Accidental Hedonist

As it should be fairly clear that I am an ice cream fan, it should also be fairly predictable that I do an ice cream recipe whilst I do reading and research on milk.

I found this recipe in the Boston Globe and I wanted to give it a spin. As I am also a fan of uniquely flavored ice creams, one made from beer seemed right up my alley.

This turned out quite well, although I do have one slight criticism. The molasses and Guinness so dominate the flavors in this ice cream, that the vanilla flavor was completely overwhelmed. As such, I’ve removed the vanilla from the recipe, as it seemed superfluous.

The ice cream itself turned out quite good, but it is very bold, rich and deep. This is not an ice cream with subtlety. Consider yourself warned.

• 2/3 cup Guinness Stout
• 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons full molasses
• 4 egg yolks
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream

In a small sauce pan, combine the Guinness and molasses. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil and then immediately remove from heat.

In a large glass mixing bowl, combine the egg yolks with the white sugar and vanilla. Whisk together well. Next, stir in the milk and cream.

Slowly pour the beer into the milk mixture, combining thoroughly. Once combined, the milk mixture should have the same coloring as a crema on top of a shot of espresso.

Cover milk mixture and refrigerate for at least two hours, although overnight will allow the flavors to better intermingle.

Pour the mixture into your ice cream maker and follow the ice cream maker’s instructions. Once complete, pour into a new glass or plastic bowl, cover and place in the freezer to further solidify.

Makes 1 pint

Technorati Tags: Food, Recipes, Ice Cream, Guinness Ice Cream

This is the recipe that must not be named in public. Well, not true, but when I mentioned to Tara that I was making this, her reaction was less than enthusiastic. So much so, that I was a bit sadistic in bringing up this recipe for the rest of the weekend.

Truth is, the recipe turned out a little better than I anticipated. The trick here is to understand that you’re eating a meat pie, and not some exquisite culinary treat. Keep that in mind. This is a hearty dish. This is the Irish equivalent of eating pot pies.

Except it’s made with Guinness.

I am a big Guinness fan. No doubt about this fact. This recipe gave me the excuse to purchase some to keep at home. As a bonus, I was able have a quaff or so while baking, all the while the sounds of me heartily yelling “Oi! Oi! Oi!” played in my head. I’m fairly sure this means I am all set for St. Patrick’s day.

As to the recipe: I urge you to use Canadian Bacon (if you’re here in the States…or Canada. If you’re in Ireland, you already know which bacon to use). You can use traditional American bacon, but you’ll end up with a saltier dish. The Canadian Bacon makes the pie sweeter than one could imagine.

• 1 10″ pie shells
• 2 lbs Round steak, diced into 1″ cubes
• All purpose Flour
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 3 Tablespoons Lard or Crisco
• 8 slices Canadian bacon, diced
• 5 medium onions, peeled and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups (300 ml) Guinness Stout
• 3 Tablespoons clover honey
• 2 Tablespoons dried currants
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• Egg White from 1 egg

Pre-heat over to 350 degrees F.

Bake base of pie shell blind (meaning weighing down the bottom of the pie crust with either pie beads or dried beans) for 10-12 minutes, ensuring the crust is starting to become golden/golden brown, but not entirely. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower the heat to 325 degrees F.

Using a large mixing bowl, combine flour with salt and pepper. Liberally dust the cubes of steak with the flour.

In a large skillet, melt the three tablespoons of lard over medium heat. Add the diced bacon and fry between 3-4 minutes. Add pieces of steak, tapping off any excess flour before placing in the skillet. Brown the meat for 8-10 minutes. Remove the beef and place the pieces into a casserole dish to cool. Leave the bacon in the skillet. In the remaining bacon and lard drippings sauté the onions until golden.

While the onions are frying, combine the Guinness, honey and currants in a medium mixing bowl. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.

Remove the onions and bacon from the skillet and combine with the beef in the casserole dish. Top with the Guinness mixture and add chopped parsley. Wrap the top with Aluminum foil and place in the oven to bake for 2 and a half hours.

Remove from oven and ladle meat filling into the baked pie crust. Top with the unbaked pie shell, brush with egg whites, and place back in the oven for 12-15 minutes, until top is a golden brown. Remove from oven and sit for 15 minutes. Slice and serve.

Serves 4-6