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Not just pub grub anymore (not that there's anything wrong with that), beer & food pairings have come a long way! Here we aim to show the versatility of beer with food, as well as sharing recipes for cooking with beer.
Eat! Bistro
After setting up our booth at the Flatlander's Beer Festival, Zach and I headed out to dinner over at Eat! Bistro located in the same building as Aqua Books. After a short time getting aquainted with the menu, we decided to take the suggestions contained and have a little bit of a couple of dishes to share (how metrosexual of us). This was my first experiance at this restaurant and I'd have to say now I will be back.
It was very much like a tapas type menu with little bits of too many interesting things to fit into one meal.
It sounds like Chef Candace Hughes is a bit of a smartass after my own heart. "And if you want a big hunk of meat, the Keg is down the street. " Ha! Way to draw your line in the sand, Candace.
I ordered some Lemon Chicken soup and the special Margerita Flatbread of the day. Both nice and fresh tasting. The soup was a rich broth with a softened tang from the lemon. I think it had a day or two to meld as it had a good consistant twang throughout.
The flatbread had bright veggie flavours from the onion and tomato, with just the right garlic blast.
Zach was insistant on Onion Rings (look at the size of it!). There's something to be said for a restaurant that doesn't make greasy Onion Rings. I guess it is possible, though all evidence I've gathered insofar made me believe the contrary. We tried them out with a curried mayo that blended well with the crispy tempura batter.
Below, you'll see the Mexican Wontons with Tex Mex Rice and Smoky Chipotle Sauce, which were quite good though I may have preferred a slightly spicier Chipotle sauce with them. Seriously, I'm not a restaurant reviewer. From what I understand, it doesn't take much more than a desire to eat and a computer these days (if you write for the FP, an odd affinity for Dim Sum seems required, too), so take it with whatever grain of salt you wish.
A couple of Sweet Chai Spiced Ice Teas and we were set.
Overall, a good time was had by all. Special thanks to our server Kayla. I hope I spelled it right, she did repeat it twice, but I'm deaf sometimes. I should just call her Vanna as she was kind enough to show you that this place has impeccable taste in a certain brewery's beer. Not only is that one available at the moment, but they had our others, too. Cheers to them!
We headed back to the fest with a sampling of 3 cookies too. Ginger Snap, Rolo, and Smarties. Can you believe it, Chris wasn't even there and he snaked the Rolo from us. Oh well, I'll just have to go back and get my own.
Labels: Appetizer, Eat Bistro, Mexican, Savoury
Ian's Stuffed Squash Blossoms
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.
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
Open House Day
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
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
- In a large saute pan, simmer the butter, then add the flour and stir.
- 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!
- Add the chopped chives, Dijon mustard and cream cheese - stir & simmer.
- Add chunks of bleu cheese and cheddar a bit at a time. Make sure each addition melts before you add more.
- 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)
- Get your grill smoking hot and cook the bratwurst through
- during the grilling, keep any flames at bay by dousing the bratwurst with Weizen Heimer
- between drinking your open bottle of Heimer, and grilling brats,
- 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