Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The buzz on cooking with beer
Lindsey Nair
Front Burner blog
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Recipes
Cooking with beer is pretty much a win-win situation.
For those who don't drink alcohol, it's a buzz-free way to incorporate the unique flavor of different brews into a dish.
For the rest of us, well, it's just another excuse to drink a cold one. In the spirit of Julia Child, I say, "a little for me, a little for the food."
Author John Schlimm subscribes to the same philosophy. So much so that he wrote an entire book about cooking with beer called "The Ultimate Beer Lover's Cookbook."
"People literally can enjoy beer dishes from morning to night," said Schlimm, who even uses beer to fluff up his scrambled eggs. "Short of cereal, I think beer goes in just about everything."
He advocates that beginners start with a basic lager, substituting it for liquids called for in soups, stews and roasts. For example, if you have a favorite stew recipe that calls for a cup of beef broth, consider halving that and adding a half-cup of beer.
Those who love hoppy beers may want to skip straight to the recipes that call for those beers. The stronger the flavor of the beer, the more you'll probably be able to taste it in the finished product.
Mark Crim, the executive chef at The Blackwater Cafe in Moneta, said he thinks cooking with light beers is a waste of time because they hardly impart any flavor into the food. On the other hand, he said, cooks ought to be careful when using extremely bitter beers because it will affect the final product.
Beer can be used in bread and dessert recipes as well. Some people even love to make ice cream floats with chocolate stout. Take care to follow the recipe exactly when you're baking with beer. The slightest misstep could throw the whole thing off.
To prove Schlimm's point that beer is very versatile, I've come up with a collection of recipes that can take you from the appetizer all the way through to a sweet finish.
It shouldn't be too hard to pair a beer with each course for a fun St. Patrick's Day dinner party.
"People need to really think about what they taste in a particular beer and make note of those flavors," Crim said. "Then they can choose those flavors to match with food."
