Cooking

Looking to satisfy your sweet tooth? Try our Pooltime Shortcakes recipe! Pooltime shortcakes Yields 10 servings Ingredients Shortcakes 2 cups flour ½ TBS baking power ¼ cup sugar 1/3 cup butter, cut into small cubes ¾ cup Pooltime Topping 1lb of pitted cherries ½ cup sugar ½ cup Pooltime 1 pint of whipping cream 1 TBS powdered sugar Instructions Shortcakes In a large bowl, sift all dry ingredients together. Using your hands or a food processor, cut in butter until you get a sandy consistency, then stir in beer. Knead lightly, then gather into a large shaped ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour before forming the dough. On a lightly floured surface, pat the dough into 1-1/2 inch thickness and cut with a biscuit cutter or desired shape. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes at 400°F, or until golden brown. Topping In a large saucepan, mix together cherries, sugar and Pooltime. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until a nice, thick syrup has formed, about 10 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Meanwhile, in a mixer, mix together powdered sugar and whipping cream. Whisk at medium-high speed until the cream forms soft peaks. Break biscuits open and top with Pootime cherries and whip cream. Enjoy with a pint of Pooltime! Download a PDF of the recipe. 

Check out this recipe for one of our favorite foods paired with the Best Beer in America. Cheers! Ingredients 8 bone-in skinless chicken thighs 1 small yellow onion, diced 1 clove of garlic, minced 1 TBS vegetable oil 12 oz. Two Hearted Ale 1-2 cups chicken stock 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp chipotle powder 1/2 tsp sugar Suggested garnish Taco shells Your favorite salsa/slaw Diced onion Cilantro Yields: 12-15 servings  Instructions  1. In a large skillet or saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides, add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is slightly translucent. Add all of the spices and stir to make sure everything is coated. 2. Deglaze the pan with Two Hearted Ale and 1 cup of the chicken stock and bring to a boil. If chicken isn’t fully covered with liquid, add more of the chicken stock. 3. Lower the heat so that the chicken is simmering in the liquid. Cook for about 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken can be shredded. 4. Once cooked, pull the chicken out of the liquid (use tongs or a slotted spoon as the chicken will be hot), pull the chicken off the bone and shred. Put chicken back in liquid and you are ready to have some delicious tacos! 5. Pour yourself a pint of Two Hearted, you deserve it! Download a PDF of this recipe. 

You can really make a dish stand out with a custom sauce, such as our Amber Ale Mustard BBQ Sauce. Bell’s Amber Ale Mustard BBQ Sauce Developed by Bell’s Eccentric Café Executive Chef Kris McDonough Ingredients 1 cup of your favorite grainy mustard ½ cup Dijon mustard 1 cup Bell’s Amber Ale ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup apple cider vinegar ¼ cup soy sauce 1 cup melted butter (warm) Salt and pepper to taste Directions In the base of a blender, add both mustards, Amber Ale, brown sugar, vinegar and soy sauce. Pulse to combine. While blender is running, slowly pour in the warm, melted butter so that the mustard mixture and the butter mix together and fully emulsify. If your butter is too cool, it will start to solidify and you’ll have a grainy bbq sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and pour over your favorite meats and vegetables (we recommend the Amber Ale Pulled Pork)!

Want to add a little Two Hearted flair to your favorite wings or spicy snack? Here is a recipe that uses Two Hearted Ale to make a delicious Buffalo sauce. Two Hearted Buffalo Sauce Developed by Bell’s Eccentric Café Executive Chef Kris McDonough Makes about 4 cups of sauce Ingredients 1 ¼ cup your favorite hot sauce 1 cup melted butter (warm) Zest from 2 limes and juice from 3 limes [[{"fid":"8112","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"2":{"format":"default","field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]":false,"field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]":false}},"attributes":{"height":"1000","width":"667","style":"float: right; height: 450px; width: 300px;","class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"2"}}]]¼ cup Bell’s Two Hearted 1/8 tsp garlic powder ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ¼ tsp ground juniper 1 tsp salt Directions In the base of a blender, mix together the hot sauce, zest and juice from the limes, Two Hearted, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, ground juniper, and salt. Pulse to combine everything together. While blender is running, slowly pour in the warm, melted butter so that the hot sauce mixture and the butter mix together and fully emulsify. If your butter is too cool, it will start to solidify and you’ll have a grainy buffalo sauce. Use the sauce to cover your favorite wings, roasted cauliflower or anything else you’d like!   [[{"fid":"8106","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default"}},"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]  

Amber Ale is one of our favorite beers to cook with because it is so well balanced and accentuates so many different kinds of food perfectly. These Pulled Pork Sliders are no exception. Amber Ale Pulled Pork Sliders Developed by Bell’s Eccentric Café Executive Chef Kris McDonough Ingredients 6-8 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2-3 inch cubes 2 tbs fennel seeds 1 large onion, large dice 1 Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced 8 cloves of garlic, minced 1 bottle (12 oz.) Bell’s Amber Ale (find some nearby) 8 cups chicken stock ½ cup apple cider vinegar 2 tsp ground mustard ½ cup brown sugar 2-3 tbs vegetable oil Salt and pepper to taste Directions In a large pot, heat the 2-3 tbs of vegetable oil until shimmering and lightly smoking. While oil is heating, toss the cubed pork in salt and pepper to season. Sear each side of the pork in the pan until nice and golden. Remove pork from the pan and set aside. In the same pot, roast the fennel seeds for about 1 minute (or until fragrant), then toss the onion, apple and garlic in to sweat. Add the ground mustard and brown sugar. Return the pork to the pot, and deglaze the pan with the Amber Ale. Add the vinegar and enough of the stock just until the pork is almost covered (if you don’t have enough stock, you can use more Amber Ale) Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Simmer on the stove, covered, over low heat, checking regularly, for 2 hours (or until the pork is tender enough to be pulled). You can also cook the pork covered, in the oven at 400F for 4 hours. Once pork is done, pull it apart and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Amber Ale Mustard BBQ, pickles, and slider buns! Chef’s Note: You can also just all all ingredients into a slow cooker, cook it on medium heat for 5-6 hours, and have a nice, no-mess pulled pork. This can also be made as a wonderful vegan alternative by substituting jackfruit and vegetable stock for the pork and chicken stock.

These cheesy fritters can't do anything about the weather, but they'll definitely make being snowed in tastier. Ingredients  16 oz. goat cheese 1/2 cup Bell’s Bright White 1 TBS chopped tarragon 1 TBS chopped rosemary 1 shallot, minced 1 TBS salt 1/2 tsp ground clove 2 cups flour 4 eggs, beaten 2 cups bread crumbs 8 cups canola oil Salt for seasoning In the kitchen In a mixing bowl, combine the goat cheese, Winter White, herbs, shallot, salt and spices until fully combined. Refrigerate the mixture for 1 hour. Once chilled, using a tablespoon, scoop out spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into small balls. Place them on a small cookie sheet and put into the freezer. Leave in the freezer until fully frozen. Place the flour, eggs, and bread crumbs into separate bowls. Roll the frozen goat cheese balls into the flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs until all the balls are coated. While you are breading the goat cheese, pour the 8 cups of oil into a heavy bottom pot at least 1 gallon in size and heat until the oil is 300-325 degrees Fahrenheit (you want to make sure you have plenty of room in the pot so that when you fry the fritters you don’t run the risk of the oil flowing over the top of the pot). Fry the croquettes, 4 to 5 at a time, until they turn a deep, golden brown. Place the fritters on a plate lined with paper towel and sprinkle with salt.  Enjoy with a pint of Bright White! Download the recipe.

Chocolate bread is the perfect winter treat, and adding cherries only makes it better. Ingredients  1/2 cup dried cherries 1 bottle (12 oz.) Bell’s Christmas Ale 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 TBS baking powder 1 tsp salt 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup bittersweet chocolate chips 4 TBS melted butter In the kitchen  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In a bowl, soak the cherries in the Bell’s Christmas Ale for 20 minutes. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and brown sugar. Add the beer and cherry mixture to the flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and 3 TBS of the melted butter (reserve 1 TBS). In a well-greased loaf pan, spread the dough to fit the pan. Brush the remaining 1 TBS of melted butter over the top. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until the crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove from the pan immediately and allow it to cool about 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy with a pint of Christmas Ale!

Take pears to a whole new level with this delicious combination of beer and fruit. Ingredients 6 pears, peeled 2 bottles (24 oz.) Bell’s Best Brown 1 cup brown sugar 1 cinnamon stick 1 tsp whole cloves 1 tsp allspice berries In the kitchen Mix together the Best Brown and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Place pears and spices into a saucepan, and pour the beer and sugar mixture over them. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower to a simmer. While regularly checking on the pears and making sure that they stay submerged in the liquid, simmer the pears for about 15 minutes, or until a knife can easily slice through the pear. Serve warm or cold with a Best Brown and your favorite ice cream (butter pecan is recommended) or whipped cream!

These pork chops prove that a good thing is worth the wait. Ingredients 6-8 pork chops, preferably bone-in, about 8-10 oz. a piece 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 2 bottles (24 oz.) Bell’s Best Brown 1/2 cup molasses 9 cups water 3/4 cup salt 3 bay leaves 1 TBS coriander seeds 1 tsp whole cloves 1 TBS fennel seeds In the kitchen Bring all ingredients except pork chops (only 4.5 cups of the water) to a boil so that the salt dissolves. Add the other 4.5 cups of water (make sure it’s cold!) to brine and then refrigerate until fully chilled. In a sealable container, pour the brine over the pork chops and let them brine for 6-8 hours in the refrigerator. After the pork is done brining, rinse the seeds or leaves off, dry with a towel and grill, bake, or pan fry the chops to desired temperature. Enjoy with a pint of Best Brown Ale!

Give your mustard a serious upgrade with this lager-loaded recipe featuring Bell's Lager of the Lakes. Ingredients  1 cup yellow mustard seeds 1 cup black mustard seeds 3 cups apple cider vinegar 2 cups Bell’s Lager of the Lakes 2 cups ground mustard/mustard powder 1/2 cup molasses 1 cup sugar 1 TBS salt 1 TBS black pepper 1/2 TBS ground celery seed 1/2 TBS ground chipotle powder In the kitchen Soak the yellow and black mustard seeds in 1.5 cups of the vinegar and 1 cup of Bell’s Lager of the Lakes for 2 days or up to 1 week. After soaking, put the seeds and liquid into a medium sized sauce pan, add the rest of the vinegar and beer and remaining ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil and lower to a simmer for 15-30 minutes, or until mixture reaches a thick, gravy-like consistency. Serve with a pint of Lager of the Lakes and your favorite bratwurst, sausages, or charcuterie and cheese! [[{"fid":"7271","view_mode":"default","fields":{"format":"default"},"type":"media","field_deltas":{"1":{"format":"default"}},"link_text":null,"attributes":{"class":"media-element file-default","data-delta":"1"}}]]