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October 2008 Savvy Host Recipes

Following recipes provided by Matt Hinman, chef at The Happy Gnome in St. Paul.

Pear Cider Steamed Mussels

Serves 2–4 as a starter

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
8 oz. fresh mussels, cleaned
4 oz. Ace Pear Cider
3 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
 

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and pour in vegetable oil. Add mussels and toss gently. Add remaining ingredients; cover with a lid. When all mussels open, which should take 4 to 7 minutes, season with salt and pepper. Pour gently into large serving bowl and garnish with a grilled French baguette.
 

Marinated Beef Short Ribs

Serves 2–3 as an entrée

Brine:

5 lbs. beef short ribs, cut 2 inches thick
18 oz. Bell’s Best Brown Ale
½ c. kosher salt
1 c. brown sugar
1 yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
½ oz. (about 4 stems) fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp. fresh fennel seeds
2 Tbsp. coriander seeds
1 Tbsp. crushed red pepper
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, whole
3 bay leaves
18 oz. water
 

Ribs:

2 qt. beef stock
2 c. reserved brine
 

Toast fennel and coriander seeds in a dry skillet to release aromatics. Place salt, sugar, onion, garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, peppercorns, and water in a pot and bring to a simmer. Add toasted spices to the mixture and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool, and then add beer. Reserve 2 cups of the mixture; set aside. When brine is completely cool, pour it over short ribs. Let sit in a cooler for 24 hours.

Remove short ribs from brine mixture and season with salt and pepper. Heat large braising pan over medium to high heat and sear short ribs on all sides. Add beef stock and reserved brine. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for two hours, or until ribs are very tender. Remove ribs, strain stock, and reduce by half, skimming oil that rises to the top.
 

Following recipe provided by Nick Bullick, chef at Buster’s on 28th in Minneapolis.

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

Serves 4–6

Onion rings:

2–3 large yellow onions
16 oz. Octoberfest Beer (Summit, Paulaner, Schell’s, or Spaten will also work)
2 c. all-purpose flour (not self-rising)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. granulated garlic
1 Tbsp. Sriracha, or other hot chili sauce
3 Tbsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. white pepper
 

Mustard sauce:

½ c. hot Dijon mustard
½ c. hot whole grain mustard
½ c. mayonnaise
1 Tbsp. fresh horseradish, grated
½ c. Surly Bender beer
 

Pour beer and chili sauce into a large mixing bowl. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients together and mix into beer in three separate additions, being careful not to over-mix. Let batter rest in refrigerator for a minimum of 15 minutes, but not more than 4 hours prior to use.

Cut off the top and root end of each yellow onion. Peel off the first layer of skin, and cut the onion into ½-inch-thick slices. Starting from the middle of the onion, use your thumbs to push out center. Carefully push out onion rings one at a time, being careful not to break the rings.

Heat a 4-quart saucepan, half-filled with frying shortening, to 350 degrees. Use tongs to batter the onion rings one at a time, letting any excess batter run off. Carefully drop onion rings into the oil.

While preparing onion rings, pour ½ c. Surly Bender beer into a small saucepot, and reduce over medium to low heat until the beer is thick and syrupy. Put in refrigerator to cool. In a medium mixing bowl, combine mustards, mayonnaise, horseradish, and reduced Surly Bender beer.
 

Following recipe provided by Kevin Ryan, General Mills food scientist and “Beer Makes It Better” instructor at Cooks of Crocus Hill.

Chocolate-Chocolate Cake

Serves 20 or more

Cake:

2 c. Guinness Draught
4 sticks unsalted butter
1 ½ c. cocoa, plus extra for coating pans
4 c. all-purpose flour
2 c. sugar
2 c. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk, whisked together
1 ⅓ c. sour cream
2 tsp. vanilla
 

Filling and icing:

2 c. heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
16 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
 

Crumb coating:

2 ½ c. chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
 

For cake:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange oven racks to the middle and bottom. Spray three 9-inch round cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pans with parchment paper rounds and spray again with nonstick spray. Dust inside of pans evenly with cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine beer and butter over medium heat until butter melts and mixture comes to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add cocoa powder all at once. Whisk together until there are no lumps.

In a very large bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking soda, and salt. Pour cocoa-beer mixture over dry ingredients. Stir well until no dry flour is visible. Add in whisked eggs and mix well. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Blend until thoroughly combined (the batter will be thin and watery).

Pour batter into prepared pans until it nearly reaches the top of each. Place two of the pans on the bottom rack and one on the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the cake tops are no longer wobbly and a cake tester comes out clean. Remove cakes from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. When cooled, turn each out onto a rack to cool completely. Wrap in plastic and chill overnight.
 

Filling and icing:

Place chocolate into a medium bowl and set aside. In a medium saucepan, bring cream and corn syrup to a simmer. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour mixture over chocolate and cover the bowl with plastic wrap for five minutes. Remove plastic wrap and use a wire whisk to stir chocolate until no chucks of chocolate remain. Recover the bowl with plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Stir chocolate mixture well and return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Continue to stir the mixture every 30 minutes until the filling is spreadable, about two hours in total.
 

Assembly:

Place approximately 1 Tbsp. of filling in the center of a serving plate or cake stand. Place one of the cooled cakes on the plate and spread approximately 1 c. of filling on top, spreading to the edges of the cake. Top with another cake layer and another cup of filling, spreading to the edges. Top with the last cake layer and, with the remaining frosting, frost and smooth the top and sides of the cake. Press crumbs into the sides. Chill or serve after bringing the cake to room temperature.