Beer for Dinner

Combine in a saucepan:
1/4 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt

Stir in:
1 cup beer
1/4 cup raisins, cut in halves

Put in a cheesecloth bag and hang it in the cooking sauce from the edge of the pan:
8 whole cloves
1 two-inch stick cinnamon

Cook and stir for about 10 minutes. Add:
1 tablespoon butter

Remove the spices. Serve the sauce very hot. Good with hot or cold ham or smoked tongue.

Yield: About 1-1/2 cups

Thanks to CrazyBone

Labels: brownsugar, brownsugar cloves, butter, cinnamon, cornstarch, raisins

Posted by Steve at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 1 plump chicken without giblets
• 1 can of beer
• 2 heaped tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 heaped teaspoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder (I like powdered chipotles for this, but you can use cayenne pepper)
• 1 teaspoon allspice
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 heaped tablespoons soft dark brown sugar

Snip through any strings holding the chicken's legs neatly together, and spread them out. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and rub them all over the chicken, then add a tablespoon of the rub to the cavity of the chicken and smear it around a bit with the back of a spoon. Leave for the flavours to penetrate for two hours at room temperature. Meanwhile, open the beer can, pour half of the beer out and drink it. (This is a fun recipe.) Use a metal skewer or a nail and hammer to make a few more holes in the top of the half-full beer can.

Put a tablespoon of the remaining rub in the can with the beer. It will froth and bubble, so add your rub carefully. After the two hours are up, rub and remaining spice mix onto the chicken and push the bird carefully, bottom (that's the end with the legs) first, onto the upright beer can, as in the picture. Roast the whole apparatus at 180° C (350° F) for 1 hour and 30 minutes, remove the bird carefully from the can without spilling any beer, and rest for ten minutes before serving. (If you are a lucky person with a large and easily controlled barbecue, try cooking the chicken in there over some flavorful wood - it'll be delicious.)

Don't be tempted to use the hot beer as a sauce. It'll taste bitter and revolting, so just pour it down the sink. Let the chicken's natural juices (there will be plenty, and they'll come out of the bird as it rests) act as a gravy. This is a great dish with a salad and a pilaf or cous cous. Serve with a couple of nicely chilled cans of whatever beer you used in the cooking.

Thanks to Gastronomy Domine

Labels: allspice, brownsugar, chicken, chilipowder, cinnamon, mustard

Posted by Steve at 9:52 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/4 cups room temperature beer
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cream together the butter or margarine and the brown sugar. Cut in flour, baking soda and spice. Blend in beer slowly to form a soft dough.

Drop by teaspoonfuls and top with a walnut piece.

Bake 12-15 minutes at a 350 degree F (175 degrees C) oven until lightly brown. Cool one minute on cookie sheet and remove to wire rack.

Thanks to Tina

Labels: bakingsoda, brownsugar, butter, cinnamon, dessert, flour, walnuts

Posted by Steve at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 1 9 inch unbaked pie shell
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups canned pumpkin
• 6 ounces Guinness Beer

Combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl. Lightly beat in two eggs. Stir in canned pumpkin and Guinness beer until well combined. Pour mixture into pie shell; preheat oven to 425F and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F, and bake an additional 45-50 minutes, or until fork placed in center of the pie comes out clean. Cool, and serve.

Thanks to HungryMonster

Labels: cinnamon, dessert, eggs, ginger, pie, pumpkin, sugar

Posted by Steve at 9:38 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 4 small apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/2- inch thick
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 cup Calvados, plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup flour, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-ounce yeast
• 3/8 cup flat beer
• 3/8 cup apple juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Half an egg white, stiffly beaten
• Oil for deep frying
• Confectioners' sugar for dredging

• 1 pound canned apricot halves
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup Slivovitz (see note)
• Grated rind of half an orange
• 3/8 cup cream
• 1 egg yolk

Place apple slices in a bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and 1/4 cup Calvados and allow to macerate 15 minutes. Make batter by placing sifted flour and salt into a warm bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour. Add the yeast, beer, apple juice and olive oil. Combine to form a smooth batter. Cover the bowl and allow the mixture to stand 4 hours. After this period add a little more beer if necessary and fold in the half egg white stiffly beaten.

Heat oil for deep frying. Place macerated apple slices into a small frying basket and then place this basket into the batter. Allow all the apple slices to become well coated in the batter. Drain and then place into the hot oil. Fry the beignets for 3 minutes, or until batter is crisp and golden, drain and dredge in confectioner's sugar and serve accompanied by the apricot sauce.

Apricot Sauce:
Place apricots into a pan on high heat. Add the butter and allow to melt. Flavor with cinnamon. Pour in Slivovitz and light. When flames have almost died down, add the remaining 2 tablespoons Calvados. Add the grated rind of half an orange, and then stir in the cream. Puree in blender and then pour mixture back into the pan and heat. Whisk in the egg yolk and then place
sauce into sauceboat. Serve.

Yield: 4 servings

Note: Slivovitz is a dry, colorless, slightly bitter plum brandy.

Thanks to Robert

Labels: apples, apricots, beignets, butter, cinnamon, cream, eggs, sugar

Posted by Steve at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar (packed)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup brown ale beer (porter beer may be substituted)
• 1 cup mild molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 1 (9-inch) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (or frozen 9-inch pie shell, thawed)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In bowl of a food processor, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pulse to mix. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Remove 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture and set aside.

In large bowl, beat egg until well blended. Add beer and molasses; stir until just combined. In small cup, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Stir into molasses mixture; add crumb mixture from food processor bowl. Stir mixture until well blended.

Pour mixture into pie shell. Top with reserved 1/2 cup crumb mixture. Bake in oven 35 minutes, or until filling is puffed and just set, and crumb mixture is lightly golden. Cool completely.

Serves 8.

Nutrition Information, Per Serving: 410 calories; 12 g fat; 4.5 g saturated fat; 73 g carbohydrate

– National Beer Wholesaler’s Association and NWHerald.com

Labels: bakingsoda, brownsugar, butter, cinnamon, eggs, flour, molasses, pie

Posted by Steve at 10:58 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

• 4 smoked turkey legs
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 1 large yellow or white onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed
• 1 large can of puréed tomatoes (28 ounces)
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (14 ounces)
• 2 cans of kidney beans (15 ounces)
• 1/2 of a beer or 3/4 ounces of chicken or vegetable broth
• 3 tablespoons of honey or brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Hungarian paprika
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder

The problem with just substituting ground turkey for ground beef in most chili recipes is that turkey doesn't have the same rich flavor that beef does. Which means that the chili just ends up a bit bland. By substituting meat from smoked turkey legs (which you can either smoke yourself or find at the grocery already smoked) you add back some hearty flavor while still cutting down on fat content. The addition of more spices and herbs will also help carry the flavor over to this healthier version of chili.

Remove the skin from the turkey and discard (while it is flavorful, it is high in fat). Chop the meat and discard any bits of bone or cartilage. Place a dutch oven or large skillet over medium high heat and add the bell pepper, onion and olive oil. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is translucent and the bell pepper is soft. Add the garlic to the skillet and let it cook for about 2-3 minutes, or just until you can start to smell it. If you plan on cooking this in your slow cooker, you can now turn your cooker on and add the contents of your skillet. If you're cooking this in the dutch oven on your stovetop, lower the heat to medium low.

Add the tomato products and stir. Open the cans of kidney beans and drain and rinse them. Add them and all the other ingredients in the cooking vessel. Stir to combine, cover and let cook. If cooking in the slow-cooker, your chili will be done in about 2 hours if cooked on high, or 4 hours if cooked on low. If cooking on the stove, it will be done in 1 1/2 hours over medium low or 2 1/2 hours over low.

It's even better to make the chili the day before and store it in the friedge to be warmed up the next day. To cool it quickly, place ice from several trays in your sink. Fill your storage container or containers with chili, then nestle them into the ice and then add water until at least 1/2 but no more than 3/4 of the dishes are underwater. Let them rest until the ice melts and stir the chili occasionally to cool it evenly. Once it's cool to the touch you can cover them and place them in your refrigerator. The next day, pour the chili back into your slow-cooker or dutch oven and cook on low for 30 minutes to an hour or until it's steaming and warmed through. The flavor will be significantly better, and you'll be able to taste it to determine if you need to adjust the spices or add salt or sugar.
Serves 8-12.

Thanks to Gapers Block

Labels: beans, brownsugar, cayenne, chili, cilantro, cinnamon, cumin, garlic, honey, hot, onion, paprika, stock, tomatoes, turkey

Posted by Steve at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post

Speedy Stout Mocha Freeze

• 1 quart coffee ice cream
• 1 cup stout
• 1 cup grated dark semisweet chocolate (I used Valrhona)

Soften ice cream in microwave for 15-30 seconds.

Place in bowl of a large stand mixer.

Mix in stout and grated chocolate.

Mixture will be soft - pour into 1 cup ramekins and freeze until firm - about 4 hours.

Serve with more stout.

Thanks to Lucy Saunders

Spicy Spiked Ice Cream

• 12 oz. barleywine or spicy brew
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 oz. orange liqueur
• 1 large egg plus one yolk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream

Blend barleywine with cinnamon, liqueur, egg and yolk, sugar, and milk in quart top of double-boiler. Whisk till smooth.

Simmer in top of double boiler to make a custard, stirring often with the whisk to prevent clumping or curdling.

When thick, remove from heat and let cool.

Mix in cream and strain.

Chill mixture in refrigerator for about an hour.

Freeze in ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Makes around 2 quarts.

Thanks to Lucy Saunders

Labels: chocolate, cinnamon, cream, eggs, ice cream, milk, sugar

Posted by Steve at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments | links to this post