The Hobbit Hole III - Journey to the Cross-roads!

To: proud_2_B_texasgal

50,281 posted on 07/02/2003 2:24:44 PM PDT by 2Jedismom (HHD with 4 Chickens)

With apologies to Ruthy:

A REALLY COLD ONE: Beer Ice Cream

Beer in ice cream often elicits nothing more than "eeeeuu" from disgusted devotees of the pure cold creamy dessert.

But as many brew pubs and restaurants are discovering, beer in ice cream can make a refreshing change of pace from that ubiquitous brewpub finale, cheesecake. Instead, try a scoop of raspberry lambic sorbet served in a stemmed Belgian glass... or a triple decker treat, a la Fred Eckhardt: fudgy brownie, vanilla ice cream and porter poured on top!

Sweet cream, whipped and frozen smooth, is a perfect foil for malty, slightly bitter flavors of beer. Blended with chocolate, or tropical fruits, beer can be a good stand-in for other liquids in the typical recipe for ice cream.

Most ice creams start with a cream or dairy base: skimmed evaporated milk, custard, whole milk, yogurt or half and half.

Add a sweetener, such as white or brown sugar, or even a reduced wort or malt extract syrup.

Blend with a binder of some sort--eggs, gelatin, cornstarch or rice flour--especially if the recipe will incorporate fresh ripe berries or cut fruit. Cook the blend (a necessary step if raw eggs are used).

Add other flavors (vanilla, chocolate, beer), stir well and chill. For best results, the cream base should be well chilled before freezing.

"It's a little tricky to make a smooth, creamy malt ice cream from reduced wort," said Darren Chadderdon, a former chef at Gordon Biersch's Palo Alto brewpub in a phone interview. "If there is too much sugar in the wort, it will interfere with the fine ice crystal formation that you want in a frozen dessert." Chadderdon experimented with pure malt ice creams, as well as a Maibock Wine Sorbet. "The wine added another layer of flavor to the sorbet, which made it even better."

Other chefs have experimented with freezing fruit lambics for refreshing ices, or intermezzo sorbets served between courses. In Jamaica, I once sampled a delicious granita made by freezing Dragon Stout with sweetened lime juice syrup. At Chicago's Goose Island the chef devised a trio of Timmermans sorbets: kriek, peche and framboise. Charles Finkel has tasted Lindemans lambics made into sorbets at beer tasting dinners held across the country.

Brewpubs aside, other restaurateurs develop frozen desserts with beer. At the April 2002 Craft Brewers Conference in Cleveland, the Metropolitan Cafe restaurant created a special malted vanilla ice cream made with swirls of golden malt extract.

Still other brewers prefer to drink, not eat, their beer. Brendan Moylan of California, says, "I'd rather have a beer with dessert, than a dessert made with beer. For instance, a raspberry-infused beer goes great with a chocolate and raspberry dessert."

Remember to follow manufacturers directions to freeze recipes (crushed ice really makes a difference in the old salt-and-ice bucket makers). Prepare the recipe 12 to 24 hours ahead of serving time, to let the ice cream ripen in the freezer.

50,282 posted on 07/02/2003 2:24:55 PM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast

To: Scott from the Left Coast

Yikes! Those red letters!

Beer ice cream does not sound refreshing...

50,283 posted on 07/02/2003 2:27:32 PM PDT by 2Jedismom (HHD with 4 Chickens)

mmmmm.....chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream.

50,284 posted on 07/02/2003 2:28:08 PM PDT by Overtaxed

Keep talkin' sis, I'm with you all the way! LOL

50,285 posted on 07/02/2003 2:29:10 PM PDT by 2Jedismom (HHD with 4 Chickens)

I'm being good....watching Clarke and sipping green tea with ginger. Maybe after supper....

50,286 posted on 07/02/2003 2:31:30 PM PDT by Overtaxed

To: Scott from the Left Coast

Oh, thanks lots for that recipe...just kidding :-)

50,287 posted on 07/02/2003 2:33:14 PM PDT by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)

My mom and dad are taking the boys to a 4th celebration of some sort tonight...I wonder what Steve and I will have for supper?

50,288 posted on 07/02/2003 2:34:45 PM PDT by 2Jedismom (HHD with 4 Chickens)

Ice cream?

Dang! Out of leftovers....guess I'll have to cook something.

50,289 posted on 07/02/2003 2:37:14 PM PDT by Overtaxed

I gotta get the boys ready to go. See you later!

50,290 posted on 07/02/2003 2:42:55 PM PDT by 2Jedismom (HHD with 4 Chickens)

To: 2Jedismom; Sam Cree

You guys sound awful un-adventerous.

50,291 posted on 07/02/2003 2:51:14 PM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast

To: Corin Stormhands; 2Jedismom

Ya'll are both such fine and commendable hobbittses.

50,292 posted on 07/02/2003 2:56:19 PM PDT by My back yard

To: Scott from the Left Coast

"You guys sound awful un-adventerous."

To tell you the truth, I can get adventurous enough after drinking beer without adding ice cream to it :-)

50,293 posted on 07/02/2003 2:57:04 PM PDT by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)

To: My back yard

Egads...don't call Corin a hobbit...mayhem with an axe will ensue!

A double-bladed Dwarf's axe!

50,294 posted on 07/02/2003 2:57:59 PM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast

Ah, I see now...yes the cream and sugar stuff seem an awful waste of space in the pint glass.

50,295 posted on 07/02/2003 2:58:37 PM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast

To: Corin Stormhands

I'm sitting here thinking my iris bulbs have washed into the neighbor's yard...

Didn't mulch em, huh?

50,296 posted on 07/02/2003 2:59:34 PM PDT by SuziQ

To: Scott from the Left Coast

Well, beer is good in batter, so why not in ice cream? Seems very weird, though. And we used to boil shrimp in beer. And some places fry ice cream.

50,297 posted on 07/02/2003 3:08:05 PM PDT by Sam Cree (Democrats are herd animals)

Now that is so...who does Halibut anymore without a good beer batter? Which gives one an idea for pancakes! No more Bloody Mary's for hangovers -- Beer Pancakes!

To heck with the jobs stuff, I'm gonna be a millionaire!

50,298 posted on 07/02/2003 3:12:52 PM PDT by Scott from the Left Coast

Hey, make sure you watch for free scoop night at Baskin Robbins.

50,299 posted on 07/02/2003 3:33:32 PM PDT by Corin Stormhands (Fly in the Butt Balm since April 2002)

To: My back yard; 2Jedismom

Well, thank you for the compliment.

But I believe 2J is a Lady of Rohan and I am a bit Dwarvish.

50,300 posted on 07/02/2003 3:36:20 PM PDT by Corin Stormhands (Fly in the Butt Balm since April 2002)

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