Cooking With Beer! Fathers day / World Cup Recipe Ideas
Youngs Beer have some excellent Ales, Bitters and Stouts available that are perfect for Summer thirsts. They are also perfect extra special ingredients to make your dishes really stand out.
Youngs Special London Ale is a triumph. 6.4% is not to be taken lightly, it packs a punch alright. A lovely Ale in it’s own right, You can also rustle up a “Golden Special Bird”. Pot Roasting a whole chicken creates the most succulent tasting chicken possible and flavoured with Young’s Special London Ale, rosemary, bacon and garlic will make it special for a family meal or Father’s day.
Young’s London Special Ale Alc 6.4%. A multi award winning bottle conditioned strong ale that really lives up to its “Special” name. Smooth, rich, malty ale with notes of candied fruit on the palate and a powerful spicy hop finish.
Here’s the knockout recipe - Serves 4
1 tbsp olive oil
125g diced pancetta or bacon lardons
1 x 1.5kg chicken, free range if possible
150g shallots, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
Bottle Young’s Special London Ale
300ml chicken stock
2 springs rosemary
12-16 baby carrots, scrubbed
2 tsp plain flour
2 tsp unsalted butter
Using a deep casserole or cast iron pot with lid, heat the olive oil. Add the pancetta or bacon lardons, the shallots and three of the garlic cloves, cook over a medium heat until golden, lift onto a plate. Season the chicken and place the remaining garlic inside, then place in the pot and gently brown all over in the fat, carefully turning the bird over. This will take about 15 minutes.
Heat the oven to 170C/150Cfan/gas 3.
Carefully pour in the Special London Ale and bring to simmer, stir in the chicken stock then return the pancetta, shallots and garlic to the pot. Bring to simmering, add the rosemary then cover and place in the oven. Cook for 1 hour. Add the carrots and return to the oven and cook, uncovered for another 30 minutes
Lift the chicken onto a warm serving dish with the shallots and carrots, cover to keep warm. Strain the cooking liquid into a jug then pour back into the pan. Boil until reduced by about one-third. Mash the flour and butter with a fork to make a paste, then add, a little at a time whisking so the sauce thickens slightly. Season if needed.
Carve the chicken and serve with the beer sauce and accompany with seasonal vegetables, and new potatoes boiled or mashed potatoes.
Tip : To make it easier to peel the shallots, cover with boiling water, leave to stand for 5 minutes then drain.
Using Young’s Bitter, you can create a truly delicious Spatchcocked Poussin with Beer and Ginger Marinade. There are so many marinades you can use for barbecued chicken, this recipe makes the most succulent poussin. The acid in the beer marinade helps to tenderise the meat and add flavour.
Young’s Bitter – alc 4.5%vol. Brewed using the highest quality barley and hops grown on UK farm Assured Farms, it is the first and only beer to be awarded the Red Tractor accreditation for cask and bottle. With hops from Worcestershire and Kent. And accredited natural mineral water from the brewery’s very own well, Young’s Bitter represents Natural Brewing Excellence. It’s golden in colour with a light, dry palate and a fresh, fruity aroma. Great with bangers and mash or roast beef.
Serves 4
4 poussin (buy ready spathcocked if prefered)
Marinade:
1 bottle Young’s Bitter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp paprika
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
2 star anise, crushed
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Sauce:
3 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp soft brown sugar
1 tsp cornflour
To prepare the poussin, place a poussin breast side down, on a board for raw meat use. Using poultry shears or strong kitchen scissors, cut along each side of the backbone and remove it. Either snip the wishbone with the shears, or push down on the wishbone to snap it. Snip of any excess bits of skin, the wing tips and any other ragged bits.
To keep them in shape insert wooden or short metal skewers through the bird, diagonally in a criss-cross shape. Place in a large glass or china dish.
For the marinade, pour the Young’s beer into a large jug, once it has settled, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk together. Pour half of the marinade over the poussin reserving the rest for the sauce. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Bring the poussin out of the fridge 1 hour before cooking. Pour the marinade into a pan, boil rapidly until reduced to about 100ml, this will be used to baste the poussin while cooking.
To finish the sauce, strain the reserved marinade into a clean pan, add the tomato ketchup and sugar, bring to the boil. Blend the cornflour with a little water, stir into the sauce and simmer to thicken.
Prepare the barbecue, lightly oil the rack and place the poussin bone side down first. Grill for 5 minutes, turning every 3-4 minutes and brushing with the baste. Time to cook through will depend on size of the birds and intensity of the heat from the barbecue, should be approximately 15-20 minutes. Test by inserting the point of a small knife. Transfer to a serving platter.
Reheat the sauce before serving.
Young’s Double Chocolate Stout is an unusual flavour, but unusual in a fantastic way. If Willy Wonka made beer, He would have been proud of this one! Chocolate Stout Brownies can also be made using the Stout, Unbelievably chocolaty and yummy, these fudgy brownies will go down a treat.
Makes 16
250ml Young’s Double Chocolate Stout
150g plain chocolate, preferable 70% cocoa solids
175g unsalted butter
200g soft light brown sugar
75g plain flour
50 g cocoa powder
2 large eggs
Pour the stout into a measuring jug and allow the foam to settle.
Break the chocolate into a large bowl, diced the butter into the bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Once melted, remove from the heat and stir until smooth, beat in the sugar and allow to cool to lukewarm.
Meanwhile grease a 22cm shallow tin, line with greaseproof or parchment paper. Heat the oven to 180C/160Cfan/gas4. Sieve the flour and cocoa powder together.
Using an electric beater, beat in the eggs until the mixture is glossy, carefully stir in the chocolate stout then fold in the flour and cocoa. Pour into the tin and bake for 20-22 minutes until the middle is set. The top will probably have cracks. Test the brownie with a wooden cocktail stick and it should appear to be sticky. Do not be tempted to cook longer otherwise it will become cakey and lose its characteristic fudgy texture.
Leave to cool in the tin. Turn out onto a rack and cut into squares, dust with icing sugar if liked.
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