Not just for drinking, try cooking with beer and cider at home with these quick and easy recipes.
An Australian summer lends itself only too perfectly to a refreshing beverage in the sunshine. Whilst we’re well accustomed to drinking a couple of cold ones, what you may be less familiar with are all the wonderful ways of cooking with beer and cider. This summer, get outdoors, fire up the cooker and impress your friends and family with these delicious and easy-to-make recipes.
Dos Equis Lager Especial + Beer Guacamole and Nachos
It goes without saying that the person who brings guacamole to any social event is an automatic hero. Whilst there is no denying that avocado, lime juice, chillies and coriander make the core of any killer gauc, next time why not add Dos Equis to your signature recipe. It will get people talking in the right ways.
Prep time: 10mins Cooking time 10mins Serves 10ppl
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 yellow chilli peppers
- 4 large ripe avocados
- 1/3 cup coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp salt- 2 tsp garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves
- 2/3 cup Dos Equis Lager (exclusively available at BWS and Dan Murphy’s)
- 1 lime (juiced)- 1/2 cup water
Method
Step 1: Heat vegetable oil on a small frying pan over medium heat.
Step 2: Place peppers in frying pan and fry on each side till charred all the way around. Remove the peppers from the pan and allow to cool on a cutting board.
Step 3: Cut the stems off and toss the peppers in the blender. Discard stems.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients into the blender and blend until creamy. The beer will make this guacamole fluffy, creamy, and a little on the thick side. It will almost be like a mousse.
Step 5: Serve in a bowl with nacho chips or drizzle over your favourite food.
Coldstream Apple + Apple Cider Pork Sliders
Summer and cold ciders go together like fish and chips. Whilst great for drinking, you shouldn’t be restricting your favourite brew to a glass. The flavour of the Coldstream Apple cider in this pork slider recipe offers a welcomed freshness and tang, taking nanna’s roast pork and stewed apples to new heights with this contemporary interpretation.
Prep time: 15mins Cooking time: 6hrs Serves: 4-6ppl
Ingredients
- 1 pork belly
- 1 litre Coldstream Apple Cider
- Salt
- Oil
- Small burger buns
- Coleslaw
Method
Step 1: Preheat oven to 220°C.
Step 2: Score pork belly and rub with salt and oil.
Step 3: Place pork belly in 220°C oven for 1 hour or until skin is nice and crispy.
Step 4: Add Coldstream Apple Cider into the tray with pork belly and place back in the oven at 160°C for 5 hours, then chill.
Step 5: Once completely cool, portion in 180- 200g rectangles.
Step 6: Fill burger buns with a few portions of pork and a handful of coleslaw. Serve immediately.
John Boston Pale Ale Beer Battered Flathead
While you may be familiar with beer battered fish and chips, have you ever thought about the type of beer used? John Boston The Point Pale Ale is a light-bodied pale ale with subtle tropical fruit and grassy characteristics. Offering a crisp, lingering finish, the humble fish and chips just got a sexy new makeover. Try this recipe out for yourself.
Ingredients
Fish & Chips
- 2 lts rice bran oil, for deep-frying
- 4 red potatoes, peeled
- 2 heaped tbsp plain flour
- 1 heaped tbsp rice flour
- 100ml cold John Boston Pale Ale
- 4 flathead fillets, skin and bones removed
- Lemon wedges, to serve
Tartare Sauce
- 1/2 French shallot, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bird’s eye chilli, seeded and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1/3 bunch dill sprigs, picked and finely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 6 heaped tbsp whole egg mayonnaise
- 1 1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Serving Suggestion
- Mushy peas
Method
Step 1: To make the tartare sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, then refrigerate until needed.
Step 2: Heat the rice bran oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan until it reaches 180°C.
Step 3: Meanwhile, slice the potatoes into medium-sized wedges or chips and pat with paper towel to dry up any excess moisture.
Step 4: When the oil has reached its temperature, carefully cook the chips, in batches if necessary, for 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel and keep warm.
Step 5: Place the flours in a bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the beer until just combined. Dip the fillets in the batter and slowly place in the oil, one at a time. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden and crisp. If necessary, drop the chips in the hot oil and cook again for 1 minute to reheat and crispen up. Drain on paper towel. Serve the fish and chips with tartare sauce, mushy peas, and lemon wedges.
Crabbie’s Ginger Beer + Ginger Roulade
Where as some roulades are overpowered by the sweetness of strawberry jam, this ginger roulade recipe offers a zingy aroma and taste to match, utilising ginger in both its fresh and powdered form. Taking this recipe to a new dimension however is the use of Crabbie’s Ginger Beer. How we see it, it’s one sip for yourself, one pour into the mixture. And repeat.
Prep time: 25mins Cooking time: 30mins Serves 6ppl
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 175g caster sugar
- 175g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp 5 spice powder
Roulade Filling
- 200g cream cheese
- 100ml Crabbie’s Original Alcoholic Ginger Beer
- Stem ginger, finely chopped
Method
Step 1: Heat the oven to 180°C. Line a 27 x 40 cm Swiss roll tin with non-stick baking parchment.
Step 2: Whisk the eggs and sugar together until they are light and fluffy – this can take about 5 minutes, so keep going until they are really light.
Step 3: Fold in the flour and spices.
Step 4: Spoon the mix into the tin, level the surface and bake in the middle of the oven for 12-15 minutes until pale but cooked and springy in the middle.
Step 5: Leave to cool a little, then turn onto a sheet of non-stick baking parchment dusted with sugar.
Step 6: Whilst still slightly warm, roll up like a Swiss roll, keeping the parchment sandwiched between the cake layers, and cool.
Step 7: Mix the cream cheese with the stem ginger and Crabbie’s Alcoholic Ginger Beer.
Step 8: When the sponge is completely cool, unroll it carefully and spread with the cream cheese mix, then roll up like a Swiss roll again, this time without the parchment in between.
Step 9: Dust with icing sugar and serve.
Additional recipes for you to try yourself
Although the following recipes don’t include beer or cider in the food per say, we think they sound downright delicious and worthy of also trying out this summer.
Chang Beer + Pineapple Fried Rice
Many will be familiar with the smooth and refreshing taste of Chang Beers’ golden brew, which is made through a time honouring brewing process in Thailand. The unique flavours extracted from this particular brew pair well with the fruit and tang of this pineapple fried rice. Take advantage of the warmer months and whip up this dish and beer combo, it’s delicious.
Prep time: 15mins Cooking Time: 15mins Serves 4-6ppl
Ingredients
- 550g prawns, peeled and deveined
- 2 tbsp oil or butter
- 3 cloved garlic, minced
- 1 red chilli finely sliced
- 1 red capsicum
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1 tbsp sugar to taste
- 4 cups of cooked white rice
- 1 fresh pineapple whole, cored and chopped
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 cup cashew nuts
- coriander
Method
Step 1: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in wok until hot. Fry the garlic and red chilli until fragrant. Add the prawns and fry them until cooked. Remove from heat and set aside. Be careful not to overcook the prawns!
Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon of oil to wok. Fry the onion, turmeric, curry powder and red pepper for about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the cooked rice and pineapple and stir together. Then add the fish sauce and soy sauce. Stir fry for another minute. Taste and adjust if necessary.
Step 4: Add the cashews and coriander. Serve in a hollowed pineapple boat, garnish with coriander and pork floss and serve immediately.
Smoked Salmon, Goats Cheese + Leek Tartlets
Prep time: 30mins Cooking Time: 40mins Serves: 4ppl
Ingredients
- 225g or 2 sheets shortcrust pastry
- 2 x 95g tins smoked salmon, drained and flaked
- 50g butter
- 600g leeks, washed and finely sliced
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 200ml thick cream
- 100g goats cheese, crumbled
- 3 eggs
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 200°C
Step 2: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to line four 12cm tart cases. Line the pastry tart cases with greaseproof baking paper and fill with baking beans or uncooked rice. Bake blind in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove the baking beans or rice and greaseproof paper and return the tart case to the oven to bake for a further 5-6 minutes, or until just cooked and becoming golden-brown.
Step 3: Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C.
Step 4: Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the leeks and fry until just softened. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Step 5: Place the cream and eggs into a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the egg and cream mixture to the cold leeks and mix together well.
Step 6: Stir in the salmon and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 7: Pour the leek mixture into the cooked pastry cases. Top each tart with crumbled feta. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the filling is just set and the top is golden brown.
COMPETITION TIME!
Win a Summer Sippers Drinks Package to make these recipes at home. Included in the prize is:
- 1 x esky
- 2 x bottles John Boston
- 2 x bottles Chang
- 2 x bottles Dos Equis
- 2 x bottles Crabbie’s
- 2 x bottles Kopparberg
- 2 x bottles Spring Cider Co
- 2 x bottles Coldstream Cider
The enter, click on this Facebook competition below.
Sponsored Love: This post is proudly brought to you in partnership with Chang, Crabbie’s, Spring Cider Co, John Boston, Coldstream and Dos Equis . Thank you supporting the partners that make Eat Drink Play possible.
Terms & Conditions: Entrants must be Australian residents aged 18 years and over. Entries close 5pm AEST on 24th January 2018. The winner will be notified by 25th January 2018 at 5pm. By entering the competition and submitting your email you are opting in to receive Eat Drink Play email newsletters.