Beer on a Plate
Now you can drink your homebrew and eat it, too! As any gourmand worth his salt knows, beer marries with food as well as wine does — and sometimes beer works even better. The bite of hops, the sweetness of malt and the bready tang of yeast add rich flavors and complexity to a variety of dishes. Beer can be the superstar in traditional “beer cuisine” like Flemish beef stew (carbonnade la flamande) and beer-battered onion rings. It also can be a key component in dressings for salads, marinades for meats, delicate broths for seafood and much more.
Beer as an ingredient is not a new food fad. People have been cooking with beer since the Middle Ages, when it was a staple of their diet. The citizens of the Middle Ages cooked with beer because it was available; we carry on the tradition because of the remarkable flavors beer imparts to dishes. When used as a marinade, beer will tenderize meat. Soaking fish in beer will remove any fishy character and lend a delicate balance. A reduction of beer makes an excellent glaze, a dark color and sweet caramel coating. Homebrew, which is alive with yeast and carbonation, acts as a leavening agent; it makes breads moist and makes batter coatings, as well as pancakes, light and buoyant.
Pairing beer and cheese is a perfect marriage of flavors. The classic Welsh rarebit is simply cheese thinned with beer, and it also can be used as the liquid in fondue.
So whether you use beer to steam your hotdogs, or want to venture into the flavorful world of beer cuisine by incorporating it into your recipes and trying new ones, here are a few rules to follow. These will ensure your culinary success.
Cooking with Beer: The Basic Rules and Regs
1. Never use beer that you would not drink. If the beer is not palatable, it will not add to the dish. Use your best homebrew; you won’t regret it.
2. Beer should add nuances and depth to a dish, but not dominate it.
3. Cooking and simmering concentrates flavors. Do not use an IPA or Imperial Stout in a stew that you would simmer for three hours. The bitterness will be overwhelming and ruin the stew. If you want to use a bitter, hoppy beer in a slow-cooked meal, stir in a small amount during the last five minutes of cooking.
4. This is the most important rule. It applies not only to cooking with beer, but also to pairing beer with foods. Always remember the three C’s: Cut, Contrast and Complement. The following are examples of the three Cs:
Cut the heat and spice of a fiery jerk chicken by marinating it in IPA. Serve a soothing light lager with the chicken to contrast the heat of the chicken.
Contrast the assertive flavors of smoked German sausages or Polish kielbasa by making a gravy with a malty Oktoberfest. Complement the smoke in the meats with a classic German rauchbier.
Complement the tender, delicate flavor of squid in beer-batter fried calamari by using a light, dainty German wheat beer in the batter. The beer to drink with this meal is a hoppy American IPA. The bitter hops will cut the oil you used to fry the squid. Bitterness cuts through fat.
Our Beer Menu: A Flavorful Homebrew Feast
This menu is easy and elegant at the same time. It’s a perfect menu for guests. Just add some warm, crusty beer bread with individual dishes of extra-virgin olive oil that have been warmed with a clove of garlic, a sprig of rosemary and hot pepper flakes.
Serve a simple salad of baby greens with a raspberry ale or gueuze vinaigrette. We always finish our meal with a strong Belgian ale. We find that the Belgian ales, maybe because of the spices in the beer and the spicy properties of the yeast, make an excellent digestif. Enjoy!
Lager and Lime Shrimp Appetizer
Yield: 4 as an appetizer
This festive appetizer is adapted from my brother’s recipe. Michael and his wife Sharon live in New Mexico and slightly different versions of this dish are served all over the Southwest. It is traditional to serve saltine crackers with this, but freshly made tortilla chips are a delicious accompaniment. Be sure to present the shrimp in an icy margarita glass. You can drink the same lager that is used in the recipe, but we prefer a Vienna lager.
Ingredients
1 16-oz. bottle of light lager (Kölsch, Czech Pils or helles), reserving two tablespoons
1 pound large shrimp (21–24 per pound)
1 large ripe tomato (approximately 8 oz.), seeded and roughly chopped
1/2 cup tomato juice
2 tablespoons reserved beer
1 tablespoon tequila
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 medium Haas avocado, cut in cubes
1/2 medium sweet red pepper (chopped)
5 tablespoons diced Vidalia or sweet onion
1/2 cup diced celery
4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium or large minced fresh jalapeno (depending on heat level)
4 slices of lime for garnish
4 sprigs of fresh cilantro for garnish
Saltine crackers or freshly-made tortilla chips
Method
Devein the shrimp, leaving the shell intact. In a saucepan, cover the shrimp with the beer. Slowly bring to a boil and simmer one to two minutes. The shrimp should turn pink. Cool the shrimp in the liquid. Drain, peel the shrimp and cut into three pieces. Chill.
In a food processor or blender add the tomato, tomato juice, reserved beer, tequila, lime juice, garlic, Tabasco, salt, pepper and cumin. Blend until it is smooth.
Combine the shrimp, avocado, red pepper, onion, celery, cilantro and jalapeno. Chill for one hour.
Serve in a margarita glass with the lime and cilantro garnish and crackers or chips on the side.
Warm German Potato Salad With Beer Dressing
This warm potato salad is full of robust flavors that will stand up and accompany the steak perfectly. Not a run-of-the-mill mayo-laden salad, this German alternative has deep flavor and a bit of a bite. If you’re just having this as a snack, pour yourself a tall glass of German weissbier to complement the salad.
Ingredients
5 Yukon Gold potatoes (approximately 2 to 2-1/4 pounds)
5 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch strips (approx. 1 pound)
1/4 cup chopped white onion
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup German wheat beer
1/3 cup cider vinegar, divided in half
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon German whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon chopped dill pickle
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green part only)
1/8 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley (for garnish)
Hungarian sweet paprika for garnish
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (optional)
Method
In a large saucepan, boil potatoes with enough salted water to cover by one inch and simmer until just tender. Peel and slice when they are cool enough to handle. While potatoes are cooking, in a medium skillet cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels.
Drain potatoes and slice. Combine with the bacon. Cover and keep warm.
Pour all but two tablespoons of bacon fat from the skillet. Sauté the white onion in the bacon fat until tender (not brown) with salt and pepper. Add the beer, half of the vinegar, sugar, mustard and dill pickle and simmer two to three minutes. Add the sautéed onion mixture to the potato-bacon mixture. Add the remaining vinegar, dill, celery, green onions and salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently, garnish with parsley, paprika and optional hard-boiled eggs. Serve immediately.
Porterhouse Steaks
(Marinated in Scotch Ale and Smothered with Beer-Caramelized Onions and Scotch Gravy)
Yield: 4 generous servings
Cooking the perfect steak is an art form. It takes knowledge, a great cut of meat, a hot grill and a sublime marinade. Smother the steak with onions that have been caramelized in Scotch ale. This is steak with an attitude, so make sure you have enough Scotch ale for the cook! If you find that Scotch ale is too heavy for your guests, a Scottish 80-shilling ale will also be nice. Any leftover steak can be sliced thin and served on a Caesar salad the next day.
Ingredients
4 porterhouse steaks (1-1/2 inches thick)
2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Generous grindings of sea salt and black pepper
Marinade
16 ounces Scotch ale
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cloves of garlic minced
4 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Caramelized onions:
3 large Vidalia or sweet onions, sliced
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
4 ounces Scotch ale
Gravy:
4 ounces sliced portobello mushrooms, gills removed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons Scotch ale
3 tablespoons Scotch whiskey
10 ounces heavy cream
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Hungarian sweet paprika
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Chopped parsley for garnish
Method
Whisk the marinade ingredients together. Put the steaks in Ziploc bags and divide the marinade evenly between the bags. Marinate in the refrigerator for 8–12 hours. Remove the steaks from the marinade and let them come to room temperature. To prevent curling, slit the fat at two-inch intervals. The grill should be clean and well oiled. If using a charcoal grill the coals should be white-hot. Pre-heat a gas grill for 10 minutes before grilling the steaks. Cook to desired doneness, either rare at 130° F (5 minutes for the first side, six minutes for the second side) or medium-rare at 145° F (7 minutes for the first side, eight minutes for the second). To sear the steaks, leave the lid off for the first two minutes of cooking on each side. If anyone wants this steak well-done, serve them a hamburger. Use tongs, not a fork, to handle the steak. Turn only once. When the steak is done, take it off the grill and put 1/2 tablespoon of butter on each and sprinkle with sea salt. Cover with foil and let rest five minutes. Serve with the onions and gravy.
To caramelize the onions: Melt the butter in a cast-iron pan. Add the onion with salt and pepper. Over medium heat, brown the onion, stirring occasionally. When the onions begin to brown, add the Scotch ale one ounce at a time. Let the beer evaporate before adding the next ounce. After all of the Scotch ale has been added, the onions should be deep brown and nicely caramelized. Adjust for salt and pepper. Keep the onions warm while you make the gravy in the same pan. Do not wash the pan after removing the onions.
To make the gravy: In the cast-iron pan used to caramelize the onions, sauté the mushrooms in the butter until all of their liquid has evaporated. Add the Scotch whiskey and carefully ignite to burn off the alcohol. Then add Scotch ale and stir to reduce by half. Add the rest of the ingredients except the parsley garnish and simmer until the gravy has reduced and thickened.
To assemble: Put the steak in a warmed plate, spoon gravy on and around it. Top with the onions and sprinkle the chopped parsley over all.
