Bites & Brews
the secret to
Perfect Pairings By Nicole Boucher
I’ve got a secret about cooking with beer.
A big one.
And I’m going to share it with you right now: You don’t need a recipe. I mean, sure, you probably need a recipe if you’re going to cook something from scratch. But what if you decide to rustle something up that doesn’t include your favorite brew? Easy: Add it! As a boozy baker at Twist & Stout Cakery in Wilmington, I’ve been experimenting with beer in both sweet and savory creations for years. I had no idea what I was doing when I began 60 | Carolina Brew Scene | Fall 2018
my beer-infused adventure ... and that’s OK. You don’t always need a plan — sometimes the best dishes are made purely by accident. All you need is a recipe that requires liquid. Just about anywhere you add liquid, you can add craft beer instead! For example, let’s say you have a favorite soup and one of the ingredients is three cups of chicken stock. While you’ll still want to add some chicken stock because stock adds a ton of flavor, you can replace half of the stock with your
favorite craft beer. The result will be an impressive richness and depth of flavor, like your soup’s been simmering on the stove all day, even if you just threw it in the pot 30 minutes ago. Want to make a box cake mix taste richer and more chocolaty? Replace all of the water with a nice dark, chocolaty stout. How about those powdered sauces and gravies in pouches on the spice aisle? Want to kick those up a notch or twelve? Use craft beer instead of water. Steaming vegetables or seafood? Why
