Posted 08.03.17 / Kitchen secrets - things your Nonna never told you

Friday Aug. 4 is International Beer Day

But before you grab a cold one, we would like to take this opportunity to get you thinking outside the bottle. Consider cooking with your favourite brew!

With the rise of craft beer in Canada there couldn’t be a better time to pick up a few kitchen tips on how to introduce beer into your meal preparation.

Beer adds earthiness to soups and stews and depth to desserts. And don’t worry about getting anyone tipsy – alcohol evaporates during the cooking process.

We have used beer in our kitchen in the past, using it to braise pork, even created a beer sorbetto using Ontario craft beer, star anise and cinnamon.

As a general rule of thumb, Chef Francesco Corcontento says the darker and stronger the beer, the more intense the flavours.

Saturday is Food Day Canada, a national celebration of homegrown ingredients and flavours. And it wouldn’t be Canadian without beer. We will celebrate and feature a three-course dinner with LOCAL and CANADIAN ingredients like: pickerel, lobster, pork sirloin, bison AND produce, most of which is grown in Greater Sudbury, like kohlrabi, zucchini flowers, kale, asparagus, beets and radishes. 

Food Day Canada was founded in 2003 to support local farmers as a response to imposed Canadian export beef sanctions. Originally called The World’s Longest Barbecue, it has since evolved into a network of local celebrations aimed at encouraging people to think about the importance of food and community.

As for the beer, we are using it to prepare our pickerel two ways: panseared with local honey, lemon and horseradish and then beer battered using Stack Brewing.

Cooking with beer is a food trend gaining popularity in Italy, too. Next time you make risotto, think of replacing wine with beer. It actually creates a creamier dish