Anatomy of a Seasonal Beer Dinner
Why is a tomato so much juicier and full of rich flavor in the late summer, when compared to early spring? Simple, it’s in season. Yet it is easy to forget when so many fruits and vegetables are available year round. We have become accustom to having strawberries, melons or even tomatoes on hand, at all times. However when it comes to those floral and bitter India Pale Ales and Double IPA’s, the hops are not fresh but twice a year (one harvest each hemisphere). So what are the seasonal beers to go with what Mother Nature has determined ripe for the table?
I find it helpful to look at what is obtainable from either the backyard garden or the local Farmers Market. I find that many foods that ripen together in the same few weeks usually complement each other well. In the Fall, tangerines and pomegranates, or dino kale and hard squashes are great choices. The Spring brings Strawberries, raspberries, fennel and beets. This pattern follows when selecting beer. When it starts to warm up outside, those Imperial Stouts and Barley wines are a bit heavier on the palate than they were just a few months ago. A hefeweizen or a pale ale start to quench the thirst during this seasonal transition.
So where to start? First, make a date with a farmer. Find your local Farmers Market and go out of your way to spoil yourself! It’s relaxing, peaceful, usually has free music, fresh air, nice people and really cool stuff you won’t find in a grocery store. Once there, talk to the farmers. See what is ripe on their tables, what was picked when, and ask what to do with it if you’ve never seen it before. The farmers are a great source of knowledge. After all, they need to eat too, and most likely eat what they grow. Ask for a taste. This might help in determining what will work best at your table.
Next, scope out the whole market. Look, smell and taste! See what each farm has to offer, some things may be more ripe at one booth than another and you may find something unusual at the next. Keep a list of items in your head that really excite you and could work together in a dish or multiple dishes. Then start planning a menu. Think how best to put this ‘product’ to use: In a salad, as a side dish, or into a dip for an appetizer? What to do with that wonderful artesian bread or that local fresh roast coffee? Mmmmm, plump white asparagus or fresh potatoes still covered in earth.
After a menu has roughly come together (later, one can modify the menu if needed), go to your favorite local brewery or bottle shop. Since the food is local, keep the theme going and pair some local beers with the meal. If the brewery/pub doesn’t have bottles, get a growler or two. If the brewer is there, share with her/him your plan for pairing their brew with what you picked up at the local market. Ask for some advice. I often times experience a sense of excitement and possible hunger from the brewer who will share other ideas and possibilities. Who knows, you might have an extra guest at the table
Finally, when picking out the brews for the different courses or dishes, think about what is the star of the plate. What will shine and take center stage. That is the element to you want to pair with the brew. You can either compare or contrast the flavor. Think of the five major flavors: salty, sweet, spicy, sour and bitter. Think how a citrusy IPA with a good malt backbone can pair with a creamy blue cheese or a fatty wild salmon. Work with this same philosophy for the entire meal. You are not limited to only Red & White wine here. Think ales, lagers, dark stouts to citrusy pale ales and all the beers in between.
Your dinner can be served family style or in multiple courses on individual plates. But it’s up to you how simple or complex you want to make the evening.
Here are a few suggestions with a simple theme to use as a starting point. By the end of the summer, you can be a pro at cooking with fresh local ingredients and favorite brews.
Cheese Course
Simple, can sit out, can occupy the guest, self serve and oh so many combinations of cheeses, fruits, nuts, chutneys to local honeys to chose from. Now add in fresh baked bread or artisan crackers and the options grow even more. When planning a cheese course, think about using different types of cheese, from different animals, with different textures and flavors to play off on another.
Sea Breeze Farms Tomme Cheese/Ancient Heritage Dairy Odessa Blue Cheese
Fraga Farms Chevre with Oil and Herbs
Boyco Foods Cherry Blossom Raw Honey
Artisanal Bread or Crackers
Baird Family Orchards Apples & Viridian Farms Apricots
Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Imperial IPA
To set up, start by arranging the different cheeses onto a decorative cutting board, cheese plate or large platter. Next, add a small bowl for the honey to be drizzled over the cheese adding extra sweetness and depth, balancing out the rich full flavored blue. Slice the bread in half, then into small slices, arrange it around the cheeses. Now, cut the apricots of other fruit right before the guests arrive, so they stay fresh. Add a squeeze of citrus to prevent the apples from oxidizing. Place the cheese board away from the table and a place where people will have room to move about. Have some cheese knifes and some small plates available.
Spring Salad
What is great about a salad, is how fresh it tastes, especially when the ingredients were just picked by the farmer that morning. Adding the variety of vegetables and fruits available to compliment, the finished salad can be easily constructed at the market.
West Wind Farms Mixed Greens
Groundworks Organic Raspberries
Fern’s Edge Goat Cheese Encrusted in Herbs
Shaved Fennel
Mixed with a Orange Shallot ESB Vinaigrette
In a large bowl, add washed and dried greens. Sprinkle the greens with raspberries and shaved fennel. Take small rounds of goat cheese (one per person) and encrust in mixed herbs that have been chopped, then, place on the salad.
To make the vinaigrette, in a medium bowl, add 1 part orange juice, 1 part The Wise ESB, 1 small shallot diced and some sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste. Using a whisk, mix together and then slowly drizzle in a fruity extra virgin olive oil (1 part). Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Place the dressing in a small dish alongside the salad and add serving tongs to the salad bowl.
Grilled Leg of Lamb
Spring lamb is a treat. Rich and full flavor but tender and delicate all at the same time. When thinking seasonal, apply the same approach to what the main course is going to be.
Deck Family Farms Young Lamb
Misty Mountain Mushrooms Morels/Porcini
Kaleng Produce Herbs – Thyme/Rosemary/Sage
Garlic/Olive Oil
S&P
Roasted Asparagus
Mash Potatoes
Walking Man Brewing Imperial Vienna Lager
As soon as you get home, take the leg of lamb and place it in a large enough container to hold it. Rub the outside of the meat with olive oil, then season with salt (a fun flavored salt if you see one at the market), pepper, chopped herbs and peeled and chopped garlic. Let rest for 2 hours to marinate and bring the meat to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Place the leg of lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and place in the center of the oven. Alternatively, the meat can be grilled over a low fire or indirect heat, turning more frequently, being aware of any flames from the dripping fat. Cook the leg until the internal temperature is 135°; depending on the size of the leg this could take between 2 -3 hours. Remove from the heat and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
While the leg is resting prep the mushrooms and sauté them in some olive oil and chopped garlic over medium heat. Add some fresh herbs at the end and deglaze the pan with some of the beer. Reduce until the brew has become a sauce. Keep warm.
For the roasted asparagus, cut off the bottom 1 -11/2 inch of the stalk. Place on a sheet tray and coat lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper and some fresh herbs (thyme, tarragon, chervil) and just before service, place in the oven for 4-5 minutes, or the color has become a bright green. Remove from the oven and serve immediately. Also serve with some mashed or smashed potatoes infused with butter, cream and roasted garlic (optional). If you get really inspired, add some beer to the potatoes, then add enough cream to get the desired consistency.
Dessert
With the bounty of Spring’s harvest, a plethora of sweet and juicy fruits and berries fill the stalls. Fruit pies or a tarts are a great way to end the meal. But after a big meal, a simple light and refreshing dessert is almost better.
A mixture of Fresh Strawberries, Blackberries, Blueberries
Slices of Apricots, Plums, Peaches
Apricot Ale Chantilly Cream
In a medium bowl, add the washed and prepped fruit. Sprinkle a tablespoon or two of sugar over the bowl and add a couple of tablespoons of Cascade Apricot Ale. Mix in the sugar and beer into the fruit, being careful not to damage the integrity of the fruit. Taste and adjust the sugar or more beer if needed to your taste. Let the mixture sit while you have dinner. To finish, grab another bowl and add a pint of heavy cream to it. Add a touch of sugar a touch of vanilla extract and a touch of the Apricot Ale and whip until soft peaks form. Divide out the fruit into pint glasses and top with a good dollop of cream and serve.
Other resources to find a local farmers market in your area:
In Oregon, check out:
http://www.oregonfarmersmarkets.org/
http://www.portlandfarmersmarket.org/
In Washington:
http://www.wafarmersmarkets.com/
http://www.seattlefarmersmarkets.org/
Or:
This article was originally published in Beer NW, spring issue 2009.
