Pairing Beer with Food

According to the ship's log, if the Mayflower wasn't running short of beer, it might not have landed at Plymouth Rock. At the 2008 Great American Beer Festival in Denver, CO, more than 1,900 different beers from 400 U.S. breweries were featured. As more varieties become available with major brewers featuring specialty brews and local brew-pubs and breweries offering craft beers, American's are pairing beers with more foods and desserts then ever before.

The Culinary Institute of America's Doug Miller would like to give you some guidelines to follow. "When pairing food and beer, the first thing you want to think about is what types of beer you like and what kinds of foods would taste good with them," says Mr. Miller. "There are some basic rules that apply when it comes to pairings; one is you don't want the beer to outshine the food or the food to outshine the beer. Ideally both should harmoniously elevate each other."

Ales and lagers are the two primary beer types and each comprises many different styles of beers. Beers that are crisp and refreshing, such as pilsners, light ales, and wheat beers, pair well with pizza, pasta, grilled chicken, and grilled fish. A hoppier beer such as an Indian Pale Ale is delicious with spicy cuisines such as Cajun, Mexican, and Thai food.

Belgium farmhouse-style ales that are slightly fruity and light have become popular in the U.S. Whether produced here or imported, they complement duck, pork chops, roasted chicken, turkey, and sausage.

Serve full-bodied stouts that have burnt malt flavors at clambakes, with oysters, shell fish, and crab boil. Stouts can also be a great beverage for desserts. An oatmeal or chocolate stout can be very tasty with oatmeal cookies or chocolate ice cream.

Pair heavier dishes like BBQ or smoked meats with dark brown Porter's smoky roasted flavor. You can even add some to your favorite barbeque sauce.

Mr. Miller reminds us that these are only some suggestions and encourages you to experiment with your own pairings, as long as you responsibly enjoy what you drink.

The following recipes are explained and illustrated in The Culinary Institute of America's One Dish Meals (Lebhar-Friedman 2006), Gourmet Meals in Minutes (Lebhar-Friedman, 2004), and Baking at Home with The Culinary Institute of America (John Wiley & Sons, 2004), which are available for purchase at bookstores nationwide or at www.ciaprochef.com/fbi.

Watch the video: www.ciachef.edu/BeerPairing

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Duck, Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo
This dish pairs well with an Indian Pale Ale.

Makes 8 servings

* 2 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
* 1 1/2 onions, diced
* 3 celery stalks, diced
* 1 green bell pepper, diced
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tablespoons tomato paste
* 1/4 cup white wine
* 1 quart chicken broth
* 1 cup tomato puree
* 1 ham hock
* 3/4 cup okra, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch slices
* 1/2 pound andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
* 2 duck breasts (preferably smoked), skinless
* 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
* 1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
* 3 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
* 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce

1. In a small saucepan, combine the butter and flour to form a roux, and cook over medium heat until dark brown, stirring frequently, about 8-10 minutes.

2. While the roux is cooking, sauté the onions, celery, and bell pepper in the vegetable oil over medium to medium-high heat until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, or until the aroma of the garlic is noticeable. Add the tomato paste and cook to a rich red-brown color, stirring constantly, about 3-4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and allow the wine to reduce by half.

4. Bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Whisk the roux into the hot broth, making sure there are no lumps. Add the vegetable mixture and stir well. Add the tomato puree, ham hock, and okra and simmer for 15-20 minutes.

5. While the gumbo is simmering, cook the andouille in a sauté pan over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Remove the andouille from the pan and reserve the fat. Season the duck breasts with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and sauté in the andouille fat over medium-high heat until cooked thoroughly. Once cool enough to handle, cut into medium dice.

6. Season the shrimp with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Dry-sear the shrimp in a separate pan over high heat until cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Add the shrimp, andouille, and duck to the gumbo along with the tomatoes. Continue to simmer until all the ingredients are heated through. Season with the remaining salt and pepper, and add hot sauce to taste.

Nutrition Analysis per serving: 290 calories, 22g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 15g fat, 1280mg sodium, 120mg cholesterol, 2g dietary fiber.

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Barbecued Chicken Pizza with Tomato Salsa
This dish pairs well with a lager or toasted lager.

Makes 4 servings

We've given the instructions to make the barbecued pizza here, but if you have grilled or barbecued chicken, turkey, or other meats, use them instead. This is a perfect way to use up the last bit of a Sunday afternoon cookout.

Barbecue Sauce

* 2 tsp butter
* 3/4 cup chopped onion
* 2 tsp minced garlic
* 1/2 cup tomato paste
* 1/4 cup brewed coffee
* 1 canned chipotle pepper, packed in adobo
* 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
* 3 tbsp apple cider
* 3 tbsp brown sugar
* 1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

* 14 oz chicken breasts, boneless, trimmed
* One 16-inch pizza crust (recipe follows)
* 1 cup thinly sliced Monterey Jack cheese
* 1 cup tomato salsa

1. Preheat a gas grill to medium-high; leave one burner off. If you are using a charcoal grill, build a fire and let it burn down until the coals are glowing red with a moderate coating of white ash. Spread the coals in an even bed on one side of the grill. Clean the cooking grate.

2. To prepare the barbecue sauce: Heat the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring frequently, until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, coffee, chipotle, apple cider vinegar, apple cider, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer the sauce over low heat until it has thickened slightly, about 15 minutes.

3. Grill the chicken over direct heat until marked on all sides, about 1 minute per side. Finish cooking the chicken over indirect heat, covered, turning as necessary and brushing with the barbecue sauce, until cooked through and the juices run clear, 10-12 minutes. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, slice it thinly. (You also may barbecue the chicken up to 2 days in advance. Keep it wrapped and refrigerated until you are ready to make the pizzas.)

4. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare a baking sheet by scattering it with cornmeal. Shape the pizza dough into a 16-inch round. Transfer the dough round to the cornmeal-scattered baking sheet. Arrange the cheese around the outer edge of the disk. Arrange the sliced chicken on top of the cheese. Place salsa in the middle of the pizza.

5. Bake the pizza in the oven until the crust is golden brown and crisp, 12-14 minutes. Let the pizza rest for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Pizza Crust
Makes one 16-inch or two 12-inch crusts

* 3 1/2 cups bread flour, plus as needed
* 1/2 cup semolina or durum flour
* 1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
* 1 1/2 cups room-temperature water (68-76°F)
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus as needed
* 2 teaspoons salt
* Cornmeal for dusting

1. To prepare the dough, combine the flours and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the water, olive oil, and salt and mix on low speed for 2 minutes.

2. Increase the speed to medium and knead until the dough is quite elastic but still a little sticky, 4 minutes.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, turn the dough to coat it with the oil, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel, and allow to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

4. Fold the dough gently, cover, and let rest until relaxed, 15-20 minutes, before cutting into 2 equal pieces, if necessary, and rounding the dough into a smooth ball(s).

5. Cover the dough and let rest another 15-20 minutes before shaping into a pizza crust.

Nutrition Analysis per serving: 480 calories, 21g protein, 67g carbohydrate, 14g fat, 800mg sodium, 35mg cholesterol, 4g dietary fiber.

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
Pair these cookies with Oatmeal Stout.

Makes 48 cookies

* Flourless cooking spray for greasing
* 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1 tsp salt
* 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
* 2 cups tightly packed light brown sugar
* 1 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 3 large eggs
* 5 cups rolled oats
* 1 1/4 cups dark raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line them with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt into a bowl and set aside.

2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugars, and vanilla extract on medium speed until smooth and light in texture, 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients, oats, and raisins until just combined. Scrape down the bowl as needed to blend evenly. Chill the dough for 10 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces and roll each piece in waxed or parchment paper to make a 12-inch-long log about 2 inches in diameter. Refrigerate until firm enough to cut, about 30 minutes.

4. Slice each log into 12 pieces and place the slices on cookie sheets in even rows, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. In batches, bake until the cookies are cracked on top but still slightly moist, rotating the pans as necessary to bake evenly, 14-15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Nutrition Analysis per 1.5-ounce cookie: 200 calories, 3g protein, 29g carbohydrate, 9g fat, 100mg sodium, 35mg cholesterol, 1g dietary fiber.

Comments

[pahayes1@aol.com]

Doug - I love it! I saw the Toasted Lager in the video (wonderful) and I always enjoy a good oatmeal stout. I have recently moved from the Belgian triple style beer to the Belgian farmhouse ale or saison. I enjoy these with a light fish or chicken dish. Let me know if you would like any suggestions on my favorite mid-western versions of these styles of beer. Well done! Next up, a tequila tasting! I could use a good refried bean recipe.

[Matt@wildmountaingourmet.com]

Interesting barbecue sauce with the pepper and the coffee combination!

Matt
Wild Mountain Gourmet