A beer for our wonderful men and women of law enforcement, this stout is brewed with coffee beans and real doughnuts. The coffee compliments the roasted aromas of the barley malt. The doughnuts provide a lasting finish that leaves you wanting a whole box of those crispiest and creamiest of glazed doughnuts. Included are select pictures of the production. The grains were mashed with glazed and powdered sugar doughnuts and the beer steeped with freshly ground espresso at the end of the boil. This stout is very bitter with a touch of dough-nutty sweetness to balance and around 6.5% alcohol by volume. Given the high levels of sugar, alcohol, and tanning, this beer can age for quite some time. Vintage doughnuts anyone?
Carefully measuring the doughnut temperature for a proper mash
Glazed and powdered sugar doughnuts are mashed with the barley malt
Roasted coffee beans are added at the end of the boil to infuse
As the coffee & doughnut stout comes to a boil, a nice foam rises to the top, like the crema on a perfect espresso
The ability of food and beverage to transport the diner is truly amazing. A great dish will incorporate and excite all five senses, but insert some context, history, or emotion and a seemingly prosaic dish can become transcendent.
These are a specific regional style of tamale from South America (parts of Chile and Argentina) called humitas. Their hallmark is a husk and filling made from fresh corn, instead of dried husks and masa flour. This creates a very soft, pillowy texture when steamed. A bit of culantro and chile puree add to the authenticity. The humitas are topped with a dollop of whipped lime-sour cream and pepitas, spiced with ground cinnamon, coriander, and cumin, add an exciting texture.
It only fitting to enjoy regional foods with respective regional beverages. After all, the cuisine and the drink usually fueled the others’ evolution. A Chilean Carmenére has powerful fruit to hold up to the spice in the chile and pumpkin seeds. The spice notes add a compliment, and the acid level a nice contrast to the buttery corn puree.
And so with context, a traditional dish, created with precision and thoughtfulness, can transport you from the dinner table to the other side of the world.
These amazing photos are the work of Michael Boehmer.
Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!
Donuts are amazingly versatile and there are no rules with this sweet American favorite. This is another transformational recipe: Donut ice cream. Ice cream is infused with donuts and then frozen into a donut shape. You can’t have donut ice cream without a thick layer of crunchy rainbow sugar sprinkles. Espresso shortbread gives textural contrast and, conveniently, looks like coffee grounds.
These stunning photographs were taken by Mike Boehmer.
Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!
Introducing the first of a series of mouthwatering homebrews created by myself and my brewing partner Trevor. This is a Belgian witbier with a twist. Belgian wit contains a mash of about half barley and half wheat. Wheat gives the beer its characteristic lemony tang, bolstered by the addition of bitter orange peel and cracked coriander. We’ve added to this brew orange flower honey and a chamomile blossoms. The honey increased the alcohol to 6% by volume and adds body in addition to the enticing honey aroma. The chamomile is subtle but provides another interesting layer of flavor to this wit. Cheers!
This stunning photograph was taken by Mike Boehmer.
Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!
This dish is a forest feast: Venison, blueberries, wild rice, chestnuts, huckleberries, and matsutake mushrooms. At first glance this might seem like a strange combination of flavors but a good culinary proverb is “what grows together goes together.” These are all ingredients you can find in many of the forests of the United States and, when put together in a dish, they create something that’s more than just delicious.
Venison loin is one of the leanest meats available. When prepared medium rare it’s impossibly tender. This venison comes from Michigan and is first cooked sous vide with garlic, thyme, and butter to 145° F at which point I quickly seared the outside of the loin with browned butter and more butter, garlic, and thyme. I rolled the seared loin in a powder made from puffed wild rice and freeze dried blueberries. The puffed rice adds a nice textural surprise. Underneath the venison loin is a mushroom demi-glace flavored with shiitake and matsutake mushrooms.
To compliment the venison is a puree of chestnuts. I braised whole chestnuts in white wine then reduced the wine and added butter to make a rich glaze. Meaty, seared matsutake mushrooms have a pungent aroma and flavor that holds up to the strong venison flavor. Finally, fresh huckleberries add little refreshing bursts of sweet acidity.
Both the huckleberries and the matsutake mushrooms I ordered from Oregon Mushrooms LLC which I highly recommend. They have a great selection of cultivated and wild mushrooms at great prices. Shipping can be expensive but you can arrange in advance when you want your package to arrive and delivery is smooth and punctual.
These stunning photographs were taken by Mike Boehmer.
Mike is a Chicago-based photographer and a regular contributor to The Windy Pixel. Please visit www.mikeboehmer.com for more fantastic photography!
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