Saturday Beefcake Lunch Bunch

Creamy Beer Soup
A Taste of Heaven (2009)


Ingredients:
1 (750-ml) bottle Achel Extra (about 3 1/2 cups) or your favorite Achel or Rochefort beer
2 tablespoons sugar
4 large egg yolks
6 tablespoons crème fraîche or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Pour the beer, 2 cups water, and the sugar into a large soup pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Remove from the heat.

Beat the yolks, crème fraîche, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot beer mixture to the egg mixture, whisking until well combined.

Pour the egg mixture into the pot of beer, stirring constantly, and cook for a couple more minutes over low heat without bringing to a boil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately





Chicken Kitchen Chop Chop

Chicken and Rice:
1 whole bone-in chicken breast, skin on (about 1 ½ pounds)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat the chicken)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup yellow rice
2 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
4 ounces of lettuce (romaine or iceberg), shredded
¼ cup diced red onion
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Curry Mustard Sauce:
¼ cup lowfat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350F




Place the chicken breasts skin-side up on a baking sheet. Coat with the olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until cooked through. Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottom saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, heat the chicken broth over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. Add the rice, stirring for the first minute, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is plumped and soft, about 20 minutes.




While the rice is cooking, make the curry mustard sauce. Combine the mayonnaise, mustard, curry powder, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add a little water to thin it out if necessary.

When the chicken is ready to handle, peel off the skin and remove the meat from the bone. Discard the skin and bone and chop the chicken into chunks.

Pour the rice onto a large platter. Top with the tomatoes, lettuce, and onions, and place the chicken on top. If you are using cheddar cheese, put it on top of the hot chicken so the cheese melts a bit.

Pour the sauce over the dish. Serve hot.





Braised Chinese Long Beans
Zakary Pelaccio

1 bunch long beans
1⁄4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
2 Thai chilies, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, finely minced
2 tablespoons canola oil
One 2-inch knob of fresh ginger, finely minced
1 can coconut milk (13 ½ ounces)
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons fried shallot, to garnish

Remove three long beans from the bunch and slice into very thin rounds. Boil enough white vinegar (about 1⁄4 cup) to cover the bean slices. Add 1 teaspoon salt, Thai chilies, and garlic to the vinegar. Pour the mixture over the long bean rounds and let them pickle for at least half an hour.




Cut the remaining beans on the diagonal into 2-inch pieces. Blanch them in heavily salted boiling water until just al dente, less than 2 minutes. The water should taste like seawater. This is important because you want the seasoning to penetrate the beans and not just coat the outside. Drain the beans and shock them in an ice bath to stop them from cooking further.

Sweat the shallots in canola oil until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the ginger. When the mixture is fragrant, within a minute or two, add the blanched beans and the coconut milk. Cook the mixture over medium-low heat, uncovered, until the coconut milk has reduced and coats the beans like a thick gravy, about 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper.




Serve the beans in a shallow bowl, garnished