Spice Up Your Life

Home, sweet home!

Ginger has been used as a folk medicine for over 3000 years to treat indigestion, motion sickness, and to relieve fatigue.  Approximately 90% of the world trade in spices is accounted for by ginger, pepper, cloves, cinnamon, cassia, mace, nutmeg, pimento and cardamom – all potential ingredients in holiday baking.

ɑ-Zingiberene

The pungent flavor is due to a variety of compounds in the root, which include gingerols, shogaols, essential oils, and sesquiterpene derivatives (ɑ-zingiberene) obtained from the rhizomes (the underground stem of the plant).  Ginger oil is used in many foods and beverages, including ginger ale, ginger beer, and various desserts.  The oil is also used in other industries as an ingredient in cosmetics, perfumes, and pharmaceuticals.

I am far from crabby when I
get my hands on a Crabbie's.

Not to be confused with ginger ale, ginger beer is a spicy beverage – far more potent than the stuff you’re given on an airplane to fend off motion sickness.  Crabbie's has had great success marketing their alcoholic ginger beer, and often sells out at my local liquor store when I am especially in need.

Sushi's new best friend.

In the past, the Phillips brewery out of Victoria, BC released Gentleman Jim’s Real Ginger Ale in 2009, a sweet seasonal cooler.  However, their most recent Ginger beer is entirely different.  This is in fact a true hopped beer, with the raw ginger flavor adding an extra kick.  This brew is especially good with sushi, clearing your palate much like the pickled pink stuff they put next to the wasabi.  Am I the only one that eats that stuff?

Just as the coffee companies bring out the gingerbread lattes at Christmas time, there are seasonal gingerbread.  Yukon Brewing company released a Winter Spice Ale for their ADD series, while Big Rock and Paddock Wood produce similar beers when the season hits.  The molasses flavor of a rich stout lends itself especially well to the spices used in Christmas sweets.

Why not switch up your contribution to this year’s Christmas potluck?  Skip the rum-spiked eggnog and the fruitcake, and bring these cupcakes instead.  Your family will thank you.  Sincerely this time.

Ginger Beer Cupcakes

"Yo, tell me what you want,
What you really really want!"
- Wannabe, Spice Girls 1996

¾ cup ginger beer or stout

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅔ cup mild molasses

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting pan)

2 tablespoons ground ginger

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon table salt

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper

2 large eggs

⅓ cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or line two 12-cup muffin tins (20 wells).
2. Bring beer to a boil in medium saucepan over medium heat.
3. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda - the mixture will foam.  Be really careful that the mixture doesn’t escape from the saucepan and stick to your lovely clean stove.
4. When the foaming subsides, stir in the molasses, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.  Stir until dissolved.  Let cool and transfer to a large bowl.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and black pepper.
6. Whisk in the eggs, oil, and grated ginger to the stout mixture until well combined.
7. Gradually whisk the dry mixture into the stout, stirring vigorously until smooth after each addition.
8. Carefully pour the batter into the prepared wells (20) ¾ full.  The batter will be very thin – you WILL miss the pan, I guarantee.
9. Gently tap the pan against the counter to dislodge any large air bubbles.  Fill the 3 empty muffin wells with water and place pans in oven.
10. Bake until the top of the cake is just firm to the touch and a toothpick comes out clean from the center – about 22 to 25 minutes.
11. Cool the cupcakes 10 minutes before removing from pan.  Set aside until completely cool before frosting.

Makes 20 cupcakes

Eggnog Butter Icing

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp eggnog

1 ½ cups icing sugar

1 tbsp rum (OR ½ tsp rum extract)

¼ tsp nutmeg

1. In large bowl, combine butter with 1 tbsp eggnog.
2. Beat in sugar alternately with eggnog and rum until evenly blended.
3. Beat in rum extract and nutmeg.
4. Fill piping bag with icing, pushing it down to the tip of the bag.  Pipe icing in a spiral motion from the outside to the middle.
5. OR if you’re lazy (like I usually am), spread the icing on with a knife.  It doesn’t look as pretty, but it tastes the same.  Trust me.
6. Top with chopped crystallized ginger, Christmas sprinkles, or mini gingerbread cookies.

Ginger, the Genus Zingiber.  CRC Press 2004. Edited by K . Nirmal Babu and P . N . Ravindran.

Photo courtesy www.thedrinksbusiness.com

Living in the Limelight

"Ruffle the rhythm and it must be Sublime"
- Don't Push (Sublime)

I’ve mentioned the use of lime in Corona to cover up the “skunky” flavor of oxidized humulones (click here to see post).  Lime tastes good with beer, even to a beer purist.  Eventually someone caught on and started marketing a lime-flavored beer.  Some lime beers end up tasting more like a Shandy (half beer, half lemonade).  However, anything is better than the sugar-laden, fluorescent pseudo-sodas in the cooler (Palm Bay anyone?...No? Didn’t think so).  Keep your dignity.

Bud Light lime made it big when it was introduced the summer of 2008.  Every brewery started making their own version: Big Rock Lime, Dead Frog...even Corona.  Miller Genuine Draft jumped on the wagon too, and produce a lemon version as well.

Why did I choose to write about lime beers in the middle of Winter?  Because I want to pretend it’s summer.  And I found some cheap ones in the sale bin.  Beer on a budget.  Enjoy this smoky and sweet cornbread made with Big Rock Lime.

Chipotle Lime Cornbread

"Living in the limelight,
the universal dream."
- Limelight (Rush)

1 cup yellow cornmeal

1 cup all purpose flour

¼ cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

½ tsp smoked paprika

½ cup milk

½ cup lime beer

Zest of one lime

2 tbsp lime juice

3 large eggs

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons chipotle pureé

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Line a 9 x 5 x 2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan or 12-cup muffin tin with parchment or muffin liners.
3. Mix first 7 ingredients in large bowl.
4. Whisk milk, lime zest, lime juice, eggs, melted butter and chipotles in medium bowl.
5. Add buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients; stir until blended.
6. Spoon batter into prepared pan.
7. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 35 minutes for the loaf or .
8. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack; cool completely before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf or 12 muffins

Recipe adapted from Epicurious http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chipotle-Corn-Bread-101828

IBU and UB Me?

In the morning, I like my coffee to taste as bitter as I feel.  More often than not, I like my beer that way too.  My fellow Hopheads will understand.

The hop-burglar?

For years breweries have challenged themselves to produce the beer with the highest ABV.  Now several breweries have begun competing to produce the beer with the highest magnitude of IBU.  So far the Danish brewery Mikkeller has taken the lead with the juggernaut strength of 1000 IBU.

Bitterness in beer is measured in International Bittering Units (IBU), which reflect the alpha acids (as measured with solvent extraction using a spectrophotometer) provided by the hops in the brewing process.  However, the same level of IBU may be perceived as more or less bitter depending on the beer style.  A magnitude of 50 IBU in a heavy imperial stout may not be perceived as bitter as in in a crisp low-alcohol lager.  A higher IBU is often needed to balance the flavor in more full-bodied, high alcohol beers.

The India Pale Ale is known for a more pronounced hop flavor than other styles, and will typically have between 40-65 IBUs. I am especially fond of double IPAs, which can be between 60 and 100+.  I have previously mentioned the Dragon Series by Alley Kat, a series of double IPAs each single-hopped with a different variety.  The most recent release has been the Orange Dragon, brewed exclusively with Summit hops.

The bitterness of a beer can add an extra kick to your cooking.  This French onion soup can handle the of an India Pale Ale.  I used Hop Head from Tree Brewing company, a personal favorite.  A double IPA however, would undoubtedly overpower the pleasant pungency of the onions.  Enjoy as I did!

The toasted bread topped with cheese
is know as the "crouton"

French Onion Soup

 3 Tablespoons olive oil

5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions

½ teaspoon salt

2 tbsp brown sugar

3 Tablespoons flour

8 cups beef stock

1 cup beer (India Pale Ale or a Brown Ale works well)

1 sprig fresh rosemary

½ tsp dried thyme

Salt and pepper to taste

6-8 slices French bread, cut in rounds

1 cups grated cheese

Completely unlike those tasteless cubes
you put on top of Caesar salad.
Do it right.

1. Heat oil over low heat in a heavy soup pot. Add onions, cover, and sweat until they are tender (15 to 25 minutes).
2. Heat beef stock over medium heat and bring to a simmer.
3. Remove the cover, increase heat to medium, and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook 30-40 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are golden and caramelized.
4. Sprinkle in the flour; cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Off the heat, whisk in beef stock. Add the beer, rosemary, and thyme. Season to taste.
6. Return pot to range and bring to a simmer. Continue to cook, partially covered, for 40-60 minutes.
7. When ready to serve, turn on oven broiler and toast bread rounds.
8. Ladle soup into individual oven-proof bowls.
9. Place a piece of toasted bread on top of soup and sprinkle generously with grated cheese.
10. Place under broiler until melted and bubbly.

Makes 6-8 servings

Gamboa, BJ. Battle of the IBUS. Drinking Made Easy. November 3^rd, 2012. http://drinkingmadeeasy.com/blog/battle-of-the-ibus/

Challenge Accepted

What can I add beer to?
A better question to ask is "What CAN'T I add beer to."

I don't have any food science or brewing tales this week.  Instead I'd like to issue a challenge to my fellow omnomnomnivores:

Name a dish I cannot add beer to.  Without making an inedible mess.

No, really.  So far I've made sauces, soups, meat dishes, pasta, baked goods...even a salad.I'm curious to see what others think would be impossible.  Although I have a running list of things to make, I'd like some new ideas.  From an unbiased third party.



In the meantime, enjoy this gratuitous recipe for cookies made with chocolate stout.

Chocolate Stout Pecan Cookies

I need to stop using chocolate stout.
It's just too easy.

1 cup butter, unsalted

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

2 cups chocolate stout

2 ½ cups flour

½ tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup pecan halves, broken into coarse chunks and toasted

1 cup bittersweet or dark chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (325°F in a convection oven).
2. Pour beer into saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Reduce beer until only 1/3 cup remains.
3. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and cocoa.  Beat until smooth.
4. Pour beer into butter and sugar mixture, and stir vigorously.
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda.
6. Add dry mixture to butter mixture gradually
7. Fold in the pecans and chocolate chips.
8. For best results, chill the dough overnight to solidify the butter.  This gives the cookie more shape and prevents spreading.
9. Scoop dough with a teaspoon and form into balls, placing them onto nonstick or greased baking sheets.
10. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.
11. Place on wire rack to cool.

Makes approximately 48 cookies.

The Chronicles of Carné-a

Chocolate and chili.  Just trust me.

I often cook with chocolate stout.  Sometimes I even put it in the food.

The Mesoamericans of Central America fermented cacao pods to make chicha, a drink analogous to beer.  However, a recent archaeological study suggests that chocolate was first produced as a by-product of beer.

Fermentation is necessary to produce the flavor compounds we know and love, such as theobromine.  A recent archaeological study found pot shards were found by in a ruined ancient village in the Ulúa Valley in Honduras dating from 200 BC to before 1100 BC.  Chocolate residues containing theobromine were extracted from the pores of these pot shards, suggesting the involvement of fermentation.  This led the investigators to speculate that cacao beer might have been the originating process.  The transition from beer to chocolate may have come when ground cacao seeds were added to the beer, making a thick unsweetened beverage.

Theobromine

While the subtle sweetness makes it easy to use in desserts, the rich chocolate malts are perfectly at home with dark meats and sauces.  You don’t need to follow a recipe if you know what flavors complement each other.  Pay attention to the balance of flavors.  Sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and spicy.

In this chili, the chipotle peppers are salty and spicy, with a hint of acidity from the lime to cut the heat.  Chocolate and stout add a complex bitterness that ties it all together.  I don’t think I’ve ever made chili the same way twice, but I may now make an exception.

Chocolate Stout Chili con Carne

Chili night!  With roasted garlic bread.

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 large onions, finely diced

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 lb (1.5 kg) lean ground beef

2 cans black beans, drained

2 cans kidney beans, drained

4 jalapeno peppers, finely diced

5 oz. unsweetened chocolate

3 Tbsp. chipotle puree

2 tablespoons ground cumin

2 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp finely ground black pepper

2 fresh limes

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 bottle (355 ml) stout

1-2 tsp liquid smoke

1 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot.  Cook the onions and garlic cloves over moderate heat, stirring frequently until the onions are softened.
2. Add the ground beef and cook the mixture, stirring and breaking up the lumps, until the meat is no longer pink.
3. Finely chop unsweetened chocolate.  Add to pot along with beans, chipotle purée, and spices (cumin, chili powder, black pepper).  Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
4. Grate lime zest and squeeze juice from lime.  Add to pot along with tomatoes (diced, crushed, and sauce), and stout.
5. Add salt and liquid smoke to taste.  Cover pot and allow to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
6. The chili may be frozen or kept chilled for up to 3 days.

Hecht, J (2007). Ancient beer pots point to origins of chocolate. New Scientist.  http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12910-ancient-beer-pots-point-to-origins-of-chocolate.html%20chocolate

Smashing Pumpkins

I have lots to be thankful for.  Friends.  Family.  Beer.  Pumpkin-flavored EVERYTHING.

A little lovin' from the oven.

There’s one thing I don’t understand. Why can we only have pumpkin-flavored things in late fall?  Sure seasonal availability might play a factor in society’s decision to ration the pumpkin goods, but most people make their pies, muffins, and cupcakes from the canned pureé anyway. From now on, I’m going to make pumpkin flavored baked goods whenever I like.  Try and stop me.

Personally, I prefer winter-spiced seasonal beers to the pumpkin varieties.  However, there is a certain appeal to a pint of spicy, squash-y goodness with the turkey dinner grand finale.

I am especially fond of  St. Ambroise Citrouille from the McAuslan Brewery.  The squash flavor definitely takes a back seat to the cinnamon and nutmeg character, but adds a detectable caramel sweetness to the brew.

This year Alley Kat also released a Pumpkin Pie spiced beer, but I have yet to locate a bottle.  I’ve heard several good reviews from fellow beer geeks, and I would be severely disappointed if I were to miss it.

The Howe Sound Brewing Company makes Pumpkin Eater, a strong ale flavored with this significant squash.  It also makes an excellent cheesecake, I might add.

I began my Thanksgiving weekend with a field trip to Prairie Gardens , a pumpkin patch and "adventure farm" in Bon Accord, AB.  There's a haunted house, a corn toss, a petting zoo...it's great fun.  My partner-in-crime asked if I knew how to cook with fresh pumpkin.  I had never done so, but was unable to resist a new challenge.

We selected two pumpkins to bring home from our excursion: a large green specimen to carve into a monstrous “Pumpkinstein”, and a smaller one to roast.

I had no idea how easy it would be.

Easy as pie.  Pumpkin pie.

Step 1: Choose a pumpkin that is about the size of a cantaloupe.

Step 2: Remove the stem by wedging a knife underneath and using it as a lever.  A machete works well, but a butter knife will suffice.

Step 3: Cut your pumpkin in half lengthwise, through the hole left by the stem.  If you’re a lazy frail and helpless woman like me, get a big strong man to complete this step.

Step 4: Scoop out the pulp and seeds.  Sprinkle the seeds in salt and roast them to sustain you through the arduous cheesecake-making ordeal.

Step 5: Place pumpkin halves face down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.

Step 6: Roast at 375°F for 1-1/2 hours until the skin easily pulls away from the flesh.

My only warning is this: once you have tasted freshly roasted pumpkin, you will never go back to the canned pureé.  It will taste insipid and stale in comparison.

We used the fresh squash puree to create a scrumptious cheesecake with Howe Sound Pumpkin Eater strong ale.  This recipe is adapted from my favorite beer blog, The Beeroness.  Very often she posts recipes that I too thought beer would improve, while other times she conceives combinations that even I had never dared to devise.

Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake

9 large sized gingersnap cookies

¼ cup melted butter

1 ½ cups brown sugar

16 oz cream cheese (softened)

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

1 ¼ cup pumpkin ale

¼ cup plus 2 tbs flour
¼ cup pecan halves, toasted
Maple syup to garnish

1. In a food processor pulse ginger snap cookies, processing until they are fine crumbs.
2. While the food processor is still running, add the melted butter and process until it resembles wet sand.
3. Press buttered cookie crumbs into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan, or into several miniature foil pans.
4. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar and cream cheese. Cream with an electric mixer until well combined.
5. One at a time, add the eggs and vanilla, mixing until well combined.  Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula before adding each egg.
6. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon nutmeg and salt. Mix until well blended.
7. Add the beer and stir until combined.
8. Sprinkle the flour over the bowl, stir on medium speed until an even consistency is reached.
9. Pour cream cheese mixture over the crust.
10. Bake at 350 for about one hour or until the centre is firm.
11. Chill until set, about 3 hours.  Or 1 hour, if you’re impatient like me.
12. Garnish with maple syrup and top with toasted pecans before serving.

Recipe adapted from The Beeroness http://thebeeroness.com/2012/09/27/pumpkin-ale-cheesecake-with-beer-pecan-caramel-sauce/

Ribs for Her Pleasure

Earlier in the season I was recruited to produce a menu for a fraternity group meal or “Manwhich”.  I was originally told there would be 20-30 young men at the event.  Sometimes I question my own sanity.

Mac'n out.

I made a rule that each dish I made had to incorporate beer, bacon, or both.  The menu included two recipes from former posts, and a third I had recently devised:

Bacon n’ Beer Mac and Cheese

Chocolate Stout Ribs (see below)

Bacon Chocolate Stout Cupcakes

10 racks of ribs, 9 cups of BBQ sauce, 2 kg pasta, 1.6 kg cheese, 1 lb of butter, 2L of milk, 3 packs of bacon, 29 cupcakes, and a beer.  I bought this all two days before the “Manwhich”.  My biceps hurt for the rest of the week.  This was enough to double the recipe of BBQ sauce and quadruple the mac n’ cheese. I could only hope it would be enough.

Bacon chocolate cupcakes for dessert.
Mancakes.

I had done a lot of prep ahead of time for the meal, and had shown up early to start cooking, but was still flustered.  There is a lot of pressure to have everything done on time at the SAME time.  Luckily I was rescued by a lovely helper, who was critical in keeping me organized, and giving me the necessary support when things went wrong.  Like when I spilled dry pasta all over the stove.  Or when we discovered the oven had been turned off by a phantom menace.

I dare not imagine the consequences of 20 hungry male university students who have been denied a promised feast.  I owe my life to the barbecue, which we used to speed up the cooking process.

Overall, it turned out to be a successful meal.  The ego boost and the compliments were pretty good fringe benefits, but the real reward is the time I get to spend with a bunch of great friends.

Grillaxing.  Not.

Chocolate Stout BBQ Sauce

2 tbsp olive or canola oil

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp Chipotle puree

1 cup ketchup

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 lemon

1 cup stout

⅓ cup fancy molasses

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp prepared mustard

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp smoked paprika

2 tbsp cocoa powder

2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, finely chopped

½ tsp finely ground black pepper

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. In a pot over medium heat, add the oil and allow to get hot but not smoking.
2. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds.
3. Add chocolate and spices, stirring gently as chocolate melts.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until combined.
5. Allow to cook until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Chocolate Chili BBQ Rub

Grillmaster...there can only be one!

2 tsp cocoa powder

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp brown sugar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine ingredients in a small container.
2. Store until use.

Chocolate Stout Ribs

5 lb pork ribs, side or back

1 recipe chocolate chili BBQ rub

1 recipe chocolate stout BBQ sauce

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Prepare ribs by removing the translucent membrane on the inside of the rack.
3. Apply 2 tbsps of chocolate chili BBQ rub to each rack of ribs.
4. Place the ribs, meaty side up, on a pan in a single layer. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven.
5. Cook for 1 to 2 hours, or until meat tears away from the bone..
6. Remove foil and brush ribs generously with barbecue sauce. 
7. Finish ribs in the oven by broiling for 3-5 minutes (if ribs are hot) or until sizzling and golden. Turn ribs over and repeat, basting with barbecue sauce.
8. If someone turned off your oven, resist spanking them.  In the face.  With a chair.
9. Instead, grill for 3-5 minutes over medium-high heat.
10. Serve the ribs and leave before the marriage proposals begin.

Photography courtesty of Ryan Vermilion 

http://www.putporkonyourfork.com/all_about_pork/how_to/make_perfect_pork_ribs.html