BITES & BREWS

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 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

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not beer-steam them instead? Ever make your own meat marinade? Beer really shines here. Not only does it pack quite a punch in the flavor department, but it also tenderizes the meat at the same time.

Now begs the question: What kind of beer do you use? The rule for cooking with wine is: Never cook with a wine you wouldn’t drink. Same goes for beer. Make sure you’re using a craft beer you enjoy drinking because you will taste it. If you’re making — let’s say — a cheese soup, then any of your favorite ales or pilsners will incorporate seamlessly into the new beer cheese soup recipe you just came up with on the fly.

Can you use a stout instead?

Absolutely!

It will change the flavor of the soup, but you can use whatever agrees with your palate. There are no rules about which beer goes with which recipe. And the best part?

After your “exbeeriment,” you get to feast on all your beer-based bites and wash them down with the remainder of your favorite brew!

Now go get your hands on some beer and figure out how to incorporate it into your next meal for one tasty culinary journey.

Need a little help getting started? I got you.

Here’s one of my favorite chilly day fall recipes that will warm you from the inside out:

Shepherd’s Pie with Stout Gravy • 1.5 lb. 80/20 ground beef • 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce • 1 tsp. smoked paprika • 1 tsp. onion salt • 1 tbsp. Montreal Steak seasoning • salt, as needed • pepper, as needed • 6-8 medium white potatoes (about 2.5 lbs.), cut into chunks • 1 stick o’ butter • 1/4 c.+ heavy cream • olive oil • 1 large onion, diced • 4 tsp. minced garlic • 1 small bag frozen carrots ‘n peas • 1/2 small bag frozen corn • 2 pkts. McCormick Brown Gravy • 16 oz. of your favorite stout • Pam

1. Let’s do this! I know, I know it looks like a lot of steps, but each step is easy. Seriously, you got this — promise! Now, grab 6-8 medium white potatoes. Wash and peel ‘em (or leave skins on, if you prefer). Cut into large chunks and add to pot with well-salted water. Cook on high 20-25 minutes until potatoes are fork tender. 2. Meanwhile, heat both a large and medium skillet on stove to medium-high. While they’re coming up to temp, get a huge bowl and mix beef, Worcestershire sauce and all five spices together well with your hands — get in there and get dirty! 3. Fine, fine, now you can wash your filthy meat hands. Then dice that onion, mince that garlic (or just buy the jar of pre-minced garlic if you’re not a big mincer). 4. Add a couple turns of olive oil to large heated skillet, then add onions. Once they’re all sweaty, add garlic. Swoosh everything around the pan occasionally until they’re heading towards caramelized. Add frozen peas, carrots, and corn. Cook until unfrozen and starting to get brown edges here and there, about 8-10 minutes. 5. While that’s a-workin,’ add the beef mixture to preheated medium skillet. Use a wooden spoon and break up any big chunks. Keep swooshing occasionally until meat is browned. Drain the fat, then add the meat to the veggie mixture. Mix well, then take off heat and set aside. 6.Grab a small saucepan, those two packets o’ gravy, and 16 oz. of your favorite stout. Make gravy according to directions EXCEPT instead of adding water, use the stout. And if my math is correct, you probably bought two 12 oz. bottles or cans of your favorite stout, so that leaves 8 oz. left to sip. Did you really think I would go through this whole recipe without suggesting you drink beer? Never! While sipping away, whisk well until gravy happens. Take that saucepan off the heat and set aside. Now’s probably a good time to preheat that oven to 350*F Or don’t. Up to you. 7. Potato time! Once they’re fork tender, drain the water. Return ‘em to pot and add butter, salt and heavy cream. Whip on high with electric mixer. Add more heavy cream if needed to get to the consistency you prefer, but don’t make potato soup — that’s a whole different recipe. 8. FINALLY TIME TO ASSEMBLE! Grab your finest casserole dish. I prefer one of those taller, thicker 5 quart casseroles — ideally with a late 70s or early 80s design in shades of orange and brown. Spray some buttery Pam all around the inside of that sucker. Add the meat/veggie mixture. Slowly pour thickened stout gravy all through the meat mixture until it’s covered. You don’t want there to be more gravy than meat, but you want the meat to take a comfortable stout gravy bath. If there’s extra gravy, just set that aside and drink it with a straw later. (It’s cool, I won’t tell anyone). Now carefully add the mashed potatoes one spoonful at a time, trying not to disturb the stout gravy meat bath. Spread those potatoes out across the meat and gravy evenly, creating a potato peak here and there if you wanna be fancy pants. 9. Pop that casserole into preheated oven (or turn the oven on to 350*F if you rebelled against my earlier advice) and bake for 25-30 minutes until the stout gravy is starting to bubble up the sides and the potatoes are starting to brown. (If you like more brown on top, you can put it under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.) 10. Serve to your impressed family and friends with your favorite stout. Enjoy!

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