Peach Beer Snob Cake

In the interest of accuracy, this is really more of a peach Arrogant Bastard Ale cake, but this is a family show, so the title has been censored to better appeal to the masses.  Nonetheless, if you’ve ever purchased a bottle of Stone’s Arrogant Bastard Ale and read the passage on the back of the bottle, I will assume that you would agree that the above title is almost equally fitting.

Have you been enjoying your summer thus far, or, at the very least, the fruits of summer?  Peak peach season is rapidly approaching here in Washington state, and as much as I enjoy a good peach cobbler, pie, jam, or ice cream, I’ve yet to come across a peach cake, much less one which involved beer.  That said, I’ve taken it upon myself to make it happen.  This recipe is adapted from the ever-delicious Sweet & Stout (congrats on their nuptials!), and I encourage you to check out their blog for myriad fantastic beer cupcakes.  Depending on what part of the world you are in, I fear that you may have to wait a couple of weeks for some truly perfect peaches with which to use in this recipe.  The ones I had were a wee bit less than ideal, so I simply popped them in the oven with a bit of sugar to sweeten them up a bit.  An easy fix, no?  I encourage you to enjoy this not-super-healthful cake whilst sitting and watching the Olympics.

Peach Beer Snob Cake

Adapted from Sweet & Stout

Makes enough to fill 8 1/2 Mason Jars

Peach Puree Ingredients:

1 lb. peaches (about 4 peaches)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

Cake Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup Arrogant Bastard Ale (Stone Brewing Co.)

1/2 cup peach puree (from above)

Equipment:

1 large mixing bowls

1 electric hand mixer or stand mixer

1 spatula

8 1/2 Mason jars

To Make the Peach Puree:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Wash and peel the peaches into 1″ cubes.  In a mixing bowl, toss the peaches in the granulated sugar until all of the cubes are lightly coated in sugar.  Transfer to a 9″x9″ glass or ceramic pan.  Bake the peaches for 20 minutes or until soft, stirring halfway through.

Allow the peaches to cool for about 30 minutes.  In a food processor, mix the peaches until smooth and no chunks remain.  Set aside until ready to use.

To Make the Cake:

Pre-heat oven to 375F.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy.  Next, add the brown sugar and mix until well-combined.  Add both of the eggs and mix until creamy.  Then, add the peach puree and beer, combining again.  Add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder, and mix until well-combined.  Finally, add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and mix until well-combined.

Spread butter or spray canola oil around the inside of the Mason jars.  Fill each jar half full with cake batter.  Using a toothpick, spread 1/2 teaspoon of the leftover peach puree over the top of the cake batter.  Place the filled jars in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tops of the cakes are golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool, then serve with vanilla ice cream (recommended, but not required), and enjoy!

Red, White, and Blue Burger

Quite likely, the most patriotic burger your palate will ever have the pleasure of meeting.

Happy belated Independence Day!  I realize it’s a bit late to be suggesting any patriotic dishes, but I’m sure you’ll still be able to enjoy this one, or at least tuck it away for Labor Day or your next weekend barbecue.

I thought that making this burger would be an excellent opportunity to buy American as much as possible, so that is exactly what I did.  I was really quite stoked to make this burger since it really did incorporate red, white, and blue ingredients: white onions, blue cheese, red tomatoes, and… ground bison meat!  Yeah!  What’s more American than that?!  It was difficult to not quote Dances With Wolves throughout the afternoon and regale others with elaborate tales of hunting tatanka.  Truth be told, bison meat wasn’t that difficult to track down: it was $6.99/lb. at Fred Meyer, and I’ve seen it around a few other places, too.  I realize that blue cheese isn’t the most American of cheeses, but it is a bit more so if you pick one like Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue (it is the best ever).  I cannot suggest strongly enough that you give it a try, ideally on a bison burger.

Whatever you chose to grill/barbecue/bake/roast/fry this 4th of July, I hope that you had a fantastic time celebrating with friends and family!  I sincerely hope that everyone escaped the celebrations with all of their limbs and appendages in tact (I have heard far too many stories of misguided fireworks accidents over the years) and that it was a celebration to remember!

Red, White, and Blue Burger

Makes 4 burgers

Ingredients:

4 burger buns (I made light brioche burger buns, but any old burger buns will do)

1 lb. ground bison meat

4 oz. blue cheese, crumbled

1 hot house tomato, sliced

1 onion (Walla Walla Sweet are great, but red onions are pretty, too), sliced

1 head butter or green leaf lettuce

ketchup (optional)

mustard (optional)

mayonnaise (optional)

Equipment:

1 barbecue

1 cutting board

1 knife

1 spatula

To Make the Burgers:

Divide the ground bison meat into four equal pieces.  Shape each piece of ground meat into a round patty, and press your thumb down to create a light indent in one side of the patty.

Toss the patties on a preheated grill or barbecue.  After one side of the burger is cooked to the desired temperature, flip and cook the other side.  Five minutes before you expect the burgers to be done, sprinkle some of the blue cheese on the already cooked side of the patty, and allow it to melt while the patty finishes cooking.

Remove cooked patties from the grill, and toss them on some buns.  Top with your favorite toppings and condiments.  Enjoy!