It’s a shame that this blog has gone so long without a beer bread recipe. Considering all the other beer-focused recipes I’ve featured on these pages (pancakes with stout, chili with lager, risotto with double IPA…you get the idea), it’s hard to believe I’ve bypassed such a simple beer recipe. Let’s change that, shall we?

Oddly enough, my inspiration for this recipe didn’t come from beer at all, but rather the bag of ramps that I had hanging out in my fridge. Yes, ramps! Yay! If you know anything about ramps, you know that they’re briefly available at the beginning of spring and are nearly impossible to find in the markets. So how’d I get them? From a generous friend who recently went to Michigan and brought home a huge stash that he foraged himself.

Score.

I sautéed the green tops with olive oil, salt and pepper, but thought the white parts would make a great addition to a beer bread. The final result?  A seriously hoppy and chewy loaf with a nice cheddary, oniony kick that’s absolutely worthy of being featured on this blog.

It’s about time, wouldn’t you say?

Red Ale Bread with Ramps and 5-Year Aged Cheddar (makes one loaf)

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced ramp bulbs (the white parts)*
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 12 ounces Red Ale (I used Half Acre Ginger Twin)
• 1 cup shredded 5-year aged white cheddar

How you do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter an 8-inch loaf pan; set aside.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sliced ramp bulbs and cook for a few minutes to take some of the edge off the powerful garlic flavor. Let cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Add the beer, cheddar and sautéed ramps and fold everything together with a spatula.
4. Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool before slicing.

Anything wine can do, beer can do better.

Yep, I went there. Picking favorites? Probably.

As someone who loves cooking with (and drinking) beer, adding it to risotto was one of those “no duh, why haven’t I been doing this all along?” cooking moments. I chose a double IPA (local favorite Half Acre Beer’s Double Daisy Cutter, to be exact) for this recipe — not only because it’s my favorite style of beer, but because I wanted to instill as much hop flavor in the final dish as possible. The hops work really well here and stand up perfectly to the spicy sausage and mushrooms.

Sorry wine, you’ve been replaced.

Double Daisy Cutter (Double IPA) Risotto (serves 4)

What you need:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 3 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 Portobello mushroom cap, gills removed and diced
• 1 small white onion, diced
• 1 cup arborio rice
• 1 cup double IPA, divided
• 2.5 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• A handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

How you do it:

1. In a small saucepan, heat chicken stock over low heat.
2. In a separate large saucepan, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until no longer pink, breaking apart with a spatula as you go. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until onion is translucent; about five minutes. Add the rice and stir to combine.
3. Add a half cup of double IPA, bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has absorbed. Repeat with the other half cup.
4. Add warm chicken stock in half cup increments, stirring constantly until absorbed, until all stock has been added; approximately 15 minutes. By the time all the stock has been added, the risotto should look creamy and the rice should be fully cooked. If the rice still has a bit of bite, add a bit more chicken stock and cook until it’s completely done.
5. Remove risotto from heat. Add remaining tablespoon of butter, parmesan cheese and parsley; stir to combine. Top each portion with additional cheese.

Whew — it’s been busy around here. New jobs (more on that soon), new accomplishments and a few other things that deserve to be celebrated. And what better way to celebrate than with my favorite cocktail — the Old Fashioned.

After much at-home Old Fashioned experimentation with less-than-perfect results, I accepted the fact that my drinks just weren’t up to par. No more whiskey shall be sacrificed at the hands of this unskilled cocktail maker! It was time to learn from a pro.

Add .25 ounces of simple syrup.

Add one dropper (or about 7 drops) of Angostura bitters, two droppers of orange bitters and one dropper of cherry vanilla bitters.

Stir. (I stir mine for a good 30-seconds. This allows the ice to melt a bit, taking some of the “heat” off of the whiskey.)

Fill a whiskey glass with fresh ice. Strain the chilled and stirred Old Fashioned into the whiskey glass.

I remember the No Reservations episode in which Anthony visits El Bulli during one of its final services. I watched in awe as Chef Adria served course after course after course of the most beautiful and amazing food I’d ever seen. Dishes like these were beyond my realm of imagination and I could hardly believe that such a place existed. Sadly, El Bulli shut its doors a few days after that episode aired.

While it’s impossible to do justice to something so ahead of its time as El Bulli, Chef Achatz and his team at NEXT faithfully recreated 29 of Chef Adria’s courses in an attempt carry on the spirit of a dining experience that was so much more. It was, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful, thought-provoking and inspiring things I’ve ever experienced. I’ll never forget it.

The numbers on the left reference the year in which the original course appeared on El Bulli’s menu. The numbers on the right indicate the order in which the dish fell into the entire El Bulli catalogue. 

2004 Nitro Caipirinha with Tarragon Concentrate 

2000 Hot/Cold Trout Roe Tempura

2005 Spherical Olives

2003 Iberico Sandwich

1991 Coca of Avocado Pear, Anchovies and Green Onion

2001 Golden Egg

2007 Black Sesame Spongecake and Miso

1998 Chicken Liquid Croquettes

1997 Smoke Foam

2003 Carrot Air with Coconut Milk

1997 Cuttlefish and Coconut Ravioli with Soy, Ginger and Mint

1992 Savory Tomato Ice with Oregano and Almond Milk Pudding

2001 Hot Crab Aspic with Mini Corn Cous-Cous

2000 Cauliflower Cous-Cous with Solid Aromatic Herb Sauce

1988 Suquet of Prawns

1998 Potato Tortilla by Marc Singla

1989 Trumpet Carpaccio

1987 Red Mullet Gaudi

2007 Nasturtium with Eel, Bone Marrow and Cucumber

2000 Civet of Rabbit with Hot Apple Jelly

2009 Gorgonzola Balloon

1999 Foie Gras Caramel Custard

1996 Spice Plate

2009 Mint Pond

1997 Chocolate in Textures

2010 Chocolate Donuts

1993 Creme Flute, 1989 Puff Pastry Web

2004 Passionfruit Marshmallow — The Farewell

Today was the perfect day. I woke up late (partially due to losing a hour because of Daylight Savings, but who’s counting), enjoyed brunch at home, took a long walk (sans coat — yay!) around the neighborhood with my man, and came home to the scents of this braised beauty slowly cooking away in the oven. Ahhh…

While everyone — including myself — is certainly excited about spring being right around the corner, I am still very much obsessed with the Le Creuset Dutch oven I bought a few months ago. Its become one of my most-used cooking tools and I have no plans on retiring it during the warmer months. Besides, why would I want to when it cranks out amazing dishes like this one?!

Yes, I know — another beer-focused recipe. I’m sure you’re shocked (or not). In fact, someone recently suggested that I change the name of my blog to Fresh and Boozy and I’ve got to admit that I’m considering it. What do you think?

Beer-Braised Brisket (serves 6)

Slightly adapted from Cooking Light

What you need:

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 2 pounds flat-cut beef brisket, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) pale ale (I used PBR since I had a ton left over from a condo board meeting)
• 4 cups lower-sodium beef broth
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 6 carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 6 celery stalks, cut diagonally into 1 1/2-inch pieces, leaves reserved and chopped for garnish
• 2 medium onions, peeled and cut into 8 wedges (for a total of 16 wedges)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup water
• Egg noodles, cooked according to package directions
• Freshly cracked pepper

How you do it:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Combine cumin, paprika, thyme and 1 teaspoon of salt in a small bowl, then rub the spice mixture evenly over both sides of brisket. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, swirling to coat. Add brisket and brown for three minutes on each side. Remove brisket from pan and add the beer, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove the brown bits, and bring to a boil. Add broth and garlic, return to a boil, and then put the brisket back into the pan. Cover and cook at 325 degrees for 1.5 hours. Turn brisket over and cook an additional 1.5 hours. Turn brisket over and add carrot, celery, and onion; cook an additional hour or until brisket is very tender.
3. Remove brisket and vegetables from pan using a slotted spoon. Bring cooking liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. In a small bowl, whisk together flour and water until smooth. Add flour mixture to pan, stirring until smooth. Return to a boil and stir constantly for two minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Season with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4. Slice the brisket into half-inch slices. Serve with vegetables and egg noodles. Top with sauce, freshly cracked pepper and chopped celery leaves.

While I love crazy desserts as much as the next gal, sometimes simple is best. And this cake, which can be made in one bowl and only takes 30 minutes to bake, is proof. In fact, it’s my new go-to recipe. (And it has wine in it! Go figure.)

I’ve made this cake a few times and while I prefer it sans frosting, the original recipe calls for a whipped mascarpone topping which helps jazz it up a bit. However, I find it’s wonderful as-is with just a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top.

The perfect weeknight treat when spending hours in the kitchen just won’t do.

Red Wine Chocolate Cake

From Smitten Kitchen

What you need:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup red wine (it doesn’t matter what kind)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup 100% whole wheat flour and 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Powdered sugar for garnish (optional)

This sandwich was inspired by one of the best things I ate last year — the Wild Boar Sloppy Joe from Longman & Eagle.

But as it turns out, wild boar is pretty hard to find in Chicago (unless you want to buy 10+ pounds of it, which I didn’t). In fact, I went to three of the area’s best butcher shops, came up empty handed, and was forced to settle on buffalo. Not a total loss, but not exactly as I intended. Such is life.

I remember the Longman & Eagle version being a bit sweet and a bit savory, so I added ingredients to capture both flavors. And in true Fresh and Foodie style, I added some beer — why not? I have no idea whether or not I even came close to replicating the ingredients used by Longman & Eagle in their recipe, but my version certainly satisfied my cravings.

Serve with a stack of heavy duty napkins. Knives and forks are encouraged.

Drunken Buffalo Sandwiches with Fried Sage (serves 4)

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1/4 cup for frying sage
• 2 carrots, grated
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 pound ground buffalo
• 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 8 ounces stout beer (I used a local barrel-aged stout)
• 2 tablespoons dark-brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 brioche rolls, halved and toasted
• 16 sage leaves

How you do it:

1. In a large saucepan or skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Ad carrot, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become translucent — about four minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add tomato paste and stir into the vegetables. Cook for about three minutes. Add the buffalo and cook for about five minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
3. Add the tomatoes (with juice), beer, brown sugar, cider vinegar, Worcestershire and cayenne pepper, stirring to combine. Raise the heat and let the mixture simmer for 15 minutes. It’ll thicken up as it cooks.
4. Meanwhile, In a small skillet, heat the remaining quarter cup of olive oil until it’s shimmering on top. Working in batches, quickly drop a few sage leaves into the oil (careful — it will splatter) and let them sit in the oil for no longer than 10 seconds. Remove from oil and place on a plate lined with paper towel. Season the sage with coarse salt.
5. To serve, plate a hearty portion of buffalo on the brioche rolls and top each sandwich with four sages leaves.

I realize that there will be two reactions to this post.

1. “Beer in pancakes? Really? She’s such a lush.” Or…

2. “Bourbon County Stout in pancakes? Really? What a waste.”

And yes, I have a response for both.

For those of you who think beer in pancakes is crazy, I encourage you to think again. Not only is beer good in nearly anything, but when stout is combined with chocolate, it’s magical. Even at breakfast.

And for those beer nerds out there, trust me — I had similar thoughts. I fully realize that Bourbon County Stout is one of the best beers you can get your hands on, so why would I want to use it in pancakes? But if you look at the recipe, it only calls for two ounces of beer, which means you can drink the rest. Which I did.

Moral of the story: beer at breakfast. It’s a win-win.

(And yes, I very well may be a lush. But at least I drink good beer.)

Bourbon County Stout Pancakes with Cardamom-Spiced Maple Syrup (makes 6 large pancakes, but recipe can be doubled)

What you need:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup 100% whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 ounces Bourbon County Stout (or any other bourbon barrel-aged stout)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus extra for greasing the griddle
• A small pinch of ground cardamom
• 1/4 cup (or so — depending on your preference) real maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted (optional)

How you do it:

1. In a large bowl, whisk together both flours, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon until well combined. Add buttermilk, eggs, stout and melted butter and mix until no lumps remain.
2. Preheat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. When a drop of water skips across the top of the griddle, it’s hot enough. Melt a bit of butter in the pan to prevent sticking, then ladle batter — in 1/2 cup portions — onto the griddle and cook for approximately two minutes or until bubbles appearing on the to of the pancakes remain open. Flip and cook for another two minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat maple syrup and cardamom in a saucepan over low heat until warmed through.
4. To serve, top each pancake with syrup, sifted powdered sugar and chopped pecans.

My husband and I aren’t big Valentine’s Day people. In fact, in the past we’ve been known to order a heart-shaped deep dish pizza (hey, we do live in Chicago) from one of the local pizza joints and call it a day. But this year, since he already surprised me with a box of my favorite smoked salt caramels from Fran’s in Seattle, I decided to surprise him back. With red velvet cupcakes. With bourbon cream cheese frosting.

Sure, red velvet is sort of expected for Valentine’s Day, but it also happens to be one of my husband’s favorite cake flavors. My friend Jen always used to make this very recipe, and I find that it’s one of the best. To jazz it up a bit for him, I chose to put a “manly” spin on the frosting by adding a bit of bourbon. Why not, right? (Albeit not kid friendly, so just eliminate it and add a teaspoon more vanilla if kids are present.)

This year, we passed on the pizza and celebrated with t-bone steaks, beer-braised Brussels sprouts, red velvet cupcakes and a trip to the Chicago Auto Show. Not a bad way to spend the day with someone you love.

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

Red Velvet Cupcakes with Bourbon Cream Cheese Frosting (makes approximately 24 cupcakes)

Slightly adapted from Saveur

What you need:

For the cake:

• 2 1/2 cups plus 10 tablespoons all-purpose flour (the original recipe called for cake flour, but I used AP and it worked just fine)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

For the frosting:

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 teaspoons bourbon
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

For decoration (optional):

• 1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, toasted and cooled

How you do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla and vinegar until well combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet (I did this step by hand, but you could use an electric mixer if you wanted to), scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
3. Distribute the batter evenly between the 24 muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, approximately 22 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.
4. For the frosting, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla and bourbon. Add the confectioners’ sugar in batches until well combined.
5. Spoon frosting into a pastry bag loaded with a wide star tip (I used Wilton No. 2110) and slowly pipe onto the cupcake, starting from the outside and working your way in a circular motion into the center. Top cupcakes with toasted pecans.

I’m pretty sure mussels come nestled in those cute little spoon-like shells for a very specific reason — to help you slurp up every last bit 0f the delicious broth they were just swimming in.

When it comes to mussels, broth is definitely king. And this is a really good broth — sweet, spicy and creamy. I usually make Belgian-style mussels, but when I found this recipe while flipping through one of my mother-in-law’s Cooking Light (!!!) magazines over the holidays, I knew I had to try it.

As far as broth soaker-uppers go, I skipped the traditional baguette and frites — neither seemed right here. So I made coconut brown rice, which I figured would be an equally good substitute. And it was.

So gather ’round some friends, pull up a seat and prepare to get a bit messy. These mussels are really, really good.

Coconut Curry Mussels (serves 4)

Slightly adapted from Cooking Light

What you need:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped white onion
• 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, halved and sliced (I removed the ribs and seeds, but that’s up to you)
• 2 teaspoons red curry paste
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1/2 cup basil leaves, chiffonade
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving

How you do it:

1. In a large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, garlic and jalapeno and cook for three minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in curry paste and cook for 30 seconds or so, stirring constantly.
3. Add coconut milk, wine, brown sugar and salt, bring mixture to a boil and cook for two minutes.
4. Stir in mussels, cover and let cook for five minutes allowing the mussels to open. Discard any that remain closed. Remove from heat and stir in basil and lime juice.
5. I like serving mussels in a communal bowl with all the broth poured on top, but you could divide them into separate bowls if you wanted to. Serve with lime wedges.

Coconut Brown Rice (serves 4)

From Saveur

What you need:

• 1-inch piece of fresh ginger
• 1 cup brown jasmine rice
• 3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

How you do it:

1. Using the back of a large knife, pound the ginger until it starts to break down slightly. This will take a good whack or two.
2. Rinse the rice in a strainer under cold running water for 30 seconds to remove some of the extra starch.
3. Transfer the rice to a medium saucepan and add the coconut milk, cold water and salt.
4. Add the ginger to the pan and stir well, making sure the ginger is fully covered by the rice. Place the pan over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir constantly to prevent the rice from scorching.
5. Allow the rice to boil for 15 seconds. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is completely absorbed and rice is tender, about 45 minutes. Remove the pot from heat; allow the rice to continue to steam, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and remove the hunk of ginger before serving.