Mybeerbuzz .com Highlights Lush: A Season-by-Season Celebration of Craft Beer and Produce by Jacquelyn Dodd (aka The Beeroness) (Review)

Of course you already know I love all things beer, but if you happen to follow me on Instagram, you may also know there’s a lot more to me than just beer.
Outside of the beer world, I’m actually a very avid baker and I love cranking out all sorts of breads and deserts.  Second only to the yeast in a beer, I’ve probably used up more yeast baking breads than I can describe…and if you get me going on deserts, then we may be here all day talking sweets.
Because of this, I was really excited to get a chance to review a new book coming from Agate Publishing.  The book is called Lush: A Season-by-Season Celebration of Craft Beer and Produce by Jacquelyn Dodd (the woman behind the award-winning cooking-with-beer website The Beeroness)…and being familiar with Jacquelyn’s site, I couldn’t wait to dig in. 
The publisher describes this book as a cook book and they go on to say:
Lush goes beyond simple beer pairings or basic cooking-with-beer recipes; in this cookbook, seasonal craft beer is treated as a complex ingredient that can be used to enhance familiar fruits and vegetables. Organized by season, Lush introduces the idea of cooking with fresh, locally sourced ingredients to the beer crowd, and the idea of cooking with beer to lovers of all things farm to table. Whether readers spend their Saturdays at the farmers market or their favorite local craft brewery (or both!), Dodd’s creative use of produce and beer opens the door to deliciously multifaceted flavors that evolve with the seasons.
The cookbook includes more than 80 creative, produce-forward recipes including:

• Beer Polenta with Creamy Chard and Eggs
  
• Heirloom Tomato Tart with Summer Ale Whipped Mascarpone
  
• Shaved Asparagus Salad with Lemon Pilsner Vinaigrette
  
• Cucumber Cups with Avocado and White Ale Bean Purée
  
• Hopsta (Cascade Hop Linguine)
  
• Doppelbock Rutabaga Mash with Lemon Confit Butter
  
• Summer Ale Apple Pie with Beer Pie Dough
  
• Ginger Beer Scones
  
• Roasted Butternut Squash and Barrel-Aged Stout Caramelized Onion Pizza

I can say after checking out the book for myself that it’s a perfect companion for a beer-loving baker or just a beer-loving person interested in cooking…or better yet, just about anyone who loves good food.  The recipes are well organized and easy to follow and the pictures are really enticing.  I can also say that being a vegetarian married to a vegan, it’s refreshing to see a recipe book that makes it easy to enjoy craft beer cooking without the standard beef-based recipes.  In fact I’ve been going through most of the book and I’ve yet to come across a meat-based recipe yet.  (UPDATE:  the book is 100% vegetarian).  As a gardener, I also appreciated the book being organized by season.  This will really make it easy to decide what to harvest or buy at the farmer’s market during each season and how to pair it with a seasonal beer.
Rather than jumping around in the book and telling you more about how cool it is, I decided to try a recipe or two for myself.
I couldn’t resist the Heirloom Tomato Tart with Summer Ale Whipped Mascarpone especially with a few heirloom tomatoes from my garden on the counter and a some remaining summer ales in the ‘fridge.  I did run out and buy the Marscapone and it was worth the ride.  The recipe was simple and the tart came out looking and tasting really good.  The resulting tart had a nice blend of acidic and sweet flavors and I really loved what the Marscapone and beer brought to the mix.
I also couldn’t resist the Spicy Beer Pickles and I was even more excited to find a great use for all of the cucumbers we just bought at the farmer’s market.  The resulting pickles were flavorful and really interesting with the addition of a session IPA in the mix and I’m betting they get even more tasty after a few more days in the brine.
I’m a regular at our farmer’s market and with a really active garden and beer cooler, I think this book is right up my alley.  Even if you’re not like me, I think you’d be hard-pressed to not find quite a few delicious recipes you can make on your own.
Be sure to check out Lush: A Season-by-Season Celebration of Craft Beer and Produce by Jacquelyn Dodd for yourself, and when you do try a few of the recipes, be sure to let us know what YOU think.