Beer lovers know the benefits and joys of seasonal beer. Sometimes seasonal beer styles take advantage of fresh ingredients, as in the most seasonal of all, bright and hoppy Fresh Hop beer. Or on the flip side, winter beers are often rich and warming, as comfortable as sweater weather. Beer, like produce, is often best consumed when it’s fresh and seasonal, making for a natural concept for a beer pairing cookbook.
Brand new in the cookbook aisle, Lush: A Season-by-Season Celebration of Craft Beer and Produce is the newest release by Seattle’s own Jacquelyn “The Beeroness” Dodd. This attractive hard-cover cookbook features 80 recipes (with full-color photos shot by Dodd), pairing craft beer with the best of seasonally available produce. Organized by the season, Lush has recipes from baked goods to appetizers to casseroles. (Keep reading, there’s a sample recipe from the book below.)
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Examples of recipes include Heirloom Tomato Tart with Summer Ale Whipped Mascarpone, Roasted Butternut Squash and Barrel-Aged Stout Carmelized Onion Pizza and Doppelbock Rutabega Mash with Lemon Confit Butter. At the cookbook release event, I sampled the Ginger Beer Scones, and I would pick up the cookbook just to make them at home – they were that good, with pronounced ginger flavor and a drizzle of sweet glaze.
Dodd has some serious chops when it comes to recipes that feature beer. She has been seen on the Today show and in publications like Food & Wine, Imbibe, Parade, 1889 and Draft. This is her third cookbook.
Speaking of things seasonal, this cookbook dropped just in time for the holiday shopping season. How handy! You can find it at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble, or ask for it at your local independent book seller.
For our readers, here’s a sample recipe from the book – a dip that would work well at a football party or holiday potluck:
Stout Caramelized Leek Dip
2 large leeks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup stout beer
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup (260g) sour cream
3 oz smoked gouda, shredded
1 teaspoon (6g) salt
1 teaspoon (3g) garlic powder
Chips or bread for servingThinly slice the leeks, discarding the green portion. Add the leeks and butter to a pot over medium heat sprinkle with brown sugar. Cook until starting to soften, stir in the salt and beer. Continue to cook until leeks have caramelized, about 20 minutes.
Add the cream cheese, sour cream, gouda, salt and pepper to a blender or food processor, process until smooth.
Add the leeks, pulse to combine.
Serve room temperature with chips or bread. Can be made up to three days in advance, dip is best the day after making.
