Stress Free Cooking
by
Barbara Seelig Brown's
Lifestyle Designs

Gourmet Food

Stress Free Entertaining with Sam Adams Beers and Red Wine

By Barbara Seelig Brown

Not personally being a beer drinker, but hugely interested in food and wine pairing, I felt it essential that I round out my food and wine knowledge by attending a Samuel Adams tasting and pairing recently at the Food & Wine Magazine Classic at Aspen. Many of the Samuel Adams brews were showcased with complimentary dishes. A sophisticated beer line such as Sam Adams certainly lends itself to gourmet food pairings, some of which may not readily come to mind such as:

Boston Lager with Beef Tenderloin and quail

Light with Lobster in a caramelized Sam Adams Light sauce with Baby Spinach

Summer Ale with a Salmon Carpaccio

Hefeweizen with fresh Oysters in a lavender, lemon and Hefeweizen reduction with Sautéed Radicchio

Octoberfest with a Camembert Cheese and

Roasted Apple Milled Feuille dusted with Walnut Powder and accompanied by Samuel Adams Octoberfest Marmalade

Chocolate Bock with Braised Veal Cheek served with pumpkin, roasted, berries, mango and fig

In order for you to have your own Beer & Food Pairings, I am providing the following recipes which are quite suitable for summer entertaining.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Serves 4

16 oz. Lump crabmeat
3 fresh Lemons
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 C. Baby Greens
4 Portobello Mushroom Caps
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fine Sea Salt
Pepper Mill

Mix crab and juice of 1 lemon. Season with Salt & Pepper.

Clean mushrooms. Remove gills from the underside of the mushroom with a teaspoon.

Brush with olive oil. Grill 3-4 minutes on each side or until tender.

Place baby greens in bowl. Mix 1/4 C. olive oil with juice of 2 lemons or to taste. Season with salt & pepper. Toss well.

Place 1 mushroom cap on a plate, top with 1/2 C. salad greens and 4 oz. of crab.

Serve as appetizer or light lunch.

ăBarbara Seelig Brown

Turkey and Sun Dried Tomato Burgers

Serves 4-6

1 1 / 2 cup dry bread cubes, soaked in red wine, beer, or chicken stock
1- 1 1 / 2 cup dry red wine (Sangiovese or Chianti style), beer or chicken stock
1 pound ground turkey breast
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, (not in oil) cut in bits
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 / 4 cup fresh basil, chiffonade or 1 teaspoon dry basil leaves, crushed between your fingers
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped or 1 / 2 teaspoon dry oregano, crushed between your fingers
1 / 4 cup Pignoli nuts, toasted & roughly chopped
1 / 4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites or 1 whole egg
Sliced Fontina Cheese - 1 slice per burger

Equipment:

Grill or grill pan

Preheat grill at least 10 minutes.

Soak bread cubes in 1cup wine, beer or stock. Use additional 1 / 2 cup if necessary.

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Do not over mix. This will produce a tough burger.

Form into a burger patties and grill until firm to touch. Add cheese and close grill cover to allow cheese to melt.

Chef's Tip:
Mixture can be prepared ahead and frozen. Defrost before cooking.

ăBarbara Seelig Brown

Grilled Chicken with Arugula, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Balsamic Vinaigrette on a Roll

Yield: 4 servings

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 Portuguese rolls
1 / 2 Cup sun-dried tomatoes, not in oil
1 bunch fresh Arugula
1 / 4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 clove roasted garlic - see recipe for Roasted Garlic
1 / 4 - 1 / 2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Equipment:

Salad Spinner
Chef's knife, Serrated knife
Baking Sheet
Grill Pan
Medium bowl

Pour 1 / 4 cup balsamic vinegar into medium size bowl. Add a pinch of sea salt and garlic and set aside.

Wash and spin Arugula. Lay on paper towels to continue drying.

Pound chicken breast to even thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat grill pan. Grill chicken 3-4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

Slice Portuguese rolls through center vertically so that you have 2 larger, thinner flat pieces.

Return to balsamic vinegar and add 1 / 4 - 1 / 2 cup olive oil, a little bit at a time to ensure a good emulsion. Taste after 1 / 4 cup and adjust to your taste.

Place bottom of roll on baking sheet. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Layer chicken, Arugula and sun dried tomatoes. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
Turn top of roll upside down so that cut side is facing up and drizzle with balsamic dressing. Turn roll onto open chicken sandwich and press down. Can be served immediately or held for a few hours tightly wrapped.

ăBarbara Seelig Brown

Roasted Garlic

4 large heads of garlic
Extra Virgin olive oil
fine sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

Equipment:

Heavy duty aluminum foil
Ceramic basking dish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Using chef's knife, slice a thin piece off the top or stem end of the garlic to expose most of the cloves.

Place heads on large sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with just enough olive oil to moisten the garlic, approximately 1 /2 teaspoon per head. This will vary depending on the size of the garlic.

Sprinkle with a dash of sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Wrap up tightly and place in ceramic dish. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until very soft to the touch and a spread-able consistency.

Variations:

Break cloves apart, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in foil 20-30 minutes.

Peel garlic cloves, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in foil 20 minutes.

ăBarbara Seelig Brown

And for those for those of you that still want to enjoy a red wine with your summer dishes, you might enjoy trying the following wines Artisinal Red Wines. These wines have the backbone to stand up to grilled foods and the complexity to stand alone.

Santa Maddalena 2001 Lagrein Perl ($18)

Lagrein is a grape varietal that is native to the Alto Adige region of Italy thriving in the gravely plains around the city of Bolzano where it reaches the highest quality. The single vineyard Lagrein from Santa Maddalena has a beautiful floral bouquet with full, round flavors of black cherry, currant, chocolate, cassis and hints of cinnamon. The Lagrein finishes long and silky smooth.

Ampelidae Gamay 2002 ($9.50)

Located between Bordeaux and the Loire valley, Ampelidea makes this deliciously fruity summer red from the Gamay Noir grape. Juicy, soft and bursting with fresh black cherry, this is a super light to medium bodied red. Perfect for summer, maybe with a slight chill.

2002 Gasnier Chinon Les Graves ($12.00)

This wine is the made from the youngest vines on the Gasnier estate (30-40years old!) and as such is lighter and more fruit driven than the old vine cuvee's. Here in the northerly vineyards of the Loire, Cabernet Franc is more vibrant and crisp, with a bit more acidity and not as dense as it is in the warmer vineyards of Bordeaux. It is a perfect mid-weight red, great with anything from roasted chicken or a tenderloin of pork. Fresh aromatics of black fruit, mocha, coffee and earth on the nose, balanced, fine and elegant on the palate. Moderate tannins and acidity. Could be served with a slight chill on a warm summer day.
Buon Appetito!

ăBarbara Seelig Brown

You can also find more recipes like these in my cookbook Stress Free Cooking

Stress Free Cooking by Barbara Seelig Brown's Lifestyle Designs

Gourmet Food

Stress Free Cooking
by
Barbara Seelig Brown's
Lifestyle Designs