Beer is a very versatile drink, serving both to soften hair and to remove rusted screws. And of course, also for cooking. Today, we suggest you put on your apron and prepare a complete menu with these 3 easy recipes to cook with craft beer.
Vegetable and Craft Beer Recipe
It is advisable to consume vegetables; the more, the better, your health will thank you. And if you cook them with craft beer, keeping in mind that the alcohol evaporates during cooking, in addition to being healthy, your vegetable dish will be delicious. For this preparation, instead of using white wine, we will use a light, blonde craft beer, like our Mediterranean Lager. It will surely be much more appealing to beer lovers. Here is our favorite vegetable recipe for 4 servings:
Vegetable Medley with Craft Beer
Ingredients:
- 1 large potato
- 2 carrots
- 4 artichokes
- 350 grams of green beans
- 4 chard leaves
- 200 grams of peas
- 1/2 cauliflower
- 1 stalk of leek (white part)
- 1 medium onion
- 150 grams of serrano ham, diced
- 1 clove of garlic
- A splash of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of flour, salt, pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1/2 can of lager-style beer (we recommend our blonde)
Preparation:
- Peel and dice the potatoes, carrots, onion, leek, and green beans. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Remove the first leaves from the artichokes and cut them into quarters. Separate the stems from the chard leaves and cut them into not-too-small pieces.
- In a pot, pour enough water to cover the vegetables, add salt and a splash of extra virgin olive oil.
- Place the pot on the heat and when it starts to boil, add the carrots, leek, green beans, chard, peas, and artichokes. Cook for approximately 30 minutes over medium heat. After 10 minutes of cooking, add the potatoes and cauliflower.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a frying pan and add the sliced garlic and onion. Sauté, and when they begin to brown, add the ham. Incorporate the flour and stir well. Pour in the beer and keep on low heat for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add the paprika.
- Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. When the vegetables are cooked, drain them. Place them on a platter and add the sautéed mixture over the vegetables.
Chicken and Craft Beer Recipe
Chicken and beer pair perfectly. There are different ways to prepare it: in a stew, baked, battered… Today we suggest this recipe for 4 people of chicken breasts with an exquisite plum sauce and dark craft beer, like our Mascarat. A very simple recipe to impress on any occasion.
Roasted Chicken Breasts with Plum Beer Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 whole chicken breasts
- 12 pitted prunes
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 2 teaspoons of Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon of butter, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste
- 200 ml of dark beer (our Black Rye IPA Mascarat is perfect)
Preparation:
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC (390°F).
- Cut the chicken breasts in half and brown them in a pan on both sides. Set aside.
- For the sauce, cover the prunes with water, add the sugar, and cook for 10 minutes until tender. Drain them and reserve the cooking liquid.
- Chop the prunes. In a saucepan, add the prunes, beer, butter, and mustard. Cook over medium heat for approximately 4 minutes.
- Add the prune cooking water and cook until the sauce reduces to your desired consistency. As you know, the longer it cooks, the more it reduces and thickens.
- Next, blend the sauce with an immersion blender and pass it through a fine sieve.
- Cover the reserved chicken with the sauce and bake in the oven at 180ºC (350°F) for approximately 20 to 25 minutes.
- Halfway through baking, flip the chicken breasts.
- Serve immediately and accompany with your favorite side dish: potatoes, vegetables, rice, etc.
Dessert Recipe with Beer
And to finish on a sweet note, we propose a well-known dessert with a very beery twist: the Birramisu. As its name suggests, it is the famous Italian recipe, Tiramisu, but jazzed up the way we like it. On this occasion, we will use a full-bodied craft beer with chocolate and mocha aromas that will perfectly replace the coffee of the traditional recipe, such as Barlovento.
Birramisu
Ingredients:
- 16 ladyfingers (savoiardi or novara)
- 3 eggs, 200g mascarpone cheese
- 6 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, dark chocolate
- Salt
- 200 ml of beer (delicious with a Smoke Imperial Stout style like Barlovento)
Preparation:
- Separate the yolks from the whites and beat the whites until stiff with a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- Beat the yolks with half of the sugar and the vanilla seeds and set aside.
- Beat the mascarpone with the remaining sugar, add to the previous cream, and mix.
- Then, carefully incorporate the stiffly beaten egg whites until you get a light cream. Refrigerate.
- Soak the ladyfingers in the beer.
- Place a thin layer of cream in a mold. Then another layer of ladyfingers soaked in beer, another layer of cream, and grate some chocolate on top. Repeat the whole process.
- Chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours before serving and enjoy.
At Cervezas Althaia, we hope you enjoy preparing and tasting this menu of easy recipes to cook with craft beer. And to make the gastronomic experience complete, we recommend pairing it with any of our packs. You will find various styles of craft beer that pair perfectly with these delicious recipes.