The Beer Baron - Trick or Treat with Big Rig Brewing

The Beer Baron is back! This post comes from Matt and you can find him on Twitter & Instagram @geekcanuck

I’m normally not crazy about pumpkin beers that come out at this time of year, as they tend to just be ales overwhelmed by pumpkin pie spices. However, when I saw that Big Rig Brewing’s Tales from the Patch was billed as a “spiced pumpkin porter”, I couldn’t resist. After all, my love of darker beers -- particularly stouts and porters -- is well documented.

I decided to have it with my Thanksgiving dinner alongside the Clockwatching Tart’s amazing spatchcocked turkey and was immediately intrigued and impressed. The maltier, more robust backbone of the porter stood up to the pumpkin spices well and the mouthfeel was silky smooth and beguiling. It was even better than advertised and a quick check back to the can revealed that it wasn’t just a spiced porter, but a spiced MILK porter, which uses lactose (aka milk sugar) to impart a lovely, milky smoothness.

Clearly, I needed to talk to the brewmaster responsible.

“It’s become a tradition that started when I was still working at a brewery out west. Every year, I’d make a different pumpkin beer for my wife, so I’ve tried quite a few variations. I’m happy to say she likes this one,” says Big Rig Brewery brewmaster and co-owner Lon Ladell, who was kind enough to answer my geeky questions about his beer.

According to Lon, the idea behind Tales from the Patch was to create a beer that emulated the flavors of pumpkin pie with whipped cream, hence the lactose.

“Porter is a style of beer that already lends itself to some of the flavours that we wanted. We used crystal malt to give it a bit of a sweet, caramel kind of note and then added some chocolate and biscuit malt to give it that kind of graham cracker crust layer,” says Lon.

As for the spices and the pumpkin itself, Lon and the Big Rig team didn’t treat it much differently than anyone else making homemade pumpkin pie.

“We used a couple of local farms. We go and actually pick some of the pumpkins ourselves and then buy the rest. It was a lot of fun. Once we got them, we broke them apart and scooped out all the innards, cut them into four or five pieces, then we put cinnamon, cloves, allspice and brown sugar on them and then roast them in our ovens at one of our restaurants. It’s exactly how you make pumpkin pie,” says Lon.

Between the roasted maltiness of the porter, the spices used on the pumpkin and the finishing touch of the lactose, Tales from the Patch is nicely balanced, unique, and -- most of all -- delicious. It definitely goes down as an absolute Halloween treat and something I hope to find again next year (even if Lon has to brew a different pumpkin beer for his wife).

P.S. If you happen to get a little caramel square this Halloween, you could do worse things than pairing it with Tales from the Patch, assuming you can track some down at the LCBO.

Fall Chicken & Apple Stew

This is a very simple fall stew quick enough for a weeknight but fancy enough for company, which is my favourite category of recipe!  

Also, this recipe makes a ton of stew and the leftovers are great!  The recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine.  Here's what you need for this quick fall stew:

Tart of the Month - Apple Pie

For Thanksgiving this year I was in charge of making apple pie. I know this is not technically a tart, but I prefer apple pie with crumble topping, rather than a double-crust pie, so it's very close to a tart.

I used The Food Lab's easy pie dough recipe to make the dough ahead of time and kept it in the fridge for a few days, then assembled and baked the pies the day of our dinner.

The dough is very easy to make in the food processor. I've been afraid to attempt pie crust in the past but I'm finding it pretty simple these days.  As long as you keep things very cold it isn't scary at all!

Here's what you need for two apple pies with crumble topping:

Tart of the Month Autumn Round Up

It's been a very busy month around here, so I didn't have time to make a new tart in September.  Instead, I thought I'd browse the archives for seasonal Autumn tarts I've made in the past.

There are some real winners here!

This Butternut Squash Tart with Sage, Honey & Chilis is really easy and makes a tasty, fancy appetizer or light lunch.

Stone fruits are still in season here in Ontario, and these Plum Tarts with Honey and Black Pepper are a sweet and sour treat.

This Roasted Vegetable Tarte Tatin takes a little more effort, but it is so beautiful and delicious, it's well worth it. 

I can't get enough butternut squash at this time of year, so here's another Butternut Squash Tart, this time with mushrooms and Gruyere.

Little Beet, Cheddar & Apple Tarts on puff pastry are a simple treat for a savoury dessert or snack.

Tarte flambée, or Flammekueche is similar to pizza and makes a wonderful dinner when nights get cooler.  

Carrots are in season and I love the way this Carrot and Herb Tart uses a variety of coloured carrots with the green of fresh herbs. 

And, finally, it isn't really fall without some pumpkin spice. These Pumpkin Spice Tarts have a gingersnap crust I love. 

Get outside and enjoy the season!  

Tart of the Month - Butternut Squash with Sage, Honey & Chilis

You really can't go wrong with these puff pastry tarts.  They come together in minutes and bake quickly.  They work great as an appetizer, side dish or as a quick lunch.  I keep all-butter puff pastry in the freezer at all times now, and I can whip up a tart at a moment's notice.  

This recipe comes from Bon Appetit.  It's a has a few steps, but it's super easy to do.  Here's what you need:

Tart of the Month - Pumpkin Spice Tarts

It's that time of year!  Pumpkin spice is on everyone's mind. 

I was never a huge fan of pumpkin pie - it's a little dense and the texture isn't that appealing to me.  But these pumpkin spice tarts are lightened up with cream cheese, and I love the gingersnap crust.  

Here's what you need for these easy fall treats:

Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger

Canadian Thanksgiving is upon us and 'tis the season for butternut squash soup!  For me, soup is usually a meal (sometimes with a sandwich).  I don't serve it as a first course at home but if you do, this is a great one for Thanksgiving dinner or any time!

There are hundreds of variations on butternut squash soup.  Some have cream, some don't.    Some are just a simple squash purée and others have a multitude of ingredients.  It's easy to experement and use your favourite ingredients.  I've tried a few recipes and I don't really have a favourite, but this one is really delish! 

This soup has no cream, just vegetables and chicken stock, making it nice and healthy.  You'll need a large butternut squash, one large or 2 medium onions, 4 cloves of garlic, a 2-inch piece of ginger, chilis (optional), 2 celery stalks, 2 carrots and 2 small apples, plus about 4 cups of chicken stock.

Want a great tip for choosing a butternut squash?  Choose the one with the longest neck you can find!  Peeling and chopping a winter squash is no picnic, but the long neck part has no seeds so it's pure squash.  You'll end up with more squash and fewer seeds, and the straight neck is so much easier to peel than the bulbous part.  The seedy part of this squash was so small it was barely worth peeling and seeding.

I peel the squash with a sharp knife, setting the flat end on the board and slicing down.

Once peeled, chop into even-sized cubes.

Then chop your celery...

carrots...

onions...

and garlic and chilis.

You can grate your ginger but I find that a bit of a pain so I just quartered it and threw it in with the peel still on, then removed it before puréeing the soup.  It turned out very gingery so I think it was a success.

Lastly, peel and chop your apples so they don't turn too brown.

Warm a teaspoon of oil in a large pot over medium heat.

Then add your onion, carrot and celery and sauté for 5 minutes until starting to soften.

Next add the ginger, chilis, garlic, apples and squash and cook, stirring for another 5 minutes.  

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss in a bay leaf if you like.

Then add 4 cups chicken stock (or enough to cover the vegetables).

Bring to a boil and then simmer about 20 minutes until the squash is tender.

Once the veggies are soft it's time to purée the soup.  

But first remove the ginger and bay leaf.

I love using an immersion blender for this.  They're cheap and very handy for soup.  But if you don't have one you can pour the soup in batches into a regular blender.  Just be careful not to let steam build up inside.  Remove the centre of the lid and cover with a towel.

Once the soup is all smooth it is ready to serve.  

Ladle into bowls and serve with a sandwich, crusty bread, a nice salad, or just on its own.

This is also a great potluck dish.  I put it into a crockpot and warmed it up for my co-workers for lunch.  Just don't put the full crockpot on the floor of your car because if someone unexpectedly slams on the breaks in front of you, it's quite the seasonal mess to clean up.