Cooking With Beer

Add a little craft into your menu.

With more than 90 breweries in New Hampshire, local beer is clearly popular with Granite Staters. These smaller, independent breweries create richer and bolder tastes that aren’t found in most mass-produced versions. Craft beer is defined as beer that is made by a small brewing company producing less than 6 million barrels of beer per year. According to the Brewers Association, there are nearly 7,500 craft beer independent brewers in the country, and that number keeps growing.

Beer is a fermented alcoholic drink made from grains, such as wheat and barley, plus hops, yeast and water. No one really knows when this thirst-quenching beverage made its world debut. What we do know is that the ancient world enjoyed beer and used it as a form of payment, as was the custom in Egypt around 5000 BC.

Archaeologists from Stanford University found evidence in 2018 that something might have been brewing in Israel some 12,000 years ago—likely a gruel-like concoction made from crushing the grains, heating them in water, baking them and wetting them again to encourage fermentation. When that happens, yeast microbes feed on the sugars released during fermentation and convert them to alcohol.

When I was a kid, I used to love to watch how my dad would slowly pour ice-cold bottles of beer into my mother’s etched Pilsner glasses for company. I just liked looking at the bubbles in the glass and the white cloud of foam that formed at the top.

I have never been a beer drinker, but I love to cook and bake with it. I particularly like to use beer in baking bread, pancakes and biscuits because it provides the lightest taste and texture.

If you do cook with beer, remember to use a beer that you also like to drink. Think about replacing some—but not all— of the liquid in a recipe with beer: When making a soup, use beer as well as water or stock. When marinating meat, use beer to create moisture as well as flavor. In a batter for fried foods, use part beer to get great lightness and crispness.

Beer is one of the best seasoning agents for meat or fish marinades, and is a natural tenderizer. Added to a simmering stew, beer imparts a rich, dark color as well as boosts the flavor, and most of the alcohol evaporates in the cooking process. Beer can add surprising subtleties to a range of foods, from main dishes to sweet desserts. Why not give the suds a try and craft some new recipes cooking with beer! NHH

BY MARY ANN ESPOSITO | PHOTOGRAPHY BY JOHN W. HESSION

Beef ’n Beer Stew   SERVES 4–6

This rich-tasting beef stew owes its deliciousness not only to a bottle of beer but also to browning the meat well to seal in flavor.

1 tablespoon dried oregano

2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

3 tablespoons minced parsley

1 tablespoon minced sage

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon coarse ground pepper

1½ pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

1 large onion, chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 large garlic cloves, cut into thin slices

2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 12-ounce bottle beer

2½ cups beef broth

1. In a large bowl, combine the oregano, rosemary, parsley, sage, salt and pepper. With paper towels, dry the beef cubes and add them to the bowl. Toss to coat the cubes well and set aside.

2. In a heavy-duty, large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Brown the meat on all sides in batches and transfer to a bowl.

3. Add the remaining oil to the pot and cook the onions until wilted.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring to coat the onions well. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

4. Return the meat to the pot along with any collected juices. Add the potatoes and carrots. Add the beer and enough broth to just cover the ingredients. Bring the stew to a boil, lower the heat and cook covered until the meat is fork tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

5. Serve in bowls with crusty bread.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Beer and Broccoli Soup      SERVES 6–8

Ladle up big, steaming bowls of this flavorful and fun-to-eat soup, and serve it with hunks of country bread.

4 tablespoons butter

2 cups finely chopped celery

2 cups finely chopped carrots

1 cup finely chopped onion

2 cups broccoli florets, chopped

8 cups hot chicken broth

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup water

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra for topping

4 ounces cream cheese, cubed

1 12-ounce bottle beer Crumbled cooked bacon, for topping (optional)

1. In a soup pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrots and onion, and cook them until crisp-tender. Add the broccoli, and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the broth and black pepper.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flour and water until smooth, and gradually stir it into the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer, and cook the soup uncovered, until it has thickened and the vegetables are tender, about 25-30 minutes.

3. Stir in the cheeses until they melt. Add the beer, and continue cooking on medium heat for 3–4 minutes.

4. Remove from the heat and serve. Top with additional shredded cheese and bacon.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Apple Coffee Cake     SERVES 6–8

This simple-to-make but oh-so-moist apple coffee cake is the perfect treat or dessert to cozy up to with your favorite hot beverage.

3 cups flour, sifted

¼ cup white sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups peeled and chopped apples

¼ cup butter, melted

1 bottle (12 ounces) beer

2 cups powdered sugar

3–5 tablespoons half-and-half or milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8-inch square baking pan with foil, letting the excess overlap the edges. Butter the foil and set aside.

2. In bowl, whisk together the flour, white sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, baking powder and salt. Add the apples, butter and beer. Mix just until blended—the batter will be thick. Transfer to the pan.

3. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, about 40-45 minutes.

4. Carefully lift the foil and remove the cake from the pan, and let it cool on a wire rack.

5. Combine the powdered sugar, enough of the half-and-half or milk, and the vanilla in a bowl to make a thin glaze. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cake, and serve.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito

Light-as-a-Cloud Beer & Buttermilk Pancakes

SERVES 4–8, DEPENDING ON SIZE

These fluffy beer and buttermilk pancakes were served to me by a friend who knows that I am not fond of them, but these pancakes were light as a cloud! I begged for the recipe and have made a few tweaks of my own, but honestly, these are the only pancakes I will eat.

1 cup all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons powdered sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, separated

½ cup light beer

¼ cup buttermilk or sour milk

1 teaspoon maple extract

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

2 tablespoons of butter, plus more as needed

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, beer, buttermilk and maple extract. Stir in the flour mixture, combine well and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, use a hand-held mixer or whisk to whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until soft, fluffy peaks appear. Fold the egg whites into the egg and flour mixture.

4. Add 2 tablespoons of butter to a heated griddle or nonstick frying pan. When the butter is melted and bubbly, add about ¼ cup of the pancake batter to the griddle or frying pan, making a few at a time. Cook until the edges begin to brown slightly and bubbles appear on the surface. Use a flexible spatula to flip the pancakes and brown the other side. Continue with the rest of the batter, adding butter as needed.

5. Serve with additional butter, maple syrup or your favorite topping.

Recipe courtesy of Mary Ann Esposito