Bitch and Chips

Serves 13 (6 oz. portions)

Ingredients:

• 6 cups flour
• 3 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 36 oz (3 bottles) Flying Dog’s Raging Bitch Belgian-Style IPA
• 5 pounds firm-fleshed whitefish (tilapia, pollock, haddock, or cod), cut into 1-ounce strips
• Cornstarch, for dredging

Directions for Bitch Batter and Fish:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning.
2. Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps.
3. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. (Note: The batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead of time.)
4. Heat oil in deep frier or pan to 350 degrees.
5. Lightly dredge fish strips in cornstarch.
6. Working in small batches, dip the fish into batter and immerse into hot oil.
7. When the batter is set, turn the pieces of fish over and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes.
8. Drain the fish.
9. Serve with malt vinegar.

Directions for Homemade French Fries:

1. Use a mandolin slicer with a wide blade, slice the potatoes with the skin on.
2. Place in a large bowl with cold water.
3. Heat fryer to 320 degrees.
4. Drain potatoes thoroughly, removing any excess water.
5. When oil reaches 320 degrees, submerge the potatoes in the oil.
6. Working in small batches, fry for 2 to 3 minutes until they are pale and floppy.
7. Remove from oil, drain, and cool to room temperature.
8. Increase the temperature of the oil to 375 degrees.
9. Re-immerse fries and cook until crisp and golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.
10. Remove and drain on roasting rack.
11. Season with kosher salt.

According to Larry, all must be served with plenty of Raging Bitch.

Click the image below for a larger view of the invitation and menu.

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 @ 7:00 PM
Tuscarora Mills
203 Harrison Street
Leesburg, Virginia 20175

Greeter Beer: In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen

Course 1: House-made chicken brats with caraway sauerkraut and grilled apples, paired with Dogtoberfest Marzen

Course 2: CHili spiced buffalo burger slider with smoked cheddar, avocado and tater stringles, paired with Dog Schwarz Smoked Double Lager

Course 3: “Pork & Pork” - Smoked baby back ribs & crispy pork belly with poblano BBQ sauce & melon salsa, paired with Double Dog Double Pale Ale (on Nitro)

Course 4: Blackened New York strip with porter steak sauce & mac and cheese, paired with Gonzo Imperial Porter

Course 5: Créme Brulée with hazelnut brittle, paired with Horn Dog Barley Wine

Cost: $75 - Reserve a spot online

1st Course
Cured Salmon with Cucumber Salad and Dill Sauce, paired with In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen

2nd Course
Bratwurst Focaccia Bread with Beer Cheese Dipping Sauce, paired with Old Scratch Amber Lager

3rd Course
Spinach Salad and Warm Bacon Dressing, served with Red Onions, Hard Boiled Eggs and Roasted Red Peppers, paired with Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

4th Course
Smoked Chicken Breast over Sauerkraut Mashed Potatoes, finished with a Currant Sauce, paired with Gonzo Imperial Porter

5th Course
Apple Strudel with raisins & Vanilla Ice Cream, paired with Horn Dog Barley Wine

Shmaltz Brewing Company and Fette Sau present Jewbelation 13: A Craft Beer Bar Mitzvah

Shmaltz Brewing Company, handcrafters of HE’BREW Beer and Coney Island Craft Lagers(TM), is turning 13! To commemorate this momentous coming of age, you are cordially invited to celebrate with proprietor/founder Jeremy Cowan, the Shmaltz posse, and Joe Carroll of Brooklyn’s famous Spuyten Duyvil and Fette Sau, the launch of Jewbelation Bar Mitzvah, our 13th anniversary ale, brewed with 13 malts, 13 hops, and soaring to 13% abv. Any good Jewish celebration demands delicious food, and Williamsburg Brooklyn’s Fette Sau (named by Zagat as “Best BBQ in NYC”) has stepped up to the culinary pulpit to create divine pairings that are sure to make you yell “L’Chaim!!” This Bar Mitzvah party will feature a variety of Shmaltz beers as well as Fette Sau’s classic and innovative offerings. So bring on the braces, awkward suits, and frizzy hair (just be over 21 by 8pm), and join the Tribe!

The cost of the five course meal is $35.95. We will accept reservations through September 24th. Get your tickets soon, this beer dinner will definitely sell out! For more information head to the GABF Beer Dinner @ Brauns event page.

Buy your tickets online here.

Click here to see a larger image.

What’s your background? How did you get started cooking with beer and pairing craft beer and great food?

I’ve always enjoyed the taste of beer – and my family always served beer at barbecues, picnics, porch parties. When I learned how to cook, I found that beer could be used in batters to make apple fritters, to make beer bread with dill and Cheddar, all the simple but tasty dishes. In cooking school, studying baking and pastry, I made a Jamaican spice cake with stout instead of rum, and everyone thought it was an inspired substitution. And that’s what cooks do - work with the ingredients you have to come up with something delicious.

What do you think goes into a successful recipe that contains beer? Are there any secrets that we should know before cooking with beer?

My website, beercook.com, has a section devoted to tips and tricks for better cooking with beer. First, start with a beer in good condition, that you would enjoy drinking, because the flavors will intensify. I start by substituting beer for a portion of the liquid in the recipe and take my cue from the spices and seasonings in the dish to choose the appropriate style. For example, I think a very hoppy IPA has a resinous flavor that would go well with rosemary or Mexican oregano – or accentuate the flavor of chiles.

Are you seeing any recent trends in craft beer and food pairings? Are there any unique recipes/craft beer pairings you’ve seen recently? Anything that’s just being horribly overdone?

In terms of service, there’s a shift away from elaborate, long, multi-course beer dinners to tastings, where smaller portions are served in a shorter time frame. Every now and then, it’s fun to feast for four hours, but really, the goal is to get people out to a restaurant or café, to try new tastes and come away satisfied, not stuffed.

More chefs are cooking with beer as part of their normal daily menus, and that’s a wonderful trend. Beer is no longer seen as a drink unworthy of pairing or cooking. Beer lists are getting longer, with more choices, and almost every city in the USA has a local brewery to support.

Sometimes, I think the beer community in the US focuses so much on Belgian styles and imports that they overlook the exceptional quality of American craft beer. But there’s that cachet about something rare, that’s traveled from far away – and it’s human nature to be excited by new discoveries.

Wine and food pairing has been around for a long time, and it seems that in the last few years craft beer is coming on strong. Do you think that beer is finally being given the proper respect while being considered as a great pairing option with food? Or is it still sort of the “red-headed stepchild” compared to wine pairing?

That was the lede of an article I wrote for Pacific Northwest Brewing News back in 2002. Craft beer belongs at the dinner table as much, if not more so, than wine. Yet in the minds of many restaurant chefs and patrons, craft beer is like the boisterous kid brother of the beverage world - fun, but not grown up enough to be taken seriously.

Actually, the media has been talking about beer getting its due respect at the table for the last decade or so…so it’s no longer shocking to see beer served in a fine dining setting. However, the selection in fine dining is typically limited.

The most popular “restaurant concept” is that of the bistro or tavern, with excellent caliber food served in a casual setting. And more breweries are beginning to collaborate with chefs on restaurants co-located with their breweries – not just a brewpub with burgers and pizza. Remember that the current generation of chefs grew up with craft beer, and see its flavors and potential for pairings without bias. Eric Warner and I talked about this at the National Restaurant Association show in 2007, when he registered the beerdinners.com URL.

Alec Lopez, who with his wife Sherry Sadowski founded the Armsby Abbey in Worcester, MA, is one chef who is fearless in showcasing the flavors of craft beer. Almost everything on the menu is prepared with beer or a brewing ingredient, such as baby carrots pickled in Duchesse du Bourgogne, or an Indian-style naan made with spent grain, or chicken with an ale and mustard glaze. Checks average $50-60 – not too shabby for a restaurant these days. The Armsby Abbey just celebrated its first year in business and is doing very well.

There are still people who will never appreciate craft beer’s subtleties and nuances of flavor, insisting that wine is superior. I’ve debated a few zealots over the years, and have come to believe that some people simply have a palate for wine—fruit—and others have a palate for beer—grain. And some people object to carbonation – most often because they have never experienced the gentle mousse of cask-conditioned ale but instead have been gassed by mass-market suds. Then it is a matter of guiding them to the styles they would mostly likely enjoy based on preferences for sweet, sour, salty, bitter flavors. Find the right food pairing to make the beer sparkle, and it’s a chance to win over a “winer”.

Are you working on any new books?

I wrote Grilling with Beer in 2005-2006, The Best of American Beer and Food in 2006-2007, and in 2008, contributed a chapter to a book of essays in honor of Michael Jackson, the legendary drinks writer. The book is called Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser, and it’s sold online at beerables.net:

In 2009, I am working on more events involving craft beer, teaching classes, and adding more content to my websites - especially beercook.com and bestofamericanbeerandfood.com.

Victory Tavern City Grille
Flying Dog Beer Dinner Menu
August 6, 2009

Reception
Chef’s Selection of Small Bites, paired with Snake Dog IPA

1st Course
Grilled Peach & Endive Salad with Brie Toast & Cumin Honey, paired with Kerberos Tripel

2nd Course
Chicken & Chorizo Empanada with Raisins & Green Olives, paired with Double Dog Double Pale Ale

3rd Course
Ancho BBQ Glazed Meatloaf with Aged Cheddar Mash & Organic Shiitake Mushrooms, paired with Old Scratch Amber Lager

Dessert
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Cake with Gonzo Imperial Porter Ganache, paired with Gonzo Imperial Porter

$45 per person
Executive Chef Jim Oetting

Pickles Pub is in Baltimore, right near Camden Yard. The beer dinner runs from 7-10pm.

Here are the pairings:

• In Heat Wheat Hefeweizen paired with Pan Seared Ahi Tuna
• Woody Creek White Ale paired with Thai Chicken Salad
• Old Scratch Amber Lager paired with Crawfish Matoaka
• Gonzo Imperial Porter paired with Whiskey Island Chocolate Rum Cake

July 16, 2009
Flying Dog Brewery Beer Dinner
Gazebo Courtyard at The American Club
5:30pm Reception, 6pm Dinner
$60 per person
Call 800-344-2838 for reservations and more information

Passed Hors d’oeuvres
Paired with In-Heat Wheat Hefeweizen

Appetizer Course
Grilled Calamari Steak
summer green salad, slow-roasted tomato, peri-peri vinaigrette
Paired with Old Scratch Amber Lager

Second Course
Fire-Roasted Tomato and Chipotle Soup
grilled crostini, cracked coriander
Paired with Snake Dog IPA

Third Course
Cuban-Style Pork
grilled pineapple, Swiss cheese, grilled beer bread, citrus salsa
Paired with Double Dog Double Pale Ale

Entrée Course
Grilled Wagyu Flat Iron Steak
steak-fried potato, summer vegetable slaw, green peppercorn jus
Paired with Gonzo Imperial Porter

Dessert Course
Grilled Carr Valley Bread Cheese
tomato conserve, roasted mixed nuts
Paired with Kerberos Tripel