Monday, May 7, 2007

Cheddar and Beer Soup with Tempura Broccoli Florets

  • 4 ounces butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup minced onions
  • 1/4 cup minced celery
  • Salt
  • Cayenne
  • 1 (12-ounce) bottle light beer
  • 4 cups chicken stock
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 pound sharp Cheddar, grated
  • Dash hot red pepper sauce
  • Tempura Broccoli Florets, recipe follows
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Tempura Broccoli Florets:
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch
  • 1 large egg, beaten
  • 1 cup seltzer water
  • 8 fresh broccoli florets, blanched
  • Salt and cayenne

1. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 4 minutes to make a blond roux. Add the onions and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 2 minutes or until the vegetables are wilted.
2. Stir in the beer and stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the milk and cheese. Continue to cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt and hot sauce.
3. Reduce the heat and keep warm. To serve, ladle the soup into each bowl. Garnish with the Tempura Florets and parsley.

Tempura Broccoli Florets:

1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, egg, and seltzer water. Mix well to make a smooth batter. Season with salt and cayenne. Dip each floret into the batter, shaking off any excess. Carefully add the battered broccoli to the oil and fry until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

Serves 8

Thanks to Tarah

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Monday, April 16, 2007

Sam Adams Chocolate Cream Stout Cake

Yield: 6 Servings
  • 4 TB butter
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 cup Samuel Adams Cream Stout
  • 4 TB cocoa powder
  • Optional
  • Whipped cream
  • Chocolate sauce
Butter an 8-inch cake pan with 2 tablespoons of the butter and pre-heat the over to 350 degrees F.

Cream the remaining butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the egg and the egg yolk.

Sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder into a separate bowl.

Stir the Samuel Adams Cream Stout into the cocoa.

Alternately fold the flour and beer mixture into the butter and sugar mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 30-35 minutes, or until firm to the touch.

Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before turning the cake onto a wire rack.

Leave the cake to completely cool before slicing.

If you like, serve with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

Thanks to Steve

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Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Prawn & Fennel Fritters

  • 300g (2 cups) plain flour
  • 1 375ml btl lager beer
  • 2 eggs, at room temperature
  • 500g cooked school prawns, peeled
  • 2 baby (about 300g) fennel bulbs, tough outer leaves removed, halved, thinly sliced crossways
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh continental parsley leaves
  • 1 red onion, halved, each half cut into 6 wedges
  • 2 egg whites
  • 100ml (5 tbs) olive oil

wholegrain mustard mayonnaise
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 1/2 tbs fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tsp wholegrain mustard
  • Salt & freshly ground black pepper
  • 185ml (3/4 cup) olive oil

To make the wholegrain mustard mayonnaise, place the egg yolks, lemon juice, mustard and a pinch of salt in the bowl of a food processor or in a blender. With the motor running, gradually add the oil in a thin, steady stream until the mixture is thick and pale. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until required.

Sift the flour into a medium bowl and make a well in the centre. Whisk together the beer and eggs in a jug. Add to the flour and use a wooden spoon to stir until just combined. Add the prawns, fennel, parsley and onion, and stir until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Use an electric beater to beat the egg whites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Use a large metal spoon to fold half the egg whites into the prawn mixture until just combined. Repeat with remaining egg whites.

Heat 1 tbs of the oil in large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter into pan, cooking 3 fritters at a time, and cook for 3 minutes or until golden underneath. Turn and cook for a further 1 minute or until golden underneath. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and batter in 4 more batches (with only 2 fritters in the last batch).

Serve immediately with the mayonnaise.

Thanks to Taste.com

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Sunday, March 18, 2007

Beef and Guinness Pie

  • 2 lb boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup Guinness or other Irish stout
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs
  • Rough puff pastry dough
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Special equipment: 4 (14-oz) deep bowls or ramekins (4 to 5 inches wide; see Shopping List, page 301) or similar-capacity ovenproof dishes


Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Pat beef dry. Stir together flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef, turning to coat, then shake off excess and transfer to a plate. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl.

Add onion, garlic, and water to pot and cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot and stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef with any juices accumulated in bowl, broth, beer, Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns, and thyme and bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven. Braise until beef is very tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard thyme and cool stew completely, uncovered, about 30 minutes. (If stew is warm while assembling pies, it will melt uncooked pastry top.)

Put a shallow baking pan on middle rack of oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.

Divide cooled stew among bowls (they won't be completely full). Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges and cut dough into quarters. Stir together egg and water and brush a 1-inch border of egg wash around each square. Invert 1 square over each bowl and drape, pressing sides lightly to help adhere. Brush pastry tops with some of remaining egg wash and freeze 15 minutes to thoroughly chill dough.

Bake pies in preheated shallow baking pan until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake 5 minutes more to fully cook dough.

Thanks to bbs.chrismoore.com

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Thursday, March 15, 2007

Irish Pumpkin Pie

  • 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

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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Apple Beignets Recipe

  • 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

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Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Prawn Fritters with Tomato Salsa

3/4 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup beer
1 egg, lightly beaten
300g green prawns, peeled, deveined
5 spring onions (see note), trimmed
olive oil, for shallow-frying

Tomato salsa
250g cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 spring onion, trimmed, finely chopped
1/4 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Make salsa: Combine tomatoes, onion, coriander, oil, vinegar and salt and pepper in a bowl. Cover and set aside.

Combine flour and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add beer and egg. Stir until batter is smooth.

Chop prawns and 1 onion. Stir into batter. Thinly slice remaining onions into rounds.

Pour enough oil into a large, non-stick frying pan to cover base. Heat over medium heat. Add 6 onion slices to pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden. Top each with 1 tablespoonful prawn mixture. Place 1 onion slice on each prawn fritter. Cook fritters for 3 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a wire rack. Cover and keep warm.

Place fritters on plates. Top with tomato salsa. Season with pepper and serve.

Thanks to Taste.com.au

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Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Beer Batter Squid

  • 2-1/2 pounds squid
  • 1-1/2 cups rye flour
  • 1 tbsp peanut oil
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 cans or bottles of beer (12 ounces each)
  • 5 egg whites, beaten until stiff but not dry
  • 4 cups vegetable oil
  • 2 bunches curly parsley

To clean squid, remove purplish skin and separate head and tentacles from the body. Separate tentacles from the head and discard the head. Remove and discard the transparent quill from the body. Wash out the interior of the squid body. Dry on paper towels. Cut squid body into 1/2-inch-wide rings; leave tentacles uncut.

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Whisk in beer a little at a time. Carefully fold in the egg whites.

Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 375 degrees F. Dip the squid rings and tentacles into the batter and fry in the deep fat for 2-1/2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm.

Dry the parsley very well and plunge into the deep fat for 20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Arrange the squid in a ring on a large platter and top with the parsley. Serve hot.
Yield: 4 servings

Thanks to Robert

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Monday, February 12, 2007

Brown Ale Beer Shoo Fly Pie

  • 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

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Sheperd's Pie

Serves 6 to 8

Filling
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 large onion, chopped fine
  • 2 medium carrots , peeled and chopped fine
  • 2 pounds 85% lean ground beef
  • Table salt and ground black pepper
  • 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup beer
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 cup frozen peas
Topping
  • 2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes . peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
  • Table salt
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
  • 1/3cup heavy cream , warmed
  • Ground black pepper
  • 1 large egg , beaten

1. For the filling: Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onion and carrots and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add meat, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, breaking up meat into small pieces with wooden spoon, until browned, about 12 minutes. Add flour and tomato paste and cook until paste begins to darken, about 1 minute.

2. Add cream and cook about 1 minute. Add broth, beer, soy sauce, and thyme and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is thick but still saucy, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in peas, adjust seasonings, and transfer to broiler safe 2-quart casserole dish.

3. For the topping: Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Bring potatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and water to cover to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain potatoes, return to saucepan, and mash potatoes with butter and cream until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Spread potatoes over filling, using spatula to smooth top. Brush with egg and drag fork across top to make ridges. Bake until filling is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Turn on broiler and cook until top is golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Serve.

Thanks to WhatDidYouEat?

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Saturday, February 3, 2007

Southern Chocolate-Stout Beer Pecan Pie

  • 2 cups pecans, halved
  • 1 bottle (12 ounces) double-chocolate stout beer or porter beer
  • 1 cup light corn syrup
  • 1 cup light brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, cut up
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 (9-inch) ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (or 9-inch frozen pie crust, thawed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Scatter pecans on a baking sheet and toast lightly in oven, about 7 minutes. Let cool. Chop 1 cup of the pecans and set aside.

In large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring beer, corn syrup and light brown sugar to a boil; reduce heat to medium and gently boil 7 minutes, stirring once.

Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate and butter until melted and smooth; let cool 7 minutes or until just warm. Add eggs, vanilla and salt to chocolate mixture; whisk until just blended. Stir in chopped pecans.

Pour into prepared pie shell. Arrange remaining cup of pecans on top of filling.

Bake 40 minutes, or until crust is golden and filling is puffed and set. Cool completely.

Serves 8.

Thanks to the NorthWest Herald

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Super Bowl Sunday Snacks

  • 3 cups flour
  • 2 eggs, separated - which means you separate the egg white from the egg yolk.
  • 1 cup beer
  • 4 tablespoons butter, melted
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 large onions, sliced into rings
  • 2 quarts oil for frying

Place 2 cups of the flour into a large bowl. Set remaining cup of flour aside to use for dipping the onion rings before frying. In another large bowl, whisk egg yolks. Mix in beer, butter and salt. Stir the egg-yolk mixture into the flour and mix well.

Allow the mixture to stand 30 to 60 minutes. Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a small bowl, beat the egg whites. Gently combine the egg whites with the batter.

Coat each onion ring with remaining flour and dip into batter. Deep-fry the battered rings, several at a time, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels before serving.

Thanks to The Daily Toreador

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Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Super-Easy Beer Bread

3 c. self-rising flour
2 T. sugar
1/2 t. salt
12 oz. beer (any variety, room temperature)
one egg
1 T water

Mix together flour, sugar and salt until well-melded. Add beer, and stir until a soft dough forms. Place dough in loaf pan and spread out evenly. Allow to rise for 15 minutes.

Brush with egg mixed with water. Bake at 375 degrees for one hour.

Thanks to momilies

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Onion Soup With Pretzel-Cheese Dumplings

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 pounds onions, sliced thin
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 12 ounces dark ale, preferably altbier
  • 6 cups chicken or beef stock
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 4 branches fresh thyme
  • 2 cups packaged pretzel nuggets
  • 11/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese, more for serving
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard.

Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan. Add onions and sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are golden, about 40 minutes. Add 1 cup ale and stir, scraping pot to release caramelized particles. Add stock. Simmer 30 minutes. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Add thyme and set aside one hour or longer to infuse.

Pulse pretzels in a food processor or place in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin to make coarse crumbs. Mix in a bowl with cheese. Lightly beat eggs, whisk in mustard and remaining ale and stir this mixture into pretzel crumbs and cheese. Form mixture into 18 dumplings about the size of Ping-Pong balls, place on a platter and cover until ready to cook.

About 20 minutes before serving, fill a 3-quart saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into water and simmer gently 15 minutes. While dumplings simmer, remove thyme from soup. Reheat soup.

Ladle soup into bowls. Use a slotted spoon to transfer 3 to 4 dumplings to each bowl. Serve, with additional grated cheese on the side.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Thanks to nytimes.com

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Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Beer Bread

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 12 ounces beer (NOT light beer)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 eggs, slightly beaten

Mix flour, baking powder, and salt with sugar. Add beer and egg both at once and stir. You may have to knead last of flour in with hands. Place in greased 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees until done - about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove from pan immediately and cool.

Thanks to crazybone.tk

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Thursday, January 11, 2007

Chocolate Stout Cake

Adapted from Bon Appetit, Sept. 2002. From the Barrington Brewery in Mass.
  • 2 cups stout (such as Guinness)
  • 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch process)
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 1/3 cups sour cream
Icing:
  • 2 cups whipping cream
  • 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
For cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with 1 inch sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter paper.

Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda and 11/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend.

Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean; about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack to cool completely.

For Icing: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer on plate, Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake. Serves 12.

Link

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Thursday, January 4, 2007

Beer Ice Cream

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

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Beef Pot Pie

Adapted from "Joy of Cooking," by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker
  • 2 pounds boneless stew meat such as chuck, short-rib meat or bottom round, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried herbs (thyme, marjoram, savory, oregano and/or basil)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil, bacon fat or beef drippings
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 1 small rib celery, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 to 3 cups beef or chicken stock, dry red or white wine, or beer
  • 2 to 3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 3 to 4 boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
  • Minced parsley
  • Dough for 1 double-crust 10-inch pie, or 2 12-ounce containers refrigerated biscuit dough
  • 2 tablespoons beaten egg (about 1/2 large egg)
Pat meat dry and season with herbs, salt and black pepper. Dredge in flour. Heat oil or drippings in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When hot, shake excess flour off meat and place pieces in Dutch oven in batches, being careful not to crowd. Brown on all sides and remove with slotted spoon as pieces finish browning.

When all pieces are browned, pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil (or add more if necessary) and add chopped onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cover and cook, stirring often, over medium heat until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Return meat to Dutch oven.

Add bay leaves, salt, black pepper and enough stock, wine or beer to cover meat at least halfway.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until meat is fork-tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Add chunks of carrots, potatoes and turnips and parsnips if desired, then cover and cook until vegetables are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Add additional stock, water, wine or beer as necessary to prevent scorching.

Remove pot from heat. Skim off any fat from surface, remove bay leaves, add parsley and adjust seasonings.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place one layer of pie dough in 2 1/2 quart casserole dish, fitting into bottom and sides and leaving overhang. Pour beef stew into prepared casserole and top with second layer of dough. Trim, leaving generous (1/2 inch) overhang, then crimp to seal.

Brush with beaten egg and bake 30 to 40 minutes, until crust is golden-brown and filling is bubbling.

If using biscuits, layer bottom of 2 1/2 quart casserole dish with biscuit rounds, overlapping if necessary. Pour in filling. Bake for 30 minutes, then add layer of biscuit rounds on top of filling and bake an additional 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Serves 4 to 6.

Thanks to Amy at the Pittsburgh Post Gazette

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