashville Beer Festival, toured the Yazoo Brewery and are planning to attend the Music City Brewer's Fest this weekend (YAY!). Last but certainly not least, Coy has started the Better Beer Project.

Last week, we celebrated one fantastic year together as well as Coy's 25th birthday. I thought about baking a cake but that didn't seem quite special enough. I found a recipe by the Homebrew Chef for "Beersicles" and I rewrote it around Yazoo Pale Ale, of course. I have to say, beersicles are pretty freaking delicious, especially during this horrible heat wave!

Yazoo Pale Ale Beersicles:
(serves four)

1 12oz bottle of Yazoo Pale Ale
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
simple syrup to taste (I used about 4T)

Pour into molds and freeze over night. Enjoy!