Customer participation is key for us at Half Pints, and I'll say a big thank you to Mr. Hall for passing this fine recipe along for you all.

Hi Dave,

I was looking at your web site, saw the recipes/your love of food, and thought I’d share something I made last night with a bottle of your Phil’s Pils that I thought was good enough to pass on. A lot of Manitobans grow zucchini, and at this time of year their plants will have a lot of edible blossoms on them. By now, the male blossoms have served their biological purpose and can be used for a delicious appetizer.

The pilsner was excellent in this, though I’m sure your IPA or weizen heimer would do nicely too.

Ian Hall

Stuffed Squash Blossoms

Ingredients:

18 squash blossoms (zucchini or other)*
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup Half Pints Phil’s Pils pilsner
2 tsp. curry powder
Salt
Black pepper
About 2 cups canola oil

Method:

1. Wash and gently pat blossoms dry.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk flour and curry powder into Half Pints Phil’s Pils pilsner. Batter should be consistency of thin pancake batter. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes.
3. In another mixing bowl, combine cilantro and feta cheese and season with black pepper.
4. Stuff blossoms with about 1 tsp. of cheese mixture.
5. In a deep-sided saucepan, heat oil on stovetop to about 375 degrees (about “medium”). Oil should not smoke.
6. Working in batches of 3-4, dip stuffed blossoms in batter, and fry in oil for 1-2 minutes, turning once.
7. With a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.
8. Season with salt, and serve with a cold glass of Half Pints Phil’s Pils.

Serve 4-6 as an appetizer

*A note on selecting blossoms: it is recommended to only use male blossoms, since these do not produce any squash. Male blossoms are easy to identify: they do not have a bump on the stem below the flower. Choosing medium-aged blossoms – old enough that they have reached maximum size but not so old the petal ends are starting to shrivel – works best, since they are more tender and more flexible and thus will tolerate stuffing better.

Labels: Appetizer, Customer Recipes, Phil's Pils, Savory

Well, it's the night before our open house, and I thought it might be wise to get the recipes we'll be tasting down on the site here so everyone can try them at home.

We'll be sampling Phil's Pils with a Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip.

We'll also be sampling Weizen Heimer and grilling up some bratwurst basted with Weizen Heimer. They'll be finished off by dipping with a simple Dijon Mustard and Bulldog Amber Ale sauce.

Blue Cheese and Little Scrapper IPA Dip

55 g. butter
40 g. flour
175 ml. Little Scrapper IPA
160 ml. half & half cream
80 g. chopped fresh chives
30 g. Dijon mustard (one with lots of seeds)
115 g. cream cheese
180 g. bleu cheese
115 g. white cheddar
Crackers, bread sticks, whatever for dipping

1. In a large saute pan, simmer the butter, then add the flour and stir.
2. Add the Little Scrapper IPA and the half & half, stirring and simmering for a few minutes - enjoy the remainder of the bottle while finishing up!
3. Add the chopped chives, Dijon mustard and cream cheese - stir & simmer.
4. Add chunks of bleu cheese and cheddar a bit at a time. Make sure each addition melts before you add more.
5. Get your dipping material set, pour yourself and your guests a Phil's Pils, and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

The above recipe is from the book Extreme Brewing by Sam Calagione - owner of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery.

Grilled Brats with Dijon and Bulldog Amber Ale Mustard

6 Bratwurst Sausages

1 Bottle Weizen Heimer

1/2 cup grainy Dijon mustard

1/4 cup Bulldog Amber Ale (drink the rest of the open bottle)

1. Get your grill smoking hot and cook the bratwurst through
2. during the grilling, keep any flames at bay by dousing the bratwurst with Weizen Heimer
3. between drinking your open bottle of Heimer, and grilling brats,
4. take your favourite grainy Dijon mustard and mix in the Bulldog Amber Ale to make a simple sauce

When the brats are cooked through, just serve them up with a simple potato salad and a bottle or two of Weizen Heimer. Enjoy!

Thanks in advance to everyone who's coming out to the open house - we'll have a great time.

Labels: Appetizer, Little Scrapper IPA, Savoury, Weizen Heimer