Liquid Dinner - April 13

The idea for this one came from some nagging desire to make Guinness ice cream. And from there, I decided I needed an ice cream maker (a Cuisinart ICE 50 that I am very, very pleased with) and then an entire dinner made with — you guessed it — beer.

The guestlist:
+ Paul
Allan + Alison + Kamela
Jessica + David
Ganda + Winnie C.

The menu:
Welsh rarebit
beer bread v.1
beer bread v.2 (with Cheddar and scallions)
carbonnades flamandes
Greenmarket salad with beer vinaigrette
chocolate stout cake with Guinness ice cream

The beers:
Brooklyn Local 1
Duvel
Trappist de Rochefort
Ommegang Three Philosophers
at least 7 others I can’t remember, including a lambic

Welsh Rarebit
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Toast some white bread. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan (they tell you to use a double boiler, but aside from the general messiness of this recipe, it seemed fine over direct heat) and stir in 1 cup beer and heat until warm. Stir in 4 cups shredded Cheddar and cook, stirring constantly until cheese is melted. Stir in

1 egg, well beaten
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard

Cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Spoon over toasted bread, sprinkle grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and stick in the broiler.

Beer Batter Bread
Adapted from Steven Pyles’ New Tastes from Texas

3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 bottle (12 ounces) beer, at room temperature
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the beer all at once, mixing as little as possible; the batter should be lumpy.

Pour the batter into loaf pan and brush with the melted butter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Beer, Cheese, and Scallion Bread
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease loaf pan. Whisk together

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add 1-1/2 cups light or dark beer (not stout). Fold until dry ingredients are moistened and transfer to loaf pan, spreading evenly. Bake 35-40 min.

Carbonnades Flamandes
Adapted from Saveur

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 lbs boneless chuck, cut into 2″ cubes
7 tablespoons butter
3 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons flour
1-1/2 cups beef stock
1-1/2 cups dark Belgian beer
2 bay leaves
2 springs thyme
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Heat oil in large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Working in batches, brown meat, about 5-10 minutes per batch. Transfer meat to bowl and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, melt 4 tablespoons butter in pot. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Set aside with meat.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons butter to pot, then immediately add flour andn cook, stirring constantly until deep golden brown, 2 minutes. Add stock and beer, scraping fond from bottom of pot. Return meat, onions, and accumulated juices to pot. Add bay leaves, thyme, sugar, vinegar and season to taste. Simmer on low, partially covered, until meat is very tender and sauce is dark, thick, and velvety, 2 hours.

Chocolate Stout Cake
Adapted from Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 cup Guinness
1 cup molasses
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 eggs
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Sift together first six ingredients.
Pour beer and molasses into medium pot, whisk together and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and whisk in baking soda.

Whisk together eggs and both sugars, mixing well to combine. Whisk in oil and then beer mixture.

Make well in dry ingredients andn pour in liquid ingredients, whisking slowly to incorporate. Do not overmix.

Pour batter into lightly buttered Bundt pan and bake 30 minutes. Cake is done when it begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and top surface is just beginning to crack.

Guinness Ice Cream
Adapted from Suzanne Goin’s Sunday Suppers at Lucques

1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup Guinness
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons molasses
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Bring milk, cream, beer, and molasses to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off heat.

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla together in a bowl. Whisk a few tablespoons of warm cream mixture into yolks to temper them and gradually add 1/4 cup more, a few more tablespoons at a time, whisking all the while. Add rest of cream mixture, mixing thoroughly. Return to pot and cook custard over medium-low heat, 6-8 minutes, stirring, until thickens and coats back of a spoon. Chill 2 hours or overnight in fridge. Process in ice cream maker.