Grilled Flank Steak with Liberty Street Steamy Windows Chimichurri

 

Have you ever made a chimichurri sauce? It’s an Argentinean sauce or condiment, similar to pesto, that is popular throughout South America. A basic version uses fresh parsley, oregano, garlic, oil, vinegar, and a little bit of chili pepper, though the variations on this theme are endless (the addition of beer, for example). What I love about this version (inspired by Special Fork) is that it makes use of the parsley and cilantro that are growing like crazy in our garden, and everything else we are either growing or have in our pantry. In Argentina it is used both as a marinade and a sauce for grilled steak, but you could also use it with fish, chicken, or even pasta.

For this recipe, you will need:

1 bottle (12 oz) Liberty Street Brewing's Steamy Windows
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
2 cups cilantro
1 cup Italian parsley
3 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot (about 2 carrots)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 pounds flank steak

In deep 3-quart saucepan, combine beer and cumin seeds; bring to a boil. Cook until beer is reduced to about 1/3 cup, about 10 minutes. Remove mixture from heat and cool to room temperature. Transfer to medium bowl and set aside.

About how much beer you should have left after reduction.

 

In bowl of food processor, combine cilantro, parsley leaves, garlic, red pepper flakes and sugar. Pulse together until mixture resembles a coarse paste.

Scrape mixture into beer sauce; add oil, vinegar, shredded carrot and salt. Stir well until sauce comes together. Let stand at room temperature one hour to allow flavors to develop. Can be refrigerated up to one week. 

Place steak on a plate and brush both sides, using ¼ cup of the chimichurri sauce. Let marinate at least two hours and up to six hours.

Prepare an outdoor grill with a medium-hot fire, or preheat a stove-top grill pan. Grill steak 7 to 9 minutes per side for medium rare doneness. Remove steak, place on a cutting board and loosely tent with foil. Let rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain, and serve with the additional chimichurri sauce and guacamole.

Read more »

Preview: 2013 WGRD Summer Craft Beer Fest

The Michigan summer festival scene is nothing if not expansive.  Summer only gives Michigan 12 weekends (cue jokes about how it's more like 6 weekends) a year, and local communities do a fantastic job filling them with a plethora of choices to slake one's thirst on Michigan and craft beer.

One such option is coming up on August 17th; for the past few years now, local Grand Rapids radio station WGRD (97.9, home of Free Beer and Hot Wings morning show) has hosted a beer festival on the Northwest side of Grand Rapids at the John Ball Zoo.  While this is not a guild sponsored event (remember: there's only four official guild sponsored festivals annually), the WGRD Summer Craft Beer Festival offers offers access to some of the best breweries in the state, and mixes in a few local cideries and national breweries for extra variety:

Given the success of previous years, the impressive selection of breweries and cideries from around the state and nation, keep this option available for consideration!  Information and ticket sales are available here.

Read more »

CEO Stout Beeramisu

What’s better than tiramisu? Beeramisu! Also known as a beer-lover’s take on a classic tiramisu. You’re welcome.

This version, inspired by A Table For Two, strays pretty far from the traditional. It calls for beer and Amaretto instead of Marsala or cognac, but the requisite creamy, soft layers will surely please anyone crazy for this Italian dessert. The stout adds a hint of bitterness to balance the sweetness, and its malty, chocolatey, coffee notes are the perfect pair with sweet Amaretto and smooth mascarpone.

The amounts in this recipe allow a lot of flexibility for your serving vessel. so get creative! I used standard drinking glasses, but you could use a deep bowl or trifle dish, ramekins..even a coffee mug would do with any extra ingredients you have left over.

 For this recipe, which serves 6-8, you will need:

12 Savoiardi Biscuits (or any lady fingers you prefer)
1 cup strong espresso coffee
1/4 cup of Amaretto
2 eggs (separated)
3 tbsp caster sugar
8-9 oz mascarpone cheese
1 cup stout Right Brain CEO Stout
8 ounces heavy cream, whipped
Chocolate shavings for garnish
A handful of Raspberries

Combine stout, coffee and Amaretto in a bowl.

Add egg yolk and sugar in a bowl and whisk until thick and pale. Add mascarpone and beat until just combined. Add 3 tablespoon of Amaretto and mix well.

Fold in the whipped cream into the mixture. Beat egg white until soft peak, gently fold it into the cream, trying not to lose the volume.

Dunk the biscuits, one at a time, into the liquid. Layer the biscuit into serving glasses.

Spoon Mascarpone mixture over the top until the biscuit is fully covered.

Repeat step 4 - 5 until the serving glasses are filled to the top.

Top with chocolate shavings and raspberries and wrap each glasses with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until ready to serve.

Read more »

16th Annual Michigan Summer Beer Fest

What will Michigan craft beer fans tolerate to celebrate the state’s popular offerings?

Torrential downpour?

Ground so muddy even pallets sunk into it?

More samples than any single human could try?

Political intrigue?


Our party managed to avoid most of the rainfall, enjoying a summer festival decidedly cooler -- and muddier -- than several in the past.  The air was dry and crisp, yet the sun still shone brightly for most of the events.  Tents full of Michigan breweries stretched across the festival grounds farther than they’d ever been before, offering 800 different beers to tempt the palate.

No, I did not try all 800 beers.  Pretty sure you can figure that out based on the fact that I’m still alive to write this.

We did, however, try a lot of beer.  As we wandered from tent to tent, greeting old friends and new (everyone at the Summer Beer Fest is a friend, after all), we discovered treasures from all over the state.

Kuhnhenn Brewing, the eclectic Warren brewery known for its experimental beers, did not disappoint.  They had a line of beer carefully crafted to taste like cocktails, with Mardis Gras themed offerings such as the Hurricane and the Sazerac.  Rather than use spirits to achieve their desired taste, Kuhnhenn brewed beer based on flavors that would mimic the original cocktails’ profile, which made these offerings truly different from beer-cocktails or any other beverage I’ve had before.


 White Flame, the first brewery in formerly dry Hudsonville, offered a deep, rich imperial porter aged in cherry bitters casks.  This process imparted a cherry flavor that maintained its sweetness without becoming overwhelming, like a dry chocolate cake infused with a hint of cherry.  This is one of my favorite stouts in the state.

Griffin Claw Brewing Company has exploded on the scene, offering a spectacular sour saison for review.  The saison is such a fragile beer that souring it can sometimes result in a taste too strong, such that it hides the fruity tones, the yeasty bite, and the gentle but insistent hazy straw flavor.  Griffin Claw hides none of this, allowing all of those beautiful summer flavors to be enhanced by the sour aging process, resulting in a perfect hot weather beer.

I am finding that I cannot say enough good things about Greenbush.  This brewery never backs down from a challenge, and the selection they brought to the Summer Beer Fest was just fantastic.  I had the
opportunity to try their imperial blueberry cream stout (Cabra Perdida), which does not show its cards all at once.  The sweet, thick, creamy ale boasts just a whisper of blueberry; enough to remind you it’s there, but so faint that you may not believe yourself a few minutes later....prompting another swallow.

There were dozens more breweries with fantastic offerings: Hopcat’s sour beers were excellent, Pike51 had a fantastic Thai spiced beer, Bell’s bourbon aged Uberon brought a whole new dimension to a Michigan classic, and Rockford Brewing Company nailed the session ale with their Obsession Rye.  Indeed, the beers available and the camaraderie that’s always present was in full force, despite the rain and the mud.  Heartfelt thanks to everyone -- from the Michigan Brewer’s Guild and its many members to the people who come together to celebrate Michigan’s fantastic beer culture!

View the rest of our photos from this event here.

Read more »

Brewery Terra Firma is Now Open with 7 Beers on Tap

Brewery Terra Firma opened its doors at 2959 Hartman Rd.on the historic 10-acre Dracka Farm just south of the Grand Traverse Mall over the 4th of July Holiday. The brewery is now pouring seven beers crafted onsite and will eventually house 40 taps of Brewery Terra Firma beers. Taproom hours are 10am-10pm Monday through Saturday and 2pm to 9pm on Sunday. 

The brewery is primarily a production facility which will be distributing it’s beer in the seven county area surrounding Traverse City serviced by H. Cox & Son. Distribution began early this week with Manitou Amber Ale and Gladstone American Pale Ale already arriving in local establishments. The taproom adjacent to the brew house seats 64 people along with an outdoor beer garden. Food is not prepared onsite; patrons are welcomed and encouraged to bring their own food. Local snacks and soda will also be available to complement the wide variety of beer.

The current beer menu offers a variety of well balanced styles including a blonde ale, amber ale, american pale ale, india pale ale, black IPA, extra special bitter, and a porter. The Bee Hive Honey Blonde is brewed with buckwheat honey sourced from the sustainable apiary on the brewery’s farm. The Manitou Amber Ale is the original Northern Michigan classic which was one of Michigan’s most popular and most widely distributed brews in the late 90s under Traverse Brewing Company. The Black Orchid Vanilla Bean Porter is a rich porter laid down over Madagascar vanilla beans. Future releases include the Donkey Smasher Imperial Brown Ale and brew master John Niedermaier’s famous Ancho Chili Dutch Double Chocolate Porter.

Brewery Terra Firma (Terra Firma-Latin for Solid Earth) sits on ten acres of farmland that will generate ingredients used by the brewery to make its beers. Hops, herbs, fruits, vegetables, and even honey will be produced, using sustainable production methods, environmentally conscious waste management, and innovative water and heat reclamation systems. Brewery Terra Firma will be a contributor to the local economy of Traverse City and is already becoming a model for the next level of ultra-efficient microbreweries. The goal of Brewery Terra Firma is to brew the best beer possible, and to respect the land, the community, their patrons, and their employees while doing so.  Terra Firma is the vision of Brew Master, John Niedermaier. 

For more information on the brewery, visit Brewery Terra Firma on Facebook or at BreweryTerraFirma.com.

Read more »