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Belgian Beer Conch Chowder

January 13, 2017 by rachelle 24 Comments

Belgian Beer Conch Chowder is an easy soup with fresh conch and vegetables, a floral Belgian beer, heavy cream, and slowly simmered to a creamy perfection.

 

I’m a bit late to the party.

Belgian Beer Conch Chowder is an easy soup with fresh conch and vegetables, a floral belgian beer, heavy cream, and slowly simmered to a creamy perfection.

It’s come to my attention that January is National Soup Month, so I thought I’d come on and ride this train.  I mean, it was 77 degrees today here in Charlotte, so I can’t think of a more perfect time to have some soup.

 

 

Belgian Beer Conch Chowder is an easy soup with fresh conch and vegetables, a floral belgian beer, heavy cream, and slowly simmered to a creamy perfection.

I’m fairly certain that last weekend would have been a bit more appropriate since we were snowed in after the blizzard left us under 1.246 inches of snow.  But it is what it is and here we are.

Belgian Beer Conch Chowder is an easy soup with fresh conch and vegetables, a floral belgian beer, heavy cream, and slowly simmered to a creamy perfection.

I posted a Conch Chowder last year after I attended a really fun cooking class that started with wine at 10:30 am.  That chowder is one of my most popular posts, so I thought it was high time to update the recipe and, of course, add some beer.

If you’re looking for some more soup recipes, be sure to check out my friend, Karrie’s National Soup Month recipe roundup over at Tasty Ever After.

Belgian Beer Conch Chowder is an easy soup with fresh conch and vegetables, a floral Belgian beer, heavy cream, and slowly simmered to a creamy perfection.

Belgian Beer Conch Chowder
Print

Belgian Beer Conch Chowder

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pound bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 shallots thinly sliced
  • 4 carrots diced or cut into discs
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup Belgian ale beer
  • 1 1/2 pounds conch very thinly sliced (fresh or frozen and thawed)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 medium potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • Thyme sprigs or parsley for garnish

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in a Dutch ovn over medium heat until crispy, remove and drain on paper towel
  2. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon fat and discard the rest
  3. Heat the reserved bacon fat over medium heat in the same Dutch oven
  4. Add shallots and carrots, cook until soft and fragrant, 2-4 minutes
  5. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir allowing flour to cook for about 1 minute
  6. Add vegetable stock, water and beer, bring to a boil
  7. Add conch, cayenne, thyme, salt and pepper, reduce heat, and simmer for 2 hours
  8. Add potatoes and cook until tender, 10 minutes or so depending how big you cut them
  9. Stir in cream, adjust seasonings, and simmer a few more minutes
  10. Taste and adjust seasonings again if necessary
  11. Garnish with fresh thyme or parsley, if desired

NOTES:

  1. If you don’t know where to find conch, most grocery stores, fish markets, and specialty stores either have it or can order it for you.  Publix ordered some for me several times.
  2. Feel free to make it spicier by adding more cayenne if that makes you happy
  3. I used Weeping Willow Wit – a Belgian-style wit beer from Mother Earth Brewing in Kinston, NC. Belgian Beer Conch Chowder was a bit easier to fit into the title.

Filed Under: Appetizers/Soups/Sides Tagged With: ale, beer, belgian, chowder, conch, conch chowder, seafood, soup, stew

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits

November 28, 2016 by rachelle 21 Comments

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

 

I figured you’d be tired of turkey by now.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

I feel like the last days of November following Thanksgiving are kind of a limbo place.  That place where I’m still full of all the heavy food and exhausted from the preparation and cleanup, yet not quite ready to get my holiday bake on.

So I made you some Belgian Ale Shrimp and Grits.  Something so far from the aftermath of Thanksgiving and so far from the sweetness of all the holiday baking.  I actually made this dish over a month ago, but didn’t get around to posting it because of all the holiday stuff.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

Chris and our friend Jeff went to the Panthers – Cardinals game here at home.  These guys have traditionally gone to at least one home game together each year then come back to our house for dinner. This game was on October 30th, the day before Halloween, and it was about 80 degrees, so the typical post-game pot roast dinner seemed a bit out of season.  Shrimp was on sale and that’s how we rolled. Add beer.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

We won after a string of losses and there was much cause for celebration.  That is until someone brought up politics, that ridiculous election, and all things that should never be discussed.  That may or may not have been the day I may or may not have thrown this pie.  Don’t judge me.  I make no admissions.

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits
Print

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits

Ingredients

  • 6 pieces bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1/2 green bell pepper diced
  • 1/2 red bell pepper diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 16 ounces Belgian style ale
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1 - 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp peeled, deveined, tails on or off
  • 1 cup yellow corn grits prepared according to package directions - I used Bob's Red Mill because I like the smooth texture
  • Chopped parsley as an optional garnish

Instructions

  1. In a cast iron skillet cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crispy, remove from pan, drain on paper towel lined plate, set aside
  2. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings from the skillet, add butter, and return to medium heat
  3. Add onion, green pepper, and red pepper and cook until softened and fragrant, 3 - 4 minutes
  4. Add garlic and cook another minute, stirring frequently careful not to burn
  5. Add tomato paste and stir for another minute
  6. Sprinkle vegetables with flour and cook another 1 -2 minutes, stirring frequently
  7. Add beer, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer
  8. Cook a few minutes until mixture thickens
  9. Add chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time, until desired thickness is reached
  10. Add shrimp and cook until pink in color - the timing will vary according to the size of the shrimp
  11. Serve over grits and garnish with parsley if using

NOTES:

  1. I used a Belgian style ale in this dish.  I am confident that a wit or wheat beer would also be delicious.  You could use a pale ale that’s not very hop forward, but I would stay away from an IPA or anything too hoppy or bitter because once you reduce that it’s going to be the main flavor you have and it’s not going to be good.  Stick with the floral or malty styles of craft beer and you’ll be good.
  2. I can’t remember what size these shrimp were, but the cooking time will be longer, the larger the shrimp are.  They just poach in the sauce at the very end for a few minutes until they’re pink and no longer translucent.  Most will only take about 3 – 5 minutes.

 

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits

Belgian Style Ale Shrimp and Grits is an easy dish full of flavor and updated to include floral notes from a Belgian craft beer sure to be a new favorite!

Filed Under: Entrees Tagged With: ale, beer, beer shrimp and grits, belgian, belgian ale, belgian style ale shrimp and grits, grits, shrimp, shrimp and grits, southern

Belgian Tripel – Home Brew!

October 19, 2015 by rachelle 22 Comments

OMG!  We finally brewed and the beer is ready for consumption!  Woo-hoo!

 

DSC_0087PM2

 

Clearly, I was consuming this one with my lipstick marks on the glass.  Sorry!  I couldn’t help it.  We were tasting it and I just got so excited that we finally had some homebrew and I wanted to share!

 

DSC_0083

 

We also brewed a Kolsch and took both kegs to a getaway in the North Carolina mountains this weekend.

Both were a hit!  We rented a house with some friends and drove around doing the dorky look at the leaves touristy thing.

I’m not a fan of sharing personal space and my biggest fear on this trip was having to share a bathroom with someone other than my husband.  When we showed up and were told that our bedroom was the pull out sofa bed in the living room I threw a hissy fit and nearly had a heart attack calmly voiced my objections and we were relocated to a better, but not ideal sleeping situation.  Needless to say, there was a bunch of Belgian Tripel involved the first night.  In preparation for the second night, Chris took me to my mother ship….

 

DSC_0252PM

 

I had a great time, but I’m happy to be home and there are a bunch of reasons that we are drinking beer on a Monday morning.  I’m so glad I had the good judgment to take a Monday vacation day. Because next time? I need my own house. Cheers!

P.S. Be sure to come back and visit tomorrow – there’s something special happening….

P.S.S. I took 537 photos this weekend and plan to share after I can sort them out.  The NC mountains are beautiful in October!

 

 

Filed Under: What's on Tap? Tagged With: beer, belgian, belgian tripel, home brew

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About Beer Girl Cooks


I’m Rachelle, an attorney by day with a passion for home brewing and cooking with craft beer.

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