Here’s a link to a story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s food section about American craft brewers and the wide selection of stouts for St. Patrick’s Day feasting. The story concludes with a recipe  for Fudgy Stout Brownies:

It’s been almost 20 years since I first poured stout into a batch of brownies, but one taste of these moist, fudgy and deeply chocolaty bars will convince even the stoutest of skeptics. No matter what style of stout you choose, you’ll be sure to enjoy the roasty flavors of the dark ale with these truffle-like treats.

Recipe adapted from “The Best of American Beer & Food: Pairing and Cooking with Craft Beer,” by Lucy Saunders (Brewers Publications, $22.95, available at www.amazon.com).

Fudge Stout Brownies

Makes 16 fudgy brownies

Butter to coat pan

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup coffee stout (see note)

2 tablespoons Irish whiskey

¾ cup sifted flour

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts (such as macadamia, pecans or walnuts) (optional)

Suggested pairing: Coffee stout or Imperial stout

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch metal baking pan by buttering it well and dusting the inside with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, melt the ½ cup butter over low heat. Add chopped chocolate, stirring often, until melted and smooth. Remove saucepan from heat and let cool to lukewarm (still liquid but not hot).

Stir in sugars and mix well 1 minute. In large measuring cup, beat together 2 eggs, yolks, vanilla, stout and whiskey until smooth. Sift flour with salt into a separate bowl. Stir stout mixture into saucepan in thirds, alternating with flour by 1/3 cupfuls, and stirring after each addition until batter is just blended. Stir in nuts if desired. Do not overbeat.

Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven about 1 hour. Let cool to lukewarm before slicing. Use a knife dipped in warm water and wiped clean with each slice (otherwise, because of the very fudgy texture, the brownies will clump).

Note: Coffee stouts are made by breweries across North America, but if you can’t find one, substitute 2 ounces sweet stout mixed with 1 ounce brewed espresso.

At last week’s fantastic Clipper City beer dinner at the Royal Mile Pub, Chef Ian asked me why I didn’t include his recipe for Butter-Poached Lobster with Lobster Mashed Potatoes in the cookbook. I explained that the recipe was a bit long and involved for the average home cook. Yet at the dinner, so many people clamored for the recipe that I promised to post it to the blog, so here it is:

Butter Poached Lobster Tail with Lobster Mash and Vanilla Beurre Blanc

Thank you to Chef Ian of the Royal Mile Pub, Wheaton, MD, and the entire Morrison family, for your hospitality!

Yield: 4 servings

For the Vanilla Beurre Blanc:
1 whole Vanilla Bean
1/2 cup white wine
1 large shallot, peeled and diced
1/4 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Pound Unsalted Butter Chopped

Method

Halve Vanilla bean and remove and reserve seeds.
Combine Vanilla bean pod, diced shallot and white wine in sauce pan. Reduce
wine mixture till syrupy, add heavy cream, reduce till thick again. Over a
very low flame whisk in butter bit by bit melting it, but not breaking the
butter so the sauce looks greasy. Do not boil the sauce at this point.
When all butter is emulsified strain out shallots. Then add reserved
vanilla seeds and season to taste with salt and white pepper. Hold in warm
120 degree environment (back of range with the burner off while you are
cooking on the front burners).

Lobster Mash

4 ea Whole Live Lobsters (1 1/4 pounds each)
2 Pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Quart Heavy Cream
4 ounces unsalted butter
Salt and Pepper

Method

Kill the lobsters by sticking a chef knife through their heads from the top
down right behind their eyes. They are dead immediately but they will have
nervous reactions for a few minutes. Take the tails off and reserve. Take
the claws off and reserve. Simmer the lobster bodies in the cream for 20
minutes. Peel and boil Yukon gold potatoes in a large saucepan 15 minutes.
When the potatoes are about four minutes from being done (almost tender, but not
quite) add in the lobster claws and simmer. Drain the potatoes, remove the
lobster claws. Return the potatoes to the pot. When the lobster claws are
cool enough to handle crack and remove the meat. Discard the shells and
reserve the meat. Mash the potatoes in the pot with the butter some salt
and white pepper. Strain the lobster cream. Add the strained cream to the
potatoes little by little adding as much as you can without making the
potatoes soupy. Mash as little as possible to incorporate. Finally fold in
reserved claw meat and hold warm. Do a final taste test for salt and
pepper.

Butter Poaching Lobster Tails

4 reserved Lobster Tails
Salt and Pepper
2 Pounds of Butter heated to 175 degrees

Melt butter in a saucepan just large enough to hold lobster tails and
butter. Salt and pepper lobster tails. Once butter has reached 175 degrees
drop in lobster tails. The lobsters should be submerged and maintained at a
heat at 165 degrees for approximately 15 minutes (If you undercook them the
tails will be tough, If you over cook them the tails will fall apart).
Remove with a slotted spoon.

Plating the Lobsters

Place a two ounce ladle of vanilla beurre blanc on the plate, mound one
fourth of lobster mash next two beurre blanc, place poached tail half on mash
half on beurre blanc. Accompany with fresh asparagus – and at last week’s dinner,
presented with a glass of the zesty Clipper City Small Craft Warning Uber Pils.

Join me on Friday, February 1, at 11:15 AM EST, as the Sirius radio channel devoted to Martha Stewart Everyday Food will be featuring Super Bowl party tips, with host Sandy Gluck. Chefs from every NFL city will be preparing their signature dishes for the Taste of the NFL - and Martha Radio is there in Phoenix. Tune in Friday morning and Saturday evening for recipes, menu ideas and all the goodies for hosting a fun Super Bowl party - including craft beer pairing tips! Here’s the link:

http://www.sirius.com/marthastewartlivingradio

Here’s a review with a nice round-up of Superbowl recipes from food writer Marialisa Calta, published in the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Douglas, Arizona. I like her advice that party food should be self-contained and portable, so as not to obscure the sightlines!

I also got a call from Bill Brand of What’s on Tap, the California Craft Beer Newsletter asking for recommendations on beer and potato chip pairings…and here you go:

Barbecue flavored potato chips - Brown ale - sweet and spicy!

Vinegar and salt flavored potato chips - American wheat ale - fruity esters match with tangy vinegar

Dill flavored potato chips - Bold craft pilsner - hoppy meets herbal on the palate

Beer flavored potato chips - India pale ale - because beer chips taste sweet, salty and malty

Plain potato chips - Farmhouse ale - in homage to frites, which predate the potato chip by, oh, a few centuries.

Add your suggestions…

Here’s a goofy news item from mental floss…and it inspired some tinkering with a recipe for ale nog. That’s egg nog made with ale, proffered under various monikers over the millenia - posset, syllabub, flip, biersuppe, etc.  I made this ale nog with a spiced winter warmer - the ale makes the texture lighter and dare I say, more drinkable. Use any leftover nog to make the base for custardy french toast.

Winter Ale Nog

1 cup white cane sugar
1 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup raw honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 whole eggs plus 1 egg white
2 cups heavy cream
12 ounces spiced or winter ale, at room temperature, decanted and whisked to remove carbonation
1/2 cup dark rum, or more to taste
1/4 cup Cognac, Calvados or Cointreau
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch ground clove
Pinch ground mace
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Fresh grated nutmeg to taste

 1. Mix sugar and half-and-half in heavy 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes, and stir in honey and vanilla. Stir until honey melts and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Place eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whip, and beat eggs until frothy and blended on MEDIUM speed. Slowly drizzle the hot half-and-half into the eggs, mixing constantly. Eggs will turn fluffy and thicken. Do not pour all the hot liquid in at once or the mixture will curdle.

2. Continue to mix on MEDIUM speed, and add remaining ingredients, one at a time. The ale will foam as it is mixed in. Taste and adjust spices as desired. Chill 6 hours or more.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

McClatchy News Service Beer columnist Barry Shlacter offers a round-up of foods for holiday feasting. If you yearn for something more flavorful than a plain roasted turkey, try this recipe for a marinated and grilled bird made with holiday spices, hard cider and brown ale:

24 ounces brown ale (or more to cover)

24 ounces hard cider

1/2 cup kosher salt

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole allspice berries

3 fresh bay leaves

2 oranges, washed, quartered, seeded and sliced thin

1/2 cup canola oil

1 medium-sized turkey (10 to 12 pounds), giblets removed

Special equipment: large stockpot, food-grade 5-gallon bucket (available from home brew supply shops)

The night before, start the marinade. Blend ale and cider, salt, spices, oranges and oil in large stockpot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let cool. Wash and rinse outside and cavity of turkey. Place turkey in food-grade plastic bucket and pour marinade over it. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate (Tip: You may have to remove a few shelves to get the bucket in the refrigerator — or put the bucket in a large cooler packed with ice instead). After several hours, turn the bird so it marinates evenly on all sides.

After 12 to 24 hours, remove bird from marinade, and pour marinade through sieve into 1-gallon stockpot. Bring marinade to a boil, skim off foam and reduce heat to simmer. Use ladle to measure out 3 cups of sterilized marinade. Prepare grill with drip pan and arrange coals or burners for indirect cooking. Disjoint the legs from the turkey (without cutting the skin) as this will let it cook more evenly. Place bird on grill over indirect heat at 300 degrees 2 to 4 hours, depending on size of bird. Allow about 15 minutes per pound. Be sure that drip pan is large enough to collect fat and juices. Baste often with cooked cider ale marinade, mixed with pan drippings, to keep it moist. Internal temperature should reach 165 degrees when thermometer is inserted into thickest part of thigh. Finish bird with 10 minutes direct grilling over hardwood chips to crisp skin and add smoky flavors.

Move turkey to a platter and cover with 2 layers foil. Let turkey rest 30 minutes before carving. Makes about 12 to 14 servings.

TimeOut Chicago writer Tim McCormick offers a succinct review of the book, with my favorite quote:

“Who it’s for An experienced cook with a taste for beer. Some of the recipes, while streamlined, are better suited for your inner Julia Child than your inner Sandra Lee…..

“We tried Pan-seared pilsner sirloin tips with herbed pecan orzo and shiitake–blue cheese sauce (recommended with a brown ale; we chose Dogfish Head’s Indian Brown Ale). One of the easier recipes in the book, it also proves that cooking with beer has added bonuses: Since we didn’t use the whole 12-ounce bottle, we were happy to polish off the remaining Veltins pils. And Saunders only says that “this rich beef dish pairs well with nut brown ale.” It’s up to us to figure out that a more caramelly ale like the Dogfish would cut nicely into the tangy blue cheese…”

McCormick got it right - it is indeed up to you to figure out exactly how you want to pair the dish with a beer style to your taste. For example, in the recipe below, some cooks might use less of the blue cheese in making the sauce, and add more shiitake mushrooms instead, making the dark lager a better alternative. It’s your palate, your kitchen, your choice, so have fun with it.

Pan-Seared Pilsner Sirloin Tips with Herbed-Pecan Orzo and Shiitake-Blue Cheese Sauce

This recipe was contributed by a finalist in the National Beer Wholesalers Association’s first Cooking with Beer Challenge, Veronica Callaghan of Glastonbury, CT, produced this rich beef dish that pairs well with nut brown ale or dark lager.

Sirloin Tips:

1 1/2 pounds trimmed beef sirloin tips

1 cup pilsner

1 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Herbed-Pecan Orzo:

1 cup orzo

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup chopped pecans, lightly toasted

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon butter

1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped

2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and thinly sliced

3 ounces pilsner

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons flour

1/3 to 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Rosemary sprigs for garnish

1. Place sirloin tips in large zipper-lock plastic bag. Add pilsner, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Marinate at least 20 minutes.

2. Cook orzo in boiling water according to package directions. Drain and toss with butter, salt, and pepper. Stir in herbs and pecans. Cover with foil and set aside.

3. Heat olive oil in large heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Remove sirloin tips from marinade, reserving marinade for later use. Add meat to pan and cook 3-4 minutes on each side until slight crust is formed and meat is just browned. Remove meat to a plate and cover with foil.

4. Melt butter in same pan used to cook meat. Add shallot and mushrooms. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or until just tender. Stir in pilsner and cook until almost completely absorbed. Sprinkle salt and flour over mushrooms, stirring to coat. Pour in reserved marinade. Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute. Reduce heat and cook, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.

5. Return meat to pan, pouring in any accumulated juices from the plate, and cook 4-5 minutes for medium-rare, or until desired doneness.

6. Arrange Herbed-Pecan Orzo on large serving platter. Fan sirloin tips over orzo and pour sauce over top. Sprinkle with blue cheese and garnish with fresh rosemary.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Suggested pairing: American dark lager or nut brown ale

Here are a few tips from a recent interview with Jeff Bearer of Craft Beer Radio - and if you have 30 minutes, you can listen to the entire podcast here.

Start with a beer in good condition, one that you’d enjoy drinking solo. If you like the taste of it in a glass, chances are you’ll enjoy the flavors in the finished dish.

Treat craft beer with respect - if you boil it vigorously, the flavors will change as the beer reduces, growing more intensely bitter. Use very hoppy ales in marinades and vinaigrettes which are left uncooked, for the truest flavor to the original. Otherwise, add alternative sweeteners, such as barley malt extract.

Since beer is really a “liquid flavor” when cooking with it, consider using thickeners to convey the tastes. Chef Nathan Berg of Native Bay uses unflavored gelatin to make a savory jelly with craft ales - I tasted the Central Waters Elder Weiss made into a jelly presented with candied hickory nuts - it melted in the mouth with a delicate tang of hops and made the nuts taste all the sweeter.

Though I don’t think it’s necessary to cook every dish served in a beer dinner with beer as an ingredient, I do think it is a good example of a classic pairing technique called “bridging.” A bridge is a garnish or ingredient or other flavor elements that meld together from the food, to the drink, to the palate. You can use the flavors of beer as a bridge or you can use foodstuffs. For example, to bring out the nuttiness in a brown ale, you could present a pilaf topped with toasted pecans, or to highlight Chinook hops, you could garnish a salad with slivers of fresh grapefruit. It’s a simple but effective tool in creating pairings with harmonious flavors.