Chefs brew recipes using beer in burgers and desserts

By Linda Taaffe, Town Crier Staff Writer

Beer is a key ingredient in Gordon Biersch’s savory and sweet dishes such as the Marzen barbecue burger with bacon and cheddar cheese and the carrot cake layered with a silky cream cheese frosting. The Palo Alto brewery is one of the few restaurants in the Los Altos area that uses beer in its recipes.

The next time you go to a brewpub, don’t be surprised if the beer comes served by the bowl instead of the pint. While serious food aficionados may have long known the versatility of using beer in recipes, the fermented beverage is just now finding its way out of the bar and into the mainstream kitchen.

Whole cookbooks, restaurant menus and food store sections are dedicated to recipes with lagers, pilsners, ales and stouts. Beer can be used in baking, grilling and marinating, as well as in sauces, batters and even ice cream.

“You can substitute beer for water, or any liquid, in a recipe,” said Luis Aguierre, head chef at Palo Alto’s Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, which uses beer brewed on site in many of its menu items, including the barbecue sauce, house salad dressing, fish batter and carrot cake.

For St. Patrick’s Day, the restaurant boils its corned beef and cabbage in beer rather than water.

“It adds another component to the flavor,” said manager Sean McKennan. Besides flavoring, the beer tenderizes the meat as the alcohol boils out of it, he added.

Not only can different styles of beer add depth to a flavor, but beer can also be used in place of some higher calorie ingredients, said Gregg Glaser in “All About Beer” magazine.

While almost any type of beer can be used in a recipe, the general rule is: the darker the color, the stronger the flavor. Stout and porter, brewed with more hops, will produce a slightly bitter and more pronounced taste than a light beer. The hops, barley and malt flavors depend on the strength and amount of beer.

Lighter beers, such as pale ales and lagers, will thin batters and complement bread and pancake recipes, said a spokesman for the National Beer Wholesalers Association. Steaming shellfish, mussels or shrimp in beer instead of water adds a tangy taste that complements the saltiness of the seafood, he added.

Nearly all of the recipes at Gordon Biersch use the brewery’s Marzen, a dry, medium-hopped auburn lager. McKennan said Marzen’s sweet, mild taste makes it a versatile beer.

“It’s a real mild flavor, and a little sweet,” he said. “If you use something a little more bitter, (the food) will definitely take on that bitter taste.”

One of the few menu items that doesn’t use Marzen is the carrot cake. Aguierre said he uses the pilsner, a golden beer with lots of hop flavor.

A small amount can add a lot of flavor, Aguierre said. He uses about one cup of beer to make three cake rounds.

What’s the best way to wash it down? Beer, they agreed.

When choosing which beer to serve with a particular course or dish, experts recommend light beer for lighter foods, and heavy beer with heavier foods. Pick a beer to either match or counteract the flavor of the food - for example, a sweet beer is good with both salty dishes and with some sweet desserts. Or try selecting a beer from the same region of the world as the cuisine being served. If in doubt, an American lager or ale can always be used as a complement to any meal.

Gordon Biersch’s

recipes with beer

Marzen-Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients:

4 cups your favorite barbecue sauce

1 bottle Gordon Biersch Marzen

2 ounces molasses

1 ounce hot sauce

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and slowly bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes. Remove, cool and store in the refrigerator for use.

Spicy Beer Boiled Prawns

Ingredients:

1 quart water

2 bottles Gordon Biersch Marzen

1 tablespoon pickling spice

1 tablespoon red chili flakes

pinch salt and pepper

1 pounds tiger prawns or white shrimp

Combine water, Marzen, pickling spice, chili flakes, salt and pepper in a 4 quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and serve with lemon and cocktail sauce.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup cornstarch

pinch salt and pepper

1 bottle Gordon Biersch Märzen

milk enough to soak onion rings

flour enough to dredge onion rings

oil

Combine dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the beer and eggs mixing constantly. If the mixture seems too thick, adjust consistency by adding more beer or some water. Allow to rest at least one hour before using.

Peel and cut the onions into 1-inch rings. Soak in milk. Coat rings in the additional flour so the batter will adhere better to rings.

Fill frying pan will oil (enough to complete cover rings). Heat oil to approximately 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Dip onion rings in batter and drop in oil. Cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to dry. Serve hot with barbecue sauce on side.

Variations: The same procedures will work well with shrimp, other vegetables, chicken strips or your own creations.

-Recipes courtesy of Gordon Biersch