Cooking with beer, Grimm Brothers Beer!

Well Grimm Brothers Brewhouse is doing another event, this time to benefit House of Neighborly Service. What makes this event fun is they will be having 5 courses using 5 different Grimm Brothers Brew. You will learn how to create each course. Hear the Grimm Brothers beer story and take home two recipes from the evening. They also plan on having door prizes. It cost $30 per person and the reservations have been limited to 97.

At the time writing this I was told they only have 20 spaces left. To make reservations call 970.635.1985 Wapiti Colorado Pub, located at the Mariana Butte Golf Course. It takes place Weds Nov. 9 from 6 to 10 pm.

Just to get that appetite moving here is a Chocolate Stout cake recipe.

For the Cake, 2 cups stout, 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder, 4 cups all purpose flour, 4 cups sugar, 1 tablespoon baking soda, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 4 large eggs, 1 1/3 cups sour cream
For Icing, 2 cups whipping cream, 1 pound bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans with 2-inch-high sides. Line with parchment paper. Butter the  paper. Bring 2 cups stout and 2 cups butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter equally among prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center of cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer cakes to rack; cool 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack and cool completely.

For icing:
Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chopped chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Refrigerate until icing is spreadable, stirring frequently, about 2 hours.

Place 1 cake layer on plate. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with second cake layer. Spread 2/3 cup icing over. Top with third cake layer. Spread remaining icing over top and sides of cake.

This recipe can also be found at Epicurious.com

A different Texas Chili

We had a little fun competition awhile back and I thought maybe I should share what I came up with.

Ingredients: 6 to 8 cloves of garlic mashed and chopped, one whole white onion diced, 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil, 2 ounces diced green chili, 1 bell pepper diced, 5 small sweet peppers diced, 1/4 red onion diced, 14 or so ounce can diced tomatoes, Carroll Shelby’s chili kit seasoning,  2 ounces tequila, 1 bottle stout beer, 2 pounds beef cubed, 2 14 ounce cans beef stock, 2 14 ounce cans kidney beans drained.

Instructions: Brown beef in olive oil, then add onions, peppers. Then add beef stock and spices(leave out masa flour). Cook for about 30 mins. Then add beer and tequila and tomatoes. Let simmer an hour, stirring occasionally. Then add beans cook for another half hour. If you need it a little thicker add some masa flour.

Serve with sour cream, chips, crackers what ever. You can also make this with buffalo instead of beef, just add a little more olive oil when browning.

A stew with a little bite.

This will make 8 servings and take about 3 hours total time.

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef chuck stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon cayenne

Sea Salt and Ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 minced garlic clove

14-ounces Stout beer of your choice i.e. Guinness, Master Thief, etc.

2 cups diced carrots

3 cups Yukon Gold potatoes or white potatoes peeled and cubed

1 large Vidalia Onion chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups beef stock

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 bay leaf

sprig of thyme

Brown beef in a large Dutch oven with 1 tablespoon olive oil. In small bowl mix all the seasoning (except bay leaf and thyme)  to flour, when the beef is brown and beef to flour mixture in bowl and set aside. Add olive oil to Dutch oven and lightly brown onions and garlic. Add a little Master Thief to get all the good stuff from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Mix back in the beef and Master Thief plus the tomato paste. Add beef stock and Worcestershire, bay leaf and thyme. Let simmer for an hour. Add carrots and potatoes and simmer till potatoes are done. Don’t forget to take out the bay leaf afterwards.

Server with warm bread and have a wonderful feast.

A salad for a starter and some beer to go along makes a nice addition to this meal.