Hey, Norm, What's Brewing?

So you've just had a party and are now the proud owner of enough leftover beer to play host to half the teams in the N.F.L. Instead of downing a long cool one the morning after and trying to figure out what to do with the rest, take a cue from George Wendt, who plays the laid-back, suds-loving Norm Peterson on NBC's Cheers--pour a few brews into your next pot of homemade chili. Aside from adding such typical ingredients as pinto and kidney beans, tomato sauce and ground beef, Wendt, who admits he never measures anything, says, "I sometimes throw a few neck bones or a pound of ground pork into the pot for added flavor, along with any and all peppers I can find--green, red, yellow, black, white and jalapeño." To further spice things up, he adds Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, ground cumin and about six bottles of whatever beer happens to be in the fridge. "Make it hot," he advises. "If the wimps won't eat it, there's more left for you."

While Wendt cooks with beer for fun, cuisine à la bière, a longtime favorite of the French and the Belgians, is starting to show up in a variety of Stateside restaurants. In West Los Angeles, Eureka Restaurant and Brewery serves beer bread and barley-dumpling soup. The renowned Fournou's Ovens in San Francisco offers grilled prawns marinated in smoked beer and the fashionable Heathman Bakery and Pub in Portland, Oregon, braises its delicious baron of rabbit with a mustard-and-ale sauce. At Chicago's Goose Island Brewery, you can order chili-and-cilantro beer sausage; and in the otherwise restrained little town of Bridgeport, Michigan, a restaurant called Render's encourages diners to indulge in a Black Forest tart moistened with dark lager. Actually, almost any recipe that specifies wine will be just as tempting with beer. The sweetness and the texture of the malt enrich sauces and stews, while the hops, which give beer its flowery, herbal flavor, add that extra zing to condiments such as mustards and horseradish. Like wine, beer gains some fruity acidity when it ferments. The acidity works not only as a flavor enhancer in salad dressings but also as a meat tenderizer in marinades. Beer is especially good with fish, both as an ingredient and as an accompaniment. Try steaming or stewing shellfish with a dry stout. Despite its intense flavor, it marries well with mussels, clams or oysters. If the fish is poached, pouring a bit of beer into the liquid will make it seem extra-fresh, just as lemon does. When it comes to red meats and poultry, beer serves as an excellent moisturizing agent in any dish that calls for braising or basting. Rich, dark ales work best as overnight marinades. An English-style pale ale is the right brew for a lamb casserole or a London broil. And while an amber, dark lager or a bock (concluded on page 173) What's Brewing? (continued from page 128) beer gives caramelized onions or stuffings a nutty flavor, the same style of beer also brings out the character of chicken or pork dishes.

Amber lager or brown ale has a complementary sweetness that provides a delicious background flavor to crispy green vegetables. Try it with green beans. Blanch the beans, stir them in a mixture of ale, veal stock and shallots and add crumbled walnuts for texture.

You can even use beer in desserts. The sweeter, stronger types of porter and stout give rich fruit or chocolate dishes a greater depth. And cherry and raspberry beers from Belgium contribute a terrific tartness not only to fruit vinegars but to sinfully delicious desserts as well.

Don't economize and buy cheap beer just because you're going to cook with it. If you wouldn't drink it, why eat it? And if you're worried about alcohol content, don't be. Alcohol evaporates in cooking and even uncooked dressings or sauces are diluted to almost zero proof.

Here are a few simple yet tempting recipes using beer that we'll eat (and drink to) any time:

[recipe_title]Chicken-and-Black-Bean Soup[/recipe_title]

A robust, chunky soup flavored with American premium beer.

[recipe]1 tablespoon olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/4-inch-thick slice smoked bacon, derinded and cut into chunks[/recipe]

[recipe]1 onion, peeled and chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]4 stalks celery, washed and chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed[/recipe]

[recipe]1 red and 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks[/recipe]

[recipe]4 cups black beans, cooked (canned beans may be used)[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup American premium beer[/recipe]

[recipe]5 cups chicken stock[/recipe]

[recipe]2 bay leaves[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups cooked chicken strips[/recipe]

[recipe]Good dash Tabasco sauce[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt and freshly ground pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup boiled rice[/recipe]

Heat oil in large pan and fry bacon until crisp. Remove with slotted spoon. Add onion, celery, garlic and peppers to pan and cook until softened. Stir in beans and add beer, stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes, adding extra stock if necessary. Stir in chicken strips and heat through. Season with Tabasco, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve in warmed soup bowls topped with spoonfuls of boiled rice. Serves four.

[recipe_title]Pescado Lorenzo[/recipe_title]

Strips of salmon and halibut in an oregano-and-parsley cream sauce tossed with angel-hair pasta.

[recipe]2 tablespoons sunflower or olive oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped[/recipe]

[recipe]1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2-lb. skinless salmon fillet, cut into thin strips[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2-lb. skinless halibut fillet, cut into thin strips[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup European lager[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons fish stock or bottled clam juice[/recipe]

[recipe]4 tablespoons heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt and freshly ground black pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4-lb. angel-hair pasta[/recipe]

[recipe]Extra parsley for garnish[/recipe]

Heat oil in pan and gently cook onion and garlic until soft but not browned. Add fish and fry quickly to seal. Sprinkle with herbs. Pour in beer and stock. Bring to boil, reduce heat and poach for five minutes or until fish is cooked. Stir in cream and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water until just al dente. Drain. Toss lightly with fish mixture. Pile onto four warmed serving plates and sprinkle a little extra chopped parsley to garnish. Serves four.

[recipe_title]Ale Puffs[/recipe_title]

[recipe]1 cup finely chopped bacon[/recipe]

[recipe]2 cups finely chopped leeks[/recipe]

[recipe]1 clove finely chopped garlic[/recipe]

[recipe]20 ozs. sharp cheddar cheese[/recipe]

[recipe]10 ozs. Swiss gruyère[/recipe]

[recipe]Dash nutmeg, freshly ground pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3 whole eggs, plus 2 egg whites[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 bottle Bass ale[/recipe]

[recipe]30 packaged tartlets (1-1/2 ins. diameter)[/recipe]

Sauté bacon until crispy. Add leeks and garlic. Sauté until slightly cooked. Discard bacon fat and cool.

Finely shred both cheeses and add to bacon/leek mixture. Add nutmeg and pepper. Mix in eggs, egg whites, flour and ale until smooth.

Pour into packaged tartlets, approximately 1 "coffee spoon" into each. Bake at 400° Fahrenheit for 10 minutes and serve warm.

[recipe_title]Porter Ice[/recipe_title]

Caramel-colored ice cream flavored with porter or sweet stout. Best made the day before. Whipped egg whites keep the mixture light and scoopable.

[recipe]4 eggs, separated[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup superfine sugar[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup porter or sweet stout[/recipe]

[recipe]3/4 cup light cream whipped with 3/4 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

Whisk yolks, sugar and beer together until thick and mixture forms ribbons when whisk is lifted. Fold in whipped creams. Whisk egg whites stiff and carefully fold into mixture. Pour into container and freeze or use ice-cream maker. Serve with cookies. Serves four.

Pass the toque blanche and the six-pack. Now we're cooking!