The Naked Pint

by Christina Perozzi

  The most important factor to consider when pairing cheese and beer is weight. Low-alcohol beers, like wheat beers or blondes, tend to work better with milder and gentler cheeses, like fresh young goat’s milk cheeses or triple-crèmes (a little hint, triple-crèmes work with everything). Call me a traditionalist (you’d be the first), but I love Belgian and Belgian-style ales with Trappist style cheeses. (Many Trappist breweries also make cheese.) These are probably the most natural pairings due to their similar origins. I have a picture in my mind of lots of happy monks somewhere in Belgium drinking lots of beer with some nice, smelly cheese. One of my favorite pairings is always sheep’s milk with a nice, hoppy IPA. Sheep’s milk cheeses usually have a touch of bitterness on the finish, and the hops really work to enhance this flavor. My final beer/cheese marriage is always the last one in my Grilled Cheese and Beer events. We pair blue cheese with something big and chocolaty like a Stout, London Porter, or Chocolate Bock. You get those nice, big roasty-sweet flavors to offset and match the power of the blue.

  If you are interested in nibbling at Andrew’s Cheese Shop or his Grilled Cheese and Beer events, go to www.andrewscheese.com for information, shopping, Cheese 101, and to join his Cheeses of the Month Club.

  HEY, THERE’S FOOD IN MY BEER!

  We can’t talk about using beer in food without talking about the beer that was made with food: Oyster Stout! Originally named thus because of the popularity and ubiquity of both oysters and Stouts in the pubs and taverns of the United Kingdom, these beers were meant to be consumed with and to complement oysters. But the New Zealand brewer Young and Son Portsmouth took the idea a bit further in 1929 and made a Stout using actual oysters in the boil.

  It’s a bit counterintuitive to imagine how oysters and Stout taste together, but along with Barleywine and blue cheese, this match is one of the great traditional food pairings of the beer world. The toasty, roasty, and dry finish of the Stout contrasts with the salty, briny, sweet flavor of the oyster and provides a lovely taste treat.

  Nowadays, finding this style of beer is rather challenging. Most Oyster Stouts are not made with oysters, but some bold microbreweries still add a dozen or so oysters, or ground oyster shells, to the brew, which can balance any sour flavors. The resultant beer rarely tastes at all fishy, and oyster flavors are very difficult to detect in the finished beer.

  Some pubs offer Oyster Shooters. These aren’t the vodka- or hot-sauce-inspired shooters that you’ll find in trendy restaurants. This is a glass of Stout (we also like Porter) with a nice plump raw oyster in the bottom. This is obviously not for the weak of heart, but if you like oysters, you will definitely want to try this exotic treat. We’ve done a couple variations of this idea that we loved, using the Deschutes Black Butte Porter with Malpeque oysters and the Rogue Morimoto Black Obi Soba Ale with Kumamoto oysters. Forget about it.

  The First Ingredient Is Beer: Cooking with Beer

  As with much of the ritual that surrounds beer, the history of cook ing with beer is long. The oldest beer was probably thick, bread- or porridge-like, almost a meal in itself. Beer was refined over the years and often stepped in to flavor meat or help create tenderness in dishes. Beer can be used in many recipes that call for a liquid, like wine. Think of cooking with beer whenever you might use a reduction, sauce, marinade, or dressing. Try it in soups and stews, where wine is often used; the right beer may just improve the dish. British-style onion and cheese soup benefits from a nice bottle of Bitter dumped into the pot. Mussels cooked in Witbier is a classic dish from Belgium. And if you’ve never had ice cream made from a chocolaty Stout, you don’t know what you’re missing.

  We’ve been lucky enough to taste some inspiring beer recipes from our own culinary culture in Los Angeles, and we’ve asked some of our favorite chefs to provide us, and you, with some of their most beloved beer recipes.

  JENN GARBEE, SECRET SUPPERS AND SISTERS OF THE SUDS

  Jenn Garbee is a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Food section and LA Weekly’s SquidInk food blog, and is the beverage columnist for Tribune Media’s national newspaper wire. The former pastry chef is the author of several books, including Secret Suppers: Rogue Chefs and Underground Restaurants in Warehouses, Townhouses, Open Fields, and Everywhere in Between, an insider’s look at the underground restaurant movement. We met her when she interviewed us for a story in the Times about women and beer, and we immediately became friends and beer-drinking buddies. Jenn got so bitten by the beer bug that she is currently working on a book called Sisters of the Suds, which explores the history of female brewers. She is also a contributing editor for EAT Los Angeles and an amazing baker. You’ll know it once you’ve tried this herbed beer bread.

  Rosemary-Thyme Beer Bread

  Jenn says: Beer. Breads. Fresh herbs. What could be better? A beer to go with it. You may substitute all thyme for a milder flavor. A Pilsner or other Pale Lager is best here—avoid Stouts or other full-bodied beers because they will lend bitterness to this savory bread.

  2½ cups flour

  ½ cup cornmeal

  1 tablespoon baking powder

  1 teaspoon salt

  1 tablespoon sugar

  One 12-ounce bottle of Moonlight Brewing Company’s Reality Czeck,

  room temperature

  3 tablespoons butter, melted

  1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

  1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

  Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray (pay close attention to the corners, as this bread tends to stick).

  In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and sugar.

  In a medium bowl, combine the beer, butter, and herbs. Stir into the dry ingredients until just combined, being careful not to overmix.

  Pour into the prepared pan, and bake until golden and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to loosen and turn onto a rack to cool.

  Serve warm with butter.

  Makes 1 loaf

  LUCY SAUNDERS, COOKING WITH BEER AND THE BEST OF AMERICAN BEER AND FOOD

  A prolific beer expert, writer, teacher, author, and cook, Lucy Saun ders (aka the Beer Cook) has been changing the way we appreciate and include beer in our dining world for over 20 years. Not only has Lucy forged a path for women in beer (for which we are mighty grateful) but she also walks the walk, having published her first highly informative book, Cooking with Beer, as well as another of our favorites, Grilling with Beer. She also published The Best of American Beer and Food: Pairing and Cooking with Craft Beer. Lucy is a fount of information, and she travels the country leading beer events and dinners, bringing cuisine a la bière to the forefront of the modern dinner table. With her most recent project, Lucy is one of three female beer writers who contributed an essay to the book Beer Hunter, Whisky Chaser. The book is a tribute to the late great beer writer and legend Michael Jackson.

  The circle of women in beer is a pretty small one, so we are lucky enough to have been in touch with Lucy for years. After reading all her books and trying her recipes, we knew that we had to have one in this book. Lucy just understands how beer works with food in an unpretentious yet delicious and very forward-thinking way. We’re so happy to be featuring this grilled fennel and orange salad because it illustrates wonderfully that beer can be used in cooking in so many innovative ways!

  Grilled Fennel and Orange Salad

  Lucy says: This is made with a Strong Golden Ale and may be paired with the same ale or with a Dunkelweizen. Because I live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I used the locally brewed Sprecher Abbey Tripel Ale to make the marinade. The result: a refreshing side salad to serve with grilled chicken.

  FOR THE MARINADE

  ½ cup olive oil

  1⁄3 cup Strong Golden Ale

  1 tablespoon minced garlic

  1 teaspoon dried thyme

  ¼ teaspoon ground coriander


  ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

  Sea salt to taste

  FOR THE SALAD

  Two 10-ounce fennel bulbs, cut in quarters

  2 bell peppers, assorted colors, cut into large slices

  1 medium sweet onion, cut into quarters

  2 large oranges, sectioned, membrane and seeds removed

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  Balsamic vinegar to taste

  8 large Romaine lettuce leaves

  Preheat a grill to medium-high.

  In a large bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients until emulsified. Add the fennel, bell peppers, and onion, and toss to coat. Set the vegetables aside to marinate for 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift the vegetables from the marinade; reserve the remaining marinade, and set aside.

  Place the vegetables in a grill basket or on a fine mesh grill grate. Grill until tender and slightly caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes, turning often and covering the grill to capture the steam. Remove the vegetables from the grill, and let cool until warm enough to handle.

  While the vegetables cool, chop the oranges and add the fruit and collected juice to the large bowl; toss with the reserved marinade. When vegetables are cool enough to handle, chop into bite-size chunks, removing any tough end pieces, and add to the oranges, mixing to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Add a bit of balsamic vinegar if you wish. Serve on top of Romaine lettuce leaves on a large platter.

  Serves 6 to 8

  MATT ACCARRINO, CHEF DE CUISINE, CRAFT AND CRAFTBAR

  Chef Matt Accarrino has come a long way from his humble begin nings washing dishes in New Jersey. He’s studied abroad in Labico, Italy, working at the Michelin Guide-rated Antonello Colonna restaurant. While in Italy, he visited farms and “foraged for the restaurant’s ingredients” on a daily basis. He was opening sous chef at Thomas Keller’s Per Se in New York City, which received the near impossible four-star rating from the New York Times and three stars from the Michelin Guide. He’s cooked for Charlie Palmer in New York City and Todd English at Olive’s at the W in Union Square. Matt developed quite the following as the chef de cuisine of Tom Colicchio’s Craft and Craftbar in Los Angeles.

  Matt has been featured in Wine Spectator, Food and Wine, Food Arts, Los Angeles Times, and Los Angeles Confidential. Oh, and he teamed with us at Craft L.A. to cook at one of the most mind-blowing and innovative beer-pairing dinners of all time! We are thrilled to share one of the dishes from that dinner with you.

  Australian Suzuki with Beer-Braised Mussels, Leeks, Trumpet Royale Mushrooms, and Chorizo

  Matt says: Mussels and chorizo are a classic pairing in Spanish cooking and a perfect way to highlight the buttery suzuki. Instead of using wine, I used Saison DuPont, which provided tart citrus notes that worked with the seafood and peppery notes that packed a subtle punch.

  FOR THE MUSSELS

  2 shallots, thinly sliced

  1 small garlic clove, thinly sliced

  6 tablespoons olive oil

  Salt to taste

  24 Bouchot mussels, washed and debearded

  One 375-ml bottle Saison DuPont Ale

  5 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, stems and leaves reserved separately

  1 cup reduced unsalted chicken broth

  Sugar to taste

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  ½ leek, white part only, cut into small dice

  3 trumpet royale mushrooms, halved lengthwise, scored, and cut

  crosswise

  3 ounces dry-cured chorizo, diced

  FOR THE SUZUKI

  Four 5-ounce portions suzuki (Japanese seabass), skin on

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  3 tablespoons olive oil

  2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  2 sprigs thyme

  THE MUSSELS

  On medium heat, sweat half the shallots and half the garlic in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot until soft, seasoning lightly with salt. Add the mussels, and increase the heat to high. Pour in the beer, and add the parsley stems. Cover and steam until the mussels open. Strain the mussels, reserving both the broth and the mussels. Pick the mussels from their shells, reserving both the meat and the liquid. Discard the vegetables and shells.

  Place the reserved liquid from the mussels back into the pot, and add the chicken broth. Season with salt and sugar to balance out the natural bitterness of the beer. Using an immersion blender, incorporate 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and the butter into the reserved liquid. Set this broth aside.

  Preheat the oven to 375°F.

  In the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, sweat the remaining shallots and garlic and leeks. Add the mushrooms and chorizo. Cook until the vegetables are tender without coloring; set aside.

  THE SUZUKI

  Season the suzuki with salt and pepper. Sear the pieces skin side down over medium-high heat in the olive oil in a medium sauté pan with a metal handle. Transfer the fish to the oven, and roast for about 5 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork.

  Return the pan to the stovetop over medium heat. Add the butter to the pan and flip the fish over, skin side up. Add the thyme, and baste the fish with the pan juices. Allow the fish to finish cooking for 1 or 2 minutes. Remove the fish and blot on paper towels.

  Add the mussels to the chorizo mixture and warm through on medium-high heat for 1 to 3 minutes. Stir in the parsley leaves, and allow to wilt slightly. Divide the vegetable-mussel mixture among four large bowls. Froth the reserved broth with an immersion blender and spoon several tablespoons of the liquid over the vegetables. Finally, place the fish atop the broth and vegetables in the bowls and serve.

  Serves 4

  EVAN FUNKE, EXECUTIVE CHEF, RUSTIC CANYON WINE BAR AND SEASONAL KITCHEN

  Before Evan Funke was a James Beard semifinalist in 2009 for Ris- ing Star Chef of the Year, he was mastering his technique in one of L.A.’s toughest kitchens, Spago Beverly Hills. Evan has worked with some of the world’s greatest chefs, including Alain Ducasse, Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert, Mario Batali, Charlie Trotter, Nobu Matsuhisa, and Wolfgang Puck. Evan left Spago in 2006 to teach at Le Cordon Bleu in Pasadena, and in 2007 he took a life-changing three-month apprenticeship under master pasta maker Alessandra Spisni in Bologna, Italy. At La Vecchia Scuola Bolognese, Evan mastered the techniques of pasta fatto a mano (handmade pasta), and upon returning from Italy, he started as executive chef at the market-fresh Santa Monica restaurant Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen.

  It was at Rustic Canyon that we met Evan and were happy to learn that one of his many talents was his taste for great beer! We quickly planned several beer dinners, pairing Evan’s wonderfully thoughtful food with delicious beers from around the world. When we introduced Evan to the Reissdorf Kölsch, he was hooked. Not only did his family have roots in Cologne, Germany (where the beer style originated), but he was inspired to make an amazing and delicate fatto a mano rabbit dish. Enjoy.

  Kölsch-Braised Rabbit with Wild Ramps and Roasted Porcini

  Evan says: I love Kölsch beer; it’s bright, well rounded, and pairs perfectly with rabbit. The earth of the porcini does well with the restraint of this beer, and the spicy wild ramps in this dish set off all the beer’s wonderful apricot, grainy accents. You can have your butcher break the rabbit down into smaller pieces, but this dish does so well with a braised whole rabbit for large hungry groups who love beer and love to eat with their hands. This is a springtime dish, a primal offering, so don’t think too much. Can’t find ramps? Use spring onions. Can’t find porcini? Use some other wild mushrooms. It’s that simple.

  4 or 5 button porcini mushrooms

  Three 500-ml bottles Reissdorf Kölsch beer

  1 spring rabbit or hare1

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

  All-purpose flour, for dredging

  6 tablespoons butter or olive oil

  2 leeks, sliced

  2 lar
ge carrots, cut into medium dice

  2 large shallots, cut into medium dice

  1 brown onion, cut into medium dice

  1 bulb fennel, cut into medium dice

  3 stalks celery, cut into medium dice

  2 quarts chicken stock

  1 bunch marjoram

  1 bunch wild ramps, sliced

  Clean the mushrooms with a damp towel, wiping any dirt off of the cap. With a paring knife, carefully scrape the shaft of the mushrooms to clean them of any dirt or blemishes. Cut in half and set aside.

  Open the beer (no one will mind if you take a swig).

  Season the rabbit with salt and pepper and dredge lightly in flour on all sides.

  In a large heavy-bottom pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Once the butter is lightly browned, add the rabbit and cook on each side for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden-brown delicious. Remove the rabbit and set aside. Discard the fat.