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Minnesota isn’t known as the culinary capital of the Midwest. Any cuisine that includes lutefisk – salted and dried cod fish cured with lye – has a lot to learn about good food. And for that matter football. However, as much as Packer fans may believe that the game this Monday is a no brainer for a win, keep in mind the Green Bay defense goes out to lunch quite often during game time. The defense needs to stuff the Vikings much like Wisconsinites stuff their beloved bratwurst. This football tailgating menu includes brats boiled in beer then grilled, served with a tangy coleslaw that’s a snap to make and baked potatoes with an assortment of toppings. So let’s get grilling.

Prick the brats with a fork. Place in saucepan. Cover with beer — a beer good enough to drink, not one of those trendy low carb or light beers. We’re talking a lusty lager here. Boil for 10 minutes. Let cool in the pan. Now on to the coleslaw.

Mix an 8 to 12 ounce package of shredded coleslaw with an equal amount of well-drained and rinsed sauerkraut. Sprinkle with a tablespoon each of caraway seeds, celery seeds and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Mix well. See, that was easy.

Bake the potatoes ahead of time at 400 F until they’re about 10 minutes away from being done. Poke them with a fork. There should be resistance to the fork. Let cool. When you grill the brats put on the potatoes wrapped in foil at the edges of the grill. By the time the brats are done the potatoes will be too. And hopefully by halftime arrives, the Packers have pounded Ponder perfectly pancake flat.

Start the grill for the brats. The fire or temperature if you’re using a gas grill should be medium. The brats are already cooked through. You’re just crisping the skin and turning that grey color into a beautiful dark golden brown.

Serve the brats with mustard, onions, pickles, chutney or whatever other toppings you prefer. Toast split French rolls or hot dog buns.

Set out toppings for the piping hot potatoes of cheese, sour cream, cheese, chili, cheese, scallions, cheese, bacon, cheese, parsley, cheese, tarragon, cheese, sautéed mushrooms, cheese, baby spinach leaves, cheese and salsa. Oh, did I mention cheese?

My prediction for the game? Cheese outplays lutefisk.

November 10, 2011

Mix equal parts apple cider, ale, and white wine in a large sauce pan. Heat until just simmering. Remove from heat and serve in a punch bowl garnished with apple slices, and cinnamon sticks. Or place an apple slice and a cinnamon stick in a large heat proof individual cup.

Substitute beer for the liquid when you’re making a batter for deep frying or making tempura. The beer adds lightness and crunchiness to the coating because of the bubbles.

Think of this as fondue made with beer instead of wine. In fact if you have a fondue recipe you like, just substitute the beer. If you don’t, here’s one you can try. Melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add two tablespoons of flour, stir the mixture for a minute or two then slowly add in one bottle of beer. Le the mixture cook for a minute add 1/2 pound of finely grated cheese, 1/4 of a cup at a time stirring well after each addition. Serve hot, or at least warm, with pretzels, chips, or slices of sourdough bread. with two tablespoons of

You’ve heard of wine tastings? Well this is a twist on beer tastings. Select a number of different beers. Arrange small juice size glasses on the bar and an assortment of condiments such as lime wedges, raspberries, apricots and peaches. Include fresh herb leaves such as basil, rosemary, cilantro, and sliced vegetables such as cucumber, hot peppers, and cherry tomatoes. Guests can select the beer they would like pour into the small glass and add the condiment of their choice.

Beer can be used in many recipes as a substitute for wine. The flavor of the beer will flavor the food. Don’t use a beer you wouldn’t drink in cooking, just like you wouldn’t use an inferior wine. The alcohol in the beer burns off or evaporates when heat is applied.

Beer Soup
Sauté 2 large chopped onions in a tablespoon of butter until the onions are softened and translucent, about 10 minutes over low heat. Turn up the heat to medium and brown one pound of your favorite sausage. Add one quart of good beef bullion or broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Add two 12 ounce bottles of good beer and heat through.

The over consumption of alcohol can lead to serious mental and health problems. Responsible drinking is a must. But there are health benefits to drinking moderately. Drinking in moderation means no more than one to two 12 ounce bottles of beer per day. And no, you can’t save up your allotment for a big weekend and still expect to reap the health benefits.

Studies have shown that women who drink a glass of beer a day have sharper and clearer minds in their senior years than women who don’t drink at all.

Drinking a glass of beer with dinner can help you lose weight.

Men who drink up to two glasses of beer a day and women who drink one beer daily can cut their risk of strokes by 20% and heart and vascular disease by 30% to 40%.
Beer contains a similar amount of antioxidants or polyphenols as red wine. And more than four times as much than white wine.

Beer is fat free and cholesterol free. It has some nutritional value depending on the beer you drink, including vitamins B, B2, and B6.

Some doctors recommend that nursing mothers drink a glass of beer in the evening to increase milk production, replace body fluids and relax.

Alcohol has also been attributed to increasing the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) in the bloodstream, as well as helping to decrease blood clots. Beer has 5% to 7% alcohol content.

Is beer by any other name called lager, ale, malt, or stout? There are just two types of beer: lager and ale.

Lager is brewed from bottom yeast and at a colder temperature than ale about 50- 65 degrees Farenheit or 12 – 18 degrees Celsius. This allows the fermentation process to derive more flavor from the hops and malt. Lagers are usually paler, drier and less alcoholic than ales. This cooler brewing process either requires cool caves or refrigeration which means it’s more difficult to make lager at home. Pils beer or Pilsener originated in Bohemia when brewers found that beer over wintered in caves or kept on ice improved. Lagers can be aged for several months resulting in a cleaner crisper taste.
Lager is invariably served cold to enhance the taste. Lager goes with a large variety of foods and, as you probably already know is served by itself as a beverage.

Lagers include Bock, Dunkel, Oktoberfest/Maerzen, Pilsner

Ale is brewed from top yeast and requires warmer temperatures, 65 to 70 degrees and a shorter brewing time. Ale includes a much wider range of beers than lagers from porters and stouts to pale ales and wheat beer. Generally ale is more complex and robust than lagers and have a higher alcohol content. Ales can range from the typical golden color to dark and black beers. Ales are usually aged no more than a few weeks. Most ales are served closer to room temperature. Because ales are more complex in flavor than lagers pairing with food is more of a challenge.

Ales include Bitter, Brown Ale, India Pale Al, Pale Ale, Porte, Stout, Wheat Beer.

So for the next few days I’ll be posting about beer.

What is Beer?

Beer, just the name is refreshing isn’t it? It brings to mind warm summer nights sitting around the pool with a frosty mug of amber hued liquid. What would a football game be without a tailgating party and cold bottles of your favorite brew. But what exactly is beer?

It’s an alcoholic beverage made of grain, hops, yeast and water. Pretty simple, until it gets complicated. Beer can be made from malted or unmalted barley. It may require a cooling process such as ale does, or include additional ingredients such as fruit, herbs, even hot peppers. The grain can be wheat or barley, although occasionally corn or rice is used. Hops weren’t always part of the beer recipe.

Malted grain is grain that has been germinated, or sprouted, and then dried before the plant has a chance to develop. Malting gives a flavor to the beer and adds sugar by changing some of the starches in the grain to maltose, a sugar. The sugar is important for the development of the yeast, it acts as a food source.

Yeast is the catalyst for the beer making process. Yeast is a one celled fungus. It exists in nature and can be found on the skins of grapes and other fruits. Yeast is used for baking bread. It is responsible for the bread to rise. Brewer’s yeast is used in brewing beer and making wine for the alcoholic content.

The little yeast cells consume the sugar and convert it to alcohol as a by product. The bubbles in beer are a result of the yeast also emitting carbon dioxide. This process is called fermentation.

Water is an important ingredient in beer, the purity of the water used effects the taste of the final product.

Hops, the female flower of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus) are used in the brewing process to add the characteristic “beer” taste and as a stabilizer.

Thinly slice one orange, one lime, one lemon, and one grapefruit into a large pitcher. Fill with ice cold beer and stir gently. Serve over ice in tall glasses garnished with a slice of citrus fruit. Add equal amounts lemon – lime soda and beer if you’d like a lighter drink.

Ginger Beer
One of the simplest drinks around, half ginger ale, half beer.