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Can you believe it, another year past? It’s hard to, but here we are with that wonderful holiday season upon us once again. The time is here to share a beer and spread some holiday cheer as we ring in a happy new year!
I have invited some close friends to join us in our joyous festivities and share with us some of their favorite beer enhanced holiday recipes. We are going to start off with an ale-spiked eggnog made with an intense beer reduction from a past sous chef and drinking buddy Andrew Hughes. The menu will feature a tried and true classic, always sure to please everyone (ok maybe not meat haters) The Brewchef’s Beef Wellington. Accompaniments will include roasted “Christmas” vegetables in an ale herb butter sauce and crispy potato pancakes with stinky blue cheese, beer caramelized onions and balsamic beer reduction.
My all-time mentor and best friend, without whom I wouldn’t have the passion, Chef Michael Periero came up with the ideas for the side dishes. We are wrapping up an already amazing feast with Pumpkin Ale Chocolate Stout Truffle Cheesecake! I have selected a few exceptional seasonal (even some vintage) Christmas brews to not only cook with but to also complement each course. Well it’s time to pick up some groceries, fetch some holiday brews and invite over some friends and family to cook, eat, drink and hopefully help clean! I hope everyone out there has a safe and happy holiday and thank you for another fun filled year of food and beer! Peace!
Spiked Eggnog
Nothing reminds me of the holiday season more than the delicious, creamy concoction known as eggnog. In this recipe we will be adding some beer reduction to further enhance the flavors. I recommend beers with complex flavors for this recipe; fortunately, this requirement encompasses many of the holiday seasonals. I especially like Founders Breakfast Stout, Corsendonk Christmas Ale, or a bottle from the previous season’s stash of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot.
Ingredients:
1 12 oz bottle of the beer of your choice
6 eggs, yolks and whites separated
1/2 cup sugar, 1 tbsp reserved
1 pint whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup bourbon (preferably Woodford Reserve)
1 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
Method:
In a heavy saucepot, reduce 1 bottle of your beer of choice by 2/3 until a 1/2 cup remains, and set aside to cool. Whisk together the egg yolks and the bulk of your sugar until the sugar is dissolved, then stir in the cream, milk, bourbon, beer reduction, and nutmeg. Beat the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric mixer, add the reserved sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped egg whites into the cream mixture. Chill well, and serve with vanilla ice cream.
For a thicker eggnog, heat the cream, milk, and nutmeg until just barely steaming. Temper in the egg yolks before adding the beer reduction and bourbon, and chill the mixture thoroughly before whipping and folding in the egg whites.
The Brew Chef’s Beef Wellington served with a Samichlaus Scented Pan Sauce with Roasted Shallots
Beef Wellington is traditionally tenderloin of beef, the most tender cut wrapped with a mushroom stuffing and then in a flaky pastry crust. Although there are many versions of the classic, this rendition truly has my touch all over it. It includes plenty of beer in the marinade and we pour even more beer in the mushroom stuffing. We are going to complement this delicious dish with a strong (once the world's strongest at 14%) dark lager from Austria appropriately named Samichlaus, or Santa Claus. Although you will spend a couple of hours in the kitchen prepping and cooking, the time will be well spent when you see the smiles on all their faces. This recipe will serve at least six happy faces.
For the Beef:
3 pounds beef tenderloin, center cut, trimmed
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked
4 ounces strong dark ale or imperial stout
2 ounces regular olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
To marinate the Beef:
Place the meat and the remaining ingredients in a 2 gallon Ziploc bag. Squeeze out any excess air and close the bag. Place in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least 4 hours turning the bag once every hour.
To pre-cook the Beef:
Remove the beef from the bag, strain out the rosemary and set aside, reserve the marinade for the sauce. Place the beef on paper towel and pat dry. Meanwhile preheat a heavy bottom skillet until hot. Season the meat with salt, pepper and the reserved rosemary. Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil to the pan then carefully place the beef into the skillet and brown the meat evenly on all sides. Place on a platter and chill until needed.
For the Wild Mushroom Stuffing:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh wild mushrooms, finely chopped
2 shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 ounces Affligem Noel
1 cup hearty beef broth
2 ounces unsalted butter
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom frying pan for 1 to 2 minutes until hot. Add the mushrooms, shallots and garlic, stir and cook for 5 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the beer and the broth and continue to stir and cook until again most of the liquid is gone then stir in the butter, salt and pepper. Mixture should be thick and creamy. Spread on a pan and chill until needed.
To assemble, cook and serve:
12 inch x 8 inch puff pastry sheet
2 eggs, beaten
Wild mushroom duxelle, spreadable
Blanched and dried spinach leaves
Pre-cooked beef
Lay out the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Spread the duxelle evenly over the pastry about 1/8 inch thick, leaving a ½ inch border at the edge. Tightly wrap the spinach leaves around the beef. Place the beef in the middle of the pastry. Brush the edge with beaten egg and wrap and seal the pastry around the beef and place on a lightly oiled baking tray with the seam on the bottom. Brush the top of the pastry with more beaten egg. If you have any extra pastry cut it into decorative shapes, such as leaves or a beer bottle and places it on top and brush with egg. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the Wellington in the oven and bake for 10 minutes turn the oven down to 375 degrees and continue to bake until pastry crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes longer. Stick a thermometer in the side and 145 degrees is perfect temperature for medium rare. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice 1 to 2 inches thick with a sharp serrated knife. Spoon sauce on the plate and place a slice of Beef Wellington on top and sprinkle with a pinch of coarse kosher or sea salt.
A Medley of Christmas Vegetables Roasted in a Celebration Ale Fresh Herb Butter Sauce
Roasting vegetables brings out the flavor without losing any of their vitamins and goodness, besides its one-pot wonderful and oh so simple. For this medley we are including broccoli, cauliflower and red bell peppers, not only does this combo taste delicious together they sport the colors of the season as well. The hoppy Celebration Ale from the Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. adds a pleasant earthy bitter quality which works so well with the fresh herbs and sweet butter. These vegetables taste best if marinated overnight. It won’t take more than an hour to prep and place these tasty vegetables in the oven. This quantity will serve six to eight as a side dish.
Ingredients:
1 large head broccoli, stems removed and cut into florets
1 head cauliflower, core removed and cut into florets
2 red bell peppers, seeds removed and cut into ½ inch strips
12 cloves garlic
3 sprigs rosemary, thyme, oregano and parsley, chopped
2 ounces olive oil
4 ounces Celebration Ale
1 Tablespoon quality salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Method:
Mix together all the ingredients together, except the butter and cheese. Cover the vegetables and refrigerate overnight. Pre heat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the vegetables in a baking dish and roast the vegetables for 30 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the butter to the vegetables and roast for an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.
Crispy Potato Pancakes with Blue Cheese and Winter Wheat Glazed Onions
These crispy, delicious, rosti style pancakes fit perfect next to any main course especially beef and lamb! Use a quality blue cheese like Stilton, Roquefort or Gorgonzola. When I make the onions I use my all-time favorite winter warmer from the High Point Wheat Beer Co. in Butler, NJ. My buddy Greg Zaccardi has been brewing up a special Winter Wheat since I can remember. In fact I believe I may have shared the very first release with Greg at a past beer dinner years ago. For this recipe I am pouring this complex high gravity (9.5%) Weizenbock into the glazed onions, adding a balanced sweetness to this versatile condiment. The onions and other prep will take about an hour and you should end up with at least six pancakes, so make a double batch!
For the onions:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Vidalia onions, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup Ramstein Winter Wheat
2 ounces balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Method:
In a heavy bottom skillet heat the oil until just starting to smoke carefully add the onions and garlic stir and cook for about five minutes until onions are tender and golden brown. Add the beer and continue to stir and cook until most of the beer has evaporated. Stir in remaining ingredients add simmer for an additional minute. Chill until needed. The onions will thicken when chilled and will last up to two weeks.
For the potato pancakes:
4 ounces vegetable oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound shredded potato, drained well
Kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
3 sprigs rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and chopped
4 ounces blue cheese
Winter Wheat glazed onions
Method:
In an 8 inch non-stick pan heat equal parts of oil and butter, enough coat the bottom of the pan generously. Heat until just smoking. Add an even layer of potato to the hot pan, season with salt and pepper then sprinkle on some rosemary, blue cheese and glazed onions. Cover with another layer of potato season with salt and pepper, using a firm metal spatula press the pancake down then carefully flip it over. Brown on the other side and remove from the pan. Place on paper towel and keep warm. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Enjoy with a dollop of sour cream and a wonderful Winter Wheat!
Samichlaus scented Pan Sauce with Roasted Shallots
Samichlaus (Santa Claus) is without a doubt my favorite Christmas and birthday (Dec. 5) beer. Although a new batch is released every year on Dec. 6, I love to save past “vintages” to savor and compare. This rich brandy like 14%, (strongest lager out there) robust triple bock not only tastes fantastic in the glass but on the dish as well. This recipe falls into my “Beerdolaise” category of sauces. I essentially replace the red wine with a big beer which I believe adds more depth and complexity to the sauce. The roasted shallots add a wonderful sweet finish. Prep and cooking time should be about an hour, so make this sauce while you are preparing the main dish. This recipe yields about 20 ounces and will last one week refrigerated.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 shallots, peeled, 1 minced 3 roasted
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup Samiclaus, room temp
2 cups rich beef broth, hot
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Method:
In a heavy bottom 2 quart saucepan heat the butter over medium high heat. Add the minced shallot, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour, stir and cook for 1 minute then pour in the beer, whisk and simmer until half the beer has evaporated. Add the beef broth and continue to simmer, whisking occasionally until 1/3 of the liquid remains. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon. Slice the roasted shallots and add to the sauce. Season with salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and a splash of Samichlaus. Serve hot.
Spiced Pumpkin Ale Cheesecake with Scaldis Noel Spiked Truffles and Vanilla Cookie Crust
Pumpkin and chocolate are two flavors that complement each other perfectly. We are adding a spiced pumpkin ale to the cake and then we make Scaldis Noel, (an exquisite Belgian strong dark and delicious Christmas beer) spiked truffles that we drop into the batter before we bake it. What a combination of richness and decadence all wrapped up with the wonderful nuances of two very different beers. Cheesecakes are simple to make just follow the steps. Total time to prepare the cake is only about an hour but you also need an hour to bake, an hour to rest and at least six hours to chill and set up. One cheesecake serves twelve for dessert. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a glass of Scaldis Noel or your favorite pumpkin ale or imperial stout or mix half pumpkin and half stout for an interesting dessert beer.
For the Cheesecake:
8 ounces pumpkin ale
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
16 ounces cream cheese
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree
4 extra large egg yolks
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1½ cups sour cream
Method:
Pour the beer into a 2 quart sauce pot, add the brown sugar. Simmer the mixture until ¾ of it has evaporated and has become syrupy. Chill until needed. Using an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar, then incorporate the pumpkin. Add the egg yolks one at a time until incorporated. Do not over beat. Add the reserved syrup and remaining ingredients. Mix just until smooth.
For the crust:
1 cup vanilla cookie crumbs
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Method:
Mix together the crumbs and the butter. Press into the bottom of a lightly buttered 9 inch spring form pan. Set the pan in the refrigerator until needed.
For the chocolate Scaldis truffles:
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup Scaldis Noel
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
Method:
Pour the cream and the beer into a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until half the mixtures remains. Place the chocolate in a mixing bowl, pour the hot mixture over the chocolate and mix vigorously until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until firm.
To assemble the cheesecake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Drop teaspoon size truffles into the batter. Place on a baking tray with sides and pour in enough hot water to cover half way up the pan. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and let the cake rest in the oven for 1 hour, to prevent cracking. Refrigerate at least 6 hours to chill and set up. To remove the pan slightly heat up the outside with a warm wet towel. Use a knife and firm spatula to loosen and transfer the cake to a serving platter. Garnish with powdered sugar. Cut the cake with a warm sharp knife into 12 equal servings.
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