Cooking with Beer

This being my first post, I felt the possibilities were endless. I have so many favorites and picking one from my past 13 months here at RCC just seemed criminal. I decided instead to choose a theme, “Cooking with Beer”. Though is may seem incongruous, in some ways it is better than wine in cooking and a heck of a lot cheaper. Want an alternative to beef Bourgogne? Take the beef, potatoes, onions etc and toss it in your slow cooker with some Left Hand milk stout instead of Pinot Noir. Want a fantastic soup? There are few things more delicious than Cheddar Soup made with an English ale on a dreary January day. And for desert, yup you guessed it, BEER. Our former RCC beer guru, Ryne recently described a New York culinary experience in which he tried Allagash white ice cream. Sound crazy you ask? Just give beer a chance. I guarantee you’ll change your tune once you try this spice cake made with Leffe Blonde. I found this recipe in Gourmet magazine last Christmas and tweaked it a little to suit my needs. It is hard to beat this cake on a crisp autumn evening. Plus I guarantee this is a wonderful alternative to Grandma’s fruitcake this Thanksgiving. So grab some beer and head to the kitchen, you won’t be disappointed.