I was going through my wife's cookbook collection and foud a mini cooking booklet called "Cooking with Beer" from Favorite Brand Name Recipes. What I really love is that there is a list of beers and what dishes they work well in when cooking:
IPA: replace wine or vinegar
American Amber: replace broth or stock
Brown Ale: in marinades
Porter: in sauces
Stout: in gravies and barbeque sauces
Pilsner: "Used widely in cooking and baking" - Biscuits, fritters and seafood batter
Bock: with beef or pork
Dark Lager: with roast meats
Malt Liquor: with sauces and glazes. "great with onion rings"
Peach Lambic: with chicken or poultry
Cherry Lambic: with sauces or deserts
Raspberry Lambic: in glazes for seafood
Strong Ale: with cheeses and dips
Witbier: "A delicate base for poached seafood or fritters"
Dubbel or Tripel: in carbonnade, soups and stews
I love it because it gives a nice foundation for experimenting with beer cooking. There are also a bunch of recipes I want to try:
- Wisconsin Cheddar, Swiss and Beer Soup
- Farmer's Market Grilled Chowder
- Milwaukee Pork Stew
- Ale Cheese-Stuffed Pattypans
- Guadalahara Beef and Salsa
- Grilled Chicken with Chili Beer Baste
- Porter Portobello Mushrooms
- Malty Maple Cornbread
There are a bunch of other recipes, but these jumped out at me and I want to try them out.
The other thing this did for me was to clarify the difference between ales and lagers - which I never understood before.
Ales are top-fermented at warmer temperatures for a shorter time than most lagers
Lagers are made at colder temperatures using a bottom-fermenting yeast and age longer.
So easy! Why didn't I know that!
Now I need to find out what the heck a malt liquor is. I don't think I've ever tried one and I don't know anything about them. Except that I see them amongst the beer when I'm out shopping.
