Sierra Nevada Doubly Pale Ale Chicken

I guess you could call it Triple-y Pale Ale chicken if you wanted because I served this chicken, marinated with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Mustard with a pint of Sierra Nevada’s classic Pale Ale. Pale Ale overload if there could ever be such a thing!

Ingredients:
(2) 12 oz bottles or cans of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
(3) Tablespoons of Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Mustard
(1) Tablespoon Tastefully Simple Tuscany Bread Dipping Mix
(3) Medium-sized Chicken Breasts

Directions:
Blend the beer, mustard, and seasoning thoroughly in a Pyrex container
Add the chicken making sure to cover completely
Allow chicken to marinade/thaw in fridge for 20+ hours
Grill chicken (completely, to a minimum of 165° F or above)
Serve chicken with a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and your choice of sides; we used a wild rice mix and pasta salad.
Enjoy!

Cheers,
-Andy

Winterland Caramelized Brown ‘N Serve Sausag...

It’s not that often beer doesn’t get finished around my house, but when a good one isn’t drain-worthy, I pop that sucker right in the fridge. Most of the time it’s fine the day after with minimal carbonation loss (even with out sealing the bottle!) but sometimes I just don’t feel like drinking it the next day.

That’s where beer makes it’s experimental debut in my cooking. I’ve been known to use it as an ingredient in plenty of dishes, but this very well may be the easiest: breakfast!

Instead using water to heat up your Brown ‘N Serve sausage links or patties, pour that beer right in the pan. This time around I was left with 1/3 of a bottle of Hinterland’s Winterland, a juniper berry-spiced American Porter that drinks more like a stout. It worked perfectly with the sausage, caramelizing as it gently boiled around the links creating a tasty, sticky coating on the sausages.

It’s a delicious twist on an already tasty breakfast treat and the best part is that it’s just about the easiest thing you can do in cooking! Follow the directions on the package, just substitute beer for water and the experimentation with flavors can be endless!

Cheers,
-Andy

Poached Halibut with Central Waters Belgian Blonde

This recipe was taken straight from the Kohler Festival of Beer’s Cooking with Beer featuring Central Waters Brewing Company and was created by chef Lucas Oppeneer of The Horse & Plow.

Poached Halibut
with citrus shaved fennel and warm fava bean salad.

Ingredients:

For the Poaching Liquid:
2-6 ounce Halibut fillets
Vegetable oil for cooking
2 shallots sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.2 cup white wine
1 cup vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon whole white peppercorns
12 oz (or more) Central Waters Belgian Blonde beer
1.4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup cubed butter
1 tablespoon honey

For the citrus shaved fennel:
2 fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
Fennel fronds, chopped
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

For the warm fava bean salad:
2 tablespoons oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
2 cups oyster mushrooms
2 cups fava beans, shelled and casing removed
1 cup artichoke hearts, quartered
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 chopped parsly

Oppeneer adding Central Waters' Belgian Blonde to the recipe.

Method:
For the Poaching Liquid:
Heat oil in large sauce pot and sautee onions until translucent, add garlic, and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add shrimp shells and cook until shells become orange and fragrant. Deglaze with white wine, add vegetable stock, bay leaf, and white peppercorns, simmer for 8-10 minutes. Add beer and simmer for an additional 5 minutes, strain poaching liquid and reserve 2 cups for sauce. To make sauce reduce 2 cups poaching liquid by half, add cream, and reduce by half. Slowly whisk in butter, adjust sweetness with honey.

For the Citrus Shaved Fennel:
Shave fennel bulbs using a mandolin or sharp knife. Squeeze the orange juice and lemon juice over the shaved fennel and toss with the chopped fennel fronds. Lightly pour extra virgin olive oil over salad and season with salt and pepper. Use as a garnish for the halibut.

For the Warm Fava Bean Salad:
Heat oil in medium saute pan until oil beings to ripple. Sautee garlic and shallot until slightly translucent, add mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms become limp. Add fava beans and artichokes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Toss butter into the salad and finish with parsley.

Presentation:
Heat poaching liquid until it reaches a gentle simmer. Poach halibut for 5-8 minutes in poaching liquid without the liquid coming to a boil. When the flesh of the fish has turned white and begins to flake, remove from heat, and let stand for another 2-3 minutes in liquid. Remove fish from liquid and serve with the warm fava bean salad, garnish with citrus shaved fennel and spoon with sauce.

2 servings.

Photography by Bryan Nieman, copyright BeerFM 2011

Free Formed Braised Pork Belly Ravioli with Centra...

This recipe was taken straight from the Kohler Festival of Beer’s Cooking with Beer featuring Central Waters Brewing Company and was created by chef Lucas Oppeneer of The Horse & Plow.

Free Formed Braised Pork Belly Ravioli
wild mushrooms, leeks, and Mascarpone cheese

Ingredients:

For the Beer Braised Pork Belly:
¼ cup canola oil
1 ½ pounds pork belly
1 stalk celery, chopped
½ small onion, chopped
1 small carrot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
4 cups Central Waters Ouisconsing Red Ale
1 cup chicken stock
salt to taste

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
½ stick of soft butter
2 garlic cloves minced
2 cups leeks, thinly sliced
½ quart heavy cream
1 cup Mascarpone cheese

For the Basic Pasta Dough:

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
¾ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon lukewarm water

Method:

For the Beer Braised Pork Belly:

Preheat oven to 300°F. Heat oil in large Dutch oven, add pork belly and sear until browned on both sides. Remove pork and set aside. Add celery, onion, carrot, garlic, bay leaf, and peppercorns and sweat on medium heat until soft, about 4-6 minutes. Return the pork to the pot, add the chicken stock and simmer for 4-6 minutes. Add the beer and bring liquid up to a simmer, cover and place in oven, cook for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The pork should be very tender and able to shred with a fork.

For the Basic Pasta Dough:

Place the flour on a large floured surface. Make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, olive oil, and water. Beat the mixture in the well with a fork. Using a fork, gently start to work the flour into the liquid. Continue until the dough becomes sticky and difficult to work with the fork. Use your hands to form the rough dough into a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Cover with a bowl or towel and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Roll pasta out into a thin sheet and cut into 4 inch squares.

Season water with salt and bring to a boil in a large stock pot.. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil and cook pasta squares until done. Remove pasta from water, toss in butter, and season with salt and pepper. Keep pasta warm.

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan, add garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes taking care not to burn. Add leeks and cook till translucent, add mushrooms and cook 3-4 minutes. Add heavy cream and reduce until the mix is slightly thick, stir in Mascarpone cheese and pulled pork belly. Lay one pasta square down in a bowl and spoon on some of the mix, lay another square down and spoon on more of the mix on top. Garnish with a spoonful of Mascarpone cheese.

Makes 4 servings.

Photography by Bryan Nieman, copyright BeerFM 2011

Fixed Gear Little Smokies

Game Day isn’t complete without a crock pot of little smokies staying warm for everyone’s snacking pleasure, and what’s a better way to spice up some little smokies than with some beer?

For this recipe I’ve chosen Lakefront Brewery‘s Fixed Gear American Red Ale to add to the little smokies. It’s got a bold mix of toasted amber and caramel malt and big citrusy American hops to combat the bomb of flavor already going into the pot.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c. chili sauce (Cocktail sauce is a delicious substitute too!)
1/2 c. ketchup
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. Onion, chopped
4-5 drops of Hot Sauce
1/4 c. Lakefront Fixed Gear beer

1 14oz package of Hillshire Farm Beef Lit’l Smokies

Directions:
Mix all the ingredients in a small crock pot stirring to mix thoroughly while bringing to heat.
Add little smokies and let warm.
Serve warm with a cold pint of Fixed Gear!

This serves a small group. For the Big Game today, I tripled the blend in a large crock pot to keep the little smokies going all game long!

GO PACK GO!

-Andy

Skull Splitter Beer Cheese Dip

‘Tis the season for family gatherings! Most of time everyone brings something to share and snacking is pretty common, especially when drinking (and who doesn’t do that at the holiday family gatherings?). This is a great dip for events and combines both snacking and beer, but don’t worry, is not as brutal as the name might make it seem. Of course, if you drink too many of the beers it certainly might be. This is a great dip for wavy, thick chips and pretzels alike and something I constantly make as a side dish/snack for parties:

Ingredients:
-1 11.2 oz Bottle of Orkney Brewery Skull Splitter Scotch Ale
-2 packages (8 oz. each) softened cream cheese
-2 cups of shredded sharp cheddar cheese
-1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
-1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix
-2 green onions, chopped

Directions:
In a large bowl beat the cream cheese using a hand mixer. Slowly add in 1 cup of the Skull Splitter beer. Once that’s blended, slowly blend in the Hidden Valley Ranch Dip mix and shredded sharp cheddar cheese as well as the Parmesan cheese. A little cheese should be left over for garnish when the dip is complete. Mix in 1 1/2 of your two green onions leaving some for garnish as well.

At this point, continue to add beer until desired thickness is achieved. I use about 3/4 of a bottle when I make this dip and it leaves it a little thicker which works fantastically for thicker pretzels. Weaker chips will be destroyed trying to battle the Skull Splitter dip. For a thinner chip friendly dip, you may use up to the whole bottle of beer.

Enjoy!
-Andy