Penelahpe's and Monday Night Blend Perfectly

I love cooking with beer, for real.  From sweet to savory.  I learned about cooking, poaching fruit in alcohol from Chef Joel from TEASPACE (lil five points hidden treasure circa 2007).  Sake poached Apple dumplings.  

Then the awesome and talented Chef Scotly gave me creative control on the Ormsby's dessert menu and we did SweetWater 420 poach apple dumpling stuffing with pecan streusle.  

So now the  2015-2016 food adventures bring me to the Drafty Trash Talk  Apple Pies.  I made 75 min pies from a great cause TrashWater (they make sure people in rural international spaces get clean water).  My not so secret ingredient is, guess? Go ahead I'll wait.....you are correct Monday Night Draft Kilt Scotish Ale and its flavor is worth every word.  The beauty of this Scotish Ale is not heavy and has coffee, malt, caramelized sugar,  would go great with ice cream and its the bomb with apples and cherries and brown sugar.   Say it loud "yummy!!"

The Crust is all Martha Stewart.  I'm saying , its just a good crust. 

Okay for la receta: 

Pre heat oven 350

cooking time 

20 min  on stove top

20 in oven

5 lbs.  of  golden delicious apples (preference)

1 C   Brown Sugar

1 bottle Monday Night Drafty Kilt

1 C frozen sweet cherries

3 Tsp Cinnamon

Peel and slice apples thin. Place in bowl of water and lemon juice to prevent browning until finished with all apples 

Dissolve the brown sugar in a large pot. How? add enough water just to wet the sugar. Turn stove top on med heat. 

Once the sugar is dissolved gradually add the  apples and the cherries and cinnamon.  DONT worry the apples will make their own liquid.  

Here's the fun part:

Once the apples begin to break down add your beer.

Continue to stir and taste and stir and taste (if you like super sweet allow the beer and apples to cook down first- you might be pleasantly surprised)

Now it is important to know that even though the alcohol will cook out your final product will taste like this wonderful craft beer.

Let the apple mixture cook until the apples are red and soft and tender about 20 Min

Let the apples cool before filling in your pies.

I did mini pies per the photos posted but please by all means make your pie as your want and make sure you blonde bake your crusts.

 Streusel 

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter, cold butter

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

a pinch of Cardamon 

Add all in a food processor and pulse until crumbs

cover the top of pie/pies

Bake pie/pies at 350 until the edges of crust and streusel are golden brown and the juice from the apples and cherries is bubbling out. 

Penelahpe's non holiday dinner party

Ok this past xmas vacation I decided to have a Non-Holiday Brunch.  Smoked Gouda Quiche, stuffed French toast with peaches, marinated kale and frozen swrberries and tequila drink,,,YUummmm!

So one day over margaritas and pizza, my fellow urban epicurean, Shana, and I brainstormed a dinner party. ..,, a non holiday dinner party.  The menu featured Moroccan flavors and whisky.

https://shanawashere.com/ can give you all the delicious details. 

Okay let's talk about one of  my favorite dishes of the night was Thai wheat Clams made with Second Self Thai Wheat, lemongrass broth and green curry paste. Oh yeah it became real in the kitchen.  I tweeted Second Self and asked for a recipe. So I share with you all as well.  

Okay this is the simple version that will still give you a great dish to brag about

6 cups of vegetable broth

2 stalks of lemongrass- bruised and chopped fine

1 knuckle of ginger- peel and small diced

2 carrots- peeled and medium dice 

2 onions- medium dice

1/4 cup cilantro rough chopped

2 heaping  tablespoons of green curry paste - Mae ploy- is my brand of choice

1 can of Thai Wheat Second Self beer - room temperature

3 pounds of clams

1. In a small pot  saute'  in olive oil your carrots,1 of the onions, ginger and lemongrass until carrots and onions are tender

add 6 cups of broth and  bring to a boil then decrease heat to a simmer for 30 min- during the last 10 min of cooking add cilantro

add salt, black pepper and garlic powder to taste

taste the broth- if you want stronger lemongrass simmer longer

2. In the mean time rinse off clams- discard all cracked ones

place  clams in a mixing bowl  with salt and water and allow them to filter out their sediment- ( remove the grit)

okay let's bring it together

3. In a large pot saute add olive oil  add the other onion until caramelized and add 2 heaping tablespoons of the green curry paste

stir constantly and take deep breaths of the magic that is being created

4. strain broth through a fine hole colander into a bowl - measure out four cups then add to your large pot with the green curry and onions

stir, stir, stir, 

add can of Thai Wheat Beer  and simmer for 10 min- taste broth to make sure the beer flavor has cooked out.

drain and wash off clams and add to large pot and cover and wait for the clams to open .

best served with grilled bread or toasted bread in olive oil and  garlic ..... Yum

This was my second favorite item of the night:

 Vegan Chocolate Cake

 with cardamon blue berries and candied ginger

So when I serve this cake I do not tell that this cake is vegan until the cake is gone-- food bias will disappoint.  I want the people to taste the cake and enjoy the cake...... that's it. 

Mind you the rest of the menu was flawlessly delicious the lemongrass salmon and the guest ranted about the chicken dish. 

Trust I was proud that we had a plan to feed people good food and drink and we did. Stay tuned to the next dinner. Peace.