Another stepping stone to becoming a beer gourmand

July 27, 2012

Last week, I shared a simple method for making beer-can chicken, but the uses for beer on the grill and in the kitchen don’t stop there.

There are two ways to incorporate beer into your dinner plans. The first is simply to choose a beer (or beers) that pairs well with the dishes that you are serving. Find a cookbook that includes beer recommendations for each dish. Another good reference is the cicerone or beer buyer at your local liquor store. He or she has tried every beer on the shelf and can point you in the right direction.

If you have a good grasp on your spice rack and the flavor profiles of various beer styles, you can choose your own pairings. Pairing food with beer is a lesson in complements and contradictions, said Steven Pauwels, brewmaster for Boulevard Brewing Co. in Kansas City, Mo. Pauwels’ credentials include a first-place finish at the 2011 Big Beers, Belgians and Barleywines Festival Beer & Food Pairing Smackdown.

Pauwels said people might think that a raspberry wheat would go well with a raspberry dessert, but often, the sweetness of the dessert makes the beer taste overly bitter. He said a contradictory beer, such as a coffee or chocolate stout, is a much better choice to enhance the flavors of the dessert and the brew. For other dishes, complementary flavors can enhance the dining experience. Blue cheese works well with bitter, hoppy beers with intense flavors, Pauwels said. Funky beers — with a wet dog or horse blanket aroma — complement the funky flavor of blue cheese. Practice matching and contradicting flavors to see how each bite can change or enhance the taste of each beer and vice versa.

The second way to incorporate beer into your meal is to add it to your recipe. Venturing outside the box, and away from the cookbook, can be a daunting task. But here’s a tip: You can cheat. Start with the beer. Choose one with a flavor or aroma that gets your taste buds going, and then take the time to do a little research. Read the label or find the beer online to get an idea of the ingredients that were used to make it and what each adds to the flavor experience of the beer. Does it have a unique spice or a particular combination of hops or malts? Brewers choose every ingredient carefully to add to the complexity of a brew. Dissect the beer into its components to find one that stands out.

Armed with your knowledge of the beer’s elements, you can choose recipes that enhance each ingredient. Incorporate a chocolate stout into a mole, matching the cocoa notes of the beer with the smoky chocolate flavor of the sauce. Add a peppery beer or a framboise to a pork marinade and then create a sweet or spicy reduction from the same brew to drizzle over it. To help boost your cooking confidence, learn some tricks from a cookbook such as “The Best of American Beer and Food: Pairing & Cooking​ with Craft Beer,” by Lucy Saunders. Just be sure to choose a book that recognizes a specific style of beer for each recipe — not just “a can of beer” — so you can make the most of the brew’s built-in spice packet.

From the Fridge: Samuel Adams Summer Ale

At Samuel Adams, they take their beer cooking seriously. The brewery even has a chef partner, David Burke, who comes up with recipes ranging from beer-infused lobster rolls to beer ice cream floats using the Sam Adams brews. I decided to try my hand with one of Burke’s concoctions, grilled summer vegetables with Summer Ale vinaigrette.

The beer vinaigrette imparted a slightly spicy flavor to the veggies, bringing out the Grains of Paradise and just a hint of the lemon it’s brewed with. As the recipe only calls for a couple of tablespoons of beer, I had most of a bottle left after finishing my food prep. I poured it into a bag with a couple of chicken breasts and added a bit of lemon juice, coriander and cloves to amplify the spice, letting it marinate before throwing it on the grill.

To round it all out, I grabbed another bottle of Summer Ale to pair with the meal. Once again, I cheated, knowing full well that the beer would match the food since I was already cooking with the stuff. This ale has a lot of flavor for a summer brew, with a citrus-spice balance and a golden hue. It’s dynamite to cook with, just make sure you have a few bottles left over to sip as you sup.

Grilled summer vegetables with Samuel Adams Summer Ale vinaigrette

1 bunch asparagus
8-10 peeled baby carrots
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 medium zucchini cut into 1/3-inch slices
1 large red onion cut into 1/2-inch slices
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Marinade
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
1 teaspoon fresh oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh chives
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1 cup canola oil

Vinaigrette
2 cups extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
½ cup white balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Samuel Adams Summer Ale
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (chives, tarragon, parsley) 

Salt and pepper

Separately blanch asparagus and carrots in boiling, salted water. Cut carrots in half lengthwise. Whisk together all ingredients for marinade, and coat zucchini, yellow squash and red onion. Lightly coat peppers in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning frequently, until pepper is charred all around. Wrap each pepper in a paper towel, and set aside. Season vegetables with salt and pepper, and grill on both sides until warmed through. When peppers cool slightly, remove paper and carefully remove stem and seeds. Using the back of a paring knife, carefully remove skin. Whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients, and lightly dress vegetables.

Source: Samuel Adams chef partner David Burke.

Krista Driscoll

Hophead

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