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Hibiscus Madeleines with Noble Ale Works Rosalita

Posted on May 21, 2013
baking, beer, cookies, Madeleines, Noble Ale Works
Comments: 5

Noble Ale Works is a brewery in Anaheim, CA who makes great beer. Now that you all know this fact, there is no excuse not to go. The head brewer, Evan, is the genius behind the brain child that is the Rosalita beer. This beer is bright red/pink in color and was steeped with hibiscus flowers. It’s so unique and inventive. The base beer is a lager style which allows the flavor to really shine. The flavors of cranberry, rose, floral tea, and hibiscus lend a hand to these little madeleines. This tart and light beer works so well with these little cakes.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of AP flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3 large eggs plus two large egg yolks

3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon of beer

1 teaspoon of orange zest

3/4 cups of melted unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks)

Frosting:

1/4 cup of beer

1 cup of powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of corn syrup

Directions:

1. Sift flour and baking powder and salt together into a bowl, set aside.

2. Put eggs, yolks, beer, granulated sugar, beer and zest into an electric mixer with a paddle attachment and allow to mix until light in color and frothy. About 5 minutes. Take this time to melt the butter and set aside to cool. Mix in the butter and using a spatula fold in the flour mixture.

3. Be sure to take the time to fold in the flour mixture, otherwise the madeleines will be rubbery from being over-mixed. Trust me, I have done that before and it was not good. Cover your mixture with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

4. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Melt a tablespoon of butter (unsalted) and using a pastry brush or a paper towel butter your madeleine pans. Once your pans are buttered, put in the fridge to allow the butter to set. The pans need about 10 mins in the fridge to set.

5. Using two spoons, place little spoon full of batter into the madeleine pan wells. Using the full-size pan, place enough to basically fill the well. If using a mini-madeleines pan, fill the wells 3/4 full. These will spread more.

6. Bake for about 8 minutes, rotating one halfway through. I prefer my madeleines to have a crunchy edge and get a little brown so I cook mine for more like 10-12 minutes but I have to hover over them so they don’t burn. It’s really all about preference.

7. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes then on a wire rack until cool completely. You don’t want to leave them in the pan for too long otherwise any residual butter will make the cookies soggy.

8. Whisk together the frosting ingredients and if it’s too thick, add some more beer. If it’s too thin, add some more powdered sugar. Bush on the cooled madeleines. I added some extra orange zest that I tossed in granulated sugar to the top after bushing the frosting on. It was a nice addition and wasn’t too sweet. Allow frosting to harden. It will take about 1-2 hours give or take.

These madeleines were a huge hit. They are crunchy, sweet, floral, citrusy and soft. There is something so satisfying about them. They are a cross between a doughnut and a cupcake and a cookie in the most perfect way. The beer really added so much to this recipe. The color changed a little from the beer, but I did add a little food coloring (I use the gel kind) to accentuate the color. I didn’t add any food coloring to the frosting, which ended-up being a light pink color. The hibiscus added a slight rose-water taste but wasn’t perfume-like. I think the zest helped bring out the best in the flavor profile.

Yield: 24 madeleines (full-size)

Lasts: 2-3 days

Season: All seasons

Level: Beginner

Smog City Brewing Company

Posted on May 16, 2013
Beachwood BBQ, beer, Beer Event, Beer Tasting, Brewery, Cupcakes, Smog City
Comments: 1

Smog City Brewing Company will be having their grand opening on Saturday, May 18th from 12-9pm. Their location is:

1901 Del Amo Blvd Ste B
Torrance, CA 90501

I recently visited to celebrate my buddy Derek’s birthday and was fortunate enough to see a preview of the new brewery. It’s located in a small and unassuming business park, as most new breweries are now-a-days. They have a bright large space filled with the aroma of promise and excitement.

We happen to be there when a bunch of other media were there getting a “sneak peak” of the place.

I loved everything about the place. It was long and had two roll-up doors so you had a cross-breeze which doesn’t seem like much but when it’s hot and the brewery is making beer, it’s a life saver. There was a ton of space to walk around and set your beer down on a barrel, or grab a chair and stay awhile. They had these awesome stands made from barrels that I was obsessed with. The one next to the large recliner chair was my favorite. I want that for my house so badly!

The beers were spot-on. The Coffee Porter was unbelievable. It was just lovely. It was like getting handed $10 and kiss on the cheek from your grandma on your birthday. The smell of coffee is prominent, and the balance is perfect. It just really, seriously, sincerely, well-done beer. I know the description “well-done” doesn’t excite your brain but that means a lot in the beer world.

Derek (NB Brew Co.), Julian (Beachwood BBQ & Brewing), John Porter (Smog City)

I did also try the “Weird Beer” and the Scotch Beer and I liked both of them as well. The weird beer seems to be a saison but that’s just my assumption. The real test of a brewery is how well they can make an IPA. Most breweries will either make a great IPA or a mediocre IPA, and if you make a mediocre IPA then you should just stop. You don’t need it, especially if you make other good beers. But, being in California, it has become a requirement and an expectation so most breweries will succumb. Smog City, just so happens to friggin’ NAIL the IPA. They nailed it. They make a fantastic “Gorilla IPA” that is excruciatingly good. It’s citrusy and hoppy and bright and so well executed. We should all bow down to Jon Porter (head brewer/owner of Smog City).

The only issue with Smog City is it’s not close enough to visit very often, but I will have to make the trip again because I want more of their beer. I have high hopes for you Smog City, so cheers to a fantastic beginning and a long road of excellence.

Newport Beach Brew Co. Sour Cherry Stout Cupcakes

Posted on May 13, 2013
baking, beer, Cupcakes, Newport Beach Brew Co., recipe
Comments: 1

My buddy Derek, head brewer at Newport Beach Brew Co., was having a birthday party at Smog City this last weekend. It was a surprise birthday party and I was tasked to bake some cupcakes for the event. I really wanted to use a beer from NB Brew Co. but I had to play it off like I was going to use it just for a blog post and nothing else. Hey, that’s not really lying…it’s just a half-truth! I had Sean pick-up some beer for me during the week so I could get the cupcakes done by the weekend.

I had a sour cherry stout to work with….but what to make?! I wanted to mimic the cherry flavor with fresh cherries, but alas, it’s not cherry season so I opted to go the opposite route. I make a spiced stout cupcake with a sour cherry stout syrup for the frosting. It worked-out since the cupcakes had a little sour cherry flavor up-front and the lingering flavor was the cinnamon and nutmeg spice. Everyone seemed to love them!

Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups AP Flour

1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/4 cups veggie oil

1 1/4 cups molasses

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 1/4 cups beer

Frosting:

1 lbs. of powdered sugar

3 sticks of butter

1/3 cup of beer syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin/cupcake tins with cupcake liners. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

2. With either an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, or using a whisk (electric or not), beat together the oil, molasses, sugar, eggs and yolk and beer together for a few minutes. Add dry mixture slowly until combined.

3. Spoon batter (I used a cookie scoop but I have found a frosting bag also works well) into the cupcake liners. Fill between halfway and three-quarters full because these cupcakes will rise. Bake for 20 minutes or so. Be sure to rotate one in the middle of baking. If unsure, you can insert a toothpick tester in the cupcakes to be sure.

4. Put cupcakes on wire racks to cool, and take out of the tins to cool completely before frosting. To make beer syrup, add a 1/4 cup of beer with a tablespoon of granulated sugar and cook on medium heat until reduced. Put in the fridge to cool before adding to the frosting.

5. Beat room temp butter with adding powdered sugar gradually. Be sure to taste as you add the sugar so you choose how sweet you want your icing to be. After the frosting is almost there, add the beer syrup in small doses to ensure your buttercream doesn’t break. If the frosting gets too loose don’t and any more liquid.

6. Pipe frosting on cupcakes using your favorite icing tip and a pastry bag.

Yield: 24-30 cupcakes

Lasts: 2-3 days

Season: All seasons

Level: Beginner

These tasted great. They had spice and a subtle amount of sour cherry lingering on the palate. It was interesting and challenging to use a sour beer. I hope to expand and make more things with sours. Any suggestions?

Ritual Brewing Company

Posted on May 8, 2013
beer, Beer Event, Brewery, Hangar 24, Ritual
Comments: 1

I have an intense love/hate relationship with Redlands, CA. I hate that it’s so far from me (I live in Orange, CA so that’s 1-2 hours depending on traffic) and sometimes the heat can be unbearable. I love that it’s progressing into a very fun and interesting place to visit. Hangar 24 peaks your interest but it’s up to the local food and other attractions to really lure you to make the trip.

Luckily with the quaint downtown area and places to eat like Romano’s and Eureka Burger it’s becoming worth the trip and traffic headache. The latest addition to the list is Ritual Brewing Company. I was already aware of them because I have seen them at beer events and *spoiler alert* already knew their beer was good. I was particularly fond of their Little Oat and Extra Red beers. It’s nice when people just get stuff right and make solid beers, ya know?

We descended on Redlands on a Saturday to show support for Hangar at Romano’s but I insisted on going to Ritual so I could shoot some photos and visit the tasting room. Let me just say, it didn’t disappoint. The building is a discreet extremely new-looking office building in a business park across from a farming field..only in Redlands. The door adorns the Ritual logo and once inside you are enveloped by how big the space is. I am used to small nano-breweries like Cismontane and Old Orange Brewing Company but this space was huge. A very large brewing and storage area with an off-set tasting space with long wooden tables with bar stools.

We ordered some beers and grabbed our seats. After a few minutes, I realized the tables were re-purposed bowling lanes. At least, that’s what I thought they were. Anyhow, it was freaking rad. After snapping a few photos we settled-in for a few beers. Being that I already had the Extra Red and Little Oat I ordered the Tafelbier or Table Beer which was delicious. It’s a Belgian-style Enkel, meaning “Single”. This is an ale rarely, if ever, brewed on the West Coast, let alone America. I loved this beer. It’s 4.5%ABV and had wonderful fruity esters while having a biscuty mouth feel and a dry finish. I could drink this beer all summer long.

Congrats to Ritual and their fantastic start. I hope to continue to see great beers from you in the future. Cheers!

Cismontane Brewing Company 3rd Anniversary

Posted on May 7, 2013
beer, Beer Event, Cismontane
Comments: 0

Going to Cismontane is like hanging out at your buddies house because it is so warm and inviting. They celebrated their 3rd Anniversary a little while ago and I attended with Sean and a few of my friends met-up with us for a few beers. They expanded to the tasting room so there is a little more seating along with more space to brew. Regardless of the additional seating, it was still packed. But, I expected it to be busy. We managed to find some seating relatively quickly in the corner so I could be free to snap photos without my hands full.

Garlic Scapes food truck was there and while I didn’t eat the seductive garlic fries, I did smell it all around me. It smelled delicious.

I got to have a vertical tasting of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Anniversary beers and I must confess the 3rd Anniversary(9%ABV) belgian strong ale was my favorite. It had wonderful belgian aroma with a rich coppery color. That’s one dangerous beer because it’s strong and smooth. With just a hint of spiciness the drinkability can sneak-up on you.

Cheers to Cismontane and here’s to several more years of your fantastic beers.

My blogger buddy also did a write-up you might like here. He’s hilarious and a fantastic writer. Cheers!

The Best Banana Bread Ever Made With Fireside Chat

Posted on May 6, 2013
21st Amendment, baking, banana bread, beer
Comments: 9

This is the best banana bread I have ever made. Ever. Period.

I don’t know if it’s the mixture of the beer in addition to the banana or what, but it’s addicting. It’s thick yet moist, crunchy yet soft, sweet yet savory, aromatic and delicious. The little bit of cinnamon I added to the dry mix really helps push the beer flavor forward. I used 21st Amendment’s Fireside Chat which is a winter spiced ale with hints of winter aromatic spices like cocoa, caramel and nutmeg. I usually eat small pieces of whatever I make so I can describe the flavor but I ended-up eating a whole slice. It’s that good.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup AP flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted unsalted butter
1/4 cup beer

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Frosting Ingredients:

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon of corn syrup

1/4 cup beer

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Make sure your rack is in the middle of the oven. Grease a bread pan with unsalted butter and make sure it’s fully covered so the bread doesn’t stick. You can also use baking spray.

2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar and cinnamon. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs until frothy. Add the banana and melted butter and beer. Mix so there are no big chunks of banana and then start adding the dry mix. Mix until incorporated and do not over-mix.

3. Fold in the walnuts with a spatula and then scrape into your prepared bread pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Be sure to rotate your bread about halfway through so it bakes evenly. Check the bread by using a toothpick and seeing if any liquid comes out when you poke the middle of the bread. Do it a few times because you might hit the banana. Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes. After the bread is cooled it should slide right out the pan. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

4. Whisk together the powdered sugar, corn syrup and beer. If the mixture looks too loose then add more powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little more beer. If you drank it all then water will work. Pour the frosting over the bread and allow it to drip down. I put the bread on a wire rack sitting on a cookie sheet so frosting doesn’t drip everywhere. Cut and enjoy!

Yield: 8 slices

Lasts: 3-4 days

I will be making this again. It was pretty easy and the results were spectacular. Let me know what you think if you make this recipe!

Brewcakes in Redlands, CA

Posted on May 4, 2013
Bakery, baking, beer, Brewcakes
Comments: 2

I went to Brewcakes on a sunny Saturday afternoon with my fiance Sean and my brother Seth. It was located in a small shopping center, a few minutes away from the freeway. As we pulled-up, we saw the bright green Brewcakes sign and headed in to the quaint little bakery. Upon first glance, it’s obvious that they are still in the process of re-decorating but that didn’t really detract from the charm. Since I follow them on Facebook, I know they just installed the bar in preparation for serving craft beer but sadly they haven’t been fully approved when we went to visit.

The inside has little hints of antique and vintage appeal so it seems to be going in the right direction. I love Edison bulbs, so that was nice to see. I also appreciated the airplane touch, since that’s a running theme of Redlands.

We ordered a few sliders and a salad. Sean got the “B3” which was beef slow cooked in beer with crispy bacon and cheese and Seth got the “Chicken Sausage” which was a chicken sausage patty with peppers and a spicy aioli. I got the “Redlands Salad” with mixed greens, dried cranberries, almonds, cucumbers, oranges and balsamic vinaigrette. The sliders were really panini’s and they were good and the flavors were satisfying. The salad was a large portion, but fresh and light.

We had a variety of desserts. Brewcakes are known for baking with beer so it’s right up my alley. They specialize in cupcakes baked with beer. They have several different options like a Irish stout cake with a Kahlua buttercream, or a brown ale cake with a caramel buttercream, etc. Their signature is to serve these cupcakes in little paper cups with an ice cream scoop of frosting and all the frostings they make are buttercream. To me, I prefer my cupcakes in the standard cupcake wrapper and not so much frosting, but buttercream is my favorite of all frosting options so kudos to that! The novelty of the paper cups are cute, and you could recognize their cupcakes instantly over others so that branding is smart.

The creme puffs are adorable and tasty. They were chilled so it was a nice cool sweet dessert to finish our meal with. They weren’t overly sweet. The little cover of chocolate hardened in the fridge, and gave this lovely snap that is just oh-so-gratifying. The little cups with the layers of cookies or brownies with pudding or creme were really pretty. The visual appeal of getting to see all the layers was really pleasant. Seth ate the peanut butter cup one with the IPA shortbread with peanut moose and chocolate ganache. He said it was very good.

You can find Brewcakes at most craft beer events or you can visit their website here. Cheers 🙂

Dark Chocolate Cookies with Rogue Double Chocolate Stout

Posted on April 29, 2013
baking, beer, cookies, Rouge
Comments: 5

These cookies have it all. They are rich, gooey, chocolaty, crunchy, chewy, tart, smooth, and satisfying. These cookies are the cookies for people who don’t like cookies.

Made with dark chocolate, dark chocolate chunks, cocoa nibs, dried cranberries, dried cherries, and a rich double chocolate stout made by Rogue, this cookie really has something for everyone. I was a skeptic of using dried fruits in baked goods until I tried this mixture. There is something about a rich dark chocolate cookie getting a lift from a tart and chewy dried piece of fruit. I cut the dried fruit into small pieces so it was evenly incorporated throughout the cookies. The last thing I wanted is to have a giant chunk of dried fruit stuck in anyone’s teeth. That’s not pretty.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of AP Flour

1 1/4 cups unsweetened dutch-process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temp

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3/4 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons of beer

12 oz. of dark chocolate chips or chunks

1 1/2 cups of finely chopped dried fruit (I used cherries and cranberries)

1 cup cocoa nibs

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line several baking sheets with silpats and/or parchment paper. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

2. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter together with the two sugars until fluffy. Add eggs one-by-one until incorporated and then add the beer. Add the flour mixture gradually on a low speed until combined. Don’t over-mix. Take off the electric mixer and using a spatula mix in the cocoa nibs, chocolate and dried fruit.

3. Using a cookie scoop, put the dough on the prepared baking sheets. The cookies will spread so leave about 2 inches apart. Cook for 7 minutes then rotate and cook for another 5 minutes. The cookies will take between 12-15 minutes depending on your oven and baking pan. The cookies surface should crack. The darker the pan, the faster the cookies can burn. I learned that the hard way!

4. Leave hot cookies on the pan to cool for at least 10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack.

Yield: 36 cookies

Lasts: 3 days or so

Time: 45 minutes

Difficulty Level: Easy

Speakeasy Betrayal Shortbread

Posted on April 22, 2013
baking, beer, cookies, speakeasy
Comments: 0

I have a confession to make: I love shortbread. I have loved it since I can remember. My mom makes killer shortbread so perhaps I am just spoiled. Spoiled with shortbread.

Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.

3/4 cups sifted powdered (confectioners’) sugar

2 cups sifted AP flour

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 cup chopped chocolate (I used milk chocolate)

1/2 cup cocoa nibs

2 teaspoons of beer

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Put butter, confectioners sugar, beer, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir together with a wooden spoon. Once mixed almost completely add the chocolate and cocoa nibs.

2. Press into a brownie pan. Make sure the 8×8 or 9×9 brownie pan was either sprayed by cooking spray or rubbed-down by butter. Once the mixture is pressed, put plastic wrap on top and put in the fridge to set for about 10-15 mins.

3. Take plastic wrap off and put in the oven for 25-30 minutes. Make sure the edges are browned and the middle doesn’t sink when touched. Let cool on wire racks for 20-30 minutes before cutting into squares or into shapes using a cookie cutter.

Yield: 8 circles with scraps or 12 squares

Lasts: 4-5 days

These shortbread cookies are sweet, creamy, crunchy, salty and most importantly satisfying. The Speakeasy Betrayal is an imperial red which pairs well with the sweet milk chocolate and cocoa nibs. The beer is sweet with hints of caramel while being bitter from the hops. I helps cut the sweet cookie with a slight savory taste which makes this shortbread special. Enjoy!

Saison Scones with Lemon Zest and Yogurt

Posted on April 15, 2013
baking, beer
Comments: 6

Who doesn’t love scones? They are technically a breakfast item but really could be eaten at any time of the day. I especially love lemon scones because they are bright, light and not too sweet. I added our homebrew saison beer to this recipe because it matched the flavors I was trying to achieve. The homebrew is a standard saison which was flavored with pineapple sage, basil and key lime tree leaves in the secondary fermenter for a week before bottling. It has a lovely aroma and flavor that compliments the fruity esters a saison naturally has.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of AP Flour

1 tablespoon of baking powder

3 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

5 tablespoons of cold butter

1/2 cup of beer

1/2 cup of whole milk

1 tablespoon of Greek yogurt (I used non-fat vanilla from Trader Joe’s)

4 lemons fully zested, or about 1 tablespoon of zest.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Using a food processor, pulse together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together. Cube the cold butter into small cubes and add that to the food processor and pulse five times. Add the beer, yogurt, zest, and milk to the mixture. Add the milk last and if the mixture gets too soupy then don’t add all of the milk and use what’s leftover to brush the top of the scones.

2. Put the mixture on a silpat with flour and kneed the mixture until it’s mostly combined. If it’s too wet, add some flour. Pat the mixture down to a thick pizza shape (meaning into a circle). I believe it was about a 1/2 inch thick. Perhaps a little less. I used a biscuit cutter but you can use a cookie cutter or just cut the dough into pie slices.

3. Put the scones on a baking sheet with either a silpat or parchment paper. Brush with milk, and you can have the option to add additional lemon zest and vanilla sugar like I did. It’s not really needed, but it sure looks pretty.

4. Bake for 13-15 minutes in the middle rack of the oven. Let cool on wire rack and enjoy!

Yield: 6 scones

Lasts: 3 days or so

They were flaky and soft on the inside with a satisfying crunch on the outside. Needless to say, they were delicious.

Let me know your thoughts if you make this recipe!