Wassail (or Lambswool) - Untested

https://www.facebook.com/thetudorintruders/posts/pfbid0kgo4UEQL547Mcgx1kGmTqq291uxfjsVUpYjjHAfJdno4abs9WU2hD7A35MYkZiT5l

Wassail (alternatively called lambswool) was a popular traditional drink of the autumn and winter in Tudor times, especially around Christmas it was usually served in a large communal bowl (think punch bowl).

This is an updated version of a traditional Elizabethan recipe

3L. ale or stout or cider

12 small apples

3 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp freshly-ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp powdered cinnamon

2 tsp freshly-grated ginger

1. Bake the apples in a hot oven until they begin to split.
2. Divide your ale between two pots. Place about 3/4 in one pot and heat this gently until warm. Place the remainder in a second pot (which must be able to hold all the liquid), add the baked apples, honey and spices to this and bring to the boil.
3. Now pour the warmed ale into this and turn off the heat. Keep pouring the heated ale between the two pots until a large amount of froth has accumulated on the top (this is the Lamb's Wool).
4. Pour into a heated bowl and gather your guests around to drink.

Pain maison a la biere - Untested

https://www.regal.fr/recettes/accompagnements/pain-maison-a-la-biere-recette-facile-sans-machine-a-pain-1065694

500g flour 

7g dry active yeast

1 tsp salt

33cl dark or amber beer

2 Tbsps. olive oil

In a large bowl mix together the flour, yeast and salt. 

Form a deep well in the middle and add the beer and oil.

Combine with a wooden spoon, then knead in the bowl until it forms into a coherent ball, about 10 minutes.

Turn out onto a floured surface and sprinkle over the salt. Continue to knead, this time pulling and folding the dough onto itself until the dough becomes quite elastic, about another 15 minutes.

Lightly flour a bowl to set the dough in to rest, covered with a damp cloth for about 2 to 3 hours at room temperature. You can mark the bowl to where the dough should rise, but it should double in size.

Gently turn the dough out onto a floured surface then punch down. Shape into the desired loaf (baguette, boule or buns for example).

Lightly powder with flour and place on parchment paper. Score the tops with a sharp blade. Allow to proof again for 45 minutes to an hour.

During the second proofing preheat the oven to 475°F (or 450?). On the lowest rack place a container such as a lasagna dish, full of water.

Bake the bread in two stages, the first for 30 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400°F for another 5 to 10 minutes, just to get the bread to turn golden.

Remove to a cooling rack.

NOTES:

 

Variantes : farines, levures, épices, miel...

Vous pouvez utiliser 1/2 cube de levure fraîche du boulanger si vous préférez, en la diluant dans un peu d'eau ou de lait tiède. N'oubliez pas d'ajouter à ce levain express une belle cuillère de sucre en poudre ou de miel, pour "nourrir" votre levure. Ensuite, laissez bien reposer cette préparation 10 min avant de l'ajouter à la farine...

 

Les farines, justement ! Variez les plaisirs... La T65 donnera une mie plutôt blanche, la T80 un pain de campagne, et la T110, un pain plus complet ! Il est également possible de parfumer votre pain en remplaçant une petite quantité de la farine de blé par de la farine de seigle ou de châtaignes par exemple... Enfin, vous pouvez aussi ajouter vos épices moulues favorites à la pâte.

Gâteau moelleux au chocolat et à la bière - Untested

https://www.regal.fr/recettes/desserts/gateau-moelleux-au-chocolat-et-a-la-biere-1069076

200 g chocolate 

200 g butter 

3 eggs

200 g flour 

125 g icing sugar

20 cl beer (fruity, dark or guiness)

salt

1 h 10 min (45 min to bake)

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
3. Whisk in the butter in chunks until perfectly blended.
4. Separate the eggs.
5. Combine the yolks and the sugar. Whisk the yolks with the sugar until pale, then whisk in the flour.  
6. Gradually whisk the milk into the sweet yolk mixture, then add the beer. Combine completely.
7. Whip the egg whites with salt to stiff peaks. Gently add the egg whites.
8. Pour into a prepared cake tin, greased and lined with parchment paper.
9. Bake for about 40 minutes.
10. Remove from the pan and allow to cool completely. 
11. Optionally, you can powder with icing sugar and cocoa powder as decoration.

Testing - Rarebit with pear and cambozola

1 - Quite liked it. More pear though.

1 to 1.5 2-3 lbs winter pear, sliced thin
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsps balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup dark beer
3 oz Gruyère, grated
1 oz Cambozola, grated
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk
Pinch of salt
Black pepper, to taste (1/4 tsp.)
Crusty country-style bread (Such as the Commons Bread, see below)

1. Start toasting, until golden brown, some thick homemade bread (I used slices of my Wonder Bread).
2. With the grill at mid-point in oven, turn broiler on. On a cookie sheet lay some parchment paper and spread some butter over it, about 1-2 Tbsps. Lay the pear in a single layer then dribble over some balsamic. Broil, basting and turning, until pear is soft.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, heat the milk until just below boiling and whisk in the flour to make a roux. Whisk until it just starts to brown.
4. Whisk and add the beer slowly. It will bubble up, which actually helps break up the roux. Cook another 3 minutes, whisking, until thick and smooth.
5. Add the cheese, the egg yolk, and the mustard. Cook until the cheese melts and everything is well combined, then season with black pepper and set aside to rest a couple of minutes.
6. Turn on the broiler. Arrange the bread onto a cookie sheet and the pear slices on top. Spread the cheese sauce until it spills over the edges of the toasted bread; this prevents the edges of the bread from burning under the broiler. Put in the oven to grill for 20-30 seconds or until it's bubbly and starting to brown.

Test 1 - Lapin aux pruneaux et à la bière

http://www.cookismo.fr/lapin-aux-mirabelles-et-a-la-biere/9856

1 - The first attempt, while successful, was a bit fraught - it's a new way of flouring meat for a stew, where you add the ingredients one at a time to the cooking meat, instead of dusting the meat beforehand in a shallow dish. It's a dynamic and interesting dance, and one I'd like to get used to - less dishes, less time wasted fiddling with ingredients. I did alter a few things. The salt and peppering instructions, in the original recipe, seems sort of an afterthought. I've sprinkled the meat with a good pinch of both before putting it in the pan. Also, I increased the amount of beer from 1/3 cup to a 1/2 cup...
2 - This time I used frozen Italian prune plums since it's late March and hardly plum season. But I wanted to make this! It changed the dish a bit, and while the fresh Mirabelle are better, this was also very good. Good enough to bump it up to the next level.

1 large shallot, minced
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsps oil
1 whole chicken in pieces (or 4 rabbit legs)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
1/4 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup dark beer
1/3 cup water
1 Tbsp veal broth concentrate
10 small, sweet plums or the equivalent in volume in large plums
1 + 1 Tbsps brown sugar

1. Peel and mince the shallot.
2. Heat butter and oil in a pan until the butter starts to froth. Add the shallot and the meat, skin side down, and fry until golden. Sprinkle each side with salt and pepper before you turn them. Repeat for the other side.
3. Add a Tbsp of brown sugar to caramelize.
4. Add the flour and toss until the meat is coated. (cela s'appelle <<singer>>)
5. Add the beer and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes before stirring everything together.
6. Put the lid on and simmer for about 30-45 minutes (depending on thickness of meat). Internal temperature of the breast 165F.
7. Cut the mirabelles (or other plums) in half and remove the pit.
8. When the thighs are done, plate them and set aside about 10 minutes to allow them to settle. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil to thicken the sauce.
9. Meanwhile, quickly throw the mirabelles and the remaining brown sugar in a pan and caramelize. Be sure to remove the mirabelles from the heat before they lose their shape.
10. Pour the sauce over the thighs and then add the plums.
11. Serve immediately.