Beer and Garlic Fondue Recipe

During Black Friday Football 2009, I got a fancy electric fondue pot.  To celebrate many belated events and achievements (John's new iphone application went online, I accepted three jobs over the last few months), I decided that beer and garlic fondue would be an appropriate meal.  This recipe is the popular rue method of making fondue.  Enjoy!

Ingredients to serve two:

	2 tablespoons butter
	2 tablespoons flour
	8 oz lager (I used Samuel Adams Boston Lager)
	3-4 garlic cloves, minced or use garlic press
	4 oz L & D Appenzeller (mild hard cheese), cut into small cubes
	2 oz Cave aged Gruyere, cut into small cubes

Directions: In a sauce pan or an electric fondue pot, melt the butter slowly.  Add the flour and whisk it in vigorously.  If are using a fondue pot that doesn't have much heat (like those ceramic ones that are heated by tea lights), you need to make the fondue in a saucepan first before transferring it to your fondue pot.  Keep whisking the flour and butter mixture until the rue (butter/flour mixture used to thicken soups and sauces) is a golden brown.  At this point, stream in the beer while whisking.  It will probably foam and bubble.  Add the minced garlic to the mixture or use a garlic press to press it into the mixture.  Keep whisking until the mixture is like a thick gravy.  Add the cheese to the mixture one handful at a time while whisking.  Make sure the cheese is melted thoroughly before adding more cheese.  The aroma at this point should be intoxicating.  Once all the cheese is added, the fondue is ready to be served. Since I was only serving for two, I didn't buy large quantities of veggies that I had to wash and chop.  Instead, I roamed around Whole Foods Downtown picking up some fresh veggies from the salad bar and some prepared food from the deli, barbeque, and prepared dishes.  I chose 2-3 ounces of a variety of items which costs on average $1.50 per item. 

Traditional things to dip into the fondue:

	Bread sticks
	Apples
	Carrots
	Celery
	Cherry Tomatoes
	Broccoli
	Cauliflower
	Cubed Ham

Things I dipped:

	Seeduction bread cubes
	Brisket
	Boudin sausage
	Spinach and gorgonzola polenta cake
	Roasted Garlic Carrots and Parsnips
	Fresh Green Beans
	Fresh Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Peppers
	Roasted Maple Squash
	Olives

Beer and Dessert Meet up - Be there or no chocolate for you.

Beer and Dessert Meet up is Tuesday, Dec. 15th at Uncle Billy's.  The idea of this meet up evolved from boozy cucpakes that I usually bring to meet ups and bleet ups.  After the last meet up where I brought 512 Pecan Porter Brownies, @g_ack decided to make my @BrookylnBrewery Chocolate Pumpkin cake.  Even @thecedardoor had some of my brownies at their Face-Lift party (photo coming soon).  Needless to say, a meet up was in order.

The line up so far is:

   @g_ack @imrphoto @irisa @MeanRachel @chelseabot @valeriekusler

I haven't let the cat out of the  bag of what I'm making yet, but it will most likely be a brand new recipe.  Feel free to join us!

What: Beer and Dessert Meet up
What to bring: Some type of dessert made with beer.

Time: 7:00pm
Place: Uncle Billy's 1530 Barton Springs Road (park in the self-park lot just down the street past Chuy's and ride the complimentary shuttle or street parking)

Great American Beer Fest #5: Dog Fish Head Punkin Beer Bread Recipe

If you happened to catch me at the Great American Beer Festival, you might have gotten a little package with several treats. One of them happens to be Dog Fish Head's Punkin Beer bread.  Since I used Dog Fish Head's beer, I felt that the brewer deserved a loaf of this scrumptious bread.  I had the great pleasure of meeting Sam Calagione at the Great American Beer Festival 2009 to pass on some bread, and in return, I received a tee shirt.  Woohoo!  It is unbelievable how many people stop me to talk about beer when they see me wearing the shirt.  The recipe follows below. 

Photo by John Knox

Dog Fish Head Punkin Beer Bread 


Dough for 4 small loaves:

	·         1 bottle Dog Fish Head Punkin beer (12 oz) ·         1 cup canned pumpkin, plain
	·         8 tablespoons unsalted butter  (1 stick)
	·         7-8 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided
	·         2 large eggs
	·         1/2 cup of malt extract (extra pale)
	·         5 teaspoons rapid-rise yeast (from 2 envelopes yeast) or substitute regular active yeast and double rise time.
	·         2 teaspoon salt ·         1 teaspoon cinnamon ·         ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg, use fresh, it makes a huge difference
	·         Nonstick vegetable oil spray
	·         Optional: mix-ins such as chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, or grains

Warm beer and butter in glass measuring cup in the microwave or the stove top to 120°F to 130°F. Be very precise on the temperature as it is important to get the yeast activated.  Too hot will kill the yeast.  Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with hook attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, malt extract, egg, yeast, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix for 3 minutes, occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Add the remaining flour. Stir on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. The dough will get tougher and tougher for the mixer to move.  If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. Form into ball.

Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 2 hours (4 hours if you regular active yeast).  If it is larger than double, that's okay, just punch it down more on the next step.   Turn dough out onto lightly flour work surface and knead again. Mix in dried fruit, nuts, or chocolate at this point if you like. I like this bread with dried cranberries or raisins.  Walnuts are also awesome.  Split dough in half if making two smaller loaves.  Split again as this will make 4 small loaves total.  You can also make it 2 large loaves.  Shape the bread slightly, and place in lightly greased baking pan.  Allow to rise covered with plastic wrap in a warm draft-free place for at least 40 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  The bread will be done once the internal temperature reaches 205-210 degrees. Allow to cool enough to eat. You may butter the top as it cools. Be patient.  The smell is intoxicating, but you must wait or else you'll burn yourself. 

Photo by John Knox

(512) Pecan Porter Chocolate Mousse drizzled with Pecan Praline liquor and a bacon spoon

Makes 8 large (6-8 oz) servings or 16 smaller (3-4 oz) servings

Preparation time: 30 minutes for the mousse, 1 hour for the bacon

Chill time: 6 hours minimum

Ingredients

	2 1/2 cups chilled heavy cream
	5 large egg yolks
	3 tablespoons sugar
	1.5 cups of (512) Pecan Porter or other dark stout beer
	7 oz fine-quality bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped

Garnishes: adjust if using another type of flavored dark beer

	2 pound maple or plain bacon uncooked. Do not get peppered or spicy bacon.
	1/3 cup Pecan Praline liquor

Equipment:

	Double Boiler
	Instant-read thermometer
	2 Large bowls
	Hand or stand mixer
	long skewers (wooden or metal)
	large baking or roasting pan

Preparation of the Mousse:

Heat 3/4 cup cream in a 1-quart heavy saucepan until hot. Whisk together yolks, sugar, and a pinch of salt in a metal bowl until combined well, then add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Whisk slowly so that the eggs do not curdle from the hot cream.  Transfer mixture back to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until it registers 160°F on thermometer. It is extremely important to reach at least 160 degrees or else the custard may not set.  Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler or a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water (or in a glass bowl in a microwave at 50 percent power 3 to 5 minutes), stirring frequently. Whisk custard into chocolate until smooth, then cool. Once it is smooth, add the beer while whisking.  The beer may start to fizz, but just keep whisking. Allow to cool to at least room temperature or colder.

Whisk remaining 1 1/4 cups cream in a bowl with an electric mixer (hand or stand) until it just holds stiff peaks. Fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture. I do it by pouring the cooled chocolate mixture into the bowl of whipped cream.  If it is not cool, your whipped cream may cease to be whipped.  This process will be time consuming, but do not stir. You must fold, fold, fold or else you'll lose the air that is in the mousse.  Make sure that you incorporate the liquid at the very bottom of the bowl into the whipped cream or else you will end up with mousse on top and liquid chocolate beer on bottom. 

Spoon mousse into 8 (6-ounce) stemmed glasses or ramekins and chill, covered, at least 6 hours. Mousse will stay edible for about a 10 days refrigerated.  If it gets to room temperature, it may start to loose it's shape, but once refrigerated, it should stiffen up again.

Cooking the bacon:

While there are many different ways to cook bacon, I prefer to use the suspended baking method.  This method renders the fat from the bacon without it sitting in grease.  You want a crunchy bacon strip without grease.  It should be easy for people to handle and to use as a spoon.  I cook mine by cutting the bacon strips in half crosswise so that you end up with many 4-5 inch long pieces of raw bacon.  Run a wooden skewer all the way through one end of all the bacon pieces.  You should have a skewer (if held parallel to the ground) of bacon hanging off.  Leave about 1-1.5 inches between each piece of bacon and make sure they are separated.  If not, they will cook together in one big clump.  Place the skewers between the openings of the oven racks.  Make sure the top rack is at the highest position possible, and make sure the bottom rack is at the lowest position possible.  Place a large baking or roasting pan under the bacon.  If you do not make sure that all the bacon is directly over the pan, you will end up with a nasty, greasy, smokey mess in your oven.  Starting with the cold oven, I turn it up to 350 degrees.  Once the bacon is sizzling at 350, I crank it up to 400 degrees, leave it at 400 degrees for 5 minutes, then bring it back down to 350 degrees.  After 20 minutes, I turn the often off completely and allow the bacon to finish cooking and cool in the oven.  It is about 40 minutes of cook time.  I find that cranking the often up to 400 degrees for a short amount of time gets it that crispy stage faster, but doesn't burn it.  Allowing the bacon to cool in the oven ensures that the dogs will not be able to get to it (most dogs anyways), and that all the grease drips off.  The end result will be non-greasy crispy bacon spoons. 

Serving: Mouse should be placed in individual cups (clear plastic or glass makes for a pretty presentation).  Drizzle Pecan Praline liquor over the mousse and serve with a bacon spoon dipped in. 

Garnish adjustments: I chose bacon and pecan praline liqueur for this recipe because 512 Pecan Porter has a dark, rich, nutty aroma.  I would not use this combination for other beers, say perhaps a coffee porter.  I might serve biscotti or Kahlua with a coffee porter mousse.  Other garnishes include peppermint chips, cookies, raw cacao nibs, or fruits.  The possibilities are endless. 

Beer and Bacon Hot Potato Salad

Beer and Bacon Potato Salad is my boozed up version of Hot German Potato Salad.  Traditional Hot German Potato Salad is made with a vinegar based dressing and slightly sweetened.  In my potato salad, I'm using beer and malt extract. This dish also freezes very well, and is wonderful for breakfast topped with eggs over easy. Ingredients: 5 lbs red potatoes, washed, cut into 1-2 inch cubes 24 oz raw bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces. I prefer to use peppered bacon, but you can use regular smoked bacon. At least. More bacon is preferable. 1 large yellow onion, diced. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/2 to 3/4 cup malt extract (I used extra pale) 3 bottles of a lager or something that is not a stout or porter. I used (512) Wit. You can use a generic brand here if absolutely necessary. 1 bottle of a wit or hefe.  This will be added directly into the potatoes, so make sure it is something you like to drink.  Tools: Colander Large pot(s) for boiling the potatoes Heavy large pan for frying the potatoes Place beer and potatoes in a large pot and start the burner.  If there isn't enough beer to cover the potatoes, you can add water.  Allow the potatoes and beer to come to a boil.  Boil for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  Larger pieces of potatoes will take longer to cook.  The potatoes are done if you can pierce them easily with a fork.  The beer and water mixture will probably get foamy and gross.  Make sure to watch it the pot carefully. While the potatoes are cooking, fry up the bacon bits (you can use bacon end and pieces as well) over medium heat.  You want to make sure the fat renders out.  Having the fat is critical for this dish.  If there is not enough fat or if you are vegetarian, you may substitute 1 cup of butter.  Once most of the fat is rendered, add the onion and cook until the onions are transluscent.  Remove most of the bacon and onions from the pan.  Leave the fat in the pan.  The potatoes should be done by about now.  Drain the potatoes, and carefully place into the hot frying pan full of bacon fat and/or butter. Allow the potatoes to fry until they are golden brown on the bottom.  You might  need to do this in 2 batches.  Once the bottom is fried, mix the potatoes around and scrape the bottom of the pan.  You want to mix the potatoes and fat together with the crusty yummy bits.  Add the malt extract, apple cider vinegar, and about 1/2 cup of beer into the mix with the burner on low.  The bottom should continue to cook.  Add more beer until the potatoes are somewhat smashed.  Add more beer until the potatoes reaches the consistency you like.  I used about a cup and a half of beer.  Taste the potatoes as you cook as well.  It may or may not need more malt extract or beer as needed.  Also, use very good beer. No cheap stuff.  No amount of bacon fat can cover up bad beer taste. Add salt and pepper as needed. Bacon cooking. Potatoes are baking. Finished product! Heart attack on a plate!