2 eggs, separated
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tbsp salt
3/4 cup beer, room temperature
3/4 cup flour
Directions
The ultimate batter for deep frying... DIRECTIONS:
BEER! Whether it's ale, lager, pilsener, or stout, is terrific for
cooking. Beer makes a batter for deep frying and smooths a French
onion soup. And what could be more compatible for lunch on a rainy
Vancouver weekend out on the boat fishing for Spring salmon than a
cold beer with a hot pastrami sandwich smothered with brown beer
mustard?
This is the late James Beard's recipe for batter to French fry
vegetables. Trim your veggies, wash, dry thoroughly, dust with flour,
dip into the batter, and fry in oil at 360 F. until done. However,
James "missed the boat" on this one - it's far better for deep frying
halibut, cod, or any other seafood. The batter puffs up because of
the beer's yeast, fries quickly, and as a result, doesn't commit the
cardinal sin of seafood preparation - overcooking. I think few of
our piscine friends benefit from deep frying as a cooking method, but
that's another story.
To prepare, place flour in a mixing bowl and add egg yolks, salt,
oil, and beer. Stir batter until thoroughly mixed. Cover bowl with
plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours
or as long as 24 - the longer the better, to a point. Just before
using batter, stir it well again. In a separate bowl, beat egg
whites until stiff but not dry; gently fold egg whites into batter.
Does 2 lbs. of veggies or 6 fish fillets, depending upon their size.
Makes 4 servings.
Servings: 4 servings
Beard's Beer Batter Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Alcohol; Beer; Beverages
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to trace the history of transcribed cooking instructions way back into the far past, at least as far back into recorded history as early Egypt, and potentially, even further back. In practice though, these, early records were just simple hieroglyphic recipes for meal preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to academics is a collection of stone tablets in the Sumerian language which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel wonderful. As we move into The time of the romans around 25BC a man called Apicius created some scripts which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his works, Apicius describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and desserts, a style of dining still practiced today. Additionally, he informs us how the ancient Romans were skilled in the use of many different spices, including many that are still in use today such as bay, fennel and parsley. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new spices and herbs from middle-east cuisine, including spices such as basil and rosemary. These new foods and tastes caused an explosion in books on cooking, many of which are kept safe in private collections. By the advent of the 20th century, cooking books are increasing in popularity mostly due to higher levels of literacy, more spare time and having more disposable income. The revolution that is television brings us celebrity chefs and the accompanying recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of the internet, permitting everyone to access massive numbers of recipes like those on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Beard's Beer Batter recipe.
