Caldo Verde

This soup is a Portuguese Grandma classic. Its basically the national dish for Portugal’s Azores Islands. This home cooked classic combines hearty greens and spicy sausage for a rich satisfying soup. The addition of beer helps cut through and round out the heat.

8oz Linguica sausage – Spicy Portuguese lamb sausage
2 TBLS Olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5# potatoes, peeled and diced
1# Kale, washed and chopped
1.5 cups hoppy beer – American style IPA or hoppy red ale
6.5 cups water or chicken stock
Salt and Pepper

On a stove heat up your favorite soup pot over medium heat. Slice up your sausages and brown them off. Remove sausages from the pot and pour off the grease. Add the olive oil and onions. Sweat the onions. When the onions are translucent add the garlic. Cook together for another minute. Add the sausages back, along with the kale, potatoes, beer, and water/stock. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer. Season soup with salt and pepper. Cook soup until kale is cooked through and potatoes are soft. Serve soup along side your favorite crusty bread.

Classic Texas Chili

With football on the tube and a chill in the air, its nearly impossible to resist a good pot of chili. As a classic Texas chili, this stew will NEVER have beans. If so much as a sliver of a bean makes it into the pot, this ceases to be chile, and becomes nothing more than a spicy stew. With that out of the way here is my recipe for classic chile:

3# chuck roast, cut into a small dice
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 cup home made chile paste, recipe follows
3 tbls cumin
1 can diced tomatoes
2 quarts chicken stock
1.5 cups dark malty beer, bocks and brown ales work great
salt and pepper

In a dutch oven over medium heat, brown, in batches, the chuck roast. Remove meat from the pot and add the onions and garlic. Sweat the the onions and garlic. When onions are translucent add back the meat, along with the chile paste and cumin. Cook together for a minute. Add to that the chicken stock, beer, and tomatoes. Bring chili to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer soup for 2-2.5 hours, or until the meat is tender. Serve and top with shredded cheese and sour cream, or over corn chips for Frito pie, or atop your favorite hot dog or burger.

Chile Paste

A mix of dried chiles – I prefer a blend of Anchos and Pasillas, with a few spicy chiles like Chile de Arbol for some heat.
Boiling water

Heat oven to 450F. Split open the chiles and remove the seeds. Place chiles on a cooking tray. Place chiles in the oven for 1 minute. Remove from the oven and place in a heat safe bowl. Cover the chiles with boiling water. Leave the chiles submerged for 30 minutes, weighting them down if needed. Place the soaked chiles in a blender or food processor. Process adding enough of the soaking liquid to make a loose paste. Pass the paste through a fine mesh strainer. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the fridge.

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	Brewery: Boulevard Brewing Company Beer: Dark Truth Stout Style: Belgian Stout ABV: 9.7% Rating out of 5: 3.85 Boulevard has done some great and interesting things with their smokestack series. This brings us to their entry into the world of Belgian stouts, Dark Truth Stout. This beer pours a nice shade of black. Dark Truth clocks in at a shade just above black hole. Things are topped off by a couple of fingers of dark khaki head. Head settles to a ring somewhat quickly. A fair amount of lacing is left down the glass. The aroma is packed with complexities. Roast characters pop first. Coffee and coco notes standout. Some Belgian yeast hits next. Spice and phenols dominate. A light bubblegum note is present as well. More complexities still pop. Plenty of caramel and toffee notes present. Some light floral notes from the noble hops round things out. The taste is no less complex. Coffee and chocolate dominate. Plenty of dark bready notes. Some medicinal notes hit next. That’s followed by some dark rum and fig qualities. Caramel and toffee present as well. This is quite the sweet stout. Hints of spicy rye show up as well. A creaminess comes through from the oats. Floral and grassy hop notes round things out. The finish is semi drying, with a lingering charred coffee quality and a kiss of alcohol in the breath. Dark truth is full bodied, smooth, and creamy on the palate. Still not quite sure what to make of the Belgian Stout. This particular stout is quite sweet. It’s sweeter than most imperial stouts, or Belgian ales. Boulevard has done an amazing job at hiding the alcohol of this brew. The 9.7% abv is almost nonexistent. This one dangerously drinkable brew. I am not sure I am fully on board with the Belgian Stout. Nonetheless Boulevard has crafted another tasty and highly drinkable brew. Another worthy addition to the Smokestack series.
	Brewery: Jester King Beer: Black Metal Style: Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 10.4% Rating out of 5: 4.3 A traditional farmhouse brewery is open in Texas. This is a good thing. They start things off with an Imperial stout. That is a great thing. Black Metal looks the part. It’s as black as the soul of Olve Eikemo(Immortal reference). Basically its a touch above black hole. Things are topped off by a couple fingers worth of milk chocolate head. Head fades to a ring, leaving some lace in its wake. Black Metal smells the part of a good imperial stout. Deep roasty bitterness shines. Bitter chocolate, and dark roasted coffee stand out. A bit of an herbal quality struggles to make itself known. Some strong earthy notes round things out. The flavor matches the nose. Chocolate notes are much stronger on the palate. Tons of dark chocolate shine. Beneath the chocolate is noticeable dark roasted coffee qualities. A bit of of caramel and licorice pop underneath all the chocolate and coffee. A bit of an earthy bitterness takes hold in the sweetish finish. Black Metal is full bodied, yet not overly viscous. Black Metal is fine example of an imperial stout. The alcohol is kept in check and never becomes overbearing. Its as quaffable as any good imperial stout can be. Props for creating an outstanding stout, and leading off with it to boot. Its always great to see another brewery open in Texas. With quality brews like this I hope they stick around awhile
	Brewery: North Coast Brewing Co. Beer: Old Rasputin Style: Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 9.0% Rating out of 5: 4.33 I have enjoyed this brew many times. I am just now getting around to reviewing it. Old Rasputin pours a deep dark black. It looks the part of used motor oil. It’s not the blackest imperial I have had, but more than dark enough. Things are topped off by about three fingers worth of dark khaki head. Head settles to a ring. Plenty of sticky lace clings to the glass. Onto the aroma. Dark roasted malts hit first. Dark roasted coffee notes stand out first. That’s followed by a healthy dose of sweet milk chocolate. Behind the roasted coffee and chocolate, some licorice notes make an appearance. Some light dark fruit notes help round out the malt. Beneath the malt, a moderate hop presence shines. Herbal, slightly minty hops stand out. A light citrus like quality is present as well. All in all this is one hell of a complex nose. The taste follows the nose. The hops in the nose are much stronger on the palate. Bitter hops hit first. Citrus notes, mostly grapefruit, are much stronger than the nose suggested. Some minty bitterness present as well. Beneath the hops, plenty of dark malts pop. Sweet chocolate takes control. Beneath the chocolate, dark roast coffee notes show up. A much stronger licorice quality is present. Dark fruit, blackberries perhaps, round things out. The finish is drying with a lingering herbal bitterness. Old Rasputin is full bodied and somewhat viscous. A healthy carbonation tries in vain to cut through it all. Old Rasputin was one of the beers back in the day that turned me onto stouts. The alcohol is masked quite well. Rasputin tastes strong but not boozy. It’s definitely a hopped up stout. The hops are more dominate than a lot of imperial stouts. The hop bitterness helps cut the richness a bit. This is one tasty complex brew. All these years later it’s still standing strong.
	Brewery: Oskar Blues Grill and Brewery Beer: Ten Fidy Style: Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 10.5% Rating out of 5: 4.22 Appearance: Opaque black… Light refuses to penetrate… A black hole in my snifter! Short lived milk chocolate head drops to a ring and leaves plenty of lacing. Smell: Loads of dark roasted coffee and chocolate. Some minty hops and touch of molasses in the background. Taste: Roast coffee upfront, followed by dark chocolate. Behind the Roast – dark fruit flavors. Black Currant and raisin flavors show up. In the finish – sweet roastiness, minty hops,and liquorice in the background. Mouthfeel: Full bodied, viscous, with a low carbonation. This is one heck of a complex beer. This may go down as my favorite Russian Imperial Stout to date.
	Brewery: Stone Brewing Company Beer: Imperial Russian Stout Style: Russian Imperial Stout ABV: 10.5% Rating out of 5: 4.33 This beer pours an inky black. Light tries in vain to penetrate the blackness. Its an act in futility. Crowning the blackness is a dark khaki head. The head falls to a ring, but leaves plenty of lace down the glass. The aroma packs a wallop. Solid coffee and dark chocolate. Plenty of black strap molasses present as well. A light bit of fruitiness – black currents – rounds things out. As the beer warms noticeable solvent alcohol aromas show up as well. The flavor is equally impressive. Loads of coffee waft over the tongue. Plenty of dark chocolate is present as well. Molasses soaked coffee beans and a hint of liquorice seem to round out the middle. As the beer warms up, the alcohol starts to show up. The finish packs plenty more roast, as well as a bit of a lingering herbal hop note. The mouthfeel is full bodied and thick. The beer coats the tongue in velvety bliss. The carbonation is light but more than adequate for the job. Man oh man is this one epic brew. Its a sipper to be sure. Loads of complexity await each delicious sip. Its very easy drinking upfront. The alcohol seems almost non existent. AS the beer warms up, the alcohol becomes much more prevalent. The last few sips definitely have an alcohol bite. All in all though this is still one incredible brew.

Those are just a few of the wonderful stouts our country makes. There are many more out there to enjoy today, and really any time of year. To make this day even more enjoyable you may want to pair your favorite stout with your favorite chocolate dessert….Perhaps something along the lines of beer infused cheescake…Just a suggestion. Anyways I hope I have given you something to drool over as you decide what to celebrate with today.

Some of the most satisfying dishes on the planet, also happen to be some of the simplest. Whether we are talking about roast chicken, pot roast, or a pot of soup, simplicity can be very soul satisfying. Fall temps are starting to take hold in parts of the country. Cool weather won’t too far behind around here. With the cooler temps, nothing may be more satisfying than a nice pot of soup. For a simple and tasty soup, its hard to beat a rich bowl of onion soup. I kindly offer up my recipe for a classic onion soup:

French By Way of Britain Onion Soup

2 tbl Butter
2 tbl olive oil
7 medium yellow onions
1.5 cups Stout or Porter beer*
1.5 cups beef stock
2 cups water
1 tbl sherry vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Toasted croutons(optional)
Gruyere cheese, shredded(optional)

Start off by cutting the onions in half. Cut the onions into thin slices. Place the sliced onions into bowl large enough to hold them. Season the onions with about two teaspoons of salt. Mix well. In a large pot, an enameled cast iron dutch oven works best, heat the butter and oil over a medium high heat. Add the onions. Once the onions start cooking they will release a fair bit of water. Cook over medium high heat until the the water has evaporated and the onions just start to take on color. Reduce the heat and caramelize the onions. The lower the heat the better. I prefer to crank the stove down low and slowly caramelize the onions over several hours. You can boost the heat up if you want to shorten the cook time. Once the onions are caramelized, add the beer, beef stock, and water. Bring the soup to a simmer. Check the seasoning, add salt and pepper as needed. Simmer the soup for thirty minutes. Add the sherry vinegar, and check the seasoning one last time. The soup is now ready to serve, and it’s good as is.

For a classic presentation, portion out the soup into oven safe bowls. Top the soup with croutons and shredded Gruyere cheese. Place the bowls on a sheet pan underneath the broiler. Cook the cheese until bubbling and golden. Remove from the oven and serve.

* For the beer I would opt against a lighter stout, or coffee/chocolate infused beer. So its best to avoid Irish style stouts. I would also avoid coffee stouts/porters. My personal choice would be a nice oatmeal stout, such as Breckenridge, or Samuel Smiths. Any full flavored stout or porter will work great though.

Now on to business. With this chill in the air, its a good time to crank up that oven of yours. In an effort to take back restaurant fair, I offer up a simple and delicious calzone recipe. All calzones begin with pizza dough. Pizza dough isn’t a difficult thing to make at home. This simple dough recipe, thanks to the awesomeness of metric, can easily be doubled/tripled/etc. You can easily portion it off and freeze it for future use.

Pizza Dough

500g Bread flour
1/2 Tbl salt
1/2 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl Olive Oil
1 packet/ 2.25 Tsp yeast
325 ml dark malty beer, such as a bock or brown ale, heated to 115f

In the bowl of a stand mixer combine beer, yeast, sugar, and oil. Stir to combine and let proof for 10 minutes. Attach the dough hook, and add the flour and salt. Mix until dough comes to together, adding more flour if dough is too sticky. Knead the dough until smooth and springy to the touch – 30-40 minutes with a stand mixer. Dough should have some good elasticity.

Remove dough from bowl. Lightly oil the bowl and the dough. Return to bowl and cover w/ a damp towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. Punch dough the dough and lightly knead it to work out the air. Now the dough is ready to use. At this point you can also portion out and wrap the dough for future use. Pizza dough freezes quite well.

Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Calzone

1 recipe pizza dough
1 bunch broccoli rabe, rinsed and trimmed
1/2 pound mild or sweet Italian sausage
Shredded mozzarella
Pesto*
water
1 egg+ 1 Tbl water

Heat oven to 400f. To make the calzone filling bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain the greens, and squeeze out as much water as you can. Chop the cooked greens. While greens are cooking, take the sausages out of their casing. In a pan, break up the sausages and cook until jits no longer pink. Combine the broccoli rabe and sausage together in a bowl.

Now to make the calzones. Separate the dough out into 6 balls. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Take the balls and roll them out into approximately 10 inch circles. Place some shredded cheese off center. top with a 1/3 cup of the cooled filling. Top with a tbls of pesto, and then more cheese. Wet you fingers and run them along the edge of half the dough. Fold the other half of the dough over the filling. Using a fork press down and seal the edges together. Using a sharp knife, cut a couple of slits in the top of the dough. Brush the egg wash on the dough Move calzones to a hot pizza stone, or sheet pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.

*Home made pesto

1 bunch basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup parmigiano reggiano cheese
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt

In bowl of a food processor combine the basil, pine nuts, cheese, and garlic. Pulse a few times to chop. Add in a steady stream the olive oil until mixture comes together. Taste pesto and season with salt. Store in a fridge with plastic wrap touching the pesto. Properly stored this pesto will last about a week.

Now with the political ranting over, we can focus on the real reason Nov 2 is important; Divine Reserve 10 will be released by Saint Arnold. Since moving to their larger brewing facility, they have upped the capacity for this Divine Reserve release. Twice as much of the 10 has been brewed compared to the 9. This stuff will still sell out quickly, but will be a little easier to acquire. The brew itself is an English style barley wine. The brew was the result of the 2010 Big Batch Brew Bash, an annual home brewing contest held by the local club KGB. While we all wipe the drool from our collective faces, I guess we can reflect on past DR releases:

Saint Arnold Brewing Company
Divine Reserve 5
10% ABV
Imperial Stout
Rating out of 5: 4.7

Appearance: Opaque black with a brown head. The head is short lived and quickly falls to a thin ring that leaves lacing all the way down.

Smell: roasted/burnt coffee. Sweet chocolate. There’s also a slight floral hop note in the background.

Taste: Incredible from the first sip to the last. There is a roast/burnt dark chocolate flavor. The floral hop notes in the aroma again make an appearance in the finish. The hop presence is just enough to balance out the roasty dark malts.

Mouthfeel: Thick and velvety smooth

Drinkability: Where is the 10%ABV…No seriously where is it? This beer is highly drinkable. The alcohol is well masked.

Overall this is one hell of an imperial stout. Hands down the best Divine Reserve and the best Saint Arnold brew to date. I’m sure this beer will age nicely over the next couple of years or so. I say why bother aging it, when its drinking so wonderfully right now.

The newest Divine Reserve pours a murky brown. Things are topped off by a short khaki head. The head quickly dissipates to a ring. Plenty of lacing is left down the glass.

The aroma does not disappoint. The nose packs plenty of sweet caramel and toffee. There are some light fruity esters. A bit of smoky peat and earthiness round things out.

The taste packs a wallop. Tons of caramel malt upfront. Caramel blends in with some sticky toffee notes. Raisins show up mid palate. That’s followed by some light chocolate notes notes. Plenty of sweet brown sugar shows up near the end. The finish is sweet with a lingering earthy/peat quality.

This beer is full bodied and velvety on the tongue. The carbonation is more than adequate.

This is another topnotch addition to the Divine Reserve series. It is one of the best scotch ales i have had the pleasure of drinking. It goes down smooth. Quite the easy drinker, especially given its strength.

DR9 pours a deep dark near black. Things are topped off by a short khaki head. Some lacing is left down the glass.

The aroma doesn’t disappoint. A perfect holiday spice blend shines. Notes of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and a hint of ginger dominate upfront. Behind the spice is some dark roasted malt. A touch of coffee and chocolate round things out.

Despite the strong showing in the nose, the spice doesn’t overwhelm the palate. Plenty of spice come through though. Like the nose nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, and a more pronounced ginger shine. Behind the spice is a definite alcohol bite. The coffee notes are much more pronounced. The finish is chocolaty with a lingering spice quality. The mouthfeel is full bodied and velvety smooth.

This is one top notch brew. It tastes wonderfully of the holidays, without overdoing the spices. Unlike other spiced brews, the spices here do not lower drinkability. The brew seems to be drinking a bit young. The alcohol bite is a slight distraction. With some age on it, 6 months to a year, this beer will be insanely good.

Black Breakfast
Style – American Stout
Est O.G. – 1.067
Est. ABV – 6.88

10# Maris Otter malt .5# Pale Chocolate malt .5# Chocolate malt 1# Roasted Barley 1# Flaked Oats 1# molasses 1oz Nugget @ 60min

mash @ 152
Ferment w/ your favorite American ale strain – Go w/ the Sierra Nevada strain from your choice of companies – Wyeast 1056, Whitelabs 001 California Ale, or what I prefer the dried US-05 from Safale – cheaper but equal to the liquids. Dry bean with 1/4# course ground expresso, or your favorite coffee blend, in a hop bag(any fine mesh bag will work) for 1 to 2 days. Remove coffee when desired profile is acheived.

Lets face it, we devotees of the better brewed pint have collectively decided to support the little guy. At least we think they are the little guys. In increasing numbers it’s becoming hard to determine who the little guys really are. The marketing execs at these mega breweries understand these things. Take for example Coors’ Blue Moon line. The flagship Blue Moon is an underwhelming-but-better-than-macro Belgian style wit. To many non craft regulars this beer is tasty slice of Belgium. This brew has been quite successful for Coors. Yet at the same time they downplay it as one of their own. The marketing makes little to no references to Coors. The marketers are trying to create the image that the Blue Moon line is part of an independent, craft, brewery. Fact is most craft devotees wouldn’t step foot near Blue Moon if it proudly proclaimed to be brewed by Coors. Anheuser Busch has gone down a similar road. They have a few seasonal offerings that are aimed and marketed at the craft world. They also have their Michelob line of beers. In the past Michelob was marketed as simply a premium beer. These days it has been turned into a “craft” line. The marketing has more directly tried to separate Michelob from Anheuser Busch. The offerings under the Michelob brand have grown to include some craft style staples. In these cases we are offered beers brewed directly by the big boys. Their reach extends beyond a handful of craft style brews.

Their reach outside the walls of their own breweries is where things can get tricky. It’s here where normal ordinary folks turn into Glenn Beck style lunatics. Ok maybe they aren’t that bad…but still….They whip out pseudo chalkboards and play the Glenn Beck version of six degrees of separation. Still trying to figure out how Anheuser Busch, Chairman Mao, and Obama are directly linked…wait…wait…That may be what Glenn Beck is trying to do… Ok maybe that’s a bit extreme and skewed. Lets face it you don’t need six degrees. These beer ties are usually one degree or less. Anheuser Busch owns 35% of Redhook Brewery. They also hold stakes in Widmer Bros and Goose Island. While they earn some profit off of these companies, its mainly a distribution boost for the breweries involved. Now to make something simple complicated! Redhook, Widmer Bros, Kona Brewing Company, and Goose Island merged to form the Craft Brewers Alliance. The beers are still brewed, sold, and marketed under the original breweries’ names. AB still holds their stakes but does it now reach to Kona as well? Moving away from Anheuser Busch, we come to the Leinenkugel brewery. Leinenkugel is a once independent brewery now wholly owned by SABMiller. Leinenkugel expanded from being just a regional brewery, to entering into the world of craft beers during the eighties. Miller bought the brewery in 1988. Leinenkugel has done well with their craft offerings over the years, of course benefiting Miller in the process…..Hmmm Miller successfully running a craft brewery….good for them……too bad they couldn’t do it here…..from all the beer geeks that call Texas home here’s a collective FUCK YOU for running the Celis brewery into the ground back in the day…….ok side rant over, lets get back on topic. These breweries and the beer they make have remained the same. This ties are just another way for the big boys to make more money.

All of this brings up the important question at hand. Does it matter who is behind the beer in your glass? As someone who considers themselves an advocate of beer, I want to believe what I say I believe – If it’s good drink it. Its easy to apply this mantra to the craft breweries. What about the big boys? In the purest essence of beer advocacy, a tasty porter remains so regardless of which brewery made it. That said each dollar given to the big three, is one not given to a true craft brewery. With that another great craft brewery could go under. Many people boycott the big three for this reason. Should this same boycott apply to the folks using the the big three for their brewery’s gain? Ultimately I believe, in this country at least, it really doesn’t matter to me who brews it. Lets face it craft drinkers lack the brand loyalty the big three thrive on. If someone gets turned onto better beer because of AB, Coors, or Miller I suppose its a good thing. Those folks will likely lose their brand loyalty in pursuit of a better pint. In the end craft beer will continue to grow.

Ice cream is the perfect hot weather treat. Beer and ice cream can be the perfect heavenly match. With any culinary creation, there’s science to be had! The science of ice cream is fairly straightforward. When making ice cream your goal is to create the smallest ice crystals possible. Smaller the crystals, the smoother/creamier your scoop. Ice crystal size is proportionate to freeze time. The longer it takes water to freeze, the larger the ice crystals will be. To make the creamiest ice cream possible, you want to freeze your base as quickly as possible. A standard ice cream maker does an adequate job. Most models can freeze your ice cream in around 30 minutes. With the help of cold science though, you can cut your freeze time to under 5 minutes, or even less!

With your basic salt addition you can realistically lower your ice temps to about 15F. That’s good, yet we can do better. The salt lowers the melting point of ice considerably, but we have colder items we can freeze stuff with! With these significantly colder temps the need for an ice cream maker goes out the window. A new piece of kitchen machinery though does come into play, the glorious stand mixer! The most commonly seen alternate freezing method involves liquid nitrogen. At a frosty -321F it can freeze your ice cream in well under a minute. Just hook your mixer up with the paddle attachment. Add your ice cream base to the mixing bowl. Turn on the mixer at a moderate speed. Add some liquid nitrogen to the mix and watch it freeze. That is definitely your quickest way to make ice cream. Liquid nitrogen has its problems though. The first problem is transporting and storing your liquid nitrogen. You can’t just use any old container for the job. You’ll need a container designed for the job, and those can be pricey. The second problem is with safety. With the extreme temps comes a greater safety risk. This stuff can and will cause insta-frostbite if it directly contacts your body. With those problems in mind, you may want to try a different sub zero coolant.

Instead of liquid nitrogen we can use dry ice. With its solid form and warm, by comparison, -109.3F its a safer alternative. Probably its best quality is its relatively easy to buy. Many grocery stores sell it next to the bags of ice as a freezing/cooling alternative. To freeze the quantity of ice cream in these recipes, you will need about 2# per recipe. To use the dry ice, first bash the hell out of it. You want the ice as close to a powder as you can get it. A hammer works great for this. Follow the same directions as with the liquid nitrogen. Slowly add, in additions, the dry ice. Add a bit and let it evaporate, then add more. Repeat until your ice cream is about the consistency of soft serve. Transfer to a storage container. Place some plastic wrap directly on top of the ice cream, making sure no air is contacting the ice cream. Air would allow the formation ice crystal on top which we don’t want. The plastic wrap protects the ice cream while still allowing the excess co2 to evaporate. Leave the ice cream in the freezer to properly set up.

So now that you have been bored to death with science, we can move onto the recipes:

Vanilla Ice Cream With Belgian Marshmallow And Butterscotch Ripple

Vanilla Ice Cream:

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
5 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean
1.5 tsp salt

In a sauce pan bring the cream to a boil and shut off the heat. Take your vanilla bean and split it in half. Scrape out the seeds and add to the cream along with the vanilla bean itself. Cover and let steep for one hour. To that add your milk, sugar, and salt. Bring the liquid up to a simmer. In a separate bowl whisk your egg yolks together. Temper the yolks by whisking in a bit of the hot cream mixture. Add the tempered yolks into the cream. Stir the mixture until its thickened into a custard consistency Remove from heat. Pass the liquid through a fine mesh strainer to remove the bean and any coagulated solids and into a container. Chill the ice cream base thoroughly. When properly chilled, freeze according to above directions. When the ice cream reaches soft serve consistency, pour in a steady stream the marshmallow cream and butterscotch sauce. Once properly swirled in, transfer the ice cream mix into a storage container and let it set up in the freezer.

Belgian Marshmallow Creme:

3 egg whites
2 cups light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups powdered sugar
12oz Belgian Dubbel or Strong Dark Ale, reduced to a 1/4 cup

Combine the egg whites, syrup, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Whip for 10 minutes until thickened. Slowly add the powdered sugar. To that add the beer reduction. Whip until combined. This marshmallow creme can be used for any recipe that calls for it.

Butterscotch Sauce:

1.5 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup Scotch ale
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a pot over low heat, add the sugar. While stirring, melt the sugar. Once melted, slowly add the butter. Once the butter is combined slowly whisk in the the cream. Once the cream is incorporated add the Scotch ale and vanilla extracted. stir to combine. Bring this mixture to a boil. Remove from heat and let cool. Sauce will keep for about a month.

Chocolate Stout And Chile Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
4 ancho chiles, seeds and veins removed
8oz chocolate, chopped
12oz of your favorite stout(avoid the hoppier brews)
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
5 egg yolks
1/2tsp vanilla extract

Bring the cream to a boil then remove from the heat. Add the ancho chiles. Let them steep for 30 minutes. Discard the chiles from the cream. Bring the cream up to a simmer. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Whisk the mixture until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the milk, stout, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Return the mix to a simmer. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks together. Temper the yolks with a bit of the warm chocolate/cream mix. Add the tempered yolks back into the mix. Stir the mix while its simmering until its thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Pass the liquid through a strainer into a bowl. Chill the mix thoroughly. Freeze according to the method above. Transfer to a container, and let it properly set up in the freezer.

Mango And Guava Sorbet

3 large mangoes chunked up
4 ripe guava, flesh removed from the skin.
12oz Harpoon Crystal Wheat, or other citrusy wheat or wit style ale.
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In a blender combine the mangoes, guava, salt, and sugar. In a saucepan bring the beer to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer. Reduce the beer to 1 cup. Basically you just want to cook off the alcohol. Add the beer to the puree. Blend to combine. Pass this mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Chill this mixture in the fridge. Once chilled freeze as per above. Transfer to a storage container and allow sorbet to properly set up.

These ice creams are perfect for a hot summers day. When ice cream alone simply will not do you can make an adult version of a childhood favorite: A float.

Classic Stout Float

12 oz of your favorite stout
2-3 scoops of your favorite vanilla ice cream

Drop the ice cream in a glass. Top with the stout. Enjoy.

Cherry Covered Chocolate Float

12oz of your favorite cherry ale
2-3 scoops chocolate ice cream.

Add the ice cream to a glass. Top with the beer. Enjoy.

Thank you Trey Parker and Matt Stone for writing the greatest pro American song ever!!

Anyways time to drag this post back into the realm of beer relevance. During this “Screw the British” holiday of ours we should embrace that American style that is a big fat middle finger to British beer tradition: The American IPA and its bastardized sub styles! One of the quintessential English beers, the IPA, has been gloriously bastardized* by brewers from around this great country. The subtlety that has become the English IPA just doesn’t live up to the America’s over-the-topness. This 4th of July enjoy the American IPA and its various sub styles:

Victory Brewing Company
Hop Devil
6.7% ABV
American IPA
Rating out of 5: 3.85

Hopdevil pours a nice dark copper color. Things are topped off by a finger or so of light khaki head. The head settles to a ¼ ring. Head leaves plenty of sticky lace in its wake.

Onto the aroma. Lightly pungent grapefruit hits the nose first. A bit of herbal mint backs things up. Juicy orange notes are present as well. A touch of sweet caramel and very light baked bread notes make an appearance. An overall fruitiness is present as well. Some stone fruit notes,mainly peaches, as well as a hint of apple/pear round out the nose.

The hops are bit more dominate on the palate. Grapefruit notes are more pungent. Stronger mint notes have a drying quality. Some orange peel notes round out the hops. More peach notes show up near the finish. Some light apple notes are present as well. The finish is lightly drying, with a lingering herbal bitterness.

Hopdevil sits near the lightish end of medium bodied. The carbonation is effervescent.

Hopdevil doesn’t wreck the palate with aggressive hops like a typical American IPA. Its a more balanced take on things. If you are hoping for a hop bomb, this ain’t it. For those seeking a lighter, easy drinking IPA, Hopdevil is the perfect choice. In the end this is a well crafted and balanced brew.

Bear Republic Brewing Company
Hop Rod Rye
8.0% ABV
Rye IPA
rating out of 5: 4.65

Color – Murky deep red/mahogany. Off white/Tan head. Thick and creamy head falls to a 1/4 inch. Leaves some beautiful lacing down the glass.

Smell – Hops and lots of em. Very citrusy/orange hops with a bit of light piny-ness. A bit of caramel/toasted and rye malt struggle to make it past the hops.

Taste – Initial taste of toasty caramel malts, with a touch of a biscuity quality. Malt is immediately beaten into submission by the hops. Hops match the nose. Fruity/citrusy/orange hops dominate the palette. The finish is dry and spicy with a long lingering hop bitterness.

Mouthfeel – Chewy with a prickly carbonation.

Overall this is one impressive beer. The rye helps give this beer a defining edge over other DIPA’s. Is it balanced? Screw balance. This beer is a hopheads dream come true. Yet another wonderful brew from the folks at Bear Republic.

Stone Brewing Company
Ruination
7.7% ABV
Double IPA
Rating out of 5: 4.2

Appearance: Hazy Copper. Nice frothy/creamy head. Head falls to a ring. Leaves plenty of lacing down the glass.

Smell: Initial aroma is of hops…loads of hops. Initial burst of floral and piny notes. That’s followed by some earthy citrus/grapefruit. There’s some bready and toasty malt notes in the background.

Taste: Much like the aroma. Initial burst of hops – floral upfront, followed pineapple and grapefruit notes. Earthy and minty notes in the middle. A very smooth hop character. There’s also a constant bready/toasty malt backbone throughout. The finish is dry with a lingering bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a crisp carbonation.

This is one hell of a beer. This beer truly lives up to its name. My taste buds have been wonderfully decimated by loads of delicious hop flavor. It has truly ruined my palate for the evening…and that’s a good thing!

Deschutes Brewing Company
Hop In The Dark
6.5% ABV
Cascadian Dark Ale
Rating out of 5: 4.1

This brew pours a slight shade above pitch black. Things are topped off by a couple of fingers worth of light khaki head. Some lacing is left down the glass.

The aroma is classic American IPA with a bit of a porter/stout layer underneath. Bright citrusy hops hit the nose first. Grapefruit dominates upfront. A bit of juicy orange is present as well. A nice floral hop quality rounds out the hops. Behind the hops is a definite roast quality. Some light coffee and chocolate notes are present. The dark roasty malts never overtake the hops in the nose.

The taste follows the nose closely. Grapefruit and light orange notes hit first. Behind the citrus is a bit of herbal hop quality. Hops waft over the tongue with a drying quality. Each sip encourages you to take another. Behind the onslaught of hops, a bit of roasty dark malt shows up. Light bittersweet chocolate comes into play. Backing things up is some light roasted coffee notes. The finish offers a nice balance between the citrusy hops and the roasted malts. Overall the finish is dry, with some lingering herbal bitterness.

Mouthfeel sits squarely in the range of medium bodied. The carbonation offers an effervescent quality.

Hop In The Dark is a tasty brew. While definitely a hop heads brew, this shouldn’t deter the rest. The brass hop-centric citrus quality makes a porter-esque beer into a very bright, refreshing brew. Its rare that a brew the color of used motor oil manages to be this refreshing. The Cascadian dark ale/Black IPA/Whatever seems to be here to stay. With brews like this I am glad its here to stay.

*In all historical honesty its the British IPA that has become bastardized. The brash over the top American version is much more likely to resemble the original brews being drunk and enjoyed in India a century ago or more.

Do Not Go Gentle Into That Goodnight

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rage at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

So folks lets rage against the semi-homemade, and once again strive to revive the light that is true cooking.

Ok that’s enough quasi-political ranting for now, onto the food. I offer up a simple meal to help get folks back on the path to proper cooking:

Perfect Roast Chicken

Brine

1 small sweet onion, quartered
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 bunch of fresh thyme
2-3 stalks lemongrass – pale green and white parts only(1 small lemon quartered may be subbed)
1/2C kosher salt
1/4C white table sugar
3 cups – 2 bottles – dark malty beer – Bocks, Brown Ales, or dark Belgians work great
5 cups ice cold water

Combine everything except the water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Simmer until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from heat and add ice water.

Roast Chicken

1 Roasting Chicken
2 quarts brine, cooled
1/2 TBSP cracked pepper
1/2 TBSP kosher salt
1/2 TBSP Smoked salt – optional
Butchers twine, or string

Submerge the chicken, in the vessel of your choosing, in the brine. Brine chicken for 6-8 hours. Preheat oven to 450F. Remove the chicken from the brine, and pat dry. Combine the salts and pepper in a bowl. Sprinkle the chicken liberally inside and out with salt/pepper mix. Truss* the chicken. Place the chicken in a roasting pan or oven safe skillet. Place the chicken in the oven. Shut the door and forget about the bird for 45 minutes – 1 hour. To pass the time you can do any number of things. You can read a few chapters from a book, watch five minutes of stand-up from Larry the Cable Guy, or you can even go to the wonderfully illogical extremes and pick something from the wonderfully ludicrous Ruth Bourdain culinary kama sutra. Pull the bird out of the oven when the thigh registers 160f w/ a thermometer. Let the bird rest for 15 minutes, then carve and enjoy.

This is the beautiful bird your minimal effort will grant you:

*How to truss a bird:

Take a two foot section of twine. Starting with the center of the string under the chicken’s keister, pull the twine up over the chicken legs and pull tight in the opposite direction under the legs. Take the string on either side and pull up over the thighs and wings. With the string taught, flip the bird over. Keeping it taught, tie the string off near the chickens neck. Flip the bird back over and tuck the wingtips underneath. By trussing your bird, you help promote even cooking. The legs get pulled towards the thinnest part of the breasts, protecting them from drying out. Wing tips are also prone to drying out, and tucking under the wings helps prevent that as well.

Green Beans tossed with bacon and garlic

1# fresh green beans, ends snapped off
1 cup kosher salt
1 gallon water
3 slices bacon sliced into small strips
2 cloves garlic, minced

Bring water and salt to a boil. Add the green beans, working in batches to avoid over crowding in the pot. Cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove from water and let dry. In a saute pan render the bacon. Add the garlic and green beans. Cook for an additional one to two minutes, then serve.

Gruyère Potato and turnip Gratin

1# baking potatoes – peeled and thinly sliced
1# turnips – peeled and thinly sliced
2.5 cups cream
1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg – the pregrated stuff in a bottle should be avoided at all cost.
1 cups shredded gruyère cheese

Preheat oven to 450f. In a pot bring the cream and milk to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the nutmeg. Arrange a layer of potatoes and turnips in the bottom of a 1.5 quart baking dish. Cover with some of the cream and shredded cheese. Repeat the process till all the potatoes and turnips are used up. Top off with remaining cream and cheese. Bake covered for an hour. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until top is bubbling and golden brown.

This whole meal takes a little bit of prep and about an hour or so of cooking. When all is said and done you can have a tasty meal that is simple to make, and devoid of shortcuts. I hope these recipes help inspire you to once again embrace real cooking.