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Interview
with Leslie Mansfield, author, RECIPES FROM THE MICROBREWERIES OF
AMERICA (celestial arts, $14.95)
Leslie
Mansfield, a pastry chef trained in France, and Tom Dalldorf, publisher
of the Celebrator Beer News, teamed up last year to find the best
recipes from craft breweries across the US.
And what
a treat it is: from grilled tuna rubbed with red pepper harissa paste,
to stout-glazed salmon, to pub grub such as the Brutal Bitter Reuben
Sandwich, Mansfield's book covers a wide spectrum of food and beer
possibilities.
"The
first time I tasted Anchor Steam ale in the 1980s, I was so amazed,"
recalls Mansfield. "It made me realize how much more depth there
could be to the taste of a beer."
In addition
to her culinary background, Leslie is married to an accomplished homebrewer
and professional winemaker. Her husband, Richard Mansfield, brought
his triple decoction homebrewing system with him to Napa, all the
way from Portland, OR. Both he and Leslie enjoy his homebrewed beer,
plus sampling the classic California craft brews.
Leslie
consulted with Tom Dalldorf about breweries in North America to find
recipes friendly to the flavors of beer. "Tom gave invaluable
help in targeting breweries in California. Ken Mee of the Silverado
Brewery is a great cook and wonderful to work with - and of course
the grandaddy of California craft brewing, Fritz Maytag, is also a
real fan of food, beer, and cooking."
Mansfield
says her "absolute favorite recipes are the lamb shanks braised
in stout, the black pepper gnocchi with wild mushrooms, also the stout
black forest cheesecake. Plus, the potato salad from Mount St. Helena
Co. has turned out to be my new favorite recipe for that salad."
My only
wish was to learn more about the contributing chefs and breweries
in the prefaces to the recipes. In some cases, the only way to discern
where a recipe originated is by consulting the list of ingredients,
as the brand names of contributing breweries are listed when beer
is called for as an ingredient.
The book
publisher chose not to organize recipes by category or meal type (appetizers,
soups, etc.), but clusters recipes after a brief profile of the contributing
brewery. Nor is there a recipe index. So, be prepared to browse through
each page, which really is a mouth-watering task!
Warm
yourself with a batch of Fiery Pale Ale Prawns, courtesy of the Alaskan
Brewing Company and Leslie Mansfield:
2/3 cup
Alaskan Brewing Company pale ale
1/3 cup honey
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 and one-half pounds fresh prawns or medium shrimp, shelled with
tails on
In a
shallow bowl, whisk together the honey, cornstarch, garlic and cayenne
until smooth. Add the prawns and toss to coat. Cover and chill for
6 hours to marinate, stirring several times. Prepare a hot grill.
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes, then drain. Thread the
prawns onto skewers (about 5-6 per skewer). Place the prawns over
the hot grill (a fish grill basket works well too), and turn once.
Cooks in about 4-6 minutes total, about 2-3 minutes per side.
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