Recipes: Irish Eyes Are Smiling When Cooking With Beer

Ask an Irishman what makes his Irish eyes smile and he’ll likely say it’s the brew in his glass.

“I love checking out all the Irish beers this time of year,” said South County resident Mark Cobb who spent time this weekend comparing the Irish beer selections featured at Fenton’s Friar Tuck.  “My favorites are the Irish red ales. They have a nice malty flavor that tastes great with a plate of corned beef.”

Irish red ales and Ireland’s renowned dry, dark stouts will be the featured drink on countless St Patrick’s Day tables. Each brew processes rich flavors worthy of consideration as an ingredient in everything from soup to a nut-laced chocolate cake. Brewmiesers and chefs agree, almost any recipe that calls for liquid could be replaced with beer.

When cooking with beer there are two rules to remember. First, don’t be afraid to experiment. Second, don’t cook with any beer you don’t like drinking. If you don’t like how a beer tastes in a glass you probably won’t like it in your recipe.

I recommend novice beer cooks to begin slowly, using simple recipes first and experimenting slowly by adding beer to gravies, sauces and marinades. To make the flavors meld well in your recipes remember this: always reduce the beer down to help magnify the beer's flavor notes.

To decide which Irish beer to cook with will depend on the flavors you want. Stouts like Guinness and Murphy’s are dark, full-flavored brews with coffee notes that complement chocolate while red ales like Smithwick’s have a mellow caramel flavor that is perfect for corned beef. Light, crisp Irish lagers like Harp possess yeasty and citrus flavor notes that are great additions to bread recipes and sauces. 

To help decide which beer to buy, check out the weekly beer tastings offered weekly at area liquor stores. Tastings usually are free for those old enough to indulge and provide beer reps on hand to answer questions on beer styles, flavors and pairing options.

St Patrick’s Day is a prefect time to taste, cook and experiment with Irish beers. It's also fun to pair your beers with food. When cooking with beer it's a win-win; simply serve the dishes with the beer added to the recipe. It’s an easy, savvy strategy that doesn’t require the luck of the Irish to pull off.

Irish Ale Biscuits with Cheddar and Chives

• 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
• 1/4 cup cold solid vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons shipped fresh chives
• 1 cup Irish- style  lager (Harps)*

Preheat oven to 450.  Cover large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In large bowl, combine flour and sugar; whisk to blend well. Add butter, shortening and cheese. Cut in with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in chives. Gradually stir in ale with fork, until a soft, sticky dough forms.

Place dough on floured surface and knead four or five times, just until dough comes together. Roll into 9 x 6 inch rectangle; fold into thirds and pat or roll dough until 1/2-inch thick. Using a floured 2 1/2- inch round cutter cut out biscuits. Gather loose scraps of dough and re-roll until all dough is used. Place biscuits on prepared baking sheet. Bake in hot oven for 12 – 14 minutes, or until light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes before serving. Makes 16-18 biscuits.

* An Indian Pale ale can also be used.

Recipes courtesy of the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the National Beef Check-off - Beef It’s What’s For Dinner.

Beer Braised Corned Beef with Red Currant-Mustard Sauce

• 1 boneless corned beef brisket with seasoning packet (2-1/2 to 3 pounds)
• 3 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 medium onions, cut into quarters
• 2-1/2 cups water, divided
• 1 bottle (12 ounces) red ale 
• 1 pound green cabbage, cut into thin wedges
• 1 pound red-skinned potatoes, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 6 to 8   baby carrots, trimmed, or 4 medium carrots, cut crosswise into thirds
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Chopped fresh parsley (optional) 

Red Currant-Mustard Sauce

• 1 jar (12 ounces) red currant jelly
• 3 tablespoons country Dijon-style mustard

Place celery and onions in 4-1/2- to 5-1/2-quart slow cooker; top with corned beef brisket. Sprinkle contents of seasoning packet over brisket. Add 2 cups water and one bottle of beer. Cover; cook on HIGH 6 to 7 hours, or on LOW 9 to 10 hours, or until brisket is fork-tender. (No stirring is necessary during cooking.)

Meanwhile, place cabbage, potatoes and carrots in 2-1/2-quart microwave-safe dish; add remaining 1/2 cup water. Cover; microwave on high 15 to 18 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring or rearranging once. Drain; remove and discard cores from cabbage wedges. Add butter; season with salt and pepper, as desired. Toss to coat; keep warm.

Prepare Red Currant-Mustard Sauce. Place jelly in medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover; microwave on high 1-1/2 to 2 minutes or until melted, stirring once. Whisk in mustard. Cover; microwave on high 30 seconds. Stir; keep warm.

Remove brisket and carve diagonally across the grain into thin slices. Serve with vegetables and sauce. Garnish with parsley, if desired.  Serves 6 - 8

Chocolate Cream Cheese Stout Beer Brownies

Cream Cheese Filling:

• 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg

Brownies:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoon butter, cut into cubes and brought to room temperature
• 8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup white chocolate chips
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup stout beer, brought to room temperature
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Heat oven to 375. Line a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, or grease and flour pan. In medium mixing bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, prepare cream cheese filling by beating cream cheese until smooth. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat in vanilla and one egg until just blended. Set aside.

In medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder and salt until well blended.  Set aside. In top of double boiler over very low heat, melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and white chocolate chips, stirring constantly until melted. Remove chocolate from heat. In large mixing bowl, beat four eggs and one cup sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add melted chocolate mixture, beating until combined. Beat reserved flour mixture into melted chocolate mixture. Whisk in stout beer.(The batter will seem a bit thin.) Drop semi-sweet chocolate chips evenly on top of batter, allowing some to sink into batter.

Pour entire mixture into prepared pan. Pour cream cheese mixture over brownie batter in pan. Cut through mixture several times with knife to create a marbled design. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes on center rack until top is browned and toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Remove brownies from oven and let cool, uncovered, until they reach room temperature. Cut into 24 brownies and serve.