Artisan Baking- Herby Beer Bread

You cannot claim to be a baker if you cannot bake a decent loaf of bread. You just can't. But the world of bread is so much more than the sliced white sandwich bread we're all used to. Bread baking is a very diverse art form with a skill level for everyone. Today we are going to bake a truly delicious quick bread. I know, "artisan bread" sounds all snooty and high-falutin' and quick bread generally is not thought of as snooty- but believe me, play with the right ingredients and flavor combinations and that is artistry if you ask me.

Beer bread is one of the easiest breads to make- very basic ingredients can be transformed into a warm loaf of deliciousness in just about an hour. No special equipment needed, no expensive mixes required. Flour, baking soda, sugar and a beer. That's it. If you have self-rising flour it's even fewer ingredients! The best thing about beer bread is it's a blank canvas. You can go wild with your favorite flavors and make just about any kind of bread your heart desires. Since we grow so many herbs in our garden, it's so easy to pull a few off the shelf and come up with something to match the meal we're cooking.

Today's bread is going to be a delicious combination of sweet and savory. Sweet caramelized onions and garlic, savory Guinness Extra Stout and thyme will round out the flavors. So let's get to it-

Herby Beer Bread with Caramelized Onions and Garlic

3 c. self rising flour (or 3 cups regular flour and 3 tsp baking soda)
1 tsp salt
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
12 oz can or bottle of Guinness Extra Stout
1/4 c. melted butter (NOT margarine)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4-5 cloves fresh garlic, minced
2 tb minced fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
olive oil, butter
1/4 cup additional butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in bowl. Set aside.

In medium skillet add a tablespoon of olive oil and a couple tablespoons of butter, when melted add onions. Cook and stir over medium low heat until thoroughly caramelized. Add garlic for the last 5 minutes or so, to just cook the rawness out. Don't let the garlic brown. Stir in thyme.

Slowly pour in beer. Mix just enough to moisten, don't overmix. Add most of the onion mixture. Spread batter into greased loaf pan. Spread the remaining onions over the batter. Pour melted butter over top.

Bake approximately 45 minutes to one hour. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.

Beer bread is a quick bread, a lot like muffins, and is best served fresh from the oven, warm with loads of melty butter. Leftovers make good grilled sandwiches too. I hope you enjoy this version and are inspired to try your own combinations. This one had those super browned bits of onion on top-reminded me of onion buns. Yum!

Today we're bundled up in the house on The Chef's day off, watching movies while the oven warms the house and a big pot of yummy pasta sauce simmers away on the stove. We will be enjoying our warm bread with big bowls of rigatoni tossed with The Chef's delicious pasta sauce and venison- I can't think of a better way to stay warm on a cold winter evening.

His and Hers Burger Night

I really love date night. When you share life with a chef you don't usually get weekends to go out and enjoy a nice dinner like everyone else. Instead he is cooking their dinner and I'm on my own. Date night for us happens on a Tuesday or a Wednesday and rarely includes things like prime rib and crab stuffed shrimp specials. It usually means a big juicy burger, and honestly, that's what we really like.

On a recent Tuesday night after my work hours we ran his and hers errands, and met up after for dinner, our version of date night. I keep a running list on my laptop of places in the area where I want to eat and check out the menu. Tonight's dinner spot isn't on that list. Shame. I might have explored it sooner!

Tucked away on a busy intersection in Clive, Iowa, sits a sports themed restaurant. Now usually I am not too impressed by places like this- hordes of loud and obnoxious sports fans swilling brews and chomping on wings and generally annoying me. Rookies Sports Bar and Grill is nothing like that. Sure televisions line the room- and I mean line the room completely, and a couple different baseball games were playing, with the volume on, but it was just the perfect volume- loud enough to hear the play by play and not having to yell at my date. I totally enjoyed that, and it's LOCAL. Locally owned, not a big nationwide chain with flashy commercials and cheesy gimmicks. I much prefer supporting a local business over throwing my money at a bazillionaire chain.

Rookies has two large dining rooms and a great selection
of brews and cocktails

The menu was classic American grill- a large selection of appetizers, many fried, but hand breaded and homemade, a great selection of sandwiches, just enough entrees to suit most peoples' taste, and a lineup of really really good burgers. Chatting with the owner was great- he was very friendly and knew the menu- obviously not a guy who sits at a desk somewhere and run the business from afar. 

Of course, we chose burgers. The Chef chose The Wisconsin Burger, a half pound of hand pattied beef topped with Swiss, American and Mozzarella cheeses and served on grilled garlic Parmesan bread. 

The Wisconsin Burger- I had to take a pic on the fly as The
Chef wasn't wasting any time digging in.

I chose The Steakhouse Burger- the same giant half pound of beef with American cheese, bacon, onion straws, lettuce, mayo and steak sauce on a great big toasted bun. Brew pub fries came with the burgers- nice steak fries tossed with seasoning. 

The Steakhouse Burger comes gored with a steak knife.
It was massive!!

Now you guys know how picky I am about salad dressing. It's always got to be homemade vinaigrette for me, period, and I am not a ranch dressing person at all- unless I'm eating fries. Then I must have ranch, and their ranch was really good- if it wasn't homemade it was a good mix!!

Needless to say........ I ate too much. We really needed to have Double Date Night with another couple so we could sample more foods, but I'm quite sure we will be back many times. Rookies has a pretty nice drinks menu and beer selection, with cocktail specials but they really focus on the food. Definitely more restaurant than bar, and that's the kind of place I like to hang out.

Rookies is located at the corner of Hickman Road and NW 156th Street in Clive, It's tucked behind a convenience store but not really hidden. They also have a website with their full menu and a Facebook page.

Happy Hour- Black Butte Porter

"The meek shall inherit, well, some pretty dull beers."

photo courtesy of DeschutesBrewery.com

That is the greeting you see when you first visit Deschutes Brewery's website. This craft brewery located in Bend, Oregon, has the goods to back that up. Visitors to the brewery are treated to a 45 minute walking tour of the facility, beer tasting and a little swag to take home with you. Bend is a little bit of a drive from The Little Lake House, but luckily for us Gateway Market in Des Moines carries at least one of these amazing brews. On our recent road trip to Des Moines we stopped in the market to do a little shopping, and grab an adult beverage for later. 

Deschutes boldly chose a dark beer as their first release and "flagship" brew, and that is what we chose to bring home. So totally worth it. Really. 

If you think you don't like dark beers, you're probably wrong. If you refuse to even try one, I feel bad for you- you have no idea what you're missing out on. Totally unlike the widely available American beer we're all familiar with, dark beers bring so much more to the table. 

photo courtesy of DeschutesBrewery.com

Pop the top off a bottle of this Black Butte Porter and immediately you know you've got something really special. The fragrance reminds me of breakfast- the warming aroma of coffee wafting around the house. 

Take a sip from the bottle? Naaaaa.....this one requires a glass. If you know how to pour a beer correctly you'll end up with nice head on the brew. Embrace that. It's like the frothed milk or the whipped cream on your macchiato. The color of this Porter is intense and dark- almost black. Take a big deep breath in and you will smell it too- coffee. Rich and dark roasted and so delicious, it reminds me of really good espresso. 

The second thing I picked up- chocolate. Deep, dark chocolate. 

Take a big, bold sip. Get right in that glass. Get a beer-stache. With a creamy mouthfeel a lot of dark beers are known for, it was like a velvety cup of hot chocolate, but icy cold. Don't be afraid of it- jump right in and experience what craft beer is all about. See if you can pick out those same flavor and aroma notes, or if you get something totally different.

Beer tasting is becoming every bit as popular as wine tasting, and just as technical. The educated beer drinker wants to know how the beer is crafted, what the malts and hops used are, how it was aged, all those things you normally ask a vintner, brewers are now answering. So here is the low down on Black Butte Porter. Malts: Pale, Carapils, Chocolate, Crystal, Wheat.  Hops: Cascade, Bravo, Tettnang. It's alcohol by volume is 5.2% and a 12 ounce serving has 192 calories. Black Butte has won award after award, year after year, and deservedly so.

Of course, I wanted to save one or two for cooking- my brain went wild with ideas as I sipped......but sadly we didn't pay attention and drank them. That's ok- just means we have another reason to go on a road trip! 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Recipe Re-do: Jalapeno Ale Mustard

Spring has sprung it seems- and soon (as soon as I get my "outdoor kitchen" set up like I'm wanting) the grill will be busy with browned and sizzling brats and other delicious meaty treats. I am such a mustard lover, as you know, if you've been reading RTK for a while, I make a lot of mustard myself. Every one is an experiment in texture and flavor. Some are spicy and robust, others are smooth and not as chunky and kid-friendly. I have always loved German-style mustards and love the flexibility of making my own.

I've done some taste-testing with other foodie friends who I consider to be pretty much expert level at judging and we all agree, some of them were a little TOO grainy and lost some smoothness in the canning/aging process. I need to add some additional liquid during some part of the process and have been mulling options over in my mind. I've made some adjustments to my basic recipe formula and we're trying again with a whole new brew.

Whenever I am out and about and see a store that sells beer singles, I always check out the selections. If something grabs my attention, I grab one, and hoard it away for future mustard or sauce making. Today I am working with Bent River Brewing Company's Jalapeno Pepper Ale. According to their website, fire roasted jalapenos are added to the mix, and upon trying it- it has a NICE pepper bite! It's hot! Not hot-sauce-hot but for a brew- definitely hot. It smells like fresh peppers and has a beautiful amber color. I wouldn't want to drink a six pack of it, but it's a fun beer to try just cuz you can.

The basic mustard mixture includes:

1 1/2 cup mustard seed  (I used 1 cup yellow and 1/2 cup brown)

1 12 ounce beer

1 cup apple cider or white vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl, cover and refrigerate at least overnight. I always soak 2-3 days. 

The mustard seed will plump up and absorb most of the liquid. Transfer mixture to food processor, process to desired "graininess". Jar up and store in fridge. However, if you want to process for canning (more on that later) you will need to make some adjustments, as the heating and aging on the shelf makes the mustard a little too thick.

Because I have had some issues with mustard being too thick after processing in the water bath, this time I am going to add additional beer. After 24 hours of soaking I can already see the difference that additional amount of beer has made. Longer processing in the processor and the extra beer are going to solve my problem with too thick of a consistency. There is plenty of extra liquid still with the seeds and I can always add another splash or so if I need to. I ended up using an additional 1/2 a beer (about 6 oz) and 2 TB additional vinegar.

Now, another thing I want to mention- add-ins. Add ins are a great way to add some extra color or flavor to your mustard. In this case I am going to add:

freshly ground black pepper

2-3 cloves fresh garlic, very finely minced

additional jalapeno pepper- a few slices of pickled jalapeno finely diced will work perfect
extra beer for moisture

Another thing I am going to do this time is process the mustard a little longer so it's less chunky and more "spready." Once that's done all you need to do is pack the mustard in sterilized jars (i use the 4 oz jelly jars for mustard), fix lids and rings and process in boiling water bath for 5 minutes. If you don't want to process in a canner you can store in fridge or even freezer but they won't be shelf stable.

Now, let's go get that grill started!

As The Condiments Continue.......

There might be too much of a good thing. Might be. Like mustard seed. I bought 1 pound of yellow, one pound of brown and then another half pound at Whole Foods thinking I'd have enough for a couple batches.

Um. No. I have enough to feed a crowd at Lambeau Field on tailgating day.

So tonight I started Batch Three this time using Newcastle Brown Ale, and some change up in the spice mixture. Before you say "Oh no.......another mustard recipe......" just remember, a few months mellowing in a cupboard and it will be bratwurst on the grill time again !!!

Anyway....... it's kind of a joke at my house that I can take black pepper and an ice cube and make a three course meal- we call that MacGuyer Dinner (get it??  MacGuyver?? never mind........)  So I'm always tweaking recipes and reworking them and trying new combos. Give me a basic beer mustard recipe and I can't leave that alone !!! So therefore, I am calling this one MacGuyer Mustard.

Monica's MacGuyver Mustard


1 12 oz bottle of Newcastle Brown Ale
1 1/2 cups mustard seed- I used half yellow and half brown
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tb salt (I used sea salt, use whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1 TB dried minced onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1-2 tsp ground dried ghost chile (as much as you dare)
1-2 tsp ground aji limon chile (again, as much as you dare)

** Note: I used the hot peppers grown in my garden, so if these exact kinds are not available you can substitute whatever you want- cayenne, jalapeno, habanero, Penzey's is a great source of peppers

The method is the same, mix all ingredients and allow to sit at room temp for 48 hours to bring out all the flavors. Buzz in the food processor to the consistency you like (I like mine fairly coarse). Then you're ready to jar it up and process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes or store in fridge if you're not a canning kinda person. Mustard lasts in the fridge for a LONG time  without canning.

(Photo of Newcastle Brown Ale is courtesy of http://www.cookerati.com/new-castle-brown-ale-recipes/)

Cutting the mustard

I think I might have found a new "calling", or maybe my niche in the canning world, homemade mustard !! See........this is what happens when you start hanging out with other canners in groups on the internet. This fascinating group of people love to chat and share recipes. And ideas. And somewhere along the line the subject of mustard came up

I can't do anything without researching it like crazy, and research it I did. Found loads of recipes- regular yellow hot dog mustard, grainy spicy mustard, German, French, wine, beer and endless variations of all of them.

Basically, all mustard begins with the same basic foundation: mustard seed and liquid. Sometimes the seed is ground into powder first and sometimes the seeds are soaked a day or two to plump up, soften and infuse flavor. Using a combination of ingredients my first homemade mustard came out amazing and one of the easiest things I have ever made. I'm sure before long the gardener in me is going to want to grow my own mustard just for the seed.

So my recipe..... super easy, super delicious. A little sweet and hot and I can't wait to try it on a freshly grilled bratwurst !! What I love so much about this recipe is the flexibility. This is only the first of many batches I'll be making with many different beers. 

SUPER EASY BEER MUSTARD

1 12 oz bottle of beer (for this recipe I used Sam Adams Cream Stout)
1 1/2 cups mustard seed- I used half yellow and half brown
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 tb salt (I used sea salt, use whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 tsp each ground allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Combine all ingredients in a glass bowl.

Cover and let rest 24-48 hours. 

The seeds will swell and plump and soak up all that beer and spice yumminess.

Turn ingredients into work bowl of food processor.

Process until mixture is thickened and the level of graininess you like. 

Prepare canning jars (I used 1/4 pint jars) and lids for boiling water bath canning. Fill each jar with 1/4 inch head space. Process for 15 minutes. Mustard should age for a couple weeks to really let the flavors meld and bloom. From this recipe I got 10 jars.

Now........as much as I want winter to finally arrive at our little lake, I can't wait for the first grilled bratwurst in the spring, slathered with this amazing mustard !!!  I hope you guys try it out- it's delicious !!