Bringing Out the Best in Beer

Everyone likes to talk about wine and food. But beer is complex enough to be interesting, simple enough to be refreshing and an excellent accompaniment to a wide range of foods.

Though many beers sold in this country are designed more for refreshment than refinement, there are hundreds of alternatives to the stuff that supports televised sports. The curious drinker can choose imported or domestic versions of a whole spectrum of tastes and weights: light and bitter lager to sweet, heavy stout, golden pilsner through amber ale to porter so dark it looks like carbonated molasses.

There’s just as much choice when it comes to what to eat with beer. Sausage dishes are classic with beer, and spicy Asian dishes are wonderful with it too. Many of the finer microbrews being produced would also go well with dishes that are traditionally considered wine food.

Of course, it’s hard for many to move beyond beer nuts and burgers. For those people, I propose the following recipes.

Land is a free-lance writer based in Maine.

INDONESIAN BEER NUTS

I doubt that there’s really any such thing as this in Indonesia, but a wonderful Indonesian condiment called serundeng, based on coconut and peanuts, was the inspiration for these salty, sweet-hot snacks.

3 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 large lime, about 2 tablespoons

4 teaspoons soy sauce

1 pound unsalted peanuts

2 egg whites

1/4 pound dried, unsweetened coconut, about 2 cups

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Oil

Crush or press garlic and mix with lime juice and soy sauce in small bowl. Set aside.

Spread peanuts in shallow pan and bake at 350 degrees, shaking pan occasionally, until very light gold, no longer raw but not yet roasted, about 12 minutes. Cool completely.

Beat egg whites in large bowl just enough to loosen. Strain soy-lime mixture and stir into egg whites. Add nuts, stir well and allow to sit 10 to 30 minutes.

Using food processor or blender, process coconut to texture of cornmeal. Add sugar, salt, ginger, coriander and cayenne and process to mix. Transfer to large bowl.

Lift nuts from marinade with slotted spoon and transfer to bowl containing coconut mixture. Stir until all nuts are coated. Spread nuts on 2 oiled, medium-sized baking sheets and sprinkle any remaining coconut mixture over.

Bake at 325 degrees until dark gold, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally with metal spatula. Remove from oven. Finished nuts will crisp on cooling. When they’re cool, store in airtight container.

1 pound. Each 1/4-cup serving:

346 calories; 323 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 30 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams protein; 2.49 grams fiber.

BLUE BURGERS WITH BEER SAUCE

A tribute to the unsung burger genius who first realized that it made better sense to put the cheese on the inside, where it doesn’t all melt away. Home ground meat, easily made in the processor, is tastier than ready-ground and probably at least a little safer if you’re a rare burger fan, but it is by no means essential.

2 1/2 pounds lean beef or 1 1/4 pounds ground chuck and 1 1/4 pounds ground round

1 small onion

1/4 cup minced dill

1 egg

Pepper

6 ounces blue cheese, divided into 6 parts

Olive oil

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 cup flat lager beer

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, or to taste

If grinding your own meat, cut beef into large cubes and use processor or meat grinder to process or grind slightly coarser than conventional hamburger.

Place ground meat in mixing bowl. Process or grind onion to paste and add to meat. Add 2 tablespoons dill, egg and pepper to taste to meat. Mix lightly but thoroughly. Do not overwork meat or it will be tough.

Form mixture into 12 thin patties and sandwich 2 around each piece of cheese to make 6 fat patties. Press and smooth edges securely so cheese won’t leak out during cooking. Set patties in single layer on clean paper towels and let dry 10 to 20 minutes.

Choose skillet wide enough to hold all burgers in 1 uncrowded layer. Set over medium heat and film with just enough olive oil to thinly coat pan. When oil is hot, add patties and cook, turning once, until well-browned outside and still pink at center, about 5 minutes per side. (Or cook to desired doneness; medium-well is recommended if using ground chuck.) Do not press down on patties while they’re cooking. Remove to warmed serving platter and keep warm.

Stir mustard into pan juices, whisk in beer and cook until sauce bubbles and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons dill, salt and sugar to taste. Sauce should have sharp mustard taste, slightly sweet and agreeably bitter.

6 servings. Each serving:

546 calories; 742 mg sodium; 163 mg cholesterol; 43 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 32 grams protein; 0.08 gram fiber.