I always keep a couple of cans of Guinness in – just for cooking purposes you understand …
Last week I liberated a pair of duck legs from the freezer. The only way to separate them was to partly defrost and then, to do what you’re not supposed to do, refreeze the second one. This enabled me to proceed with a favourite duck recipe, Arroz con Pato from Peru, which is one of those dishes where the meat is browned in an earthenware casserole, then braised in stock. Rice is added and cooks gently for the final 20 minutes or so absorbing all the flavours.
The basic flavour of the duck and the chicken stock is enhanced (or supercharged) by the addition of pureed chiles, sauteed onions and garlic, peas, fresh coriander, cumin. Plus, and this is where the story really begins, the stock is reinforced with a good amount of Guinness.
Well, I say a “good amount” but the recipe is is for a whole 2.25k duck, six serving pieces, 340g rice, 425m Guinness, whereas I’m cooking one serving piece and 45g rice. In other words there’s a lot of Guinness left in a 440ml can. What could I possibly do with it? No, you’re wrong …
Nina’s Bread with Dark Beer is one good answer. Scary to realise that it’s coming on 20 years since she shared this formula with me at the first Bethesdabakin’ weekend back in 2007. It’s a blend of white bread flour, spelt and rye and used up another 290ml of my can of Guinness in two 600g loaves (dough weight)
Which left me something in the region of probably 75ml still in the can. And, yes, rather than tip it down the sink, I drank it. This might upset some readers but I mixed it half-and-half with Weston’s Vintage cider. Totally delicious and well earned, I say…
Gwynedd Council recycled the can this very morning.
The PArtisan Baker 