Cooking with beer

[Plantes Vertes]

Has anyone a favourite recipe involving beer? We are planning a party to see if we can make some enjoyable beer and food pairings and would like to use some in the cooking as well.

Any thoughts on food that goes especially well with different styles of beer?

Thanks a lot!

[tug]

three ideas immediately come to mind...

beer batter fish - lager?

welsh rarebit - ale

beef in Guinness - stout!

[Plantes Vertes]

Tug, thanks, those are great ideas!

I can see us all leaving this party feeling very, very full!

I should also have asked, would you serve these dishes with the type of beer used in the recipe?

[tug]

i would certainly. Also theres a great recipe online that uses chocolate stout in various desserts

[FrogPrincesse]

Plantes Vertes,

Carbonade flamande is a classic. It's a Belgian beef stew. Also lapin a la kriek, rabbit stewed in kriek, a sour cherry-flavored lambic beer.

In a different style, a San Diego brewery makes a cheddar IPA soup that's pretty satisfying. Recipe here (I've never made it but had it a bunch of times at the brewery): http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/garlic-cheddar-and-stone-ruination-ipa-soup-craft-of-stone-brewing-co-recipe.html

[thayes1c]

I make a Black and Tan chile with a bottle of Pilsner and a bottle of coffee stout. Not all the beer makes it in the pot, of course, but I think it adds a good flavor.

[Plantes Vertes]

Also lapin a la kriek, ...

I like this idea very much; actually a year ago I had the chance to visit Bierbrasserie Cambrinus in Bruges and to sample the kriek beer. Had a very heavy suitcase on the way home; if only there was something left... But I can certainly lay hands on some more

I make a Black and Tan chile with a bottle of Pilsner and a bottle of coffee stout. Not all the beer makes it in the pot, of course, but I think it adds a good flavor.

This is a great suggestion thayes1c, thanks! However, it did make me laugh; my gravely republican Irish family will surely disown/eviscerate me if I keep the name. I'll think of an alias...

[Lisa Shock]

I don't have an exact recipe, but, several years ago I had some ice cream that was made by fooling around with a classic French full cream and egg ice cream base and adding Corona and a little lime juice. It was really good, and on my list of things to work on perfecting a formula for. Shouldn't be too hard to make, just cook the base first, cool, then add beer and lime to taste and spin.

[liuzhou]

Two local Chinese dishes from round these parts.

Beer Duck (my favourite)

Beer Fish

Edited February 9, 2014 by liuzhou (log)

[ChrisTaylor]

Haven't made this but remember it from television a couple years back: http://atablefortwo.com.au/2010/02/beeramisu

[jmacnaughtan]

Slow-cooked oxtail in dark beer is a good one.

[SylviaLovegren]

Choucroute garnie, with beer as the sauerkraut braising liquid instead of white wine, is good. I use a pale ale or lager, nothing too dark or heavy.

Their must be some Irish recipes using stout. But I don't know them.

[FrogPrincesse]

Also theres a great recipe online that uses chocolate stout in various desserts

There is a recipe for chocolate-stout cake with Guinness ice cream that I've been eyeing for a while in Supper Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin.

Great idea for a party by the way!

[Tri2Cook]

There is a recipe for chocolate-stout cake with Guinness ice cream that I've been eyeing for a while in Supper Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin.

Great idea for a party by the way!

I'm not familiar with those particular recipes and I've never made a stout cake but I have made a Guinness ice cream. I enjoyed it. I've also made a sorbet using a raspberry lambic that I enjoyed.

[MRE]

Like others have already mentioned, I love to splash in a bottle of Guinness and or/lager into stews, braises or chillies. I also use it when I make corned beed. You could also do what the old chain Lum's used to do, and steam hot dogs in lager.

[Okanagancook]

Beer, apples, onions roasted with pork.

[judiu]

Plantes Verdes, call it a Velvet Hammer, which IIRC, is champaign and stout, or just go with the Black and Tan, which, again IIRC, was concocted to "take the Mickey out" of the English troops!

[thayes1c]

I make a Black and Tan chile with a bottle of Pilsner and a bottle of coffee stout. Not all the beer makes it in the pot, of course, but I think it adds a good flavor.

This is a great suggestion thayes1c, thanks! However, it did make me laugh; my gravely republican Irish family will surely disown/eviscerate me if I keep the name. I'll think of an alias...

Edited February 10, 2014 by thayes1c (log)

[nickrey]

Beer soup with cheddar. Make a roux thickened beer soup and add cheddar for extra oomph (or is that oom-pa-pah?)

[ChrisZ]

All these suggestions are making my mouth water. I use a dark beer instead of wine when making shepherd's pie.

I'm wondering if you can make a cheese fondue using beer instead of wine? Fondue's can be party friendly, just have lots of stuff on skewers handy...

[Panaderia Canadiense]

There's an Ecuadorian recipe called Seco de Chivo which is, depending on where you eat it, either kid goat or spring lamb, adobado for a day or so in a paste of pilsener-type lager (the "national beer" is actually called Pilsener), carrots, tomato, garlic, and onions, then slow-cooked in that same paste made a bit more liquid with more beer. I'll see if I can dig up a recipe somewhere.

EDIT - and of course if you're going beer-themed, what about the beer breads which generally use ales or porters as the liquid? There are both quick (soda/baking powder leavened) and yeast methods for these.

Edited February 10, 2014 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[Baselerd]

I always like to add some reasonably dark beer to my chili.

[tug]

You could also try "beer can chicken". I'm not sure how much beer flavor actually imparts during roasting though.

[Lisa Shock]

Welsh rarebit is a classic, the sauce can (IMO should) contain ale. I believe that it predates beer based fondues and beer & cheddar soups by a couple hundred years.

As for foods to sample with beer, I personally think that beer (in particular lager) is the perfect drink to pair with pizza. I know that red wine would be far more traditional, and I am a wine enthusiast, I just think that a good lager cuts through the fat in the pizza and creates a pleasing contrast in flavors. Of course, it doesn't hurt that beer and bread are related to each other and have harmonious relationship flavor-wise.

You may wish to explore the bread-beer connection a bit if you can get or make good artisan bread.

[ChrisZ]

You could also try "beer can chicken". I'm not sure how much beer flavor actually imparts during roasting though.

Well when I make it I drink the beer first, which I thought was the point, so unless I'm doing it wrong there's no flavour imparted to the chicken...