Food with Beer

[jhlurie]

It occured to me that the "Beer with Food" topic was side-tracked at least in part by people talking about FOOD WITH BEER IN IT.

So why don't we use this thread to discuss food with beer in it, and the other to discuss beer with food?

Now I'm fairly ignorant in this department.  Plotnicki and cabrales spoke somewhat about stews made with beer, and everyone knows about Beer-battered Onion rings and fish, but that certainly can't exaust the list.

I'm thinking that French and Italian cuisine are NOT the places to look for inspiration in this department.  German maybe?

[Jason Perlow]

Well, there are a few chefs that like to cook haute cuisine with beer, notably Tim Schafer (from Tim Schafer's Cuisine in Morristown, NJ, which if you are ever in that area please go, its great), see his website at BREWCHEF.COM

This type of cuisine, however, is very New American in nature and I'd hesitate to try to narrow down his influences. Certainly his Prince Edward Island Mussels which are steamed in Ramstein Blonde Wheat Beer with Garlic, Shallot, Chives that is served at his restaurant is obviously a variant of  of an identically seasoned Mussels steamed in Cidre Bouche from Normandy, but I dont think the French use beer in this way. Maybe the Belgians , I dunno.

Beer and Food page at Phoenix Imports

Cooking with Beer vs Cooking with Wine

[Fat Guy]

There's that orange cheese-food stuff with the beer mixed in. Good with pretzel nuggets.

[Jinmyo]

What's that?

[Niall]

One of the pubs in sydney does some nice beer batter chips.

[jhlurie]

A random internet search revealed hundreds of recipes for Beer Soup.  Who knew?

[Jim Dixon]

I like to braise a mixture of country-style 'ribs' and smoky sausages with cabbage, onion, and apple in dark beer. The best brew for this is local microbrewer Hair of the Dog's Adam, but any porter or stout works well.

Jim

[Varmint]

Of course, cooking bratwurst in seasoned beer before briefly grilling is a standard in Wisconsin.  Saute onions, garlic, paprika, salt, pepper, and other seasonings, add beer (generally a dark beer is good), bring to boil.  Add bratwurst and cook until you begin to render off some of the fat -- this allows a small amount of the fat to come off and some of the beer flavor to permeate the brat.  Grill quickly (they'll dry out if you grill too long, as the brat doesn't have as much of its fat).  Serve with a spicy mustard on a brat roll (available in Wisconsin) and good kraut (not available in Wisconsin).

[edemuth]

Maybe the Belgians, I dunno.

The Belgians definitely use beer in their cooking at all levels, from the pubs to fine dining.  They steam mussels and braise meats like rabbit and quail in it.  Beer is also often used as a sauce ingredient.

Den Dyver in Belgium (Dyver 5, B-8000 Brugge, tel.: +32 (0)50 33 60 69) specializes in "cuisine a la biere" and offers 3- and 4-course prix-fixe meals with beer or wine.  You choose one of two appetizers, one of two entrees, and then there is a dessert offering and/or a cheese course.  With the appetizer and entree, you get a sample of the beer that is used in each dish (or an appropriate wine), along with an explanation of its pedigree.

I had a good experience there last week--not one of the best meals I've ever had, but the standouts were a rich gazpacho amuse-bouche, served in a clear demitasse cup with a creamy "head" and garnished with a single chive, and just-crisp asparagus wrapped in tender cod and thinly sliced prosciutto as an appetizer.  Three courses with beer, an aperitif and water for 53 euros, in an elegant yet cozy setting with excellent service.

Personally, I often use beer when making soup, especially ones that are meat-based.  I use Chimay Ale in my lamb stew and it adds a great depth of flavor.

[Wilfrid]

I may have said this before, but if I run out of red wine to make a sauce, dark beer is usually a good substitute.  Yes, it will change the flavor of course, but you will still have a nice sauce.  This information is especially useful in New York - and doubtless other American cities - on Sundays.

[Sandra Levine]

A have a couple of recipes for Beer Rye Bread that I haven't yet made.  Sounds hearty, to say the least.  A Google search for beer bread turns up many more. It would probably be good with the brats described above.

[Clare Leaman]

I tried the beer soup truleye last night for the first time. Quite pleasant but not a dish I would hurry to have again. As I understand, it is made by incorporating mulled wheat beer into a white sauce and thickening the lot with eggs and cream.

I once ate in Ireland a sensational dish of octopus, cabbage and potatoes braised in Hoegaarden. I have tried this method with turbot, but it wasn't as good.

[Kristian]

If you are interested in foods that have beer as one of the basic ingredients, a couple of Finnish recipes of such foods can be found in the 'adventures in eating' forum. The thread is 'a dare from Finland'.

[ebraun]

In Austin people seem to put Shiner Bock in everything.  I had dinner at what is one of the best restaurants in town the other night, Hudson's on the Bend, and there were several things on the menu with beer of some sort.  Their Shiner Bock / Ancho mashed potatoes are really terrific.  They also have a Shiner marinated rib-eye that is supposed to be fantastic.

I've had the Shiner Bock Ice Cream at Amy's Ice Cream (check fat-guy's travel entry from Austin) and it was really something.  I think it was just Shiner added to their Mexican vanilla recipe.

I try to always drop some beer in my chili recipes.  That's a natural.  I'll marinate certain cuts of meat in beer, especially the tougher beef cuts.  I have a recipe for Shiner Bock (yes, again) Pot Roast.  It's an interesting recipe that calls for raisins too.

I was out in Laguna Beach, CA last fall and had a pork loin braised in an Asian beer and it was just fabulous.  It was a Thai restaurant, I think it was called Thai Bros.

[cabrales]

ebraun's mention of ice cream reminded me that Antoine Westermann's Buerehiesel currently offers the following beer dessert:

Brioche caramelisee a la Biere, glace a la Biere et Poire rotie (Brioche caramelized with beer, beer ice cream and roasted pear) -- 17 euros

I did not sample the entire dessert, but did take in a quenelle of the beer ice cream (together with baba au rhm from the dessert trolley). The ice cream was more subtle than I had imagined. When I spoke with Westermann about it, Westermann advised that he utilizes Kronenberg brand in the ice cream.  

[Bux]

Don't count France out of the beer zone either in Alsace or Flanders. In Béthune, just outside of Lille at Marc Meurin we had a very good dinner and L'anguille au pain perdu d'herbes du jardin, réduction de bière à la Kriek (eel served with bread fried with garden herbs and a reduction of Kriek beer) was sensational.

We've used some very good Chimay ale to make a Belgian beef stew and it was worth the price.

[cabrales]

Below is the entry under beer in Craig Claiborne's Food Encyclopedia (1985):

"Beer is often called for as a liquid in recipes, and it does, of course, contribute a slightly different flavor, although the difference is not a matter of pronounced bitterness. I prefer to cook shrimp in beer if I want a platter of boiled shrimp. . . . Beer is also used in a batter for deep-frying. In this case the beer substitutes for yeast as a mild leavening agent. The best-known main course prepared with beer is the cabonnade flammande of Belgian cuisine. There is also a beer soup, but the samples that I have tasted are nothing I would recommend. It is said to be a German specialty consisting of a light beer thickened with potato flour. Flavored with lemon peel and various spices, including cinnamon, it is sweetened with sugar and served hot with pieces of fried bread."  

[MHesse]

My wife makes a tasty brisket that has a bottle of beer added to it during the cooking process.  Haven't documented final result vs brand of beer.  Tastes good even with non-descript American beer.  I think lots of brisket recipes call for beer - as an ingredient - though it's a good beverage with brisket too.

[cabrales]

Michael Buller's book "French Chefs Cooking" furnishes a recipe from Andre Soltner, formerly of Lutece, for Alsace Fish Tart in Beer Custard. The filling for the pastry includes beer, sole filets, salmon filets, eggs, nutmeg, creme fraiche, salt and pepper, parsley and tarragon.