After previous Hopsickle and lamb neck adventures, I wasn’t planning on revisiting either this soon. After a happy accident at the butcher where I wanted a shank, but thanks to a communication mishap, I ended up with a neck instead. Instead of asking to swap it out, I decided to run with it, and [...]

  I’m really digging Saison beers these days.  Especially the ones which seem to be laced with a hint of brett, and have that slight farmhouse funk without going overboard.  (See also: The Bruery‘s Saison Rue, and Eli’s favorite, Ommegang’s Hennepin.) This particular bottle of Fantôme hit the balance perfectly – it was distinctly citrusy with a nose of belgium farmhouse [...]

  I’ve mentioned my friend Brian Yaeger, and his book, Red, White and Brew a few times in the past.  Besides being a recent interviewee on NPR’s Marketplace, he also makes an excellent drinking buddy.  Brian’s most recent stop on his country-wide book tour was at the new Hopmonk Tavern in Sebastopol, about an hour north of San Francisco, [...]

After my meat shopping adventure, I was ready to cook up some lamb’s neck.  I’d had it at Incanto a long time ago, and more recently read a blog post emphasizing that you can braise it similar to osso bucco.  With that in mind I set about creating a basic beer-based braise. I started by dusting my lamb in flour, [...]

On Sunday afternoon, I was invited to join in on a beer and cheese tasting.  The theme of the event, in keeping with the Halloween weekend was “In a Dark, Dark Beer.”  We were encouraged to “bring our darkest and scariest” beer and get into the Halloween spirit. I brought along a bottle of Eel River‘s [...]

Sometimes a pairing plan doesn’t pan out. It seems like a good idea at the time, but when push comes to shove, it just doesn’t jell quite right.  That’s what happened last night.  I started by braising from beet greens on the stove, along with some pancetta, onions, white wine, and chicken stock.  I also started some of Alton Brown’s [...]

  Eli had a hankering to make a savory tart.  She found this base recipe on the Food Network site, and set to work.  Rather than use a store bought crust, she made a pastry crust from scratch, and set about caramelizing the pears.  Meanwhile, I was tasked with finding a pairing.  The gorgonzola and cream cheese filling would [...]

One of the reasons I was most excited about GABF was the taste test sessions being held on the main convention floor.  In the middle of the madness was a series of plexiglass glass, holding a set of chairs, a stage, and a list of slated presenters to bring the latest in beer and food tasting.  I managed to [...]

“Dude, you have to try the Zuni Cafe roast chicken recipe,” Paul has told me more than a few times. “I think my version is better than what they serve at the restaurant.” Following his lead, I looked up the recipe online and found lengthy instructions.  In an effort to help those cooking at home, [...]

Oh Sean, you sneaky, sneaky bastard. I’ve heard you go on a few times about the value of putting beer into food, and how when used as an ingredient, it can equal or even surpass wine when integrated into a recipe.  You’ll get a beer into your head, and I’ll hear at length how the ingredient form of the [...]