Molasses Beer Bread

Give a man a beer, waste an hour. Teach a man to brew, and waste a lifetime! – Bill Owen 

Still warm, with butter melting into a slice of this amazing bread...

So what do you do on a Friday night at 9:45pm? Well, if you’re me last night – and I hope most of you aren’t and have more interesting things to do – you mix up bread to bake in the morning.

At bedtime...

There’s not a lot to do on a stormy Friday night in the country. So one may as well make best use of their time. My best use of overnight? Sleeping. So why not, when you can be making bread at the same time. Huh?, you say.

We all have to admit, there’s not a whole lot better than warm, fresh bread in the morning. It has it all: aroma, taste, that feeling of warmth and comfort and of home.

So that’s what I did. I mixed up bread dough. This is one of my no-kneading overnight breads. You could cut the time down to 3 hours plus baking if you proofed the yeast. But I prefer to not be tied down during the day, so for me overnight rising is a blessing.

It only takes a few minutes to throw the ingredients into a bowl. For some reason I thought of using one of the Keith’s IPA that have been cluttering up my basement steps. It’s a better use than drinking it, in my opinion. 

…and in the morning.

Anyone who’s “used the product well” on a Friday or Saturday night knows the aftermath of overindulgence. And the stuff is so easy to drink because it’s banal.

I have had that 12-pack for over a month. I think I’ve used 5. One in this bread and 2-1/2 in another recipe for beef ribs I will post soon. I think I drank one, maybe two.

I’ve been on a craft beer kick lately. It makes for far more pleasant mornings. It’s pretty hard to gulp down 6-8 of those suckers in an evening. They’re filling. Usually 2-3 is the maximum. Mass produced beer, on the other hand, is far closer to flavoured alcoholic water. When I find a frothy beer in front of me I prefer it to have some taste and interesting qualities.

I don’t want to come across as picking on Keith’s, one of the most popular brands in Eastern Canada. It’s just not for me. All mass produced commercial beer tastes about the same. Line them up and there’s only subtle differences. You can taste profit in them, not love of brewing.

But they’re fine for cooking and baking, giving a yeasty boost to whatever you’re making. Of course, if you really want to boost the flavour, slip one of those delicious craft beers you pass by at the liquor store into a recipe.

Porter or stout would be good in this, but I prefer to enjoy those in a glass!

That being said, this bread turned out very nicely, thank you very much. Brown, yeasty and sweet with a crunchy crust. Great warm as a slice with butter, or toasted. You can omit the flax seeds if you wish. I admit they're kind of messy!

Ready for the oven.

Molasses Beer Bread

Prep: 5 min  |  Rise: Overnight + 1 hr*  |  Bake 30-35 min

3 cups unbleached flour

1-1/2 cups beer (your choice)
3 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp yeast

1 tsp salt

2-3 tsp flax seeds

Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl, except for the flax seeds. No need to “proof” the yeast beforehand, unless you want to cut down on the first rise time. Bring together until all the flour is mixed in.

Cover with plastic wrap and then a tea towel. Sit the bowl in a warm place and let the dough rise overnight (8-9 hours).

After the first rise, place the dough on a flour-dusted board or countertop. Knead briefly, using only enough flour so the dough doesn’t stick. Shape into an oblong.

Oil a 4x8 loaf pan. Place the dough in the pan, oil the top and sprinkle the flax seeds on top. Cover loosely with plastic and let rise for one more hour, or until doubled.

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a pan of water in the bottom while the oven heats up to hydrate the oven interior.

Bake the loaf for 30-35 minutes, removing the water pan after the first 10 minutes. The loaf will be well browned and sound hollow when tapped with your fingers.

* If you do proof the yeast, cut the first rise time down to 2 hours, or until doubled.

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Roquefort Burgers with Basil Mayo

A hamburger by any other name costs twice as much. – Evan Esar 

Tasty, blue cheesy burgers.

This post was originally written June of 2012. But since we still have lots of barbecue weather I thought it was worth sharing again – Docaitta

“Gourmet” burgers are all the rage right now in restaurants. It’s sort of odd when you think about it. Hamburgers are about as ubiquitous a food as you can get. Perhaps one rivals it – pizza.

Both pizza and hamburgers were meant to be quick, no fuss meals that didn’t cost much and fed many people. Now you can get a hamburger topped with foie gras. DB Bistro in New York introduced one in 2001 that cost $27 USD. (It also had short ribs and truffles…)

You still need to see chunks of cheese.

And it’s not only what’s on top that differs from what we were used to when we were young. The inside has fallen victim as well. How about burgers stuffed with curry chicken, wild mushrooms or steak and swiss cheese?

Of course there’s just *plain* cheese stuffed burgers (sort of an inside out cheeseburger), but I’ve always thought of them as slightly dangerous. Who appreciates searing hot melted cheese running down their chin?

There is an alternative that gives you the cheese, but not in one molten lump. Crumble or dice cheese and mix it in with the meat. This technique gives the entire burger a delicious cheesy flavour.

To top it off, the cheese in recipe is blue cheese. When I’m serving blue cheese with grapes I opt for a soft and flavourful cheese, like cambozola. That’s  a style of cheese that has camembert combined with gorgonzola. It's delicious.

I would suggest you don’t go that route with these burgers. Choose a blue cheese that is fairly firm – not creamy. A creamy cheese will just leak out of your burgers and disappear when fried or grilled. 

Step 1 of shaping. Arrange on waxed paper.

That’s why I chose roquefort. It’s affordable (as cheese goes…) and maintains chunks when broken up. Surprisingly, basil pairs wonderfully with the blue cheese. My best way to introduce it? A basil mayonnaise (just basil chopped up in mayonnaise).

To form the patties I went back to my days making burgers at the Firemans’ Canteen in my home village. To keep the mess to a minimum, divide the meat into balls and arrange on waxed paper. Top with another sheet and flatten with your hand. The waxed paper makes transportation – or freezing individually – a breeze.

Burgers with “additions” in the meat should be chilled for a while. This helps the meat gain some stability so they have less chance of breaking up when cooking.

If you’re in the mood to throw a curve to your friends at your next backyard fête, try these burgers. I’m sure you’ll be asked for the recipe.

Step 2 of shaping. A second sheet on top, and flatten
with your hand. They're allowed to be freeform.

Roquefort Burgers with Basil Mayo

Prep: 10 min  |  Chill: 30 minutes  |  Cook 8 min  | Makes 8 burgers

1 lb lean ground beef

125 g roquefort cheese

1 egg

1 tsp dry mustard powder

1/2 tsp hot sauce

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cracked black pepper

lettuce

sliced onion

8 basil leaves

1/2 cup mayonnaise

thick sliced bread (or hamburger buns)

Make the basil mayonnaise first. Chop the leaves coarsely and place in a blender with the mayonnaise. Pulse until the basil is very small. Remove to a small dish.

Mix the beef, egg, mustard powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Use your hands. Crumble the roquefort on top and mix again until just mixed through. You still want visible pieces of cheese.

Divide the burger mixture into 8 equal balls and arrange on waxed paper sheets. Top with waxed paper and press down to make patties. Place in the freezer for 1/2 hour to “set.”

Fry the burgers in a non-stick pan (if possible) on both sides until browned and the juices run clear. Some of the cheese will be oozing out.

To serve, place some lettuce on the bottom bread (or bun), place 1 patty on top, and add onions and basil mayo to taste.

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Red Eye Wet Steak Rub

I wear my Viking helmet because the horns define how sharp my brains are. If you try to rub me the wrong way, I will stick you with both of my horns. – Flavor Flav 

Yeah, OK... I don't quite follow that, but onward and upward. Here’s a recipe just in time for two of the biggest celebrations this year in North America.

This weekend Canada celebrates its 146th birthday. The actual date is July 1, but we will be celebrating all weekend. Next week, on July 4, the United States celebrates its founding. That falls on a Thursday this year, so most folks will be taking Friday off as well, making for a 4-day weekend. Hopefully we’ll be seeing a lot of our American cousins this side of the border.

So it’s going to be a big week, full of outdoor activities like going to the beach, camping and lots of backyard parties and cookouts with family and friends.

How about a good rub to accompany all that activity? By that I mean a barbecue rub. What you do in your own time is none of my business...

Rubs are a good alternative to barbecue sauces, and if they’re a good recipe can impart just as much flavour.

This is the mixture before adding the whisky.

My big problem with sauces is they often have a lot of sugar in them and tend to burn, especially over open flame like a barbecue. Rubs, with less sugar, not so much.

Rubs fall into two main categories: dry and wet.

Essentially both are mixtures of spices that are applied to meat before they are barbecued. A rub applied just before cooking flavours the meat. A rub applied hours before flavours as well as tenderizes the meat, depending on what’s in it.

Dry rubs contain only dry ingredients. Common ingredients are spices, garlic powder, onion powder, peppers and salt.

Wet rubs are the same, but as the name suggests also contains something wet, usually vinegar or oil. The combination is of a paste-like consistency. My rub contains whisky, just ‘cause.

Both types of rubs can be used just before cooking or as a sort of “marinade” overnight. The main difference is that wet rubs tend to stay on the meat better as it's being cooked.

Rubs are also kin to mixtures used in making the the finest of charcuterie. The rub imparts flavour over weeks or months instead of minutes or hours. The process to finish the meat is sort of “dehydration” rather than cooking.

Here’s a little trivia for you about the origins of barbecue. It’s actually Caribbean than Southern USA. Of course its popularity in the Deep South has now far surpassed Caribbean popularity.

The word "barbecue" is from the Spanish barbacoa and/or the French babracot, both of which come from the indigenous peoples of Haiti and Guiana. Both refer to cooking meat by draping it across moist wood over a fire until it dries out. 

The greens are mesclun mix, from our garden! Tossed in a
simple oil, vinegar & oregano dressing.

“Real” barbecue is still done in much the same way. Barbecue isn’t really slapping a piece of meat on our outdoor cookers. That’s grilling. 

Barbecue is a slow method of cooking in an enclosed space over low, constant heat. The slow cooking breaks down the connective tissues in the meat and tenderizes it. Anyone from the South who is reading this knows exactly what I mean.

Rub is perfect for real barbecue as well as the more common grilling. It’s also great for steaks cooked inside, if you happen to be reading this in the winter.

This rub is pretty flavourful, with a bit of a kick. You can adjust that kick with the amount of cayenne pepper you use.

The reason I called it “red eye”? Two reasons. First is the obvious colour. The second is because if you use the full amount of cayenne it ill certainly snap open anyone’s red, tired eyes!

If you want to try something other than barbecue sauce this weekend try a wet rub. This will work equally well on pork or chicken. Maybe even shrimp or some firmer, stronger flavoured fish "steaks."

Red Eye Wet Steak Rub

Prep: 5 min  |  Rest: 30 min  |  Enough for four steaks

2 tbsp whisky

1 tbsp  brown sugar

2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp cracked black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 to 1 tsp tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp ground coriander

Mix all the rub ingredients together in a bowl. Distribute the mixture evenly over the steaks and, as the name suggests, rub it in.

Let the steaks rest on the counter for at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator overnight.

heat up the grill and you’re on your way!

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Recipe: Beer Bread Sandwich Loaf

I like reality. It tastes like bread. – Jean Anouilh 

Mmmm. Homemade bread.

I have leftovers. I always have leftovers, but this time it’s different. They’re leftovers I want to use.

1.5 whole chicken breasts, to be exact. And I have a hankerin’ for a sandwich.

Carl Sagan said “If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe.” Well if I wish to make a sandwich I had better bake some bread.

Sandwich bread can be pretty boring. That’s why there’s a derogatory phrase in English where we call something “white bread.”

But sandwich bread doesn’t have to be boring. But it DOES have to be evenly textured inside. Big, beautiful holes – an asset in any other bread – is not desirable here.

Funny thing is this should be right up my alley. I have no problem at all making even textured bread, even when I don’t want to!

But back to making white bread less boring…

The thing about it being boring is the bland taste. I know that all homemade bread has its own charm, but I wanted to ratchet it up a notch for this loaf. How to do it?

Bring the mixture barely together. Then let it rest.

Beer. Not beer inside the chef, but inside the bread. I substituted all the liquid in the loaf with strong ale, but left the yeast quantity the same.

The result is a loaf with beautiful even texture, lots of body and a wonderful yeasty smell. Plus a moist chewy interior and slightly crumbly crust.

Perfection. I may make all my white bread this way from now on!

The recipe for the chicken sandwich (which isn’t an ordinary chicken sandwich, of course) will follow in a later post.

Beer Bread Sandwich Loaf

Prep and Rise #1: 2-3 hours  |  Rise #2: 45 min  |  Bake: 30-40 min  |  One loaf

2 tsp active dry yeast

1 cup beer, room temperature

2 tbsp honey 

1 tsp salt 

3-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

The dough after kneading.

Combine all the ingredients in the mixing bowl of your mixer. Bring together with the dough hook until just mixed. Let rest 10 minutes.

After resting, turn the motor to medium and let the dough hook knead for 10 more minutes. The dough will be smooth and slightly sticky.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a tea towel. Place in a warm spot and let rise until doubled – 2-3 hours.

Remove the dough, knead once or twice and place in a greased loaf pan. Let proof until doubled again,about 45 min to 1 hour. Slit the loaf with a razor blade down the middle on the long dimension.

Preheat the oven to 375°F and let bake 35-45 min until browned on top and the bottom sound hollow when tapped.

Let cool before slicing, if you can wait.

Beginning the second rise.

Second rise completed and slit down the length.

This is the texture – extremely even. Perfect for sandwiches!

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Recipe: Tancook Sauerkraut Sausage Bake

Preservation of one's own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures. – Cesar Chavez 

A Nova Scotia classic.

Here’s a recipe from my childhood. Some days these sort of recipes call to you. They can certainly be a comfort. I guess that why the call it “comfort food”, eh?

Rush hour on Big Tancook Island. Photo: harawitz, Flickr ccl

One of the most commonly preserved vegetables in Nova Scotia is cabbage made into sauerkraut. For some it is an acquired taste, but it's difficult to deny the pleasure of its pickled deliciousness. Sauerkraut is also extremely good for you.

The reason I call this “Tancook” sauerkraut isn’t because it’s a recipe from Tancook, but because the brand name is Tancook Sauerkraut. 

If you asked 100 people in Nova Scotia what sauerkraut they use, at least 95 would say this brand. Probably the only ones who don’t use it make their own. (I do on occasion, see link here.)

Tancook is an actual place in Nova Scotia, or more correctly, places. Big and Little Tancook Islands are about a 20 minute ferry ride out into the Atlantic from Chester on Nova Scotia’s South Shore.

The islands have been inhabited since the mid-1700s and currently boast a year-round population of around 125. They have their own fire department, general store and museum. Being six miles out into the sea, everything has to arrive by ferry, which runs several times a day (two times on the weekends), except in very extreme weather.

Originally the native Mi'kmaq used the islands for a fishery outpost. The current name is an Anglicization of their word for "facing the sea." In the past Tancook's main industry was making sauerkraut, but as the desire for it waned so did their output. The residents initially diversified into fishing, and currently many work on the mainland, commuting via the ferry.

The necessary accompaniment: fluffy masked potatoes
with butter and cream.

I have gone out for the day (ferry leaves Chester at 7am, returns to Chester in the late afternoon) and had a very enjoyable time. If you want a Nova Scotia adventure you should consider a day trip to these charming islands. They’re beautiful and somewhat like stepping back into a previous, simpler time.

But back to the sauerkraut… Big Tancook Island was once the leading sauerkraut producer in Canada. I’m not sure if it is still made on the island, but I do know it is still processed and packaged close by in Lunenburg County.

This recipe screams German heritage, which makes up a large part of the lineage of folks on the South Shore. I have German heritage on both my mother’s and father’s sides of the family: Arenburg, Wile, von Tibert… If you’re a local it’s almost impossible to avoid.

Essentially this recipe is just sauerkraut and onions baked with sausage on top, but if you’ve never had it don’t let the simplicity deceive you. Sometimes other pork, like chops, is added. In South Shore country kitchens, old-timers would sprinkle on salt and pepper and that was pretty much it.

But the devil is in the details. The basic recipe is often modified to include juniper berries or caraway seeds. Sometimes some white wine, or in this case beer, is included to impart more flavour. I like to throw in some whole black peppercorns for spiciness as well.

This recipe stirs memories of my childhood, although my mother would never have used beer or wine. We had a strict no alcohol household. Even without the beer or wine this recipe is a standout – simple, hearty and delicious. Just leave the packing liquid in its place.

I hope you try this one. If you like sauerkraut, you’ll love this. With a side dish of mashed potatoes (an absolute necessity) you have a Nova Scotia classic.

If you can put things in a pot you can make this recipe.

Tancook Sauerkraut Sausage Bake

Prep: 5 min  |  Bake: 1 hour  |  Serves 4

1 large package sauerkraut (900 g)

2 medium onions, sliced

1 tsp whole peppercorns

8 juniper berries, crushed

4 garlic cloves, sliced

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup brown ale, or other beer

8 German-style sausages (2 per person)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Drain about 3/4 of the liquid from the sauerkraut and place it, and the remaining liquid, in the bottom of a Dutch oven or other ovenproof pot with a lid.

Slice the onions and add to the top.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the sausages, and stir together well.

Place the sausages on top, cover and bake for 45 minutes. After the 45 minutes, remove the top and bake for a further 15 minutes uncovered.

Serve with fluffy mashed potatoes. It’s required.

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Recipe: Homemade Porter Mustard with Thyme and Onion

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor. – Truman Capote

The finished mustard. Flavoured with beer, thyme and onion.

UPDATE, December 26: I gave this mustard as Christmas gifts. Since I made it the mustard darkened somewhat as I had hoped. The beer and thyme flavours melded together as well. We had this mustard with my homemade cognac mustard recipe (google search "docaitta cognac mustard") on baked ham. Delicious!

You know it's kind of funny. This is the second whole grain mustard I've made and I'm hard pressed to tell the difference visually between this recipe and the cognac mustard from a few days ago. But their taste can't be further apart. Don't let the nearly identical images fool you. This one's a little darker because of the Porter ale.

The thing about mustard is that it can vary wildly by what extra ingredients you include in the recipe. This one has beer, thyme and onion. It's a great combination.

What is mustard?

Flowers of Brassica nigra. Photo: satshot2010, Flickr ccl

Mustard is a member of the Brassica family. Brassica includes cabbages, turnips, cauliflowers, broccoli, and of course mustards. We harvest the leaves of some mustards (mustard greens) and the seeds of other varieties. Brassica are a very diverse and important family of plants. 

Mustard seeds come in three colours and are harvested from three three brassica varieties: yellow/white (B. hirta/Sinapis alba), brown (B. juncea) and black (B. nigra). The darker the seed, the stronger the heat. 

Mustard seeds apparently germinate quite easily and like cold air and moist soil. They grow well in temperate areas. Some of the largest mustard seed producers are Canada (at 90%), Hungary, the UK, India, Pakistan and the United States. I'm assuming each country has a specialty seed. (Black mustard seeds are common in Indian and Pakistani cuisine.)

Mustard making basics

Photo: Wiki CC

The word mustard comes from the Latin "mustum ardens", that translates into "burning must." It was the practice of the Romans to grind the seeds with must (unfermented juice of wine grapes) to serve as a condiment, almost identically to what we do today. The words were shortened to "must ard" and finally mustard.

Wine is used extensively in French style mustards, the most common being Dijon. But you can mix pretty much anything in with your mustard as long as there's some acid in it. That is why vinegar is almost always included in the ingredients list. Other options are water, wine, beer or a combination. If using mustard seed rather than powder, the seeds must be rehydrated in some sort of liquid before grinding into mustard paste.

That brings us to Fuller's London Porter ale – rich, dark and complex. Porter is a dark style of beer. In fact it is extremely close to Stout, the most well known of those being Guiness. The name originated in the 18th century from its popularity with the street and river porters of London.It apparently had a higher alcohol content than now as well. Currently it is brewed to 5.4% alc./ vol.

Following are a few sections from Wiki about mustard that I think are interesting.

Why is mustard hot?

From Wikipedia: Mustard often has a sharp, pungent flavor, as mixing the ground seed with cold liquid allows the enzyme myrosinase which it contains to act on glucosinolates also present to make isothiocyanates, responsible for mustard's characteristic heat.

Mustard, in its powdered form, lacks any potency and needs to be fixed; it is the production of allyl isothiocyanate from the reaction of myrosinase and sinigrin during soaking that causes gustatory heat to emerge.

Storage and shelf life

From Wikipedia: Because of its antibacterial properties, mustard does not require refrigeration; it will not grow mold, mildew or harmful bacteria. Unrefrigerated mustard will lose pungency more quickly, and should be stored in a tightly sealed, sterilized container in a cool, dark place. Mustard can last indefinitely, though it may dry out, lose flavor, or brown from oxidation. Mixing in a small amount of wine or vinegar will often revitalize dried out mustard. Some types of prepared mustard stored for a long time may separate, causing mustard water, which can be corrected by stirring or shaking. If stored for a long time, unrefrigerated mustard can acquire a bitter taste.

So without further ado, let's make beer mustard!

Porter Mustard with Thyme and Onion

Makes about 2-3/4 cups

This recipe made nearly 3 cups of gourmet mustard.
Cost: $4.00 beer, 50¢ for seeds and powder, pennies for
vinegar, onion, thyme and water.
About $12 worth of mustard for under $5.00!

1/2 cup yellow mustard seeds

1/4 cup brown mustard seeds

1 cup Porter ale

1 tbsp onion powder

2 tsp dried thyme leaves

2 tbsp mustard flour

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup water (if needed)

1 tsp salt

Soak the mustard seeds, onion powder and thyme in the beer for 24 hours. 

Place the mustard mixture in a blender with the mustard flour, vinegar and salt. Pulse until the mixture is the consistency of a paste, with some seeds remaining visible. You can control how "grainy" your mustard is by the amount of blending you do. If you want it smoother add the optional water.

Place the mustard in sterile, sealable glass containers. Cover and let sit on the counter for 2-3 days before refrigerating. This sitting develops the flavor and bite of the mustard. It also allows the flavours to meld. 

Refrigeration stops/slows the process but also extends the shelf life, of course...

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Booze from the Movies: Butterbeer

Why don't we go and have a butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks? It's a bit cold, isn't it? – Hermione Granger

The marketing phenomenon that is Harry Potter.
Photo: Profound Whatever, Flickr ccl

Well it's definitely not cold here in Nova Scotia, but if you’re a fan of the Harry Potter movies, you’ve heard of butterbeer. Before we go off on a discussion of underage drinking, the author—J.K. Rowling—probably intended her literary version (served to young students) to be less alcoholic than its real life progenitor. 

The historic recipe is actually nearly as alcoholic as a beer, not surprisingly since it’s made of beer... British ales often have more alcohol than common mass produced local beers as well, so take that into consideration when imbibing the finished product.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.
Photo: lightrace, Flickr ccl

According to the (somewhat obsessive) people involved in the make believe world of the boy wizard, butterbeer is a “popular wizarding beverage with a very slight alcohol content which could get elves drunk but seems to have a less pronounced effect on humans.” 

Indeed.. It’s made from beer and precious little else. How much alcohol content do you think is in it? I have read that by simmering the mixture longer you can burn off some of the alcohol, but culinary opinion is divided on just how much reduction takes place.

According to those Muggles pontificating online about the beverage “it is served cold in bottles and hot in foaming tankards.” (Unfortunately I didn't have a tankard hanging around...)

Traditional Tudor “buttered beere” was served warm. Refrigeration was scarce at that time, to say the least. Also be careful about what recipe you decide to use if you do make it. I’ve seen some of the online recipe for butterbeer. There's some really bizarre concoctions. They're not butterbeer at all.

But enough of Harry Potter. Let’s talk about the real thing, because it IS a real thing, or at least was. “Buttered beere,” a creamy/spicy beverage, hails from Tudor England. It is supposedly an acquired taste because of the spices but after a few sips apparently becomes “extremely drinkable.”

I found the spices in perfect balance instead of an acquired taste, and it was extremely drinkable right after the first sip. Really tasty, with hints of butterscotch. I wouldn't call it very "beer-y" at all.

Tudor rose. Photo: a.drian, Flickr ccl

This is the original from the Tudor Age:

From The Good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, 1588

To make Buttered Beere

Take three pintes of Beere, put five yolkes of Egges to it, straine them together, and set it in a pewter pot to the fyre, and put to it halfe a pound of Sugar, one penniworth of Nutmegs beaten, one penniworth of Cloves beaten, and a halfepenniworth of Ginger beaten, and when it is all in, take another pewter pot and brewe them together, and set it to the fire againe, and when it is readie to boyle, take it from the fire, and put a dish of sweet butter into it, and brewe them together out of one pot into an other.

The only real problem with replication is the "penniworth" measurement. As its name suggests, it's how much of the spices you could purchase with a penny. It's essentially anyone's guess as to how much that would have been. Cross referencing recipes has given me an approximation. You can alter the quantities slightly to your own taste.

As a personal side note, in about 1999 or 2000 the graphic design company where I worked was contacted by publishing representatives of J.K. Rowling. 

We were asked to submit a proposal for an in-store display for what would have been the second book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. This was before the novels became a massive hit.

Unfortunately the short lead time made it impossible for us to respond. In hindsight it may have been to our advantage to have pulled out all the stops to try to get in on the ground floor of this worldwide phenomenon.

Tudor Buttered Beere

Photo: knittymarie, Flickr ccl

1.5 L British Ale (3 pints, see bottom of this entry for a list of what is available at the NS Liquor Corp)

1/4 tsp ginger, ground

1/2 tsp each cloves and nutmeg, ground

1 cup brown sugar

5 lg egg yolks

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

Pour the beer into a saucepan trying to not put too much frothy "head" on it. Add the ground spices and slowly bring to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down to low and barely simmer for 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a mixer, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until they become light coloured, thick and creamy.

Remove the spiced beer from the heat and stir in the beaten yolks and sugar. Put back on LOW heat and stir constantly for between 3-5 minutes. This process cooks the raw egg yolks.

If you use too high a heat to do this step you will scramble the eggs and ruin all your work.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter. The whisking action will froth the liquid slightly and make it creamy.

Let cool to a drinkable temperature (which is not very long) and serve immediately.

I used Spitfire for my ale. The result was very, very good. It would be perfect on a cool Autumn afternoon or early evening.

British ales available at the NSLC: Brakspear, Duchys Originals, Fuller’s London Pride, Greene King IPA, Newcastle, Old Speckled Hen, Sharps and Spitfire. Take into consideration that our private liquor outlets probably have others and you have quite a lot of choice for your British ale.

Don’t use any of the massed produced local Canadian brands. They're not the same at all.

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Review & Recipe: 18th Century Spruce Beer

No, it does not taste like spruce. At least not to me…

Last December we were lucky enough to get our hands on four bottles of a very hot commodity – Garrison Brewing Co. Spruce Beer. Just before Christmas they released a very small amount, if I remember only 1,200 litres. It was made from the fresh tips of our local spruce trees.

The beer was launched December 17, and was all sold in just a few of days. We made a point of making sure we were there to get some.

It had a barely recognizable spruce taste and was somewhat "citrusy" (very hard to describe), like a Scottish Innis & Gunn, or many of the other interesting micro-brewery products. Not that it tasted like Innis & Gunn, just that it had that impressive difference from usual brew product.

Unlike most large brewery output (Keiths, Molson, etc.) this stuff had flavour. It was a joy to drink. It also was 7.5% alcohol content, so unwise to drink too many…

I had never heard of Spruce Beer previously and was amazed to find it has a rich local history. When the British garrison was stationed in Halifax, each soldier had a ration of 2 quarts per man per day. Thank goodness The Citadel never had to fire a shot in anger. I greatly doubt if they could have seen to hit anything if they drank it all. I assume they must have shared it with the "workers on the stroll" on Trollope street (actual name of a street directly behind the Citadel, I kid you not).

I found a YouTube clip of a local Haligonian tasting this last season's Garrison output. I hope you enjoy it. He says it tastes like spruce. I don't quite get that. To me it's more of a good craft beer taste, as opposed to the big name mass produced water that's passed off as beer (ever had a real IPA as opposed to our green-canned popular version?). I don't know who this gentleman is, but his post name was "thecyr". Thanks go out to him.

So Garrison's Spruce Beer is gone for a year, and I can only dream, or do I have to wait? I've found several recipes for Spruce Beer that are all over the map in ease/difficulty. Some call for proper brew-making equipment, others just a clean bucket with a lid. Others a massive amount of spruce, others not.  And so on, and so on.

Image from Wiki (don't use the Ladybug...)

I can't imagine it's too difficult a process, the beer being a common commodity in ages past. After some recipe, and soul, searching i settled on one particular set of directions to share. This recipe seems simple enough, and is made and served on-site at Monticello in the United States, so it can't be poison... I will almost certainly be trying this recipe when the summer heat comes back to make it easier to work.

The following recipe uses a crock, but clay doesn't have any important reactive properties with what it contains. I think it's more of a case of keeping it in the dark while it ferments. That, and the recipe is written in the 18th century, when plastic buckets were harder to get your hands on… So I'll be buying a big plastic bucket to try this. And a large stock pot.

Spruce Beer Recipe (from "Pioneer Thinking"):

5 gallons of water
1/8 pound of hops
1/2 cup of dried, bruised ginger root
1 pound of the outer twigs of spruce fir
3 quarts of molasses
1/2 yeast cake dissolved in 1/2 cup of warm water (look in local brewing shops for the real thing, not bread yeast)

image from beerhaikudaily.com

In a large kettle combine the water, hops, ginger root and spruce fir twigs. Boil together until all the hops sink to the bottom of the kettle. 

Strain into a large crock and stir in the molasses. After this has cooled add the yeast. Cover and leave to set for 48 hours. (Other recipes strain again at this point.  You be the judge.)

Then bottle, cap and leave in a warm place (70-75 degrees F) for 5 days. It will now be ready to drink.

Store upright in a cool place.

To learn more about Garrison, go to http://www.garrisonbrewing.com/

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