|
|
|
BREW REVUE: Southampton Double White & Burnt Pears
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
BREW REVUE: Southampton Double White & Burnt Pears
 |
| Cold beer, hot pear pair |
| Photo l Michael Persico |
With spring just over three weeks away, we're coming up hot on outdoor drinking season. The sidewalk tables emerge from storage, and the wheat beer starts pouring like April rain.
Wheat beers come several major styles, including Belgian Witbier spiced with coriander and curaçao orange peel; German Weißbier, a category that includes hefeweizen, dunkel Weisse, kristall Weisse and Berliner Weisse; and American wheats in styles both mimicked and original.
These beers are almost always top-fermented with ale yeast and brewed with unmalted wheat instead of malted barley, which produces a lighter colored beer (hence "white"). The popularity of these easy-drinking styles increased dramatically as American drinkers and brewers alike were exposed to such classic quaffs as Hoegaarden White and Spaten Franziskaner. Some American brewers have made wheat beers that are faithful homages to original styles; see Allagash White. Others seek to take the typically low-alcohol wheat brew somewhere more extreme.
Southampton Publick House is located halfway between the Chanel and Saks boutiques and the barbecues smoking on the beach, in the village of Southampton on Long Island, New York. Connecticut brewer Phil Markowski was recruited in 1996 to handle brewing operations, and has since garnered accolades from publications (BeerAdvocate best brewpub, 2003) and medals (Great American Beer Fest, World Beer Cup). One of the most popular beers at the brewpub that is also bottled for distribution nationwide is Southampton Double White.
A hazy, unfiltered wheat beer, Double White differs from other styles in that is rings in at nearly 7 percent ABV. Otherwise, it holds true to Belgian form, refreshingly flavored with coriander and bitter orange peel. Publick House executive chef Randall Wilson took a few minutes to tell Meal Ticket about cooking with, and pairing, Double White.
"One of my favorite beers that we serve is Double White," says chef Wilson. "I especially like to finish sauces with it. If you cook beer for a long time, the bitterness from the hops takes over and becomes unpalatable. If you use the beer, cut with wine for sweetness, to finish a dish, the subtle flavor of the beer comes through opposed to the bitterness." Take a look at Wilson's recipes for pan-roasted cod with Double White butter and bruléed pears after the jump.
Meet Southampton brewer Phil Markowski during Beer Week, on Tuesday, March 10 at 6 p.m. at The Belgian Cafe, 21st and Green streets, 215-235-3500.
Randall Wilson's Method for Pan-Roasted Cod with Double White Butter
Chef suggests searing a fillet of cod in a little neutral-flavored oil, three minutes on each side over medium-high head to ensure a crisp sear on each side. Add a few sliced shallots and garlic cloves to the pan; 7 minutes in a preheated 375-degree oven should cook the cod through.
Pour out the old oil and add a splash of fresh olive oil, a lump of butter, a splash of white wine and a splash of Double White beer. Over low heat, baste the fish with the liquid until liquid is slightly reduced. Toss in a bit of chopped flat-leaf parsley. Serve immediately.
Randall Wilson's Method for Bruleed Pears at Home
"In the restaurant, I would do this with a propane torch," says Wilson, "but at home, it can be done on the stove in a Teflon pan." Cut a pear in half lengthwise and scoop out the seedy center with a spoon. In a non-stick pan, melt a small lump of butter and splash of olive oil over medium-high heat. Place the pear flesh side down in the pan when it is very hot, and allow it to sear for 4-5 minutes, without moving it. Chef likes this served immediately, as he enjoys the textural contrast between the cool crisp pear flesh and the sticky, burnt surface. If you like your pear cooked through, stick the whole pan in a 350-degree oven for 5 minutes. Wilson eats this dish with a cold glass of Double White close at hand.
- barstool scientist
- Booze
- Brew Revue
- Chef Salad
- Closings
- Coffee
- Contests
- Dealage
- Dirty Dishes
- Don't Front
- Eat This Immediately
- Field Trip
- Food and Art
- Food and Holidays
- Food and Movies
- Food and Music
- Food and Politics
- Food and Sports
- Food and Web
- Food Blogs
- Food Books
- Food Events
- Food News
- Food TV
- Gifted
- Happy Hour Hopper
- How-To
- In Print
- Interview
- Meal Ticket
- Menu Time
- Not So Quickfire
- Notes from the Weekend
- On Wheels
- Openings
- Patio Drinking
- Philly Beer Week 2010
- Photos
- Private Chef POV
- Product Placement
- Recipes
- Snack Time
- Stiff Drank
- SUPPER
- Tea
- Testing
- Ticket Stubs
- Top Chef
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Video
- Weekly Candy
- Weird Regional Foods
- We're Here to Help
- Where'd We Eat?
- Drew Lazor's Ill-Advised Rant Factory
- Pregame
- Ill-Advised Ranting
- The Week Without Meat
- Philly Beer Week 2009
- Real Big
- Where'd I Eat Last Night?
- Top Chef Masters
- The Good Word
- Next Iron Chef
- Arterial Terrorism
- Food and Radio
