This month, ANDREW PERN of the Star Inn The City prepares food using the Two Chefs beer he helped to develop.

AS A CAREER choice, the long hours and hard work of being a chef is not for everyone, but it isn’t without its perks.

A year or so, James Mackenzie, my former colleague and now chef/owner of the Pipe and Glass at South Dalton, and I were contacted by the Great Yorkshire Brewery to ask whether we would like to work with them to help develop a special beer.

This obviously involved a lot of tasting. Anyway, the end result was a light honey beer seasoned with lemon thyme; a great drinking beer and also good for cooking. Here are a couple of recipes, using Two Chefs beer, but York Brewery also has great ales which could be used instead.

If you get a taste for Two Chefs you might want to come along to a special dinner I am holding with James Mackenzie at The Star Inn The City on October 6, when we will have competing menus both featuring the beer, which should make for a jolly evening. Details of this and events can be found on the website.


Beer-braised shin, risotto of fresh horseradish, root vegetable and Two Chefs beer juices
(Serves four)

This recipe pairs rich, sticky braised shin with a hot, punchy risotto, root vegetables and beer juices; great comfort food!

Braised shin ingredients

Four x 100g shin of beef off the bone (but retaining the bone for presentation purposes)
100g swede, diced
100g carrot, diced
100g celery, diced
100g onion, diced
500ml Two Chefs beer
2 litres of beef stock

Risotto of Horseradish Ingredients 

120g Arborio risotto rice, pre-cooked
50ml chicken stock
30ml double cream
40g mature Wensleydale (or similar) cheese, grated
1tsp fresh horseradish, grated
1tbsp parsley, chopped

Method

Sear the shin on all sides in hot fat until well browned and braise with the ale, stock, and diced vegetables in a casserole dish at 150°C, Gas Mark 2 for two and a half hours.

When cool, flake the meat and set aside until ready to serve. Hollow out the shin bone.

Push the braising stock through a sieve, and reduce to half. Combine the risotto ingredients together over heat, stirring until well combined and the cheese is melted. Add the parsley at the last moment. Check the seasoning.

To serve

On a warm plate, place a piece of hollowed out shin bone at the top of the plate. Place the cooked shin meat next to it. Spoon the warmed risotto into and spilling out of the bone. Spoon the reduced braising juices around the dish, garnish with a little deep fried parsley.


Steamed Ale Cake with Dark Muscavado Sauce
(Serves six)

This pudding has the style of a sticky toffee; always a crowd-pleaser.

Steamed Ale Cake ingredients

225g unsalted butter
350g Demerara sugar
four eggs
10ml vanilla essence
225g plain baking flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bicarb
400ml ‘Two Chefs’ Beer
100g cocoa

Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until pale and creamy. One at a time add the eggs and mix well, it may appear to split, but it will come together once the flour is added. Add the vanilla essence and the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Now add the beer and fold it through the mixture without knocking all the air out of it. Pour into a greased cake tin and bake at 180°C/Gas Mark 4 for about 1 to 1½ hours.

Dark Muscavado Sauce 1 pint cream 700g Muscavado sugar 200g butter Place all the ingredients in a pan, warm gently and allow the sugar to melt and the sauce to thicken slightly.

To serve

Place the ale cake in a deep-sided bowl or plate, pour the sauce over the cake and serve immediately.